Discussion: What Android devices are you using?
Greetings, Android aficionados! 📱👋
Today, let's take a moment to get to know each other better. We'd love to know:
- Which Android devices are you currently using?
- What do you love most about them?
- What do you dislike?
Whether you're rocking the latest flagship or cherishing a reliable budget device, we want to hear about your experiences. Share the brand, model, and any standout features that make your phone shine. Who knows, you might inspire someone to discover their next Android companion! 🌟💬
Remember, let's keep the conversation friendly and inclusive. Everyone's perspective is valuable, no matter the device they use. We're here to celebrate the diversity within the Android ecosystem and learn from each other.
Pixel 4a. The perfect size phone and though the battery is losing its life a little bit, I'm going to keep it as long as possible.
I loved the size of my Pixel 3a! It's a shame they're hard to fix in my country; I'd rather have a phone that size than the huge ones that seem to be default now.
The smaller ones are just so much more comfortable to use. I think the Pixel 8 looks like it's going to be a similar size, which is good.
Obviously the drawback is a slightly smaller battery, but Pixel software is pretty good at optimising.
I still have a 3a, and the battery is definitely losing it. Have you thought about replacing the battery in yours? I'd love to hear your considerations.
I've thought about it, but to be honest, I'm more likely to trade the phone in and get money off a new one.
But hopefully that shouldn't be until next year.
Pixel 7
Great value for money, excellent camera, no bloatware and great battery life for my use case.
Best Android phone I've owned to date.
Fairphone 3
Likes: The community, closest modern analog to the Galaxy S5 (my previous device), ability to open, configuring fast charge/PD speed, good custom ROM support, can be flashed with full Linux (PostmarketOS)
Dislikes: Android OS in general. The newer versions have removed so much capabilities that used to be present. I've got some features and feeling of ownership back by rooting, but it's honestly a sad sign of things to come IMO. Stuff is being watered down, removed or restricted to appeal to the masses.
What things are you missing from old Android versions?
I had a realisation recently that I haven't had the requirement to root and customise my FP4. I don't have a terminal app and I've probably forgotten the majority of the ADB commands I used to use!
Maybe I'm just being assimilated into the Google/android eco-system.
Most users don't need to root their device TBH, the stock experience is perfectly fine for the overwhelming majority of people. The ecosystem generally works too, but I personally don't really want to depend on it, given Google's track record of shelving good products, and some of their behaviors I find intrusive.
My few main complaints would be...
By rooting, I have...
What Android devices are you currently using? Pixel 6 w/ GrapheneOS
What do you love most about them? That I got it used on a dirt-cheap price, supports GrapheneOS, has really great cameras and I like the unique of it
What do you dislike? It's made by Google and compared to other phones, the Pixel 6 has a sorta meh battery life. Also GrapheneOS isn't really featureful (it's understandable tho), for example it doesn't provide ultra energy saving mode and the feature which shows in a nice graph how many hours you wasted on certain apps.
Isn't there an open source apl you can download that accesses the activity API and shows how much you use different apps?
Great question tbf, I haven't looked into it, since it's not that huge big of a deal because I replaced it with the battery usage page.
Pixel 7 running GrapheneOS.
Good camera, 5 years updates and it is affordable for an flagship smartphone.
Galaxy note 9. It's the peak smartphone, no holepunch nonsense, every useful feature, still plenty fast. The only drawbacks are that the battery is starting to wear out, which is fixable with a bit of fuss, and the screen has a little bit of keyboard burn in, only visible on all black screens.
Hopefully you don't get a grouping of dead pixels like my Note 8 developed last year. Ended up with a hole punch style, but on the right-hand side of the display!
Kinda hoping to stretch it until tablet style foldables get reasonably reliable and affordable
Guess I’m the only one with a Sony Xperia phone.
Got a 1 iii, love the display and candy bar shape, tiny bezels and headphone jack with expandable storage.
Dislike the limited brightness range outdoors on sunny days, and how the battery dies after four hours of heavy use, lol. (Though I do multitask it hard, so it’s understandable)
I'm just waiting for the shipment email for my Xperia 1 V.
For me it's the rectangular front display, no notches, no hole punches, no nonsense. Just some small bezels which also house front facing speakers. Everyone has gotten so acclimatized to "bezel-less" displays for the sake of not just being last years model that you lost stereo speakers, and added a literal black mark to accompany lost display area.
Then you throw in a 3.5mm audio jack AND expandable storage <insert fry take my money gif here>
I'm in the camp that you don't need to refresh a design over and over again, especially "just for the sake of it."
PS: I'm not particularly happy to pay the price I did for the phone which has, in my mind, basic features. However, the other option is to pay for a phone with less capabilities than my current phone.
I would actually love a Sony, since Hardware and feature wise they seem great. Good form factor, SD card and headphone jack.
But the high price and especially the short software support just turn me off.
Samsung Note20Ultra. My favorite phone to date. Fell in love with Spen, smart select, and Samsung Notes!!
Pixel 5. I love it. I really don't want to update because this is the last phone with the fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone
Using a Pixel 5 as well. Before that I had the OnePlus 6 for 6+ years before I decided I wanted a smaller phone again. While it at times still seems a little slow, it still works great. I replaced the battery about 3 months ago and it has a great battery life again. Running Lineage.
