Your current and next phone. - Smartphone general

[Null]

@Null did you manage to get your Pixel unlocked?

No. Its fastboot is locked. I'm sending in for a replacement.

 

[Orkney]

In the UK, we also have Sony Xperia and Nokia. Sony is still brilliant and reliably Japanese. However, their phones have an outdated stock UI. They had an excellent interface up until 2018 but their camera menu has always been fantastic for creators. Nokia makes poorly designed/built phones that nobody buys now.

Oppo/OnePlus (same company) looks good but since it's Chinese, no way in hell am I buying one. Xiaomi is far too dodgy and its UI is bloated with advertisements and Chinese propaganda. Motorola is now a part of CCP owned Lenovo. Honor phones are still CCP owned even after being sold by Huawei. The cheap prices are too good to be true from these brands,

The Xperia Tipo was my first phone, an insanely small lightweight budget phone that I'd take to school.

Smaller than a computer mouse, but its touchscreen was accurate and it had a headphone jack.

And its specs were pretty good too, I remember being able to play COD Zombies at 18fps.

My current phone is a Nokia one, and its fine though Android Go has a strange UI and I can't find a custom rom that has support for the particular model I have.

For my next phone, I might purchase a mini Android phone made by UniHertz, they are crowdsource funded that seem to have a recognisable presence among tech YouTubers.

 

[thrusting]

I'm using a Realme 8 because cheap. Might go for the GrapheneOS meme when my phone dies.

 

[Cpt. Stud Beefpile]

Looking for a replacement for my cheapo Samsung now that I'm not pinching pennies so bad.

Needs:
-Rootable
-MicroSD card slot
-Not Apple
Wants:
-Wireless charging
-not super expensive (>$500)
-large screen (6 inches or more)
-IR blaster

 

[XYZpdq Jr.]

an "Alcatel" super cheap thing
like, forty dollars cheap from walmart, meant for prepaid but works with regular plans

takes pics of random birds and stuff fine, loud enough for music, emulates up to ps1 and psp

I really can't see myself ever getting a phone that wasn't stupid cheap like these

 

[Disgruntled Pupper]

Can I ask questions about providers in this thread? I'm having an issue with T-mobile that is causing me to have a conniption fit but it's on the provider end and not so much my actual phone.

 

[Sundae]

Had to replace my phone after it got damaged, so I went with a Motorola Moto G Pure. Decent phone, not bad for the price. I needed something that was budget friendly and could get the job done, it's working good so far.

At some point I want to get away from smart phones and get a Kyocera DuraXV Extreme flip phone.

 

[Basil Julep]

Can I ask questions about providers in this thread? I'm having an issue with T-mobile that is causing me to have a conniption fit but it's on the provider end and not so much my actual phone.

Basically in the US there are 3-4 big wireless providers (T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, Dish). In a handful of places you can get another option.

There are MVNOs which basically are resellers of these networks. Many offer free trials, and depending on your phone you might be able to just download the esim without needing a physical sim shipped to you.

The different MVNOs have different priority. For example if your MVNO is on T-Mobile, and you are in a crowded urban environment, then it is likely regular T-Mobile customers are going to be prioritized over your budget service. As far as I can tell this only matters in crowded cities.

As much as I hate r*ddit the sub /r/nocontract has a ton of great info on prepaid plans.

 

[WelperHelper99]

Looking for a replacement for my cheapo Samsung now that I'm not pinching pennies so bad.

Needs:
-Rootable
-MicroSD card slot
-Not Apple
Wants:
-Wireless charging
-not super expensive (>$500)
-large screen (6 inches or more)
-IR blaster

Don't know the cost now, but the Samsung A51, my phone, is basically what you want, and even when I got it, the 5G version mind you, it was only slightly higher than that price. That was in 2020. The price ought to be significantly lower now. Basically has the power of a old Samsung Galaxy S10, had no real issues with it. And it still has the aux port

 

[Disgruntled Pupper]

As much as I hate r*ddit the sub /r/nocontract has a ton of great info on prepaid plans.

Thanks, I'll poke around and see what I get.

