I am rethinking this after posting my last post. I realize my wife went from iphone to full Samsung ecosystem. So I can say if you want you can dive in full Samsung just as well as diving in full Google Pixel/Android.
I am rethinking this after posting my last post. I realize my wife went from iphone to full Samsung ecosystem. So I can say if you want you can dive in full Samsung just as well as diving in full Google Pixel/Android.
Well, I have had a Motorola, and a couple of Samsungs.
I got a 9S+ shortly after they were released. I am writing this post on it now. It does everything I need it to do and, even after all this time, the battery life is still decent. I have removed most of the bloat and just use Firefox. Don't have Chrome or the Samsung browsers available.
Will I replace this phone soon? Maybe. My daughter's boyfriend has a Samsung S22 Ultra that seems to work well for him. It does irritate me that Samsung stopped putting micro-sd slots in their flagship phones. And $1000 after trading my old phone seems like a lot.
That last sentence is a very good point. Even tho we use them as computers/phones/cameras why do they cost so much? You can buy a nice laptop with a screen you can actually read without having to pinch or scroll for about half the cost of a new feature laden phone, that you won't keep as long as you will the laptop.
When we bought our One Plus 7 Pro's a few years ago I about crapped when the bride and tech support told me how much they cost. Still, I figured it was a one time thing as we're both getting up there in years now.
But here we are, 3-4 years later and she's already studying which one to get next.....and I know this time it will cost even more!
BTW, the T Mobile plan for seniors is pretty good - $70/month for two phones and unlimited.....everything.
GameboyRMH said:Generally you need to avoid anything that only works with one platform or requires an online account. I'm running damn near to 100% FOSS, my phone has no connections to Google and I could even ditch the rooted Android OS for something like SailfishOS at this point (I'm planning to do that with my next phone and could've done it with my current phone if I'd done more of my homework).
That's a goal, tbh. Have any other details or things to share? I have a Nokia 6.1 that's served me well, but it's 5-6 years old and I never realized how much I wouldn't like it's "average" (for the time) camera.
In terms of phones the only other advice I can think of is to look for phones that support multiple OS options out of the box to keep your options open and ensure easy future upgrades, currently I have a F(x)tec Pro1 which is one example. For backups on that I use a combination of an app called Neo Backup and using a linux chroot on the phone via Linux Deploy to rsync files to a Linux server.
In reply to GameboyRMH :
You'd probably be the one to ask, but whatever happened to the custom ROM scene?
Way way back on my Note 2, there was a Rom called jellybomb. Fully custom and customisable version of Jellybean. Then what was it, x frame? Let you go through rom, turn features and settings off and on at will, transparent floating windows for apps, full remote sync to your own servers, Wi-Fi hotspot when that was still a pricey rarely offered option.
I miss that. Scrolling xda every now and then it seems like the customizes and even rooters have just gone away.
I did the Android One thing for a while and it was nice. I couldn't wait to switch off my pixel 4 for something else, but my current Samsung A71 5G is pretty decently barebones Android. I'm limited on phone availability by my carrier, which is Google, so escaping the Google cult really isn't a thing I'm able to do.
I just really miss my customization options, they were a huge reason I was an android supporter after Palm stopped making Treos.
In reply to RevRico :
Is Howard Forums still a thing?
I've been out of the cell phone biz for more than 10 years now.
RevRico said:In reply to GameboyRMH :
You'd probably be the one to ask, but whatever happened to the custom ROM scene?
I think the security on modern phones makes it much tougher to unlock bootloaders or even use root than it was in the old days. I gave that stuff up about 3-4 phones ago, it caused more trouble than it was worth for me.
Yep rooting is getting harder so you need to choose your hardware more carefully, but custom ROMs are still around, for Android-based ROMs there's LineageOS, AICP, and Paranoid Android just off the top of my head, and then there are GNU/Linux-based OSes like SailfishOS, PostmarketOS, and Ubuntu Touch.
GameboyRMH said:Yep rooting is getting harder so you need to choose your hardware more carefully, but custom ROMs are still around, for Android-based ROMs there's LineageOS, AICP, and Paranoid Android just off the top of my head, and then there are GNU/Linux-based OSes like SailfishOS, PostmarketOS, and Ubuntu Touch.
Any of them jump out to you? Part of me would like to try something else *just because* and SailfishOS looks 'neat', and so does the Librem 5; but I'd have to ask myself if I'm okay with giving so much up.
My last couple phones have been running LineageOS, AICP looks similar. What's interesting about SailfishOS is that it's a GNU/Linux OS that can also run Android apps, so you don't have to give anything up.
John Welsh said:In reply to RevRico :
Is Howard Forums still a thing?
I've been out of the cell phone biz for more than 10 years now.
Yes it's still there , but I have not seen custom roms there
Thanks for all of the advice. I went and looked at a bunch of phones, and while moving away from the iPhone is scary, I pulled the trigger last night. One thing that sold me on the iPhone that I have was the telephoto lens, I really use it a lot. So when comparing phones, the Galaxy S22 Ultra stood out for having a 10x optical zoom. I also liked the built-in S-pen, it may be a gimmic but I use my phone as a PC stand in often and I can see that it may come in handy. I could also get a lot of storage, which is nice when using it to record track-day videos with Track Addict.
AT&T is taking my old phone in on trade and I am already on an unlimited plan, so the monthly cost to me doesn't change. The only issue is that I used an Apple Battery Case with my old phone and am used to having 2-3 days run time. The S22 can charge fully in an hour, so I should be OK. It arrives some time today, I'll let you know how the switch goes.
