12 ms·

I will NEVER buy a samsung phone. They have all these backroom deals to put in Services like additional LocationProvider(the underlying service that can be subs

I will NEVER buy a samsung phone. They have all these backroom deals to put in Services like additional LocationProvider(the underlying service that can be subscribed to for loc updates) for companies that will pay them to get access to location updates differently than other apps can. Like a social media company or an advert company you get that favor for $$$$$. With google you know they control the locationProvider and all apps are equal and google still has priveledged access but its only them(as bad as that is)

itissid 3y ago
And remember there is no removing/uninstalling this kind of a service short of wiping the entire OS and installing another Playstore/Open Source alternative.
jwells89 3y ago
I might consider a Samsung phone if running third party ROMs on current models were possible/practical, but otherwise I’d agree.
- porkbeer 3y ago
  You can but its a pain, and onlty some models
FirmwareBurner 3y ago
>I will NEVER buy a samsung phone. Then you're basically out of options for something remotely competitive to Apple in the Android world. - HTC was great but they threw in the towel long time ago. Same with LG. - Google makes some nice phones without bloatware but last few generation Pixels seem to constantly suffering from various SW bugs pushed by Google, have sub-par CPUs and GPUs, poor reception in challenging conditions from the Samsung modems compared to Quallcomm, and suffer high battery drain in comparison to Samsung S series with Qualcomm chips. No go for me. - Sony also makes decent phones on the photography side, but are either overpriced or underpowered, and Sony has a poor track record for supporting their devices more than a few years. No go for me, if I spend big money on a phone I want it to be supported 5+ years at least. - OnePlus used to be a brand I would trust in the past being very happy with the OP 3, bust I got burned with their OP 7T which saw very short SW update period and every update brough more and more bugs they would ignore. No go for me, avoid this brand today like the plague. - The Chinese brands are great value HW wise but full of spyware, dark patterns, and offer very short SW update support, so that's a no go from the start. - Nokia is just selling rebadged Chinese devices with various compromises. Same with Motorola and Blackberry. Nothing worthy of your Euros there. - ASUS makes a small sized Zenfone which I like but costs more than Samsung's similarly sized and specked S23 while offering less years of SW updates. No go for me. - Fairphone would be a good alternative on the repairability, ethical and environmental sides, but those phones are large/bulky as hell, while compromising on performance and photo quality compared to 'non-fair' competitors of the same price. No go for me sadly. Make a smaller phone please. So, who else is left in the race? There seem to be literally no good Android manufacturers left that don't make large compromises or won't screw you in some way down the line eroding your trust post-purchase, as if they're all in a race to the bottom. That's why so many Android users are fed up with this shit show and moved to paying the "Apple tax" over the years.
- davidmurdoch 3y ago
  ASUS?
  - FirmwareBurner 3y ago
    They're just as pricy as Samsung's flagships, or even more, while offering fewer years of SW updates. Also no go.
    - davidmurdoch 3y ago
      No they aren't (ignoring the nonsense gamer phone category, since those are just a ploy to part a fool from their money).
      - FirmwareBurner 3y ago
        Yes they are. Their flagship Zenfone costs more than the Samsung S23, while offering fewer years of SW updates. That a very bad value for money and a bad deal in general.
        davidmurdoch 3y ago
        I don't consider Samsung's flagship phone to be their base model S23.
        FirmwareBurner 3y ago
        Why not? The S23 is the one who's dimensions and specs are closest to the ASUS Zenfone 10 yet is also cheaper to boot and offers more years of SW updates to the Zefone. https://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=12082&idPhone2=12380 https://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=12082&idPhone...
        davidmurdoch 3y ago
        Flagship means "the finest, largest, or most important one of a group of things". In any case, right now the base model S23 is $659 and the Zenfone 10 is $619.99 (on Amazon US). Maybe you live somewhere where the prices are different. I don't buy Samsung mostly because I loathe their advertising. They plastered historical monuments (like in Rome, Paris, etc) with billboards, and updated their SSD management software to serve ads. Android is often portrayed as a second-rate phone OS and Samsung makes it worse. Aside: the S23 doesn't even have a 3.5mm headphone jack; the lack of which negates any and all other features or benefits.
the_snooze 3y ago
Samsung consumer electronics are a real shame (TVs and phones come to mind). The hardware is generally pretty good. But the software is crap at best, abusive at worst.
- WXLCKNO 3y ago
  Samsung's version of Android certainly feels bloated compared to stock Android but it has much better features.
  - arnaudsm 3y ago
    What are you favorite features that are exclusive to them?
    - aceazzameen 3y ago
