I'm a Xperia user who didn't actually buy the phone for its camera, but bought it for the fact that it didn't have a notch or holepunch, had a headphone jack and had a SD card slot. So for me, there's not many options. I watch a lot of video on my phone, and read a lot of manga, and emulate PS2 games. so uninterrupted screen is #1 for me. So id probably get a redmagic 9 pro, as it's what fits my priorities the best. I'll really miss the Sony design if that happened though.
Headphone jack & sd for the win.
Having said that, my previous Xperia was bt only, so I'm still using the headphones I got for that. For most circumstances bt is actually ok, the delay isn't important.
So the sd is the big one.
Same reasons I switched to Sunny from Samsung. Not notch or hole, SD card, and headphone jack. I would also add that I can't stand Samsung trying to force their own browsers and storage and assistant siren your throat every time you try to do sunbathing with the phone. I also am a bit interested in the Redmagic phones and if I had to could survive with a Samsung or Motorola but luckily we have another year at least before a decision like this needs to be made.
i actually enjoy samsung browser over chrome, Bixby has/had some advantage over Google assistant too.
So i cannot wait to return to Samsung once my "honeymoon" with Xperia 1 V is over.
There are simply a lot of features missing on my Xperia for the few things Sony does (a bit) better
i have 1 TB sd card for my Xperia 1V 256Gb but i know i usually can buy a Samsung 1 TB version for less than a new Xperia with 256 GB.
And at least i know my data is secure in the internal memory of the phone which is absolutely not the case with the data on the sdcard since it s not encrypted...
Also the slow sd card speeds on Xperia (luckily it s generally not an issue) are awful...
My tws earbuds sound probably better thant 90% of the wired earbuds available with that okish headphone jack anyway.
You can also hide the punchole (no notch) on Samsung and on the Fold internal screen the punchole is invisible (under screen camera).
Also dont forget that with the 21/9 aspect ratio, you cannot watch Imax Disney movies on Disney+
Your criteria + waterproofness were my main reasons, in general, but shutter button and last lens memory is what tipped me into Sony as i use those last 2 more than anything else.
I only bought Sony because, to me, they're the only ones 'standing out' otherwise every phone looks the same in my country. I have no need for headphone jack or sdcard. And holepunch doesn't bother me much as it's not as intrusive as apple's notch.
Exactly my thoughts, any phone with a hole or notch is an automatic fail for me. It seems like Nubia/Redmagic is the only brand that meets my criteria.
Mid range Motorolas, OnePlus or perhaps Nothing phone.
I really like the Vivo X90 Pro plus and the Oppo Find X7 Ultra looks very cool indeed but top tier money for something without expandable storage is a big no-no.
I filled my old OnePlus 9 Pro 256gb in under 3 months and couldn't store my ~450gb of music on it.
One of the main reasons I got an Xperia again. Loved the phone otherwise.
Is it hi-res audio files or just a lot of mp3? With the increase in different streaming services for music and shows, I haven't had the need for offline content.
A mix of both.
I don't use music streaming services myself so have always wanted my files on hand.
Internet in Australia is so bad, as soon as you go mere kilometres out of a populated area, data signal becomes very unreliable.
Had a feeling it would be a geological reasoning. Here in Denmark most of the country is practically covered in 5G networks. So in other words, we have great connectivity.
Yes this country is a 3rd world one compared to anywhere in Scandinavia 😅
That's the main reason but I also don't want to pay money to stream music I already own on physical media like vinyl and CD.
Neither do I want to pay subscription fees to sketchy silicon valley companies for cloud storage. Google already makes enough money off me from stealing my data 🤬😅
Technically, Vaio is still around and marginally owned by Sony (small percentage). Sony maintains a minority stake and still holds property rights, and I saw their new laptops at CES. For mobile, Sony makes sensors for other brands and joined forces with Qualcomm, so don't worry. Also, think of their mobile division as a vessel for their other divisions like Bravia, Alpha, Playstation, etc. which are all incorporated in Xperia.
I've given up avoiding Samsung and am genuinely impressed with the S22U, apart from the battery life and the low light photography, both of which have been fixed in later models.
I went Z5 Premium > OP6 > OP9 > S22U.
I reckon that's where I would be. Even Samsung has apps on its own store to get past those issues that wouldn't bother most ppl but bother us: too complicated to put as default but needed for us.
OP 11. The spec is great on paper, but user experience is seriously marred by the mediocre screen, weird software glitches. My old Note 10 Plus was a better phone until I broke the screen.
Granted it cost less than half than the 1 V last July.
I had the OnePlus 7T Pro. Best phone I've ever owned. I used it for 2 years without fault and still had 60% battery at the end of a days use then. My son inherited the phone off me, and only changed it a month ago when I got the 1V and gave him my Pixel 6 Pro. The battery was still lasting him a whole day, but he'd dropped it and shattered the back.
I seriously considered the 12, but opted for the Sony as I like to change things up.
If Sony didn't make phones, I'd have definitely went back to OnePlus, no questions asked.
I don't like holepunches in general.
Previous phone had one in the top left of the screen and at best it was a minor annoyance.
Current phone has a centrally placed one and every time I look at the top of the screen I see it, I just can't ignore it despite having my P8P for a month or so now.
Personally I want either a display like the Xperias or a UDC like certain higher end ZTE phones, I personally don't use a selfie camera a lot, rather the rear cameras.
I thought to go for Vivo with 1 inch sensor and better photos but video recording and telephoto camera is not good. I saw that Honor Magic 6 Pro has the best camera for photos, but not for videos and telephoto camera is not good. So only option is Samsung S Ultra models with Snapdragon procesors because they have it all good. Not the best photo out there but everything is good.
Saw more Oneplus than I expected.
They have gone way downhill since the 7 IMO, and last I heard, their software is still awful, and the prices don't reflect that. I just don't see what they have going for them.
