I’m upgrading because my phone is losing (lost?) support. I use a OnePlus 7 Pro and love it and wouldn’t bother upgrading otherwise. I’d appreciate some recommendations of android phones you like, please.
Thank you in advance! (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.)
A lot of these recommendations are for super privacy focused anti-Google setups or other niche concerns.
If you just want a nice, straightforward phone, that’s going to do normal phone things, and have security updates for a long time…
The pixel 8 is quite compelling.
I have a Pixel 7. I love it.
A lot of people won’t like this answer, but I would not recommend anything from Samsung. Yes, the hardware on paper is typically excellent. However, everything else that comes with the experience is a complete joke to me.
- The bootloader is locked, and even if you manage to get it unlocked Knox will be permanently tripped.
- I never personally liked OneUI, but accepted it as long as it works. Unfortunately that’s also not been the experience for me.
- The last update they pushed for my phone broke Bluetooth connectivity, and it’ll never be fixed, because they said there won’t be any updates period. Now I’m left with a pen notification that never goes away, and a watch that disconnects every 15 minutes.
- Their own stock apps are not very convenient at all, but don’t forget to remind you to sign up for their updated data theft EULA every time you open them
And that’s just software. It doesn’t stop there. On my Note 10, the glass back completely peeled off, because of internal heat, and the only thing holding it together is the case. Keep in mind that this is from just regular usage. I don’t play games on my phone, or do anything else that would warrant this kind of output
I’ve only used Samsung for a long time, starting with the Note 3, 5, 8, and now S22 Ultra. I’ve not experienced any of these problems. And you can just use a different launcher than OneUI (I’m currently using Total Launcher after years of using Nova).
Interesting… I switched away from Samsung and actually hated stock Android!
- I actually preferred One UI to the standard pixel, mainly because Google ruined the quick settings - they made each button unnecessarily big, and turning on/off the wifi requires two taps instead of one now (Internet > Wifi). That’s something I can’t change without rooting.
- Some Samsung stock apps are actually a great alternative to the android ones (I use Samsung Notes a ton). The only downside is they force you to download it through their own app store.
- Samsung doesn’t really have much bloat now, and the few pieces of bloat i found could be uninstalled
- Samsung is still the only phone manufacturer with triple camera setups in a small flagship phone
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not perfect, but the issues I had with Samsung were solvable (e.g. uninstalling bloat is a one-time thing) while the annoyances I’ve had with a Pixel aren’t solvable (quick settings, no third camera).
It all comes down to personal preferences and experiences, so I’m glad you had a good time
The Pixel is the best you’re going to do in 2023.
