I have an S20 FE. Literally my perfect phone, and I have no plans to change it any time soon!
Another S20FE here. I've had new phone fever recently, but I keep having to ask myself....what exactly am I going to gain from spending almost a grand on a new S23.
Pixel 7 Pro, Android 14 Beta. It's sooooo broken. Pixel Launcher doesn't work, so the app switcher won't open. Crashes constantly. Debated buying something else.
Curious why but another phone (which would be on Android 13 or older) vs downgrading P7Pro back to Android 13?
I feel your pain as I'm in the same boat. I'm hesitant to update to the latest patch as the current (previous?) one that I'm on seems to be working the best minus the camera flaking out or locking up entirely. It was soooo smooth on 13 I truly regret moving to beta.
Pixel 7 Pro.
I'm generally happy with it, but the battery has been rather bad in that I have issues getting a full day out of it. I've also finding overheating issues when in 80+ degree F weather.
What phone are you using?
I have a Pixel 7, Obsidian Color
Are you happy with it? What are its best and worst qualities?
I love the phone. Its my first non low-end android, and I can't see myself going back to an iPhone. I love the assortment of emulators available for Android, and the pixel 7 main camera is very good. The selfie camera could use some work, but picture taking is not what I got this phone for anyway.
Which phones have you had previously? Which were the best and worst of the lot?
My previous phones were an iPhone 11 and an iPhone 5C before that. I have a Moto G pure (low end android) for a little bit, although it was more of a secondary phone instead of something to switch to, as it is very sluggish to use. The iPhone 11 was a good phone, the selfie camera is still better than my current pixel phone. I definitely craved the feeling of freedom I got from my Motorola though, despite its shortcomings. So I went ahead and got my pixel.
How often do you upgrade to a new phone? Very rarely, I might be upgrading more often now though due to pixels having shorter security update Windows than iPhones.
What other Android ecosystem devices do you have? Watches, headphones/earbuds, etc.
None at the moment, although I am planning on getting Pixel buds.
Do you also use any Apple products, or are you Android all the way? (And/or Windows, Linux, ChromeOS, etc.)
For now I am android all the way. I have a Lenovo Thinkpad with Windows 11 on it, I have tried to switch to Linux but my laptops display needs fractional scaling as the dimensions of the screen are different from the resolution. So until fractional scaling gets better on nvidia cards I'll have to stay with Windows.
Dang I wrote a lot ๐
+1 for fractional scaling issues, it's why I can't go back yet (although love seeing KDE finally get closer to full fractional scaling support)
The pixel 7 pro. I have been so disappointed with Google phones in the last few years. I like not having bloat, and as a developer it is good to have a generic phone.
The 7 really raised the bar. I couldn't live without face ID. I don't know if I could go back. It is so much easier now.
Google Pixel 6. I upgraded from an iPhone 8 a year ago. I love how open the os is, letting me do a bunch more then what's on the app store.
For headphones I have Soundcore Q30. They're decent Bluetooth headphones, that were pretty cheap when I bought them.
I use Windows with WSL. I tried switching to Linux for over a month, but I had too many issues with Windows only apps.
I also love usb-c. Almost all my devices can charge using the same cords. The only exceptions are my laptop with a 200W brick, and my diabetes pump. Nothing I can do about those.
Asus ZenFone 8.
I love it, it's a nice bit of kit, and the few gimmicks it has are useful: scheduled charging for better battery life, digital well being stuff to stop me being glued to my phone.
Battery would be a problem for a super power user, but lasts me all day with commuting, reading the web etc. Camera is not on a par with flagships but I rarely take pictures.
Prior to this I had a Huawei until the battery died on me. I upgrade when I have to, I hate consumer upgrade cycles.
I have zero android ecosystem products.
I'm Android/Linux all the way unless work force me to use a Mac, which happens periodically, as part of the great cycle of life.
I'm on the Galaxy S23.
My previous device was a Realme GT, I really wanted to experiment with these Chinese "flagship killer" devices that offer pretty impressive specs for lower prices. It had some amazing aspects, but also deep deal breakers. I'm happier with the S23.
Though Samsung absolutely burned me twice with their Exynos processors, so if a device is got an Exynos chip I'm not getting anywhere near it.
