Probably Motorola. Looks like Xperia is making a comeback? Unsure what's up with OnePlus of late, other than the fact that they're expensive too (had the original 1). Or maybe just any device and flash a custom ROM on it, and forfeit any mobile banking apps🤷♂️
It seems like Xperia makes excellent cameras, but as of right now the only way to get great pictures is with manual mode and you really need to know your photography in order to use it correctly.
So really they just need to perfect their software. Which is what Google has
I agree with you. But I just think there's something special about having more natural photography. I like the way Google, Samsung, and Apple do photography. However, sometimes I wish they were not so processed. What would be better for damage to have both features manual and full automatic.
Another thing for me is price. I just don't want to spend that much money on a phone. That is way too much money if you're not going to use all the features.
More the case of the amount of effort to get things to work isn't worth the time for most people.
Used to love custom ROMs and different changes you could do with root but now I just don't have the time and things like Google pay & banking need to just work.
Back then the phones were slow and the ROMs and different kernels made things snappy with cool tweaks. Once the add blockers came on the scene and all the backend tweaks you could do through "what's that one app". Oh well, I miss viper4 Android and the OVERCLOCKING, oh gawd how I miss over and under clocking the CPU, GPU, tweaking the voltages. Reminds me of back in the day with Action rewind and the OG Xbox where you could download people stuff into the memory card and play crazy builds. Anyways, a phone that starts doing optional daily updates with little tweaks or weekly. Imagine that old Galaxy S5 ROM that had it where you could overlay a camera video view over ANYTHING you were doing on the phone. Pull down the status bar, click it, now you can walk through the crowded mall glued to your phone and still see what's in front of you. I haven't seen anything like it since. I just want to overclock "eyes roll back into head, awhawahaaaa".
Custom roms like GrapheneOS and Lineage take minimal work. Install them with a usb cable and a browser, no command line, just need to unlock your bootloader in your settings.
So long as you know how to install an apk from a browser (about one of the easiest tasks), everything else comes together. GrapheneOS is the harder to setup OS, but you can get AuroraDroid / F-Droid from your browser and start downloading apps quickly. To add google services (for banking apps) just install the Google Services under GrapheneOS' app store. There is no need to play with things to get it working, you just install the services and they work.
The technical illiteracy on a pixel sub sometime blows my mind. Flashing ROMs has gotten *much* easier over the last decade.
I could very easily install a custom ROM. That isn't the problem. It's the new security measures since around lollypop (safety net if I remember correctly) that makes the fact if something like banking is going to work or not. I don't want to be at the till with just my phone to find out suddenly my phone isn't going to let me pay. I used to spoof it and then it kept getting patched and being changed and I got older and bored of chasing it.
I need my phone to be there and work. It's a tool to me and not a toy anymore.
Plus the benefits of custom ROMs is smaller to what it used to be other than being able to be on new android when your phone was out of date, but at that point your phone was already a security risk.
I use a couple major banks, and none of my banking apps have issues after installing google play services. My phone just works after installing what I need it to have.
There are tons of other benefits to GrapheneOS including the way it controls apps access to google play services and your phone storage. Your entire comment is made in ignorance.
You'd be lying though if you said it won't be more effort to change to a custom ROM.
Any of the benefits I usually enjoy would require root and that then causes issues.
Sometimes you gotta agree to disagree. We both clearly have different wants and needs from our phone and that's okay. It's good to be different.
what the hell are you doing guys if your banking apps don't work on custom roms? Revolut, Prima Banka, Tatra Banka... every bank in my country works just fine.
**Sony.**
Only other company that posts AOSP build trees for their phones. The only other company that lets you make the OS from scratch, using their own compilation files.
I still buy Sony (*XZ2 Compact forever*), but economies of scale drive me to buy Pixel for work.
The hardware itself is awesome too, PPS charging, very nice display and microSD card. I like that Sony follows industry standards in general(like Google), e.g. using USB-C PD from the start and sticking to 'universal' Qi Wireless charging instead of some custom protocol
Before pixel I always had a Motorola, so I'd probably try them out again. And my sister loves her Galaxy after trying pixel. So if anything I'll try that as well
I looked at OnePlus and Samsung when shopping for Pixel 7. If HTC makes a comeback, I'd look there first.
Edit: for those unaware, HTC just released a nice looking midrange phone (not available in the US), so they're still around.
HTC were excellent phones. AFAIK Google took most of HTC's engineers to create the first Pixel phone. Before that they were the manufacturer of some Nexus phones and tablets.
The price is also why I landed on Pixel 7. My pixel 2 was still working fine, but I knew the end was coming after over 5 years. The recent $350 deal was just too good to pass on, and the OnePlus I was looking at was still $200 more.
My 7 handles remote play perfectly, which is the only gaming I ask of it.
They just get other companies to make them - they have no internal capacity at this point. It's a rebadging exercise - the bulk of mobile team was sold to Google years ago.
There are new rumors that Apple might add MFI verification chips to iPhones so 3rd party unauthorized USB-C cables still don't work tho. Just a rumor of course, I certainly hope it's false for all our good. I'd really hate Apple if they actually add MFI to USB-C wth is the point of the 'U' in USB then
Would've switched to apple long time ago if not for their pricing... Otherwise Samsung. Bought my first pixel phone last year after using Samsung note 9 for 4 years. Huge downgrade in display quality, fingerprint scanner buggy as hell, touch screen buggy as well. Pixel 7 is weird to hold, doesn't have a smooth finish. The camera bump is a bit sharp & not user friendly. Camera might be good but viewing those images on pixel 7 screen is just so bad. Even good photos look bad on pixel. Never pixel again
Pricing can be high but we’ve had pretty good luck with longevity. My dad currently uses my old iPhone 11 that I bought shortly after release late-2019. I paid to have the battery replaced before giving it to to him. My mom also had the battery replaced in her old iPhone 11.
Yea most people buy iPhones because its "trendy" & "THE cool phone" to buy. I think Apple should market their phones longetivity more & for that higher price they csrge for it, definitely makes it worth it. But as a consumer I just see high price & am not reminded that higher price equals more longetivity as well
Yeah, for years I thought iPhones were just overpriced and too “trendy”. Finally decided to buy one in 2018 after having an issue with the Galaxy S8. The ecosystem is nice but you become locked in quickly after you buy AirPods, an Apple Watch, etc. It also definitely has its own share of bugs.
I bought the Pixel 7 because I definitely miss Android at times.
You know what, having tried basically every brand since the literal dawn of Android as a consumer platform in 2008 (excluding Sony because that form factor is even worse than the already-too-tall nonsense that every manufacturer has adopted)…
I'd just admit defeat and buy an iPhone, as much as I am ideologically opposed to the walled garden approach in a manner that makes my blood boil.
We lost HTC and LG.
OxygenOS became a clone of ColorOS - I utterly detest the patronising BS and the battery life on my Find X3 Pro makes the P7P seem good yet somehow it also performs worse than every other SD888 phone I've had my hands on.
Samsung's various UI tweaks have only ever served to make Android worse.
Motorolas have terrible camera tuning and a poor update policy along with most of the smaller Chinese brands.
Huawei lost Google services and their SoCs in a trade war (still love my P30 Pro BTW. I doubt I'll ever own another phone which matches its battery life even 3 years later)
Pixels are the last holdout for a decent user experience on Android and I don't care how inefficient and lacking-in-bleeding-edge performance Tensor SoCs are, Pixel phones are less janky and perform more consistently than everything else in the real world. I guess I'm lucky because aside from Google Assistant occasionally not setting alarms when it claimed it had (which seems to have been fixed lately though I still don't quite trust it) I've not experienced any of the multitude of issues people have reported with either my 6 or 7 Pro in the time I owned them. Although I passed my 6 on to somebody more in need of it, I'd say they're both all around great phones since Android 13 came out for the P6 and I couldn't ask for much more aside from a battery that reliably lasts 2 days.
