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I know I can clean up crapware, via adb, but on principle vote with my wallet. It's not acceptable to charge me something that rounds to a thousand euros and th

I know I can clean up crapware, via adb, but on principle vote with my wallet. It's not acceptable to charge me something that rounds to a thousand euros and then fleece me for a few extra bucks. Right now, I restrict my selection to Android One [1] phones. The current one is a Nokia 8 Sirocco. [1] https://www.android.com/one/ https://www.android.com/one/

tssva 8y ago
I bought Nokia 6.1s for my parents. Only $225 for a phone with great build quality, more than acceptable performance, quick security updates and a pure Android experience. The 32GB of storage is plenty for them. The biggest drawback is probably the camera which although not horrible is a few years behind recent flagship phones. Not everyone cares about having the latest greatest camera on their phone. The camera is perfectly fine for my Mom to send me a picture of the latest thing she saw at Costco for a great price which she thinks I need to get and that will account for 90% of photos taken with their phones. Mid-range Android phones that are part of the Android One program have really started making it difficult to justify spending the money flagship Android phones are costing these days.
- vetinari 8y ago
  Similarly, I've got Nokia 7.1 for my father last Christmas. It was 330 EUR (including VAT), Android One, with Pie already available. The camera is perfectly fine for him. Once my phone will start acting up, it will be difficult to justify the expense for a flagship, when midranges are as good as they are.
tyfon 8y ago
I'm intrigued. I'm not in the market for a new phone right now as the one I have does not mess too much with android either. But for the first time in 15 years I think I might consider a Nokia next time I go shopping...
- Double_a_92 8y ago
  I also would have gone with Nokia because of their clean software and build quality... But they are doing weird strategies with the European market. E.g. it's almost impossible to get the 64GB version, or if you can it has a massive price increase. Or some good models just don't get released here, like the 6.1 Plus.
  - vetinari 8y ago
    The 64GB versions are mostly dual-sim, and only some 30 EUR more expensive than the 32GB versions. I wouldn't call it massive price increase.
    - Double_a_92 8y ago
      Then I was thinking of bying the Nokia 6.1, the 32GB version was 250$ while the 64GB one was 340$ and mostly out of stock. The new 7.1 with 64gb is not available at all here. Only through imports with an 110$ surcharge.
stevewodil 8y ago
What about OnePlus?
- gambiting 8y ago
  Even though I am an extremely happy owner of a 5T, I won't buy another OnePlus device now that they have removed the headphone jack. That's the difficult part of voting with your wallet - your choices become more and more limited if the market isn't aligned with your personal preference.
  - pmontra 8y ago
    Well said. I like small and light phones, not iOS. I'm typing this on an Xperia X Compact (2016). Follow up models weight more and maybe the product line will be discontinued. Even the iPhone SE is dead.
    - ForHackernews 8y ago
      https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jellyphone/atom-world-s-smallest-4g-rugged-smartphone https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jellyphone/atom-world-s...
      - imrelaxed 8y ago
        This might be the greatest prison phone ever
      - pmontra 8y ago
        Wow, that's really small. Actually it's what phones used to be before 2007.
        ForHackernews 8y ago
        I got one off the kickstarter, and it's a neat little gadget. It hasn't fully replaced my main smartphone, but it's great for outdoors activities, or if I'm wearing an outfit without big pockets and don't want to carry a bag.
wozmirek 8y ago
What's your experience with Android One? First time I hear about it but I'm intrigued, doesn't it come from Google anyway? So the "secure" claims are kind of empty?
- h4waii 8y ago
  I think you mean privacy, not security, which there aren't really any claims about. Google aims to provide security updates to all Android devices, but specifically targets their product lines (Nexus, Pixel, etc) and Android One devices as they have a little more control over the software.
- RandomNewGuy 8y ago
  I'm using a Xiaomi Mi A1 for some time now and so far so good. I was looking for a pure Android experience without all the crapware and custom UI's that come from any major phone brand and this is exactly what I got. Also, direct updates from Google for 2 years without interference from the brand (Xiaomi in this case). Which means I have security updates every month. I'm not going to buy anything that's not an AndroidOne from now on, with the exception of a Pixel.
  - slezyr 8y ago
