I'm with you Diehard. I have a personal Android and a work Iphone and I just can't get behind the Iphone. I'm amazed on how some of you switch between platforms so easily.

diehard03 said:

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These threads are always interesting because of the sheer inconsistency in user experience everyone has with Android and iPhone. Folks have completely different experiences on the same models causing them to switch teams. While I stuck with Samsung, my S6 sucked when I had it yet a few on here are still using it. Battery life was just terrible no matter what I did.

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I was a long time Android user who got locked into Iphone for work for the past year. They are basically the same thing by now, but every fiber of my being screams that I hate this ****ing phone. It's the only phone I've ever shattered the screen. Even after a year, I just can't seem to get the mindset of it - the slight differences in how everything functions annoys me.

I'll be going back as my company has released some Android phones now, but it won't be because it's an inferior product.

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This is me. I had all sorts of problems with iPhones - volume buttons / mute switch stopped working on two of my former iPhones and the screen shattered so much easier on them it seemed. I had multiple other functionality issues as well.

I'm in the market for a new Android phone (or will be soon), so just reading through some threads to get an idea of what is getting high ratings with my fellow Aggies. Please post any recommendations should you have any. Again, I'm looking only at Android phones.

I love my Pixel 3XL.

I was so hesitant with the notch being large, but it really doesnt bother me. I actually dont think its all that much bigger than the Iphone Xs Max notch.

I really like the automatic blue light dimming feature and the camera is excellent. Overall I think it's a great phone

nai06 said:

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I love my Pixel 3XL.

I was so hesitant with the notch being large, but it really doesnt bother me. I actually dont think its all that much bigger than the Iphone Xs Max notch.

I really like the automatic blue light dimming feature and the camera is excellent. Overall I think it's a great phone

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Loving the 3XL as well. The camera, especially with the Night Sight feature which was finally added via update is unmatched. I have an XS Max as well but I'm probably going to give it to the wife. The notch is ridiculous and really unnecessary on the 3XL but it hasn't bothered me in any use case. It just looks goofy as hell.

What is this "notch" that you guys speak of?

Ag12thman said:

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What is this "notch" that you guys speak of?

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The ridiculous looking cutout at the top of the device for front facing cameras and sensors which started with the iPhone X, or the Essential PH-1 although Essential's notch wasn't near as hideous as the ones that are common now. Just google Pixel 3XL notch and you will find many reviews, bloggers, etc., bemoaning Google's implementation of the notch on the 3XL. After using the iPhone X, XS Max, and 3XL I have become accustomed to it to the point it is not intrusive in my everyday usage but I still do not like it.

Thanks - I'll check it out! Sounds like the Pixel 3XL may be the best option for me. Gonna shop around quite a bit before deciding, though. Thanks for the advice.

I know this is an older thread but I'll chime in as I recently replaced my Galaxy S7 active with a Moto z3. I am very impressed with the Moto z3. I bought it for $400 unlocked from Best Buy with a free battery mod. Without the battery mod my battery gets to 60% or so with light use by the end of the day where my S7 would be down to 20%. With the battery mod it has yet to get below 80% as it starts draining the battery mod once it hits 80%.

I also bought a used speaker mod for $40 and a used camera mod for $88 and both are awesome. The moto voice (beta) works great in my car as it is the first app/phone to read text to me while driving over bluetooth and I can dicatate a response (Telsa Model S sadly no Android Auto/car stuff).

I'm not sure why Moto is overlooked so much in phone discussions, this is the first one I have owned and I'm floored with how versatile and useful it is.

It does have an SD card slow but it does not have a headphone jack.

edit: It also does not have a removable battery but my long term plan is just use the battery mod regularly and plan to replace that every couple of years for less than $40.

I'll check it out. I'm pretty open right now and am just starting to look / shop. If I can same a little money by getting a little older model phone (maybe a year or so old instead of the brand-spanking new model), that would be great. I still have the Galaxy Note 5, which has been a great phone. It's getting pretty old now.

Get a Keyone. best battery life of any phone I've ever had. They are Android.

ATMTWS said:

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Get a Keyone. best battery life of any phone I've ever had. They are Android.

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Sheesh - how many Android phones are there? I've never even heard of this one. I'll check it out.