 

[TheDataHorder]

used to rock a nexus 5x since 2016 and kept using it (even swaping the main board out with an older 4gb variant for more ram) untill 2022 when the charging port melted and fused to the cable i was using, forcing me to start looking (was able to confirm that the cable itself didn't cause the problem much to my annoyance).
ended up with a cat s62 pro, battery life dies quicker then a troon with a noose but it does what i need and it rocked 10 by default with an upgrade to 11 (skipping 12 and its "interface").
and although off topic, ive been using a lenovo tab m10 FHD plus for reading stuff while in bed.
not a big fan of the slowness it can have, the fact lenovo copyed apple in some parts of the os, nor that its a Chinese device. but the battery life is great (often surviving 3 days on a single charge) and the screen is bright enough to use outside.
honesty if there was a better alternative out there (thats not samsung or apple) I'd get it, but its alright though (just get it with larger storage and 4g for on the go streaming)

 

[Celebrate Nite]

Got a new phone a month ago.. the Galaxy S23. My previous phone was a Moto z4 which even though came out in 2019, AT&T called it "ancient".

S23 is more powerful than the z4, obviously, but it's got some kinks I'm not fond of. Had to install a new launcher because the default samsung one (One UI Home) is a piece of shit that has all this bloat that's completely unnecessary (not including the pre-loaded unremoveable bloat apps such as AR apps, bixby shit, and Samsung/Google's garbage apps) and lags games at times even though it has a games setting? That one was wierd.

 

[Betonhaus]

My previous phone was a Samsung a71, which was an amazing midrange flagship phone for its time. The a72 and a73 never came to Canada so I ended up holding onto my old phone for a long time as I didn't want an s series and the a5x phones were sad. I had it for over three years and I replaced the battery and usb port, but the port is acting up again.

I was keeping an eye on the folding phones but they had strong limitations that got nearly acceptable last generation, but the RAZR 2023 and flip5 have pretty much nailed down the design. the RAZR+ came out in carriers Friday and the financing was acceptable so I ordered it that day and it just arrived yesterday. So far I'm liking it, it's much more powerful and responsive compared to my old phone and the keyboard doesn't glitch or lag. Folding is neat as it fits in my pocket better, and it has wireless charging so I don't have to worry about the charging port wearing out for some time. I did consider the lower end RAZR 2023 as it might only be $600 usd, but I was overdue and can make use of the bigger outer screen

 

[Kosher Dill]

the pre-loaded unremoveable bloat apps such as AR apps, bixby shit, and Samsung/Google's garbage apps

You can uninstall the Samsung preloaded junk with the Samsung Debloat script:

https://github.com/khlam/debloat-samsung-android

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/khlam/debloat-samsung-android/master/commands.txt

Be aware that this includes the clock and SMS apps which you may want. Delete those lines before using it if you do.

 

[Freedom Fighter]

My sister gets a new phone every year, so the family generally ends up with the old ones. Currently have her old old phone, a Galaxy Note 9. Considering I had a $20 smartphone with 8 gigs of storage before, its a massive upgrade. Mom has her old old old phone, a Galaxy S9.
As for my next phone, I have no idea. I'm probably going to keep the Note until it dies, I've never been interested in newest phones. They're just not something I use or are important enough to me to justify spending north of $800. Maybe something like the Galaxy A14 or whatever is out in 4-8 years, relatively cheap ($200) with enough storage for my Spotify.

 

[CreamyHerman’s]

I have a Pixel 6, and will probably wait until the Pixel 9 comes out and they resolve any issues with it, since the Pixel 6 is still a great phone.

 

[Betonhaus]

I'm liking this folding phone. the big external screen is super neat. If i wasn't able to get the financing I problebly would've gone for the base model that comes out in a few months, which retail in china at the equivalent of $600usd.

 

[no-exit]

Basically in the US there are 3-4 big wireless providers (T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, Dish). In a handful of places you can get another option.

There are MVNOs which basically are resellers of these networks. Many offer free trials, and depending on your phone you might be able to just download the esim without needing a physical sim shipped to you.

The different MVNOs have different priority. For example if your MVNO is on T-Mobile, and you are in a crowded urban environment, then it is likely regular T-Mobile customers are going to be prioritized over your budget service. As far as I can tell this only matters in crowded cities.

As much as I hate r*ddit the sub /r/nocontract has a ton of great info on prepaid plans.

Caveat emptor
I've used MVNO carriers in both urban and suburban areas and the connection is so unstable for maps that I switched because of it.
When I'm driving around, I can't be fiddling with my phone.

 

[Betonhaus]

Caveat emptor
I've used MVNO carriers in both urban and suburban areas and the connection is so unstable for maps that I switched because of it.
When I'm driving around, I can't be fiddling with my phone.

Unless you're not predownloading your maps, that sounds like a gps issue, and the mvno doesn't have control over that.

 

[no-exit]

Unless you're not predownloading your maps, that sounds like a gps issue, and the mvno doesn't have control over that.

hm, good suggestion I'll try that.
I'm also just a shit driver