this post was submitted on 25 Jul 2023

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I'm having a tough time choosing my next android smartphone, any ideas? (lemy.lol)

submitted 11 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I am picky about the features I look for in a smartphone. Hopefully this post can be a good resource for myself and others who have similar preferences. For reference, I am using a Oneplus 7 Pro with a non-functional camera and flashlight.

Very important features

Battery life

It should handle a day's worth of general usage before charging. Heat kills batteries, so decent heat dissipation is important too.

Durability or repairability

I recently bought a Google Pixel 5a, a phone I greatly enjoyed before I dropped it 5 feet and the display decided its work was done. My top priority is to have a useable device for ~5 years before needing an upgrade.

Storage

I like storing my music collection (30 GB and growing) and expandable storage would save me from having to carry a DAP (mp3 player). Without expandable storage it should have 256 GB storage.

Price

Electronics aren't meant to last a long time; I'd prefer devices costing ~300 USD, but I would gladly pay a little more for reliability.

Microphone

Please let me be intelligible on phone calls. Please? Pretty please?

Software updates or custom ROM support

OS updates for 3+ years or resources on XDA for flashing a custom ROM. Ideally LineageOS.

Would be nice

Root capability

It's a bit dated nowadays, but I really do appreciate having that extra bit of control. This also ties into custom ROM support.

Fingerprint Sensor

I loved the dedicated fingerprint sensor on my Pixel 5a. Power button fingerprints are worse, but better than nothing. Typing in my passcode every time is a bit of a pain.

Speakers

Preferably dual front facing stereo speakers. Having some decent output for videos when I don't have anything else with me would be nice.

OLED/AMOLED display

Makes stuff WAY easier to see when the sun's all sunny.

Processing power

I don't play phone games. I watch a lot of media and I message people. Must be capable of simultaneously running muliple apps and background services.

IPA ratings

It'd be pretty sick if I could bring it with me in the shower without worrying about water damage.

Fast charging

Won't always use it, but it'd be great to have.

Cutting corners

Screen resolution

I don't need a 4K display. Hell, I don't need a 1080p display. If it cuts costs, 720p is just fine so long as it looks okay.

Size

It can be big or small, thick or thin. Not picky.

Other features I don't need

Headphone jack, NFC, 5G, wireless charging

The phones I am looking at right now are as follows

Sony Xperia 10 V - No custom ROM support, long term durability is unclear.
Fairphone 4 - Slightly out of price range.
Samsung Galaxy XCover6 Pro - Way out of price range. I would appreciate any input or questions.

EDIT: As of 4/13/24, I decided to pick up a Samsung S20 FE. It's been treating me well, and for the low low price of $280 NEW, I'm very pleased with what I got. My complaint is that the vibrate is seriously weak. Use it on sound mode if you don't want to constantly miss notifications.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 months ago (1 children)

FYI- If you're in the USA and want custom ROM support and the ability to actually make phone calls, the Google Pixel line is pretty much your only choice. I think a couple of OnePlus phones may also be working.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

Plus on Pixel you can run GrapheneOS.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 months ago (3 children)

If you are looking to use it for 5 years, I'd say go with Fairphone. They actually have a 5 year warranty and committed to providing software updates for 6 years. All other phones will lose support in 2 or 3 years, leaving you vulnerable to security vulnerabilities.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

Definitely a strong contender due to the replaceable battery and other parts. If I cannot find a phone that performs as well in my ideal price range this is probably what I will end up doing. Thank you for the input!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

Jup, Fairphone. Enough phone for anything you need to do. Repairable and fair. Best thing

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

Came here to say this. I love my Fairphone!!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

I used to promote OnePlus but after the recent change in their OS, I'd not purchase another one. I'd suggest the Samsung Galaxy A14. I'd really like and recommend the Fairphone 4 if you can deal with some of the limitations.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

I recently got a Pixel 6 Pro after my Pixel 4 XL died. I'm not sure I'd recommend it. It runs a bit hot and am not so sure about the battery life.

One thing I can recommend is Swappa. I've had great experiences getting cheaper phones if you're ok not always running the latest and greatest.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I'd you can find one, the LG Velvet 5G is solid bang for the buck, especially at clearance prices.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

As someone currently using a Velvet 5G, and genuinely does not hate the experience, I have real trouble recommending a company that is no longer producing phones. However, being that I forget to charge the phone constantly and both the front and back have been demolished for over 18 months of my ownership, it certainly meets the top 2 criteria.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I've never been one for brand lockin. I did the same journey OP doing. Here's what I want; and here's everything on gsm arena that comes close. The lgv5g simply blew the rest out the water and because it was discontinued I got it for a quarter of the price. This was two years ago when 5G was just starting to hit towers in my area, so 5G phones besides Apple and Samsung were slim pickings. Getting something with an sd card, headphone jack, USB c port, wifi6, and waterproof all in one box? End of discussion. I'm tempted to grab another for when this one dies.

It's still getting updates and when that stops I'll use a custom ROM if I can.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

That's fair, like I said my screen is demolished so either I'll get tired of that, my bank will quit working on it, or it'll just quit lol. If my screen wasn't demo'd I probably would be more interested in modding it, but I just feel like it's not worth the investment at this point.