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 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
16 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

cross-posted from: https://lemy.lol/post/1519899

EDITED: As I am not in a rush, I've decided that my budget is now $500.

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.
all 19 comments
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[โ€“] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Very hard on that price range. Above your price range sits the Asus Zenfone 10 (the 9 is really good as well), which covers a lot of your points. The 10 allows you to disable everything and have stock Android experience. Not bad ! Not sure the 9 had that.

[โ€“] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

I am sorry for being unclear. I would be willing to pay up to $500 if a phone suited my needs very well, but I am aiming for a lower price. I do not need every feature, just the important ones. Thank you for your input, I will check out the Zenfone!

[โ€“] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I like the Zenfone specifications, but when I watched a teardown of it it appears to be a pain to repair. It will still be on my list, but I do not think that is what I will go for. Thank you!!

[โ€“] CptInsane0 10 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I like the pixel series and recently went with the 7 pro. Wanted to wait until the 8, but my 5 had other ideas.

[โ€“] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Same, but def not in the price range for this dude.

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

How long did you have your 5 before it became unusable?

[โ€“] CptInsane0 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Three years. I dropped it a whole lot of times in those years and eventually the battery swelled and pushed the screen off.

[โ€“] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Xperia 10 V doesn't have 256 GB. If you're ok with 128 GB you can have a look at the Xperia 10 III too, the differences aren't that great (and it's cheaper).

The III has already reached the end of upgrades whereas V will receive another 2 years. On the flip side you can install LineageOS on the III (and probably the V too in the future, check out GSI support).

The thing to keep in mind for LineageOS is that the GSI ROMs will jump to a newer Android version, but the hardware image (drivers etc.) remain stuck on whatever the manufacturer last issued. So they are an upgrade alternative, but there may be incompatibilities in the future, so they're not a perfect one.

The V has eSim support if that's important to you.

[โ€“] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

The Xperia 10 V has expandable storage, and I have a microsd for my music so that is not an issue. I will look at the 10 III and form opinions on it today. eSim is not important to me.

Thank you for the information about LineageOS. I am unfamiliar with it, I thought it would be a good idea since I was using GrapheneOS on my Pixel and I liked it far more than any stock I've experienced.

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

The 10 III is also similar, can take a microSD card to expand storage (interchangeable with a secondary physical SIM).

You can install any GSI ROM not just LineageOS. GrapheneOS is not available outside Pixels up unfortunately but there are many others.

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Hey OP ! I'm digging this back up, I found a smartphone that might interest you (with a few caveats) : The Nokia G42.

It's an interesting one ! Built to be durable and reparable. It's a smartphone, but Nokia worked with iFixIt to design this model; you can remove the back cover to "easily" change the battery, the USB-C port and the screen. It has a headphone jack (even if you don't care), a decent screen (90Hz, 720p though), has expendable storage to 1To, approximately 2 days of battery life (Nokia claims 3 days), it's "cheap" (can be found where I leave to around 230 euros) and has take decent photos (for its price). Not sure about rooting this one though !

The main issues from my point of view are updates (3 years of security update is OK, but 2 years of guaranteed Android updates is short), and the processor, which is quite weak. Not sure how it will perform in newer version of Android.

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Wow. Nokia is fulfilling prayers now apparently.

In seriousness, this is a very promising device. I'll likely wait a bit after release before pulling the trigger on this phone, but honestly it's probably what I'm going to go with. As far as rooting goes, I suppose that's up to the XDA community to decide. The 2 year android updates is pretty short, I agree. But for the price, I think that it would be a good option regardless.

Thanks for following up on this as well!

[โ€“] huojtkeg 2 points 1 year ago

Another OnePlus. Buy a brand new but not the last model. @400โ‚ฌ

[โ€“] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago

Magisk is a popular rooting solution and framework for Android devices. It allows users to gain root access, which means they can modify the system files and settings of their Android devices to perform various customizations, install mods, and use apps that require root access. Magisk provides a systemless approach, meaning it doesn't directly modify the system partition, which makes it more compatible with various devices and avoids issues like tripping SafetyNet