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Hey all, we're getting google fi, so I'm getting a new phone with it. I've been a Samsung user since the original Note, it's what I know. I've got a fairly modified UI on a S9 right now. I'm having a hard time choosing which phone. Here are my options: S22, $299: Might as well be an S9 with more cameras. Doesn't really feel like an upgrade. S22+, $399: bigger, but not too big. Huge battery. Seems pretty boss. Pixel 7, $399: never had a pixel, seems people like 'em, but I honestly don't see anything it offers over the S22+, which is the same size, for the same price, and better all around. If it was $299, it'd be a different story. Flip 4, $399: it folds in half. Seems like a much more pocketable phone, cool and unique form factor. Otherwise more or less comparable to the S22, but for another $100, it folds in half. Ruled out: Fold 4, Pixel 7 pro, S22 ultra, Moto G stylus - all way too big (and expensive). I don't play any CPU heavy mobile games, I use the camera for quick snaps of stuff I see, nothing fancy. I don't really take many selfies. I'm leaning toward the Flip just because it's neat and does what I need it to do, but the S22+ offers a lot more for the same price. The pixel is still in the running because it has some stuff like free youtube premium, google VPN, etc., but I already have nordVPN and I've coped with YouTube ads for long enough. Help please? Finger Prince fucked around with this message at 16:38 on Dec 31, 2022 |
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Dec 30, 2022 21:50
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Finger Prince posted:Hey all, we're getting google fi, so I'm getting a new phone with it. I've been a Samsung user since the original Note, it's what I know. I've got a fairly modified UI on a S9 right now. Here are reviews. The Verge has it flaws, but Ars doesn’t seem to have a Fold 4 review (it’s early I am probably just missing it) and the verge is good enough on reviews. Any of them would be fine IMO. Fyi, the Galaxy S23 whatever is coming out late February / early March. Fold 4 review: https://www.theverge.com/23308459/samsung-galaxy-z-fold-4-review-screen-battery-camera-price S22+ review https://www.theverge.com/22955139/samsung-galaxy-s22-plus-review Pixel 7 https://www.theverge.com/23399315/google-pixel-7-pro-review-screen-camera-battery-price I don’t usually recommend the Fold 4 purely due to price, but if you can actually get a “$1800” phone for $400 then sure.
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Dec 31, 2022 12:30
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Duckman2008 posted:Here are reviews. The Verge has it flaws, but Ars doesn’t seem to have a Fold 4 review (it’s early I am probably just missing it) and the verge is good enough on reviews. poo poo I meant the Flip, not Fold. The Flip 4 is $399 and what I'm looking at. Not considering the Fold. I edited my OP.
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Dec 31, 2022 16:37
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The flip series are perfectly adequate phones. They're like one notch down from a flagship, and they fold, which is cool but like... Unless you desperately need your phone to be pocket sized or you like to have a gimmicky phone then the pixel will be a better choice.
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Dec 31, 2022 17:16
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Finger Prince posted:poo poo I meant the Flip, not Fold. The Flip 4 is $399 and what I'm looking at. Not considering the Fold. I edited my OP. Oh that makes more sense. I was like “drat that’s pretty cheap for a fold i might do that too.” The flip is fine but I would agree gimmicky , and I believe it has camera trade offs (read the flip 4 verge review to confirm), so for that potential reason I would recommend the S22+ or pixel 7.
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Dec 31, 2022 18:09
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Duckman2008 posted:Oh that makes more sense. I was like “drat that’s pretty cheap for a fold i might do that too.” The verge review pretty much echoes my thoughts about the Flip 4. The S22+ is, on paper, the best of the bunch. But the form factor of the Flip changes how you interact with the phone in positive ways you wouldn't think of looking at spec sheets. I agree with the reviewer that it's not all the way there, and could do with better cameras. The Flip 5 is probably the one to get when it exists, but for now it kind of looks like "not perfect, but interesting, with cameras at least as good as what you're used to" vs "the same somewhat inconveniently shaped glass brick you're used to, with better cameras".
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Dec 31, 2022 19:15
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My wife's beloved iPhone SE 2016 got a cracked screen a few months ago, so we replaced with a 13 mini. The SE still functions and I was wondering where might be the best place to recycle it. It seems it still has worth - looks like they go for ~$120 refurbished, but all the recycling seems sketchy.
