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I couldn't wait any longer so I purchased a very expensive Samsung S21 Ultra ($1200) because no Google phone could lure me away from my fading Pixel 2 XL. My m

I couldn't wait any longer so I purchased a very expensive Samsung S21 Ultra ($1200) because no Google phone could lure me away from my fading Pixel 2 XL. My mistake, because the Samsung phone had preloaded software that took considerable effort to remove (more than most people could/would deal with). It wasn't the software itself that bothered me, but rather that there were notifications for apps I don't use that I could not turn off. That's enough to make me hate a company for a long time. Bloat my phone all you want, but notifications take my brain-space, not my drive space. At least with a Google phone I have a semblance of control over the core function of the device. Looking forward to the Pixel 7 or equivalent once this Samsung device has served its purpose.

LegitShady 5y ago
the apps preinstalled I can't remove that send notifications is exactly why I won't get a samsung phone either. I had an s7 (edge which sucked to use one handed because of accidentally hitting things on the curved edge) and all the samsung stuff on there that I had to deal with was a pain and the ass and impacted battery life (because it improved once I removed most of it). I went to pixel phones and never looked back.
Covzire 5y ago
I want to like Samsung, and I used to have an S III and it was great in it's day but they need to step up with their security updates. They provide 3-years of updates now I think which is better than they used to be, but for a lot of security-minded people I think a portable computer with a lot of sensitive personal data is pretty much obsolete the moment the critical security updates stop coming. For me that means I could only have a Samsung phone for 3 years before it would need to be replaced.
- zibzab 5y ago
  Actually, I think it's 4 or 5 years, depending on Android Enterprise eligibility
optymizer 5y ago
I've only ever had Nexus and Pixel phones, and I've purchased most of the releases, starting with the original T-Mobile G1, which, along with the 6P, will have a special place in my heart. I finally switched to Samsung S20 last year, and my wife to OnePlus 8T. They were more expensive, but we got better hardware and noticeably better battery life. On the software side, the Samsung S20 is not only bloated, but buggy. The keyboard likes to die once in a while, so there's just no keyboard unless I reboot the phone. There is way too much in that phone. It's like someone said Yes to every idea that was uttered in meetings. It also likes to kill background processes very aggressively, which sometimes affects Google Maps navigation and casting to Chromecast. On the flip side, Samsung has this software (Link?) that lets you use the phone from a Windows computer and it works very well. The touch screen is very sensitive and the screen has these slightly raised round edges, so sometimes grabbing the phone sends touch events which is fairly annoying. I was pleasantly surprised with the OnePlus. Little bloat, compared to Samsung, hardware is very solid, didn't notice any glaring software issues, no weird stuff. I'm not sure how open it is to flashing another ROM, but to me it feels like a higher end Nexus phone.
- rrrrrrrrrrrryan 5y ago
  > It also likes to kill background processes very aggressively > I was pleasantly surprised with the OnePlus. OnePlus is actually almost as bad as Samsung in this regard. [1] It's the main reason I left OnePlus and switched back to the Pixel line. Far too frustrating missing an important notification because it killed an app in the background, and it's basically just to lie that their phones have better battery life than they actually do. [1] https://dontkillmyapp.com/ https://dontkillmyapp.com/
- kaladin-jasnah 5y ago
  > I was pleasantly surprised with the OnePlus. Little bloat, compared to Samsung, hardware is very solid, didn't notice any glaring software issues, no weird stuff. I'm not sure how open it is to flashing another ROM, but to me it feels like a higher end Nexus phone. OnePlus is one of the two (the other being Google) manufacturers with absolutely stellar custom ROM support IMHO (if there are others I'm missing, I'd love to know) (: And even their stock ROM is pretty damn clean and good as well, last I checked. It's really impressive. Literally, the OnePlus 9 Pro (latest model) has an official LineageOS release. I don't doubt there are plenty of ROMs for the 9 as well and there will soon be an official 9 LineageOS release. Hell, the OnePlus One has an Android 11 official build on LineageOS's website. I've been daily driving a OnePlus 6 for the past three years. After OxygenOS 10, I switched to LineageOS for Android 11 and the phone is just as fast and smooth as ever. Extremely, extremely satisfied with my OnePlus phone, although I may be trying Google this time around because the Pixel 6 is cheap.
DangitBobby 5y ago
My experience with Bixby on the 6+ was enough to make me never want another Samsung phone. And that was before the motherboard was fried 13 months into ownership, right after the warranty expired. $500 repair went to a Pixel 3 instead (which was the perfect phone, as far as I'm concerned).
octodog 5y ago
What apps are you referring to? Bixby? I've also got the S21 and never get Bixby notifications once I switched them off.
- wyldfire 5y ago
  I don't know what these are but if they're objectionable enough for both of you to have turned them off it's likely that they should have been opt-in.
  - octodog 5y ago
    Bixby is Samsung's attempt at a voice assistant. I turned it off because I don't like voice assistants generally, it honestly wasn't a big deal.
cblconfederate 5y ago
yeah it takes effort but you can still replace most of them , change the launcher , and disable that bixby thing. OTOH the secure folder thing is neat. Samsung should focus on offering apps that dont exist in stock andriod, and do them well.
hbbio 5y ago
You stated the reason why I'll never get any Samsung hardware: bloated software, by design. I still believe Huawei is missing out big time. When they got banned in the US, they should have *open sourced the whole stack* and put forward a truly open Android platform and let it thrive. They make the best hardware (cameras!) but their limited closed-source environment is a definitive no. Conclusion: I hope the Pixel 6 will be available in my country soon!

