Cell phone thoughts/advice

[opa]

There's no two ways about it: I'm due a new phone. It'll be going on six years that I've used my current iPhone. Besides the good camera, I'm not too fond of the iOS/Apple ecosystem. My device is so old that most apps are getting to the point of not functioning properly, calls frequently drop, and the battery has to be charged every day if I use it frequently. I think it is safe to say I've gotten my money's worth out of this device.

I'm thinking of going with an android device as I've been using an android tablet and have become more familiar with that operating system (plus the phones are definitely cheaper than Apple's offerings). Do y'all have any android phone experience and what are your thoughts? What brands have you been happy with? I've heard Samsung is pretty good but I'm still doing research. I don't think I'll go for any pricey flagship device as I only really need to take good pictures, have good call quality, and check email/maps on occasion. I don't really game or anything.

With the plague going on I figure I won't drop hundreds on a phone right at the moment but maybe by June or July I could get a new device.
Thanks for any input, guys. Hope you're having a good one.

[PretentiousHipster]

I have a Huawei P30 Light and it is easily my favourite android phone so far. Samsung Galaxies are good too.

[marurun]

I also have a number of issues with Apple's ecosystem, and yet, every time I mess with an Android device I'm glad I have an iPhone in my pocket and not an Android phone. If you can afford it, Apple's devices do have benefits. Like you've been using a phone for like 6 years. Try doing that with ANY Android phone.

[isiolia]

I kind of went the other way, and have been quite happy with my iPhone 8 Plus after using Android (and WIndows Phone) for a while before that.

My last Android phone was a Motorola, and I think they're still making solid lower priced phones that don't go overboard on customizing the OS. Main thing I wasn't thrilled with, outside of battery life with demanding applications, was how long it took them to get OS updates out for it. Though, that's typical for Android. It's on the individual device makers to roll out new versions, and they often...don't. I think the best option for both that, and getting stock Android, is Google themselves, though Pixel devices may not always be the cheapest.
Samsung, far as I know, does tend to make nice hardware, when it isn't exploding or whatnot, but is probably not the brand to look at if you want stock Android. I never considered them due to that.

[samsonlonghair]

I also have a number of issues with Apple's ecosystem, and yet, every time I mess with an Android device I'm glad I have an iPhone in my pocket and not an Android phone. If you can afford it, Apple's devices do have benefits. Like you've been using a phone for like 6 years. Try doing that with ANY Android phone.

My thoughts exactly. No android phone is going to have six years of support.

My iPhone 6s came out in September 2015. I bought it used last year for pocket change. It's still in good working order. It still gets updates from Apple too. There's no android phone with that kind of longevity.

My older iPhone 5s is my backup phone, and that one got Apple updates all the way until last year. It still gets third party app updates from time to time. The older iOS 12 still works fine, and the hardware is rock solid.

Complaints against the Apple ecosystem are legit, no doubt. I have kind of a love-hate relationship with Apple, but they make some darn fine products locked inside that walled garden.

I kind of went the other way, and have been quite happy with my iPhone 8 Plus after using Android (and WIndows Phone) for a while before that.

My last Android phone was a Motorola, and I think they're still making solid lower priced phones that don't go overboard on customizing the OS. Main thing I wasn't thrilled with, outside of battery life with demanding applications, was how long it took them to get OS updates out for it. Though, that's typical for Android. It's on the individual device makers to roll out new versions, and they often...don't. I think the best option for both that, and getting stock Android, is Google themselves, though Pixel devices may not always be the cheapest.
Samsung, far as I know, does tend to make nice hardware, when it isn't exploding or whatnot, but is probably not the brand to look at if you want stock Android. I never considered them due to that.

Yeah, I started with Android. I thought I hated touch-screen phones at first. It turns out I just hated poorly made touch screen phones. Those first couple cheap little LG Android phones were rubbish.

Probably the best Android I ever used was an HTC One. That thing had a lot of neat features, but it didn't have much aftermarket support. It was made the same year as my iPhone 5s, but it went obsolete much faster. I think that's par for the course for most Android manufacturers.

[Ack]

...I actually did use an Android phone for six years...

[marurun]

And how do you feel about that experience, Ack?

[Ack]

Towards the end, I was experiencing problems with specific apps and battery life, and the camera quality was far behind, but it did the things I needed it to do, so...yeah. I do miss the quality OtterBox that I had for it. That thing could take a beating. The one I have now just feels puny in comparison.

[marurun]

There are Android phones that can match the build quality of the iPhone, but you have to pick carefully. The lack of timely updates over any length of time, however, is frustrating.

[Jagosaurus]

I had 2 phones before this, but here's my progression:

2008 - LG enV²

Ahh... the days of the Sidekick competitors. Possibly still my favorite phone to this day. As you can see from the icons, it was very Android-ish in the UI so it was natural move for me. I also already hated itunes by 2008 or so.

These are dates I picked up these vs release date. All within the devices being fairly new, but may have spilled into following year if it came out in fall.

2010 - Motorola Droid X
Android 2.2. Froyo,
upgraded to Gingerbread

2012 - Motorola Droid Rzr Maxx
Android 2.3 Gingerbread,
upgraded to Jellybean

2015 - Samsung Galaxy Note 4
Android 4.4. KitKat,
upgraded to both Lollipop & Marshmallow

2018 - Samsung Galaxy 9S Plus
Android 8.0 Oreo,
upgraded to Pie & Android 10... finally ditched the dessert names

Been on Android for a decade, since OS 2.2 & will never look back. I can say, I personally prefer the Samsung to Motorola. You can tell the quality difference in performance, but Motos are still solid. I could run this 3+ years no issues (as I did with Note 4), but may the techie in me upgrade soon...

I need Verizon for my job & based on geography so my options are limited on some of the "in" non-flagship devices. They do look sweet though.