• KISSmyOS@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Whether you want everything but the kitchen sink or top-tier performance for a midtier price, you’ve got options.

    What if I want a phone that fits in my front pocket while riding a bike? What are my options then?

  • Artyom@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    I love how this articles doesn’t even discuss phone size and headphone jacks, which are my 2 prerequisites before I even consider a phone.

    • MysticKetchup@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I’m convinced that tech reviewers live on a different planet than us. They’re always fretting over trivial things that would be nice to have but far from dealbreakers for the average person and then ignore or barely mention the stuff a regular user would need

      • Lord_Logjam@feddit.uk
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        1 year ago

        People talking about phones on Lemmy don’t represent the average user though. Most people just don’t care about headphone jacks, SD cards, etc. These complaints are made nearly exclusively by enthusiasts who don’t make up enough of the potential sales to be pandered to.

        I’m not saying it’s wrong to complain btw.

    • lotanis@discuss.tchncs.de
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      1 year ago

      It absolutely discusses phone size - in some detail both in the intro and as part of the reviews.

    • noddy@beehaw.org
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      1 year ago

      Yeah. Unfortunately there’s not much to chose from. They’re all huge glass slabs without ports nowadays.

  • SirEDCaLot@lemmy.fmhy.net
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    1 year ago

    What bugs me about this is THEY ARE ALL THE SAME! Flat rectangular phones with no buttons and few ports. Where is the innovation? Where is the experimentation? Where are the different form factors?

    Go back to like 2003 and you had all kinds of variety in the market. Some phones had slide out keyboards, some had physical keyboards like blackberries, they were all kinds of different expansion ports and slots and interfaces, and occasionally something totally different like Compaq had a gadget that took different backpacks that bolted on the back to give it extra capability.

    Skip 20 years ahead to today, and every phone is the exact same fucking form factor. And so we obsess over millimeters and megapixels and software. There’s no innovation here. There’s no variety here.

    The only even slightly interesting development I see is the new flip and book phones, but that technology is being used in the most boring way possible. I want to phone the size of a Snickers bar where I pull the screen out of it from the side and it unrolls as far as I want it to. I want a phone that flips open like a laptop to reveal a keyboard. Or even simpler, I want a phone that’s 4 mm thicker and has a battery that lasts all week. Give that phone a headphone jack and wireless charging, put a little rubber around it to make it indestructible, then you’ll have something interesting.

    Until that happens, you have like six manufacturers that are basically building the exact same product. Boring.

    • Defaced@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Part of the issue is that the biggest smartphone manufacturers are all sister companies to each other. Oppo, OnePlus, xaiomi, they’re all different companies under the same banner, so they’re bound to share hardware specs and manufacturing.

      Personally I think nothing phone is the only phone brand that’s innovating on design with the candy bar style phone, but even that’s hard to justify. Samsung has been repeating the folding phone designs and refining them year after year and Google has been pretty lazy with the pixel phones in regards to hardware.

      It’s a weird time for smartphones, can’t push more power without destroying batteries, can’t really innovate with batteries because we’ve hit a wall that only software can help mitigate. Not only that’s we all apparently want bigger and bigger phones, and the only way to realistically get that is with folding display tech, which again chews up battery power.

      • SirEDCaLot@lemmy.fmhy.net
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        1 year ago

        Yeah but if you make the battery 3-4mm thicker you double its volume and then you have a phone with 5000-10000+ mAh.

        You don’t think ‘this phone battery lasts a week’ is a selling point? Trust me, it is.

      • Freeman@feddit.de
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        1 year ago

        I am very anti monopolies but your first point isnt really a reason. There are many companies that are sistercompanies which are different on purpose. Like VW and Porsche or Dell and Omen. The different branding is normally used to get to different consumer groups.

      • ExLisper@linux.community
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        1 year ago

        I think it’s profit margins. They are all the same because it’s cheaper to build phones using the same mass produces components. They could release different phones but they would have to do small batches and would make less profit on each unit.

    • Zeroc00l@sh.itjust.works
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      1 year ago

      If you’re into it you can watch tech youtubers go to those big conferences where they show off prototypes of their newest tech, earlier this year they were demoing rolling and pull out screens on phones and laptops, among other stuff.

      For the batteries your outta luck for now due to a SOB called physics.

      Companies make what sells, and flat candy bars sell. All the companies you mentioned went out of business (at least in the smartphone sector) due to not selling iPhone clones. I’m not saying that’s a good thing btw. I wish we had hoverboards & holograms too dude.

      I’m pretty content with my folding phone for now though.

    • ExLisper@linux.community
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      1 year ago

      So right. The last Blackberry I used with BB OS had micro hdmi port, hardware keyboard and completely different OS that was able to run android apps. Fast forward 10 years and you can’t get any of those any more except maybe from some weird Chinese brands.

    • wia@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      The public voted with their purchases and this is what they wanted.

      Eventually most products settle into a baseline normal and innovation slows dramatically. It’s not just phones that do this.