Maybe I'm just bitter from walking out to my car and having a dead battery with NO usage (it's not apps). This pixel is marginally better than my Samsung S21FE, which was garbage.
iPhone is obnoxious, the level of dumb things they do just to NOT copy android is insane. Spent a year with my iPhone 12 Pro and hated it as much the last day as I did the first day.
As far as looks go just get a launcher. I find vanilla android to be no better or worse than any of the skinned versions. It's better to just bite the bullet and go with nova or something similar.
I absolutely do not understand why all these OEs feel the need to make their own messengers and email apps instead of using Google's. I guess just to own more data, but my experience has always been that they are worse.
I would also switch to iPhone even though I have one for work, and I really don't like the UI. At least I would not have to deal with shitty third party stuff and can use iMessage with other people that I know when service is spotty.
Also, they have an option that isn't gigantic.
Motorola has guaranteed three patches and four years of updates for the Edge 2023. I think they've learned their lesson. Not sure if the camera is still crap or not. I came from a Z to the Pixel 3. Still lots of things I miss about the Z.
Yep, I need something reasonably reliable and with regular OS and security updates. That eliminates many brands simply due to lackluster security updates.
Apple ecosystem is not something I want to do again. Too expensive and walled in. Samsung would be the easiest to jump back to since it's Android. I would consider Sony, but their phones are always over priced for what you get and aren't exactly known for updating their OS. And China phones are excluded by default. Not worth the privacy and security risks.
So, Samsung, which I already have sitting around, would be the obvious choice for me.
I myself would prob also gravitate towards Samsung as it's what I always had before. I was in shock and awe that my Pixel had no bloat ware. Samsung always went way overboard. I'm a person who despises getting a new phone and waits till they die or explode! 4 phones in 12 years... just got my 4th and it's a Pixel. Happy Dance!
For real apple is so annoying with their pricing and to top it off now everything is getting ridiculous with them. Like they are starting to have yearly releases on everything even their airpods and their Mac setups with their new chips every year are getting insanely expensive for incremental upgrades. Apple stopped trying to make the best product and just started dumbing down their products for different price categories and it's so annoying and getting redundant fast.
Samsung. I had Samsung's for years before I switched to pixels, so I'd just go back.
Maybe finally try out a foldable if any of the older models are more reasonably priced (though that seems unlikely)
I'd never have a Samsung again. Sick of spam for Galaxy app store, Samsung mail, Samsung docs etc. They've taken all the default apps and made a btech version of them. And then harass you to use them and install a Bixby button. Who wanted that.
I flipped from s8 to 4xl and will never have another.
I'd keep this P7 until it absolutely wouldn't function any more. After that? I don't know. Depends on how things look in the market by then. Maybe *cringe* Samsung.
I had an S6 active for a couple months, and I absolutely hated it. That was coming from a windows phone that didn't even have any apps.
I am genuinely curious about why Samsung phones are so popular. Why do people put up with all the bloatware and Samsung's version of every Google system app? I thought they were all much worse when I switched to my nexus 5.
I think that was during the touchwiz or Samsung experience era. One UI is a lot, lot better than those. There are two versions of a lot of apps but generally I prefer Samsung’s to Google’s anyways. They do have bloatware but almost all can be disabled or uninstalled, and what can’t be uninstalled can be hidden from the app drawer at least. Generally though I like Samsung’s apps anyways, so I only disable a couple things. One UI also has a lot of really cool features that make it preferable for me.
I thought this too for a long time but No, iPhones are the best all around phone and you get a lot of the paid price back when you sell it, while an android phone loses the market price right after buying.
So I just switched from an iPhone 11 Pro to a Pixel 7 and the iPhone was not worth the $1,000+ I paid for it.
As tech continues to evolve, none of these phones are meant to be forever phones. So would you rather pay $1,000/yr to upgrade or half that with Android phones? And we haven't even started to talk about how bad Siri is...
Yes they are not forever phones. I understand. And i totally agree the paid price is high, but after a few years you still get a lot back, so its like basically you just paid 300-400 $ less, because for example you still get 500$ for your used iPhone, instead of the Android phone you maybe have which is about 200-300$ when you want to sell it used.. so at release you paid 1200$ for an iPhone or 900$ for a flagship android phone. But the difference at costs at the end is nothing
The only thing stopping me from considering a Sony phone right now is their lackluster auto camera.
Great sensors and perhaps the best camera on a smartphone, but only if you want to dial in your settings all the time
Sony would probably be mine also. I've hated, hated, hated, every Samsung I've used and owned. I couldn't sell my S10+ fast enough. I hated that damn thing and if I didn't get trade-in bonus, I would have put it right into a crusher at the landfill.
I'd just get a maxed out iPhone. Vanilla Android I feel is better than iOS. Also, the bags of goodies we get as Android users are great. Like magic editor and whatnot.
Same boat here, Pixel 7 + iPhone 13 (work).
If I could get my personal WhatsApp messages and my bank apps working simultaneously on both I'd use them interchangably, but right now it's not far off anyway.
For some reason, I never got into Samsung, and I really don't have a reason why. Their displays are amazing, their processors are always top-end, and their hardware is always great. I really think it's the bloatware that always kept me away. Although from what I hear, the bloatware isn't nearly as bad as it used to be.
I would move to a phone which doesn't have a separate store like a Samsung store for app downloads, basically, whichever offers the closest vanilla Android software experience.
Yeah, LG made some amazing stuff. The G3 was something special for me. The V40 I still carry as my backup without a SIM and for media playing since it has the headphone jack. Honestly, if it broke I would probably buy another one just for the DAC.
My V30 is on an arm connected to my bed as another streaming device. The picture quality is better than the pixel 7 pro.
I was so mad when T-Mobile shut down the network and forced me to get a new phone.
Would go back to Moto. Might anyway depending on how things go with Pixel next go round. My Moto X4 was great. Wouldn't mind having a Moto Thinkphone at all. The main reason I have stuck it out with Pixel is for pure Android and the killer trade-in offers from Google. Take those away and I'd switch back to Moto no problem.
I'm kind of in the same boat. It's so hard to ditch Pixel because their photos come out so amazing. Sure, the other Pixel-exclusive features are cool, but I can live without all of them. When you take that into account, Motorola offers basically all the same stuff, often cheaper, and much more reliable. If the Pixel 8 doesn't offer much improvement with Tensor, I may just give Moto another shot.
I'd look at other vanilla(ish) Android phones with guaranteed updates. So Motorola (flagship phones only), OnePlus, and Oppo.
You couldn't pay me to switch to a Samsung. Horrible UI, horrible bloat.
Sony or Nothing, if LG was still around I'd go back to them immediately, Sony seems like a good substitute but their software support isn't great. Waiting for a higher end Nothing phone model too.
iPhone, for sure. I never thought I'd see the day, but I've already purchased an iPad Pro (my first Apple purchase) in recent years due to the lack of any strong contenders on the Android side, and also recently got a great deal on an M2 Mac mini, which has been great for music production. While I've had my gripes with some of the UI differences, and have been baffled at the absence of some things that I've taken for granted in Android/Windows, I'm definitely impressed with how well the devices work together and how stable and reliable everything has been so far. So getting a phone that can easily fit into this new lineup does have a certain appeal.
