Spec me a phone pls

[Diddums]

I need a new phone as my A71 is getting on a bit.

I'm not bothered about flagships anymore but if a good deal on one comes up I could be swayed.

The most important thing for me is battery life and total control. I absolutely detest not being able to delete preinstalled apps and I also don't like that my A71 tries to shove Samsung's features down my throat at every opportunity. Be gone ya heathen.

Whilst I'm far from paranoid, I do appreciate my privacy and I'm pretty convinced that this Samsung is recording my location (this might be a legal thing from the Gov however so it could well be all phones for all I know).

Edit: also needs wireless charging and a headphone jack.

Any suggestions?

Cheers

 

[throwaway4372]

In a similar position, but haven't found a good option. I think one doesn't exist. They're all trying to push you into using more of their services one way or another.

 

[lmfy2k]

How about this https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/xi...-midnight-black-6gb-ram-128gb-rom-new-4302775

 

[Diddums]

In a similar position, but haven't found a good option. I think one doesn't exist. They're all trying to push you into using more of their services one way or another.

I've just gone through all the settings and disabled Samsung's Free nonsense which pops up every time I mis-swipe on the home screen. I've also deleted all my unused apps, closed all the tabs in Chrome (19!!!) and had a general clearout. Hopefully a bit of maintenance will speed it up a bit, might hafta replace the charging port though.

How about this https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/xi...-midnight-black-6gb-ram-128gb-rom-new-4302775

Looks good, will have a proper look, thanks!

 

[ShivP]

Would be going for a Google Pixel probably. However, the modern Samsungs have very little, and removable bloatware. Massively improved

 

[radderfire]

An older version of a flagship phone might be a good shout, e.g. a Pixel 7 or an iPhone 14.

e.g. GOOGLE Pixel 7a - 128 GB, Charcoal £399 at Currys

 

[KIA]

7a vs A71 vs A54 battery endurance test:

Compare Google Pixel 7a vs. Samsung Galaxy A71 vs. Samsung Galaxy A54 - GSMArena.com

www.gsmarena.com

 

[sx_turbo]

In a similar position, but haven't found a good option. I think one doesn't exist. They're all trying to push you into using more of their services one way or another.

Realme phones are pretty good, native android almost, they put their own skin on and that's about it no bloatware etc (at least when I bought my x50 5g pro a couple of years back anyway), regular updates, battery life seems to be alright, only issue is I think you'll struggle to do nd a phone with a headphone jack these days, but why not get usb c headphones or an adaptor that's permanently on your headphone plug.

 

[Rroff]

Sony 10 V has a headphone jack, very good battery life and out the box lets you choose if you want to install the bundled software or not rather than forcing it on you. If you want to spend a bit more the flagship phone is similar (though the reviews are a bit less positive about bloatware on the 1 V).

Downsides the SOC performance wise is pretty middle of the pack, adequate but there are faster phones in the price range and the camera on the 10 V is so so.

EDIT: Don't believe the 10 V supports wireless charging though.

 

[EsaT]

I'm not bothered about flagships anymore but if a good deal on one comes up I could be swayed.


Edit: also needs wireless charging and a headphone jack.

Headphone jack is nowadays very rare with also Samsung having removed it...
No doubt to sell their wireless buds just like everyone else.

And wireless charging is artificially limited to pretty much flagship/high end phones to force people into buying more expensive model.
Also that works nicely for making sure lower end phones are replaced in average sooner from faster wearing out of USB-port.


For some scale how scarce having both is here's the list of phones released from start of 2022 with both of them:

Phone Finder results - GSMArena.com

www.gsmarena.com

So if wanting better choise, you'll have to losen requirements in those two and get that as extra accessory/dongle.
Though neither that headphone jack dongle, nor wireless charging coil add on is ideal.

Would be going for a Google Pixel probably.

As Exynos based Pixels are mostly low end on battery life.
Even if CPU/GPU doesn't hog power, Samsung's modem is second tier and draws more than Qualcomm's modem just for standby.

 

[Diddums]

So if wanting better choise, you'll have to losen requirements in those two and get that as extra accessory/dongle.
Though neither that headphone jack dongle, nor wireless charging coil add on is ideal.

Funny enough one of the phones I've shortlisted is the Asus Zenphone 10 which seems to tick all my boxes, although a bit small (which might be a good thing, dunno).

 

[EsaT]

Funny enough one of the phones I've shortlisted is the Asus Zenphone 10 which seems to tick all my boxes, although a bit small (which might be a good thing, dunno).

That would be indeed well equipped compact option, if you're not much into cameras.
With Sd8 Gen2 it certainly has the performance and battery life should be good.

 

[Rroff]

Headphone jack is nowadays very rare with also Samsung having removed it...
No doubt to sell their wireless buds just like everyone else.

What I find amusing - wireless buds are on average 12x worse for the environment (an actual quantified amount not something I made up) compared to wired ones, but they get a free pass because it doesn't suit people, if it was something else they'd be all up in arms about it.

 

[sigma]

Sony 10 V has a headphone jack, very good battery life and out the box lets you choose if you want to install the bundled software or not rather than forcing it on you. If you want to spend a bit more the flagship phone is similar (though the reviews are a bit less positive about bloatware on the 1 V).

Downsides the SOC performance wise is pretty middle of the pack, adequate but there are faster phones in the price range and the camera on the 10 V is so so.

EDIT: Don't believe the 10 V supports wireless charging though.

Do you own a 10V?

 

[MrRockliffe]

Zenfone 10 IMO.

https://uk.store.asus.com/zenfone-10-236509164-90ai00m1-m000n0-1.html

More expensive but offers the features you’re looking for.

 

[Rroff]

Do you own a 10V?

Yes.

 

[sigma]

Yes.

Is it slow to charge?

 

[Rroff]

Is it slow to charge?

I don't really know to be honest - so far I've just stuck it on charge and left it for 1-2 hours and it is done when I next pick it up.

 

[Diddums]

Zenfone 10 IMO.

https://uk.store.asus.com/zenfone-10-236509164-90ai00m1-m000n0-1.html

More expensive but offers the features you’re looking for.

Funny enough I've narrowed it down to this or a Pixel. Which pixel depends on the deals on at the time.

Problem is though, I've been comparing the specs of my A71 to Pixels and compared to the 7 it's such a small jump I'm not sure it's even worth it. I've cleared off all the junk, bought it a new phone case and screen protector, cleaned out the USB-C port and it's feeling a bit better so we'll see how it goes.



Weird isn't it? I'll go spend £lol on a new bike in a second but when it comes to phones, I want to eke out every last second of use before I upgrade it

 

[sigma]

Weird isn't it? I'll go spend £lol on a new bike in a second but when it comes to phones, I want to eke out every last second of use before I upgrade it

A phone is just a phone at the end of the day.