      There are plenty of phones out there that are weird and different but most people ignore them and they don’t get the same attention. Think rog phones, flip and fold phones, fair phone, sony’s camera focused phones no one wants to buy.

      Not too mention this list is for what you should buy, which is really the word experimental phone.

      It’s a strange mentality that almost everyone time phone are brought up people so for absolute innovation. A full on game changer. Most of these already do exactly what we want incredibly well. There isn’t much room for a game changer. Innovations will be less dramatic, more subtle.

      No one is going to buy a round phone, or a squiggly phone, and curved screen edges or curved phones never did well. So rectangular it is.

      Enthusiast features rarely stick around cus most people don’t need those features or the features get rolled into something else. Headphones jacks and HDMI and so on can ask be integrated into USB C and for most that’s good enough.

  • Jo Miran@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    I’ve got a Pixel 6 Pro and if Google keeps providing current updates for it, I can see myself using it for three more years. It’s just a solid piece of tech.

    • BearOfaTime@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      And you can always go Lineage/DivestOS/Graphene after that and it’ll run faster than new.

      • h3ndrik@feddit.de
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        1 year ago

        GrapheneOS support stops along with Google stopping their support. My 4a is now EOL. Not sure about the other roms. Hopefully someone puts in the effort.

        • jacktherippah@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          I think they’re planning to give you about a year of extended support so you have time to switch to a newer phone.

        • BearOfaTime@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          Crap, I forgot about that with Graphene, and it’s why I’m not using it. Good reminder

      • r_thndr@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        1 year ago

        If you enable developer options and then disable animations, your phone will feel 1000% faster on any OS.

    • jayemar@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      I have a 6a and can’t wait to get rid of it. The cellular connections drops often and doesn’t reconnect without rebooting the phone, the GPS takes forerto figure out where I am making it very frustrating to use for navigation, and the fingerprint sensor doesn’t work great in the dark. Might give the s23 a shot next.

      • Jo Miran@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        The “a” models are a different animal. We tested it when my wife wanted a “small” phone and she hated it. She has the S23 and loves it. Even then, my Pixel 6 Pro feels snappier, more feature rich, and takes significantly better pictures than her S23.

        PS: We’re both on Google Fi and neither of us have connectivity issues. I’m fact, I often have better coverage on the 6 Pro than she does on her S23. That might have to do with the phone size though. (Bigger phone means larger antenna)

        • jayemar@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          Thanks for this additional info. The “smallness” was something I was after with this phone, as well, but it definitely doesn’t feel as good in my hand as the s23. The pixel pro versions have some intriguing features, but they’re just too big for my liking.

          • Jo Miran@lemmy.ml
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            1 year ago

            I think you’ll like the S23. I haven’t heard a single complaint from my wife about hers.

        • daq@lemmy.sdf.org
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          1 year ago

          Pixel 7 pro here and it’s a total piece of shit. Garbage cell connection on tmo and spectrum. Random Bluetooth issues. Battery that can’t last even close to a full day and incredibly slow charging speed. Only decent feature is the camera/photo software.

          Unfortunately not many options left. Oneplus is dead to me after they removed wireless charging. Asus is just dead. Samsung ruined otherwise great hardware with worst software of any other Android phone. I never considered other phones seriously, but I’m open to suggestions.

          I just need a reliable phone with wireless charging and decent camera.

          • Jo Miran@lemmy.ml
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            1 year ago

            I’ve never had any connection issues with the 6 Pro, but it could be because I’m on Google Fi. Also, the battery on my phone lasts the entire day. I use a high watt charger so I don’t know how the charge speed would compare if I used a 2a charger.

            It’s a shame that the 7 Pro isn’t up to par.

            • giloronfoo@beehaw.org
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              1 year ago

              My experience with the 7P is the opposite.

              Also on Fi, but that is just T-Mobile. My connection has been great. Battery life is good. I don’t mind the slow charging and intentionally plug into an even lower power charger to hopefully extend the longevity of the battery.

              My wife’s experience is closer to OP’s though. She’s had problems like that on most phones when I don’t even though we often have the same model. I think it is something to do with the games she installs.

              Before the Android 14 update, we had 5G turned off. It seems the update to the radio firmware has fixed the battery drain problems.

      • 666dollarfootlong@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        The cellular connections drops often and doesn’t reconnect without rebooting the phone

        Have you tried just turning the airplane mode on until The operator name disappears from the status bar? Works for me when i’m having issues with 5g on my Pixel 7

        • jayemar@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          I have tried that, and it does work sometimes. But sometimes it doesn’t and I still need to reboot.

  • robsuto@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    My wants:

    • ROM-friendly w/ active development
    • flagship specs
    • No hole-punch

    Seems I can get two of three, but not all three with the latest phones.

    EDIT: I currently rock a Oneplus 7 Pro running crDroid 9 (Android 13).

      • robsuto@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        I loved the notification LED on my Xperia XZ1, Nexus 5X, and basically all older Android phones.

        Ideally I’d like to see an LED along a corner so that regardless of placing the phone face up or down, you can still see the LED.

      • Wanderer@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        I cheaped out and got the smaller version of my phone with no led.