I have a Pixel 4a because I refuse to spend more than $200 on a phone. The battery is starting to not last very long so either I am going to replace the battery or get a Pixel 6a for $200. I'd really prefer to not need a new phone because I like the headphone jack.
Galaxy Fold 4. Would have immediately recommended it but this past weekend the inside screen protector cracked down the middle. I need to contact Samsung and see how big of a hassle this is to get it replaced. I've only had the phone like 6 months, this really shouldn't be this fragile
Yikes I've only had mine for about a month. So far no issues but keeping my fingers crossed everyday.
Was it just the screen protector or the screen itself?
Pixel 6!
I honestly want a phone with snapdragon 8 gen 2, but I don't want to go back to getting spam calls all the time. Pixel software is just too good.
S22+. Got an insane deal on a like new refurbished model, so it seemed like a no-brainer.
It's a phone. Most nondescript phone I've ever used. Nothing about it is amazing, but no major complaints. Even the battery is fine for me, despite a lot of people complaining about poor battery life on the S22 series.
Pixel 4a 5G. It's old and overheats like crazy and my Android Auto doesn't work half the time, but it has all my 2FA for work which is going to be a massive headache to replace when that time finally comes. Probably going with another Pixel though.
you should consider Aegis for 2FA, you can export all your keys to a file (encrypt able) that you can store on a USB!
Just made the change to a Pixel 6a from my really old Samsung Galaxy.
My only requirement was about size. I wanted something "smaller", first I thought about going with a newer Samsung from their mid-range 'A' category, but after seeing how big those things were, I decided to look outside the Samsung ecosystem.
I discovered GrapheneOS and as an open-source enthusiast, I really liked the idea. The professionalism of the dev team and the bloat free aspect of the OS made me get a Pixel.
The size is not that bad, but I wish it would be a bit smaller. So far I'm really liking it. I love the camera of this thing (even without GCam). The physical button placement was a bit weird for me at first, but I've gotten used to it.
I usually abuse my phones till they die, so I was looking for something that would last and I really think that I will be able to go for 5 years with this phone without an issue.
S20 ultra. My SO got it for me at launch because he thought I deserved a nice phone after getting me a 150 dollar one that lasted me a few years. I have tiny hands yet I have no issue with the size of this phone lol.
Best qualities? Still runs great, unlocked so no bloat, real cameras instead of the fake one on my old phone, Samsung dex, oled screen, not a scratch on it and I haven't used anscreen protector in for years now. Has a large battery.
Worst? Hmm... at first finding cases that protected the screen properly because of the edge was hard. It took getting used to the whole curved edge though now I think it's weird to use one without it. It gets hot when gaming so I avoid anything too intensive. It's older and I don't know how much longer it will be supported.
I previously owned a Huawei honor 6x lol... Before that it was just a flip phone and before that an iPhone 4s which I still use as a clock.
My current phone is the best as it does everything I need, the worst is the iPhone mostly because it came with almost no memory and no way to expand it and every os update caused it to run more and more out of memory. Also it was tiny.
I upgrade when the phone I have isn't worth keeping. My last phone had a spicy pillow and even though I tried to replace it the phone was so horribly glued together it was impossible to open up with regular tools. It was cheap anyway.
I have a portable Nvidia shield that is so out of date its unusable. The battery is dead. I might repurpose it though. I don't own any apple products beyond my initial iPhone as they're too expensive. I have have had the same fitbit since 2019 or so and I got a certificate from work that paid for some belkin wireless earbuds, beyond that and a pair of skullcandy wireless earphones I don't have much else.
My windows devices are all computers.
Samsung Fold 4. I like it a lot, but it's already been through 2 warranty repairs, and my warranty is up next month. Never before have I regretted not opting for an extended warranty as much as with this phone. These things just break from regular every day usage. After using the phone, I would really miss the screen real estate if I decided to go back to a regular candy bar shaped phone. But seeing as how prone they are to breaking means I think I pretty much have no choice.
I'm currently running the Pixel 6 Pro with Graphine OS.
Worst thing about this phone is the curved display. Everything else is good enough for me, which is saying a lot. I've had many phones over years and only a few have really been awesome.
