Which is the best phone company in terms of consistently putting out good phone products.
If you are looking for no fuss (and no bloatware), check out Fairphone. They provide OS updates for at least 5 years, and with the last one they say it will receive updates for even longer.
Of note that if you're from the US, you cannot buy it I think. They don't offer versions with the hardware for the networks you use over there, only for the rest of the world.
I've seen people say that the Murena version uses the exact same modem as the original Fairphone one. This means you'll get connectivity issues if you use it in the US, which is likely why Fairphone themselves don't sell in the US.
Apparently just starting a few months ago, you can get fairphone in the US through Murena.
Sony. Often overlooked, but very solid smartphones. Maybe because they aren't as sharply priced as a lot of the competition.
Fucking hate Sony. Had an Xperia and the bloatware was over the top. Main issue is Sony is priced higher than other OEM but with less specs. Just over itself. Sick of conglomerates
Compared to Samsung and some other brands, it actually doesn't have a lot of bloatware.
Very rarely had any issues with the Xperia I had.
I might buy a Pixel in the future though. Or a Fairphone.
Would be cool if Framework started making smartphones.
I had a bunch of Xperias and never encountered any bloat, battery life was great. Unfortunately lately only the top of the line is decent, I had an Xperia 10 and it absolutely sucked, it was the last of 5 consecutive Xperias I bought.
Geez downvoted for an opinion.
Sony has good hardware but it does come with Facebook, OneDrive, LinkedIn, Call of Duty, and a few more. It absolutely has bloatware.
I'm writing this from my Xperia. It doesn't have CoD or OneDrive. It has Facebook, but so does every mainstream phone. Only extremely niche, privacy-focused manufacturers don't have Facebook at this point.
It has LinkedIn, but I have had to use that professionally and would have installed it anyways. It's similar to Facebook where only niche manufacturers don't have it. Compared to Google, Samsung, and Apple, Sony phones are pretty clean. Compared to niche companies like Fairphone, yes Sony has more bloat.
Just FYI, Google pixels do not come with Facebook or LinkedIn, or any third party apps for that matter. Apple doesn't either. I think that depends on your carrier. If you buy the phones unlocked from their official stores, they usually come clean.
Love my Xperia 1 IV. Had a couple Pixels before this. Those were great but the Sony hardware feels superior in every way.
The iPhone is pretty good. :)
Jk, you might want to checkout the "Pixel" line, the manufacturers vary but it's basically the flagship Android phone.
Yeah, Pixels are great, basically reference Android. Developers even usually use them for testing and making apps, so you know you're getting the best compatibility. Overall can't recommend them enough.
Dropping in with another recommendation for the Pixel line. They're very solid phones without a lot of bloat (just Google apps, most of which can be removed easily if you want) and excellent cameras. They get decent support for software updates, and work pretty much flawlessly. I'm on the Pixel 6 Pro now, but I still have my Pixel 1 and 3 Pro, and aside from a swollen battery on one (which is cheaply fixed), they still all work incredibly well.
If you're into rooting, they're also very easily rooted compared to a lot of other brands. But the stock experience has been great for me, as is.
a swollen battery on one
That is a ticking bomb. Fix it or get rid of it, because it can burn your house down and take you with it.
Pixel, Fairphone, Xperia
Seconding the Fairphone.
FP4 is coming to America in Q4, I ordered one from the EU last year and it will work just fine everywhere else in the world, it has quirks in the US.
Enjoy your organic smart phone.
I just buy mid-range Xiaomi phones, unlock them and install LineageOS. So far, so good.
Not exactly "no fuss"
True, my bad. It's more "how do you make a no fuss phone".
Some people need CIA roms, for them it's worth it!
I've thought about doing this, but I'm worried about banking, payment, stocks (and other similarly picky) apps flipping the table when they notice it's a rooted device.
Yes, this may be a concern. I've bee relatively lucky using magisk + microg, but unfortunately YMMV.