        Regretted it ever since. Been 5 years and vowed to never do that again. :(

        I really want a notification led

        • Madis@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          You still have ways to emulate it with software… Especially apps or Android 14 that make your flashlight act as one.

    • akrot@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Sony is very ROM-friendly. Main issue is price, which affects active development. My wishlist is similar to yours, I ended always going with Xiaomi. While their 7 days wait to unlock bootloader is annoying, the ROM scene is very active, with great GCam ports.

      • robsuto@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        I love Sony phones but I don’t see active ROMs for the Xperia 1 or 5 series.

        I’m not familiar with Xiaomi. They have a flagship without a hole punch?

        • akrot@lemmy.world
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          I wouldn’t call it a flagship, but Xiaomi 9T Pro is the closest you can get without a punchhole. Plenty of ROMs, and great gcam support.

          • robsuto@lemmy.ml
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            1 year ago

            I’ve had the Oneplus 7 Pro since it came out, which is a rebranded Xiaomi 9T Pro.

  • bbbhltz@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    Choices?

    • Pixel 8
    • Galaxy S23
    • Galaxy S23 Ultra
    • Galaxy Z Fold 5
    • Nothing Phone 2
  • emergencyfood@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    [Consumers in the US] don’t get nearly as many of the options as you’ll find in Asia and Europe — brands like Huawei, Xiaomi, Honor, and Oppo just aren’t available here.

    Is this true? I thought only Huawei was banned / not doing business in the US.

    I’ve limited this guide to the devices I’ve personally tested in depth …

    So the ‘guide’ doesn’t cover phones by four of the big six manufacturers. That’s like making a guide of the tallest mountains in the world, but excluding the Himalayas and the Andes.

  • simple@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    On the other side of the foldable spectrum, the OnePlus Open is a welcome addition to the mix with the best screen format on a book-style folding phone. It’s thin and light, and the software includes some thoughtful approaches to multi-tasking — a crucial part of the folding phone experience. At $1,700, it’s just $100 shy of the Pixel Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 5 and misses a couple of key features that both of those other options include: wireless charging and an IPX8 rating.

    Does anyone really care about these though? Wireless charging is really niche and worse than wired in every way, and water resistance is one of those things phones love advertising but nobody ever notices.

    • TheEntity@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      […] water resistance is one of those things phones love advertising but nobody ever notices.

      Water resistance is something I do not want to notice because if I notice it, it means it has failed. Do I trust it completely? Hell no. Do I prefer to have it? Hell yea!

    • shitescalates@midwest.social
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      1 year ago

      Couldn’t disagree more. Both are huge selling points for me, and have virtually no downsides, unlike other phone features.

      • Juno@beehaw.org
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        1 year ago

        Wireless charging has huge downsides. What do you even mean? Slower charging, huge energy waste, heats up like mad

        • shitescalates@midwest.social
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          1 year ago

          Slower charging, huge energy waste, heats up like mad

          For one, you don’t have to use it, so these are never downsides if its on your phone. Secondly none of these are a problem for me. I charge slowly at night, my phone never gets hot, and phone charging is less than .1% of my electric bill.

    • ijeff@lemdro.idOPM
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      1 year ago

      Both have been must-haves for me over the past number of years. It’s nice being able to drop the phone onto a charging stand at the desk or in the car. Also nice being able to rinse the phone off or use in a bath/shower without worry.

    • Jo Miran@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      I used to think the same way until my wife’s phone stopped charging via cable because the USB port failed. The fact that it can charge wirelessly has kept the device usable.

      • ijeff@lemdro.idOPM
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        1 year ago

        Same here. Wireless charging kept my Galaxy Note 8 going long past its USB port failing, along with my mom’s LG G7.

      • BearOfaTime@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        I have a phone like this. Wireless charging is so slow the phone isn’t really usable any more.

    • Krotiuz@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      I’ve only had 1 phone in the last 10 years that didnt wirelessly charge, and there’s zero chance I’d buy a phone without it again. And I’m really hoping qi2 starts appearing in phones next year.

      I don’t understand the need for super fast charging, like it’s handy if you’re on the run and forgot about it, but I need more charging than my phone does, so it’s no issue to just plonk it on a stand when I’m resting…

    • daq@lemmy.sdf.org
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      Wireless charging is really niche and worse than wired in every way

      Huh? Name one. Oneplus is dead to me after they removed the most useful feature that almost everyone uses and expects in even the most basic phone, let alone a $1k+ phone.

      • 666dollarfootlong@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        The way I would use wireless charging would be having my phone on my desk charging while I work on my pc. The problem with that is that If i have to use my phone, I would have to take it from The wireless charger which stops the charging. Charging the phone multiple times a day is so bad for the battery so I would prefer to just charge when its low and take it off when its full or almost full, and with a wired charger I can do just that and still use the phone while its charging

        • daq@lemmy.sdf.org
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          1 year ago

          Modern batteries really don’t care much about how or how often you charge them. You’ll ruin the port with frequent plug/unplug cycle way before you notice any effect on the battery.