What's a great Android phone these days?

September 15, 2023 1:17 PM

I have a perfectly good Google Pixel 2XL phone. I want to give it to my husband, who struggles with his wonky old phone, and buy myself a new phone for my birthday.

It has to be Android because reasons.
Are the newest Google Pixel phones good? Any other companies' I should know about? I haven't bought a new phone in years. I like good cameras. I like good battery life. I might also want a slightly larger screen than my 2XL to read books on better than I can do now. I assume any new phone is going to just have a USB-C outlet, so if I want to listen to music at the same time as charging the phone I'll have to continue to plug in my Stupid Splitter, which I do now with mixed results -- sometimes the music doesn't go through to the headphones. I would love a USB-C port for charging AND the little hole for the earphones, but I guess the little hole (3mm?) is really gone from this world now (I'm not a big fan of Bluetooth headphone connections)?

Any other things I should know about?

I have Verizon as my provider. Is there any reason not to buy the phone from Verizon (if they have what I want)? Is there any good place to buy a new phone?

posted by DMelanogaster to Technology (25 answers total)

The new Pixel phones are great!

One thing you should be aware of - the newest Pixel - the Pixel 8 - will likely drop right around the corner on October 4th. Even if you don't want the latest and greatest, this will drive down the price of previous models.

And yes, USB-C and that's about it. I think the 3.5mm headphone jack is (unfortunately) dead and gone.
posted by kbanas at 1:20 PM on September 15, 2023 [6 favorites]

Yes, the Google Pixel phones continue to be awesome. The Pro series should have the slightly larger screen you're after.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 1:24 PM on September 15, 2023

If you're willing to look at used phones maybe, I use the Pixel 4a and love it. I think it might have been the last of the line to have the headphone jack, and it has USB-C. No idea what used prices/availability are like, but might be worth a look?
posted by Teadog at 1:25 PM on September 15, 2023

Best Android phone on the market is certainly a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. Don't want the S Pen, go for the S23.

Pixels are perfectly decent. I just think Google sucks from a warranty perspective. (Travel a lot? Don't take your Pixel as it's not covered in other countries!)
posted by dobbs at 1:35 PM on September 15, 2023 [2 favorites]

I just got a Google Pixel 7 and it's good. I bought the phone online since the Verizon stores I visited didn't have the 256 GB phones in stock.
posted by wicked_sassy at 1:53 PM on September 15, 2023

Best Android phone on the market is certainly a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

This simply is not objectively true, though it might be true for you (especially if you are a fruit fly). My wife uses that phone, and it's great. I use a Pixel, which I like better. We have different needs. I would say that the Pixels are better for the reasons I care about (faster security updates, less UI bloat, only one company invading my privacy instead of two, a "better" camera, in the sense that it makes choices I prefer). If it were me I would wait for the Pixel 8 and get that, but the Galaxy is certainly worth checking out as well. They are both great phones.

Headphone jacks have largely gone away, but there is still one flagship Android phone that has one! It's the Asus Zenphone 10. Marques Brownlee has called this phone "nearly perfect." I love Marques, but he has some strange priorities. If his priorities are similar to yours... well maybe you should take a look at that phone. Otherwise Pixel.
posted by The Bellman at 2:03 PM on September 15, 2023 [7 favorites]

I have Verizon and what I think of as a late model Samsung phone though the calendar insists it is 3 years old. I have more problems with Verizon than Samsung. Everything works fine, but every contact with V is swamped with overwhelming market hype in which it is hard to find the answer to even a simple question.

Plus, they screwed up when they initialized my wife's new iPhone insisting they had to put a SIM card in it even though there was a paper in the box explaining that the phone has a built-in SIM card. The guy yelled at me when I tried to explain.

Plus they sent numerous emails and texts offering me a new S23 for free when, based on the phone I have, I would only get a 50% discount.

The phone has substantial Samsung bloat, most of which is unexplained. My phone may be backed up by Samsung, or by Google, or both or neither. I'm not sure how to check, and I certainly have no idea how to restore a file.
posted by SemiSalt at 2:44 PM on September 15, 2023 [1 favorite]

Headphone jacks may be gone from flagship phones but as someone who buys lower-end ones I'm surprised to hear of their demise. The basic Samsung I bought last year has one. (If you're looking at spec listings, look for "headphone jack" or "3.5mm jack".)