      I agree they have better features than stock Android too. The biggest for me is the customization of the UX. Simple things like allowing for gestures and displaying the bottom navigation bar at the same time. I use both because it's situational. Or separate volume controls. And Multi-tasking windows have more options and gestures, improving the whole experience. The customization of the OS really opens up when you download their "Good Lock" app. Because phones don't have bezels anymore, I can customize the dead zone around the edges without ruining gestures. I can customize the behavior of the navbar, the notification drop down, the types of gestures, and so much more. I can use their Sound Assistant app to allow more than one app play sounds at the same time. The downside is having to ADB into the phone and remove a lot of the preloaded bloat. They really do pack too much garbage on it. Some Samsung apps, especially Samsung Pay, started started having ads in them one day. And now I don't trust any of their standalone apps. All that being said, as much as I love my years of Samsung phones, I doubt I'll be getting another. New devices don't really offer me anything better than what I already have, except for the removal of more features.
  - whatevaa 3y ago
    I think it's region specific, I wouldn't call my Samsung bloated, I was suprised how little bloatware there was based of previous experience years ago. I used to call Samsung phones Chlamsung and their launcher Touchwiz a Shitwiz. Some people are silly though and would consider a basic calculator bloatware, though.
Xenoamorphous 3y ago
Can't you install stock Android on one? I'm an iPhone user and too lazy to switch now (plus I like iPhones) but Android is the more open platform so I'm assuming it's possible. Or is it just to avoid supporting them?
- jwells89 3y ago
  There unfortunately is no such thing as stock Android… the closest that exists is the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) which is generally considered too bare-bones to be usable on its own and is missing a lot of the things that Android users might expect. While there are third party Android distros based on AOSP available, they typically only support devices that are a couple gens behind or older, which means they’re not usually an option for anybody buying a current gen device. I wish Android were more like Windows or Linux where the hardware is somewhat standardized, the OS is the same no matter what it’s installed on, and you could just wipe+reinstall “plain” Android like one does with a PC with Windows to clear away crapware, but that’s not what we got.
  - Semaphor 3y ago
    That might be the case for the apple-wannabes at Samsung, but for a lot of phones you can get custom roms for current gen phones. Pixel, OnePlus come to mind.
  - empyrrhicist 3y ago
    > like one does with a PC with Windows Maybe in the past, but these days the crapware is coming from inside the OS.
  - hnuser123456 3y ago
    AOSP is not too barebones for someone who is looking for a barebone OS for their mobile phone. Last I tried, it comes with a basic texting app, a basic phone app, a basic web browser, just no Google app store, no Chrome, no Google account synced messages, etc.
maven29 3y ago
Citations?
ksec 3y ago
>for companies that will pay them to get access to location updates differently than other apps can. Source?
- ddeck 3y ago
  Not sure about location data, but I'd be more concerned that they list "contents of messages and email" among the data that they sell: "We may share your personal information by allowing certain third parties (such as online advertising services) to collect your personal information via automated technologies and server-to-server connections on the Services for cross-context behavioral advertising. This kind of sharing may be considered a “sale” under the CCPA/CPRA. You have the right to opt out of these types of disclosures of your information, as detailed below." "We may sell or share for cross-context behavioral advertising purposes (and may have sold or shared during the 12-month period prior to the effective date of this Statement) the following categories of personal information about you to or with online advertising services:" • Identifiers • Online Activity Online Activity is defined as: "Internet and other electronic network activity information, including, but not limited to, browsing history, search history, and information regarding your interaction with or through the Services or other Samsung or third-party websites, applications, or advertisements (for example, health data or contents of messages and emails when you use certain Services)" Source: https://www.samsung.com/us/account/privacy-policy/california/ https://www.samsung.com/us/account/privacy-policy/california... Some additional commentary here: https://www.computerworld.com/article/3514999/samsung-selling-data.html https://www.computerworld.com/article/3514999/samsung-sellin...
gloryjulio 3y ago
I bought Samsung because it's the only cost efficiently choice. The renewed model is insanely cheap. You can get a 1 year old flagship s series for 400 dollars. Pixels were(are?) having both software and hardware quality issue. The specs are also worse than Samsung's. The rest of the brands are just bad.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]

itissid 3y ago

And remember there is no removing/uninstalling this kind of a service short of wiping the entire OS and installing another Playstore/Open Source alternative.