Same. Google's design has taken a step backwards since the pixel 5. Worse battery life, less ergonomic due to fingerprint sensor being in the screen vs the back, and their custom socs have very poor efficiency.
Unfortunately most phones are doing the in screen fingerprint thing now since it's the cool thing to do.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. It's fast, reliable, has amazing battery life and IMHO it's handsome as hell.
The last phone I had was a Pixel 3A which was amazing for what it was, so I got myself a Pixel 7a to see if it was comparable.
I love the fun software on the Pixel 7A, it is great as a work phone [the Google assistant interfaces with phone calls in ways that are mind-blowing] but I mostly find myself on the S22U.
Zero complaints on either, but if I had to choose just one, I'd stick to the S22U if I could afford it.
Nice! I'm on an S23 Ultra and my only complaint is the lack of an unlockable bootloader on the North American variant.
Yeah that's been almost my only complaint for my last 3 Samsung phones...
Currently rocking a Samsung Galaxy A53 5G. Bought this to replace my old shattered Xiaomi Redmi Note 8.
I've been using Android phones since a long time. Started out with a Galaxy Y, loved those small phones with TouchWiz 3!
My most favorite phones I've owned over the years have to be my most beloved Xiaomi Mi A1 (probably the best clean stock Android experience I've had), the Pixel 3a, Sony Xperia M, and the Moto G2 2014 (again, with the cleanest Marshmallow experience).
My A53 is good, mainly got it because I've kind of gotten old tired of experimenting with new ROMs lol. I don't plan on upgrading for 4 more years...this phone does everything I need it to, and it's decent enough to last it's promised update life cycle.
Pixel 5 because it hasn't died yet. Will probably continue to use it until 2025 or until it dies. Which ever comes first.
I pretty much can only use pixel devices these days because of the software. Flagship Samsung devices may be better hardware wise but their software is so bad and bloated it erases most of the benefits.
Honestly the biggest negative I can think of is the lack of a headphone jack. Yes I still want one. I still remember the time Google launched an ad campaign mocking iphones lack of a headphone jack only to remove it themselves one hardware update later.
I own like 3 dongles but it's just not the same.
Z fold 4 here.
Likes: the folding obviously lol but I also like samsungs software.
Dislikes: fragile and the camera is shit.
A Samsung Galaxy A50, it's my beloved treasure! It was my first phone that I bought with part of my own saved money.
It's pretty usable, to this day. It runs Android 11 but only recently got axed for security updates, so I may get a new phone soon. There's really nothing not to love about it.
The battery has deteriorated though, I can barely get 4-5 hours SOT without using 80-90% of the battery. Also, the adhesive that holds the back plastic panel to the phone keeps coming apart so it doesn't hold anymore, which is kinda nasty. I've re-applied back panel adhesive two times but it keeps happening, presumably due to heat. Never seen this happen to any phone other than the A50.
Pixel 7 Pro, altho the Zenfone 10 is very tempting, I miss smaller phones.
If the Zenfone 10 is not available where you live, the base S23 should also be a pretty good contender. I have pretty great battery life on mine (about 10%-15% per hour, (but more often than not its around 10-12%) on regular usage like web browsing videos etc). It will also get basically twice as many updates as the zenfone. I had imported a Zenfone 8 in Canada, and I kind of regret doing that, not only was the phone pretty expensive, but I also had no warranty at all, and the repair support is basically inexistant if you import it. The S23 with a slim case is very one handeable and even though it has a smallerbattery than the zenfone 8, it has basically twice the battery life thanks to the better SoC. I got my S23 for about 700$ CAD with taxes included, so pretty great price IMO
Galaxy Note 10+.
I'm a big dude, with massive hands and it's the first phone I've used that doesn't give me finger cramps after extended use.
It's still a snappy phone with a good load of ram(12gb), great for multi tasking, has the pen (reduced my sticky note habit by a ton haha) and removable SD storage.
Wish it had an aux port still, have some old pairs of headphones I'd like to use without a dongle. Battery life is starting to go a bit on me, but I did buy it day one. Thankfully I can just replace that myself when I need to ( electronics repair background). I do miss having an IR blaster like my S4 had, used it for all sorts of remotes.
Yeah, Ah pretty my other comment, I reckon it was the ideal sized large phone.
Moved to an S23 Ultra this year, which is an awesome phone, but is a bit too hefty at times.
Right now LG G7. Insane value for the money.
Used to have one. That was a solid phone.
Samsung M51
Bought it mainly for the 7000 mah battery and this thing can go on for days and charge other devices as well. Overall decent specs for the pric and the long aspect ratio is nice for scrolling lemmy and fits well in hand.
But the biggest problem is its a Samsung bloatware infested mess with minimal user control. I did remove a few really annoying ones with adb commands but I really want to root it or run a custom rom soon. They made the rooting as difficult as possible and formatting everything with backups to root is a tedious task. Samsung isn't what it used to be, I miss the good old days of early galaxy ones I had.
PH-1 by Essential. I really like the minimalistic aesthetic of the phone. When I bought it, it satified all my needs. Good performance, enough memory for me, not too pricey, it's small and fit in my pockets. It has crappy speakers but I didn't care. An ok camera with good performance in black and white pictures. Even today I really love it except for these big points and why I will change it really soon: The company doesn't exist anymore and the phone doesn't have updates since some years now. I Could run a different OS but I don't want to dabble in that yet. I changed the battery not so long ago but even new, it has a really small capacity. I wish to keep it until really broken despite of that (and bescause i'm a bit lazy) I like to keep my things during a really long time...
