What phone you use as your daily driver? And, a discussion of them.

[Space Lynx]

Still using the Pixel 3 I got back in September 2022 on eBay for $70.

View attachment 337811

Just updated it to Android 14, which marks the second "unsupported" release I've run on it.

I still have no plans to replace it, it still needs a new battery and USB port, and my only real complaints are the lack of storage (64GB) and the lack of RAM (4GB).

In other news, LineageOS 21 fixed voicemail not working, and also fixed the stock camera app not saving the orientation of photos.

you are my hero. budget tcl 2230 drives, and now this? I thought I was king of good deals and saving, but no sir, you are. I kneel before thee. Knight me sir, and I shall conquer the realms as your liege!

@oxrufiioxo all this guy does is win win win

 

[faye]

Still using the Pixel 3 I got back in September 2022 on eBay for $70.

View attachment 337811

Just updated it to Android 14, which marks the second "unsupported" release I've run on it.

I still have no plans to replace it, it still needs a new battery and USB port, and my only real complaints are the lack of storage (64GB) and the lack of RAM (4GB).

In other news, LineageOS 21 fixed voicemail not working, and also fixed the stock camera app not saving the orientation of photos.

I respect it, but also like... why.

 

[potsdaman]

Oneplus 9RT

 

[sam_86314]

I respect it, but also like... why.

Because, after all...

Why should I upgrade to a new phone every year like everyone else when a six year old flagship does basically everything I need?

Really, the Pixel 3 checks the most boxes for me with what I want in a phone. If it had expandable storage, a headphone jack, and more RAM, it would be my ideal phone.

Also, the Pixel 3 is, in my opinion, the perfect size for a phone. Modern flagships are just way too big.

The closest new phone to my ideal phone would be something like a Sony Xperia 1 V, but the size is too big and I worry about not being able to use custom ROMs. Plus, it's like $1200.

 

[AusWolf]

Because where are you going to get the frequency to run a 5G network? There's only so many frequency bands to work with and frequency licenses aren't cheap. So, because 5G is the new, cool, hip, trendy network technology that everyone wants to get because oh yeah, you'll be able to download more cat videos faster, you have to rob from the older 4G LTE network frequency space to be able to feed the newer 5G networks. How does this not make any sense to anyone here?

Why would 5G have to rob the frequency from 4G? What about 3G or 2G which are way older and are used by way fewer people?

It depends upon what apps you may use and how many of them you want to be able to juggle at once. Some are hungrier than others. It's just like it depends upon what you plan on doing with your PC. I, myself, would never dream of running a Windows system with anything less than 32 GBs of RAM.

So then it's not Android that needs 16 GB RAM, but the apps that you use. Like I said, I'm fine with even 4 GB in my trusty "old" Samy A22.

As for PCs, Windows 10 runs even on 4 GB, although the experience isn't pleasant. I'd say 8 GB is fine for browsing and video playback. 16 is the bare minimum for gaming, 24-32 is recommended.

 

[unwind-protect]

That's the thing about Android, a typical Android phone needs at least 16 GBs of RAM for it to perform well otherwise it runs like hot shit. Meanwhile, iOS runs phenomenally well on as little as 6 or 8 GBs of RAM.

I at least partially blame Java. It's not so much the OS as in the kernel that is bigger, but the applications all stir a GCed heap in a Java VM.

 

[bonehead123]

FYI, for anyone (in the USA) who cares

• AT&T stopped servicing its 2G network back in 2017
• Verizon Wireless phased out its 2G CDMA network at the end of 2020
• Sprint sunsetted their 2G CDMA network in December of 2021
• T-Mobile sunsetted their 2G network in December of 2022
• 
  
• AND
• Verizon sunsetted its CDMA network at the end of 2022
• AT&T sunsetted their 3G network in February of 2022 with the last date for phone activation on the 3G network being already past
• T-Mobile sunsetted their 3G networks in April, 2022
• The last activation date for 3G on the Sprint network was April 2019, and the Sprint 3G network was shut down in December of 2022

And 4G networks will also be sunsetted in a similar fashion....however, that probably won't happen for about ~5-7 years, thanks to DSS (Dynamic spectrum sharing) which allows 4 & 5G networks to share/divide up the spectrum frequencies....