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Dec 31, 2022 21:58
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Bone Crimes posted:My wife's beloved iPhone SE 2016 got a cracked screen a few months ago, so we replaced with a 13 mini. The SE still functions and I was wondering where might be the best place to recycle it. It seems it still has worth - looks like they go for ~$120 refurbished, but all the recycling seems sketchy. There is no way a 2016 SE in any condition is worth $120. Sell on swappa for $30, or recycle through Best Buy or Apple.
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Dec 31, 2022 23:57
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Duckman2008 posted:There is no way a 2016 SE in any condition is worth $120.   I don't actually care about getting back any money, I just want to give it to a place that will reuse it if there is still interest in the phone. Thanks for reminding me that apple does this, that's probably easiest.
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Jan 1, 2023 01:28
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Finger Prince posted:Hey all, we're getting google fi, so I'm getting a new phone with it. I've been a Samsung user since the original Note, it's what I know. I've got a fairly modified UI on a S9 right now. Pixel 7 is the easy pick for those prices. Best camera and software, lots of pixel only features Google rolls out. Just read some reviews and see what people think.
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Jan 1, 2023 07:26
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sourdough posted:Pixel 7 is the easy pick for those prices. Best camera and software, lots of pixel only features Google rolls out. Just read some reviews and see what people think. I've read so, so many reviews. The pixel 7 is usually pitted favorably against the S22, despite being the same size as the S22+, which has more going for it. I just don't see anything in the list of features the pixel offers that's anything more than a "I guess that's nice to have". Ad free youtube, and I think the camera does Google translate without having to open the app or something... That's about it? It's got other features but none I'd use. To my mind, the S22+ wins on bench racing. But like the old Top Gear bit, yes it's brilliant, but I want the Flip. So I decided to get the Flip. Thanks to everyone who replied though. The reviews all essentially say "they're all good choices for different reasons, get the one you want!" so that's what I'm going to do.
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Jan 1, 2023 08:41
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Is there any carrier that never has a 'delayed texts' issue? I've been having this with my carrier, Ting, which is one of those that buys service from other carriers (apparently I'm on T-Mobile right now). Texts received hours later, calls that go straight to missed call. Support is always useless of course since the problem is with their network. I've seen plenty of people complaining about this with other carriers too, but of course it's hard to tell how common it really is. This is driving up the wall. Is there anyone I can switch to or anything I can do to guarantee this will never happen besides making all my friends switch to Signal
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Jan 9, 2023 10:26
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Winty posted:Is there any carrier that never has a 'delayed texts' issue? Ting piggybacks off T-Mobile , so that means that it gets lower data priority than if you signed up for the carrier directly. That said, data priority is more what I would say. Call / text should work fine, they aren’t data intensive. There’s never a guarantee any carrier won’t have an issue like that, but there are posters here using all 3 carriers and in general people aren’t complaining about the issue, so it’s possible switching will solve your issue. That said, what are you paying monthly with Ting ?
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Jan 9, 2023 13:54
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Winty posted:Is there any carrier that never has a 'delayed texts' issue? At least for texts, the dirty little secret is that SMS is a hack system that barely works at the best of times.
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Jan 10, 2023 03:42
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Duckman2008 posted:That said, what are you paying monthly with Ting ? $35/mo for 12GB of fast data. It is one of the best value carriers, I will give them that.
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Jan 10, 2023 05:23
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Winty posted:Support is always useless of course since the problem is with their network. Yeah, about that ... I don't know about the U.S. market specifically, but I believe the economics of the situation applies globally: The big incumbent operators own their own network. They invested a lot of capital into it and spend lot of operational expense (opex) on maintaining it. They notice they have some spare capacity, so they sign up "sub-contracting" operators who can coexist on the network. We call them a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO). The price the MVNO gets charged will set in a negotiation, but the floor of the cost will be whatever capital expense (capex) and opex costs the incumbent has. Then, on top of that, some profit margin for the incumbent. Let's call this the wholesale price. The business proposition for the MVNO will be to be able to charge a price to consumers which is lower than the incumbent's price, but sufficiently higher than the wholesale price that it will fit their own opex and capex, and still turn a profit. In the end, the only way Ting will be profitable is if they have a significantly lower (opex+capex) than T-Mobile. Guess what they will do in order to achieve that? That's right, save on customer support. They'll hire fewer than needed customer support agents, and do gently caress-all for training them, and pay them peanuts. Probably they will outsource them to the third world. This is fine if you're reasonably technically competent and can work out your own problems, or if you're just willing to take a little more risk, or really short on money. This is why you never sign up older relatives for an MVNO. My mom did this in order to save $2 a month, and she's been complaining so much about their customer service that I could write a book about it.