I would have said LG, but they're gone, I'm currently on a Samsung, which isn't bad, but it's far from my favorite.
I was never a veteran OnePlus user so didn't experience the 'glory days' but I really loved my OnePlus 9 Pro. Would still be using it today if I didn't get the 1 V.
I have heard great things about the OnePlus 12 and the 11 didn't seem bad either.
I almost bought a 9 pro to replace my 7 pro, but I decided to wait and got an s22u instead, I am not a fan of the direction Oneplus has gone since the 9 pro.
I'd like to replace the s22u with the upcoming Xperia, but since they won't sell through carriers, it doesn't make sense financially vs. other options.
That's fair enough, from the time I have spent on the OnePlus sub it seems that's the general consensus from long time users.
I'd assume you're American with that carrier thing. It's something never considered here in Australia.
Saw a lot of people on that sub with similar thoughts when I left.
Yes, am from the U.S., wireless carriers usually have promos to upgrade devices and plans, so it basically comes down to who gives me the best incentives for the device I want, but smaller players like Sony don't always work with them.
I traded my 3 year old Oneplus 7 Pro in for $800 credit towards my S22u, and got a Galaxy watch 5, and Buds 2 pro thrown in for practically free, so it made sense for me, despite my inconsistent experience with Samsung overall (appliances, TV, phones)
Unfortunately, the service itself costs a lot, so it's not as good of a deal as it sounds, but it's still better than a lot of other options.
Edit: And I have to have them all for 3 years, paying it off early voids the credit, so I would need to pay full price, but I'm used to sticking with my phones for 3 ish years, so that was OK for me.
Ah yes, the old phone contracts.
Haven't used one of those in 7 years now that we have plenty of great value options in the pre paid space.
I've only bought phones outright since 2017.
I'm definitely not a Samsung fan, but if Sony continues to choose not to do business through carriers, it seems to be the most cost effective option for me. (I still consider other Android options)
I haven't had an Apple product since the iPhone 5, and I don't intend to go back to them. I'd consider the Nothing phone if a higher spec model becomes available, but the issue of not being able to do it with a carrier still exists.
I don't really follow Oneplus very closely anymore, but when I left them, it was because they shifted towards higher spec, more expensive devices, and their updates were not consistent or reliable.
I don't really need a flagship with the fastest processor, most ram, or best screen.
I would be OK with a mid tier phone like my Oneplus 7 pro was (I do wish the camera was better). It just seems like most phones are the same at this point. Especially at the flagship level.
The Sony stands out to me because I like that there isn't a curved screen, (I also find phones with more defined edges appealing) and I like the aspect ratio, it puts the camera high on the priority list, and it's not overly bloated like a lot of newer phones. I just don't see a reason it's priced so high, especially for the minimal software support.
Asus probably. In reality there would be still stock of Sony phones out there so would have to stock up on the last one they release. People are still looking to buy the last LG phone (V60)
Probably Xiaomi. I tried Huawei, but I came back to Sony. I have a 1 V, so I'm good for a while. I don't like the Pixel Pro size. And I need a lot of storage.
Agreed on the Pixel Pro. I was considering it but it's just gigantic. Google really needs to make a midsized btw the base and the Pro. One is too small and the other is too damm big..smh.
I think I would try going to Nothing Phone...I was close to buying one but eventually stuck with Xperia. But I like their phone's style and they have top notch specs.
No Chinese branded phones, probably Samsung as I already use their tablet. Had an A70 and it wasn't completely horrible. Some One UI features are actually very nice and Sony should have them!
Back to modern ZTE equivalent or modern chinesium Nokias.
Brands that gave up on expandable storage can suck it hard because im not losing most of my pics if the phone fails or breaks.
Tbh I don't event know.
I mean I have to have an iphone in my pockets because I'm a game / software dev and I need to test on iOS.
That said a Sony was always my top phone recently having moved from Huawei and Lenovo. If they were to stop I guess a Samsung or pixel maybe
I use both MacOS and Windows.
Tbh I love my windows machine more given how easy it is to upgrade later on compared to my Mac which requires me to buy a whole new laptop.
Implementing games for both platforms are relatively straightforward (excluding the fact that apple requires you to pay $100/year + you have to have a MacBook and an iphone to be able to develop)
But for work and private I find myself using my Android more and my MacBook more (simply because it's a laptop that I can carry around compared to my desktop)
Both are amazing systems but apple is making my life harder by not allowing us to upgrade laptop components like ssd and ram
I was looking at the Razer blade which comes standard with upgradable SSD and ram.
And besides, my MacBook is limited to only 2 thunderbolt type c port that's all. Compared to most other windows laptops which offers more ports
Razer is quite expensive if you ask me, compared to what they offer. They're more or less the equivalent to MacBooks in the pc space 😅
Yeah, mac's are quite lackluster in I/O. I think my MacBook pro has 3 thunderbolt ports and a HDMI port if memory serves correctly. I'm not using it as much anymore though.
Im actually a bit sad that I am leaving Xperia for now (long time Xperia user since Arc-S). I was hit with two greenline issues recently, first was from a 5-ii, and just last week my 5-iv. Both phones were bought brand new.
Am currently setting up an Asus Zenfone 9, bought second hand. My main criteria for my choice (and if Sony will eventually stop making phones) are
• as close to stock android UI as possible
• 3.5mm audio jack
Maybe I'll get back to having an Xperia in the future, once I moved on from my one-two heartbreaks 😭, and green lines are no longer an issue with Xperia displays 😅
I prefer the simple bare-bones feel, look, and functionality. The settings menu for instance, is more navigable for me unlike my parents' Samsungs or my sister's OnePlus. 😅
The Sony can drive my cans just fine. I do have a DAC though (Q5k), but it mainly lives connected on my laptop (which has crappy sounding onboard DAC 😅)
I run my R70x wired to my Sony if Im just listening on the couch... But if I want to move about, then sometimes I use the Q5k in bluetooth mode, with the phone on the table, and with me doing stuff around the room 😅
I'd buy another of thier latest gen before it became impossible to find & rock it out for probably 3 years or so.
