this post was submitted on 19 Jun 2023
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I went through my late teens as the initial smart phone boom was happening. I had a Motorola q that could get TV channels and had a keyboard. I had the enV that flipped open. And many androids/blackberries that I loved for their unique form factor and functionality.

I have never balked at spending money on a phone and for a long time i felt locked into generic flagship devices. With the debut of folding screens I feel like my appetite for unique devices rekindled. I think the power of android lies in its diversity of implementation.

So what features and functionalities would you choose over the next flagship release?

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[โ€“] dan_the_accountant@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago (2 children)
[โ€“] croobat@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

How did we end up in a world where this is a niche feature. ๐Ÿ˜ญ๐Ÿ˜ญ

[โ€“] MargotRobbie@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I feel like I wouldn't mind the lack of headphone jack so much if they just gave us another USB-C port on the bottom instead so you can charge and listen to music without a dongle.

[โ€“] saladfork@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I've really tried hard with these usb-c headphones / adapters and they just don't work very well for me. They function mostly, but much more often come unplugged or slightly ajar.

[โ€“] MargotRobbie@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Because the audio jack is the perfect connector for its purpose: It's omnidirectional, the connection is as wide as it comes, and it locks the plug. The point for using a USB-C connector would be that it's more versatile as you can use it for data transfer and power as well.

Yeah it's just crazy that you have to always keep them around. I own a qudelik 5k And I have a couple cheap adapters that came with tablets or something but I never remember to have them on me.

Maybe if you have a wallet case you could kind of stick it in there but otherwise they're just too easy to lose.

[โ€“] gears@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I miss having a notification LED. It used to be super common to have a "breathing" effect with a given color when an app had sent a notification.

So a Snapchat for example would show the breathing as yellow, etc. Super convenient to check for messages without going and grabbing the phone.

[โ€“] mazkarth@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I think the galaxy s9 was the last that had that for the galaxy seriesm. When I got my S20U I handed my s8plus? The flagship to my mum. I still miss the notification light and it's such a shame that we can't even use the AMOLED screen to emulate the notification light.

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[โ€“] polaroid@kbin.social 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

HEADPHONE JACK.

GIVE ME THE GOD DAMN HEADPHONE JACK BACK

[โ€“] zephyr@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Hit the road, bc Jack won't come back home no more

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[โ€“] independantiste@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

sideloading is a requirement for me and unlockable bootloader, otherwise, some things like an IR blaster, headphone jack, removable battery (thx EU), RGB notification LED, front facing speakers would make a "good" phone become "great"

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[โ€“] tooting_lemmy@lemm.ee 7 points 1 year ago

An open bootloader and a removable battery.

[โ€“] Nytelock@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Headset jack and let me replace my damn battery. Also default option to uninstall non-OEM apps

[โ€“] phx@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

You're in luck for the battery thing. It's basically going to be mandatory in the EU which should hopefully help push change everywhere

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[โ€“] Zebov@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Apparently most of my requirements/desires fit this. I require an unlocked bootloader, because I need root to not throw my phone through a window. An amazing camera would be needed as well.

I REALLY, REALLY would like a removable battery, IR blaster, small form function, a headphone jack, and a rear fingerprint reader.

I miss the IR blaster on my Galaxy S4. I remember when I finally upgraded to the S8, I was using it for several months before realizing it was gone. I tried to change the channel on the TV at work only to find out that they removed that feature from their Galaxy line pretty much right after the S4. Needless to say, I was disappointed, but it makes sense to remove a super niche feature from their mass-marketed device line.

[โ€“] notapantsday@feddit.de 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

There are some niche phones with a thermal camera, would love to see more of that. Thermal modules are getting smaller, cheaper and better all the time and the main producers like infiray or guide are offering modules that seem to be clearly targeted at the smartphone market.

I'm still discovering new uses for my thermal camera and I wish I could have it in my pocket all the time. The obvious uses are finding gaps in your house's thermal insulation or finding devices that draw a lot of standby energy. But you can also use it to find studs in your walls, find things that have recently been used, like cars in a parking lot or chairs in an office.

[โ€“] a1studmuffin@aussie.zone 3 points 1 year ago

Thermal cameras are also really handy for electronics repair and spotting invisible water leaks in ceilings.

[โ€“] CoderKat@kbin.social 6 points 1 year ago (4 children)

I know some phones had already did this, but I always liked the idea of support for using your phone as a TV remote. The phone has replaced so many pieces of hardware that it feels silly that TV remotes haven't been replaced yet.

