So, I thought I’d kick things off here with some community building.
Quote this post with answers to the below!
What phone are you using?
Are you happy with it? What are its best and worst qualities?
Which phones have you had previously? Which were the best and worst of the lot?
How often do you upgrade to a new phone?
What other Android ecosystem devices do you have? Watches, headphones/earbuds, etc.
Do you also use any Apple products, or are you Android all the way? (And/or Windows, Linux, ChromeOS, etc.)
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.
I’m on an S22U right now. The device is excellently built and the S Pen is really handy, but I do miss my OnePlus 6T’s notification system. It did a much better job with conversations, categories and grouping. I had a Nexus 5 before, which was nice, but the 16GB of storage was pretty limiting.
I also have the Buds Live (the beans!) and those are awesome. They’re the only earbuds I’ve found that stay in my ears, even when running or shaking my head around. I used to have a LEMFO watch (the huge one), but the digitizer flaked out on me.
I used to have a Lenovo Yoga C940 (which had all sorts of problems), but I’ve since switched to a Mac
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 :)
@MrCenny the mate 20 life’s processor just hasn’t held up particularly well, my smol huawei tablet has a similar setup and modern apps just make it choke. It can do one thing at a time okay, but multi tasking is a no go.
Yeah, it just got slower and slower by the years. At some point i couldnt even load up my emails, and that was when I had to switch phones. BUT it did actually last 3 years!
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.
I’m on the 4a as well, had it since launch. Agreed about the headphone jack. I will add the one thing I dislike the most is that recording video in HD will overheat the phone and cause it to stop recording relatively quickly.
The thing I like the most is the size. For me it is a good compromise between screen real estate and pocket-ability.
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.
I’m using a Sony Xperia 10iii which I got at the end of December to replace my aging LG V30. Got the white one because black was sold out. Which is ok as I actually quite like white.
Likes: Compact, tall, slender, beautiful design, great cameras, fast/responsive UI, headphone jack, SD card slot, 21:9 OLED screen, 2 day battery life
Dislikes: cases and accessories not available in my country. Have to import them.
I’ve had numerous phones starting with a Siemens, then Nokia 3310, then a Panasonic flip phone, then an iMate SP3 Windows phone, various Windows phones, Symbian phones, HTC window phone. Then got the iPhone 3G, HTC Wildfire, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPhone 5C. Then jumped to Android and got Sony Xperia Z2 which is my favourite of all time. That was a brilliant phone at the time and I even took photos underwater in the pool!
Then I had OnePlus X, Moto G, iPhone 7(terrible phone, got replaced twice), LG V30 and now Xperia 10iii.
I’m Android and Linux all the way (my Mac Mini runs Ubuntu) but I used to be a massive Apple fan. However after Steve died the company took a turn to the dark side and it’s all about greed now.
I buy my phones outright when possible because I don’t like debt and contracts. This means I often have to sell my old phone to subsidize the new one, but that’s ok. It also means I never have a premium phone unless I get it used, or in the case of the V30, the Carrier still has old stock they want to get rid of. My Mobile carrier still had one V30 on the shelf from 2 years ago and they sold it for EUR240 just to get rid of it, so I bought it. Sold the iPhone 7 for EUR200 and just added 40 on top :-)
Oh wow, you tested pretty much everything in the market, OS wise.
If you had to replace your phone again today, would you stick to Sony Xperia?
Yes but I’d try get the 5 series because it has an even better screen, camera, apps, processor, memory and battery. It’s premium tier whereas mine is entry level but decent for entry level.
If I couldn’t afford Sony I’d look to get the Asus ZenFone 9 or the new 10. These are also excellent phones and the 9 had rave reviews, even from MKBHD.
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.
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
Well, to be honest, I’m using an iPhone 6S. I want to switch to an Android phone, but I really want one with a headphone jack, an easily-replaceable battery, /e/ support, and good enough specs to last several years with multiple major OS updates. The Fairphone 4 looked great until I found out about the headphone jack being absent. Well, that and if anything was wrong with it, I’d be screwed. I’ve read about enough Fairphone defects to not want to have one imported.
I came pretty close to buying a Sony Xperia 5 III about six months ago, but I decided against it due to the battery being annoyingly difficult to replace.
Shift phone seems like an interesting Fairphone alternative, but availability in the US seems tough. Hopefully the new EU law on replaceable batteries will make improve the situation worldwide.
Yeah, I’ve heard about Shiftphone. It might be possible to have a company like Clove ship one to me, but exchanges would likely take ages, which is one of the reasons why I haven’t just had a Fairphone imported by Clove. Ideally, I’d like to be able to go the store where I bought the phone if I need to get an exchange.
Hopefully, companies won’t either make EU-specific phones with replaceable batteries or remove the headphone jack to make room. I’m mostly optimistic, but a also little concerned.