    > Also, direct updates from Google for 2 years without interference from the brand (Xiaomi in this case). Which means I have security updates every month. You got exactly NONE updates from google. "Android One" has a requirement for vendors to provide updates. All those updates were from xiaomi.
  - simple_phrases 8y ago
    After doing research in order to buy a new phone, I find it strange that Xaomi products are being suggested as an alternative to vendor anti-privacy and bloat. MIUI is baked in and you need to register an account with Xaomi if you want to unlock your bootloader and put, say, LineageOS on your phone. Xaomi has a bootloader lockout period on their phones, during which you must wait and use MIUI for a period until your bootloader unlocks. They've increased that period from what was once a couple of weeks, to over a month on new models. That's plenty of time for Xaomi to harvest your data. Meanwhile, there are other phones that allow you to unlock your bootloader without a data harvesting period.
ijidak 8y ago
This is awesome! I had no idea how to find the phones that have better OS support, so I was stuck with the Pixel line. Is this basically considered stock Android? Or is that yet another tier?
- nkozyra 8y ago
  It's stock, but the options are not great and the hardware companies are not especially eager to put powerful phones on that platform
  - culot 8y ago
    There is an LG G7 with Android One. That seems like it could be a great mix of flagship hardware with stock android.
    - nkozyra 8y ago
      It's the best option out there but still a lower range phone. It's actually a different phone than the non Android one version.
      - culot 8y ago
        Oh! I did not know that, I assumed they were equally specced.
timrichard 8y ago
I've had similar feelings... having finally ditched my Huawei Nexus 6P, which I came to loathe. This was after years of buying Google developer devices (going back to the G1). The 6P was the last straw, as I came to resent spending hundreds on something with a soldered-in battery that could be (and turned out to be) unusable after 24 months. The battery was a wreck. I ended up getting an unlocked new LG V20 from eBay, which is a slightly older phone, but the most decent spec I could find with a replaceable battery. Been great so far, so it's been worth it for $190. Got a couple of spare LG batteries too, for $25 each. Nice reminder about the ADB uninstall trick, as there's some AT&T stuff that would be nice to remove if possible. I'm also tempted by LineageOS, but need the core Google Android apps - so probably too suspicious to use a bundled install that someone else has put together.
- petre 8y ago
  I'm using the bundled install, micro I think. It's okay, it works just fine. I always wondered what to replace my Nexus 5 with, thanx for the info.
  - culot 8y ago
    Careful about buying 'new' copies of that phone on Ebay: there are none. Almost all of the new copies bring sold on Ebay for the last year or so are fraudulent. Finding an actual new LG V20, outside of perhaps Korea, is unlikely. edit: just checked Ebay, and yup, there are no legit new copies to be had, except for maybe AT&T or unlocked variants for $400+. There's a very low chance that anyone will be/or has been able to find a new LG V20 for at least a year, and almost certainly not for a reasonable price. It is a similar situation for numerous other smartphones on the used market, most new copies for sale are actually remanufactured/used that have been repackaged and fraudulently resold as new from somewhere [originally] in China. The fake LG V20 new copies began flooding the market somewhere in the past 1-2 years, and have dominated since, but that practice is typical for smartphones in general.
    - timrichard 8y ago
      Item was described as "new and sealed factory unlocked", and I had no complaints when it arrived. If it is repackaged, I was completely unable to tell any difference from other new devices I can remember unpacking (new from Amazon or directly from a vendor). The spare batteries I sourced from a separate UK supplier. It's definitely intended for AT&T, but worked fine with Three in the UK as soon as I entered the appropriate APN info and restarted. Here's a relisting, for what it's worth : https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/372561134735?ViewItem=&item=372561134735 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/372561134735?ViewItem=&item=37256...
softawre 8y ago
Pixel has no bloatware.
- mrguyorama 8y ago
  My Pixel came preinstalled with at least three of Google's multitude of chat applications. If that's not bloatware then I don't know what is
  - lern_too_spel 8y ago
    Mine downloaded them after initial setup. I simply cancelled the downloads of the crapware messaging apps that hadn't started and uninstalled the ones that had already downloaded.
tql 8y ago
Be warned that Google does NOT push updates to these Android One phones, the OEM does, so they take their time and (potentially can) include as many crap apps as they want. Xiaomi puts a lot of crapware in their Android One mobiles. They have their own line of apps, "Mi", and they include many of them pre-installed by default.