Such a shame that phone didn't do better. The design was really unique at the time.
Nothing Phone 1 8/256. A really great phone with a lot of horsepower when needed. Great looking screen, and the design is also really good. Looks like iPhone 13 with its flat screen and sides. I get asked a lot "Is that an iPhone?", to which I reply "It is the new iPhone 15 prototype." :)
Got it on sale on Amazon for 325 euros, best money I have ever spent on a phone with these specs.
Screen fingerprint reader works great, also has real proximity sensor.
I don't use the Glyph lights much as I don't really put my phone face down.
I don't game much, but it had no problem running Genshin and the like.
Same phone here. Love the look and feel, both the device and the software (really waiting for the nothing os 2.0 tho).
Glyph light is a cool gimmick but for me too that's about it. Wish there was a program to fully customize it's behaviour for different notifications.
For me it's a solid smooth runnin every-day phone which I plan to keep as long as it receives security updates.
Pixel 7 Pro with GrapheneOS. I really appreciate the extra security, privacy, and toggles.
Oneplus 7 Pro
Having a pop-up camera probably, clean uninterrupted screen.
Having an unlockable bootloader and non-oem roms is pretty nice too.
Probably the rounded glass screen edges.
Stock roms are utter trash.
Have 256gb storage, but microsd expansion would be nice.
Would love to run CalyxOS or GrapheneOS, but understandably there's no build for this phone.
Edit: Detail. Also probably won't consider changing phone until Google foldables get good and can de-google with a aftermarket rom.
I also have the OP7P! Easily the best phone I've ever owned, but the pop-up camera broke for me last year. I'm thinking my next phone might be the Nothing Phone 2, but it does hurt getting a phone that's 4+ years newer and STILL has some downgrades (Screen PPI, hole punch, and no telephoto camera).
OnePlus 9pro
Like: it is fast, clean, it has a Silent/Vibrate/Ring switch, good screen.
Dislike: no headphone jack, the Snapdragon 888 isn't efficient, it heats quickly and it isn't good for the battery life.
Which Android devices are you currently using?
Pixel 5A
What do you love most about them?
Great performance, battery life, and camera for the price. No complaints about my current device.
What do you dislike?
The first one black-screened on me, so this is my second one.
Would also like SD card support, though Jellyfin + Symfonium is a great alternative.
Pixel: Lag-free experience, ability to root/change rom, momthly security updates, Fingerprint sensor
Watch4: Sleek, durable, decent skin
Pixel: Heat management, No headphone jack/μSD card slot, (I switched from the S10e here are the feature I miss from OneUI: Ability to run multiple apps in resizable windows over top another app, Per app volume control, Device Control [Device battery widget in Notification panel], Swipe Sidebar, Samsung notes ability to lock notes)
Watch4: No ability to silence some apps only, limited 3rd-party keyboard options
loving my Poco F3 but I recently had to bend the knee to google services and get rid of my lineage OS and install miui.eu.
Most of the apps I use are open source but I still have the need to use banking apps (Gcash especially) that will just not work even with root and microg (the gcash app is bugged itself already).
Google Pixel 7 Pro
Love the performance, the battery life, the camera and the amazing display, but most all I love GrapheneOS.
What I hate is its massive size, 5.8" is more than enough for me.
Galaxy S20: I have not found a compelling reason to upgrade
Same. Need the micro sd
I drank the Samsung Kool-Aid. Pretty tasty.
The only thing I don't like is the lack of Root on my Samsung devices. I spent several years as a Lineage OS user and having root access was amazing.
Samsung S23+ Because I don't want any Chinese brand.
Samsung S23 Ultra. Been using Samsung phones the past few years, since the S10 Ultra, and I've enjoyed using them. One UI isn't the bloated garbage it used to be, and Samsung has added some nice tweaks and features. Also, the Good Lock tweaks are fantastic and I'm surprised some just aren't baked into One UI. Battery life has been stellar too.
The weight is probably the thing I don't like most. Makes a difficult to use one-handed sometimes.
I stopped using Samsung because the bloat. But my last one was a Note 4. I'm really interested in the Fold 5 because the stylus, but hesitant because the OS. If Pixel Fold had a stylus, it would be a no brainer for me.
Samsung has really come a long way since the Note 4. The overall experience is arguably better than Google's at this point in a number of ways.
A pixel 3a XL, and I'm not upgrading until they make one with a headphone jack again
I upgraded from a 3a to a 6a. I miss the headphone jack, but mostly I miss the great fingerprint sensor on the back.
Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
With the exception of a headphone jack, this phone is the last Samsung "flagship" to have "everything." MicroSD card is a critical feature for me, and until Samsung brings it back in their upcoming flagships, I'm eyeing the Sony Xperia I V, although this device is still chugging along fine. A few slowdowns every now and then, but quite manageable.
Edit: Also forgot to include the Samsung Tab S8 Ultra, which has been a delight as a media consumption device! I managed to make it a laptop replacement, but extra work or altering your routine is necessary. If they managed to include Windows 11 on this thing, it would be unparalleled! But that's just wishful thinking. I also wish the keyboard cover had the fluidity and features of a Macbook's keyboard and track pad, but again, more wishful thinking.
And Nvidia Shield Pro, if that counts. Best streaming device ever, and has a robust app selection from the Playstore!
