Replace my Galaxy S5

[nemmm]

I have had my Samsung Galaxy S5 since June 2015. About 2 years ago, it started intermittently charging, and under warranty Samsung replaced the USB board and the LCD screen.

Well, it is doing the same thing again-- the battery will drop very fast and it refuses to charge.. removing the battery for 15 minutes, plug it in and it starts charging.  It is not the battery, usb cable, or charger.

The replacement process for USB sub board is pretty ugly, requires removing the LCD screen with heat gun, and is a bit risky to me without having a "backup" phone.

The dilemma is:
1) Buy a used S5 on eBay for ($80)..
pro: low cost, replaceable battery.
con: no new security updates. hardware may not be reliable.

2) Buy a new moto g5s plus ($200)
pro: new.
con: same performance as S5. probably only one more year of android updates.

3) Lease an essential phone from Sprint ($6/month - 18 months. Total $108)
pro: new, flagship phone
con: liable for full replacement cost if damaged. lease, not own.

Thoughts?

[tyler2016]

Id get a new phone. I paid 40 dollars for my moto e4 at Target a few months ago. I use Verizon prepaid, but you can probably find a Sprint phone for cheap. Someone I know got a galaxy J3 from Walmart for 30 dollars. Just be patient, don't be picky about the model, and shop around. If you search enough, you can probably join the under 50 dollar phone club.

[zolotiyeruki]

For the S5, you can still get security updates, just not official ones.  There's a vibrant community out there that provides aftermarket firmware for Android phones, including the S5.  They typically do nightly or weekly builds, and incorporate all the latest security updates, so you can have a reasonably secure phone.

I wonder if the way you're charging your phone is damaging the USB board.  You might consider getting a magnetic USB charging cable for your phone.  With those, if there's strain or tension on the cable, it simply pops out rather than putting that strain onto the USB port in the phone.  It's also great for keeping dust out of that jack.  Speaking of which, if you haven't already, it may be worth poking around in the jack with a pin and clearing out any lint that's in there.