I've been mostly off work for a week with back injury. Not fun at all, and I've not tolerated the drugs at all well either. Finally feeling like I'm back to something close to normal today though, so back to work tomorrow.

Have been setting up my first new phone in about 4 years. Only reason I changed is because the screen on the S10+ was completely past it. Have gone to a Pixel 7a. It's a phone I guess 😂

[–] d3Xt3r 3 points 10 months ago

Good choice on the Pixel! Stock Android (= fast, no bloatware), timely and regular security updates (+ 5 years of updates), decent camera, and you've got the option of installing GrapheneOS if you some day decide to ditch Google and up your security/privacy game. :)

[–] eagleeyedtiger 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I'm still on my S9+! I want a new phone sometime but don't really know what to go for any more. My priorities have changed a little and I only really care about long battery life and maybe a half decent camera. Also maybe if the phone isn't so massive in size..

Remember when flagship phones were like $8-900 max? Now they're like $2k or more. It's crazy people really spend that much on a phone!

[–] Dave 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I got my S10+ for $700 second hand on trademe. Phone was like $1800 new? I got mine a year after release, so could only have been a year old. I got it just after the S20 was released so those people who buy a new phone every year were offloading them on trademe and so I picked up a great deal. Phone was the same price as a mid-range phone but much better specs.

This time I got a Pixel 7 Pro (the larger 256GB model), was $900 and probably a similar $1,800 or so when new (you can get new ones for about $1,400 these days, now the 8 has been released). Buying second hand is of course more risky, because you don't get a warranty, but I figure if 1 out of 3 is no good, then you still come out ahead of buying new.

[–] eagleeyedtiger 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Good idea, but I've always a been a bit wary to buy second hand phones, I should consider it though. Even now I feel bad about spending $900 for a phone. I don't feel like I really need flagship phone features any more. I think I've become boring. 😅

When the wifes S7 died she went to an A53 and it's been more than enough for her. We used to always get the previous generation flagship, but even that now is unreasonably expensive IMO, especially when it's only from last year.

[–] Dave 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

I use my phone a fair bit, and really notice the difference between higher spec and lower spec phones these days. The lower spec ones feel sluggish to me now.

I think it's one of those things that's personal. I buy second hand partly because I feel bad about all the e-waste and try not to contribute, but when I was buying new I spent the same amount for a worse phone so I think it has paid off.

I don't get new phones very often, every 5 years or so if possible. I got a new phone recently not because I needed it, but because we wanted spares for the kids to use for minecraft on long car trips and that sort of thing. We don't have tablets, this sort of serves that purpose. It's the first time I can remember buying a phone when my last one wasn't dead or near to it. Although I couldn't take phone calls because everyone said they couldn't hear me or I sounded muffled.

Nevertheless, my old phone was 4 years old (I've had it for 3). I'm hoping it will last a few more with the reduced usage. It was also an excuse to get a Pixel to install GrapheneOS on.

[–] eagleeyedtiger 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

That’s a good run. I think I’m going to hit my 6th year soon with the S9+. It’s one of the only phones I bought on release.

I used to love changing phones, I’ve jumped around from Motorola, Samsung, one of the Nexus phones, Sony, Oneplus. I enjoyed messing around flashing custom roms, but I can’t be bothered with that any more.

In what area do you notice the performance differences the most?

[–] Dave 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

The obvious answer is games. The kids play minecraft, which is probably the most demanding thing played on my phone.

The next is the camera. Phones often do some level of post processing, which the phone can struggle with. I've had phones in the past that you can only take one photo every 2 seconds or so, which seems plenty but then you miss the one good time when all the kids were looking at the camera at the same time.

And depending on what level of phone you go for, lower end phones feel sluggish, often very sluggish. Higher end phones just feel nicer to use, smoother scrolling, quicker when you tap things, etc. However, that doesn't mean they aren't perfectly usable, just that they feel sluggish in comparison.

Battery life can also vary wildly, but if you aren't using location tracking automation, watching Netflix, or taking lots of photos then the battery of most phones probably lasts plenty.

[–] Dave 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I just went from an S10+ to a Pixel 7 Pro! I feel like we may have passed the point of huge advances in phones each year, though I do think the top end Samsungs are considered a higher level (and more expensive) than the top end Pixels, which are more a mid-range phone.

One thing I like about the Google phones is the lack of bloatware. The Samsung had all these apps you couldn't uninstall, it has Samsung accounts as well as google accounts, and so on. I had some of the earlier range of Google phones, having a Nexus 3 and a Nexus 5X, and they were great.

This time I installed GrapheneOS straight away so didn't really get the proper experience of the Google version.

[–] idanoo 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Last year I swapped to a iPhone 14 Pro purely because I have a work MBP + an iPad for a few other apps I needed to use. The ecosystem is pretty good but still love the Pixel range. Also went through the whole range - Nexus 5 (I loved the small form factor!) > Nexus 5X > Pixel 3 > Pixel 4a > Pixel 6. Loved them and no doubt I'll be back eventually 😂

[–] Dave 1 points 10 months ago

I went to OnePlus for a while, then the one Samsung, then to the Pixel. The Samsung was a fantastic specced phone but man was the samsung stuff annoying. A "Bixby" voice assistant button that you can't disable or assign to another function (luckily you could change bixby to a double tap and use single tap for something else). All these AR apps you can't uninstall, a Samsung Store, a required samsung account as well as google account. Regular notifications saying you need to accept the new Samsung terms and conditions.

Having the Pixel with GrapheneOS has it's quirks and definitely isn't for everyone, but it's been refreshing having a phone that needs zero accounts to work.