Android Phones

[Grant Lamontagne]

Since I started using Android way back with my Motorola Atrix in 2011 or so, I've always used Otterbox Defenders, and for the most part, my phones have looked virtually brand new when their time came.

I think only one phone I had (maybe the Samsung A8?) didn't have an Otterbox Defender available for it and I ended up having to get an Otterbox Commuter case for it.  I liked the case well enough, but it was no Defender, and I ended up with a crack in the screen.

I had a Defender case for this phone (Samsung Note 20 Ultra) but it actually broke apart on the phone- I think the curved screen created weak points in the corners of the case. 

It was the first time a Defender case had failed me, so I replaced it with an aluminum case.  You can see the details here:

https://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,89057.0.html

I'm also seeing that the Defender series no longer has built in screen protection, which is a bit disappointing, but they claim they have designed them now to accommodate the best screen protectors, so I guess that makes sense.  I have had a few built in Defender screen protectors get old and crappy over the years.

I'm looking at the Pixel 7 Pro, mostly because it is the one with the 5x optical zoom, a feature I use often.  The 7 doesn't have that, and the 7a (budget version) doesn't have much of anything at all.

The optical zoom on my Note is the camera I have somehow managed to shatter on my Note, or I would just keep the damned thing going.

I'm also hoping the non-curved screen of the Pixel and the aluminum body are also going to withstand a bit more punishment, backing up the Otterbox the Pixel will be in before it leaves the store.   

That's disappointing that Samsung is also doing away with the memory card slot.  If I get a Pixel, it will be the first non- Samsung phone I have had in years, since my original Android, the Atrix.

https://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,28001.0.html

That was a great phone, but it was well and truly dead when it was replaced.  I got the Samsung S3 next, and it was only good for about 3 months before I had serious issues with it.  I came up with all kinds of work around for it, but after a total of about 6 months, I traded it for an S5.  When that one died I got the S5 NEO, which was a mistake, and it was eventually replaced with the A8.  That was also a mistake- if you are going to go Samsung, don't go cheap.   

The A8 was replaced with the Note, as often the screen on the A8 wouldn't work, even before I cracked it.  The almost complete lack of hardware buttons makes it very difficult to send text messages or answer phone calls when the screen doesn't work.   

The Pixel seems like the best choice right now, having done as much research as I can without actually going into the store, but I see Motorola also has a fancy new phone out.  I lived the Atrix and I wouldn't be against another Motorola, although with Google buying Motorola a number of years ago I kind of always figured they were more or less the same phone as the Pixel anyway.

I am open to other suggestions though, but if it's one thing I have learned with my iPad, I'd rather have have an Android phone.  I like my iPad, but I'm much more comfortable and familiar with Android.

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

Has anyone gotten one of the "no name" type phones from Amazon?  I am specifically thinking of phones from companies like Ulephone, Xiaomi or Blackview, because frankly I am getting tired of spending good money on phones that are just going to break.

Unfortunately I have heard that these phones have all kinds of spyware etc built into them and I am wondering if that's true, and if so, how easy it may (or may not be) to remove it.

Def

[Aloha]

How about a used phone?  Every phone I have had since iPhone 4 has been used.  I am currently on iPhone 11.  I usually  buy a several versions older than the current one knowing sellers are ready to upgrade and just want to get rid of theirs. 

   

[Grant Lamontagne]

I have enough problems with rapidly aging batteries that I don't know that a used phone is an ideal choice for me.  I hate the idea of buying one that is already "used up" if you know what I mean.

Also, Megan bought a used iPhone a couple of years ago from a friend and it broke (known issue apparently) shortly after she got it.  Since it was from a friend, she couldn't really try to get her money back, and I ended up having to buy her a new iPhone.   

Def

[GearedForwards]

Xiaomi is a major tech brand, the others I've never heard of.

 The spyware thing is mostly just overblown superstition.

How are you so hard on phones?

[Grant Lamontagne]

I'm not entirely sure, but considering how many stitches and surgeries I've had to put my bones back in some semblance of order, I am apparently hard on everything.   

Def

[Don Pablo]

Budget in a battery replacement when you purchase an used phone.

It's a pity you're not here, if you were in the EU or Australia I might recommend a budget phone, the HMD Global G22.
Ifixit sells official parts for it, in collaboration with the manufacturer.
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/25/hmd-global-launches-nokia-g22-repairable-smartphone.html
https://eustore.ifixit.com/collections/nokia-parts

Screen €50, battery or back cover €25.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Nice.