Been having good luck with graphineos but you really need a pixel since they don't really support anything else.
Yea, I've been through that, banking apps and payment apps definitely don't like that. When I did that they weren't that well-used, but now I wouldn't go that way.
Oh yes, definitely this. I've just done this for the first time ever two weeks ago on a 5 year old xiaomi redmi note 7, and this ancient thing is suddenly a beast again! Everything is suddenly so smooth and fast without all that bloatware and spyware
Even their old flagships are still quite good. I'm currently daily driving two 7 years old Mi6 phones with Lineage, because you just can't find a small phone nowadays.
Gigaset
German company,stock android, really happy with my GS5
never know they made smartphones
To me personally: Google and their Pixel phones! I am now on my 3rd Pixel phone (3a, 4, 7) and each and every one of those phones where just really good phones! Great build quality, features that worked and great cameras;
I had other phones that I liked a lot (most notably the Oneplus 3 and to a certain degree the Oneplus 1) but none of them felt so well rounded as my current Pixel 7.
I have to use a midrange Samsung for work and it is just awful compared to the also midrange Pixel 3a I had! One lags constantly, installs the same bloat everytime I update it, takes average to bad photos and is missing stuff I have come to appreciate on my phone. My old 3a was working until just recently and until the end it just felt smooth to use it.
I guess Apple should be mentioned too. Not a fan personally but their hardware is really well made and a lot of people love ios.
Fairphone and Google imo
I've owned two Google phones (original XL and the pixel 4 XL) and both died at about 2 years. It may have just been bad luck, but it soured my whole outlook on them.
The ones I've used that trickled into my family:
OG Pixel XL, alive, retired
3 XL, alive, in active use
3a XL, alive, in active use
5, alive in active use
6a, alive in active use
6 Pro, alive in active use
I'm debating between Fairphone 5 and a Pixel 8 Pro for my next. It depends on FP5's camera performance and it's frequency band allocation for Canada, as well as Pixel 8 Pro's battery performance. I could keep my 6 Pro too as it works flawlessly.
I have a pixel 2 xl thats still alive after 5 years. my current phone is a Pixel 5 from 2021
OnePlus is usually pretty good for this. Their OS is mostly default Android and the parts that are theirs aren't intrusive.
I would have agreed 4 years ago, but idk about now. They've been increasingly "Oppo-fied" and I'm having more issues with my 8 Pro now on A14 than I did on A11. Camera apps not working, different keyboard issues, constant Bluetooth disconnects, apps opening and then insta-closing. It's frustrating AF.
Edit- Android 14 is still in beta so that's a very poor example.
It's also possible your phone is simply defect, do you have confirmation others have similar problems?
Is that an official update from One Plus? Because that's more than 3 years old model, and usually they only give 2-3 updates, meaning it should end with Android 12 or 13.
Edit: It can't be official since the phone is 3+ years old, and Android 14 is in beta.
I was wrong, it's A13
what you mean mostly android?
Mostly DEFAULT Android, which is true.
Default is also sometimes called vanilla. Both meaning without changes from the original.
Most phone manufactures create their own version of Android. Usually they are pretty full of useless junk and a ton of UI changes. By saying "mostly Android" you're urually saying "mostly [original] Android".
Their ROM is dubbed OxygenOS. They have a custom launcher and a couple of custom apps but it mostly stays out of your way
Honestly enjoying the Asus zen phone, nex to no bloatware, more or less stock android, great battery and easy to open and root
I really want to get one, mainly because of the smaller size. The only thing holding me back is lack of video out over USB-C. If they had that, it'd be perfect for me.
Honestly you can get any android, look up how to remove DT Updater and remove all the carrier bloatware you'll be fine. Or if you can get a rooted one.
Nokia, Fairphone, and Sony Xperia.
Motorola is basically just stock Android with an app to control special Motorola features like the Karate LED.
One Plus is without bloatware too, but they have their own OS, which some like some don't.