jwells89 3y ago

I might consider a Samsung phone if running third party ROMs on current models were possible/practical, but otherwise I’d agree.

porkbeer 3y ago
You can but its a pain, and onlty some models

FirmwareBurner 3y ago

>I will NEVER buy a samsung phone. Then you're basically out of options for something remotely competitive to Apple in the Android world. - HTC was great but they threw in the towel long time ago. Same with LG. - Google makes some nice phones without bloatware but last few generation Pixels seem to constantly suffering from various SW bugs pushed by Google, have sub-par CPUs and GPUs, poor reception in challenging conditions from the Samsung modems compared to Quallcomm, and suffer high battery drain in comparison to Samsung S series with Qualcomm chips. No go for me. - Sony also makes decent phones on the photography side, but are either overpriced or underpowered, and Sony has a poor track record for supporting their devices more than a few years. No go for me, if I spend big money on a phone I want it to be supported 5+ years at least. - OnePlus used to be a brand I would trust in the past being very happy with the OP 3, bust I got burned with their OP 7T which saw very short SW update period and every update brough more and more bugs they would ignore. No go for me, avoid this brand today like the plague. - The Chinese brands are great value HW wise but full of spyware, dark patterns, and offer very short SW update support, so that's a no go from the start. - Nokia is just selling rebadged Chinese devices with various compromises. Same with Motorola and Blackberry. Nothing worthy of your Euros there. - ASUS makes a small sized Zenfone which I like but costs more than Samsung's similarly sized and specked S23 while offering less years of SW updates. No go for me. - Fairphone would be a good alternative on the repairability, ethical and environmental sides, but those phones are large/bulky as hell, while compromising on performance and photo quality compared to 'non-fair' competitors of the same price. No go for me sadly. Make a smaller phone please. So, who else is left in the race? There seem to be literally no good Android manufacturers left that don't make large compromises or won't screw you in some way down the line eroding your trust post-purchase, as if they're all in a race to the bottom. That's why so many Android users are fed up with this shit show and moved to paying the "Apple tax" over the years.

davidmurdoch 3y ago
ASUS?
- FirmwareBurner 3y ago
  They're just as pricy as Samsung's flagships, or even more, while offering fewer years of SW updates. Also no go.
  - davidmurdoch 3y ago
    No they aren't (ignoring the nonsense gamer phone category, since those are just a ploy to part a fool from their money).
    - FirmwareBurner 3y ago
      Yes they are. Their flagship Zenfone costs more than the Samsung S23, while offering fewer years of SW updates. That a very bad value for money and a bad deal in general.
      - davidmurdoch 3y ago
        I don't consider Samsung's flagship phone to be their base model S23.
        FirmwareBurner 3y ago
        Why not? The S23 is the one who's dimensions and specs are closest to the ASUS Zenfone 10 yet is also cheaper to boot and offers more years of SW updates to the Zefone. https://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=12082&idPhone2=12380 https://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=12082&idPhone...
        davidmurdoch 3y ago
        Flagship means "the finest, largest, or most important one of a group of things". In any case, right now the base model S23 is $659 and the Zenfone 10 is $619.99 (on Amazon US). Maybe you live somewhere where the prices are different. I don't buy Samsung mostly because I loathe their advertising. They plastered historical monuments (like in Rome, Paris, etc) with billboards, and updated their SSD management software to serve ads. Android is often portrayed as a second-rate phone OS and Samsung makes it worse. Aside: the S23 doesn't even have a 3.5mm headphone jack; the lack of which negates any and all other features or benefits.

the_snooze 3y ago

Samsung consumer electronics are a real shame (TVs and phones come to mind). The hardware is generally pretty good. But the software is crap at best, abusive at worst.

