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I'm using the OnePlus 9 Pro right now, and I'm really happy with it. I switched from iPhone X to OnePlus in August 2022. I thought iPhones were better for 5 years, and I was wrong. I had iPhone 5, 5s, 6 and 7 before. Usually I upgrade to a new phone every 2 or 3 years. My Nothing Ear(1) and PC on Linux fits into the android ecosystem very well
Phone I'm Using:
Samsung A50
Am I Happy with it:
Yes, it has been fully capable of performing the daily tasks that I throw at it. Only downsides really is that it no longer receives support from Samsung.
What Phone Did I have Previously:
My previous phones were a LG Q6 and I believe an iPhone 6 or 7. Honestly as much as I love Android, the iPhone was leaps and bounds better then what the LG Q6 was able to provide. That's mainly more a statement of how bad LG was at making actually interesting phones that were good.
How often do I upgrade:
My A50 is a hand-me-down so atm I don't really decide when I get a new phone lol.
What other Android Ecosystem Devices do I have?
If it counts, Google Home Mini (have had it for quite a few years)
Do you have any Apple products and/or Microsoft, Linux, etc...
No, I don not own any Apple products of any sort. I own an Xbox Series X, a Windows Laptop from Asus, a Google Home Mini along with a Amazon Alexa (well technically that wasn't mines originally I'm just "borrowing" it because it was just left disconnected.) Lastly I have a pair of Jabra Elite 3's which have been pretty good.
Reminds me of the olden days of r/Android where threads like this were a blast!
What phone are you using?
Following in the footsteps of Captain2Phones, I am simultaneously using a Google Pixel 6a and a OnePlus 7 Pro.
Are you happy with it? What are its best and worst qualities?
Pixel 6a is the best phone I've ever used, including flagship iPhones. I love the camera bar design and the whole look of the phone's rear while I don't particularly like the chunky bezels and the hole punch. I have been spoilt by the fantastic uninterrupted curved display (yes, you read it right. I like curved screens) of the OnePlus 7 Pro. It's smooth and the cameras are great. I love the animations and the overall look of Material You. It's a really good phone.
As for the OnePlus 7 Pro, it was the best phone I had ever used until they ruined it all with their subpar software updates which made the phone literally a chore to use. I still use it and like it, but the experience it heavily marred by the atrocious software experience of the new OS which is nothing like OxygenOS.
Which phones have you had previously? Which were the best and worst of the lot?
Have had flagship iPhones for several years until I got the OnePlus 7 Pro. The Pixel has to be the best phone, a shitter Micromax that I had a decade ago has to be the worst.
How often do you upgrade to a new phone?
Every 2/3 years.
What other Android ecosystem devices do you have? Watches, headphones/earbuds, etc.
Not a big fan of smartwatches. Well, a big fan of the smartwatch tech, but not a big fan of wearing one over a traditional watch. Have several fitness bands made by Android OEMs (though none of them run Android) and several true-wireless earphones and headphones by Anker and Soundpeats that I use with my Android devices as well as my Windows devices.
Do you also use any Apple products, or are you Android all the way? (And/or Windows, Linux, ChromeOS, etc.)
Not at the moment. But my next computer will be an MX Macbook Pro.
What phone are you using?
One Plus 8
Are you happy with it? What are its best and worst qualities?
I am happy with the phone. I've had it for the past almost 3 years and it has served me well. The thing I love the most about this phone is the specs and the custom ROM community. 3 years later and this phone still holds up very well. It handles everything I throw at it; even the occasional Genshin Impact. The custom ROM community is also very active. My phone is still in good condition after three years. Battery is still holding up. I get about 5-7 hours SOT wifi on light usage. When using data and heavier usage (maps, spotify, max brightness) I get around 3-4 hours of SOT which isn't that bad for a three year old phone. I plan on replacing the battery and using custom roms to extend my phone's life.