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Jan 16, 2023 08:41
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Hippie Hedgehog posted:Yeah, about that ... I don't know about the U.S. market specifically, but I believe the economics of the situation applies globally: 100% this. Visible is a Verizon one (owned by Verizon but still operated like above) and literally there is 0 phone or in person support. It is ONLY online chat. People call in and don’t believe me when I tell them “no , for real, there is no one you can call that can help you.”
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Jan 16, 2023 13:32
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Finger Prince posted:I've read so, so many reviews. The pixel 7 is usually pitted favorably against the S22, despite being the same size as the S22+, which has more going for it. I just don't see anything in the list of features the pixel offers that's anything more than a "I guess that's nice to have". Ad free youtube, and I think the camera does Google translate without having to open the app or something... That's about it? It's got other features but none I'd use. To my mind, the S22+ wins on bench racing. But like the old Top Gear bit, yes it's brilliant, but I want the Flip. So I decided to get the Flip. It's so easy to read way too many reviews pitting X against Y, and go a bit mad in the process, which is what I always do whenever I look to buy expensive technology that I'll know I'll be using all the time, and I get completely lost in the weeds, when in fact it's all pretty good. I do think that with all these flagship smartphones, they're either all up to standard or they have some terrible glaring issue, in which case you'll probably see that glaring issue mentioned a lot by people. I really think a lot of the spec comparison reviewing can only go so far, and a lot of these flagship devices boil down to a question of what feels most comfortable in your hand, and what you like the look and feel of the hardware/software design the most, and what you can get a deal/contract on that you're happy with financially. Getting a chance to try them out and seeing what's to your tastes, really.
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Jan 16, 2023 15:01
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In Canada, been a while since I've needed a new phone. I'm seeing an unlocked Motorola One 5G Ace for $299 new. The camera's better, I like having some battery, and the 6 gigs of ram would be a step up, but if something better for about that price can be recommended I'm all ears.
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Jan 17, 2023 07:58
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Arbite posted:In Canada, been a while since I've needed a new phone. I'm seeing an unlocked Motorola One 5G Ace for $299 new. The camera's better, I like having some battery, and the 6 gigs of ram would be a step up, but if something better for about that price can be recommended I'm all ears. DO NOT BUY THAT PHONE. Support ends for it at the end of the month. This month. It's because I bought one of those in 2021 that I bought a Pixel 6 in 2022. The only possible saving grace for the phone is that LineageOS has an updated firmware for it, which I intend to install on mine once Motorola's support for it officially ends. Unless you were already intending to run an alternative ROM it seems like a bad idea to buy one.
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Jan 17, 2023 08:50
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CaptainSarcastic posted:DO NOT BUY THAT PHONE. Eesh, thank you. I'll keep looking then. *edit* Seeing a new pixel 6a for 399 CAD, how's that as an option? Arbite fucked around with this message at 19:54 on Jan 17, 2023 |
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Jan 17, 2023 19:42
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Arbite posted:Eesh, thank you. I'll keep looking then. That would be a better phone and actually has a reasonable support window on it. I'm really happy with my Pixel 6, and I've been considering getting a 6a for my Dad. The Motorola One 5G Ace is actually a nice phone, but the software support is so bad that it made it untenable. A 6a will give you a better camera and better performance than the Ace and will have a support lifespan better than that of a fruitfly. Apparently once Lenovo bought Motorola support for their phones just tanked, and I see no signs of that changing any time soon. I'm weird and have two active phones, so my Ace is still up and running.