Pixel 6. Best phone I've owned. Takes great photos, is fast. Looks good. Very happy with it. Worst thing is I guess the fingerprint scanner, but honestly it's such a minor gripe.
Samsung Galaxy A31, running Android 12. Its far from the latest or most high end tech but its a tough old bird, and does all I ask of it without complaint. Good screen even with a few cracks, 128Gb memory which I've supplemented with a 500Gb SD card for all the music I have downloaded from Deezer. Battery usually lasts two days or more at a stretch. Camera is frankly better than I need. And best of all its got a headphone jack, an absolute necessity. Only downsides are that it wont upgrade to Android 13, 12 is as far as it'll go, and the USB-C socket is getting a bit knackered. Not bad for an almost three year old phone, hope to get another couple of years out of it
I also have a small budget phone I bought overseas to use as a Wifi hotspot, thing called a Dash L4 LTE. I'm now going to press it into service as a music player when swimming. Its small and light, but grossly underpowered, and only runs Android 7, doubt it'd be capable of more. I've put a 64Gb SD card in it again for music, it'll do the job, but i certainly wouldnt want to use it as my primary phone
Nokia 7.2 it's pretty solid with Android One. I would move to a different OS but I need android for my work and banking.
Phone is pixel 7, Work phone is Samsung A52, Kitchen has hub-thinking of upgrading this to the new tablet, 2 nivida shields in the house, Chromecast with Google tv modulated around the house and I bring on trips, Kids have tablets for trips only,
Love the photos from the pixel
Atm i hate 2 things. I'm worried more and more about privacy, and my pixel can't chat lock whatsapp chats yet but my Samsung can for the last 2 months!!!
Galaxy S23 Ultra
Best things: long battery life and versatile camera (zoom options open up some great creativity)
Worst thing: size and weight. Top tier phones have gotten just a bit too big now. My old Note 10+ was ideally the biggest comfortable size.
BTW my summary on the S23U would be: it's a great all-rounder. You might find a phone that does this one thing better or that other thing better, but the S23U seems to do a very good job of everything. It's definitely by far the most enjoyable user experience of any phone I've ever owned.
I'm still rocking a Mi 9T, and I'm going to keep using it as long as I can find new batteries to put into it. Or until notchless phones with headphone jacks come back.
What android device are you using?
Pixel 6
What do you love the most?
The software is great, with all of the little quality of life features. Great camera and decent battery, inexpensive compared to other phones.
What do you dislike?
Video kinda sucks, however the Pixel 7 series fixed that. I also dislike how material you is biased: greens are extremely bright while blues are quite dull. The bezels are also insanely chonky.
Pixel Fold. I had a lot of concerns about durability with the scare stories the media has reported but everything about it is fantastic. Big fan of the giant viewfinder and using the rear cam for selfies. The reading experience unfolded feels like reading a paperback. Side-by-side apps unlock a whole new productive side.
Poco X3 NFC
I got the 64/6 variant for ~$130. I mainly love the good custom ROM support. Has IR blaster, SD card, and headphone jack. Good camera especially with gcam. Great battery life.
Stock MIUI sucks so you really should have a custom ROM. US cell coverage isn't great.
Pixel 7 because its slim OS and good camera. Would love a stylus though. I've made peace with the lack of headphone jack.
Originally had Samsung since Galaxy S, then left at Note 4 because the bloat was bad. Then Sony Xperia X5 Premium, but the camera was bad. Now Pixel since Pixel 2XL.
For watches, had LG Watch R, then LG Style, Galaxy Watch 4, but ditched Android Wear for a Amazfit Bip S that lasts for days which allows me to track sleeping.
Still hanging onto my Pixel 2 XL. The recent Pixel 6 and 7 looked good before launch but I've read of nothing but issues.
Trying to hold out for as long as I can but not sure what to get next. Somewhat limited as I'm on Google Fi.
I went from Pixel 2XL to Pixel 4a 5G to Pixel 7.
I've had no software issues except maybe WPA3 auth.
It's all the same really, but the improved camera is probably worth it. I got a decent pair of Bluetooth headphones now so headphone jack doesn't bug me so much. But I literally only listen to music on my phone when traveling.
The only thing that's killing me now is bad battery life and the low RAM on the pixel 2 XL, so apps get reloaded frequently when multitasking. Battery is easily replaceable though.
I've just seen a lot of overheating and connection issues with the 6/7.
Z Fold 3 - because it friggin folds open. I've been team Nexus/Pixel right up until this phone went on the used market for $900. It's the best I've ever had except for missing a headphone jack. Showing off photos, navigating, reading, and split screening are the main reasons to use the inner screens. Primary complaints are crappy apps like discord and Plex that don't work well on the front screen, and I make more typos on the skinny screen's keyboard.
Samsung Tab A 8.0 with S Pen (the Euro one) because it was cheap and I needed a device to watch movies and read books on the airplane, and a Home Assistant dashboard mounted next to my desktop. I don't use it enough to dislike anything about it.
Motorola Moto Edge (2021)
Pros: Moto's classically lite skin with sensible additions that can be turned off if you don't want them, great battery, great performance, really just a well rounded device.
Cons: I think I legally have to mention the update cadence, and lack of long-term support, but honestly it doesn't bother me. Android versions haven't mattered much past, what, Jelly Bean? Though longer security support would be nice. Also, the camera can be a little soft, but I don't take a ton of photos so I'm rather ambivalent on it.
