New phone. What to choose?

[Devon68]

Hi guys and gals. I'm here asking you for you 2 cent's on which phone to choose. In 2018 I bought a Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus (or Note 5 in some parts of the world). It has started to show it's age and to stutter and slow down. I'm thinking of buying a new phone but dont know which phones to look at. I have been looking at Xiaomi 12X and a handful of Samsung phones from S10 ->S20 and even the Note 10 or 20 series. Dont know what to choose. My budget is max 800 euros.

 

[sam_86314]

I'd recommend checking out Google's Pixel phones unless you need flagship performance.

I've been dailying a Pixel 5a since November and I really like it. It's not the fastest thing, but it does everything I need it to.

 

[Count von Schwalbe]

I can second that. Samsung makes a great phone but I can't stand the software side of it. Pixel phones have a really clean interface. Also, the Pixel 6 phones are a great deal if bugs don't bother you, and are up there in the flagship range.

 

[sneekypeet]

Pixel 4a as a daily here. No issues, and will get another when this shows its age. Plus Google's phone plan is cheap as hell, well here in the US anyways.

 

[dark2099]

Been on the Google phone train since the Nexus 6, haven't had every generation, but never been disappointed by them.

 

[Vya Domus]

My budget is max 800 euros.

If you're not bound to Android I'd suggest considering an iPhone, if there is one thing they really have going for them is that they have extremely fast chipsets that will last you much longer than most Android phones.

 

[eidairaman1]

Motorolla G Power series I suggest, built like tanks

 

[freeagent]

I like iPhones

It's all I buy

But I own apps, games, movies, music.. books lol. So I am tied right in.

I didn't think Android was much different, other than it kind of sucked the last time I used it, and I could use torrent on it.. cant do that on an iPhone lol. But it works sort of the same way, you buy things from the play store, and you get tied in to that eco system. Same shit different pile right?

They are pretty tough too. I work in a machine shop and always lean into the machine, so I lean on my glass phone. Its been dropped, kicked, stepped on.. its good. But glass is glass and we all know what happens sooner or later

If you do get one, which I doubt you will.. get one banded with Stainless Steel instead of Aluminum.. way stronger.. and can take some heat better just in case you are running a plasma cutter for extended periods.. I have pics of my old twisted 5S

 

[bug]

Really hard question, especially without knowing your needs.
Pixels are the only ones with timely updates (along with Samsungs that are out mortals' reach). But Pixel don't do dual-SIM or card slots. If you need any of those, you'll need to look elsewhere. Personally, I avoid anything that's heavily customized, that means guaranteed slow updates. And I especially loathe Samsung and how they double each and every Google app while also taking away your ability to disable or uninstall the doppelgangers.
All things considered, it looks like a pretty bad time to buy a phone, with Android One dead and many of the cheaper phones having switched to lame Mediatek or Unisoc chipsets.

 

[Count von Schwalbe]

I didn't think Android was much different, other than it kind of sucked the last time I used it, and I could use torrent on it.. cant do that on an iPhone lol. But it works sort of the same way, you buy things from the play store, and you get tied in to that eco system. Same shit different pile right?

Not if you go Samsung as @bug pointed out... You get 2 apps for the price of one! Even if you only want one... Also, if you are into that, some Android phones can be "De-Googled" especially Pixels (not sure about the 6). Also from watching some of the iPhone guys where I work struggle with the Android, I reckon switching would take some getting used to. My $.02 anyways.

 

[docnorth]

I would agree with @eidairaman1 about Motorola’s. Of course choices are almost unlimited with this budget. If you choose Samsung, prefer the Snapdragon editions. Like you said, just my 2 cents.

 

[GerKNG]

normally i am a samsung guy. (from the S3 until now the S20 + Tablets (5 of them in total) but man samsung turned into EA over the last years.
everything is proprietary and locked down like an iphone when it comes to charging standards, bloatware that you can not uninstall and massive slowdown that requires a full factory reset every year.

i have a galaxy tab a7 (2020 model) it supports fast charging.
guess what... neither of my chargers (S10, S20, Anker nano iii (40W USB-C)) can fast charge this tablet. you are forced to buy one specifically for these tablets to use it because they won't let you run away with a 200€ tablet that can fast charge without another 25 bucks + shipping.

avoid samsung at all cost.

 

[SL2]

It has started to show it's age and to stutter and slow down.

My Samsung S8 is five years now, and I don't see any signs of slowing down, but yeah, I don't play games on it. It's by far the best phone I've ever had, and a few uninstallable apps doesn't change that. Right now I have that feeling that I should buy a new one before it breaks, but I'm curious how long it will last. Admittedly, it's a much faster model than yours.

Buying a fast phone has certainly paid off I guess, and you can get one of the fastest for under €800. Battery, camera and last but not least display are things to consider. I've seen some premium Xiaomi phones with horrible displays that are almost unreadable outdoor in sunlight.

Dunno what I will buy next, but I'm pretty sure it won't be a BBK brand. I hate their way of spamming the market with a new model every 30 seconds.

 

[Mussels]

I'm going to go against my advice from previous years and say avoid googles current phones and consider samsungs with snapdragon chipsets.

Unlike GerKNG, i've had no trouble with chargers and their standards - they support many kinds. The A series devices use 5V 2A/3A, while the S series support qualcomms quick charge and work with 5V/9V/12V - i've had no issues with compatibility with any of my chargers, but i also didnt have any weird expectations on them either.