It's the blackberry. The Key2 was released not long ago and is $650 I believe.

saltydog13 said:

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It's the blackberry.

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He'd never heard of it so I helped him out saying it was the new blackberry from last year

saltydog13 said:

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He'd never heard of it so I helped him out saying it was the new blackberry from last year

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I assumed it was sarcasm, or maybe someone found a box in their attic with a blackberry, a palm pilot, and a mini disc player that they decided to sell. And yes, I checked the year of the posts before replying.

And since it appears to be serious, how is a device that no one knows exists, from a dead company, get the recommendation over all other Android options? Serious question, since I'm obviously ignorant regarding devices never seen before in the wild.

Okay, so now I'm confused. Is that a blackberry phone or not?

Ag12thman said:

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Okay, so now I'm confused. Is that a blackberry phone or not?

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It sounds like it is. I'm just being a snarky sarcastic pain in the ass.

Now where did I put my Walkman...?

I just assumed it was getting good reviews since it has a physical keyboard

Yes. The KeyOne came out last year and the Key2 was released a few months ago.

I apologize for being the guy answering the question you didn't ask, but I can't help but share this opinion... It bothers me so much when people talk about how they tried or didn't like "Android", but what they really tried and didn't like was Samsung. Samsung has been brilliant in marketing, but they are by far in my opinion the absolute worst Android phone manufacturer out there. I would literally (not figuratively) buy anything other than a Samsung if looking for an Android device. Samsung is absolute garbage.

I know you didn't ask, but I'd look at anything in the Android One program. It solves the biggest issue Android phones have, which is fractionation across manufacturers and the subsequent lack of timely updates, etc. It still is crazy to me that Google allows these awful companies to distort their product with their own horrendous version of the product. Samsung's version should be legally banned. HTC's version ruined their company and they basically don't exist as a factor in the industry anymore. LG has gotten closer and closer to stock Android with every version, but still they lack market share because they think their stupid, useless skin will help somehow. Stock Android is better than any other version and iOS. Android's problem is spreading the wealth, they're better than anything else available, on a level playing field.

bigboykin said:

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I apologize for being the guy answering the question you didn't ask, but I can't help but share this opinion... It bothers me so much when people talk about how they tried or didn't like "Android", but what they really tried and didn't like was Samsung. Samsung has been brilliant in marketing, but they are by far in my opinion the absolute worst Android phone manufacturer out there. I would literally (not figuratively) buy anything other than a Samsung if looking for an Android device. Samsung is absolute garbage.

I know you didn't ask, but I'd look at anything in the Android One program. It solves the biggest issue Android phones have, which is fractionation across manufacturers and the subsequent lack of timely updates, etc. It still is crazy to me that Google allows these awful companies to distort their product with their own horrendous version of the product. Samsung's version should be legally banned. HTC's version ruined their company and they basically don't exist as a factor in the industry anymore. LG has gotten closer and closer to stock Android with every version, but still they lack market share because they think their stupid, useless skin will help somehow. Stock Android is better than any other version and iOS. Android's problem is spreading the wealth, they're better than anything else available, on a level playing field.

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Interesting on the Android One program. Looked that up because I hadn't heard of it. Some intriguing phones on there for the price. I haven't heard of 3/4 of them though, but I assume that's because they aren't available in the US yet.

And for others asking about Blackberry here is the link to their latest phone: Blackberry Key2

It's a little light on specs compared to other flagship phones, but I'm considering it as my next phone for two primary reasons:
1. Physical keyboard. I absolutely hate virtual keyboards.
2. Security.

Also, I've sampled some of their proprietary apps and they have some pretty innovative stuff from a productivity standpoint. I primary use my phone for work so I don't value a top of the line camera or capability to watch videos on my phone. I use it for email, quick notes, and TexAgs surfing.

Well, geez, I'm missing out on a lot then because all I've had are Samsung phones. I've had the Note 5 for several years now and it's been a very good phone. I know nothing else, so I guess I don't know what I'm missing out on. I'll check out the Android One deal you mentioned. Never heard of it until now.

Wouldn't it be better to just go straight to Google and get a Pixel phone, though?