Which phones have you had previously? Which were the best and worst of the lot?
s5, j7 prime My s5 was a hand me down from my mother. The phone worked fine but the the display would glitch out and turn off. The j7 prime was just garbage after about 6 months of usage. It was laggy as hell and I'm not sure how I survived with that phone for three years. It was definitely the worst out of the two.
How often do you upgrade to a new phone?
I don't upgrade phones until the one I am currently using cannot handle my daily usage, or breaks. When my phone is no longer usable, then I am considering either going back to samsung or going pixel depending on if the charging and efficiency gets better.
What other Android ecosystem devices do you have? Watches, headphones/earbuds, etc.
I have a galaxy watch active 2 and galaxy buds plus.
Do you also use any Apple products, or are you Android all the way? (And/or Windows, Linux, ChromeOS, etc.)
I do not currently have any Apple products. I am using a windows pc and my laptop is dual booting windows 10 and ubuntu (windows just in case I have software that doesn't work on linux).
What phone are you using?
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
Are you happy with it? What are its best and worst qualities?
Best is screen. Worst is battery. 3-4.5 hours of SoT. Also, it stutters all the damn time. I know most people using it will say it doesn't, but for me most animations stutter. Every 3rd time I open the Edge panel, and about a third of the times I interact with the device.
Which phones have you had previously? Which were the best and worst of the lot?
Galaxy Wonder, Galaxy S4, Galaxy S7, Galaxy Note 9 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. Galaxy Wonder was pretty bad at the time, and has not stood the test of time. It quickly became unusable. Galaxy S7 was pretty solid but nothing special.
How often do you upgrade to a new phone?
2-3 years.
What other Android ecosystem devices do you have? Watches, headphones/earbuds, etc.
I have the Sony WF-1000XM4 earbuds which got the infamous battery drain due to a software update one month after warranty ended and I can't wait to replace them. They don't last over 5 minutes on one charge. If it wasn't for the battery drain, I would keep using them for a very long time. Superior noise cancellation and sound quality.
Do you also use any Apple products, or are you Android all the way? (And/or Windows, Linux, ChromeOS, etc.)
I have an ancient iPad that is unusable at this point, and an Apple TV that I received for free many years ago. Very recently, I started using Android TV almost exclusively. The only feature I really miss is AirPlay.
Galaxy S10e. I love the small size of it and the fact that it still has a microSD slot and headphone jack. Its starting to show its age when it comes to battery life and the USB C port not working as good.
I like the Samsung android software with the customization that you get with Good Lock so I will probably stick with Samsung flagship for my next phone. The biggest thing I dislike with Samsung is the amount of bloatware they ship, the out of box experience is terrible and I usually have to spend a day researching what apps to disable with adb to get the phone usable. I will probably upgrade to an S23 next year. I usually buy my phones used when the model has been out for about a year. At a year old its still new enough to have plenty of support left, but its no longer the current model so it sells for less. Its a better value IMO then buying a new mid range phone, especially as there isn't as much advancement year to year in hardware these days. A year old flagship will have better cameras than a new mid range phone typically.
Still using my Pixel 2xl from 2018! Longest time with a single phone ever. Still working pretty well but showing signs of the inevitable end of life.
I remember reading about when Google ended the Nexus line and started doing the pixels. It feels like yesterday that was a new phone.
Well, to be honest, I'm using an iPhone 6S. I want to switch to an Android phone, but I really want one with a headphone jack, an easily-replaceable battery, /e/ support, and good enough specs to last several years with multiple major OS updates. The Fairphone 4 looked great until I found out about the headphone jack being absent. Well, that and if anything was wrong with it, I'd be screwed. I've read about enough Fairphone defects to not want to have one imported.
I came pretty close to buying a Sony Xperia 5 III about six months ago, but I decided against it due to the battery being annoyingly difficult to replace.
What phone are you using? POCO F3
Are you happy with it? What are its best and worst qualities? Works and does everything i need, the camera is decent so i am happy about that.