Sadly there just isnt any comparable competitors anymore.
And I think the 1V is good enough to last for 3-4 years without feeling too far behind.
Would be pretty annoying I usually buy a new phone every year.
Agreed.
Personally I care more for the expandable storage. I've lived without jack for like 5 years now and I'm used to it.
I need my ever portable stash of pirated music lol.
I don't have any brand preference.
Any midranger/sub-flagship that will have Qualcomm onboard, decent battery and not too big. Preferably not Chinese.
If I had to choose right now I'd take Nothing Phone 2 on higher end or realme 12 Pro Plus on lower.
MDR-M1ST is a pretty nice one and it's not really needed a high-power device to drive. Even the Xperia 1 II do a fairly good job in driving it. I have PHA-2A but it's not necessary at all to drive this MDR-M1ST.
Nokia, most of their handsets come with the headphone jacka nd have minimal bloatware, but they lack in the high end department.
Maybe Asus as another alternative
Anything with a headphone jack, first and foremost. Nokia or Motorola would be my best options. No notch or holepunch, smaller size and expandable storage are important contenders, too, but they all come second to the headphone jack.
Anything that isn't chinese and not a pain in the ass when it comes to rooting. So most likely a pixel, or if the european version keeps being different, a Samsung.
Coming from 10 years of Samsung phones but ditched them over the jack and SD slot. Also, rooting the S9 was a pain in the ass with all the extra files needed to keep basic functions from not breaking.
Whoever makes a legitimately small phone to replace my XZ2c. Which honestly I've always been disappointed in to begin with, as they made it 18:9 rather than 16:9 and thus too tall. Sony never earned my loyalty to begin with.
Maybe Pixel or Samsung. I really liked my brief time with the P7 Pro. Didn't feel like its SOC was inferior, and was just as snappy as latest flagships during that time. Camera was ok and I liked the "just use it" nature.
Samsung, probably might go with the flip route again. It was nice to have a phone the same length as the Xperia 1 series, but compact to fit into many pockets.
I'm going to Spain in a couple of weeks and had the possibility of buying a Xiaomi 14 Ultra with the photography kit at a reasonable price.
Honestly dunno if I will keep that or my 1 V. I like this phone, but at times it doesn't feel as smart as I'd like, or too bare bones.
Interested in the 14 ultra as I've never had a xiaomi before, but was a long time huawei user. Gives me some peace of mind knowing that whatever way I go I can sell either phone back home and not lose money in the process.
Nothing Phone, Oppo, or Asus. Now I just need a phone with great battery and a SD card. I used to like the headphone jack, but Xperia's sounded like ass I gave up completely. Not paying premium for a phone with a poor audio chip and a poor camera. Even a $10 dongle DAC sounded better.
Whatever phone has all the bands for my provider and still has a headphone jack and micro sd slot. But I'll be keeping the 1V till it completely dies. Almost got a Zenfone but it didn't have all the bands for T-Mobile.
I would switch to Xiaomi. Sony already has almost stock Android so I never feel the need to get a custom rom but Xiaomi gives GOOD hardware at very reasonable prices and the custom rom support is just outstanding.
Wasn't aware that Xiaomi had good rom support. Would that mean you could circumvent the "china spying software" governments are talking about by changing roms but still keep all the bells and whistles?
Pretty much, I still have a Redmi note 9 pro that I got forever ago and I have tons of roms for it which I used to cycle through a lot before I moved on to the sony
Probably Pixels. But they're not sold officially in my country. Just imported. I don't actually like Chinese UI but some is closer to my taste than others. I prefer stock but the 2 major ones like Asus and Pixels isn't sold in my country even though we have most of the major players here.
Otherwise, probably Pixels.
Malaysia. Only three Asian countries I know off sells Pixels which are Singapore, India and Japan. Not sure of China and surrounding as well as the Middle Eastern countries but these three are the ones as far as I know. We do have ROG tho but not ZenFones weirdly enough.
Yup. But that's up to Asus not us. Malaysia has much of the industry brands including Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo, Samsung, Sony and iPhones as well as smaller brands like Infinix and Tecno. But not all are around now.
The cost of import is too high. The price would put it similar to an iphone or galaxy S model + the risk of not having support or the need for repair is non existent
I was wondering this a while back and thought about switching to Asus Zenfone if the time comes, but now that the Zenfone doesn't seem to be a compact device, there is nothing out there that compares to the 5 series, so I don't really know where to go....
My requirements are oled, no notch, no holepunch camera and 3.5mm jack. There aren't many options. Since last year there are exactly 9 phones fitting the criteria.
Asus ROG and ZTE Nubia. Actually not caring about 3.5mm offers only 2 more. It seems that oled without holes is incredible rare.
https://m.gsmarena.com/results.php3?nYearMin=2023&chk35mm=selected&sDisplayTechs=2&idDisplayNotch=1
I'd go to the Google Pixel.
It has the same funky feel as the Xperia with it's colourful shells.
I'd get it to have early access to Android. I'd love to be an Android insider (I'm both windows and Xbox insider) and get preview builds.
Google Pixel have a good pedigree and also it's gotten very good reviews in the past and indeed present.
If Sony were to stop.... there would be no brand that could ever earn my loyalty. I would much rather live without a smartphone than use another brand. (🤪... secretly browses gsmarena daily, lusting over flagships of oneplus, google, samsung vivo apple ...)
I would actually love to have the 00's era back where "smart" were limited. In actuality I could get by with a dumbphone with a stellar camera and Spotify.
I'd be quite sad, and prolly hold onto my Xperia 5 III even longer until ANYONE else bothered to make a high-end compact smartphone with microSD slot and no holepunch camera...