In no particular order:
- HTC EVO Shift, EVO 4G LTE, EVO 3D
- Some ZTE Phone with android 2.2
- Oneplus One, 3T, 6T
- Pixel 4, Pixel 6 Pro
- Nexus 4, 5, 5x, 7
- iPhone 4, SE, 7, 12
Edit: format and a device
I use a Pixel 5 with MicroG Lineage OS. I like it quite a bit: it's fast, has good battery life, and thanks to Lineage OS, it doesn't spy on me (as much). I do miss having an SD card slot and headphone jack, but those are hard to find anywhere these days, unfortunately.
I don't have a specific upgrade schedule: I upgrade phones when the need arises. My last phone (Nexus 6) was showing its age: it was slow, the battery struggled to hold a charge, and the USB port was worn out. Switching to Lineage OS and a wireless charger helped with these problems somewhat, but it was still time for an upgrade. My phone before that (Droid Razr M) was stuck in a boot loop, so had to upgrade that, as well.
I have an iPad 3 sitting around somewhere, but otherwise, not much of an Apple person. I try to use Linux whenever possible (I know Android isn't a traditional GNU/Linux system, but with Lineage OS and Termux, it's close enough for me).
Pixel 6 Pro I'm happy with it, but looking forward to the next upgrade too. The size is slightly larger than I'd like, and I think they oversold the telephoto lens. Regular pictures are great, performance is good, battery life works for me. I usually upgrade every 3 years or so. My first phone was one of the Nokia candy bar free phones that came with a contract. I had Blackberries through work for years and thought they were cool at the time, switched to iPhones when those were new, then the Nexus and Pixel lines from Google. I usually use Android and Windows, but I've been thinking about getting some sort of Apple laptop.
What phone are you using? Huawei P50 Pro
Are you happy with it? What are its best and worst qualities? Absolutely love the phone, I'm not big on voice assistants or ecosystems so I don't need Google to be connected across all devices and have everything linked together.
As a phone it started out rough, loss of connection very frequently, dropping calls every day. After a few months these issues resolved on there own, which may have been a carrier issue and not the phone itself. Browsing and interacting with it is seamless, games run fast, apps rarely shutdown. The Camera is spectacular, the only rival is my gfs Iphone 13 but both are amazing. The only limiting factor is small amount of unavailable apps due to the lack G.P.S. but I'm not effected I just go to the mobile site instead.
Which phones have you had previously? Which were the best and worst of the lot? Huawei Nexus 6P Huawei P20 Pro
How often do you upgrade to a new phone? Every 3 - 4 years
What other Android ecosystem devices do you have? Watches, headphones/earbuds, etc. Not sure if they count but I have a TicWatch Pro 3 and EVA Earbuds
Do you also use any Apple products, or are you Android all the way? (And/or Windows, Linux, ChromeOS, etc.) Nope, no apple for me, Windows 10.
Samsung galaxy S21. I really enjoy it and has worked perfectly. I like Samsung rendition of Android, I feel like it gives me a larger overview of settings and so forth. I've had an iphone 6 and Huawei Mate 20 lite. My problem with the iphone was that i didn't really understand it, and the app library was limited. The Huawei became slow fast, but that might just be because of it being the lite edition. In edition to the Samsung S21 i also own a Samsung galaxy watch 5 and a pair Samsung buds 2. Both these works great, and i really enjoy Samsungs health app wich is how the watch connects to the phone. The buds are even compatible with my windows computer :)
OnePlus 7T
I love this phone. I thought it'd take longer than it actually did to get used to not having a home button anymore, but I adapted in less than an hour. Love how OxygenOS is very close to stock Android. The glass on the back is super slick. Everything is super slick to me. My hands are chronically dry. So I hate all these glass-backed phones.
I've previously used a OnePlus 3, OnePlus One, Samsung Galaxy S4, Motorola Photon 4G, and a Motorola RAZR ve20. I loved my Galaxy. It was my first OLED experience. My OnePlus One felt like kind of a downgrade, but it also allowed me to stop having to sign contracts to get an affordable phone in 2015. Plus, back then, it felt like being a part of something new and exciting. Man I miss Cyanogenmod.
