8 ms·

Not so Essential phone

36 points by pacavaca 9y ago

skrowl 9y ago
They lost me at no 3.5mm headphone jack. How can you say your phone covers the essential and leave out an essential port?
- freedomben 9y ago
  Preach it friend. I use my headphone jack several hours every single day. To me, it is absolutely essential. I have feared that after Apple did it, all the Android manufacturers would follow them off the cliff D-:
- jorgemf 9y ago
  I started using Bluetooth headphones last year without special reason. I am not coming back to 3.5mm headphones, wires are so annoying when you are doing something else and they are in the middle. So you have people like me and a lot of people that never use that connection. And I guess a lot of people buy the phones based on the feeling when they catch them, and thinner phones feel better and people are more likely to buy them. Thus say bye to the 3.5mm connection and loss the hope for bigger batteries. Buy trends is what matters for business.
  - pacavaca 9y ago
    I agree Bluetooth is convenient, no doubts. But I think the adoption of wireless should be driving the ditching of wired interfaces, not the vice versa. Otherwise, a lot of people feel being forced to use something, that is just supposed to be better.
    - abritinthebay 9y ago
      It is. Wireless sells more than wired. Has done for over 1.5 years at this point (early 2016)
  - khedoros1 9y ago
    I've got bluetooth headphones. I get tired of keeping them charged, so they never are. But I've got like 10 pairs of wired headphones around, and the convenience always wins. Headphone wires have never bothered me. > Thus say bye to the 3.5mm connection and loss the hope for bigger batteries. Sounds like a couple of great reasons to stop buying music to listen to on the phone, stop buying game apps, etc. And to stick with my current phone as long as possible.
    - lathiat 9y ago
      I felt that pain until I got my AirPods. In part because of the two part charging - they're always charging in the case and then you charge the case semi randomly - about once a week for me.
      - endemic 9y ago
        AirPods seem nice, but the whole "10x cost" thing has me questioning Apple's "courage." I'll consider a phone without a headphone jack when Bluetooth earbud prices aren't insane.
      - khedoros1 9y ago
        I can't imagine paying that much for a pair of headphones. I think that my most expensive ones were about a quarter of that prices. I don't place much value in getting rid of the wires, and I treat my headphones like cattle instead of pets for the most part. I'd also lose a lot of the positive aspects of Airpods: I don't have any recent Apple devices that I use regularly, so I wouldn't get to take advantage of many of the auto-pairing features.
  - Markoff 9y ago
    your headphones are not connected by cable, what model you own?
- abritinthebay 9y ago
  Bluetooth headphones surpassed wired headphones in sales early last year. It’s fundamentally not essential anymore for many - even possibly most - users of new devices, especially when the other port can duplicate the functionality through the same DAC. I know it’s a big change but honestly Bluetooth audio has got so much better - the newer more advanced codecs are basically CD quality sounds - and most decent new BT headphones are pretty high quality.
  - allover 9y ago
    I mostly agree and use bluetooth headphones a lot. They are better for the gym, and better for connecting to my laptop/desktop so I can get up and walk away from it. That said and though the audio quality is improving, they are still a pain to use between multiple devices, remember to keep charged, often uncomfortable to wear in bed/lying-down (usually have some battery bulk going on). So I'm still glad my phone has a headphone jack for backup and times I just don't feel like faffing with the far from perfect bluetooth, like right now I just got out of bed, plugged my wired headphones into my phone and started listening to a podcast. (Also, I understand that some of my issues will be solved when 'AirPod'-level headphones become more affordable).
    - abritinthebay 9y ago
      Define more affordable? Beats are incredibly popular and are expensive as fuck. The Beats X are solid little guys and sell for normal decent headphone prices. I’ve had no problem switching with those for example.
      - allover 9y ago
        Ah I'd define affordable for headphones as < £50/$65. I see Beats X are still $150 :/ But I do see the advantage in paying more, then making use of the typically better warranty/guarantees to keep them going for years, rather than accepting breakage as I do now. I'm still only prepared to pay that much if they really do solve the 'device switching problem' though, otherwise I'd rather stick with multiple pairs of budget bluetooth headphones (1 for gym, 1 for desktop machine) ...
gumby 9y ago
From the article: > My <Android phone> is two years old and, as every Android, becoming slower and slower. The battery has degraded too, and now the phone is not holding even half a day of moderate usage. {author says other words to same effect later} Although I am an iPhone user myself I hope this is hyperbole. My phones have lasted a lot longer and when I have replaced them it has been for new features (original -> 4 -> 6S Plus). I have had my current phone for a couple of years and don't see a reason to upgrade yet. I'm not saying this to say "apple good others sux", I'm saying that surely this kind of planned obsolescence can't be the rule. On another point: part of the benefit of Android is you don't have to run the stock apps, right? So as long as the hardware is decent, you can run the google camera app as the author did and got the best of both worlds. (BTW I know a bunch of the Essential folks including Andy and the same guy spec'd/designed the camera hardware for Essential and, before that, Google).
- pacavaca 9y ago
  From what I hear from my fellow Android users, it's a common story. And yeah, it happens less for iPhone. My thinking is that partially it's a platform fragmentation to be blamed. As long as the phone is new, companies will be running perf tests for it, but it's physically not possible to rigorously test an app for 2+ years worth of Android devices. While in Apple ecosystem 2 years == just 2 devices. I'm an Android user from the inception and I observed this ~2 years trend for every one of my phones. My wife's iPhone 5s (not the strongest device by any means) seems to be still fine though.
  - boundlessdreamz 9y ago
    I'm still using a galaxy S6 without any complaints. It never had stellar battery life and still doesn't but I haven't found that to be a problem. Samsung gave a free wireless charger when I bought it and I have that on my desk which makes charging very easy. I love how the new phones look but can't justify replacing a perfectly working phone.
    - pacavaca 9y ago
      I think replacing a not broken phone, at least to a flagship, is rarely a rational decision. People buying a flagship are buying a new toy and they want this toy to entertain them, give emotional satisfaction and show a little bit of "tomorrow". That's (in my opinion) is what the high price tag for. Essential tried to enter a high price territory from the first shot and just failed to impress. Otherwise, I bought a Nexus 5X for my mom last year and I think that was a pretty rational choice. It's cheap, performant and still supported by google. Absolutely no need to replace until she breaks it.
VladTheImplier 9y ago
I honestly don't get it. My OnePlus One still holds strong to this day, easily get through day on one charge with watching Videos and so on. New Roms keep everything updated and smooth. My Android phone has never been faster. Even the battery is replaceable, once that day comes.