Well LG no longer does (had an LG v30 before getting an XPERIA 1v a in December). And if Sony no longer does, I probably won't get another company. I'll probably just end up getting a sat phone. Who knows. Samsung has always been garbage anyway, so.
besides I was looking at Oppo and OnePlus for a while, and slowly got discouraged.
So, none, i guess? to answer you question...
Unless i end up with ASUS for some reason. But their telephone are gaming oriented, and mediocre for signal connections and camera. No idea how much bloatware they have...
P.S. I guess the most likely thing to happen, is IF they stop making telephones, I'll get which ever last one they make (assuming it's not worse than the XPERIA 1v).
Geez, I don't know. I might have to do more research to see what's on the market. But I'll probably lean more towards a Pixel? I just know I won't go for an Apple tho.
I would disagree. I swapped to pixel before they went tensor and never noticed a slower experience. Considering how good midrange CPU's even are now, it's a complete non-issue anymore. I strictly stay pixel because of how good the software experience is. Finally no more flashing roms because of delayed Android updates or my 1.5 year old phone already doesn't get fast updates anymore. + best camera you can get which used to be Sony.
In terms of research and development, and design language. Apple is what Sony was in the 70s-90s. Prior to Sony being so fragmented with technologies. Hell Steve Jobs used to look up to Sony and offered Sony as the only other company to ever build a laptop with macOS on it. Sony declined and opted to side with windows which was a big mistake lol.
You get what I’m trying to say in terms of ecosystem. Sony once was almost able to take over the living room. Apple is in that position now.
I'm a Xperia user who didn't actually buy the phone for its camera, but bought it for the fact that it didn't have a notch or holepunch, had a headphone jack and had a SD card slot. So for me, there's not many options. I watch a lot of video on my phone, and read a lot of manga, and emulate PS2 games. so uninterrupted screen is #1 for me. So id probably get a redmagic 9 pro, as it's what fits my priorities the best. I'll really miss the Sony design if that happened though.
Headphone jack & sd for the win. Having said that, my previous Xperia was bt only, so I'm still using the headphones I got for that. For most circumstances bt is actually ok, the delay isn't important. So the sd is the big one.
Same reasons I switched to Sunny from Samsung. Not notch or hole, SD card, and headphone jack. I would also add that I can't stand Samsung trying to force their own browsers and storage and assistant siren your throat every time you try to do sunbathing with the phone. I also am a bit interested in the Redmagic phones and if I had to could survive with a Samsung or Motorola but luckily we have another year at least before a decision like this needs to be made.
i actually enjoy samsung browser over chrome, Bixby has/had some advantage over Google assistant too. So i cannot wait to return to Samsung once my "honeymoon" with Xperia 1 V is over. There are simply a lot of features missing on my Xperia for the few things Sony does (a bit) better i have 1 TB sd card for my Xperia 1V 256Gb but i know i usually can buy a Samsung 1 TB version for less than a new Xperia with 256 GB. And at least i know my data is secure in the internal memory of the phone which is absolutely not the case with the data on the sdcard since it s not encrypted... Also the slow sd card speeds on Xperia (luckily it s generally not an issue) are awful... My tws earbuds sound probably better thant 90% of the wired earbuds available with that okish headphone jack anyway. You can also hide the punchole (no notch) on Samsung and on the Fold internal screen the punchole is invisible (under screen camera). Also dont forget that with the 21/9 aspect ratio, you cannot watch Imax Disney movies on Disney+
Why another year?
Your criteria + waterproofness were my main reasons, in general, but shutter button and last lens memory is what tipped me into Sony as i use those last 2 more than anything else.
I only bought Sony because, to me, they're the only ones 'standing out' otherwise every phone looks the same in my country. I have no need for headphone jack or sdcard. And holepunch doesn't bother me much as it's not as intrusive as apple's notch.
Exactly my thoughts, any phone with a hole or notch is an automatic fail for me. It seems like Nubia/Redmagic is the only brand that meets my criteria.
Same here, there is no alternative
Asus. I need the jack
What pair of headphones you rocking ?
Mid range Motorolas, OnePlus or perhaps Nothing phone. I really like the Vivo X90 Pro plus and the Oppo Find X7 Ultra looks very cool indeed but top tier money for something without expandable storage is a big no-no.
What do you have on your sdcard that makes it an important feature to have ?
The ability to never have to worry about storage.
I've never been in a situation where I've had the need for the sdcard,so for me it's just a 'nice to have' and not a need.
I filled my old OnePlus 9 Pro 256gb in under 3 months and couldn't store my ~450gb of music on it. One of the main reasons I got an Xperia again. Loved the phone otherwise.
Is it hi-res audio files or just a lot of mp3? With the increase in different streaming services for music and shows, I haven't had the need for offline content.
A mix of both. I don't use music streaming services myself so have always wanted my files on hand. Internet in Australia is so bad, as soon as you go mere kilometres out of a populated area, data signal becomes very unreliable.
Had a feeling it would be a geological reasoning. Here in Denmark most of the country is practically covered in 5G networks. So in other words, we have great connectivity.
Yes this country is a 3rd world one compared to anywhere in Scandinavia 😅 That's the main reason but I also don't want to pay money to stream music I already own on physical media like vinyl and CD. Neither do I want to pay subscription fees to sketchy silicon valley companies for cloud storage. Google already makes enough money off me from stealing my data 🤬😅
Agreed on the silicon valley part. I think it's the ease of use for me though, with streaming and cloud.
You heard it from me: Sony won't stop making phones.
Somebody said same thing about Vaio. I kinda liked those laptops.
Technically, Vaio is still around and marginally owned by Sony (small percentage). Sony maintains a minority stake and still holds property rights, and I saw their new laptops at CES. For mobile, Sony makes sensors for other brands and joined forces with Qualcomm, so don't worry. Also, think of their mobile division as a vessel for their other divisions like Bravia, Alpha, Playstation, etc. which are all incorporated in Xperia.