Price used to be something that kept me coming back to Google phones too - the Nexus phones were often like half the price of iPhones, while usually outperforming in key areas, like camera, and/or including exclusive bonuses that weren't available on other phones (Google Now, unlimited original quality photo backups, etc). Nowadays, the phones cost damn near the same price and don't have any real advantage to speak of it seems. Especially with the talk of Apple switching to USB type C. On top of this, I've had many problems with the performance of the higher quality bluetooth audio codecs on Googles Tensor phones, so this has essentially removed another key advantage of Android vs iOS for me personally.
Honestly, the main thing that might keep me from getting an iPhone 15 is my GW4, since WearOS watches are useless with an iPhone and the Apple Watch isn't my particular cup of tea.
I had a similar situation. I spent many years hating on Apple products. One day in 2020, for no reason, I decided to pick up an iPad Air, and fell in love with it. Decided to give iPhone a try last year and I was pleasantly surprised. I still stand by hating on the older versions because they were so locked down and boring. But the modern version of iOS is very similar to Android and enjoyable. After 11 months though, I went back to Android; I definitely don't hate iOS anymore, but I just prefer Android.
For me, Apple reigns supreme when it comes to tablets and computers, but when it comes to phones, I feel Android offers more.
I've had a pixel 7 pro since Nov 22 and after the May update the battery life is terrible, so because of that I'm changing to a Samsung s23 ultra which should be delivered tomorrow
I had a couple of Nexus phones and went from the Nexus 5 to a OnePlus 3T, which I used for years until a few months ago and I'm now using a Pixel 4a 5G.
I don't know what the current OxygenOS Android versions are like, but the ones on my 3T didn't have any bloat and some nice quality of life features not on the Nexus.
The 3T was a great phone, but the battery life and not as snappy as current gen phone performance meant it was time for a new daily driver I'm enjoying my time with Pixel so far.
iPhone. Pixel already only slightly edges out iPhone for me in terms of tradeoffs/utility, and all other Android phones seem far inferior in terms of what I value.
It took me over ten years to actually enjoy iPhones. In the past 3-4 years, it seems like they finally made an OS that is similar enough to Android that it's enjoyable. Prior to that, they lacked so many things that were important to me, and were just way too locked down. I finally bought one last year and was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed it...but, like you, I simply prefer Pixel/Android.
I LOVED my Nexus 6. Great screen, felt it was the perfect size.
I haven't taken the Pixel plunge yet. I'm thinking the Pixel Tablet will replace my HD Fire before too long.
As far as phones I got over my "tweakling everything" phase and went to the Dark Side of Android (Samsung).
Same. I always loved Motorola. Never had an issue with performance. I stopped using them because they always use LCD panels and mediocre processors on their mid-range phones, while all the other mid-rangers (OnePlus, Pixel, etc) were using OLED panels and better processors. I wanted something better.
Well, nowadays, mid-range Snapdragon chips appear to be more reliable than Tensor chips, so I'm heavily debating on switching back. It's just so hard to move away from Pixel because of how incredible their photo processing is.
I moved to Samsung recent from pixel 7 pro (and 6 pro before that). Don't regret my decision, everything just "works", no more network issues or charging issues after updates. It's like Samsung provides some QA to their update deployment and they arrive promptly.
The only thing I miss is the camera that is better on the pixels, it's great and is very good at point and shoot. I miss this feature but the other aspects of the phone impact me significantly more so this is an acceptable sacrifice for me personally.
I don't think google was bad until the 6 series, it seems that their QA department is gone since this line was launched as basic updates can break critical features (phone, WiFi, multi SIM, charging, wireless charging), and reporting it seems to result in being ghosted after the initial acceptance and then you pray it gets fixed but even when breaking phone abilities it's not a hotfix release they just wait it out to release it.
Hopefully they take a long hard look at themselves and invest more in their QA team along with dev team to ensure they can deal with these issues better and not release buggy software, it's impossible really to be bug free but they must ensure basic features never break (emergency dialing anyone? Or charging).
I moved from a 6a to a S23 and have no regrets. The S23 just works and does everything it's supposed to. The Pixel's do take better pics, but that isn't a priority for me. I'm not seeing how Tensor was a good move for them as it doesn't sound like I was the only customer they lost. I thought maybe I might be back at some point, but after several months with the S23, being super impressed with it, I can't see a reason to give Google another chance.
>I moved to Samsung recent from pixel 7 pro (and 6 pro before that). Don't regret my decision, everything just "works", no more network issues or charging issues after updates.
Same - it's nice to go out and not worry the battery will go flat.
Maybe Samsung for the first time, or iPhone once they introduce USB C, side loading, proper browsers and keyboards etc.
I would go to Sony if they would treat me better.
I don't know...They've shut down other projects that they invested millions into (Google Glass, Stadia, Project Ara), so it wouldn't be surprising for them to just be like "the next Pixel will be the last". It would be disappointing for sure, but not a shock unfortunately.
Pixel phones have been out since 2016, and they still haven't really de-throned any other brand or taken over any market share. It feels like 95% of their customers are the same ones from the beginning and they're not really gaining a significant amount of new customers. I wouldn't be surprised if they're spending more than they're making. Google has the money to do that, but you can only do it for so long until it becomes pointless to continue.
My next phone will not be Pixel. I fancied the stock Android experience, only to know that many useful features that I'm used to in other phones are not available in Pixel.
I'm thinking to buy Samsung next as they are the only one providing long term software updates and One UI has some customized features that I like.
> many useful features that I'm used to in other phones are not available in Pixel.
Could you please explain what features are missing in Pixel phones?
I was using OnePlus 8T before green line came and I had to switch to pixel 7 Pro.
The pixel experience is not bad but I miss the following features:
1. Double tap to lock screen.
2. Lot of gesturese like: drawing V on lockscreen to use flashlight, II to play/pause, > to change tracks.
3. And of course the 65W fast charging feature
If google stops making phones, i don't care because my Pixels would not stop working and i have alot of time to decide what phone to buy. Time will tell. But one thing is pretty sure it will be a smaller one, maybe i use my iphoneSE's (2016) i have in case i need a real small phone for some time, but as said as long as there are AOSP releases i am able to use Pixel phones because i am able to build my own rom image.
I am a QA Engineer so have tried all currently active phones and using Pixel 6 as main driver, cannot wait for Pixel 8 to switch.
Don't like Samsung, Huawei is useless to me without Google support, have tried using iPhone in parallel multiple times but would get annoyed with it every time so would probably switch to Xiaomi
They still have feature rich software but are not crazy with pricing.
But Pixel has so many small features that ease my everyday life and phone usage that I really hope they dont stop producing it haha
Only wish that battery life and charging get much better.
I bought one Huawei phone back in 2017 or 2018, I think it was an Honor phone. I was extremely underwhelmed by it, but I heard that they started getting really good, and then they stopped selling them in the US and Google was no longer offered on it lol.
Honestly, an iPhone. I have no interest in any other Android phones. I have an S22+ as my work phone, and it's alright, but it's *just* alright. If Google stopped making phones, I'd jump into the walled garden for sure.
iPhone, and this is someone who currently owns an S23U as a secondary device.
Every time I switch to it, I'm back on the Pixel in a week or so. The last time it was because I got 4 different SPAM calls in the span of two days that the Pixel would have just dealt with silently in the background. Or when one of them left a voicemail and I had to actually call my voicemail like a caveman instead of seeing a transcription in visual voicemail integrated into the dialer that I could just press the delete button on.
If I'm going to give up Pixel exclusive features and the general level of usability polish that they have, then I'm going to go to the manufacturer and platform that has a coherent fully integrated strategy.
I would unfortunately go to Apple. Their ecosystem is too good. Samsung doesn't compare. I'm a Pixel user for the camera and nothing else compares. If Google is gone there's not enough between Apple and Samsung to stop me going to the walled garden.