The current lineup looks very sweet IMO. Nord 3 Lite is crazy value, Nord 3 is a very well rounded 85% flagship at half the price. One Plus 11 takes the final step IMO to flagship performance but 25-33% cheaper.
Of course the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is a tad better than the One Plus 11, but that's also twice the price.
I'm currently looking for an excuse to buy Either the Nord 3 or the One Plus 11. Although my current phone (Motorola) works great. 😋
I've been very happy with OnePlus phones so much so that almost all my kids use them too but recently I did buy 2 Pixel phones (a 6A and 7) for 2 of my kids. With the announcement that the new Pixel 8 Pro will start at $999 I'll most likely get another OnePlus phone.
Apple, Google, Samsung. Probably in that order.
Can’t agree on Samsung at all, unless it’s an old model that you plan to put LineageOS on to wipe all the crap away. Samsung’s flavor of Android is one of the most extensively modified of manufacturer variants and they push their own stuff over Google’s or AOSP’s hard.
+1, every Samsung device that I've owned has been super in my face with apps and ads and services that I couldn't give less of a shit about. Their hardware is fine but oh man OneUI is a hot mess until you freeze or disable a bunch of stuff.
Google hardware has limited worldwide availability which pretty much makes them non-mainstream.
That would be a really good point, if that user weren't clearly in Germany where Pixels are widely available.
Apple, then Samsung.
Google doesn't put out enough products to be on this list and almost all their phones seem to have at least one fatal flaw. Some might be fixable via software, but not always.
Whatever you are talking about is a personal preference. TouchUI is a mess with too many features I couldn't give a shit about. But in terms of offering a decent power user experience I haven't seen better.
Google's phones have had screen issues. There was also some kind of phantom power draw issue in the previous version. Turning a blind eye to quality problems doesn't make them go away.
If you are looking for no fuss (and no bloatware), check out Fairphone. They provide OS updates for at least 5 years, and with the last one they say it will receive updates for even longer.
Of note that if you're from the US, you cannot buy it I think. They don't offer versions with the hardware for the networks you use over there, only for the rest of the world.
(Edit)
Nevermind, this was old news! Awesome!
https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/5/23783714/murena-fairphone-4-us-release-date-price-sustainability-repair
Not anymore. Now available in the US.
I've seen people say that the Murena version uses the exact same modem as the original Fairphone one. This means you'll get connectivity issues if you use it in the US, which is likely why Fairphone themselves don't sell in the US.
https://murena.com/america/products/smartphones/?wcpbc-manual-country=US
Are you saying that the GSM frequencies used in the US are not supported by Fairphone hw?
I know there are CDMA and GSM telkom companies but I assumed the re are plenty of common frequencies
https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/5/23783714/murena-fairphone-4-us-release-date-price-sustainability-repair
Apparently just starting a few months ago, you can get fairphone in the US through Murena.
Sony. Often overlooked, but very solid smartphones. Maybe because they aren't as sharply priced as a lot of the competition.
Fucking hate Sony. Had an Xperia and the bloatware was over the top. Main issue is Sony is priced higher than other OEM but with less specs. Just over itself. Sick of conglomerates
Compared to Samsung and some other brands, it actually doesn't have a lot of bloatware. Very rarely had any issues with the Xperia I had.
I might buy a Pixel in the future though. Or a Fairphone. Would be cool if Framework started making smartphones.
I had a bunch of Xperias and never encountered any bloat, battery life was great. Unfortunately lately only the top of the line is decent, I had an Xperia 10 and it absolutely sucked, it was the last of 5 consecutive Xperias I bought.
Geez downvoted for an opinion.
Sony has good hardware but it does come with Facebook, OneDrive, LinkedIn, Call of Duty, and a few more. It absolutely has bloatware.
I'm writing this from my Xperia. It doesn't have CoD or OneDrive. It has Facebook, but so does every mainstream phone. Only extremely niche, privacy-focused manufacturers don't have Facebook at this point.