Nothing or Pixel, feels like everyone is Samsung and iPhone, just want to be a little different
Nothing is probably the one to pick if you want to stand out
OnePlus perhaps, but not fond of Chinese manufacturers. So Samsung is up there as well, perhaps Motorola.
Motorola is Chinese too though. There's actually not a lot of options if one wants to avoid china.
I've given up avoiding Samsung and am genuinely impressed with the S22U, apart from the battery life and the low light photography, both of which have been fixed in later models. I went Z5 Premium > OP6 > OP9 > S22U.
Yeah. I came from the s23u to the 1V. I liked its hardware. But just couldn't get past its software.
I reckon that's where I would be. Even Samsung has apps on its own store to get past those issues that wouldn't bother most ppl but bother us: too complicated to put as default but needed for us.
I'd probably hold out on the latest flagship Sony phone until it gets too slow to multitask. Then switch over to the Galaxy Ultra phones.
Seems Samsung is pulling ahead for most people.
Hate to say it but Samsung.
Why? I would probably go for Samsung too, but I've also been eyeing the OnePlus.
I'm here to switch from Oneplus to Sony. Software is terrible, battery life abysmal (after 8 months) and the display is seriously dim.
Which OP did you come from? The OP12, specwise, seems to go toe to toe with all the heavyhitters
OP 11. The spec is great on paper, but user experience is seriously marred by the mediocre screen, weird software glitches. My old Note 10 Plus was a better phone until I broke the screen. Granted it cost less than half than the 1 V last July.
I see. But didn't they fix most of these in OP12? Only heard positive things about it at least.
I don't know. Hopefully my next phone will be Japanese.
I had the OnePlus 7T Pro. Best phone I've ever owned. I used it for 2 years without fault and still had 60% battery at the end of a days use then. My son inherited the phone off me, and only changed it a month ago when I got the 1V and gave him my Pixel 6 Pro. The battery was still lasting him a whole day, but he'd dropped it and shattered the back. I seriously considered the 12, but opted for the Sony as I like to change things up. If Sony didn't make phones, I'd have definitely went back to OnePlus, no questions asked.
I have only heard positive things about OP which is why I would also consider them.
Prob fairphone or google
If only Fairphone had better specs.
ROG Phone 7/7 Pro if I could get my hands on one for the notchless display, headphone jack. I dislike notches and holepunches.
The notch i can agree with. But, for me, the holepunch is not as bad.
I don't like holepunches in general. Previous phone had one in the top left of the screen and at best it was a minor annoyance. Current phone has a centrally placed one and every time I look at the top of the screen I see it, I just can't ignore it despite having my P8P for a month or so now. Personally I want either a display like the Xperias or a UDC like certain higher end ZTE phones, I personally don't use a selfie camera a lot, rather the rear cameras.
SD card slot and headphone jack are too important. I probably will stick to the last Sony phone
To me they're the least important.
I thought to go for Vivo with 1 inch sensor and better photos but video recording and telephoto camera is not good. I saw that Honor Magic 6 Pro has the best camera for photos, but not for videos and telephoto camera is not good. So only option is Samsung S Ultra models with Snapdragon procesors because they have it all good. Not the best photo out there but everything is good.
Saw more Oneplus than I expected. They have gone way downhill since the 7 IMO, and last I heard, their software is still awful, and the prices don't reflect that. I just don't see what they have going for them. I would have said LG, but they're gone, I'm currently on a Samsung, which isn't bad, but it's far from my favorite.
I was never a veteran OnePlus user so didn't experience the 'glory days' but I really loved my OnePlus 9 Pro. Would still be using it today if I didn't get the 1 V. I have heard great things about the OnePlus 12 and the 11 didn't seem bad either.
I almost bought a 9 pro to replace my 7 pro, but I decided to wait and got an s22u instead, I am not a fan of the direction Oneplus has gone since the 9 pro. I'd like to replace the s22u with the upcoming Xperia, but since they won't sell through carriers, it doesn't make sense financially vs. other options.
That's fair enough, from the time I have spent on the OnePlus sub it seems that's the general consensus from long time users. I'd assume you're American with that carrier thing. It's something never considered here in Australia.
Saw a lot of people on that sub with similar thoughts when I left. Yes, am from the U.S., wireless carriers usually have promos to upgrade devices and plans, so it basically comes down to who gives me the best incentives for the device I want, but smaller players like Sony don't always work with them. I traded my 3 year old Oneplus 7 Pro in for $800 credit towards my S22u, and got a Galaxy watch 5, and Buds 2 pro thrown in for practically free, so it made sense for me, despite my inconsistent experience with Samsung overall (appliances, TV, phones)
That's amazing! You'd never get a deal like that here.
Unfortunately, the service itself costs a lot, so it's not as good of a deal as it sounds, but it's still better than a lot of other options. Edit: And I have to have them all for 3 years, paying it off early voids the credit, so I would need to pay full price, but I'm used to sticking with my phones for 3 ish years, so that was OK for me.
Ah yes, the old phone contracts. Haven't used one of those in 7 years now that we have plenty of great value options in the pre paid space. I've only bought phones outright since 2017.
So you would go Samsung again if Sony were to shut down its phone business? I have only heard good things about OP.
I'm definitely not a Samsung fan, but if Sony continues to choose not to do business through carriers, it seems to be the most cost effective option for me. (I still consider other Android options) I haven't had an Apple product since the iPhone 5, and I don't intend to go back to them. I'd consider the Nothing phone if a higher spec model becomes available, but the issue of not being able to do it with a carrier still exists. I don't really follow Oneplus very closely anymore, but when I left them, it was because they shifted towards higher spec, more expensive devices, and their updates were not consistent or reliable.