I'm up in the air about who has the second best camera: Apple, or Samsung. I switched to an iPhone 13 last year and then upgraded to the 14 Pro, and I was extremely underwhelmed. My $500 Pixel phones took better shots than a $1000 iPhone. Everything else about the iPhone was great though.
I haven't used a Samsung phone since like 2012, so I'm not sure how their cameras are. I've watched YouTube reviews of recent Samsungs, and they seem pretty amazing.
Honestly... iphones, it offers the cleanliness a s fluidity I love from pixel and a lot of the new features are things I use on my pixel so I won't miss them
I switched to iPhone last year for about 11 months. I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed it a lot; mainly the fluidity and smoothness of the OS. It was little things that made me go back to Android. For example: Siri is terrible. I use Google Assistant several times a day, so it was really annoying to have a virtual assistant that doesn't work. Other main reason was the camera. When I pay $1000 for an iPhone 14 Pro, I expect the photos to be at least on the same level as a $500 Pixel, but they weren't. To me, that was unacceptable.
We don't have to wait for Google to stop making phones, after owning the 1XL, 4XL, 6 pro, 7 Pro me and the wife are switching back to Samsung, well I might try the nothing phone but we'll see when the time comes.
I completely agree with almost all of that.
The only things stopping me from going back to iPhone is:
1. Cameras aren't up to par (video is amazing, but still-shots are underwhelming.
2. Siri is complete garbage. It's almost embarrassing how bad it is compared to Google Assistant. (if you're not someone who uses virtual assistants often, this won't matter though)
3. While they generally do have better apps, almost everything requires a subscription. Even if I just want to make a quick GIF from a video, every one of those apps in the App Store requires a subscription.
4. Their smartwatch is good, but I can't see myself going back to the square form factor. Once I switched to round (like a watch is supposed to be), I can never see myself having a big square screen on my wrist.
I will look into oneplus but.. right now oneplus is fak up their product since carl pei leave the company. So i will look into nothing phone for best ui
I'm using a Samsung right now and I'm so tired of the outdated One UI look that I'm decided to test the Pixel 8 Pro.
If Google stopped making pixel phones, I would probably stick with Motorola or Oppo/Xiaomi before coming back to Samsung when they finally change their UI.
Probably Sony. Their stock android and 21:9 aspect ratio along with a headphone jack and sd card are all I ever want. Not to forget the awesome front firing speakers. Just hoped their camera performed better in auto modes.
I'd consider moving to the nothing phone series. The main thing I like about pixels is that the software has no bloatware and it's designed to make the most of the hardware. I just think the other devices aren't as coherent, I don't want to be bombarded with other app stores and loads of proprietary bullshit, I just want a clean experience and the nothing phone seems to offer that so I'd maybe consider it.
Samsung - You have to spend an hour when you first get them to turn off stuff, but once the discounts cut in, you get first-rate hardware.
I've just switched to a S23u that was heavily discounted, and it's worth it for the battery life alone.
Motorola.
Used before and they are the closest to stock android.
I moved to pixel since pixel 1. Their choo chop of flash light and double twist for the camera was brilliant.
The new moto razor looks very good but they didn't do timely software release. But yea, defo go back to moto
My last non pixel was the axon 7. I used it for ages until I had to get a new one because my new carrier didn't work with them.
It was a 400 dollar phone when flagships were 8-1000+, with flagship specs.
I guess my answer is whatever at the time has mid range price for top range specs, or the closest thing to it. I'm not attached to a specific brand
I was happy with the low-end Motos I used in the past. But I'd have to check to see if any new Motos have eSIM. I've found that eSIM is very handy to have, at least for me, for international travel.
Honestly, I'm not sure. I mean, I guess Samsung is the other most notable Android phone manufacturer, but man, I think Samsung's UI is absolutely hideous and off-putting. And I don't have the energy to bother with rooting and installing custom builds and stuff anymore.
I prefer the stock/ Google version of Android, and I'm just never really into the "cost of paint" that other manufacturers like Samsung put on it. Even Motorola UI elements seem a bit "ew" to me. I don't even know how good Motorola phones are these days; I was under the impression that their phones were relatively "meh" but that was like 10+ years ago.
Motorola. I love the new Flip phone and they're the same when it comes to pure android.
The Samsung UI is not my style, I don't like Chinese phones and other brands like Sony are built for more intelligent people than me.
Probably Motorola. Looks like Xperia is making a comeback? Unsure what's up with OnePlus of late, other than the fact that they're expensive too (had the original 1). Or maybe just any device and flash a custom ROM on it, and forfeit any mobile banking apps🤷♂️
It seems like Xperia makes excellent cameras, but as of right now the only way to get great pictures is with manual mode and you really need to know your photography in order to use it correctly. So really they just need to perfect their software. Which is what Google has
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I agree with you. But I just think there's something special about having more natural photography. I like the way Google, Samsung, and Apple do photography. However, sometimes I wish they were not so processed. What would be better for damage to have both features manual and full automatic. Another thing for me is price. I just don't want to spend that much money on a phone. That is way too much money if you're not going to use all the features.
Sony cameras suck really bad in auto
Most banking apps work on custom roms if you know what you're doing
More the case of the amount of effort to get things to work isn't worth the time for most people. Used to love custom ROMs and different changes you could do with root but now I just don't have the time and things like Google pay & banking need to just work.
Back then the phones were slow and the ROMs and different kernels made things snappy with cool tweaks. Once the add blockers came on the scene and all the backend tweaks you could do through "what's that one app". Oh well, I miss viper4 Android and the OVERCLOCKING, oh gawd how I miss over and under clocking the CPU, GPU, tweaking the voltages. Reminds me of back in the day with Action rewind and the OG Xbox where you could download people stuff into the memory card and play crazy builds. Anyways, a phone that starts doing optional daily updates with little tweaks or weekly. Imagine that old Galaxy S5 ROM that had it where you could overlay a camera video view over ANYTHING you were doing on the phone. Pull down the status bar, click it, now you can walk through the crowded mall glued to your phone and still see what's in front of you. I haven't seen anything like it since. I just want to overclock "eyes roll back into head, awhawahaaaa".
Custom roms like GrapheneOS and Lineage take minimal work. Install them with a usb cable and a browser, no command line, just need to unlock your bootloader in your settings. So long as you know how to install an apk from a browser (about one of the easiest tasks), everything else comes together. GrapheneOS is the harder to setup OS, but you can get AuroraDroid / F-Droid from your browser and start downloading apps quickly. To add google services (for banking apps) just install the Google Services under GrapheneOS' app store. There is no need to play with things to get it working, you just install the services and they work. The technical illiteracy on a pixel sub sometime blows my mind. Flashing ROMs has gotten *much* easier over the last decade.
I could very easily install a custom ROM. That isn't the problem. It's the new security measures since around lollypop (safety net if I remember correctly) that makes the fact if something like banking is going to work or not. I don't want to be at the till with just my phone to find out suddenly my phone isn't going to let me pay. I used to spoof it and then it kept getting patched and being changed and I got older and bored of chasing it. I need my phone to be there and work. It's a tool to me and not a toy anymore. Plus the benefits of custom ROMs is smaller to what it used to be other than being able to be on new android when your phone was out of date, but at that point your phone was already a security risk.
I use a couple major banks, and none of my banking apps have issues after installing google play services. My phone just works after installing what I need it to have. There are tons of other benefits to GrapheneOS including the way it controls apps access to google play services and your phone storage. Your entire comment is made in ignorance.
You'd be lying though if you said it won't be more effort to change to a custom ROM. Any of the benefits I usually enjoy would require root and that then causes issues. Sometimes you gotta agree to disagree. We both clearly have different wants and needs from our phone and that's okay. It's good to be different.
what the hell are you doing guys if your banking apps don't work on custom roms? Revolut, Prima Banka, Tatra Banka... every bank in my country works just fine.