LegitShady 5y ago

the apps preinstalled I can't remove that send notifications is exactly why I won't get a samsung phone either. I had an s7 (edge which sucked to use one handed because of accidentally hitting things on the curved edge) and all the samsung stuff on there that I had to deal with was a pain and the ass and impacted battery life (because it improved once I removed most of it). I went to pixel phones and never looked back.

Covzire 5y ago

I want to like Samsung, and I used to have an S III and it was great in it's day but they need to step up with their security updates. They provide 3-years of updates now I think which is better than they used to be, but for a lot of security-minded people I think a portable computer with a lot of sensitive personal data is pretty much obsolete the moment the critical security updates stop coming. For me that means I could only have a Samsung phone for 3 years before it would need to be replaced.

zibzab 5y ago
Actually, I think it's 4 or 5 years, depending on Android Enterprise eligibility

optymizer 5y ago

I've only ever had Nexus and Pixel phones, and I've purchased most of the releases, starting with the original T-Mobile G1, which, along with the 6P, will have a special place in my heart. I finally switched to Samsung S20 last year, and my wife to OnePlus 8T. They were more expensive, but we got better hardware and noticeably better battery life. On the software side, the Samsung S20 is not only bloated, but buggy. The keyboard likes to die once in a while, so there's just no keyboard unless I reboot the phone. There is way too much in that phone. It's like someone said Yes to every idea that was uttered in meetings. It also likes to kill background processes very aggressively, which sometimes affects Google Maps navigation and casting to Chromecast. On the flip side, Samsung has this software (Link?) that lets you use the phone from a Windows computer and it works very well. The touch screen is very sensitive and the screen has these slightly raised round edges, so sometimes grabbing the phone sends touch events which is fairly annoying. I was pleasantly surprised with the OnePlus. Little bloat, compared to Samsung, hardware is very solid, didn't notice any glaring software issues, no weird stuff. I'm not sure how open it is to flashing another ROM, but to me it feels like a higher end Nexus phone.

rrrrrrrrrrrryan 5y ago
> It also likes to kill background processes very aggressively > I was pleasantly surprised with the OnePlus. OnePlus is actually almost as bad as Samsung in this regard. [1] It's the main reason I left OnePlus and switched back to the Pixel line. Far too frustrating missing an important notification because it killed an app in the background, and it's basically just to lie that their phones have better battery life than they actually do. [1] https://dontkillmyapp.com/ https://dontkillmyapp.com/
kaladin-jasnah 5y ago
> I was pleasantly surprised with the OnePlus. Little bloat, compared to Samsung, hardware is very solid, didn't notice any glaring software issues, no weird stuff. I'm not sure how open it is to flashing another ROM, but to me it feels like a higher end Nexus phone. OnePlus is one of the two (the other being Google) manufacturers with absolutely stellar custom ROM support IMHO (if there are others I'm missing, I'd love to know) (: And even their stock ROM is pretty damn clean and good as well, last I checked. It's really impressive. Literally, the OnePlus 9 Pro (latest model) has an official LineageOS release. I don't doubt there are plenty of ROMs for the 9 as well and there will soon be an official 9 LineageOS release. Hell, the OnePlus One has an Android 11 official build on LineageOS's website. I've been daily driving a OnePlus 6 for the past three years. After OxygenOS 10, I switched to LineageOS for Android 11 and the phone is just as fast and smooth as ever. Extremely, extremely satisfied with my OnePlus phone, although I may be trying Google this time around because the Pixel 6 is cheap.

DangitBobby 5y ago

My experience with Bixby on the 6+ was enough to make me never want another Samsung phone. And that was before the motherboard was fried 13 months into ownership, right after the warranty expired. $500 repair went to a Pixel 3 instead (which was the perfect phone, as far as I'm concerned).

octodog 5y ago

What apps are you referring to? Bixby? I've also got the S21 and never get Bixby notifications once I switched them off.

wyldfire 5y ago
I don't know what these are but if they're objectionable enough for both of you to have turned them off it's likely that they should have been opt-in.
- octodog 5y ago
  Bixby is Samsung's attempt at a voice assistant. I turned it off because I don't like voice assistants generally, it honestly wasn't a big deal.

cblconfederate 5y ago

yeah it takes effort but you can still replace most of them , change the launcher , and disable that bixby thing. OTOH the secure folder thing is neat. Samsung should focus on offering apps that dont exist in stock andriod, and do them well.

hbbio 5y ago

You stated the reason why I'll never get any Samsung hardware: bloated software, by design. I still believe Huawei is missing out big time. When they got banned in the US, they should have *open sourced the whole stack* and put forward a truly open Android platform and let it thrive. They make the best hardware (cameras!) but their limited closed-source environment is a definitive no. Conclusion: I hope the Pixel 6 will be available in my country soon!