Official Android Thread
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- kingsteven0
Any hot-takes on Nothing phone vs Pixel 6a?
4 months back on iPhone and not enthused... Was very happy with my Pixel 4 until the Android 13 upgrade and like the idea of Nothing's policy to not release new OS until they've been stripped down and optimised but on the fence otherwise.
- It's a mid range phone with a bunch of lights slapped on with minimal additional functionality, and who seriously leaves their phone face down all the time?kalkal
- Also just an excuse not to update the OS as regularlykalkal
- tbh, i've not even evaluated the hardware or lights. i'm just so sick of getting fucked by OS upgrades and everything running proprietary cloud services...kingsteven
- i require a smartphone or i would get a burner so hardware not a big deal. i know folks loved OnePlus for the ethos... this seems like the continuation?kingsteven
- I like the Nothing phone. It's very inexpensive and just different enough. High-end phones just don't do anything different/better for 3x the price.formed
- unfortunately (after hours of reading reviews) it seems like nothing is not quite there yet. a lot of potential though.kingsteven
- just noticed the pixel 6a on sale (50 quid less than the nothing phone) as kalkal mentioned nearly double the processor speed. think i'll jump on that :-skingsteven
- drgs0
I'm making Pixel 5a my next phone. I wanted to wait for Pixel 6, but it doesn't have the rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. I'm so used to it at this point I'm going to hate everything else.
Pixel 5a has 15% better battery over Pixel 5, and it has a minijack.Btw, I've been thinking, what stops us from using minijack as standard port for all phone connections, incl. charging?
USB-c is fine, is better than mini-USB because it has no up or down orientation, but the plug becomes loose over time.
Minijack has no sides because its round, and its so tight you can hold the phone hanging by the cord.tl;dr: New technology does not excite me anymore
- elahon2
I'm loving my 4a 5G. I went to this device from Moto G7, which I was running for about 2 years. I'm on Tracfone because big-ass cell plans can suck a dick. Tracfone service in my area is fantastic on Verizon towers. Very pleased with this phone!
- I love that it's a non-bloated device, pretty stock OS. And I get security updates within days of release, instead of 6 months like on the G7.elahon
- Tracfone, I pay $25/month for unlimited minutes and text and 2GB of data that rolls over. Since pandemic, I've got 22GB of rolled-over data because of wifi lol.elahon
- had a 4a for a year now, it's great and still looks and works like new. definitely a convert.kingsteven
- ... just 2 days later and my dog pulled on her lead and my dog tugged the lead launching my phone across the park. screen smashed :(kingsteven
- *tugged my hand - getting it repaired tomorrow hopefullykingsteven
- sarahfailin-1
After nearly 4 years, it's time to trade my Pixel 2 for something else.
I miss the days of the OnePlus One, which proved you CAN sell affordable, quality phones. Feels like the Pixel 2 was the best of its kind as well.
What's the new, best, cheapest phone out there? Looking at the Pixel 4a 5G...
- 4a 5g is the best for a cheap pixel right now, but the 5a should be coming out in a month or two if you can waitakiersky
- Looks like Aug 26 for $450
https://www.gsmarena…akiersky - 4a is legit. My girlfriend just got one for $350 and I really like it. I have a 3a, and it's a little bit smaller.section_014
- My pixel 3a went to shit. Not sure if I can stomach a new one. The mic and speakers both started acting up after 2 years and it barely charges anymore.dbloc
- what other phones would you recommend?dbloc
- good to know 5a is coming out. I may go for that. they always reduce the prices when the new phones (pixel 6) comes out.sarahfailin
- Bennn0
Pixel 6 coming this fall
- That raised back element is a good idea.Nairn
- im already sold on this im hoping for m1 like performancetrooperbill
- but having three cameras all in a line is just a waste of a three camera configuration. better to have them in a triangle shape...sarahfailin
- drgs0
For f sake
- What app is this? my default camera doesn't have filters. pixel 3dbloc
- oh it's the One Plus 8...Just saw the titledbloc
- just looks like infrared, the remote must be made of a plastic that lets it through (cheaper than adding a separate window for the LED)kingsteven
- you can mod cameras to do this by removing the IR blocking film and adding a small piece of exposed negative to block visible light insteadkingsteven
- also would see through hair dye and makeup, maybe its a ghoul filter for middle aged women.kingsteven
- It’s just IRscarabin
- akiersky-1
What Android phones are people using around here?
Just upgraded the wife and I to Galaxy s20's and they are shit. So close to being really nice, but they get it very wrong in just the right places to ruin the whole experience.
We came from Pixel 2's so maybe it's bias to the pure Android experience.