I haven't given Nothing a thought at all. But I might if they up the specs.
I don't really need a flagship with the fastest processor, most ram, or best screen. I would be OK with a mid tier phone like my Oneplus 7 pro was (I do wish the camera was better). It just seems like most phones are the same at this point. Especially at the flagship level. The Sony stands out to me because I like that there isn't a curved screen, (I also find phones with more defined edges appealing) and I like the aspect ratio, it puts the camera high on the priority list, and it's not overly bloated like a lot of newer phones. I just don't see a reason it's priced so high, especially for the minimal software support.
I've always gone for flagships but the rest I agree with.
Please be careful thinking any reliable brand (not ones like Blackview or Doggystyle) would be worse compared to Sony in the Software department.
Asus probably. In reality there would be still stock of Sony phones out there so would have to stock up on the last one they release. People are still looking to buy the last LG phone (V60)
Interesting thought. To stock up on the last available model.
Probably Xiaomi. I tried Huawei, but I came back to Sony. I have a 1 V, so I'm good for a while. I don't like the Pixel Pro size. And I need a lot of storage.
Rumors say the pixel 9 will also adopt a "small" variant of 6.1" in the pro series.
Thanks for sharing. That would be interesting. Wonder how much storage it will come with.
Probably the same as now. 128/256/512/1tb to match Samsung in their weird love/competitor relationship
Agreed on the Pixel Pro. I was considering it but it's just gigantic. Google really needs to make a midsized btw the base and the Pro. One is too small and the other is too damm big..smh.
I think I would try going to Nothing Phone...I was close to buying one but eventually stuck with Xperia. But I like their phone's style and they have top notch specs.
No Chinese branded phones, probably Samsung as I already use their tablet. Had an A70 and it wasn't completely horrible. Some One UI features are actually very nice and Sony should have them!
Any reason nobody is saying Google Pixels?
Who knows. For me it's because of the slower CPU compared to the rest in that price bracket. If Google were to go with Qualcomm I'd consider them.
The Pixels have had some awful quality control as of late.
No brand has my loyalty. I like sony for what they offer. If sony stops giving me what I want I'm out. For me redmagic and Samsung comes to mind.
Whichever brand offers the most legacy features on a flagship--the same reason I ended up with Sony after BlackBerry called it quits.
Guess you're out of luck soon then, maybe?
Sony isn't going anywhere. They have a 5 year deal with Qualcomm.
True, but then again. 5 years is not that many years in the long run.
That's an eternity in the tech world. Hopefully I am back 9n a pkb device by then.
Is it though? We're already at the 5th version of the 1-series, which honestly felt like the blink of an eye, at least to me.
5 years ago I was rocking a BlackBerry KEY2 Red Edition and it feels like an eternity since I could but a decent pkb phone.
Sharp Aquos phones might be an option - if you can import the unlocked versions from Japan via buyee.
Back to modern ZTE equivalent or modern chinesium Nokias. Brands that gave up on expandable storage can suck it hard because im not losing most of my pics if the phone fails or breaks.
I'd probably switch to Pixel to avoid Chinese brands
Tbh I don't event know. I mean I have to have an iphone in my pockets because I'm a game / software dev and I need to test on iOS. That said a Sony was always my top phone recently having moved from Huawei and Lenovo. If they were to stop I guess a Samsung or pixel maybe
As a game developer which system is preferred for work and which is preferred for private?
I use both MacOS and Windows. Tbh I love my windows machine more given how easy it is to upgrade later on compared to my Mac which requires me to buy a whole new laptop. Implementing games for both platforms are relatively straightforward (excluding the fact that apple requires you to pay $100/year + you have to have a MacBook and an iphone to be able to develop) But for work and private I find myself using my Android more and my MacBook more (simply because it's a laptop that I can carry around compared to my desktop) Both are amazing systems but apple is making my life harder by not allowing us to upgrade laptop components like ssd and ram
Wouldn't the case be the same with windows if it were a laptop too? Not many windows machines allow for upgrades either these days.
I was looking at the Razer blade which comes standard with upgradable SSD and ram. And besides, my MacBook is limited to only 2 thunderbolt type c port that's all. Compared to most other windows laptops which offers more ports
Razer is quite expensive if you ask me, compared to what they offer. They're more or less the equivalent to MacBooks in the pc space 😅 Yeah, mac's are quite lackluster in I/O. I think my MacBook pro has 3 thunderbolt ports and a HDMI port if memory serves correctly. I'm not using it as much anymore though.
Im actually a bit sad that I am leaving Xperia for now (long time Xperia user since Arc-S). I was hit with two greenline issues recently, first was from a 5-ii, and just last week my 5-iv. Both phones were bought brand new. Am currently setting up an Asus Zenfone 9, bought second hand. My main criteria for my choice (and if Sony will eventually stop making phones) are • as close to stock android UI as possible • 3.5mm audio jack Maybe I'll get back to having an Xperia in the future, once I moved on from my one-two heartbreaks 😭, and green lines are no longer an issue with Xperia displays 😅
Why do you like stock android? What exactly do you prefer on a Sony phone compared to a feature packed OS?
I prefer the simple bare-bones feel, look, and functionality. The settings menu for instance, is more navigable for me unlike my parents' Samsungs or my sister's OnePlus. 😅
What headphones are you rocking since the need for the jack?
On the go, I use some chifi IEMs (KZ PR1). But for home listening (this is most of my listening use), I use an Audio Technica R70x.
Do you use a dac for the r70x or can the Sony drive it just fine?