The truly daunting part is switching my storage from iCloud...I have camera pictures going back to 2008. I have always backed them up to external drives and I have gone through year-by-year to ensure they are all there, but its nerve-wracking to hit the delete button. I could just leave them there, but I want to stop paying for extra storage to Apple and switch to Google. Documents, contacts and other items are all backed up as well.
Can I call dibs on your 12? My X is getting a little long in the tooth and likes to overheat here in the summer.
EDIT: damn... I just saw that it was traded in.
In reply to pinchvalve (Forum Supporter) :
Good choice. That's exactly what I'm using right now. The optical zoom is pretty cool. You may or may not find yourself posting pics of the moon to r/GalaxyS22. 
A little late to the party...
I've been an Android guy since the very beginning. I had the 2nd Android device Verizon sold (LG Ally) and I've had a bunch of different phones over the years, mostly Samsung Galaxy devices starting with the S3. Currently, I have a S22 Ultra. I love it.
The current version of whatever Samsung uses as a UI skin over Android is unobtrusive and pretty close to native Android. It's gotten a lot better over the years. One note of importance: get the best damn case you can! I have a replacement phone on the way because the stupid Otterbox Commuter case on my phone failed to protect it from a very minor impact, and the screen cracked big time. I usually use Pelican cases, but they don't offer a decent one for the S22 Ultra yet.
FWIW, I am also a Google Super Admin at my day gig, so I know the capabilities of Google quite a bit. Their user interface, searchability, and security is fantastic. A lot of people label it as a "toy" because it's different than what Apple offers. Google Photos is awesome as well!
Tony Sestito said:A lot of people label it as a "toy" because it's different than what Apple offers. Google Photos is awesome as well!
That's funny, I like to label iOS devices "toys" because they only allow a preapproved curated selection of software to be run, like a game console, rather than arbitrary code you can compile yourself, like a general-purpose computer.
One of the best things about Android is the variety of options for the hardware itself. Think about what you really like in a phone, and look for a newer mid-upper level phone that matches as close as possible to take advantage of that variety. There are sort/search sites that will help with this. Things like battery size, where and what type of fingerprint sensor, cameras, etc..
I've been happiest with my Motorola units, and really liked my OnePlus 5t, but didn't like the 6 as much. Every Samsung I've given a chance has let me down, and is full of the same bloat as an apple. I've not had a pixel, but wouldn't hesitate if it seemed the best mix of options and price.
GameboyRMH said:Tony Sestito said:A lot of people label it as a "toy" because it's different than what Apple offers. Google Photos is awesome as well!
That's funny, I like to label iOS devices "toys" because they only allow a preapproved curated selection of software to be run, like a game console, rather than arbitrary code you can compile yourself, like a general-purpose computer.
Same. Apple stuff doesn't allow the freedom to basically do whatever you want and the vast variety of options like Android does.
Tony Sestito said:FWIW, I am also a Google Super Admin at my day gig, so I know the capabilities of Google quite a bit. Their user interface, searchability, and security is fantastic. A lot of people label it as a "toy" because it's different than what Apple offers. Google Photos is awesome as well!
Since you're in the business-
I'm looking to upgrade from a Nokia 6.1, specifically I want a better camera. I'd like to keep my SD Card slot. Wireless charging isn't needed, 5G is, budget is around ~$300 with wiggle room (I could do more but I see no point above five-hundo). I'm interested in the Oneplus Ace Racing, Nokia 8.3 5G, and the BLU F91- any others I should add to the list? Any others I should look at, or that you would recommend?
Tony Sestito said:Google Photos is awesome as well!
I love Google photos. Its where I store mine. The ability to search by location is far, far, far superior in Apple photos.
In reply to GIRTHQUAKE :
I had the same dilemma when upgrading from my old S10+. There are phones out there with SD slots, but on my service (Verizon) they are mostly mid-range devices, and other concessions have to be made (processing power, camera quality, etc). I ended up getting a 512GB S22 Ultra. So far, I don't regret it. It has more storage than my S10+ and the SD card I had in there, and the camera is unbelievable!
Help! Lil Stampie kidnapped me and took me to the cult's temple. I feel their stares as I sit here using my Satan born Android.
I have been Android since I gave up my blackberry and palm pilot. I did briefly have an iphone 4 for about 3 months and I didn't die, but I wanted to. (not really, just a friendly jab)
If you really want to dive in, I suggest purchasing an unlocked phone and taking it to your carrier. It's big money up front, but cheaper than most of the financing/pay as you go phones you get from a contract/plan. The big benefit is that you have a clean phone, much like buying an ASUS or Lenovo computer. They don't tend to accept money for including third-party apps that clog up the works. In that realm, OnePlus and Google offer phones that are supremely clean. Google's phones of course have google stuff, but they don't include excess junk that ties up storage or memory.
I did a couple Google Pixel phones and loved them. My last was a Pixel 2 and the only reason I gave it up after 4 years was because the battery started sucking. I made the (slight) mistake of getting a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. It's a fantastic phone. The camera is so amazing that I think Samsung hired a minor deity to inhabit each phone to get the shots. The downside is that Samsung has a complete suite of messaging, docs, cloud, and backup that are the default. It makes sense, but in order to integrate with all my previous google stuff I have to add the apps and select them as default. Not a big deal, but it's adding bloat to bloat.
In reply to pinchvalve (Forum Supporter) :
Glad you made a decision, I wasn't here in time to do my usual speal about buying a Pixel phone outright, then using Google Fi.
My phone bill hasn't been above more than $30/month in 4-5 years, well maybe once it was $35?
WFH and even when we still had an office, still had WiFi, most places you go have WiFi. So you basically use no cellular data. And you can setup the phone to automatically use a VPN when connecting to WiFi.
And no contract or cancellation fee.
I'm curious about Mint since it's even cheaper.
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