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If you want to get into Android, a safer bet for high-end devices would be Samsung. It helps if you have other Samsung devices, like TVs or Galaxy Watch. I hav

If you want to get into Android, a safer bet for high-end devices would be Samsung. It helps if you have other Samsung devices, like TVs or Galaxy Watch. I have an S21 Ultra (2021). It's big and somewhat heavy, but it has 16 GB of RAM, 512 GB of storage, a good camera, it will get 4-5 years of updates in total, and it's easily the best Android I had thus far. My last Google device was Nexus 6 and it was shit. The first device I got had screen issues. Changed it in warranty, and the replacement died just after the warranty was over. Pixels are not as appalling as Nexuses were back then, but from reviews on the web, it's not far either. Also, the default Google experience is shit too.

hardwaresofton 3y ago
Yeah, except for Samsung being really interested in bloatware and not immune from the lure of surveillance economy cash (which is their right, whether I like it or not!). Weirdly enough I'd rather have close-to-stock rather than have essentially both Google and Samsung trying to monetize me. I run an Apple phone at this point, and I'm not going to lie, they're so far ahead in this respect (good if not overpriced hardware, build quality, coherent ecosystems, less reliance surveillance capitalism, interop between devices), that it is just really hard to consider Android. As much as I like the customization possibilities, more F/OSS-aligned OS & apps, etc of the Android ecosystem... It's hard to recommend it over Apple today.
- bad_user 3y ago
  Not sure what you mean by bloatware, but I prefer several Samsung apps over the Google ones. I prefer the Calendar app, for example because it allows me to draw on it with the pen. I also prefer Samsung's Calculator, Notes, Clock, and Health apps. I'd even prefer Samsung's Browser, which even has ads blocking, but I'm using Firefox. The preference for the pristine Google experience is absolutely weird, because Google is not Apple, indeed. On my phone, using Firefox with uBlock Origin, I go into ThePirateBay, download entire shows on my phone, then using VLC I stream them to my TV straight from my phone. There's nothing in Apple's offering that beats that for me. Mostly because Apple hates general purpose computing.
  - hardwaresofton 3y ago
    > Not sure what you mean by bloatware, but I prefer several Samsung apps over the Google ones. I prefer the Calendar app, for example because it allows me to draw on it with the pen. I also prefer Samsung's Calculator, Notes, Clock, and Health apps. I'd even prefer Samsung's Browser, which even has ads blocking, but I'm using Firefox. Yeah it might be a bit silly of me, but I basically consider all of Samsung's apps bloatware. Maybe that's an extreme position, but they almost never have the polish of the apple ecosystem, and when I'm on Android I'd rather use something like k9 over Samsung Email (so I wouldn't want it pre-installed, or would want to immediately remove it). On Android it seems like finding the "best" version of all the apps is the price of choosing the bazaar over the cathedral. Also, sometimes Samsung/other Android providers get weird about letting you uninstall their apps or daemons they might be running, etc. I have zero tolerance for any of that, on a platform that's supposed to be more configurable and somewhat under my own control. So it tends to be easier to just tend to a close-to-stock provider (and then eventually putting on a custom ROM or whatever if I get antsy). On Apple, for better or worse there just is no choice... And the walled garden is just comfy enough. > On my phone, using Firefox with uBlock Origin, I go into ThePirateBay, download entire shows on my phone, then using VLC I stream them to my TV straight from my phone. There's nothing in Apple's offering that beats that for me. Mostly because Apple hates general purpose computing. uBlock Origin on mobile is definitely a great point -- the one big issue with Firefox on iOS, but I expect it will be solved eventually for iOS (there are always rumors but nothing concrete yet)... VLC also is on iOS BTW I use it and it's great/my default. And yeah I definitely sympathize with the dislike of Apple's hate of general purpose computing and user control. But I have to admit when what they've built is better/more cohesive and it just is for now.
  - _coveredInBees 3y ago
    Totally agree. I enjoyed owning my S9+ and even though I was someone who used to root and ROM my older Android phones, I didn't really have any complaints about the Samsung "bloat" some people love to complain about. Even though I have a Pixel device now, I still use Samsung's browser as it is far superior to Chrome or even Firefox imo (I am a diehard FF user on desktop) and I even had to install a 3rd party app to replicate Samsung's "panels" application for a swipeable side app drawer which I loved and found extremely useful on my S9+.
ThePowerOfFuet 3y ago
Have you looked at Samsung's privacy policy? Wow. Not just no, but hell no.
- bad_user 3y ago
  There's nothing in Samsung's privacy policy that companies like Google, or Microsoft didn't already do. I'm also an EU citizen, and the GDPR and ePrivacy Directive, i.e., the law, is above any terms of service, as Facebook recently found out.
WXLCKNO 3y ago
Switching from an iPad pro to a tab s9 ultra to go with the Samsung watch and s23 ultra finally made things smooth for me. I understand how people in the apple ecosystem must feel about compatibility, it's actually really nice. I do hate duplicate apps from Samsung but like you the last appealing google device for me was the nexus 5.
bigiain 3y ago
> it will get 4-5 years of updates in total Are you sure? Historically that's not been the case. I have an S6Edge which I got in 2016 and Samsung provided less than 18 months worth of Android updates, so it's stuck back on Android 7.0. I have several other Samsung device which I've rooted/jailbroken and have versions of Lineage that are way more up to date than anything Samsung have ever provided, I've got a couple of S4s running Android 12. (I'd do that with the S6Edge as well, except I have a GearVR which the Edge fits into, and most off the neat tricks the GearVR uses won't work if I lose the original Samsung-supplied OS). I have an iPhone 6S which can't update to the most recent iOS versions, but is still getting security updates from Apple.
- bad_user 3y ago
  Yes, I am sure, this is a somewhat more recent pledge from Samsung.
zeagle 3y ago
I would disagree: I don't buy Samsung devices due to locked bootloaders in North America. Pixels will have graphene/calyx/lineage/whatever years after they go EOL.
- bad_user 3y ago
  This would be a very legitimate concern. Not sure what the difference between regions is, I'm in Europe, but on my S21U I have the option to unlock the bootloader in “Developer options”.