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Jan 17, 2023 20:07
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I've got a Pixel 2xl and maybe it's time to move on. I like the base android experience of the Pixel. Is the 6a the way to go? I guess ideally maybe a Fairphone 4 or something not associated with the big spy corps but I'm sure I'm out of luck in that way. It looks like they don't even sell the 6 anymore, but just the 6a and the 7s. In reality it's a phone and SA browser and I'm never really using any intense apps or anything so 6a for the budget?
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Jan 18, 2023 18:53
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Dr. Fraiser Chain posted:I've got a Pixel 2xl and maybe it's time to move on. I like the base android experience of the Pixel. Is the 6a the way to go? I guess ideally maybe a Fairphone 4 or something not associated with the big spy corps but I'm sure I'm out of luck in that way. Yeah, it sucks but any phone that is not apple, google or Samsung is bad. Just don’t bother, the quality and support just isn’t there. 6a is a great buy, if you’re just standard web browsing maps and poo poo posting it would be a def recommend.
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Jan 18, 2023 19:03
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Country/Provider: USA, spectrum mobile (so Verizon) Current contract status: pay as you go with red pocket, using a Xiaomi Redmi note 8 pro from 2-3 years ago. It's still running mostly fine but it doesn't have 5G so I gotta make the switch Budget (phone/plan): roughly $300 USD, could go a tiny bit over if it's really worth it, or under Features I know I want: a bright, big screen, a decent to good camera, and snappy performance. I really don't care about much else. I've basically been weighing out buying a newer midrange phone like the OnePlus Nord N20 for $299, or getting a slightly older flagship phone from a couple years ago, like the galaxy note 10+ or something along those lines. On the other hand I've been reading about the LG V60 and it's honestly intriguing. They're only like $150 on eBay and that seems kind of crazy for the reviews I'm watching?? Keep reading people say that they're going to keep their v60 for years to come and that's wild! Any advice at all would be appreciated! I hate buying phones! 
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Jan 23, 2023 14:50
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zeldadude posted:It's still running mostly fine but it doesn't have 5G so I gotta make the switch
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Jan 23, 2023 15:27
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zeldadude posted:Country/Provider: USA, spectrum mobile (so Verizon) Never buy LG phones they’re terrible. There’s a reason they’re no longer making phones. Swappa has the Pixel 6 Pro at $300ish , that’s what I would lean towards recommending for that price. There’s always a bit of the roll of the dice with any refurb or used device , but that’s a solid price.
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Jan 23, 2023 18:44
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butt dickus posted:is this a requirement from your carrier? if not, this is a terrible reason to change phones I guess I'm not 100% sure of the reason but my current phone on red pocket was totally fine coverage wise until they shut off the at&t 3g towers to enable 5g. Ever since I have no cell signal at all like 80% of the day. And yet my work phone which is a 5G Samsung phone on AT&T has no issues side by side. My partner has the same exact phone as me on the same carrier with the same issue that started at the same time, so I just kind of assumed that I needed a 5G phone. Maybe a red pocket issue? Whatever, I think it's time for an upgrade anyways. I'll look into that pixel. Thanks! Also, what exactly is so bad about LG phones? There has to be SOME reason the V60 still ha such a huge cult following years later? zeldadude fucked around with this message at 20:40 on Jan 23, 2023 |
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Jan 23, 2023 20:36
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My Pixel 3a is bootlooping and I feel like I've reached the point of diminishing returns on repairing it. Ideally I'd get something like a Fairphone 3, since I just want to have something reasonably durable and easy to repair, but those aren't available in the US. Are there any alternatives at ~$400? If not, is the Pixel 6a any good?
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Jan 31, 2023 00:34
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reposting this here after hearing this thread is more appropriate:grieving for Gandalf posted:my Pixel 5 is beginning to show its age and was looking at stuff for the P7 when I saw Google Fi plans. I'm paying $70/month for unlimited through T-Mobile, but I see there's a $50 (plus taxes, but probably still less than $70) unlimited plan through Google. do people like Google Fi? does it get good coverage? I don't know anyone irl who has it
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Feb 5, 2023 03:07
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If you want to find out what even worse/more nonexistent support than t-mobile is like, definitely check out Fi For any other reason, no, stick with real carriers if you value reliable service/your existing phone number/money/time
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Feb 5, 2023 03:49
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Javid posted:For any other reason, no, stick with real carriers if you value reliable service/your existing phone number/money/time
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Feb 5, 2023 16:29
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butt dickus posted:why is this? i've had zero issues with fi and support answered my question immediately The real answer is mileage varies. Prepaid carriers like Fi are fine , but your quality of data speeds / priority , customer support, etc will vary a LOT. Coverage can def vary on where in the US are. Most people posting here don’t need a lot of customer service , so should be fine , but that’s the big two is coverage and customer service.
