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 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.
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.
Ouch! Yeah, these sorts of posts really put me off folding phones for now. Maybe they’ll be less vulnerable to failure in the future, but for now I’ll stick with the S series.
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.
Yeah, that’s the problem for me. I prefer Android, but I can’t quit the Macbook. The M1 and M2 chips are just so far ahead of the Windows options in terms of power and battery life, and I confess I much prefer MacOS over Windows too. And, since I’m not a PC gamer, I’m not really fussed about that aspect of things.
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.
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.
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
I’m using an LG V40 and I love it. The best phone i’ve ever owned. Love the dual screen case, love the headphone jack and it’s incredible DAC, love the rear fingerprint sensor. it’s the perfect phone for my use case. I’ve previously owned the LG V30, and the LG V20.
I basically only ever upgrade if my phone breaks. The only other android device I own is my NVIDIA shield that runs plex etc.
No apple devices for me, except i guess my work laptop but that’s not really mine, and i certainly wouldn’t buy a macbook if i was in the market for a laptop.
I still boot up my LG V30 from time to time and am so impressed with how well they did with the fingerprint sensor, the feel of the haptics, and that DAC . . . AND they managed to make it so thin and light.
If you had to buy a new phone today, what would you pick? LG is sadly dead.
OnePlus 6T
It’s been around for a while now but it’s still got decently strong specs for a phone even by today’s standards. Normally replace phones every 3 years but I’ve had my 6T for 4 so far and it’s still a brilliant phone, easily the best I’ve owned. Only thing I dislike about it is the lack of a micro SD slot
Not really a fan of iPhones tbh I think they’re very overpriced for what they offer in comparison to Android. I do use an iPad pro, but that’s about it for my iOS usage. I run Windows on PC plus Windows and Ubuntu on my work laptop
im using a Samsung a53 5g, its pretty good i like it but i really dont need the 3 cameras
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.
Yeah, I have an S20 FE and honestly it’s just great. It is more powerful than the cost implies, and it still holds up pretty well for anything shy of super intensive apps.
S20 Fe 5g, with SD865, 8GB RAM and 256GB Storage
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.
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 😀
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.
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!