tssva 8y ago

I bought Nokia 6.1s for my parents. Only $225 for a phone with great build quality, more than acceptable performance, quick security updates and a pure Android experience. The 32GB of storage is plenty for them. The biggest drawback is probably the camera which although not horrible is a few years behind recent flagship phones. Not everyone cares about having the latest greatest camera on their phone. The camera is perfectly fine for my Mom to send me a picture of the latest thing she saw at Costco for a great price which she thinks I need to get and that will account for 90% of photos taken with their phones. Mid-range Android phones that are part of the Android One program have really started making it difficult to justify spending the money flagship Android phones are costing these days.

vetinari 8y ago
Similarly, I've got Nokia 7.1 for my father last Christmas. It was 330 EUR (including VAT), Android One, with Pie already available. The camera is perfectly fine for him. Once my phone will start acting up, it will be difficult to justify the expense for a flagship, when midranges are as good as they are.

tyfon 8y ago

I'm intrigued. I'm not in the market for a new phone right now as the one I have does not mess too much with android either. But for the first time in 15 years I think I might consider a Nokia next time I go shopping...

Double_a_92 8y ago
I also would have gone with Nokia because of their clean software and build quality... But they are doing weird strategies with the European market. E.g. it's almost impossible to get the 64GB version, or if you can it has a massive price increase. Or some good models just don't get released here, like the 6.1 Plus.
- vetinari 8y ago
  The 64GB versions are mostly dual-sim, and only some 30 EUR more expensive than the 32GB versions. I wouldn't call it massive price increase.
  - Double_a_92 8y ago
    Then I was thinking of bying the Nokia 6.1, the 32GB version was 250$ while the 64GB one was 340$ and mostly out of stock. The new 7.1 with 64gb is not available at all here. Only through imports with an 110$ surcharge.

stevewodil 8y ago

What about OnePlus?

gambiting 8y ago
Even though I am an extremely happy owner of a 5T, I won't buy another OnePlus device now that they have removed the headphone jack. That's the difficult part of voting with your wallet - your choices become more and more limited if the market isn't aligned with your personal preference.
- pmontra 8y ago
  Well said. I like small and light phones, not iOS. I'm typing this on an Xperia X Compact (2016). Follow up models weight more and maybe the product line will be discontinued. Even the iPhone SE is dead.
  - ForHackernews 8y ago
    https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jellyphone/atom-world-s-smallest-4g-rugged-smartphone https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jellyphone/atom-world-s...
    - imrelaxed 8y ago
      This might be the greatest prison phone ever
    - pmontra 8y ago
      Wow, that's really small. Actually it's what phones used to be before 2007.
      - ForHackernews 8y ago
        I got one off the kickstarter, and it's a neat little gadget. It hasn't fully replaced my main smartphone, but it's great for outdoors activities, or if I'm wearing an outfit without big pockets and don't want to carry a bag.

wozmirek 8y ago

What's your experience with Android One? First time I hear about it but I'm intrigued, doesn't it come from Google anyway? So the "secure" claims are kind of empty?

h4waii 8y ago
I think you mean privacy, not security, which there aren't really any claims about. Google aims to provide security updates to all Android devices, but specifically targets their product lines (Nexus, Pixel, etc) and Android One devices as they have a little more control over the software.
RandomNewGuy 8y ago
I'm using a Xiaomi Mi A1 for some time now and so far so good. I was looking for a pure Android experience without all the crapware and custom UI's that come from any major phone brand and this is exactly what I got. Also, direct updates from Google for 2 years without interference from the brand (Xiaomi in this case). Which means I have security updates every month. I'm not going to buy anything that's not an AndroidOne from now on, with the exception of a Pixel.
- slezyr 8y ago
  > Also, direct updates from Google for 2 years without interference from the brand (Xiaomi in this case). Which means I have security updates every month. You got exactly NONE updates from google. "Android One" has a requirement for vendors to provide updates. All those updates were from xiaomi.
- simple_phrases 8y ago
  After doing research in order to buy a new phone, I find it strange that Xaomi products are being suggested as an alternative to vendor anti-privacy and bloat. MIUI is baked in and you need to register an account with Xaomi if you want to unlock your bootloader and put, say, LineageOS on your phone. Xaomi has a bootloader lockout period on their phones, during which you must wait and use MIUI for a period until your bootloader unlocks. They've increased that period from what was once a couple of weeks, to over a month on new models. That's plenty of time for Xaomi to harvest your data. Meanwhile, there are other phones that allow you to unlock your bootloader without a data harvesting period.

