I have always been a fan of never spending too much on technology.  I am not a scrooge as such - simply that I start at the cheap end then go up the price scale to find the features I really want, need or see value in.  I resisted upgrading to a smartphone until my circumstances dictated a need for a portable internet-connected device integrated into a talk-and-text phone.

I currently have a Samsung J1, running Android 5.1.1 on an Orcon plan (Spark network?).  The handset was originally bought from 2D.

The problems with it are technical, not functional.  When it works it is all I need.  The GMAIL app frequently (but not always) gets sync errors when I am on 4G.  Those sync errors never occur on WiFi.  However at times like this I can get access to GMAIL via Chrome.  I am not able to isolate what might trigger these errors - it appears that this happens randomly from time to time.  I also have problems with a specific app not being able to determine my location from time to time (location services is always on, set to 'GPS, WiFi and mobile networks') while in 4g mode.

I am resigned to the fact that diagnosis and fix of these problems will not be easy, so I am canvassing Geekzoners on whether a handset upgrade might be appropriate, as an alternative.

I am aware that 5.1.1 is a relatively old version of Android.  Upgrading the handset will deliver better hardware specs with a later Android release.  Those better hardware specs (ie faster processor, more RAM and more storage) are not wanted or needed by me in their own right.

So the question is - would a handset upgrade deliver more benefits that might eliminate these problems?