this post was submitted on 24 Jul 2023
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Android

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Hold on tight, we are almost back...

Previously on Lemmy: Sony

Past Discussions:

I thought we should restart the brand discussion with something more popular to give this community relaunch a bit more oomph. So, Samsung it is.

I've never really used a Samsung phone much before, despite them being so popular in the States. Have friends who used them, they usually look nice and high quality, and the Galaxy S Active are the only high-end phones I know that doesn't shatter when you look at them wrong without a case, so, props to Samsung.

There are may reasons I don't like Samsung phones: Hardware fuse disabling Knox on bootloader unlock, Exynos vs Snapdragon models, the mandatory Bixby button, the Galaxy Note 7 that really blew up. To me, Samsung phones are trying so hard to go against what makes Android good, which is the customizability to do whatever you wanted. Android is everything; Samsung is just Samsung.

Personally, I think Samsung is only worth buying at the very high end for the Galaxy S series. I've heard that A series have gotten better, but there always seems to be better choices from Moto/Pixel/Chinese brands on Amazon that it's not worth considering their low tier offering.

What should we do next week? I'm thinking Microsoft, just to make fun of them for the very idea of making a Surface Duo 2.

FAQ:

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[–] zulc22@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I hated Samsung phones when I had them ~2019 because of One UI being so far behind Android as well as me getting constantly badgered to create a Samsung account to use the Samsung store so I can upgrade the built-in photo editor even though I never had any reason to do so.

I didn't see any reason to complain about the hardware One UI ran on, though.

[–] Serpardum@lemmyonline.com 4 points 1 year ago

Cant use same email on two phones if you lost old one, because need old phone to verify account.

Over time phone runs slower and slower.

I find Motorola's much better, I generally go with the Pure.

I disagree regarding Android. Google's Android feels to me like it's trying to go against everything that makes Android good such as SafetyNet, Android 12 removing customizability from Android 11 and choosing default apps convoluted, separating gestures and launchers, half assed tablet experience.

One UI has a lot more customization and practical options and generally always implemented features before Google did, like split screen and still can do things no other OEM can.

[–] kablammy@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I suffered through 2 years of zero software updates, not even security updates. Google Pay stopped working randomly. I contacted Samsung support who couldn't figure out why on either of these issues. It also kept lighting up on full brightness in the middle of the night due to no reason I could figure out, despite being on do-not-disturb. Never buying a Samsung again.

[–] rwaddilove@techhub.social 3 points 1 year ago

@kablammy @MargotRobbie I have always had a good experience. I bought a cheap-ish Samsung and it has worked perfectly for the last 3 years. My Samsung before that, I kept for 5 years. One minor irritation is that Samsung includes apps you might not want. I use third mostly party apps. Eg. Chrome browser instead of Samsung browser.

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[–] ilickfrogs@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

Really nice hardware, inexcusably bad software.

[–] EowynCarter@lemm.ee 4 points 1 year ago

I had a note 8.

Ok phone, nice pen.

But the one phone I managed to break the screen of. Tanks to curved screen that make using proper protection impossible.

Went back to nexus / pixel.

[–] ConvertCoffeeToCode@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I recently bought an S23 after owning 2 pixels and a nexus. So far, I'm loving the experience much more, funny enough because of the things people call bloatware. Maybe it's because I play lots of games.

The sidebar shortcuts a super useful, the lockscreen customizations remind me of old android before google went all apple, and dex is great for multitasking.

The only thing that's a bit annoying is bixby, but i simply installed google assistant alongside it.

[–] schulzi@feddit.de 3 points 1 year ago

Same for me, except I'm more using the Dex feature as playing games on the S23. But this is my first Samsung and I'm impressed.

[–] decadentrebel@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Their foldables are so damn fragile. My sister's Flip 4 was busted after a fall with a case while my Fold 4 had the black line of death not too soon after the screen protector on the inner screen started popping off.

[–] MargotRobbie@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Maybe we should do a big discussion on just foldables next time.

[–] Fredol@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

Too much bloat, no bootloader unlock. International model can be bootloader unlocked but you can't change secure boot keys and relock.

[–] 100thCatMarch@kbin.cafe 4 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Currently using an A series Samsung phone. For a non power user, it's pretty good since software support is up to 3-5 years. Chinese brand phones are good on paper but, don't expect any software support at all after purchasing.

A Samsung phone's best asset is it's screen. The CPU is a bit of a roulette. If you get a Snapdragon, you're golden. The Exynos ones run hotter and drain battery faster. If someone wants the most polished version of android, I'd recommend a Samsung.

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Hardware fuse disabling Knox on bootloader is irrelevant now. You can't unlock bootloader. At least for snapdragon chip.

[–] singinwhale@lmy.singinwhale.com 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I'm honestly quite happy with my Samsungs so far. Had an S9 and currently use an S21.

I honestly prefer the Samsung apps over the Google apps most of the time. They also integrate better with non google stuff. Especially calendar, contacts and mail. The Bixby button has been gone for a while now and most of the bloatware is hidden away well enough to be able to ignore it easily.