I also specifically wish Chrome supported extensions on mobile. Firefox does it. Why can't the biggest browser do it?

I miss the innovation of early 2010s phones. Using the IR blaster to mess around with bar TVs was a ton of fun. Not to mention headphone jacks, SD card slots, and removable batteries.

I wish Firefox mobile supported desktop extensions. I know its doable with Nightly builds, but that's a pain to set up.

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[โ€“] bigbox@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 year ago

A microsd card slot and a headphone jack

[โ€“] Weezard@feddit.uk 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Slide out physical keyboard, notification LEDs or some form of cool lights, a dedicated camera shutter button, and a scroll wheel / touch pad like what used to be on the blackberry or like the LG KE970 I really liked that.

I really miss notification LED's though, always on display is good, but a little light is going to use far less battery and be immediately apparent from across the room by the colour what app the notification came from is.

edit : formatting

[โ€“] BlueSwitch@lemmy.fmhy.ml 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'm so annoyed that my Moto G60 has a sign of life LED that can't be used for notifications.

[โ€“] Weezard@feddit.uk 2 points 1 year ago

That sounds infuriating, I really miss these features, its not like there isn't even space to put them in, screen real estate isn't everything.

[โ€“] RobotDaniel@lemm.ee 4 points 1 year ago

An ir blaster, great as a universal remote

[โ€“] martrewes@lemmy.one 3 points 1 year ago

More phones like the Fairphone/Framework Laptop. Easy to repair and upgrade in a modular manner, as well as install what ever OS I choose.

[โ€“] Gili@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago
[โ€“] Lilium@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 1 year ago

It's the rear fingerprint reader for me, I use the pulldown action constantly. That and stereo front-facing speakers.

[โ€“] bitwolf@lemmy.one 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)
  • Removable battery
  • Ambidextrous button placement
  • Screws instead of glue where possible
  • USB4 + desktop mode
[โ€“] Lasso1971@thelemmy.club 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Larger, swappable battery. Squeeze for assistant

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[โ€“] T156@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

E-Ink would be nice, whether integrated as part of an OLED/LCD screen, or a separate module that goes over the top.

Most of the things that I use my phone for don't generally need the full colour display (text isn't that expensive to display), and I wouldn't mind trading that for vastly better battery life that you can get from e-ink, but having the option to use both is probably the best way to go.

An IR transceiver wouldn't go poorly either. It's not something I use much, but it was handy to have when I did, whether to send things around, or to just use my phone as a remote for televisions and things.

Basically an Asus Zenfone 9 with a removable battery and an Sd card. Also, make the front like Sony phones - larger bezels on the top and the bottom of the display and house stereo speakers and front camera there instead of a cutout.

[โ€“] SuperSpruce@vlemmy.net 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Late to the thread but here's my thoughts on everything I'd like in a phone. Having just a few of these would make a huge difference in how much I'd want the phone.

Hardware:

  1. Standard features like a 3.5mm jack and MicroSD slot.
  2. Multiple USB ports (especially on tablets)
  3. Thunderbolt port
  4. Here's a simple idea: Instead of making a thin phone with a massive camera bump, you make a thick phone with the camera flush with the back, and use the extra space for a bigger battery?
  5. User-replacable battery
  6. Modules like the modo mods
  7. Battery passthrough when charging
  8. Upgradable SoC, RAM, internal storage???

Software (here lies my hopes and dreams that will never be manifested):

  1. Starting off simple, a feature that lets you manually limit how much you charge your battery.
  2. Manual over/underclocking controls for the CPU
  3. Separate WiFi/data toggles
  4. More control over how big or small icons and text is
  5. Easy root access with app makers not getting all "you sus" over the fact that your device is rooted
  6. No data harvesting (duh)
  7. Better file management (and removing scoped storage)
  8. Multiple logins to a phone (like what you can do with a desktop)
  9. One app, multiple accounts
  10. Just having the software take less system resources.
  11. Open sourcing hardware drivers
  12. Multiple floating windows like with a desktop OS
  13. More than 3 split screen options
  14. I'm sure there's a lot more I can't think of now
[โ€“] MargotRobbie@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Oh I forgot, a clamshell folding phone but with only one screen and the other side is a physical keyboard, like a mini-laptop.

Nobody seems really know how to do a folding screen well, so why have the screen fold at all?

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[โ€“] pewgar_seemsimandroid@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

duck duck go tracker blocking that doesn't use vpn technology

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[โ€“] XLRV@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 year ago

A Silent/Vibrate/Ring switch like on the OnePlus phones, headphone jack and a easily swappable battery.