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Feb 5, 2023 17:22
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Fi is fine for EXACTLY as long as nothing breaks and you don't need support to actually do anything more complicated than help you activate. Literally anything beyond that and they just want to "escalate to a specialist" who cannot be reached by whatever method you're using, and will email you "soon" front line will then refuse to lift a finger because it has "already been escalated" to a specialist who never actually makes contact. repeat forever until it is too late to fix the issue. It's also worth noting that fi's $50 "unlimited" plan is still only 35 gigs, after which they throttle it to dialup speeds which are not actually usable for most purposes here in 2023 Your life is almost certainly better paying t-mobile $70
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Feb 6, 2023 04:29
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As someone who lives outside the US, I've been having some issues with one bank accepting my VOIP phone number to verify my account. They simply will not accept any other option and requires me to have a non-VOIP number to receive texts. I have been doing a lot of research online and looking for the following recommendation:
The one website I've found is called Phone Blur (https://www.phoneblur.com/landing) and they have a service where for $5 a month, you can receive a non-VOIP number to accept texts but I wanted to ask here if anyone recommends a different way to go about this.
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Feb 6, 2023 09:13
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My Pixel 4 XL has the ? battery error (something to do with the connector) so it seems like it can only be charged wirelessly now. I've only used Nexus/Pixels, but if my discount comes through, I'll probably try Samsung and get the new S23U. If my deal doesn't come through, should I go with something top end or is there something just over the horizon that I should hold out for and make do with a cheapo/old model phone?
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Feb 6, 2023 09:48
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crepeface posted:
Nah, either get the S23 or the Pixel 7 Pro. I don’t know how Australian carriers work, but Samsung always runs promos during pre order so I would check with your carrier this week.
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Feb 6, 2023 13:52
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Javid posted:Fi is fine for EXACTLY as long as nothing breaks and you don't need support to actually do anything more complicated than help you activate. Literally anything beyond that and they just want to "escalate to a specialist" who cannot be reached by whatever method you're using, and will email you "soon" I think that's about as direct a review as I can ask for, thank you, I'll just stick with T-Mobile
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Feb 6, 2023 18:07
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Hey there, my phone is an aging Samsung A8 that the battery has more or less crapped out. I was looking at the Moto G Play from Costco which is three years newer (2021 vs my 2018 Samsung). It's on sale for 149.97 and I was thinking that might be a decent bet for me to upgrade to. But the thing is I tried to compare them online and while I found some comparos the numbers don't mean much to me. Like do I really care about the speed of the cores or whatever? The screen looks like it's lower resolution maybe? I don't do any gaming or anything on the phone. I use it to read ebooks, listen to spotify, browse social media, and watch Youtube and Plex. Is the Moto G Play gonna treat me well or is it a crappy phone and that's why it's cheap?
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Feb 9, 2023 22:04
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boneration posted:Hey there, my phone is an aging Samsung A8 that the battery has more or less crapped out. I was looking at the Moto G Play from Costco which is three years newer (2021 vs my 2018 Samsung). It's on sale for 149.97 and I was thinking that might be a decent bet for me to upgrade to. But the thing is I tried to compare them online and while I found some comparos the numbers don't mean much to me. Like do I really care about the speed of the cores or whatever? The screen looks like it's lower resolution maybe? If that is actually the Moto G Play (2021) then definitely don't buy it - support for the phone ended last month. I have one that I bought in 2021 because I had not yet learned my lesson that Motorola support is the worst in the business. In general I would advise against Motorola as a brand because their software support is incredibly bad, and their support lifetimes incredibly short. If somewhere is still selling the G Play (2021) it seems like borderline fraud since it is no longer a supported phone.
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Feb 10, 2023 00:28
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