3 ms·

OnePlus has decent value and while being Chinese it doesn't have a lot of quirks and is geared towards western markets. Motorola also has some decent phones in

OnePlus has decent value and while being Chinese it doesn't have a lot of quirks and is geared towards western markets. Motorola also has some decent phones in the budget category. Pixel a series are also great value. I got a Samsung last generation and gave Samsung ecosystem a go (smart watch, buds, TV). They do great hardware but they should just leave software alone - tizen os is a major PITA on TV and Watch (lacks apps, Bixby is retarded). I had one plus before this and I'll probably go back if I stay on Android - software is just much better

blackoil 6y ago
Yeah Oneplus is a good option, but their pricing is now ~flagship, while I stick with low-mid end. Right now I'll go with A52 if I have to replace my phone. I don't use Bixby/Google and have ungoogled my life by lot, maybe one of the reason
- gambiting 5y ago
  I mean, the 9 starts at £629 which is actually really cheap for the specs. The only way to get the Snapdragon 888 any cheaper is to go for something like Oppo or Xiaomi, which are not available everywhere. And yes, their prices have been increasing over the years, but 3 years ago I paid £550 for the 5T, so now paying £629 for the 9 doesn't seem like such a huge leap.
- reader_mode 5y ago
  OnePlus has a Nord line which is in line with A52 I think ?
vinay427 6y ago
Honestly, the Samsung OneUI on phones has little, if nothing, to do with Tizen. Have you tried a newer Samsung Galaxy phone? As someone who now has a Pixel, newer Samsung devices come across as far more full-featured (I think this might be objectively true?) with a more consistent and pleasant UI (IMO) than stock Android. I don't use it because of bootloader/ROM support, but if that didn't exist I'd probably prefer the device that takes stock Android and adds some polish and thoughtful features along with better quality hardware. There's a reason why Google has often integrated Samsung features into stock Android with a delay of a year or two. Obviously, the reverse is true and Samsung benefits from Google development, but I think that's already a given when Samsung advertises an update to a new Android version. OneUI also seems to avoid the general slowdowns of older Samsung UI experiences such as TouchWiz.
- reader_mode 5y ago
  Yep - I'm using an S10 right now and have been for the last 2 years. Some problems I have with it : Bixby is garbage and I don't know why they haven't killed it yet - there is 0 chance they will ever develop anything usable let alone competitive. It comes preloaded with bloatware I cannot uninstall, custom app store it uses to update it's own system apps, it's own apps are spamming me with notifications constantly. Supposedly it has good integration with it's ecosystem devices, but unlike Apple - nothing actually works well, SmartThings craps out, Health keeps spamming me when I stopped using the watch, the watch doesn't have Google assistant or Maps out of the box. Overall the hardware is quite good, base OS is decent (I replace the launcher with Nova), but the apps and software ecosystem is garbage. Apple is miles ahead it's not even funny. I really don't want to get an iPhone because the iOS is so locked down and I want to go back to a Windows machine after the disappointments with MBP thermals for years and outdated design at this point. But Apple ecosystem just works 95% of the time. I mention Tizen as an example of Samsung trying to pull off their own thing in software and sucking at it (like Bixby). All Samsung devices would be better if they used a competing OS stack. One UI is the shining example of something that works but frankly I don't see the value add over stock.
  - vinay427 5y ago
    Thanks for the reply. That's definitely very fair criticism that I generally agree with. I suppose I personally don't mind the inconsistent and lackluster device ecosystem support because I currently prefer an outdoor watch over a "true" smartwatch. The OneUI additions were therefore what stuck out to me the most, especially from the perspective of a Pixel user. While I would appreciate the privacy and consistency aspects of iOS, I really don't like the often confusingly obscured UI elements, and the limited feature-set is the deal-killer for me as I at least occasionally depend on having decent file management, FTP/SSH, etc.
publicola1990 6y ago
RealMe phones also seem decently build and value for money.
- dotancohen 5y ago
  My daughter just bought one, and it is amazing. Responsive, great looking screen, and by far the best camera of any non-[D]SLR device I've ever seen. She actually bought it for the camera, nevermind that it was half the price of the other phones that she was looking at.

blackoil 6y ago

Yeah Oneplus is a good option, but their pricing is now ~flagship, while I stick with low-mid end. Right now I'll go with A52 if I have to replace my phone. I don't use Bixby/Google and have ungoogled my life by lot, maybe one of the reason

gambiting 5y ago
I mean, the 9 starts at £629 which is actually really cheap for the specs. The only way to get the Snapdragon 888 any cheaper is to go for something like Oppo or Xiaomi, which are not available everywhere. And yes, their prices have been increasing over the years, but 3 years ago I paid £550 for the 5T, so now paying £629 for the 9 doesn't seem like such a huge leap.
reader_mode 5y ago
OnePlus has a Nord line which is in line with A52 I think ?

vinay427 6y ago

Honestly, the Samsung OneUI on phones has little, if nothing, to do with Tizen. Have you tried a newer Samsung Galaxy phone? As someone who now has a Pixel, newer Samsung devices come across as far more full-featured (I think this might be objectively true?) with a more consistent and pleasant UI (IMO) than stock Android. I don't use it because of bootloader/ROM support, but if that didn't exist I'd probably prefer the device that takes stock Android and adds some polish and thoughtful features along with better quality hardware. There's a reason why Google has often integrated Samsung features into stock Android with a delay of a year or two. Obviously, the reverse is true and Samsung benefits from Google development, but I think that's already a given when Samsung advertises an update to a new Android version. OneUI also seems to avoid the general slowdowns of older Samsung UI experiences such as TouchWiz.

reader_mode 5y ago
Yep - I'm using an S10 right now and have been for the last 2 years. Some problems I have with it : Bixby is garbage and I don't know why they haven't killed it yet - there is 0 chance they will ever develop anything usable let alone competitive. It comes preloaded with bloatware I cannot uninstall, custom app store it uses to update it's own system apps, it's own apps are spamming me with notifications constantly. Supposedly it has good integration with it's ecosystem devices, but unlike Apple - nothing actually works well, SmartThings craps out, Health keeps spamming me when I stopped using the watch, the watch doesn't have Google assistant or Maps out of the box. Overall the hardware is quite good, base OS is decent (I replace the launcher with Nova), but the apps and software ecosystem is garbage. Apple is miles ahead it's not even funny. I really don't want to get an iPhone because the iOS is so locked down and I want to go back to a Windows machine after the disappointments with MBP thermals for years and outdated design at this point. But Apple ecosystem just works 95% of the time. I mention Tizen as an example of Samsung trying to pull off their own thing in software and sucking at it (like Bixby). All Samsung devices would be better if they used a competing OS stack. One UI is the shining example of something that works but frankly I don't see the value add over stock.
- vinay427 5y ago
  Thanks for the reply. That's definitely very fair criticism that I generally agree with. I suppose I personally don't mind the inconsistent and lackluster device ecosystem support because I currently prefer an outdoor watch over a "true" smartwatch. The OneUI additions were therefore what stuck out to me the most, especially from the perspective of a Pixel user. While I would appreciate the privacy and consistency aspects of iOS, I really don't like the often confusingly obscured UI elements, and the limited feature-set is the deal-killer for me as I at least occasionally depend on having decent file management, FTP/SSH, etc.

publicola1990 6y ago

RealMe phones also seem decently build and value for money.

dotancohen 5y ago
My daughter just bought one, and it is amazing. Responsive, great looking screen, and by far the best camera of any non-[D]SLR device I've ever seen. She actually bought it for the camera, nevermind that it was half the price of the other phones that she was looking at.