As my Galaxy S6 starts to shit the bed (processor slow down, battery life draining 2-3x faster than at purchase, etc.) 16 months after purchase (which is exactly what happened to my S5 and my iPhone 4S before that), I'm starting to ask myself the question: does it make sense to buy a $600-$800+ flagship phone every 2 years and deal with the possibility / likelihood of "2nd year issues" or just buy a $200-$400 "budget phone" every year?
With the Moto G4, Honor 6X, ASUS Zenfone 3, ZTE Axon 7, OnePlus phones, Xiaomi phones etc., all reviewing quite well and getting better every year, this seems to be a more viable option than it was 3-4 years ago. Yes those phones are generally know to have issues (e.g. unremovable bloatware, mediocre camera, etc.) but getting a brand new phone every year sounds pretty appealing.
Anyone go that route? What has your experience been? Favorite phone to replace the flagship phones?