[โ€“] xbhaktapur@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

A full physical QWERTY keypad on my 3rd hand Blackberry Bold (in 2013) was the best thing I had seen on a cell phone. I wish full physical QWERTY keyboards would make a comeback.

[โ€“] ElectroVagrant@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I was looking into smaller form factor phones awhile back, and an interesting feature I noticed some of them had was a programmable button.

I don't know that programmable buttons on phones are that niche, but it's certainly not common either so far as I'm aware, so this super simple feature would be wicked imo. I'd also really like if more phones just stole Motorola's gesture interactions (e.g. quick twist for camera, firm double-shake for flashlight, etc.).

Also, uh...Speaking of small form factor phones, I don't know if that counts as a feature, but it's one detail I'd like to see come back, or flip phones with separate screens (clunky, sure, but better than the screen eventually creasing imo).

[โ€“] fraenki@feddit.de 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Foldable display - They are still way too expensive!

Metal case - I just loved the heavy Samsung Omnia metal case. It made it unbreakable and grippy!

[โ€“] riskable@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago

OMG great question! I want:

  • Laser range finder/"tape" measure
  • Thermal camera
  • Air quality sensor
  • Radiation detector/Geiger counter
  • Multimeter capabilities
  • IR LED (so I can use it as a remote)
  • Ultrasound capabilities
  • Peltier so I can put a drink on my phone to chill it down ๐Ÿ‘

An unlocked bootloader and a normal Linux distribution where I have root!

[โ€“] j4k3@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I'd like a phone with no camera facing me, and physical hardware switches to completely disable the mic, camera, battery, and entire modem. Not some software interrupt and lock. I mean, the switch is circuit ground for these circuit blocks. When I select OFF, it means real world "this thing does not exist any more ever" until I turn it back on.

It would be interesting to have a modular rear camera with a removable lens, removable IR filter, along with public documentation and the full API for the sensor. This would open up an enormous range of applications. I would mostly mess with astrophotography more.

[โ€“] 001100010010@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

physical hardware switches to completely disable the mic, camera, battery, and entire modem

There is one, the Librem 5.

Warning: Usability is not great last I heard. Runs on a linux distro so no android apps.

Edit: nvm don't bother checking it. They just raised the price to $1299 and it's 32 gb storage with 3gb ram. I mean at this point, just get a google pixel and slap on graphene os.

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[โ€“] eduardm@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

An OEM FM/AM transmitter. I would love to be able to playback music directly to any old ass car. Or even use it as a very short range walkie talkie with the right program.

[โ€“] AbsurdityAccelerator@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I want a Galaxy Fold style phone, but the external screen is eInk. Have it set to always show the book I am reading. This will let me read in bite sized pieces.

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[โ€“] MR_GABARISE@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago (4 children)
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[โ€“] user224@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 1 year ago

A phone built somewhat like a desktop PC. All parts replaceable or even upgradable. Choose the components for your needs and budget, or buy a pre-built.
But let's get to more standard smartphone concept.
On software side, no bootloader locks, or easily unlockable bootloader (not requiring internet) and root access that could be enabled in developer settings.

On hardware side:
IR blaster - Control your AC, TV, etc.
Front-facing stereo speakers - could give a better stereo sound. And bezels aren't a big problem. Actually they can be positive as you can hold your phone better with them.
Headphone jack - Obvious. Would be cool if it had mode for composite output, but that's quite extra.
Dedicated fingerprint scanner on front - I had this on Moto G5s Plus. It allowed awesome gesture navigation, much better than using whatever on-screen.
Trackpoint - Early Androids used to have that. Would definitely be useful with large screens.
FM, HD Radio, DAB, DAB+, DVB-T2 Lite receiver - Radio is pretty useful. AM would also be nice, though you would need external antenna better than cable from earphones. I think FM radio is the minimum here.
TV Receiver - Just like with radio, except now you're saving much more on mobile data.
Camera with optical zoom - We've been there with Samsung in the past. But I understand it makes things too large and heavy.
Projector - We've been there with Samsung in the past, again. I think it was done pretty nicely on the projector part with Beam 2. It didn't even add much thickness. Just the rest of the phone was meh.

[โ€“] pandarisu@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

3D Screen Pico Projector HDMI out Notification LED Removable battery

The first smartphone I owned was the Lobster 700TV, Which as the name suggests had a digital TV receiver built in. The screen was too small to be practical, but I've always liked quirky features like that

[โ€“] ggnoredo@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

true background process management and battery

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