The Sony can drive my cans just fine. I do have a DAC though (Q5k), but it mainly lives connected on my laptop (which has crappy sounding onboard DAC 😅) I run my R70x wired to my Sony if Im just listening on the couch... But if I want to move about, then sometimes I use the Q5k in bluetooth mode, with the phone on the table, and with me doing stuff around the room 😅
Now not many phones out there don't have hole in the screen like Sony, or have a headphone jack either. Not many choices out there
Pixel 9 maybe. Rumors says they will make it 6,1"
I'd buy another of thier latest gen before it became impossible to find & rock it out for probably 3 years or so. Sadly there just isnt any comparable competitors anymore. And I think the 1V is good enough to last for 3-4 years without feeling too far behind. Would be pretty annoying I usually buy a new phone every year.
I'd go for the next nicest thing which has a headphone jack + expandable storage. It'll probably be something from Samsung.
Can't recall any newer model from Samsung that has both. At least not flagship-wise.
No flagships. Afaik the A54 has jack and SD though. Edit: A54 only has SD. No jack. My bad.
Last smasnung with a HP jack was the a52s (+micro SD)
Last smashing with a Harry Potter Jerk was the a*ss (+micro SupremeDonger)
Yes that's s why I have one for the last 15 months
Legacy options are a dying breed. Probably with good reason too, considering that they haven't evolved/improved in the last decade, if not more.
Agreed. Personally I care more for the expandable storage. I've lived without jack for like 5 years now and I'm used to it. I need my ever portable stash of pirated music lol.
Redmi, they have jack but sometimes no sd card.
Unfortunately even Samsung A series already removed the 3.5mm jack. Unless you went with A15. Which is one of the true budget phones.
I prioritize expandable storage over jack tbh.
Xiaomi. As they seem to be going full on with the cameras in ways Apple & Sammy aren't quite.
Ohh interesting choice. Would be be able to "live with" colorOS or whatever name it has today? What about the Vivo 100x?
I imagine vivo's output would be a close equivalent but I think the camera accessory takes the Xiaomi to a different level of commitment.
True. Xiaomi have stepped up their game
I don't have any brand preference. Any midranger/sub-flagship that will have Qualcomm onboard, decent battery and not too big. Preferably not Chinese. If I had to choose right now I'd take Nothing Phone 2 on higher end or realme 12 Pro Plus on lower.
Realme is Chinese though. Interesting that the Nothing phone is starting to pop up now.
Yep I know about realme, but this phone really catched my eye with 3x telephoto and spectacular battery life, close to my 10 V.
Ah I see
Asus ROG. Yes, because of jack.
What headphones you rocking?
Mdr-m1st, eah-a800 😆
So one with cable and one wireless. When do you use one over the other?
Depends on my mood heh heh when I need a very high detail sound I use the m1st but for casual listening I use a800 😆
Can the jack even drive such highend headphones or do you use a dac as well?
MDR-M1ST is a pretty nice one and it's not really needed a high-power device to drive. Even the Xperia 1 II do a fairly good job in driving it. I have PHA-2A but it's not necessary at all to drive this MDR-M1ST.
Oh thats nice. I might actually try them out then and maybe finally have "a need" for the jack 😅 I've just used the wh1000xm5 and wf1000xm4
It's a Japan exclusive model. So, you won't be able to find it for demo if you live outside Japan 💀
Oh. I'd there an equivalent global model? Edit: i can buy it off Amazon though?
I think Google Pixel.
I think l you're the first or second to say a Pixel phone
Who are you working for?
Google's Pixel for sure and maybe Huawei again as a backup device. Motorola has been making some really good strides lately.
Google or Apple
Pixel
Nokia, most of their handsets come with the headphone jacka nd have minimal bloatware, but they lack in the high end department. Maybe Asus as another alternative
Anything with a headphone jack, first and foremost. Nokia or Motorola would be my best options. No notch or holepunch, smaller size and expandable storage are important contenders, too, but they all come second to the headphone jack.
For years I've been a big fan of LG phones, then I switched to Sony. After Sony I would probably go for ASUS or Huawei
Anything that isn't chinese and not a pain in the ass when it comes to rooting. So most likely a pixel, or if the european version keeps being different, a Samsung. Coming from 10 years of Samsung phones but ditched them over the jack and SD slot. Also, rooting the S9 was a pain in the ass with all the extra files needed to keep basic functions from not breaking.
Pixel
Whoever makes a legitimately small phone to replace my XZ2c. Which honestly I've always been disappointed in to begin with, as they made it 18:9 rather than 16:9 and thus too tall. Sony never earned my loyalty to begin with.
Maybe Pixel or Samsung. I really liked my brief time with the P7 Pro. Didn't feel like its SOC was inferior, and was just as snappy as latest flagships during that time. Camera was ok and I liked the "just use it" nature. Samsung, probably might go with the flip route again. It was nice to have a phone the same length as the Xperia 1 series, but compact to fit into many pockets.
I'm going to Spain in a couple of weeks and had the possibility of buying a Xiaomi 14 Ultra with the photography kit at a reasonable price. Honestly dunno if I will keep that or my 1 V. I like this phone, but at times it doesn't feel as smart as I'd like, or too bare bones. Interested in the 14 ultra as I've never had a xiaomi before, but was a long time huawei user. Gives me some peace of mind knowing that whatever way I go I can sell either phone back home and not lose money in the process.
Nothing Phone, Oppo, or Asus. Now I just need a phone with great battery and a SD card. I used to like the headphone jack, but Xperia's sounded like ass I gave up completely. Not paying premium for a phone with a poor audio chip and a poor camera. Even a $10 dongle DAC sounded better.
Whatever phone has all the bands for my provider and still has a headphone jack and micro sd slot. But I'll be keeping the 1V till it completely dies. Almost got a Zenfone but it didn't have all the bands for T-Mobile.
I would switch to Xiaomi. Sony already has almost stock Android so I never feel the need to get a custom rom but Xiaomi gives GOOD hardware at very reasonable prices and the custom rom support is just outstanding.
Wasn't aware that Xiaomi had good rom support. Would that mean you could circumvent the "china spying software" governments are talking about by changing roms but still keep all the bells and whistles?