I upgrade basically whenever I need to. The phone I have now is ~3ยฝ years old. The back glass is busted and the battery is starting to lose its life. They will repair it and so I'm thinking of sending it in. I can picture myself using this phone on another 3-4 years barring some kind of carrier stupidity.
No other Android devices. I'm an otherwise Windows/Ubuntu person. Started trying Mint recently. I do have a Fitbit.
I used to have a 4th gen iPod Touch circa 2011 before I got my Photon 4G. iOS 6 ran like crap on it and I was around the corner from building my first PC. I had started using my Android phone for my games and music and such so I just didn't have a use for it anymore. Sold it off and I haven't owned an Apple product since.
OnePlus 7 Pro. I've had it for 4 years. Previously had a OnePlusOne and 5 I like their phones but will probably move to a Pixel next. I'm not in any rush given that my phone is working perfectly fine. I wouldn't want another curved screen since I like using glass screen protectors. Charging is great. Almost 80% in 15 minutes I have a Samsung S6 tablet too and I really like it. Im all Windows and Android.
Same here! Loving my OnePlus 7 pro. Although I know that next year I'll have to repair it a bit. I have to charge twice a day, so I know the battery got slower. And the back is particularly broken In September I accidentally restarted my phone completely and wow it felt new and fast and I can still run it for 2 year minimum! (And wait for a Framework Phone maybe)
What phone are you using?
I'm using a Samsung Galaxy Fold 4. My phone service provider upgraded it from a Fold 3 because the plastic screen protector on the inside screen was peeling off from the center.
Are you happy with it? What are its best and worst qualities?
Yes, I'm happy with this phone, or else I wouldn't be using it. I love that it's a small phone, and when I want a device with a bigger screen, I can just open it up.
The worst part of this phone has already happened: the screen protector (or something) separated from the screen. I changed my phone to an iPhone when I went to a trip with snow, but I somehow still got problems with the screen using the phone in a tropical place. I don't know if it's because the screen has thin glass, or something else, but folding phones aren't as durable as their slab counterparts.
Which phones have you had previously? Which were the best and worst of the lot?
I had several Samsung Galaxy phones, starting from the S1 to every other phone (I think S3, S5, S6 Edge, Note 8, S10+, Fold 3, Fold 4, S23+, Asus Zenfone 9 and Google Pixel 6. The latter four phones are the ones I currently switch between when I feel like it, but my main phone is the Fold 4.
How often do you upgrade to a new phone?
I try to upgrade my phone every two years, but the pandemic changed something in me and I recently went on a phone purchasing spree (hence the recent phones with the same SoC in a generation).
What other Android ecosystem devices do you have? Watches, headphones/earbuds, etc.
I have a Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 (as my bed tablet) and Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra as my main Youtube viewer/laptop.
Do you also use any Apple products, or are you Android all the way? (And/or Windows, Linux, ChromeOS, etc.)
I have a 2019 Apple Macbook Pro 16" laptop, a 13" 2015 Macbook Air with an upgraded 1TB of storage, and an iPhone 13 Pro Max with 1TB of storage.
For my desktop computer, gaming laptop and a 2-in-1 laptop, I use Windows 10. I've been using Windows OSes since the 3.1 days, so I guess I'm used to how the Windows OS works.
I try to dip my toes in every ecosystem there is, since I'm a geek, but I don't like Apple's locked down ecosystem. There's days I'll swap my SIM card to my iPhone to see what Apple is doing nowadays, but the last time I did that was earlier this year.
Pixel 7 Pro w/GrapheneOS. Being able to control what my phone is sending or not sending + the battery life gain from everything not phoning home is amazing.
Pixel 6, still waiting for face unlock :))))
But also using Samsung Buds and a M1 Macbook Air for work.
Best phone I've ever owned, had mostly Pixels, iPhones and Samsung's in the past.
4XL, works great still
Only regret is not getting the larger, 128gb model
Pixel 4a 5g. Overall, still works and performs well enough for what I do.
I did start running into an issue a few months ago where it would just drop signal and have to be rebooted to get service back. I think it may have been after an update and also might have been resolved with a more recent update as last couple weeks it hasn't happened.
It has also survived a couple drops without breaking ๐
S20 FE user here. Pretty solid phone for the price I paid like almost 2 years ago. It's still great and works marvelously for my usage.