ijidak 8y ago

This is awesome! I had no idea how to find the phones that have better OS support, so I was stuck with the Pixel line. Is this basically considered stock Android? Or is that yet another tier?

nkozyra 8y ago
It's stock, but the options are not great and the hardware companies are not especially eager to put powerful phones on that platform
- culot 8y ago
  There is an LG G7 with Android One. That seems like it could be a great mix of flagship hardware with stock android.
  - nkozyra 8y ago
    It's the best option out there but still a lower range phone. It's actually a different phone than the non Android one version.
    - culot 8y ago
      Oh! I did not know that, I assumed they were equally specced.

timrichard 8y ago

I've had similar feelings... having finally ditched my Huawei Nexus 6P, which I came to loathe. This was after years of buying Google developer devices (going back to the G1). The 6P was the last straw, as I came to resent spending hundreds on something with a soldered-in battery that could be (and turned out to be) unusable after 24 months. The battery was a wreck. I ended up getting an unlocked new LG V20 from eBay, which is a slightly older phone, but the most decent spec I could find with a replaceable battery. Been great so far, so it's been worth it for $190. Got a couple of spare LG batteries too, for $25 each. Nice reminder about the ADB uninstall trick, as there's some AT&T stuff that would be nice to remove if possible. I'm also tempted by LineageOS, but need the core Google Android apps - so probably too suspicious to use a bundled install that someone else has put together.

petre 8y ago
I'm using the bundled install, micro I think. It's okay, it works just fine. I always wondered what to replace my Nexus 5 with, thanx for the info.
- culot 8y ago
  Careful about buying 'new' copies of that phone on Ebay: there are none. Almost all of the new copies bring sold on Ebay for the last year or so are fraudulent. Finding an actual new LG V20, outside of perhaps Korea, is unlikely. edit: just checked Ebay, and yup, there are no legit new copies to be had, except for maybe AT&T or unlocked variants for $400+. There's a very low chance that anyone will be/or has been able to find a new LG V20 for at least a year, and almost certainly not for a reasonable price. It is a similar situation for numerous other smartphones on the used market, most new copies for sale are actually remanufactured/used that have been repackaged and fraudulently resold as new from somewhere [originally] in China. The fake LG V20 new copies began flooding the market somewhere in the past 1-2 years, and have dominated since, but that practice is typical for smartphones in general.
  - timrichard 8y ago
    Item was described as "new and sealed factory unlocked", and I had no complaints when it arrived. If it is repackaged, I was completely unable to tell any difference from other new devices I can remember unpacking (new from Amazon or directly from a vendor). The spare batteries I sourced from a separate UK supplier. It's definitely intended for AT&T, but worked fine with Three in the UK as soon as I entered the appropriate APN info and restarted. Here's a relisting, for what it's worth : https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/372561134735?ViewItem=&item=372561134735 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/372561134735?ViewItem=&item=37256...

softawre 8y ago

Pixel has no bloatware.

mrguyorama 8y ago
My Pixel came preinstalled with at least three of Google's multitude of chat applications. If that's not bloatware then I don't know what is
- lern_too_spel 8y ago
  Mine downloaded them after initial setup. I simply cancelled the downloads of the crapware messaging apps that hadn't started and uninstalled the ones that had already downloaded.

tql 8y ago

Be warned that Google does NOT push updates to these Android One phones, the OEM does, so they take their time and (potentially can) include as many crap apps as they want. Xiaomi puts a lot of crapware in their Android One mobiles. They have their own line of apps, "Mi", and they include many of them pre-installed by default.