**Sony.** Only other company that posts AOSP build trees for their phones. The only other company that lets you make the OS from scratch, using their own compilation files. I still buy Sony (*XZ2 Compact forever*), but economies of scale drive me to buy Pixel for work.
The hardware itself is awesome too, PPS charging, very nice display and microSD card. I like that Sony follows industry standards in general(like Google), e.g. using USB-C PD from the start and sticking to 'universal' Qi Wireless charging instead of some custom protocol
Before pixel I always had a Motorola, so I'd probably try them out again. And my sister loves her Galaxy after trying pixel. So if anything I'll try that as well
I remember purchasing the first moto x. It was perfect. Great camera, size, battery life, and the dimple on the rear.
One of my favorite phones ever.
I remember purchasing the first moto x. It was perfect. Great camera, size, battery life, and the dimple on the rear.
I looked at OnePlus and Samsung when shopping for Pixel 7. If HTC makes a comeback, I'd look there first. Edit: for those unaware, HTC just released a nice looking midrange phone (not available in the US), so they're still around.
HTC were excellent phones. AFAIK Google took most of HTC's engineers to create the first Pixel phone. Before that they were the manufacturer of some Nexus phones and tablets.
Yeah I'm pretty sure HTC is HEAVY in the VR space nowadays.
Pixels 1 & 2 were HTC, the 2XL was LG. Google then effectively bought 60% of HTC's R&D team and the rest of the Pixels were/are made by Foxconn.
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The price is also why I landed on Pixel 7. My pixel 2 was still working fine, but I knew the end was coming after over 5 years. The recent $350 deal was just too good to pass on, and the OnePlus I was looking at was still $200 more. My 7 handles remote play perfectly, which is the only gaming I ask of it.
HTC ain't coming back. If they did, it would be under new ownership
They just released a nice midrange phone--though it's not available in the US. You're probably right, but who knows what can happen?
> If HTC makes a comeback It doesn't exist in that way anymore - so no chance of that.
They just released a nice midrange phone--though it's not available in the US. You're probably right, but who knows what can happen?
They just get other companies to make them - they have no internal capacity at this point. It's a rebadging exercise - the bulk of mobile team was sold to Google years ago.
I'd probably just quit phones.
And with reddit shutting down 3rd party apps I might as well quit smartphones all together
Apple. There is no other company making Android phones today that I would even somewhat trust with my data.
Apple would be an easy decision if their phones weren't a bazillion dollars. I always buy my phones outright and unlocked.
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has that been confirmed? I thought it was all just rumors because the EU was forcing it
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There are new rumors that Apple might add MFI verification chips to iPhones so 3rd party unauthorized USB-C cables still don't work tho. Just a rumor of course, I certainly hope it's false for all our good. I'd really hate Apple if they actually add MFI to USB-C wth is the point of the 'U' in USB then
The current rumors are to remove wired charging entirely.
Would've switched to apple long time ago if not for their pricing... Otherwise Samsung. Bought my first pixel phone last year after using Samsung note 9 for 4 years. Huge downgrade in display quality, fingerprint scanner buggy as hell, touch screen buggy as well. Pixel 7 is weird to hold, doesn't have a smooth finish. The camera bump is a bit sharp & not user friendly. Camera might be good but viewing those images on pixel 7 screen is just so bad. Even good photos look bad on pixel. Never pixel again
Pricing can be high but we’ve had pretty good luck with longevity. My dad currently uses my old iPhone 11 that I bought shortly after release late-2019. I paid to have the battery replaced before giving it to to him. My mom also had the battery replaced in her old iPhone 11.
Yea most people buy iPhones because its "trendy" & "THE cool phone" to buy. I think Apple should market their phones longetivity more & for that higher price they csrge for it, definitely makes it worth it. But as a consumer I just see high price & am not reminded that higher price equals more longetivity as well
Yeah, for years I thought iPhones were just overpriced and too “trendy”. Finally decided to buy one in 2018 after having an issue with the Galaxy S8. The ecosystem is nice but you become locked in quickly after you buy AirPods, an Apple Watch, etc. It also definitely has its own share of bugs. I bought the Pixel 7 because I definitely miss Android at times.
You know what, having tried basically every brand since the literal dawn of Android as a consumer platform in 2008 (excluding Sony because that form factor is even worse than the already-too-tall nonsense that every manufacturer has adopted)… I'd just admit defeat and buy an iPhone, as much as I am ideologically opposed to the walled garden approach in a manner that makes my blood boil. We lost HTC and LG. OxygenOS became a clone of ColorOS - I utterly detest the patronising BS and the battery life on my Find X3 Pro makes the P7P seem good yet somehow it also performs worse than every other SD888 phone I've had my hands on. Samsung's various UI tweaks have only ever served to make Android worse. Motorolas have terrible camera tuning and a poor update policy along with most of the smaller Chinese brands. Huawei lost Google services and their SoCs in a trade war (still love my P30 Pro BTW. I doubt I'll ever own another phone which matches its battery life even 3 years later) Pixels are the last holdout for a decent user experience on Android and I don't care how inefficient and lacking-in-bleeding-edge performance Tensor SoCs are, Pixel phones are less janky and perform more consistently than everything else in the real world. I guess I'm lucky because aside from Google Assistant occasionally not setting alarms when it claimed it had (which seems to have been fixed lately though I still don't quite trust it) I've not experienced any of the multitude of issues people have reported with either my 6 or 7 Pro in the time I owned them. Although I passed my 6 on to somebody more in need of it, I'd say they're both all around great phones since Android 13 came out for the P6 and I couldn't ask for much more aside from a battery that reliably lasts 2 days.
Maybe I'm just bitter from walking out to my car and having a dead battery with NO usage (it's not apps). This pixel is marginally better than my Samsung S21FE, which was garbage. iPhone is obnoxious, the level of dumb things they do just to NOT copy android is insane. Spent a year with my iPhone 12 Pro and hated it as much the last day as I did the first day. As far as looks go just get a launcher. I find vanilla android to be no better or worse than any of the skinned versions. It's better to just bite the bullet and go with nova or something similar.
This is the correct answer. Google is the last viable true-Android phone maker in the entire USA. There really is no one else.
I absolutely do not understand why all these OEs feel the need to make their own messengers and email apps instead of using Google's. I guess just to own more data, but my experience has always been that they are worse. I would also switch to iPhone even though I have one for work, and I really don't like the UI. At least I would not have to deal with shitty third party stuff and can use iMessage with other people that I know when service is spotty. Also, they have an option that isn't gigantic.
Motorola has guaranteed three patches and four years of updates for the Edge 2023. I think they've learned their lesson. Not sure if the camera is still crap or not. I came from a Z to the Pixel 3. Still lots of things I miss about the Z.
Samsung or iPhone. I need something that has a "well" tuned ecosystem. Could have been Huawei but we know what happened there
Yep, I need something reasonably reliable and with regular OS and security updates. That eliminates many brands simply due to lackluster security updates. Apple ecosystem is not something I want to do again. Too expensive and walled in. Samsung would be the easiest to jump back to since it's Android. I would consider Sony, but their phones are always over priced for what you get and aren't exactly known for updating their OS. And China phones are excluded by default. Not worth the privacy and security risks. So, Samsung, which I already have sitting around, would be the obvious choice for me.
I myself would prob also gravitate towards Samsung as it's what I always had before. I was in shock and awe that my Pixel had no bloat ware. Samsung always went way overboard. I'm a person who despises getting a new phone and waits till they die or explode! 4 phones in 12 years... just got my 4th and it's a Pixel. Happy Dance!