- I just got a S21 and pretty happy so far.NBQ00
- Pixel 3ai_monk
- @NBQ do you embrace the Samsung ecosystem?akiersky
- It‘s not so much Samsung as Android itself and I think Samsung still makes better phones hardware-wise than Apple. The S21 is much nicer than the iPhoneNBQ00
- I‘m now since like 10 years on Samsung as I switched from iPhone due to Samsung making better phones and Android being more open.NBQ00
- Finally iOS 14.x has caught up and is really solid. But hardware wise I don‘t like the iPhone yet and that stupid notch. Will probably take another few years.NBQ00
- I love Macs and the iPad Pro and would love to switch back to iPhone one day but so far Apple still lags behind hardware wise.NBQ00
- Even some Chinese brands are starting to make phones with under the screen cameras and Apple will probably be stuck with the stupid notch for years cuz Face IDNBQ00
- Note9 here. Love it, but curved screen was dumb (they ditched it later). I'll be looking for another Samsung, unless the new Pixel is superb.formed
- I do wish some of the Chinese companies were more readily available, they seem so far ahead (Apple looks archaic these days).formed
- Nairn1
Bought myself a refurbed Android phone for £60 to replace the hand-me-down iPhone 5s I've been using for the past 18 months or so.
I'd gotten a bit annoyed by Android being so Googly about things, having to constantly ensure that tracking etc was turned off, on my old Nexus 5 before it finally gave up after I took it apart one too many times, so Apple was a bit of a breath of fresh air.
But, now very happy to be back on Android. I'm sure things have changed since the 5s, but unforgivable quibbles I had with it included - Poor sound (I always had problems hearing people - that went into overdrive when I dropped the phone a couple of weeks back); No notification LED (so if I missed a call the thing would sit there contentedly and stupidly hiding that fact from me - thanks, phone), impossible to type usefully on it - small real estate and terrible (terrible) predictive text and most egregiously - mute and call functions that my ear would activate every third call or so. Having people, including clients suddenly blurt out "hello? HELLO?" during a call because I'the top of my ear had put them on mute got boring quite quick.
The Android phone I bought now is a 2016 model and is basically brand-new - the reviews dribbled so many small complaints against it, but honestly, I can't discern any of them, it's fucking amazing what you can get for <£100 these days.
During my search, I kept seeing £1000+ phones - I don't get it, what the fuck does a £1000 phone do that a ~£150 one fundmentally can't (except signal to other people how much you've spent on a phone)?
- cost is usually in the camera optics and tech and faster processors for games n' stuffmonospaced
- i memba my old nexus 5 could just about do usefully-good games, and this thing's at least 4x quicker. Good camera optics, sure, but I'm not a photographer.Nairn
- My post was supposed to be about how amazed i was at what i could get for so little. Shit would've been state of the art <10 years ago.
What changed?Nairn - Oh Christ, I forgot the biggest advantage - I can just copy media files over using a file explorer.
Christ that shit sucks on iPhones.Nairn - What changed is fancy optics. ;)monospaced
- Nairn0
Oh, and a question (there wasm vaguely a point to my twaddling above) - what's a go-to email client for Android?
Also, what's HAWT in the world of non-Google OSery - anyone here tried LineageOS? Migh tbe better to fuck around with that before I set it up too much... .
- Hombre_Lobo_20
You people seen the next google phone? Called the Nexus S.
Been seen on various sites and documents and recently engadget got a copy -
http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/…
Very similar to the Samsung Galaxy S i9000 (named captivate, fascinate etc on different carriers). Which is pretty much the fastest smart phone out.
Hardware made by samsung, software by google, thats win win. Samsung are awful at software updates, google are very good with their flag ship handsets.
Said to have a better hardware spec than the already mega powerful Samsung galaxy S i9000 (which is is based on).
Think ill probably be getting one.
- this post was me, 3 weeks ago. Excited, optimistic and happy at the thought of the nexus S. FU google. ...fu.Hombre_Lobo_2
- I forgot what i was about to sayJoeBiden
- i_monk1
The cheap Pixel 3 is pretty tempting.
- best phone I've ever haddbloc
- Great move by Google. It looks like an amazing phone for that price.Bennn
- I was considering the OnePlus 6t...i_monk
- I'm the dumbest for buying Galaxy S10 last weekvwsung18t
- I wish this came out 6 months ago when I was looking.section_014
- Pixel 4 in Octoberdrgs
- ordered one yesterday, let's see how it goesernexbcn
- set2
I used to get excited about buying new technology but for some reason I'm totally over that. Technology is just a means to an end now. Maybe because phones are pretty much all the same now.