Honestly, I paid a good price for an unlocked device that still holds up amazingly well. I'm very satisfied.
I feel the same way about my Moto G Stylus 2020 (called Moto G Pro outside of America,) except I'm a big fan of the cameras, especially with the Google Cam mod...but I've only ever had super cheap, old, super-budget phones before this one that I keep for years until they just don't work anymore. This one I bought when it was less than a year old and is a much higher tier of 'budget phone' than my previous ones. So my love of this camera is compared to relatively shitty ones I've had in the past. I have no idea how the cameras would hold up compared to flagships. I'm super happy with it! It's still going strong and I plan to keep it until it dies. Motorola's got some great phone options!
Device: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G
Loves: The inner screen, the comfort of holding it folded-up one-handed, and having a tablet anytime, anywhere.
Dislikes: wish it was waterproof like later models, price is high, no aftermarket roms, built-in Samsung apps are blah
Im using a 'Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4'. Nothing comes even close to be as good as it is when it comes to productivity, consuming media, playing games and surfing the web.
LG Wing.
Love the dual screen functionality of course but what's more impressive is the fact that the 2nd screen is concealed beautifully such that on first glance, you can't even tell that it's not a normal phone! The primary camera is also excellent.
The software is pretty shit. LG sacked their mobile division 2 years ago and while they have kept their promise of giving this phone Android 13, they've done the bare minimum effort to support it. You couldn't even tell it's android 13, has the same UI and features that they shipped with Android 11. The settings app is also inconsistent, some screens have that stock android feel others have the traditional LG UI. And bugs are plenty. The processor is another weak point, it's not able to keep up in 2023.
Currently have a Note 20 Ultra. I like the size and refresh rate of the screen, and its microSD card slot. Not a fan of its processor and battery size.
I'd normally upgrade to the S24 Ultra, its natural successor, but instead I'm waiting for either the:
I can't get a Pixel Fold as I need Miracast tech inside my phone, and I'm not a fan of the Fold 1-4 aspect ratio of the upcoming OnePlus Fold. If they switch to the Pixel Fold style of opening landscape, I'd take another look at their Fold 2
I'm on a Pixel 7 Pro and the Note20 Ultra was my previous phone. I loved that Note. It was one of the best phones and really is still just as good as the Pixel I'm on now. Most of the main selling points haven't changed.
High refresh screen, check 12GB of RAM, check Great zoom, check Good battery, check (obviously degraded but I'm referring to when it was released) Same storage capacity
The main advantage of the Pixel is the camera and a few software improvements but if I didn't get it for basically free from AT&T, I'd have probably kept the Note for as long as possible
Device #1: Google Pixel 6a
Likes: Affordable. Decent screen size (not overly large). Clear and readable. Checks most of the boxes for features I want. Great camera quality.
Dislikes: cellular modem isn't the greatest, especially poor in fringe areas. Screen not quite bright enough to read in direct sunlight. Battery life could be better. Can get warm at times when doing intensive activity (streaming videos, recording video). Wish it had a true zoom lens like the flagship phones.
Device #2: Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet
Likes: big screen, great for reading magazine style content, videos, web surfing. Awesome battery life. Expandable storage.
Didlikes: Samsung's implementation of gesture navigation is slow and awkward compared to Google's. Wide-screen aspect ratio isn't the best for portrait orientation (I'd rather have 4:3). Also hard to find a case that fit. Not enough internal storage.
Picked up a Motorola Edge+ (2022) somewhat a month-ish ago after giving a Galaxy S23 a go for almost a month before. I just prefer Moto's experience more, even if updates are sparse and camera quality isn't as great.
Sure, it's notably bigger that what I've long-term used before (Xiaomi Mi 9 and the 2020 Motorola Edge), but the screen is pretty good and even though the Snapdragon 8 gen 1 is meh foe battery life, I'm not too intense on it and it charges pretty quick when I need a top-off.
The Galaxy S23 just wasn't my cup of tea. OneUI's launcher wasn't tunable the way I wanted, using a custom launcher to get my experience back broke gestures (as expected, but still), and it wasn't meaningfully smaller width-wise than the Mi 9, which I went back to for a while after I gave my fiancé my Moto Edge (2020).
It's also pretty damn hard to pass up a brand-new last-gen flagship for $500 plus manufacturer accidental protection 24 months and an extra year extended warranty.
I've been eyeing a Lenovo P11 Pro Gen 2 or whatever to replace my HP x2 Chromebook I got a couple years ago. Just don't need the productivity of ChromeOS anymore, a straightforward media consumption device that I can also use for pen note taking for TTRPGs is all I really need these days, and it looks like it'll fit the bill.
also because OneNote for Android isn't available for ChromeOS (at least it hasn't been afaik) and the app I've been using, Squid, is just kinda ok at the task.
OnePlus Nord N200 with LineageOS 20 (Android 13) with no google apps package installed.
Redmi K20 Pro (or Mi 9T Pro) been 3+ years. Basically using it for the Evo X and the pixel spoof. Will buy a new but compact phone soon. Not Apple!
I'm currently using a pixel 6 pro. I took a long break from Androids. The last one that I owned was a S9 Plus.
I love the screen with the high refresh rate and it's really responsive. I also love the live translate feature and all of the neat AI tricks that it has as well. I also was very hesitant because I've heard a lot about the battery life being bad, but the battery on mine is really good, as well as the fingerprint reader.