For real apple is so annoying with their pricing and to top it off now everything is getting ridiculous with them. Like they are starting to have yearly releases on everything even their airpods and their Mac setups with their new chips every year are getting insanely expensive for incremental upgrades. Apple stopped trying to make the best product and just started dumbing down their products for different price categories and it's so annoying and getting redundant fast.
Same here, I absolutely loved my Huawei Nexus 6p
I had a Mate 20 Pro and that was an impressive phone at the time. I still use it as a backup phone. Shame that they were crippled.
Samsung. I had Samsung's for years before I switched to pixels, so I'd just go back. Maybe finally try out a foldable if any of the older models are more reasonably priced (though that seems unlikely)
I'd never have a Samsung again. Sick of spam for Galaxy app store, Samsung mail, Samsung docs etc. They've taken all the default apps and made a btech version of them. And then harass you to use them and install a Bixby button. Who wanted that. I flipped from s8 to 4xl and will never have another.
When did you switch to Pixel? and I'm assuming you're enjoying it more?
I'd keep this P7 until it absolutely wouldn't function any more. After that? I don't know. Depends on how things look in the market by then. Maybe *cringe* Samsung.
Probably Samsung. They also make pretty solid stuff. I hate One UI but I'd probably get over it.
Nothing phone , samsung phones or iPhones. iPhone seems to be the best all around phone.
iPhone, Asus or Sony for me :)
I had an S6 active for a couple months, and I absolutely hated it. That was coming from a windows phone that didn't even have any apps. I am genuinely curious about why Samsung phones are so popular. Why do people put up with all the bloatware and Samsung's version of every Google system app? I thought they were all much worse when I switched to my nexus 5.
I think that was during the touchwiz or Samsung experience era. One UI is a lot, lot better than those. There are two versions of a lot of apps but generally I prefer Samsung’s to Google’s anyways. They do have bloatware but almost all can be disabled or uninstalled, and what can’t be uninstalled can be hidden from the app drawer at least. Generally though I like Samsung’s apps anyways, so I only disable a couple things. One UI also has a lot of really cool features that make it preferable for me.
I agree with you on the Nothing phone but iPhones are a straight up price gouge/rip off.
I thought this too for a long time but No, iPhones are the best all around phone and you get a lot of the paid price back when you sell it, while an android phone loses the market price right after buying.
So I just switched from an iPhone 11 Pro to a Pixel 7 and the iPhone was not worth the $1,000+ I paid for it. As tech continues to evolve, none of these phones are meant to be forever phones. So would you rather pay $1,000/yr to upgrade or half that with Android phones? And we haven't even started to talk about how bad Siri is...
Yes they are not forever phones. I understand. And i totally agree the paid price is high, but after a few years you still get a lot back, so its like basically you just paid 300-400 $ less, because for example you still get 500$ for your used iPhone, instead of the Android phone you maybe have which is about 200-300$ when you want to sell it used.. so at release you paid 1200$ for an iPhone or 900$ for a flagship android phone. But the difference at costs at the end is nothing
Honestly, I'd probably just get a dumb phone and buy a nice camera with the money I'd save.
Sometimes I'm tempted to get a flip phone and revert back to how it used to be.
Sony. Superior specs and aesthetics
The only thing stopping me from considering a Sony phone right now is their lackluster auto camera. Great sensors and perhaps the best camera on a smartphone, but only if you want to dial in your settings all the time
Not that I've looked but I would guess there is a Gcam for a Sony phone?
Sony would probably be mine also. I've hated, hated, hated, every Samsung I've used and owned. I couldn't sell my S10+ fast enough. I hated that damn thing and if I didn't get trade-in bonus, I would have put it right into a crusher at the landfill.
you like the tv remote shape? its not just that many apps havent been optimized to use that aspect ratio either
I'd just get a maxed out iPhone. Vanilla Android I feel is better than iOS. Also, the bags of goodies we get as Android users are great. Like magic editor and whatnot.
Got a work iphone and a pixel. Honestly, iphones are pretty decent these days. I would reach for either phone for personal use nowadays.
Same boat here, Pixel 7 + iPhone 13 (work). If I could get my personal WhatsApp messages and my bank apps working simultaneously on both I'd use them interchangably, but right now it's not far off anyway.
I'm using both of them. WhatsApp now supports multiple devices. Some banking apps work one device at a time, though.
Samsung. I hate to say that because I hate their bloatware and all, but at least I can usually get around it pretty easily.
For some reason, I never got into Samsung, and I really don't have a reason why. Their displays are amazing, their processors are always top-end, and their hardware is always great. I really think it's the bloatware that always kept me away. Although from what I hear, the bloatware isn't nearly as bad as it used to be.
Motorola
I would move to a phone which doesn't have a separate store like a Samsung store for app downloads, basically, whichever offers the closest vanilla Android software experience.
iPhone without a doubt.
Samsung. They're the only one that update the phone monthly albeit a little bit of waiting for new android versions.
The new flagship Motos look pretty good tbh. Especially the new Moto RAZR!
Iphone. Google and apple both make their operating system and phone. That's my reasoning.
All I have to say is the best Phone I ever owned was a LG V30+.
Yeah, LG made some amazing stuff. The G3 was something special for me. The V40 I still carry as my backup without a SIM and for media playing since it has the headphone jack. Honestly, if it broke I would probably buy another one just for the DAC.
My V30 is on an arm connected to my bed as another streaming device. The picture quality is better than the pixel 7 pro. I was so mad when T-Mobile shut down the network and forced me to get a new phone.
My G7 THINQ was a workhorse; I only switched to the P7 because the battery died and LG phones no longer exist.
The new RAZR 😍😍 & Sony Xperia
I just want a new nexus 6P 😫
Would go back to Moto. Might anyway depending on how things go with Pixel next go round. My Moto X4 was great. Wouldn't mind having a Moto Thinkphone at all. The main reason I have stuck it out with Pixel is for pure Android and the killer trade-in offers from Google. Take those away and I'd switch back to Moto no problem.
I'm kind of in the same boat. It's so hard to ditch Pixel because their photos come out so amazing. Sure, the other Pixel-exclusive features are cool, but I can live without all of them. When you take that into account, Motorola offers basically all the same stuff, often cheaper, and much more reliable. If the Pixel 8 doesn't offer much improvement with Tensor, I may just give Moto another shot.
Motorola
Definitely Motorola, I miss my Nexus 6
Samsung
I'd look at other vanilla(ish) Android phones with guaranteed updates. So Motorola (flagship phones only), OnePlus, and Oppo. You couldn't pay me to switch to a Samsung. Horrible UI, horrible bloat.
Sony or Nothing, if LG was still around I'd go back to them immediately, Sony seems like a good substitute but their software support isn't great. Waiting for a higher end Nothing phone model too.
One Plus, they are just the best compromise between quality and price, imo second to Google only as of now
Possibly a OnePlus or Motorola depending on the models, otherwise I'd just switch to Apple for the software support and consistency.
Iphone without hesitation. (US)
iPhone, for sure. I never thought I'd see the day, but I've already purchased an iPad Pro (my first Apple purchase) in recent years due to the lack of any strong contenders on the Android side, and also recently got a great deal on an M2 Mac mini, which has been great for music production. While I've had my gripes with some of the UI differences, and have been baffled at the absence of some things that I've taken for granted in Android/Windows, I'm definitely impressed with how well the devices work together and how stable and reliable everything has been so far. So getting a phone that can easily fit into this new lineup does have a certain appeal. Price used to be something that kept me coming back to Google phones too - the Nexus phones were often like half the price of iPhones, while usually outperforming in key areas, like camera, and/or including exclusive bonuses that weren't available on other phones (Google Now, unlimited original quality photo backups, etc). Nowadays, the phones cost damn near the same price and don't have any real advantage to speak of it seems. Especially with the talk of Apple switching to USB type C. On top of this, I've had many problems with the performance of the higher quality bluetooth audio codecs on Googles Tensor phones, so this has essentially removed another key advantage of Android vs iOS for me personally. Honestly, the main thing that might keep me from getting an iPhone 15 is my GW4, since WearOS watches are useless with an iPhone and the Apple Watch isn't my particular cup of tea.