hardwaresofton 3y ago

Yeah, except for Samsung being really interested in bloatware and not immune from the lure of surveillance economy cash (which is their right, whether I like it or not!). Weirdly enough I'd rather have close-to-stock rather than have essentially both Google and Samsung trying to monetize me. I run an Apple phone at this point, and I'm not going to lie, they're so far ahead in this respect (good if not overpriced hardware, build quality, coherent ecosystems, less reliance surveillance capitalism, interop between devices), that it is just really hard to consider Android. As much as I like the customization possibilities, more F/OSS-aligned OS & apps, etc of the Android ecosystem... It's hard to recommend it over Apple today.

bad_user 3y ago
Not sure what you mean by bloatware, but I prefer several Samsung apps over the Google ones. I prefer the Calendar app, for example because it allows me to draw on it with the pen. I also prefer Samsung's Calculator, Notes, Clock, and Health apps. I'd even prefer Samsung's Browser, which even has ads blocking, but I'm using Firefox. The preference for the pristine Google experience is absolutely weird, because Google is not Apple, indeed. On my phone, using Firefox with uBlock Origin, I go into ThePirateBay, download entire shows on my phone, then using VLC I stream them to my TV straight from my phone. There's nothing in Apple's offering that beats that for me. Mostly because Apple hates general purpose computing.
- hardwaresofton 3y ago
  > Not sure what you mean by bloatware, but I prefer several Samsung apps over the Google ones. I prefer the Calendar app, for example because it allows me to draw on it with the pen. I also prefer Samsung's Calculator, Notes, Clock, and Health apps. I'd even prefer Samsung's Browser, which even has ads blocking, but I'm using Firefox. Yeah it might be a bit silly of me, but I basically consider all of Samsung's apps bloatware. Maybe that's an extreme position, but they almost never have the polish of the apple ecosystem, and when I'm on Android I'd rather use something like k9 over Samsung Email (so I wouldn't want it pre-installed, or would want to immediately remove it). On Android it seems like finding the "best" version of all the apps is the price of choosing the bazaar over the cathedral. Also, sometimes Samsung/other Android providers get weird about letting you uninstall their apps or daemons they might be running, etc. I have zero tolerance for any of that, on a platform that's supposed to be more configurable and somewhat under my own control. So it tends to be easier to just tend to a close-to-stock provider (and then eventually putting on a custom ROM or whatever if I get antsy). On Apple, for better or worse there just is no choice... And the walled garden is just comfy enough. > On my phone, using Firefox with uBlock Origin, I go into ThePirateBay, download entire shows on my phone, then using VLC I stream them to my TV straight from my phone. There's nothing in Apple's offering that beats that for me. Mostly because Apple hates general purpose computing. uBlock Origin on mobile is definitely a great point -- the one big issue with Firefox on iOS, but I expect it will be solved eventually for iOS (there are always rumors but nothing concrete yet)... VLC also is on iOS BTW I use it and it's great/my default. And yeah I definitely sympathize with the dislike of Apple's hate of general purpose computing and user control. But I have to admit when what they've built is better/more cohesive and it just is for now.
- _coveredInBees 3y ago
  Totally agree. I enjoyed owning my S9+ and even though I was someone who used to root and ROM my older Android phones, I didn't really have any complaints about the Samsung "bloat" some people love to complain about. Even though I have a Pixel device now, I still use Samsung's browser as it is far superior to Chrome or even Firefox imo (I am a diehard FF user on desktop) and I even had to install a 3rd party app to replicate Samsung's "panels" application for a swipeable side app drawer which I loved and found extremely useful on my S9+.

ThePowerOfFuet 3y ago

Have you looked at Samsung's privacy policy? Wow. Not just no, but hell no.

bad_user 3y ago
There's nothing in Samsung's privacy policy that companies like Google, or Microsoft didn't already do. I'm also an EU citizen, and the GDPR and ePrivacy Directive, i.e., the law, is above any terms of service, as Facebook recently found out.

WXLCKNO 3y ago

Switching from an iPad pro to a tab s9 ultra to go with the Samsung watch and s23 ultra finally made things smooth for me. I understand how people in the apple ecosystem must feel about compatibility, it's actually really nice. I do hate duplicate apps from Samsung but like you the last appealing google device for me was the nexus 5.

bigiain 3y ago

> it will get 4-5 years of updates in total Are you sure? Historically that's not been the case. I have an S6Edge which I got in 2016 and Samsung provided less than 18 months worth of Android updates, so it's stuck back on Android 7.0. I have several other Samsung device which I've rooted/jailbroken and have versions of Lineage that are way more up to date than anything Samsung have ever provided, I've got a couple of S4s running Android 12. (I'd do that with the S6Edge as well, except I have a GearVR which the Edge fits into, and most off the neat tricks the GearVR uses won't work if I lose the original Samsung-supplied OS). I have an iPhone 6S which can't update to the most recent iOS versions, but is still getting security updates from Apple.

bad_user 3y ago
Yes, I am sure, this is a somewhat more recent pledge from Samsung.

zeagle 3y ago

I would disagree: I don't buy Samsung devices due to locked bootloaders in North America. Pixels will have graphene/calyx/lineage/whatever years after they go EOL.

bad_user 3y ago
This would be a very legitimate concern. Not sure what the difference between regions is, I'm in Europe, but on my S21U I have the option to unlock the bootloader in “Developer options”.