The only thing that I dislike would be the grip of the phone. I played around with both the pixel 6 and the pro and I would have to say the regular pixel 6 has a better grip, but I love the higher refresh rate and display on the 6 pro.
Edit: Oh and of course, the camera is amazing!
I'm still using my S9. Size is about as big as I want to deal with. Indicator LED is great. 3.5mm jack is great. SD socket for local storage. Camera is still fine. Qi charging is one of the few gimmicks that hasn't turned out to be useless. Screen is drastic overkill. Design is a stupid friction-less glass egg, but that's easily fixable with a minimalist case. Performance is still perfectly adequate.
It's long out of support, but I'm finding the market wildly un-compelling, and will probably just roll with it until something renders it unusable.
The indicator LED is one of those small features that I actually really miss!
Samsung Galaxy S10E, better Form factor for my pants pockets and medium (not over the top) media equipment I wont use anyways.
Same here. Doesn't feel ridiculously oversized, runs smoothly, and most importantly still has a headphone jack and mini-sd card. The last two points were complete deal breakers for me.
I'm using a OnePlus 6
It's really fast and has a headphone jack, and you can get a second-hand one for really cheap (I got mine for ~170$). The preinstalled software sucks, but I've installed LineageOS on it and I'm really enjoying it
The only thing I don't like is that the battery is non-removable
I'm using a OnePlus 9 and a Galaxy Tab S7. My tablet is mainly for reading manga and watching series, I'm quite happy with it.
I like some things in my phone, like the camera and the screen, but the battery is kinda awful and since I moved to the US, I may need a new one. It's kinda weird since I had 5G when I arrived but since a maybe a month ago, I just have 4G on ATT. I'm thinking on maybe getting a Zenphone 10 or a S23, any thoughts on that? I'd like to keep using both sims I already use.
Device
I'm on Pixel 6 running GrapheneOS,
Love
I control a lot of what the device is doing. I am a nerd, hence I want to use it, and because I use it, I am a nerd.
Hate
I spend a lot of time which I could've spent otherwise. Little feature that people show off let me feel like I've got an inferior device. I am talking about auto cropping a thing in an image on ios. At the same time ios can't play an oga file which is more important than apple's playground. It only happens once a year but seeing a friend airdropping something to a stranger feels like I'm missing out. I hate apple for being like shit. Compared to other androids ... no, I don't miss android auto. Pay could be there but not that neccessary. Being able to toggle wifi on or off is actually more important and seeing that even xiaomi etc. Still have the tiles but GrapheneOS doesn't feels like shit. Browsing the web with mull and vpn is slow compared to other devices with chromium browsers. Selfie camera is a banana. It takes long to start a video and long to stop one. It's difficult to post process on android due to the lack of apps and options.
Recommend it?
Tough call. It depends. Ideologically I'd say yes. For nerds, yes. For kids and young adults, yes if you are strong enough to resist the FOMO that people will give you.
I have a Google Home Mini, a Google Chromecast, and I'm on my 4th phone powered by Android ... two from HTC and two are Pixels.
The Home Mini and the Chromecast actually don't do too much that is useful for me. They mainly are just there doing not much.
The phones that I have chosen have been delightful. All Android phones are delightful, the cheap free phone that I got when I signed up for Visible (cell service) for my spouse was a piece of garbage. But that's the way that Android works: the developer/manufacturer can roll it to be whatever they want it to be.
I don't have anything to put here, but I'm looking forward to some of the responses.
Android device
Likes
Dislike
The phone works well for everything I need it to do (web browsing, messaging, some light emulation, quick downloads) but it doesn't handle 3d games too well (tried Genshin and it was unbearable). Currently looking for a future replacement for when the battery issues become worse. Might go for one of the Xperia but the prices are a bit too much.
Xiaomi Poco F2 Pro (Redmi K30 Pro). I honestly only really got it because it had a wild discount on AliExpress back in 2020 and wanted to give MIUI a try. However since then I've put TWRP and a custom ROM on it (MIUI isn't terrible but it seems to kill apps far too much and I'm not big on the ads within the actual OS).
I continue to use it because it still performs great and the battery life is pretty good (usually get about 2 days charge on it), and the custom ROM community around it is pretty reliable too. Plus it has a pop up camera so I definitely know when my phone is trying to look at me.
Not really found much to dislike to be honest, though I guess the camera could be a bit better. It's definitely helped along with good software though (especially either GCam or the MIUI camera).
Have you had the connector between the battery and the charging connector fail yet? If not, it might be a good idea to stock up one one. I've had to replace mine once and it might be failing again just six months later.
No, I've honestly never heard that be a thing for this phone. Do you drop it frequently or something? Never had any charging issues.
Great, let's hope it stays that way. The problem seems to be somewhat common from what I've read. I try to take care with charging it but it seems to be bend related, at least I was able to charge my phone only when it was bent a bit backwards when it was giving up.
My friend's one broke in less than a year and for some reason they were given their money back without anyone even trying to fix it.