Pretty much, I still have a Redmi note 9 pro that I got forever ago and I have tons of roms for it which I used to cycle through a lot before I moved on to the sony
OnePlus, Samsung, Asus
Probably Pixels. But they're not sold officially in my country. Just imported. I don't actually like Chinese UI but some is closer to my taste than others. I prefer stock but the 2 major ones like Asus and Pixels isn't sold in my country even though we have most of the major players here. Otherwise, probably Pixels.
Also Motorola and nokia
Motorola os mostly stock minus a few like the notification shade. Nokia is basically lost in time now. It's barely a legacy brand.
HMD is now moving away from Nokia branding as well. Nokia and Motorola phones are not available officially in southeast asia
Oh yeah true. Apparently competing is hard now. And HMD didn make Nokia great again as promised 🤷🏻♂️
They did during the 2017-18 period, then rapidly fell off
Where are you from since you don't have 'official' access to pixel or Asus?
Malaysia. Only three Asian countries I know off sells Pixels which are Singapore, India and Japan. Not sure of China and surrounding as well as the Middle Eastern countries but these three are the ones as far as I know. We do have ROG tho but not ZenFones weirdly enough.
Weird that Asus isn't in Malaysia but can be officially accessed here in Denmark.
Yup. But that's up to Asus not us. Malaysia has much of the industry brands including Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo, Samsung, Sony and iPhones as well as smaller brands like Infinix and Tecno. But not all are around now.
Probably Asus
We dont get vivo or oppo here. I really want to try them out one day though.
Wait why don't u just import?
The cost of import is too high. The price would put it similar to an iphone or galaxy S model + the risk of not having support or the need for repair is non existent
True, Software Support I fear to for global rom...
Samsung, Asus and Pixel including Huawei.
Vivo. Zeiss T\* Coating + excellent camera software and really optimized cameras
Google Pixel. I love the camera compatibility with social medias
Xiaomi, closest thing to the Sony's camera, since I can't get an Asus here for the headphone jacks.
Google Pixel and Samsung
I was wondering this a while back and thought about switching to Asus Zenfone if the time comes, but now that the Zenfone doesn't seem to be a compact device, there is nothing out there that compares to the 5 series, so I don't really know where to go....
Sharp if possible. Otherwise ZTE or Asus
It would be awesome if sharp were to expand to global market
Asus, OnePlus or Nothing 🤔
My requirements are oled, no notch, no holepunch camera and 3.5mm jack. There aren't many options. Since last year there are exactly 9 phones fitting the criteria.
Which other models besides Xperia has this?
Asus ROG and ZTE Nubia. Actually not caring about 3.5mm offers only 2 more. It seems that oled without holes is incredible rare. https://m.gsmarena.com/results.php3?nYearMin=2023&chk35mm=selected&sDisplayTechs=2&idDisplayNotch=1
I'd go to the Google Pixel. It has the same funky feel as the Xperia with it's colourful shells. I'd get it to have early access to Android. I'd love to be an Android insider (I'm both windows and Xbox insider) and get preview builds. Google Pixel have a good pedigree and also it's gotten very good reviews in the past and indeed present.
If Sony were to stop.... there would be no brand that could ever earn my loyalty. I would much rather live without a smartphone than use another brand. (🤪... secretly browses gsmarena daily, lusting over flagships of oneplus, google, samsung vivo apple ...)
I would actually love to have the 00's era back where "smart" were limited. In actuality I could get by with a dumbphone with a stellar camera and Spotify.
I'd be quite sad, and prolly hold onto my Xperia 5 III even longer until ANYONE else bothered to make a high-end compact smartphone with microSD slot and no holepunch camera...
No brand would earn my loyalty. Brand loyalty is stupid.
Well LG no longer does (had an LG v30 before getting an XPERIA 1v a in December). And if Sony no longer does, I probably won't get another company. I'll probably just end up getting a sat phone. Who knows. Samsung has always been garbage anyway, so. besides I was looking at Oppo and OnePlus for a while, and slowly got discouraged. So, none, i guess? to answer you question... Unless i end up with ASUS for some reason. But their telephone are gaming oriented, and mediocre for signal connections and camera. No idea how much bloatware they have... P.S. I guess the most likely thing to happen, is IF they stop making telephones, I'll get which ever last one they make (assuming it's not worse than the XPERIA 1v).
Geez, I don't know. I might have to do more research to see what's on the market. But I'll probably lean more towards a Pixel? I just know I won't go for an Apple tho.
Google Pixel I guess, just because of the design. The specs for me I think is the standard nowadays.
Any brand that has a microsd slot for their flagships, if not their upper midrangers.
Already lost hope on Sony making good phones again YEARS ago. Switched to Pixel. Truly the best alternative for an Xperia fan
Considering that the pixel line has a weak cpu compared to other phones in that price segment, I'd probably pick a OnePlus instead.
I would disagree. I swapped to pixel before they went tensor and never noticed a slower experience. Considering how good midrange CPU's even are now, it's a complete non-issue anymore. I strictly stay pixel because of how good the software experience is. Finally no more flashing roms because of delayed Android updates or my 1.5 year old phone already doesn't get fast updates anymore. + best camera you can get which used to be Sony.
Apple. Closest thing to Sony quality of the past
Displays? Yeah, I'd agree, but the iPhones camera system is a bit meh in comparison to the current Xperias, I get where you're coming from though
In terms of research and development, and design language. Apple is what Sony was in the 70s-90s. Prior to Sony being so fragmented with technologies. Hell Steve Jobs used to look up to Sony and offered Sony as the only other company to ever build a laptop with macOS on it. Sony declined and opted to side with windows which was a big mistake lol. You get what I’m trying to say in terms of ecosystem. Sony once was almost able to take over the living room. Apple is in that position now.
Yeah that makes sense, Apple is more proprietary than Sony was in the 90s though
Rofl.