Which phones have you had previously? Which were the best and worst of the lot? Hard to remember, however I will never forget my old OnePlus One... basically started this whole path of Android customization I took.
How often do you upgrade to a new phone? Honestly whenever my old one dies. I am not rich and phones are quite costly these days.
What other Android ecosystem devices do you have? Watches, headphones/earbuds, etc. Just my phone
Do you also use any Apple products, or are you Android all the way? (And/or Windows, Linux, ChromeOS, etc.) Just my phone, however I do have a server at home running Debian 12 and my desktop running Windows 11
Are you experiencing any noticeable battery drain? It's driving me crazy. Like i get that it's a 120hz display but it has no right to draw this much power
Moto G9 Power.
Dirt cheap less than 200$ new as of 2 years ago! Has all the features I need, stock Android, without 3rd party crap-ware.
Best Android phone I ever bought, despite it's also by far the cheapest.
I bought this cheap phone, because I was kind of disappointed by my earlier Android phones. Always something wrong.
I've been using this one for 2 years without cover, no scratches on the screen. ;)
Using a Pixel 5a, running CalyxOS. No problems with the phone and no plans to upgrade any time soon.
I'm using an Oppo Reno. The first one, with the motorised front camera, for four years now. I'm thinking of upgrading now to the Find X6. I've been using oppo close to a decade now and I have to say, they earned themselves a lifelong user if they keep this up. I started with the R7plus, then the R9s, then the Reno. All beasts for their time and price.
I had handled the Samsung S9+ and iPhone 14 from my partner. Good lord I hated them. The photos they took of people were horrendous and the software is just unpleasant. After using my phone throughout the years, she was a complete Oppo convert without much convincing. Tbh I quite like ColorOS.
I use a pixel 6a, switched over to it from an iPhone 11. I wanted something that worked better than my iphone on Google Fi. I had a ton of issues on Fi with my iphone since it was technically in beta like the cellular settings getting reset. I had a moto g power before and that thing was trash, it worked fine for a while but as soon as you start installing apps it just chugs. The pixel 6a is good enough for me to say I will never buy a non-Google Android phone ever again. The pictures are crazy good, I don't even know how, the sensor is old, software magic I guess.
I also have an m1 Mac mini and a gaming PC running endeavour OS. So far the Android phone works much better on a Linux ecosystem for obvious reasons. No smart watches or anything though, haven't dipped my toes into that space. I will say I was extremely hesitant to move to Android from iOS, iOS is so solid from a stability and compatibility perspective, Apple really has that down to a science. However since switching to a Google created Android phone, it's a night and day difference from my past experiences on Android.
I'm using an LG V40 and I love it. The best phone i've ever owned. Love the dual screen case, love the headphone jack and it's incredible DAC, love the rear fingerprint sensor. it's the perfect phone for my use case. I've previously owned the LG V30, and the LG V20.
I basically only ever upgrade if my phone breaks. The only other android device I own is my NVIDIA shield that runs plex etc.
No apple devices for me, except i guess my work laptop but that's not really mine, and i certainly wouldn't buy a macbook if i was in the market for a laptop.
I am typing this on my Pixel 7 (recommend me a Lemmy app please :D )
I had a 4a before this, I liked the finger print reader way better on the 4a but other than that my 7 is better, its the best and most expensive phone i've ever owned.
Before the 4a I had some random Honor and Huawei phones and I used to upgrade phones almost yearly which I felt was kinda depressing so I figured I should "invest" in a phone I could use for ~3 years.
The only Apple product i've had was some kind of iPod that I asked my uncle to copy cd's onto, it was kinda cool i guess.
I'm using a trusty Samsung Note 9! It's definitely showing it's age but it remains sturdy enough for me to use. Really not liking the performance drops, especially in rhythm games and my keyboard where inputs suddenly don't get registered.