Only downside I would say is custom ROM support, as there's no working one and device support is about to end.
Samsung Galaxy S7, international Exynos variant. LineageOS 20.
It used to be my dad's phone until I got to have it. It went through a slew of problems so I had to replace most of the phone with spare parts. It is no longer waterproof but I still love it. An exercise on giving planned obsolescence the middle finger and avoiding further polluting the planet with electronic waste.
I love it for its small size and crisp 1440p AMOLED display crammed into a 5.1 inch diagonal, it has both headphone jack and SD card support and it is so comfortable to use with one hand. Newer phones have changed mostly for the worse, with each year devices are more locked down and more useful features are being taken away.
Asus ROG Phone 5. Damn powerful, perfectly shaped for movies, I can play Wii and PS2 games!
I'm using Poco X3 Pro. So far it's a great phone with good specs. Gonna be using it for the next 5-6 years.
Samsung Galaxy S20.
Pretty happy with it. I just wish it wasn't a glass back. I have already shattered in even with a beetle case on.
I have previously used an S8, and a window's phone (forgot the model). The windows phone wasn't that great because i couldn't use most of the apps I wanted to use. It was decent though for its price since I needed it primarily for call + texting.
I upgrade usually once software updates and security updates are no longer supported on the phone.
I have an iPad and a macbook. Apple has a very nice hardware but I dont think i'll ever use iOS as my daily driver though.
Pixel 6 Pro rooted w/ Magisk
Current daily driver is a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4. Pretty happy with its compact size when folded, and it serves as a mini-tablet of sorts when unfolded. It's also the first phone I've owned that I've not needed to worry about running out of juice midway throughout the day. Though I find its quite hard to find a suitable table stand for it, especially if using it unfolded.
My Android journey began in January 2014 with a Sony Xperia Z1, upgraded from an iPhone 4S with a busted home button. It was a pretty great introduction to the Android world with Sony's near-stock interface (when compared with the dark days of T**chwiz bloatware and whatnot) and lasted until January 2016 when I upgraded to a Sony Xperia Z5 Premium. The lack of an SD card slot of the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 made me hold my nose and get the Z5P despite its Snapdragon 810 SoC, and I endured its abysmal 3.5 hour SOT until 20 months later I upgraded to a red Sony Xperia XZ Premium. This was a really good looking phone and its SD835 SoC was definitely a far cry from the 810 with 5.5 to 6 hours SOT. 28 months of use later and the XZP unfortunately started lagging, which prompted me to try out Samsung. The Note 10+ impressed me with its nearly bezelless screen and s-pen, but the Exynos 9825 SoC was pretty meh at battery life. So another 28 months later and I've upgraded to the SD 8+ Gen 1 Fold 4.
im using a Samsung a53 5g, its pretty good i like it but i really dont need the 3 cameras
OnePlus 9 Pro. Despite Reddit deciding that it's a bad phone because OnePlus bad or some such, I'm actually super satisfied with it.
Pixel 7 user here, battery could be better but that's about it - super satisfied otherwise. Also have the pixel buds pro, and use a Mac + iPad (although I'd take a look at the pixel tablet if I didn't). Super satisfied!
Used to use Samsung Galaxy S22, and there's a lot of small software features missing there which added up. Ex: volume control for cast device did not work on samsung (had to control volume manually from the app rather than volume buttons). All the calling features (call screen, hold for me, etc), astrophotography, slow camera shutter speed (on default settings), and general UI/UX I prefer on Pixel over Samsung.
Currently using an LG Wing
I'm really happy with it and the only thing I don't like is that there will probably never be another phone like it. It's a nice change of pace from the same boring smartphone designs we've seen the last 5 years or so.
I started with an iPhone 3G, then Galaxy S2 and then the first phone I bought myself was the Galaxy S4 which I flashed LineageOS on. After that I had two more iPhones again before getting sick of Apple's shenanigans and switching to Android.
I usually upgrade my phone every 3 years or so. The Galaxy S4 I had the longest at over 4 years.
I also have an Android E-Reader from Onyx and a Redmi Note 10 Pro with an AOSP ROM mostly used for development purposes.
I used to also own an iPad but I sold it and now don't own any Apple products and never plan on doing so again.
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