Need a new smartphone that's not iPhone and I'm lost

December 9, 2018 1:48 PM

I'm having trouble finding and understanding the information/issues on all the smartphones out there and I need help boiling it down so I can switch to a non Apple smartphone.

I'm so mad at Apple for my shitty iPhone 6 that I refuse to give them any more of my money. The thing that pisses me off the most is ALL iPhone's have such shitty battery lives. I don't want to add an external battery pack to turn a product advertised as "slim and lightweight" into a 1/2" thick brick.

I'm a lifelong Mac user. I've loved Mac because it's simple and I can do anything I need to on the computer and easily understand how to do it. But, increasingly, they have churned out products they KNOW are faulty and leave the customer stranded. (Currently my 6 month old MacBook Pro's screen is glitching - turns out, they knew this for years and have not done anything to fix it.)

So, I'm done.

I've tried to do research, but each review seems to be based on the reviewers personal preference. Also, I have to go to several websites to find all the plusses and minuses of each phone. I get so lost. I'm 62, reasonably tech literate. (I can google a problem, read the solution and implement it.)

Most important wants:

1: NO SPYING. I want privacy on my phone. I don't want them to have a back door or default setting that allows ANYONE to listen in on my conversations and then target me with ads. Is the Samsung Galaxy S9 any good? Will I be able to adapt to it after my lifelong iPhone use? What bout the Pixel?

2: Battery life - I want it to last a day even after a year.

3: Ease of use - I want it to be easy to learn and navigate

4: Can be A) repaired by 3rd parties and B) not void the warranty. (I realize B may not be an option anymore in this current "you don't actually own it" garbage.

5: Past record of good customer service. (I know, a big ask)

6: Reasonable size: I have tiny hands and a tiny head. I don't want to look like I'm talking on an iPad Pro. The plus sized iPhones are the biggest I would want to go.

Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

posted by generic230 to Technology (8 answers total)

I go to Wirecutter for unbiased and thorough reviews -- here are their picks for 2018 for best Android phones and best budget Android phones
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 2:10 PM on December 9, 2018 [5 favorites]

Best answer: I really like my Galaxy S8, I almost bought the 9 but it had just come out and I’m cheap. This is my 3rd Galaxy — they seem to last around 4 years from new, and I’ve had two of mine repaired at local shops, though it was long after the warranty expired. The main failure point was the charging port, but with wireless charging this is no longer an issue. Also the new cord jack seems to be less damaging over the long term for the port. They’re a comfortable size, in that they aren’t too wide to feel comfortable holding. I use a Popsocket and that makes it even easier.

I find it very easy to use, and I like the additional nav bar at the bottom that IPhones lack. The camera and processors are as good or better than iPhone of the same release date. The battery lasts all day for me but it of course depends on how much you use it. I don’t carry battery packs for charging anymore though, and I use my phone pretty heavily.

Pixels have limited carriers so an unlocked Galaxy is better if you’re planning on switching carriers at any point. Definitely check with your carrier to see if they support Pixels if you decide to go with one. I do hear good things about Pixels, especially the camera. But they are expensive and as I said, I’m cheap ;)
posted by ananci at 2:15 PM on December 9, 2018 [2 favorites]

I've had several Samsung devices, and have been delighted with each and every one. My little hands with fat fingers do just fine, but I've got a big head, so I can't compare there. My current phone is a Galaxy S5 because it was super cheap and would work with Virgin Mobile's unlimited talk and text, and 4GB of data non-contract pre-paid plan that's also super cheap.

I use the heck out of my phone (and my tablet), and have gone 36 hours on a single charge. They've all been easy to learn - just boop the thing to do the stuff.
posted by The Almighty Mommy Goddess at 4:45 PM on December 9, 2018

I asked a help me choose a phone question in October that might be helpful, although I had different criteria and ultimately ended up going from Android to Apple.

Android phones don’t have massively better battery life than their Apple counterparts, except for the Cat phones. Apple is hands down better for privacy than any mainstream Android maker. Pixels will have the best pure Android experience. FWIW I miss Android. iOS feels clunky in comparison.
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 5:02 PM on December 9, 2018 [2 favorites]

The reddit.com/r/privacy forum is good for thinking about privacy. The upshot, though, is that you'd have to install a new OS, like Lineage, and then use end-to-end encrypted communication tools, like Signal and Protonmail. The Android phones are easier to modify in this way, but if you're not going to do any modification and are just going to use it out of the box without modification, then Apple is probably better.
posted by slidell at 1:00 AM on December 10, 2018 [3 favorites]

I use a Fairphone 2, which is modular inside, and upgradeable. You can service the parts yourself. I even go full Beard and run the Fairphone Free OS which has no google services, and I'm sure my battery life suffers as a result.

That said, it's a fully replaceable battery. I've had this thing for three years, have swapped out the camera modules once for a moderate upgrade, and expect to upgrade further as new modules appear.

It's not the fastest or flashiest phone out there, and really feels to people like a five year old model in terms of power, but it should be able to satisfy your privacy, repairability, and customer service requirements.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 2:16 AM on December 10, 2018 [4 favorites]

I get being frustrated with Apple for sure, but given that your alternative is Google's own OS, and that you are very (justifiably!) interested in a device that doesn't spy on you, it seems to me that you might be better off giving the iPhone another go.

I mean, I'm varying levels of pissed off about a lot of stuff Apple has done post-Steve. It annoys me. But it's nowhere near enough to get me to jump ship to a GooglePhone, or undertake the hassle required to truly own and administer my own handset via something like Lineage or whatever.
posted by uberchet at 6:44 AM on December 10, 2018

Pixels have limited carriers so an unlocked Galaxy is better if you’re planning on switching carriers at any point. Definitely check with your carrier to see if they support Pixels if you decide to go with one.

I can't speak for the situation outside of the US, but the Pixel 1/2/3 works on any of the big 4 networks (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint). Verizon is the only carrier that sells the Pixel, though. If you decide to get the Pixel 3, I would recommend just buying it from the Google Store online. BTW, note that you can buy it on Verizon and use it on any network, but it looks like you have to activate it on Verizon first and then wait around 24 hours to then use it on another network (see here).
posted by Quiscale at 11:38 AM on December 10, 2018