36 points by pacavaca 9y ago

They lost me at no 3.5mm headphone jack. How can you say your phone covers the essential and leave out an essential port?

freedomben 9y ago
Preach it friend. I use my headphone jack several hours every single day. To me, it is absolutely essential. I have feared that after Apple did it, all the Android manufacturers would follow them off the cliff D-:
jorgemf 9y ago
I started using Bluetooth headphones last year without special reason. I am not coming back to 3.5mm headphones, wires are so annoying when you are doing something else and they are in the middle. So you have people like me and a lot of people that never use that connection. And I guess a lot of people buy the phones based on the feeling when they catch them, and thinner phones feel better and people are more likely to buy them. Thus say bye to the 3.5mm connection and loss the hope for bigger batteries. Buy trends is what matters for business.
- pacavaca 9y ago
  I agree Bluetooth is convenient, no doubts. But I think the adoption of wireless should be driving the ditching of wired interfaces, not the vice versa. Otherwise, a lot of people feel being forced to use something, that is just supposed to be better.
  - abritinthebay 9y ago
    It is. Wireless sells more than wired. Has done for over 1.5 years at this point (early 2016)
- khedoros1 9y ago
  I've got bluetooth headphones. I get tired of keeping them charged, so they never are. But I've got like 10 pairs of wired headphones around, and the convenience always wins. Headphone wires have never bothered me. > Thus say bye to the 3.5mm connection and loss the hope for bigger batteries. Sounds like a couple of great reasons to stop buying music to listen to on the phone, stop buying game apps, etc. And to stick with my current phone as long as possible.
  - lathiat 9y ago
    I felt that pain until I got my AirPods. In part because of the two part charging - they're always charging in the case and then you charge the case semi randomly - about once a week for me.
    - endemic 9y ago
      AirPods seem nice, but the whole "10x cost" thing has me questioning Apple's "courage." I'll consider a phone without a headphone jack when Bluetooth earbud prices aren't insane.
    - khedoros1 9y ago
      I can't imagine paying that much for a pair of headphones. I think that my most expensive ones were about a quarter of that prices. I don't place much value in getting rid of the wires, and I treat my headphones like cattle instead of pets for the most part. I'd also lose a lot of the positive aspects of Airpods: I don't have any recent Apple devices that I use regularly, so I wouldn't get to take advantage of many of the auto-pairing features.
- Markoff 9y ago
  your headphones are not connected by cable, what model you own?
abritinthebay 9y ago
Bluetooth headphones surpassed wired headphones in sales early last year. It’s fundamentally not essential anymore for many - even possibly most - users of new devices, especially when the other port can duplicate the functionality through the same DAC. I know it’s a big change but honestly Bluetooth audio has got so much better - the newer more advanced codecs are basically CD quality sounds - and most decent new BT headphones are pretty high quality.
- allover 9y ago
  I mostly agree and use bluetooth headphones a lot. They are better for the gym, and better for connecting to my laptop/desktop so I can get up and walk away from it. That said and though the audio quality is improving, they are still a pain to use between multiple devices, remember to keep charged, often uncomfortable to wear in bed/lying-down (usually have some battery bulk going on). So I'm still glad my phone has a headphone jack for backup and times I just don't feel like faffing with the far from perfect bluetooth, like right now I just got out of bed, plugged my wired headphones into my phone and started listening to a podcast. (Also, I understand that some of my issues will be solved when 'AirPod'-level headphones become more affordable).
  - abritinthebay 9y ago
    Define more affordable? Beats are incredibly popular and are expensive as fuck. The Beats X are solid little guys and sell for normal decent headphone prices. I’ve had no problem switching with those for example.
    - allover 9y ago
      Ah I'd define affordable for headphones as < £50/$65. I see Beats X are still $150 :/ But I do see the advantage in paying more, then making use of the typically better warranty/guarantees to keep them going for years, rather than accepting breakage as I do now. I'm still only prepared to pay that much if they really do solve the 'device switching problem' though, otherwise I'd rather stick with multiple pairs of budget bluetooth headphones (1 for gym, 1 for desktop machine) ...