Anyway, I was due an upgrade so I just went with the best camera. Looks good...
- Its a good phone. Personally i will never buy anything from Huawei, I dont trust them.Bennn
- Why not? Apple and samsung are the two brands I won't touch when it comes to phones. Sony and LG are the best in my experience. I haven't had a huawei yetset
- Are you telling me you trust Apple, Samsung and Sony but not Huawei? lolset
- I have a Google phone. I'm not sure about China+Huawei ...Bennn
- Oh yea I forgot Google LOLset
- Huawei work hands in hands with the China Gov and it seems like things could be a little bit questionable under the hood, they sayBennn
- Questionable how Ben? Frankly I trust the Chinese government over the US government, but let's be honest none of these phones or governments are trustworthy lolset
- Also the heads of the FBI and the CIA have openly stated they don't want people using huawei phones. So that's the phone for me ;)set
- @set make some research on the web, again this morning in the news here Huawei is accused of spying with their tech. Look it up. And all the 5G thing... check iBennn
- yeah exactly about the CIA and FBI :) I dont know why exactly, but I prefer to be spyed on by the US than ChinaBennn
- lol, makes no difference to me. Have a nice day Ben! :)set
- ;-)Bennn
- i_monk-3
I'm still on a Galaxy S5, want to ditch Samsung but don't really trust Google. Does that just leave LG or some Chinese spy gadget?
- Chinese Spy Gadgets are looking good these days, mind. Sony are still knocking out some half decent phones too. Or Blackberry..Nairn
- https://www.theregis…Nairn
- Look at the newer Samsungs. I went from a S5 to S8, HUGE improvement!formed
- the new OnePlus is receiving lots of great reviewsBennn
- You don't trust Google but you want to stick with Android? Might as well get the Pixel,because you're already trusting them.monospaced
- Pixel is amazingBennn
- I have a Pixel, it's just okaymonospaced
- Nowhere near as reliable or smooth as the iPhone 8 I have.monospaced
- You understand the difference between the operating system and the hardware, right? I can always root the OS, can't stop something built into the chipset.i_monk
- pango0
Ok so I just got the Google pixel 2. Because the MiA1 i had isn't compatible with the mobile network company I want to switch to.
First impression
It's got stereo front facing speakers!
Fairly light compare to the MiA1
No headphone jack :(
Solid fast
Matt finish around the rim and back feels nice
And apparently squeezing the phone can trigger stuffs... Don't exactly know if this is necessary at all...- Charges SUPER fast too. I like mine but it’s just a work phone so not my daily driver.monospaced
- I have one, could not be happierdrgs
- should have waited, 3 is out in a few months,fadein11
- I never get the newest consumer tech. I wait for reviews to be published and
all the wrinkles ironed out firstpango - the squeeze thing brings up the assistant, I wish you could re-assign it to other functions like opening a new browser tab.zarkonite
- Ya I disable the assistant. I don't need assist!pango
- I like mine a lot but get a case. Glass back is a bitch.sarahfailin
- Ya getting one from Amazon.
Why couldn't they make 100% aluminum Matt back instead of 20% glass back?pango - My White Pixel 2 has a plastic back it seems? More durable than iPhone and not as slippery. I still can’t stand the unnecessary steps to get certain things donemonospaced
- Out of nowhere the weather indicators disappeared from my home and lock screens and no way to get them back. I hate that.monospaced
- It's actually metal unibody
It's the matt finish that made it feel like plastic.pango - I like the finish. It doesn’t leap off surfaces like my iPhone 8 seems to do several times a day.monospaced
- pango0
I was given a free android phone (MiA1). And since my iphone 5s dies due to weather whenever I go outside of my house, I guess I'll be using android now.
how the hell do you disable google assistant? I don't use voice command for anything. really just want to disable it from the home button.... any way to do that?
- Ok.... definitely some getting used to.
What should I know?
C'mon help a brother out.pango - Can anyone see my post?! Hello???pango
- It involves signing out of google.monospaced
- :(pango
- Ok.... definitely some getting used to.
- zarkonite0
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/…
The whole copying thing aside, that on-screen fingerprint reader is pretty nifty. I would hope that that would become standard.
- trooperbill1
Got my Pixel 2 XL this weekend moved from the Samsung S6 Edge + and theres a lot to get used to. that camera tho! wow. blue shift at 45degree so no biggie, black smere is present as are crushed blacks at low light bit for day to day use i love it so far.
- I like my Pixel2 so far. Great camera, great battery, i like the Google AndroidBennn
- yep its an awesome phonetrooperbill