Poco f5
Is it available in the US without having to be specially imported? I ask because if I get a defective one, I’d really like to be able to exercise the warranty instead of just taking the hit, which is one of the reasons why I didn’'t buy a Fairphone 4. Well, that and the headphone jack, but you already know about that.
Well I’m sorry, I’m in Asia and don’t know much about what brand available in US. Best of luck though, there will be new Xperia with headphone jack but I’m not sure whether it will be available in the US or not.
I think you might have misunderstood me regarding the Xperia. I considered buying one six months ago, but I decided against it because the battery was a major PITA to replace. Before I got too serious about buying that phone, I looked for guides and videos for replacing the battery. I was able to find a teardown which showed the battery-removal process. I get the impression that Sony really doesn’t want people to be able to replace the batteries in their phones.
I want a phone with a battery which can be quickly and easily replaced. That’s why I’m interested in Fairphone. I’m just waiting for A) Fairphone to start selling in the USA so I can get an in-warranty exchange if I get a defective phone, and B) Fairphone to make a new phone with a headphone jack, as the current one lacks one.
I find it very strange, suspicious even, that the Fairphone 4 lacks a headphone jack. I find it at least somewhat suspicious because Fairphone only even unveiled this most recent model a few months after beginning to sell non-repairable wireless headphones. For a company that’s so focused on making repairable devices, it’s rather strange that they would make their phones less environmentally-friendly by taking away the headphone jack and also that they would sell headphones which were not repairable. Fortunately, that was a couple years ago, so even though they usually go 2-3 years between versions, it’s possible that they might release a new one this year. I’m really hoping it’ll have a headphone jack and that it’ll be sold in the US.A
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I’ve got the Galaxy S22 standard and I like it quite a bit. I’ve used the Galaxy series primarily since 2012 and my most recent was the S20. It was definitely an upgrade in terms of camera quality, which is one of the main reason I got it. I can take so many more pictures now, but never do. So that says a lot about me :)
I usually go 2-5 years between phones, so this one was quicker than some I’ve held onto. I don’t have any other Android devices and have only once before owned a Macbook Pro (2015 Core 2 Duo, I believe).
Currently, I’m using a Motorola moto g100 and I’m happy with it. Good battery life, nice big screen, much improved performance compared to my last phone. Best phone I’ve ever owned. The main inconvenience is the location of the fingerprint sensor: I’d have preferred if it was on the front of the device somehow (definitely not on the back – I often have it lying flat on the table).
I also dislike the fact it can only remember five fingerprints while I have 10 fingers. Who thought that was a good idea? :þ
Previously I had a Moto G5+ and a Moto G. I guess you could say I enjoyed the quality and relative lack of bloatware of these Motorola phones, while being more affordable than some of the alternatives I was considering at the time I bought them.
Going further back, I had a HTC Desire Z (with a slide-out physical keyboard). I picked it as my first smartphone because I was hesitant to get rid of physical keys, but as it turned out I hardly ever used them. Looking back, this one was clearly the worst value for the money.
Since I switched to smart phones I’ve been upgrading every 3 or 4 years.
Before the smart phone era, I had an Alcatel device (can’t remember the exact model). I used that tiny near-indestructable thing for over a decade, only charging it about once a week. It was mostly an “in case of emergency” though, not nearly as heavily used as later phones, because it wasn’t really usable as a miniature pocket-computer (like smart phones are). Still, I was pretty happy with it at the time: the only reason I got rid of it was because the ‘0’ button broke, and in my country all phone numbers start with 0.
I also have an LG G Watch (Wear OS). A relative worked at Google when these were handed out to employees but didn’t actually want it, so I got it as a gift. It’s pretty old now: I’ve replaced the bands a few times and it won’t charge past 70%, but it still mostly works and the battery still lasts all day. I’m not sure if I’ll get another smart watch if and when this one finally breaks, though.
No Apple products, and my laptop runs Linux Mint. These days, I only use Windows at work or when helping relatives with tech problems (sigh).
Pixel 7 Pro
My main PC is on Pop!_OS, Ubuntu based distro based on rolling kernel releases
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 ~3½ 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.
Repair it for how much? Why not buy a newer but not so new OnePlus instead? e.g. OnePlus 9
I had a 6T, used it for almost 4 years, and then it became laggy with bad battery life, so I recently upgraded to a 9
The 8, 9, and 10 just aren’t exciting phones to me. A battery is some $11 and the back is $31 for parts. I figure once labor goes in, we’re probably sitting at 125-150. Maybe 200. I don’t know how their repair program works exactly, but I’ve been curious to give it a spin.
Besides, replacing the battery will make it feel like new again. If I buy a used phone, I’m getting a used battery. And once the parts are replaced, I’m getting the same device back. No migrating libraries or reinstalling apps. Just back it up and mail it off. I have a spare phone I can use for a few weeks in the meantime.
One plus Nord. Didn’t have to much money to spend then, so bought this one, has pretty good support, so running on Pixel experience since more than a year. Pretty satisfied, planning to shift to a Pixel phone next year