I'm still using my Note, and just being frustrated by the lack of zoom lens.   

Def

[Poncho65]

Would it be possible to get the back replaced (camera covers included)  at a place? Bulbs and Batteries around here are licensed Samsung repair specialists and I had the back of my S20 Plus fixed and they replaced the camera cover as well because my zoom was broken for a year or so it didn't help mine really because so much dust had already settled and scratched the inside camera but maybe you haven't had it broken long enough and might be able to repair

[Poncho65]

If you have the front replaced as well they also put in a new battery but my screen was excellent and I hated to over dou le the repair price bill

Otherwise, just the back isn't to extremely ridiculous to get fixed

[Grant Lamontagne]

The screen could be replaced under warranty, but I have to pay a portion (deductible) of about $57.  No problem.

The shop that is authorized to do the work won't do it unless they can also replace the back of the case, because they don't think it will survive the screen replacement.  That's another $150.

Now with the camera broken, I don't know how much more that would cost, but I'd say at least $300 overall to repair this phone would be a safe bet.

Or, I can claim a replacement phone under the insurance, and that will cost me about $400 (it's a $2k phone remember) but then I get a whole new phone out of it.   A hundred dollars more than the repair and I get a fresh battery as well, rather than parts of a new phone and parts of an old one.

Or, I can spend $27/mth for the next two years and get a brand new Pixel 7 Pro, or, spend $7.50/mth and get a Motorola.  Yeah, the Pixel will cost more in the long run, but it's easier on the wallet than shelling out $300-400 all at once.

Def

[Poncho65]

I get ya  I think to change the back of my phone and the camera covers was about $140 US was a year ago and I can't remember exactly but to replace front back and get a battery was somewhere in the $350 range so I did the back and waited until the S23 Ultra came out and got that now, so I totally get about getting a new phone with all the bells and 

[Whoey]

We had Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite as part of our fleet for a while, and while the specs make a good run against the samsung equivalent at the price and being a very snappy and quick phone overall, it lacks the polish of the samsungs, and suffers from too much Xiaomi bloat in my opinion.

I am currently facing some issues with the S22, mainly it not liking many cables and chargers. Wireless charging is fine, but it's become hell to tether in the car with android auto (bluetooth for calls is fine). I might consider some old device with a duplicate sim for data and just use that for Waze navigation, and keep the s22 bluetooth tethered for calls.

The only thing about the new pixel phones that make me uncomfortable is the price being a tad over my comfort zone... since the s22 cost me nothing through work. Otherwise after my old nexus being stock android, I am looking forward to another clean android phone experience, maybe I'll think about a 6

[Grant Lamontagne]

The price on the Pixel phones is quite attractive to me, especially when compared to the offerings from Samsung.

That's also one of the reasons I was looking at Motorola again- the prices are much better than many Samsung models.

That having been said, I also discovered that Samsung offers a (relatively) reasonably priced rugged option- the Galaxy XCover 6 Pro.

https://www.samsung.com/ca/smartphones/others/galaxy-xcover6-pro-black-128gb-sm-g736wzkdxac/buy/?cid=ca_pd_ppc_google_galaxy-xcover6-pro_sustain_b2b-ruggedized-hhp-retention_other_rtb_20180114-samsung%20galaxy%20xcover6%20pro-w&gad=1

It looks interesting not just because it apparently doesn't require a case to be rugged, but also has a swappable battery- just pop open the cover, pull the battery out and stick another one in.

I have t seen what the spare batteries cost, but I imagine it will be prohibitive, but it's still a nice option to revive a 2 year old phone.

It also accepts up to a 1TB memory card, which I like.  I have oodles of data (115gb/mth), so accessing Dropbox, Google Photos, Netflix etc isn't a concern, but many of the places I work have little or no service.  Because of that I like to have things local, not just in the cloud.

The specs on the Galaxy XCover are a bit off the "latest and greatest" but should be well within my scope and abilities- I am not a talented, skilled or serious photographer, nor am I hard-core phone gamer.  I don't use my phone for editing my TikToks or OF videos- that's what I have an iPad for.

I may have a look at the XCover, even if it is one of the dumbest names ever put on a phone.   

