The Google Android Thread

I guess this thread is really for any Google Android related news and idle chit-chat BUT let’s kick it off with some Android love:

I used Google Android up until my Samsung Galaxy S8 died. It was such a nice phone - really nicely built hardware - but eventually suffered too many case-less drops on the head. Then I switched to iPhone.

Convince me, though – why should I make my next phone an Android? And which would you recommend?

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Glad to hear you’re considering Android OS for your next phone! Google has improved their Pixel line of phones by leaps & bounds in the latest iterations of Pixel 6a & Pixel 7: the speed of getting tasks done in shortest taps, advanced camera and photo editing support and all the customizability that comes with Android makes it worth trying out.

For iOS hardwired users, it might take some time to get used to the Android way of things.

On the privacy front, Google Play Services is notorious for collecting excessive information and one has to manually disable the several trackers across the Google Android OS. If you’re open to live a privacy-first experience with OsmAnd maps and all, check out https://calyxos.org/ they sell preloaded Pixel lines of phones as well.

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The Pixel phones are great, I use mine with GrapheneOS (https://grapheneos.org) which is another option for a privacy and security focussed mobile OS.

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If I had to buy a new phone, the first thing to do would be looking at the sustainability report of the company. I had a fairphone (v3) and that was the last I’ll ever buy, but some people might like it. Agreeing to this scale, Apple is the most sustainable producer :smiley: it’s also true that among major Android smartphone producers, Google ranks the highest. Whatever your choice, I just think this is something to take into account :slight_smile:

Interesting! I was eyeing up the Fairphone 4 for a while and I think sustainability / environmental aspects are big sway when it comes to these things. But when I look at the hardware… I’m not sure it’s competitive enough with other big names on the market.

To be honest, the Sony Xperia range of smartphones looks really nice. Their naming is so confusing, 1 III, 1 IV, 5 IV, 10 IV, Pro, Pro-I — but the hardware looks pretty nice. I like that they are tall and slimmer, compared to most other phones.

And that’s really what I’m thinking about. I want a phone that isn’t so wide and that’s why if I went for a new iPhone, it would be a iPhone 13 mini.

And if I were to look towards Android, I’m drawn to the Sony Xperia and ASUS ZenFone range (but the ZenFone look a little ugly, imho).

Honestly, it’s just not worth it. After two years they stop producing changing parts for your phone model, and still they’re very expensive. I don’t care what they say, I paid 400 euros for a phone and I have to pay more and more for changing parts - IF you’re so lucky to find the spare parts after some time (also, someone could gobble them up and make you pay them twice), so the end game is that the phone ends up costing you like two or three smartphones in the long run, where the components wear out anyway. It’s sustainable if you want to pay 600-800 euros for an average phone that lasts you 4-5 years. And the support, ugh…
/rant

Consider that you can cover it, and it won’t look that ugly maybe :smiley:

Moreover, consider the range of accessories that each phone has. Also, what reddit users think about it. before buying electronics I always reach out for online review from multiple places - I’m a “humble” electronic user and I weigh every single purchase, even for earphones. It usually takes me a week or so to buy something :smiley: but it’s worth it after all! The most sustainable thing you can do is simply buy less electronics, i.e. the things you actually need.

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The Samsung Galazy Z Flip4 is one of the nicest looking phones I’ve seen in a while.

But I refuse to pay $1,300 for a phone. :see_no_evil:

Foldable screen tech had come on a long way, nice looking phone.

Here’s an interesting Twitter thread related to CalyxOS and GrapheneOS: https://twitter.com/renaissancehodl/status/1599784689321250816

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