It has LinkedIn, but I have had to use that professionally and would have installed it anyways. It's similar to Facebook where only niche manufacturers don't have it. Compared to Google, Samsung, and Apple, Sony phones are pretty clean. Compared to niche companies like Fairphone, yes Sony has more bloat.
Just FYI, Google pixels do not come with Facebook or LinkedIn, or any third party apps for that matter. Apple doesn't either. I think that depends on your carrier. If you buy the phones unlocked from their official stores, they usually come clean.
Love my Xperia 1 IV. Had a couple Pixels before this. Those were great but the Sony hardware feels superior in every way.
The iPhone is pretty good. :)
Jk, you might want to checkout the "Pixel" line, the manufacturers vary but it's basically the flagship Android phone.
Yeah, Pixels are great, basically reference Android. Developers even usually use them for testing and making apps, so you know you're getting the best compatibility. Overall can't recommend them enough.
Dropping in with another recommendation for the Pixel line. They're very solid phones without a lot of bloat (just Google apps, most of which can be removed easily if you want) and excellent cameras. They get decent support for software updates, and work pretty much flawlessly. I'm on the Pixel 6 Pro now, but I still have my Pixel 1 and 3 Pro, and aside from a swollen battery on one (which is cheaply fixed), they still all work incredibly well.
If you're into rooting, they're also very easily rooted compared to a lot of other brands. But the stock experience has been great for me, as is.
That is a ticking bomb. Fix it or get rid of it, because it can burn your house down and take you with it.
Pixel, Fairphone, Xperia
Seconding the Fairphone.
FP4 is coming to America in Q4, I ordered one from the EU last year and it will work just fine everywhere else in the world, it has quirks in the US.
Enjoy your organic smart phone.
I just buy mid-range Xiaomi phones, unlock them and install LineageOS. So far, so good.
Not exactly "no fuss"
True, my bad. It's more "how do you make a no fuss phone".
Some people need CIA roms, for them it's worth it!
I've thought about doing this, but I'm worried about banking, payment, stocks (and other similarly picky) apps flipping the table when they notice it's a rooted device.
Yes, this may be a concern. I've bee relatively lucky using magisk + microg, but unfortunately YMMV.
Been having good luck with graphineos but you really need a pixel since they don't really support anything else.
Yea, I've been through that, banking apps and payment apps definitely don't like that. When I did that they weren't that well-used, but now I wouldn't go that way.
Oh yes, definitely this. I've just done this for the first time ever two weeks ago on a 5 year old xiaomi redmi note 7, and this ancient thing is suddenly a beast again! Everything is suddenly so smooth and fast without all that bloatware and spyware
Even their old flagships are still quite good. I'm currently daily driving two 7 years old Mi6 phones with Lineage, because you just can't find a small phone nowadays.
Gigaset
German company,stock android, really happy with my GS5
never know they made smartphones
To me personally: Google and their Pixel phones! I am now on my 3rd Pixel phone (3a, 4, 7) and each and every one of those phones where just really good phones! Great build quality, features that worked and great cameras; I had other phones that I liked a lot (most notably the Oneplus 3 and to a certain degree the Oneplus 1) but none of them felt so well rounded as my current Pixel 7. I have to use a midrange Samsung for work and it is just awful compared to the also midrange Pixel 3a I had! One lags constantly, installs the same bloat everytime I update it, takes average to bad photos and is missing stuff I have come to appreciate on my phone. My old 3a was working until just recently and until the end it just felt smooth to use it.
I guess Apple should be mentioned too. Not a fan personally but their hardware is really well made and a lot of people love ios.
Fairphone and Google imo
I've owned two Google phones (original XL and the pixel 4 XL) and both died at about 2 years. It may have just been bad luck, but it soured my whole outlook on them.