Pixel 6a
Likes: As it's my first pixel phone I was shocked to see how smooth the OS (13) is, the haptic feedback being everywhere makes the device feel abit more snappier, double tapping the back of the phone as a gesture (it's kind of niche but it's nice to have)
Dislike: It gets toasty lmao (I'm not on 5g of anything so I'm kinda of confused why :(( ), ugly default contact app, so-so battery life
Pixel 7a
Vanilla Androie experience, fast updates and I like the visor astetic
Would love faster wireless charging
Galaxy s21 (the smallest model)
I love that its not gigantic
I dislike the fingerprint reader. I prefer the one on the rear of the phone, like my previous phone had
Me too, it is so hard to find a flagship phone with rear finger print reader. The on screen readers dont register all the time and when they do there is a slight delay. bought after having a pixel phone the touchui is not as good as the pixel one .On the plus side i like how little Samsung s21 weighs.
I love the customization and flexibility Android gives me. Also I can always unlock the phones and flash whatever 3rd-party OS I want. We're pretty content with the Pixels, but the tablet barely receives any updates anymore. Also fucking Apple's moronic green bubble vs blue bubble bullshit makes sharing photos and videos with family a needlessly complicated chore. I don't want to get off on a rant, but how has nobody taken them to court yet over this purposeful degradation of quality coming from competitors' hardware?!
Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite running LineageOS 20 (Android 13) (official).
I feel absolutely blessed by the device maintainers that keep Lineage alive and current on this phone. It runs amazing considering its lower speced hardware.
I picked this phone because it has NFC, an IR blaster, notification LED and a 3.5mm jack!
Not sure how the flagships brands justify leaving those features out
My only complaint is the camera which is very average but I knew that before I purchased so I can't really complain.
How does Netflix and banking apps play with LineageOS?
My phone will get its last security update this month, so I'm thinking to jump ship.
It will make your life harder.
You can use Magisk to get around those restrictions of you have issues.
There are also SafetyNet fixes you can flash post Lineage install that get around that sort of thing but it is a back and forth as Google is continually patching holes in their security.
My banking apps work fine, including Google Pay.
Samsung Galaxy A51 5G. Had it for a few years and it works great, just wish it had more internal storage.
This got me wondering what I'm using ... apparently it's a Moto G5s with Android 7?
I like it because it didn't come loaded with extra software, it was cheap (80€ in 2019) and it's got a nice camera. In a few years I might think about replacing it, in which case I'd like something a bit smaller.
I've got a tablet too, which is a Lenovo that fell off the back of a lorry in Hungary and my MIL bought it for me for the equivalent of 30€. It works well too, I think it's got Android 8 on it.
You're running pretty old versions of Android, don't you have issues with apps not being supported?
Not that I know of? I have Connect and Liftoff for Lemmy running fine, Tomb Raider Go and Pocket Rally work nicely, Firefox is supported, etc etc. I have a HTC with Android 1.2 on it that I use for Google Maps, which works better than the Android 7 phone, so I'm not entirely convinced that new is always better, lol
Samsung galaxy s21+ as my phone
I got it back at release when they let people stack discounts (paid like 40% the cost of the device). It's still fast enough for everything, a good size, I also got the care plus option with it so swapped to a brand new one earlier this year, want to get another 2 years out of it.
I also have a galaxy tab s6, but haven't ended up using it as much as I thought I would over the years.
I use two Samsungs: a Galaxy A52s 5G and a Galaxy A23. The features that I use the most is not baked in the OS itself but, KDE Connect. The thing I dislike about both of them is that they have insanely high idle battery drain
redmi note 10s with lineage
I'm using a Samsung Galaxy S22 because it literally was/is the smallest flagship on the market. If there were a flagship option with a 4-5" screen I would probably snap that up immediately.
I love the full-face screen with small symmetrical bezels. Performance is good. Wireless charging. Decent fast charge. Good cameras.
Don't love that it could be smaller. The camera module makes it rock when flat. I wish the back were not glass. Not a huge fan of the One UI stuff, but it's not the worst either.
Man, I miss smaller phones. Still running my s10e. Got a fairphone 4 when I had to renew my contract but quickly got back to the s10e because of the camera and, more importantly, the size. With the s10e's battery starting to really degrade, I'm now looking for a phone and they're all too big! S22 is on my list, which is only slightly bigger than the s10e. Would have bought the Xperia 10 V, if it had a better camera and wireless charging, even though it's sony's low end device, just because it is kind of small. I'm even considering switching to an iPhone SE, just because I can't seem to find higher end small android phones. What kind of hands do people think I have?
Don't go iPhone SE, go iPhone Mini if you do switch. I will not switch, i already tried iOS again recently but there's too many irritating things that sent me running back to Android (please no one ask me to start listing them all). But if it can fit for you, go Mini.
Pixel 6 and Grapheneos :)
I have a Pixel 5a and have the same issues in maps. It loves to replace the dot on the map (which seems accurate) with the giant "low accuracy" text, which just gets in the way. When I "calibrate" it has me take pictures of the area around me.
I don't want to be a conspiracy nut but it feels purposeful so that they can just get more photo data. I wish I could just turn the "calibration" off and just let me be in "low accuracy" mode.
OnePlus 8T - Rooted & running HavocOS. Performance is great, battery is really good and charges quickly, and 120hz display is nice. I have Termux-X11 installed so I can have a whole Linux desktop on external monitor using HDMI out over USB.
My only gripe is the device is large and uncomfortable for one-handed use. I would ideally want the Asus Zenfone 9/10 mainly because of the smaller size but it doesn't support HDMI out :(
Pixel Fold!
It's everything I need in a foldable with the sweet sweet software from Pixel.