Not sure of what's happening across the pond, but since I never go there, it doesn't matter to me anyways

 

[AusWolf]

FYI, for anyone (in the USA) who cares

• AT&T stopped servicing its 2G network back in 2017
• Verizon Wireless phased out its 2G CDMA network at the end of 2020
• Sprint sunsetted their 2G CDMA network in December of 2021
• T-Mobile sunsetted their 2G network in December of 2022
• 
  
• AND
• Verizon sunsetted its CDMA network at the end of 2022
• AT&T sunsetted their 3G network in February of 2022 with the last date for phone activation on the 3G network being already past
• T-Mobile sunsetted their 3G networks in April, 2022
• The last activation date for 3G on the Sprint network was April 2019, and the Sprint 3G network was shut down in December of 2022

And 4G networks will also be sunsetted in a similar fashion....however, that probably won't happen for about ~5-7 years, thanks to DSS (Dynamic spectrum sharing) which allows 4 & 5G networks to share/divide up the spectrum frequencies....

Not sure of what's happening across the pond, but since I never go there, it doesn't matter to me anyways

That's weird!

Over here, across the 4 major providers, Three (that's the name of one) is the only one who doesn't have a 2G network, as far as I know. As for the rest, there are plans to shut down 2G networks eventually, but it hasn't been actualised, yet. One website says "the UK government has received confirmation from mobile network operators that they have no plans to continue providing 2G mobile networks beyond 2033."

Meanwhile, an article from 23rd Jan says, "EE launched their 5G network in mid-2019, 5G is now live in over 50% of the UK population, and the plan is to cover the whole country by 2028." 50% is not a lot by any means, and 2028 is very far ahead.

Basically, 3G (and even 2G in some cases) is still essential in maintaining connectivity in rural areas.

 

[P4-630]

I can do about 3 days with my full battery charged S23.

 

[Ruru]

Still using the same iP8+, though it dropped out of support when iOS17 was released and its home button is broken (funny that TouchID still works), probably finally time to upgrade... maybe to an used SE 2022?

 

[gffermari]

I think I wrote in this topic at some point that I have an iPhone 8 for some years.
A couple of days ago, the company I now work for, gave me an iPhone SE 3rd gen (work phone).
It's amazing and weird at the same time that this phone is actually an iPhone 13 with the shape of an iPhone 8.

Although I like big phones (about 6inch - my wife's iPhone 11 is just perfectly sized for me), I have to admit that it is convenient to put both phones in one pocket of your trouser or jacket.

 

[springs113]

My daily is a s24u and my leisure is an 15pm. I like them both for different reasons and will continue to compare and contrast them for the next couple weeks to see which one I'll keep as the daily.

 

[dgianstefani]

My daily is a s24u and my leisure is an 15pm. I like them both for different reasons and will continue to compare and contrast them for the next couple weeks to see which one I'll keep as the daily.

They both have perks. iPhone is more polished, more or less as cutting edge, but a lot more "we've decided this is the best way to do things and there is zero alternative". Samsung S-U series is basically the best of the Android experience, with 7 years of updates etc, and huge development behind them (yes, yes, some Chinese phones have slightly better hardware specs in some areas but software is lacking/dodgy, and support not as good).

Ultimately the main issue with Samsung S series phones are the Exynos chipsets (easy enough to avoid) and the integral software bloat (though this can be said of any phone, including iPhones). Thankfully the bloat can be fixed via ADB tools connecting to PC, and this cleanup persists after updates. There's also ways to clean up the phone and background processes, phone home stuff etc. simply through the inbuilt settings and developer options. Even the launcher can be simply changed, Nova Launcher Prime is my go to for most of a decade. It's the options IMO that make the Android phones real geek phones, iPhones are certainly very good for work, but they're locked boxes, and their software locking parts to the phone so you can't repair it yourself (yes you can buy parts from Apple but it's the same price as having them repair it), even with swapped parts from an identical, new, iPhone, leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Being able to uninstall the default browser, messaging app, even things like the camera app or Google services, and replace with superior alternatives (Signal, Opera etc.) is what makes Android great.

I'll be upgrading when the S series releases with a solid state battery, a very efficient CPU, and preferably a more durable exterior than what I have now (ceramic back S10+), they're already there with Corning Armor Glass, but it's annoying Sammy hasn't released a ceramic phone for a good while.

 

[de.das.dude]

They both have perks. iPhone is more polished, more or less as cutting edge, but a lot more "we've decided this is the best way to do things and there is zero alternative". Samsung S-U series is basically the best of the Android experience, with 7 years of updates etc, and huge development behind them (yes, yes, some Chinese phones have slightly better hardware specs in some areas but software is lacking/dodgy, and support not as good).