Def

[Whoey]

We have some xcover 5 in our fleet... Severely unpowered and struggles with teams and outlook

Hope the 6 is better

[Grant Lamontagne]

I intend to have a look at it in the store at some point and see what I think.

I realize it won't be a top tier phone, but I'd prefer a phone that works to one that gets broken constantly.   

Def

[Syncop8r]

So I got a Motorola G82... really liking it so far....

[Don Pablo]

Budget in a battery replacement when you purchase an used phone.

It's a pity you're not here, if you were in the EU or Australia I might recommend a budget phone, the HMD Global G22.
Ifixit sells official parts for it, in collaboration with the manufacturer.
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/25/hmd-global-launches-nokia-g22-repairable-smartphone.html
https://eustore.ifixit.com/collections/nokia-parts

Screen €50, battery or back cover €25.

We ended up buying one to give to my grandmother on her birthday in a few weeks.
It was on sale for €150 (164 USD, 217 CAD), and it's exceeding my (low) expectations for performance.
Screen seems ok, yeah it's lower resolution but only real niggle is text not being fully sharp and smooth when you are scrolling. But what can you expect from such a cheap phone?

We'll try testing calls, and if you have any ideas for decent practical performance tests I'm listening.
It claims to have UFS storage, that's supposed to be a fair bit faster than emmc storage.

[BPRoberts]

So I got a Motorola G82... really liking it so far....

+1 for Moto. My last 2 or 3 phones have all been from them (mid-range models) and they've been solid. Probably about due for a new one, it's at a little over 3 years and while it's doing fine itself (battery holds a charge, doesn't crash, etc.), it's starting to struggle a little with Android Auto, which is my unofficial "old phone" barometer.

[Syncop8r]

Some of the features I like so far is the karate chop torch, the 3.5mm headphone jack (apparently that's rare these days?) and the battery lasts for days.

[Whoey]

moto gestures is one thing I miss about my G5plus... it's still a decent phone, but I got tired of having 2 phones in my pocket

[Grant Lamontagne]

I've been holding off on getting a new phone and just continuing on with mine, broken screen, camera and all.  It's a bit frustrating when I want to take a picture of anything at a distance, but otherwise it works well enough.

If it wasn't a bit frustrating, it wouldn't be my phone.   

Def

[Poncho65]

I did live with a phone with a broken zoom camera for over a year and a half myself I could zoom to maybe 2.9 X then when it hit 3 it was total blur

Hopefully you can get what you want and in budget

[Syncop8r]

So I got a Motorola G82... really liking it so far....

Today it suggested we update to Android 13.
Niiiice.... 

[Whoey]

Samsung S22 has been on Android 13 all along I think?

We ended up buying the wife a Oppo Reno10 (8GB ram 256GB storage) yesterday during a tax free sale. Seems pretty good compared to the other phones in the price range (although I didn't see any Motorola or Google phones in that shop...) it has some weird feature where you can allocate part of the storage as ram... so it currently is running max 16GB ram.

So not only was the 21% tax knocked off, they threw in the Oppo bluetooth earbuds, so big upgrade all around for her from the Samsung A32 (which she was still using wired headset with).

[Whoey]

Oh and I really want a pixel, but one thing is stopping me. I use dual sim, and it only has one physical sim, the other must be eSim, which I can do but I do feel like it is limited.

[GearedForwards]

I'm still using my original Oppo Reno, got it Dec 19 and it's been rock solid, though it's showing its age.

I have aspirations of upgrading to the Pixel 8 Pro later in the year, hopefully the next gen of Tenser will smooth out its issues. The Pixel Fold is lovely looking, but besides 1st gen teething issues, that is certainly out of my price range.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Yeah, I am also quite leery of folding screens, although I do very much like the concept of smaller phone/bigger screen.

But with my uncanny ability to break phones, I'm not sure I want to try something even more fragile than the usual ones.   

A guy at work has a folding one (I don't know what model) and he really likes it, but then he spends much of his time in the office, while I spend 100% of my time in the field.

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

I suppose it was only a matter of time given that there is only one piece of glass over all three cameras, but the glass has now given way over the regular camera lens now too.

I am effectively down to just the wide angle lens on my phone, and the cracked glass goes across it too, so it's only a matter of time before that one dies as well.

I guess I will start looking at new phones again.  I could probably get a good deal n a Pixel 7 Pro since the 8 is out any day now.

Def

[SteveC]

I have a lens protector on my S23 so I can hopefully avoid that issue.