Before this phone, I had a Note 5 that was traded in for this phone. In some ways I miss the home button but in others the new pen features are quite nice.
As you can probably tell, nothing has moved me to do another upgrade but it's really tempting. Like the performance drops are quite bad but I think I just need to reset my phone.
I have a portable touchscreen monitor exclusively for emergency monitor space and rhythm games. Paired with my Linux laptop it's been pleasant, especially with some tools to sync my notifications and messages in any network.
I am in a similar boat, with my Galaxy S9. If you had to choose another phone today, would you stick to Samsung Galaxy or would choose something different?
What phone are you using?
Currently have my SIM card in the S23 Plus. I go back and forth between that and my Pixel 7. I have an iPhone 8, Sony Xperia 5 II, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone SE 3rd Gen on reserve for testing.
Are you happy with it? What are its best and worst qualities?
Pretty happy for the most part. I upgrade and try new phones all the time, so honestly, only so many devices excite me anymore. The S23 Plus and the Pixel 7 have been much better experiencing for me than the S22 lineup and the Pixel 6 lineup in terms of overall software stability and battery life. Both devices are buttery smooth with a slight edge going to the Pixel in terms of smoothness. I like the Pixel because I'm in the US and I can root the Pixel and take advantage of a few things like Unlimited Google Photos backup. For the S23 Plus, I like that it pairs seamlessly with my laptop, but that's not a huge deal to me.
Which phones have you had previously? Which were the best and worst of the lot?
I've had almost every phone you can think of that sells in the American market. I've owned all the Pixels since the Pixel 2. I've owned every iPhone since the 3gs. I've owned every Samsung S and Note device since the S3 and the Note 2. For OnePlus devices I've owned everything since the 7 Pro. I've also owned every Z Flip, Z Fold, Surface Duo 1 & 2, and the Nothing Phone (1). The only ASUS device I've owned is the Zenphone 9. Shit, I've even owned the RAZR (2019).
Regarding the best, my absolute favorite phones are the iPhone 5c and the Pixel 2. I used the shit out of both of those devices.
The worst would have to be the Surface Duo (1), Z Flip 3, and iPhone 12 Mini. I had high expectations for each of those 3 and was tremendously disappointed by each device. Honorable mention goes out to the iPhone 14 Pro. I regretted that purchase since the return period ended.
How often do you upgrade to a new phone?
Usually, every time a new phone comes out.
What other Android ecosystem devices do you have? Watches, headphones/earbuds, etc.
The only devices I have that are directly tied to the Android Ecosystem are my Pixel Watch and Galaxybook3 Pro 360. I have many other devices and headphones, but they aren't a part of the Android ecosystem.
Do you also use any Apple products, or are you Android all the way? (And Windows, Linux, ChromeOS, etc.)
I like to keep a diverse ecosystem. I have an Apple Watch Series 7, AirPods Max, iPad Pro 12.9" M2, and MacBook Pro 14" M2. On the other hand, I have a Legion 7 Slim gaming laptop, Samsung Galaxybook3 Pro 360, ASUS ROG Ally, Surface Headphone II, Bose QC II, and Galaxy Tab S8.
Wow that's crazy. Do you work in tech, or do you test all these phones primarily as a hobby?
Samsung S22.
Samsung is the one manufacturer with the best camera in a small form factor. Everyone else sacrifices the camera in their smallest model.
The fact that One UI's quick toggles now look better than Android's is a bonus. I still can't get over the ginormous rectangles that the quick toggles became.
Motorola edge 30 neo I'm somewhat satisfied with it, small size 68w fast charging and 120hz display are nice features on this midrange phone. The camera is okay and I prefer the smaller size. Too bad it's only getting two android updates. I've owned op nord ce, oneplus one, honor 8 lite (good cam but not ebkugh storage) and xperia xz1 compact. I use my phone with xm4 headphones (can't use earbuds for health reasons). Rn I'm using linux mint but that might change once I start studying something.