Ultimately the main issue with Samsung S series phones are the Exynos chipsets (easy enough to avoid) and the integral software bloat (though this can be said of any phone, including iPhones). Thankfully the bloat can be fixed via ADB tools connecting to PC, and this cleanup persists after updates. There's also ways to clean up the phone and background processes, phone home stuff etc. simply through the inbuilt settings and developer options. Even the launcher can be simply changed, Nova Launcher Prime is my go to for most of a decade. It's the options IMO that make the Android phones real geek phones, iPhones are certainly very good for work, but they're locked boxes, and their software locking parts to the phone so you can't repair it yourself (yes you can buy parts from Apple but it's the same price as having them repair it), even with swapped parts from an identical, new, iPhone, leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Being able to uninstall the default browser, messaging app, even things like the camera app or Google services, and replace with superior alternatives (Signal, Opera etc.) is what makes Android great.

I'll be upgrading when the S series releases with a solid state battery, a very efficient CPU, and preferably a more durable exterior than what I have now (ceramic back S10+), they're already there with Corning Armor Glass, but it's annoying Sammy hasn't released a ceramic phone for a good while.

honestly i dropped my phone 3 times on the first day. didnt have any case, and the glass back is super slippery. which is stupid.

fortunately no dings or cracking of the glass. guess they have some shock absorption built in

 

[dgianstefani]

honestly i dropped my phone 3 times on the first day. didnt have any case, and the glass back is super slippery. which is stupid.

fortunately no dings or cracking of the glass. guess they have some shock absorption built in

Rhinoshield to the rescue. If only they made a case compatible with the Quadlock mounting system.

 

[de.das.dude]

Rhinoshield to the rescue. If only they made a case compatible with the Quadlock mounting system.

i just use a normal case that has a transluscent back and soft TPU edges lol. i have around 3-4 cases in all, 2 like this, and 2 more soft TPU cases that are in mauve and one in black with microfibre inside.

cant get any good wraps here, else i always use a wrap instead of a case. my A51 has survived (counts on fingers) 4/5 years now

 

[Morgoth]

i use a motorola g32 but i find phones so frustrating to use... give me a windows pc any day...

 

[de.das.dude]

i use a motorola g32 but i find phones so frustrating to use... give me a windows pc any day...

but a phone and PC are completely different things in terms of use cases

 

[dgianstefani]

but a phone and PC are completely different things in terms of use cases

They're both PCs, just different form factors.

 

[Morgoth]

find the small touche screens and the software so klunky compared to a fullblown windows pc with keyboard and mouse.

 

[trparky]

They're both PCs, just different form factors.

I would disagree. Now, if we were to compare a PC to a tablet then yes, the lines really start to blur. Recent versions of iPad OS have really started making the iPad into a more useful device than just a device with a blown-up phone OS, but it still needs a lot of work.

I, myself, would like to see iPad OS function a lot more like it's big brother, MacOS, but I have a feeling that Apple would never do that since that would cannibalize their Mac sales.

 

[dgianstefani]

I would disagree. Now, if we were to compare a PC to a tablet then yes, the lines really start to blur. Recent versions of iPad OS have really started making the iPad into a more useful device than just a device with a blown-up phone OS, but it still needs a lot of work.

I, myself, would like to see iPad OS function a lot more like it's big brother, MacOS, but I have a feeling that Apple would never do that since that would cannibalize their Mac sales.

IpadOS/iOS doesn't even have a user facing filesystem in the classic sense, Android is much closer to the PC experience. So much so that you can plug your phone into a screen and run full Linux. If the only thing you're talking about is screen real estate then that's just a form factor argument.

 

[P4-630]

I remember the days when I didn't need to use a computer at an internetcafe anymore to email when I was abroad....

1999, my first own windows PC...

Casio Cassiopeia E100 with a compactflash DialUp modem..

 

[trparky]

IpadOS/iOS doesn't even have a user facing filesystem in the classic sense

That's why I'm saying that iPad OS needs a lot more work if it's truly going to fully emulate the experience of its bigger brother, MacOS. But alas, as I stated before, I doubt Apple will do it since it would effectively make it so that buying a full-blown Mac would not be necessary thus cannibalizing their Mac sales.

Hence the reason the idea of an iPad Pro is stupid, at least in my opinion. It's Pro in name only. But, you know, all Apple needs to do is slap the word "Pro" on it and the Apple fanatics eat that shit up.

 

[pf100]

Pixel 3a