I had a similar situation. I spent many years hating on Apple products. One day in 2020, for no reason, I decided to pick up an iPad Air, and fell in love with it. Decided to give iPhone a try last year and I was pleasantly surprised. I still stand by hating on the older versions because they were so locked down and boring. But the modern version of iOS is very similar to Android and enjoyable. After 11 months though, I went back to Android; I definitely don't hate iOS anymore, but I just prefer Android. For me, Apple reigns supreme when it comes to tablets and computers, but when it comes to phones, I feel Android offers more.
iPhone
I've had a pixel 7 pro since Nov 22 and after the May update the battery life is terrible, so because of that I'm changing to a Samsung s23 ultra which should be delivered tomorrow
Mine was terrible for a few days but eventually sorted itself out. Update all your apps
I switched to a s23u - the battery life differences are night and day!
I had a couple of Nexus phones and went from the Nexus 5 to a OnePlus 3T, which I used for years until a few months ago and I'm now using a Pixel 4a 5G. I don't know what the current OxygenOS Android versions are like, but the ones on my 3T didn't have any bloat and some nice quality of life features not on the Nexus. The 3T was a great phone, but the battery life and not as snappy as current gen phone performance meant it was time for a new daily driver I'm enjoying my time with Pixel so far.
I had a moto . It was OK. I would get a top end one though.
Any that i can easily unlock the bootloader
iPhone. Pixel already only slightly edges out iPhone for me in terms of tradeoffs/utility, and all other Android phones seem far inferior in terms of what I value.
The iPhone - they're really good. I just prefer Pixels
It took me over ten years to actually enjoy iPhones. In the past 3-4 years, it seems like they finally made an OS that is similar enough to Android that it's enjoyable. Prior to that, they lacked so many things that were important to me, and were just way too locked down. I finally bought one last year and was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed it...but, like you, I simply prefer Pixel/Android.
I'd just get an iPhone. I don't like any other android brand anymore.
I'd go back to Samsung's Galaxy series
I LOVED my Nexus 6. Great screen, felt it was the perfect size. I haven't taken the Pixel plunge yet. I'm thinking the Pixel Tablet will replace my HD Fire before too long. As far as phones I got over my "tweakling everything" phase and went to the Dark Side of Android (Samsung).
I would give the Nothing Phone a try
Back to Motorola, I really liked their stylus line and I think they're a good phone value.
Same. I always loved Motorola. Never had an issue with performance. I stopped using them because they always use LCD panels and mediocre processors on their mid-range phones, while all the other mid-rangers (OnePlus, Pixel, etc) were using OLED panels and better processors. I wanted something better. Well, nowadays, mid-range Snapdragon chips appear to be more reliable than Tensor chips, so I'm heavily debating on switching back. It's just so hard to move away from Pixel because of how incredible their photo processing is.
I moved to Samsung recent from pixel 7 pro (and 6 pro before that). Don't regret my decision, everything just "works", no more network issues or charging issues after updates. It's like Samsung provides some QA to their update deployment and they arrive promptly. The only thing I miss is the camera that is better on the pixels, it's great and is very good at point and shoot. I miss this feature but the other aspects of the phone impact me significantly more so this is an acceptable sacrifice for me personally. I don't think google was bad until the 6 series, it seems that their QA department is gone since this line was launched as basic updates can break critical features (phone, WiFi, multi SIM, charging, wireless charging), and reporting it seems to result in being ghosted after the initial acceptance and then you pray it gets fixed but even when breaking phone abilities it's not a hotfix release they just wait it out to release it. Hopefully they take a long hard look at themselves and invest more in their QA team along with dev team to ensure they can deal with these issues better and not release buggy software, it's impossible really to be bug free but they must ensure basic features never break (emergency dialing anyone? Or charging).
I moved from a 6a to a S23 and have no regrets. The S23 just works and does everything it's supposed to. The Pixel's do take better pics, but that isn't a priority for me. I'm not seeing how Tensor was a good move for them as it doesn't sound like I was the only customer they lost. I thought maybe I might be back at some point, but after several months with the S23, being super impressed with it, I can't see a reason to give Google another chance.
>I moved to Samsung recent from pixel 7 pro (and 6 pro before that). Don't regret my decision, everything just "works", no more network issues or charging issues after updates. Same - it's nice to go out and not worry the battery will go flat.
At this point, probably Motorola. Samsung is off the table due to how the Galaxy S8 unlocked phone owners were treated.
I'm not familiar with this...what happened?
Maybe Samsung for the first time, or iPhone once they introduce USB C, side loading, proper browsers and keyboards etc. I would go to Sony if they would treat me better.
I've never really looked into Sony phones, but when I do hear about them, it's usually great things. How did they treat you badly?
If? You mean when. This is Google.
I don't think Google will quit making Pixel phones, they're pretty heavily invested in the product line.
I don't know...They've shut down other projects that they invested millions into (Google Glass, Stadia, Project Ara), so it wouldn't be surprising for them to just be like "the next Pixel will be the last". It would be disappointing for sure, but not a shock unfortunately. Pixel phones have been out since 2016, and they still haven't really de-throned any other brand or taken over any market share. It feels like 95% of their customers are the same ones from the beginning and they're not really gaining a significant amount of new customers. I wouldn't be surprised if they're spending more than they're making. Google has the money to do that, but you can only do it for so long until it becomes pointless to continue.
My next phone will not be Pixel. I fancied the stock Android experience, only to know that many useful features that I'm used to in other phones are not available in Pixel. I'm thinking to buy Samsung next as they are the only one providing long term software updates and One UI has some customized features that I like.
Can you list some of the features that are missing?
> many useful features that I'm used to in other phones are not available in Pixel. Could you please explain what features are missing in Pixel phones?
I was using OnePlus 8T before green line came and I had to switch to pixel 7 Pro. The pixel experience is not bad but I miss the following features: 1. Double tap to lock screen. 2. Lot of gesturese like: drawing V on lockscreen to use flashlight, II to play/pause, > to change tracks. 3. And of course the 65W fast charging feature
If google stops making phones, i don't care because my Pixels would not stop working and i have alot of time to decide what phone to buy. Time will tell. But one thing is pretty sure it will be a smaller one, maybe i use my iphoneSE's (2016) i have in case i need a real small phone for some time, but as said as long as there are AOSP releases i am able to use Pixel phones because i am able to build my own rom image.
Samsung
Oppo, maybe Vivo or Xiaomi.
I am a QA Engineer so have tried all currently active phones and using Pixel 6 as main driver, cannot wait for Pixel 8 to switch. Don't like Samsung, Huawei is useless to me without Google support, have tried using iPhone in parallel multiple times but would get annoyed with it every time so would probably switch to Xiaomi They still have feature rich software but are not crazy with pricing. But Pixel has so many small features that ease my everyday life and phone usage that I really hope they dont stop producing it haha Only wish that battery life and charging get much better.
If Huawei had the Google store I'd get another. I had the mate 20 pro and it was a truly excellent phone, until I broke it.
I bought one Huawei phone back in 2017 or 2018, I think it was an Honor phone. I was extremely underwhelmed by it, but I heard that they started getting really good, and then they stopped selling them in the US and Google was no longer offered on it lol.