My pixel 4XL went through three batteries, and when the warranty ended on battery four i got utterly shafted. No support, no repair options, and i get constant popups telling me my battery is covered by warranty just click here! load this webpage! click now! oh, you arent covered fuck off.

That same pixel 4 has been unable to play HD video for the entire time i owned it. Google released a security update that broke Widevine security, locking netflix (and others) to 720p SDR content.
This was only fixed recently, with android 12L (that not all phones got. Google refused to fix this as they offer no warranty for software issues. This issue affected multiple phones, from the Pixel 2 and up.

Theres a lot of existing software issues with the Pixel 6/pro as well, and i mean a LOT. Reddit is a good place to find current threads for existing problems

Google cut back on hardware warranty and software update length, at the same time samsung extended theirs. Longer warranty, updates for longer, and faster updates too. The S22U exynos had a garbage launch, but they've had three major updates to alleviate most of those issues already - my snapdragons been great other than onedrive bugging out draining my battery (it was full, but kept uploading and failing. I believe this was the cause for many users shite battery life at launch)



TL;DR: Google are releasing phones with software and hardware issues and not offering warranty support, samsung is actually doing well with software as long as you avoid the exynos variants

 

[sneekypeet]

Must be a local thing @Mussels . I have no issues with HD play off any stream service, including netflix,a nd Im still on the battery it came with. Not to argue, but more to show both sides of a similar coin.

I got no skin in this game. Ive used all sorts, HTC, Samsung, pixel, whatever. I found most of my issues were carrier dependant, and less on the phones capabilities.

 

[Rhein7]

Lol I think you would be better by asking this on phone sites.
Check Mr Mobile or MKBHD on Youtube for some reviews tbh.

So basically boils down to 3 options IMO:
Samsung S22. Basically the iPhone of Android. You'll get good camera and 4 years of software updates and yes, that's even longer than Pixel's support.

Pixel 6. Check some of the long term reviews like this. You'll get good camera and 3 years of software support though currently there are lots of buggy updates from Google.

iPhone 13. Good camera and +5 years of software support.

If you want the cheaper options there are lots of Xiaomis/Realmes around 400-500 euros with decent specs but of course expect some caveats and 2 years of updates.

 

[cvaldes]

It really depends on your individual usage case.

My current phone is an iPhone 12 mini. Previous iPhones I've owned include the XS, SE, 5s, and 4s. I spend very little time each day on my phone. I value a decent camera especially when I'm on international holiday. I don't gravitate to phones with bigger screens. I have zero interest in "tweaking" or "customizing" my phone. I have never jailbroken any of my iPhones.

Will I buy an iPhone 14 model this fall? I haven't decided but there's a good chance I will not. With my light usage, my 12 mini is in near mint condition. Battery is healthy and it still does everything I need it to do. One thing I do know is that I should continue to receive iOS updates for a couple more years.

 

[Count von Schwalbe]

I have zero interest in "tweaking" or "customizing" my phone.

That was my main reason for getting the Pixel. No messing around with custom launcher or ROMs, just pretty much stock android. The most I have had to do with it is adjust gestures and background.

 

[Hachi_Roku256563]

ive also had no issue on my Pixel 4a
and im in Australia as well
idk whats wrong there

Must be a local thing @Mussels . I h

 

[sam_86314]

That was my main reason for getting the Pixel. No messing around with custom launcher or ROMs, just pretty much stock android. The most I have had to do with it is adjust gestures and background.

Plus, if you did want to go the custom ROM route, Pixel phones tend to have great community support.

I've been thinking about picking up an old Pixel so I can dabble with custom ROMs before putting one on my daily driver.

 

[cvaldes]

That was my main reason for getting the Pixel. No messing around with custom launcher or ROMs, just pretty much stock android. The most I have had to do with it is adjust gestures and background.

Heh, I was under the impression that standard Android phones were suitable for average consumers; after all Android smartphones own the lion's share of the smartphone market. I have plenty of non-techie friends and some of them are Android users.

In fact, a few of them have flip flopped between iPhone and Android over the years and don't seem to be particularly perturbed by any of it. They never bring it up but every now and then I might notice that they have a brand new phone in their hand.

 

[Mussels]

Must be a local thing @Mussels . I have no issues with HD play off any stream service, including netflix,a nd Im still on the battery it came with. Not to argue, but more to show both sides of a similar coin.

I got no skin in this game. Ive used all sorts, HTC, Samsung, pixel, whatever. I found most of my issues were carrier dependant, and less on the phones capabilities.

No it's a firmware bug, when updating the phones would just break the widevine DRM

Considering i went through three of them and none except the very first had working widevine, it was a major issue. The key here is that they broke something and refused to fix it for anyone - 'no support for software' is a TERRIBLE way to deal with issues

 

[sneekypeet]

Worst bug I had was my weather disappearing. Never saw anything you described.

 

[ThaiTaffy]

If you want a phone that can survive serious abuse. I'll nominate Doogee they're reasonably priced seem to do what a phone does even with some frills and mine fell off the roof of the car doing 90kph hit another car head on and it still works perfectly no broken screen and only some scratches to the rubber protectors. It's a brick though but I guess thats unavoidable since it has a 10,000mah battery.

 

[Vya Domus]

Samsung became extremely overpriced in the last few years, not to mention the whole Exynos/Snapdragon issue. Same with Google phones in my opinion, Pixel 6 is the only one that seems somewhat of a good deal but as some have pointed out they've always been plagued by pretty nasty bugs which I always found strange since you know, they wrote the operating system themselves.