The irreversible bootloader unlock is quite the shame really because it will cause most banking apps to refuse to work so I never unlockedy bootloader. I used to do this on my nexus and Sony phones. Tbf though I don't miss my root privileges currently. Android and Samsungs one ui has come a long way.

Edit: formatting

[–] HidingCat@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago (6 children)

I like them. Bloat ware is a bit annoying, but not a deal breaker. Just use my launcher to hide it. Timely updates, decent UI, relatively long-term support, some neat features here and there (integration with Windows 10-100 Phone Link is really cool), and having one of the last phones with the trifecta of headphone jack + microSD card slot + OIS means I'll be holding on to this for a long long time!

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[–] JustANOTHERuser@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Have an s21, wife has s22, few yrs ago child had A20 (I think) the s series has been great. I could have upgraded to s22 didn't want. The A20 was horrid but for a youngish teen it was "fine" if I had to get another phone I would look around and see whats what but over all I like my phone better than the s22, and while my phone was being repaired I bought a Moto G5, considering the cost I hated the damn thing and was slow as F. Now my other youngish teen has that one, I am just happy to be rid of it. It worked for me, just barely. Admit to having been used to the s21, so may be somewhat biast.

[–] HiddenLayer5@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

They became dead to me the moment they stopped having removable batteries.

No, this is not a Note 7 joke or anything. I just really hate the trend of integrated batteries in electronics because it places a fundamental limit on the product's useful life of about four to five years before the battery degrades so much that it becomes essentially unusable as a mobile device. It's probably the single worst "innovation" in consumer electronics history. Replacing a sealed-in battery out of warranty is often similar in price to getting a new damn phone, and not without risk either since modern phones are sealed so tightly that even professional technicians can accidentally destroy the rest of the device while trying to disassemble it.

You used to boast that your removable batteries were an advantage over the iPhone, Samsung. What happened to that?

[–] lazyslacker@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

Good thing the EU is making it so we're not going to have to worry about that for much longer.

Also it is possible to change the battery in your device it just takes some effort. Ifixit has replacement batteries, the needed tools and good instructions for many devices.

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[–] eruchitanda@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

The hardware is pretty good. Not a fan of Exynos tho.

The software feels really bloated. I usually have LineageOS on it instead. Compared to One UI, the Pixel-like UI feels very clean, and the OS feels very lightweight.

If it was impossible to have something less-bloated, I'd probably switch phone to a cleaner Android.

[–] s4if@lemmy.my.id 3 points 1 year ago

I use cheap M11 phone. Solid and durable phone but a bit overpriced on my country. It survive my abuse for 2 and half years until now from dropped to gravel repatedly to get washed using tap water (dont try this at home, lol). It also somehow always better at receiving signal than my wife's Xiaomi phone. I love it.

[–] amenotef@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I don't like them for me. I hate all the Samsung software injected into android.

But for regular people they are probably the most recommended ones in the android ecosystem. So I recommend them sometimes if the budget is good.

I might not like the software. But the hardware seems good quality. And software still has some cool functions.

Somebody told me it has a way to hibernate apps that are in the background. And I think that is amazing.

[–] nexussapphire@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago

Like I want a good android phone designed in the US. What Motorola use to be before Google bought and subsequently sold Motorola or an LG phone that was actually normal and really good.

Google pixels have hardware and software issues, Samsung is very anti consumer with active efforts to mimic apple and reduse repair options, Sony is often too expensive, and the rest are of Chinese origin and potentially carry creepy invasive spyware.

I couldn't buy a screen for my galaxy s20 to fix my self and taking it to an authorized repair shop resulted in a $350 repair that resulted in everything but my motherboard being swapped out without my permission. Waistfull greedy overvalued company that would definitely sell you out for a couple hundred if it could.

[–] dantheclamman@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

I personally love Samsung. Have a Note20 Ultra still going strong, got a Tab S9 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro in the last year. They are all so customizable out of the box using Good Lock and other software that it would be painful to switch. I find they all perform really well and the improvements of OneUI are appreciated. I like the Calendar, Browser (on tablet), Reminders and some other apps much more than Google's offerings.

[–] _thisdot@infosec.pub 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

The flagships seem good. But the cheap Samsungs are a nightmare. I set up an M14 for my sister and it kept installing Candy Crush and some gambling apps every night. I found this practice predatory and wouldn't trust a company that did this

[–] outbound5231@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I'd say that the exception flagship (base S22) was not good due to its chip.

I'd spent months Googling for battery life fixes. I'd come across a myriad of comments blaming users for not "optimising" their phones, and Ultra users saying that the poor battery life and overheating throttling of the base model are just myths.

One day, I decided that enough is enough. I switched to a phone with the S8G2 and I couldn't be happier.

While I haven't used it before, the S23 seems to be what the S22 should be, and I would've continued using it if that was true.

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I really like it. All the customisation is enough that I don't miss rooting my phone. And I think I'm kinda stuck with them for a while now, because I can't live without one hand operation, which is even better when combined with one handed mode. I can do everything and reach anywhere on the screen using only one hand, without hand gymnastics.

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