WXLCKNO 3y ago
Samsung's version of Android certainly feels bloated compared to stock Android but it has much better features.
- arnaudsm 3y ago
  What are you favorite features that are exclusive to them?
  - aceazzameen 3y ago
    I agree they have better features than stock Android too. The biggest for me is the customization of the UX. Simple things like allowing for gestures and displaying the bottom navigation bar at the same time. I use both because it's situational. Or separate volume controls. And Multi-tasking windows have more options and gestures, improving the whole experience. The customization of the OS really opens up when you download their "Good Lock" app. Because phones don't have bezels anymore, I can customize the dead zone around the edges without ruining gestures. I can customize the behavior of the navbar, the notification drop down, the types of gestures, and so much more. I can use their Sound Assistant app to allow more than one app play sounds at the same time. The downside is having to ADB into the phone and remove a lot of the preloaded bloat. They really do pack too much garbage on it. Some Samsung apps, especially Samsung Pay, started started having ads in them one day. And now I don't trust any of their standalone apps. All that being said, as much as I love my years of Samsung phones, I doubt I'll be getting another. New devices don't really offer me anything better than what I already have, except for the removal of more features.
- whatevaa 3y ago
  I think it's region specific, I wouldn't call my Samsung bloated, I was suprised how little bloatware there was based of previous experience years ago. I used to call Samsung phones Chlamsung and their launcher Touchwiz a Shitwiz. Some people are silly though and would consider a basic calculator bloatware, though.

Xenoamorphous 3y ago

Can't you install stock Android on one? I'm an iPhone user and too lazy to switch now (plus I like iPhones) but Android is the more open platform so I'm assuming it's possible. Or is it just to avoid supporting them?

jwells89 3y ago
There unfortunately is no such thing as stock Android… the closest that exists is the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) which is generally considered too bare-bones to be usable on its own and is missing a lot of the things that Android users might expect. While there are third party Android distros based on AOSP available, they typically only support devices that are a couple gens behind or older, which means they’re not usually an option for anybody buying a current gen device. I wish Android were more like Windows or Linux where the hardware is somewhat standardized, the OS is the same no matter what it’s installed on, and you could just wipe+reinstall “plain” Android like one does with a PC with Windows to clear away crapware, but that’s not what we got.
- Semaphor 3y ago
  That might be the case for the apple-wannabes at Samsung, but for a lot of phones you can get custom roms for current gen phones. Pixel, OnePlus come to mind.
- empyrrhicist 3y ago
  > like one does with a PC with Windows Maybe in the past, but these days the crapware is coming from inside the OS.
- hnuser123456 3y ago
  AOSP is not too barebones for someone who is looking for a barebone OS for their mobile phone. Last I tried, it comes with a basic texting app, a basic phone app, a basic web browser, just no Google app store, no Chrome, no Google account synced messages, etc.

maven29 3y ago

Citations?

ksec 3y ago

>for companies that will pay them to get access to location updates differently than other apps can. Source?

ddeck 3y ago
Not sure about location data, but I'd be more concerned that they list "contents of messages and email" among the data that they sell: "We may share your personal information by allowing certain third parties (such as online advertising services) to collect your personal information via automated technologies and server-to-server connections on the Services for cross-context behavioral advertising. This kind of sharing may be considered a “sale” under the CCPA/CPRA. You have the right to opt out of these types of disclosures of your information, as detailed below." "We may sell or share for cross-context behavioral advertising purposes (and may have sold or shared during the 12-month period prior to the effective date of this Statement) the following categories of personal information about you to or with online advertising services:" • Identifiers • Online Activity Online Activity is defined as: "Internet and other electronic network activity information, including, but not limited to, browsing history, search history, and information regarding your interaction with or through the Services or other Samsung or third-party websites, applications, or advertisements (for example, health data or contents of messages and emails when you use certain Services)" Source: https://www.samsung.com/us/account/privacy-policy/california/ https://www.samsung.com/us/account/privacy-policy/california... Some additional commentary here: https://www.computerworld.com/article/3514999/samsung-selling-data.html https://www.computerworld.com/article/3514999/samsung-sellin...

gloryjulio 3y ago

I bought Samsung because it's the only cost efficiently choice. The renewed model is insanely cheap. You can get a 1 year old flagship s series for 400 dollars. Pixels were(are?) having both software and hardware quality issue. The specs are also worse than Samsung's. The rest of the brands are just bad.

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]