If you have the budget for a Pixel, buy a pixel. If you don't, look into buying the best Android One phone you can afford or the OnePlus 6T (theyre usually pretty quick about updates as well as a good Android implementation.

Samsung's UI has improved over the years, but im wary of their phones because they have a rep for slowing down and lagging after a year, more than should be the norm.

heddleston said:

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If you have the budget for a Pixel, buy a pixel. If you don't, look into buying the best Android One phone you can afford or the OnePlus 6T (theyre usually pretty quick about updates as well as a good Android implementation.

Samsung's UI has improved over the years, but im wary of their phones because they have a rep for slowing down and lagging after a year, more than should be the norm.

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Mine is doing this currently. Great info - thanks. Anyone have any comments on any of the Android One phones? Looks like Nokia is the only brand name I recognize among the options.

Ag12thman said:

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Wouldn't it be better to just go straight to Google and get a Pixel phone, though?

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What heddleston said. If $800 is in your budget for a phone, the Pixels are damn good phones. The nice thing about most of those Android One phones is that you get the timely updates, security patches, and clean OS of stock Android, but typically at a fraction of the cost of a flagship.

My wife has the Xiaomi Mi A1 and it's a great device for the price (<$200). No, the camera isn't as good as a Pixel 3, S9, iPhone, etc. but it's good enough for the price and has headphone jack, fingerprint reader, expandable storage, USB-C, rapid charging, dual rear cams, etc.

The gap between the budget phones and the flagships has closed so much recently, that I just can't imagine it being worth it to pay for flagship anymore.

Thanks for the info! Wow - I haven't checked yet on price. Didn't realize it was $800 for a Pixel. I just pulled up the Google site and it's even $100 more for an XL, which is the size I am used to. Sheesh! I may have to look more at the Android One phones after seeing this. Is there anywhere to demo the Android One phones?

just ordered pixels for the wife and i. they're running $200 off the xl for black friday if you buy through google.

Thanks. I'll check it out.

As you noted, some of these are primarily available in overseas markets currently. Still, you'd probably find some of them, like the Nokia/Motos unlocked at a Best Buy that you could fiddle with. You might find some at carrier stores. Might be that MVNO carrier stores (like a Cricket or Metro PCS store) would carry more of these types of unlocked devices than a VZW, ATT, etc.

I rely heavily on Youtube reviews, and xda-developers for other/specific info.

Kind of a bummer... I've always bought through Amazon, and had returned a couple phones my wife just didn't really like after using a few days, but apparently they've changed their cell phone policy to replacement only with no refunds.

Didn't realize they had changed that policy, so thanks for sharing that. My wife got hers on there a few months back (an LG V-20, I believe) and has been happy with it, luckily. Seems to be a good phone and definitely seems to have less UI issues than my Samsung has had. I doubt I'll go back with Samsung since you and others have made it clear that they overlay pure Android with too much crap. I only didn't realize this because it's the only brand I have ever bought. My wife's LG-20 is what got me to considering other options and then I decided to quiz this forum, too.

Google is running a decent deal on Pixels it looks like through Black Friday. So I'm studying up on those a bit more now.

The blackberry is interesting. I Wonder if the camera hardware is as good as the pixel? I briefly had a pixel2 but went back to iPhone. Have to admit the camera on a pixel is vastly superior to IPhone 8.

That Nokia Android One phone has a great camera I expect. I would argue my old flagship Nokia Windows Phone had the best camera that's ever been on a phone. It had the Zeiss optics like the A1 phone does.

Pics it took in zero light were insane.

Ag12thman said:

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ATMTWS said:

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Get a Keyone. best battery life of any phone I've ever had. They are Android.

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Sheesh - how many Android phones are there? I've never even heard of this one. I'll check it out.

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That's the beauty. You can get whatever one best fits your needs.

Not shoved into a box.

My head is spinning. I need to buy a phone today. I have an iPhone for work so I'll stick with Apple. But not sure which one to buy. The 8 or one of the 10s?

Reload8098 said:

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My head is spinning. I need to buy a phone today. I have an iPhone for work so I'll stick with Apple. But not sure which one to buy. The 8 or one of the 10s?

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the camera on the 8 is crap. I'd look at a 10 or Pixel.