The ones I've used that trickled into my family:
I'm debating between Fairphone 5 and a Pixel 8 Pro for my next. It depends on FP5's camera performance and it's frequency band allocation for Canada, as well as Pixel 8 Pro's battery performance. I could keep my 6 Pro too as it works flawlessly.
I have a pixel 2 xl thats still alive after 5 years. my current phone is a Pixel 5 from 2021
OnePlus is usually pretty good for this. Their OS is mostly default Android and the parts that are theirs aren't intrusive.
I would have agreed 4 years ago, but idk about now. They've been increasingly "Oppo-fied" and I'm having more issues with my 8 Pro now on A14 than I did on A11. Camera apps not working, different keyboard issues, constant Bluetooth disconnects, apps opening and then insta-closing. It's frustrating AF.
Edit- Android 14 is still in beta so that's a very poor example.
It's also possible your phone is simply defect, do you have confirmation others have similar problems?
Is that an official update from One Plus? Because that's more than 3 years old model, and usually they only give 2-3 updates, meaning it should end with Android 12 or 13.
Edit: It can't be official since the phone is 3+ years old, and Android 14 is in beta.
I was wrong, it's A13
what you mean mostly android?
Mostly DEFAULT Android, which is true.
Default is also sometimes called vanilla. Both meaning without changes from the original.
Most phone manufactures create their own version of Android. Usually they are pretty full of useless junk and a ton of UI changes. By saying "mostly Android" you're urually saying "mostly [original] Android".
Their ROM is dubbed OxygenOS. They have a custom launcher and a couple of custom apps but it mostly stays out of your way
Honestly enjoying the Asus zen phone, nex to no bloatware, more or less stock android, great battery and easy to open and root
I really want to get one, mainly because of the smaller size. The only thing holding me back is lack of video out over USB-C. If they had that, it'd be perfect for me.
Honestly you can get any android, look up how to remove DT Updater and remove all the carrier bloatware you'll be fine. Or if you can get a rooted one.
Nokia, Fairphone, and Sony Xperia.
Motorola is basically just stock Android with an app to control special Motorola features like the Karate LED.
One Plus is without bloatware too, but they have their own OS, which some like some don't.
The current lineup looks very sweet IMO. Nord 3 Lite is crazy value, Nord 3 is a very well rounded 85% flagship at half the price. One Plus 11 takes the final step IMO to flagship performance but 25-33% cheaper.
Of course the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is a tad better than the One Plus 11, but that's also twice the price.
I'm currently looking for an excuse to buy Either the Nord 3 or the One Plus 11. Although my current phone (Motorola) works great. 😋
I've been very happy with OnePlus phones so much so that almost all my kids use them too but recently I did buy 2 Pixel phones (a 6A and 7) for 2 of my kids. With the announcement that the new Pixel 8 Pro will start at $999 I'll most likely get another OnePlus phone.
Apple, Google, Samsung. Probably in that order.
Can’t agree on Samsung at all, unless it’s an old model that you plan to put LineageOS on to wipe all the crap away. Samsung’s flavor of Android is one of the most extensively modified of manufacturer variants and they push their own stuff over Google’s or AOSP’s hard.
+1, every Samsung device that I've owned has been super in my face with apps and ads and services that I couldn't give less of a shit about. Their hardware is fine but oh man OneUI is a hot mess until you freeze or disable a bunch of stuff.
Google hardware has limited worldwide availability which pretty much makes them non-mainstream.
That would be a really good point, if that user weren't clearly in Germany where Pixels are widely available.
Apple, then Samsung.
Google doesn't put out enough products to be on this list and almost all their phones seem to have at least one fatal flaw. Some might be fixable via software, but not always.
Whatever you are talking about is a personal preference. TouchUI is a mess with too many features I couldn't give a shit about. But in terms of offering a decent power user experience I haven't seen better.
Google's phones have had screen issues. There was also some kind of phantom power draw issue in the previous version. Turning a blind eye to quality problems doesn't make them go away.