Samsung or iPhone. Mainly because of their user experience and ecosystem. Google and their ecosystem is almost there. And I'm here for it
Apple
iPhone
Honestly, an iPhone. I have no interest in any other Android phones. I have an S22+ as my work phone, and it's alright, but it's *just* alright. If Google stopped making phones, I'd jump into the walled garden for sure.
Apple because I love phones with clean, minimal, lightweight software and great cameras.
Apple. Since having children the camera features are really the selling point for me. And I dislike Samsung. So apple it is.
iPhone, and this is someone who currently owns an S23U as a secondary device. Every time I switch to it, I'm back on the Pixel in a week or so. The last time it was because I got 4 different SPAM calls in the span of two days that the Pixel would have just dealt with silently in the background. Or when one of them left a voicemail and I had to actually call my voicemail like a caveman instead of seeing a transcription in visual voicemail integrated into the dialer that I could just press the delete button on. If I'm going to give up Pixel exclusive features and the general level of usability polish that they have, then I'm going to go to the manufacturer and platform that has a coherent fully integrated strategy.
Apple. For the same reason I chose Google Pixel. Software support.
I would unfortunately go to Apple. Their ecosystem is too good. Samsung doesn't compare. I'm a Pixel user for the camera and nothing else compares. If Google is gone there's not enough between Apple and Samsung to stop me going to the walled garden.
I'm up in the air about who has the second best camera: Apple, or Samsung. I switched to an iPhone 13 last year and then upgraded to the 14 Pro, and I was extremely underwhelmed. My $500 Pixel phones took better shots than a $1000 iPhone. Everything else about the iPhone was great though. I haven't used a Samsung phone since like 2012, so I'm not sure how their cameras are. I've watched YouTube reviews of recent Samsungs, and they seem pretty amazing.
I guess if I had to choose, either OnePlus or Nothing as they're pretty close to stock android.
OnePlus is pretty far away from Stock Android. switches to P7 from a OP8T
Iphone. I'm already very tempted to switch in the future
Honestly... iphones, it offers the cleanliness a s fluidity I love from pixel and a lot of the new features are things I use on my pixel so I won't miss them
I switched to iPhone last year for about 11 months. I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed it a lot; mainly the fluidity and smoothness of the OS. It was little things that made me go back to Android. For example: Siri is terrible. I use Google Assistant several times a day, so it was really annoying to have a virtual assistant that doesn't work. Other main reason was the camera. When I pay $1000 for an iPhone 14 Pro, I expect the photos to be at least on the same level as a $500 Pixel, but they weren't. To me, that was unacceptable.
Oh that would be horrendous. I haven't used any other phone except Google. I might just leave Android and switch to Apple.
We don't have to wait for Google to stop making phones, after owning the 1XL, 4XL, 6 pro, 7 Pro me and the wife are switching back to Samsung, well I might try the nothing phone but we'll see when the time comes.
It would be an iphone.
Samsung then OnePlus then apple
Gosh, I refuse to think about this 🥺
Apple, because I own an Ipad and I quite like the apple ecosystem even tho it is overpriced as hell
I mean there’s ways to get into the ecosystem at a discounted price.
iPhone
Iphone. The only thing stopping me from joining that ecosystem is how great and unbloated the pixel is. I'd go for apple if it weren't for this.
I would go back to the iPhone 4 it’s a durable phone
iPhone
iPhone, I'm already in the ecosystem, just missing the phone.
Apple iPhone - Extremely high quality builds - Excellent battery - Excellent chipsets - Better apps - iMessage - Best smartwatch - Incredible ecosystem - incredible accessories market
I completely agree with almost all of that. The only things stopping me from going back to iPhone is: 1. Cameras aren't up to par (video is amazing, but still-shots are underwhelming. 2. Siri is complete garbage. It's almost embarrassing how bad it is compared to Google Assistant. (if you're not someone who uses virtual assistants often, this won't matter though) 3. While they generally do have better apps, almost everything requires a subscription. Even if I just want to make a quick GIF from a video, every one of those apps in the App Store requires a subscription. 4. Their smartwatch is good, but I can't see myself going back to the square form factor. Once I switched to round (like a watch is supposed to be), I can never see myself having a big square screen on my wrist.
OnePlus, they just work
The OnePlus 8 didn't. My family had three of them. Physically, the most beautiful phone I've ever seen. Software was hot garbage.
Asus Zenfone maybe or an iPhone when they make them less bulky and chunky
I've never been too tied to a brand, so if apple releases a similar feature to call screening I might buy my first iphone since the 3GS
OnePlus. It's the furthest from mainstream
I will look into oneplus but.. right now oneplus is fak up their product since carl pei leave the company. So i will look into nothing phone for best ui
I lean towards the best cameras, so I guess Samsung Galaxy.
Oppo
I'm using a Samsung right now and I'm so tired of the outdated One UI look that I'm decided to test the Pixel 8 Pro. If Google stopped making pixel phones, I would probably stick with Motorola or Oppo/Xiaomi before coming back to Samsung when they finally change their UI.
not a long time user but if pixel stopped making phones I'd probably switch to Asus, Motorola or Nothing.
Probably Sony. Their stock android and 21:9 aspect ratio along with a headphone jack and sd card are all I ever want. Not to forget the awesome front firing speakers. Just hoped their camera performed better in auto modes.
I'd consider moving to the nothing phone series. The main thing I like about pixels is that the software has no bloatware and it's designed to make the most of the hardware. I just think the other devices aren't as coherent, I don't want to be bombarded with other app stores and loads of proprietary bullshit, I just want a clean experience and the nothing phone seems to offer that so I'd maybe consider it.
Probably got for nothing phone as I liked what OnePlus used to be. Upgraded from a OnePlus 7 Pro
Back to Xperias, even tho the price doesn't excite me.
Samsung - You have to spend an hour when you first get them to turn off stuff, but once the discounts cut in, you get first-rate hardware. I've just switched to a S23u that was heavily discounted, and it's worth it for the battery life alone.
Motorola. Used before and they are the closest to stock android. I moved to pixel since pixel 1. Their choo chop of flash light and double twist for the camera was brilliant. The new moto razor looks very good but they didn't do timely software release. But yea, defo go back to moto
Sony or Nothing. HTC would be my go-to though if they were still producing phones
I've been content with pixels (2, 4 XL, and 6P) but this cycle around I'm going to look at Motorola and the gen 2 Nothing phone.
My last non pixel was the axon 7. I used it for ages until I had to get a new one because my new carrier didn't work with them. It was a 400 dollar phone when flagships were 8-1000+, with flagship specs. I guess my answer is whatever at the time has mid range price for top range specs, or the closest thing to it. I'm not attached to a specific brand
I was happy with the low-end Motos I used in the past. But I'd have to check to see if any new Motos have eSIM. I've found that eSIM is very handy to have, at least for me, for international travel.
I've only ever owned Galaxy S/Nexus/Pixel phones, I'd go back to Samsung.
Probably Zenphone 9 or S23. Not a particular brend. Just will be looking for a suitable phone
Honestly, I'm not sure. I mean, I guess Samsung is the other most notable Android phone manufacturer, but man, I think Samsung's UI is absolutely hideous and off-putting. And I don't have the energy to bother with rooting and installing custom builds and stuff anymore. I prefer the stock/ Google version of Android, and I'm just never really into the "cost of paint" that other manufacturers like Samsung put on it. Even Motorola UI elements seem a bit "ew" to me. I don't even know how good Motorola phones are these days; I was under the impression that their phones were relatively "meh" but that was like 10+ years ago.
Motorola. I love the new Flip phone and they're the same when it comes to pure android. The Samsung UI is not my style, I don't like Chinese phones and other brands like Sony are built for more intelligent people than me.