gumby 9y ago

From the article: > My <Android phone> is two years old and, as every Android, becoming slower and slower. The battery has degraded too, and now the phone is not holding even half a day of moderate usage. {author says other words to same effect later} Although I am an iPhone user myself I hope this is hyperbole. My phones have lasted a lot longer and when I have replaced them it has been for new features (original -> 4 -> 6S Plus). I have had my current phone for a couple of years and don't see a reason to upgrade yet. I'm not saying this to say "apple good others sux", I'm saying that surely this kind of planned obsolescence can't be the rule. On another point: part of the benefit of Android is you don't have to run the stock apps, right? So as long as the hardware is decent, you can run the google camera app as the author did and got the best of both worlds. (BTW I know a bunch of the Essential folks including Andy and the same guy spec'd/designed the camera hardware for Essential and, before that, Google).

pacavaca 9y ago
From what I hear from my fellow Android users, it's a common story. And yeah, it happens less for iPhone. My thinking is that partially it's a platform fragmentation to be blamed. As long as the phone is new, companies will be running perf tests for it, but it's physically not possible to rigorously test an app for 2+ years worth of Android devices. While in Apple ecosystem 2 years == just 2 devices. I'm an Android user from the inception and I observed this ~2 years trend for every one of my phones. My wife's iPhone 5s (not the strongest device by any means) seems to be still fine though.
- boundlessdreamz 9y ago
  I'm still using a galaxy S6 without any complaints. It never had stellar battery life and still doesn't but I haven't found that to be a problem. Samsung gave a free wireless charger when I bought it and I have that on my desk which makes charging very easy. I love how the new phones look but can't justify replacing a perfectly working phone.
  - pacavaca 9y ago
    I think replacing a not broken phone, at least to a flagship, is rarely a rational decision. People buying a flagship are buying a new toy and they want this toy to entertain them, give emotional satisfaction and show a little bit of "tomorrow". That's (in my opinion) is what the high price tag for. Essential tried to enter a high price territory from the first shot and just failed to impress. Otherwise, I bought a Nexus 5X for my mom last year and I think that was a pretty rational choice. It's cheap, performant and still supported by google. Absolutely no need to replace until she breaks it.

VladTheImplier 9y ago

I honestly don't get it. My OnePlus One still holds strong to this day, easily get through day on one charge with watching Videos and so on. New Roms keep everything updated and smooth. My Android phone has never been faster. Even the battery is replaceable, once that day comes.