Only thing that sucks is the cost. Definitely for the enthusiast
I have the z fold. How do you think it compares?
So to be honest a lot of it might stem from the fact that I was on Samsung software for so long I was getting kind of annoyed at all the little glitches and hiccups. In a very cohesive environment and especially having this kind of fold software it always felt like a beta thing.
Or with the pixel feels like there's much more of a enhanced almost iPhone like experience with the full. I can grant that there is less maybe functionality in terms of multitasking and stuff but I really use those features so rarely that I don't miss them
Dad and coupled with the front form factor that's so much better for me and that I can actually take really nice photos and have all the nice little pixel features, its a no brainer for me
Do apps play better on the unfolded screen? I've noticed that some apps hate the aspect ratio of the fold and refuse to display nicely even with samsung labs tweaks (looking at you spotify).
so i havent had many apps that didnt play nice. but i dont use too many apps like instagram or anything. the worse culprit ive had is tik tok but then all you need to do is rotate the screen and it mostly solves that issue
Using: Motorola Edge + 2022
Likes: Most of all price point. But more importantly what you get with it: wireless charging, 5G support, OLED, awesome battery life, Finger print sensor in the frame, decent camera, un-bloated OS, very useful gestures support. Honestly it's the best device I've used out of the box so far. Had Pixels and Samsung's in the past.
Dislikes: not many. Camera can be better especially in low light. Sometimes need to restart Bluetooth because it fails to connect to my watch.
Xiaomi Redmi K40 Gaming. I like the shoulder buttons for gaming but dislike MIUI bloatware.
first phone: pink Samsung that 100% didn't run android second phone: Samsung galaxy Y third phone: samsung galaxy j series phone 2015-2017 relase date mabye current: samsung galaxy a32 future: google pixel running calyx os
Pixel 7 Pro and a Samsung Gear S3 watch (that I hope to upgrade to Galaxy 6 Classic)
The only thing I really miss about my samsung phones (s4, s8, s10e) is that the screen was a whole lot brighter (could see just fine at 50% brightness most of the time, whereas my Pixel requires it to be 80 and up) and that while I prefer dark themes, I really don't like the 'white print on black' because the contrast bothers me. Samsung Themes had all kinds of different colors. Also the size was a lot to get used to, but thats common on just about all flagships now
Oppo A54 5G with the associated Oppo Watch.
I like mostly that it's an decent affordable 5G phone that came with a smartwatch on my contract.
What I don't like is its tendency to overheat when the hotspot is on. The specific one I've had has had problems with its charger, but I'm not sure if that's a general thing or a misuse thing or what. My watch also has a tendency to reset and erase itself if you look at it funny.
Overall rating: 3/5 (1/5 being the Doogee I had once that had adware integrated into the OS).
Right now I'm using a pink S21 unlocked and I love it.
The theming system on Samsung is one of my favourite things and I don't know why Google hasn't co-opted it.
The only thing I wish it had was a more flexible One UI launcher that's closer to Nova.
Pixel 7. When I got it, it updated it and then flashed calyx :)
I got a pixel, because they are some of the easiest to flash. I strongly considered a fairphone 4, but the 60hz screen was a dealbreaker for me.
What I like: the boost in nits and better battery. I don't seem to notice much difference in the photo department.
What I dislike: coming from a pixel 4, the pixel 7 is quite large.
Xiaomi Mi 10T 5G
I love that it has open boot loader so I installed Lineage OS
I hate that it does not have second display support
Galaxy Fold 4
I never get tired of being able to use the front screen for simple browsing and quick access to things and then unfolding the phone to use the main screen for watching videos or playing games etc. I do have a few multi app pairs set up for certain specific scenarios (e.g. I have a Google calendar/Google keep app combo that is great for when I'm meal planning for the week and want to be able to add items to a grocery list at the same time). I truly don't think I would be happy going back to a non-folding phone in the future.
I dislike the battery life of the phone. That's probably my biggest complaint and honestly it's not unmanageable. I've always got a giant 21,000 mAh battery pack in my backpack anyway so charging the phone a bit during the day if I've been hammering the battery watching YouTube for example isn't a problem for me. I'm a ideal world the battery life would be better and this wouldn't be necessary but it's not the end of the world.
The under-display camera on the inner screen is truly terrible also but I almost exclusively use it for video chatting which already is bad quality usually just due to connectivity so it really doesn't bother me. If I were to take selfies (which I just don't do) I would use the camera on the front display. It is possible to unfold the screen and use the main cameras for selfies but as I said, I'm not a selfie taking kind of person.
Pixel 7 for app development
Lava t81n
I'm using a pixel 6 pro.
I absolutely love the camera quality
There's nothing I dislike really. It's an amazing phone that checks every box for me. I suppose if I could, I would improve the battery life. On a heavy day I go to bed with about 15% battery. Which is too close for comfort for some.
Currently using Pixel 6a
Likes Price to features especially with the high trade in value of a pixel 3a
Dislikes Fingerprint reader doesn't work with a glass screen protector
Cell phone reception seems weaker than it should be.
@Curated_Android Samsung A52 5G. Solid phone for the price.
Galaxy Note 10+ 5G and Waydroid. Might go for a Pixel in the future, idk - not overly happy with my current phone. I love my old Note and wish I could go back to it.
Waydroid is there so I can have Apple Music for Android running on my Linux rig.