Battery life on even cheap phones can be great. Now sure how today's low-end or mid-range cameras compare to a 6-generations-old pixel, but regardless I'd think about looking outside of the very top of the range of you want more variety of options. (Also moving away from pixels or top end Samsungs can get you very nice things like an sd card slot).
posted by trig at 2:50 PM on September 15, 2023

Also, not what you asked but if your 2XL is on an old version of Android and can't be upgraded, it's not that secure to use anymore...

Which may be another factor to take into account: how many years of updates you can expect on a given phone. I think maybe pixel phones get the most years of updates and Samsungs (all? only the flagships? I forget) get the second-most, but you should check regardless.
posted by trig at 2:55 PM on September 15, 2023 [1 favorite]

Longtime Pixeler here, and I still miss my 2XL (using a 5 right now). The 8 series is coming out next month, and if you don't need the latest/greatest, the 7 and 7 Pro just went on steeeeeeeeeeep discounts today pretty much everywhere. You can get a 7 Pro for $649 (they originally listed at $899).

The only downside to buying the 7 Pro at this point is that, with Android 14 coming out at the same time as the 8's release next month, the 7 series will only get two more OS updates beyond that (although monthly security updates are guaranteed until 2027). It has been rumored that the 8 series will get significantly longer upgrade support, although what that looks like won't be announced until the Pixel release event early next month.
posted by pdb at 3:14 PM on September 15, 2023

I've had two Pixels and loved them...I got the second one after the first one decided to throw itself into the reboot cycle of death and essentially bricked itself. And then the second did the SAME THING. Many curse words were heard that day in my house, especially after I got a new phone and realized that all of my texts were gone. I'd backed up some, but...anyway...lesson painfully learned: no more Pixels for me.

I'd had Samsung phones before my Pixel era and happily went back to them and now have a Galaxy S22. Just got my daughter a Galaxy S23 and she loves it. No headphone jack, which is a bummer but a sign of the times, alas. I also have Verizon, fwiw.
posted by Molasses808 at 3:55 PM on September 15, 2023

I just remembered this database where you can search for phones by a wide variety of features. The linked search is just set to currently available 4g or 5g Android phones from 2022 onward that have a headphone jack; you can add preferences as you like and choose the order results are displayed in.

Is there any good place to buy a new phone?

I've bought from Best Buy and they were fine.
posted by trig at 4:23 PM on September 15, 2023 [1 favorite]

I have a Pixel 4A and it still has the normal headphone jack. I bought it on Swappa. They don't cost much now.
posted by fritley at 5:34 PM on September 15, 2023

I have a Pixel 7a. I did not realize I can't use wireless power sharing but that's the only thing I dislike.
posted by notjustthefish at 5:45 PM on September 15, 2023

Oh and to answer a couple of your other questions:

- Pixels are still good. the 7 series was very highly regarded for the most part, apart from some issues with it running hot under heavy workload (gaming, etc).
- Are you staying with Verizon? If so, no reason not to buy through them. If you may be switching carriers in the next couple years, though, maybe buy an unlocked one from Google (if you go with a Pixel) or Best Buy (if you go with Samsung). They both offer trade-ins so you can get a bit of a discount as well.

I assume any new phone is going to just have a USB-C outlet, so if I want to listen to music at the same time as charging the phone I'll have to continue to plug in my Stupid Splitter,

Top of the line phones will not have headphone jacks any more; if you buy a less-expensive Samsung that isn't the Galaxy S series, some of them do still have headphone jacks (they also have lesser specs and fewer bells/whistles if that's important to you). Pixels ditched the headphone jack after the 6a.
posted by pdb at 5:55 PM on September 15, 2023

I've been happy with my Samsung S22 for the year and a half I've been using it. The late model pixels are all too big for my hands and pockets.
posted by potrzebie at 6:20 PM on September 15, 2023

Possibly, the simultaneous headphone plus charging dilemma can be attacked on the charging side with wireless charging as described here.

My Samsung S10 usually has 65% charge at bedtime. Admittedly, I don't use it much, but still...
posted by SemiSalt at 7:25 PM on September 15, 2023

I don't have any personal experience to back this up, but I get the sense you're a lot more likely to run into battery life issues with the Pro version than you are with the regular Pixel. Even after 18 months I'm still getting 10-12 hours of screen on time out of my Pixel 6. The only mild annoyance I have with it is their choice not to include a headphone jack.

I would probably wait to see what the situation with the 8 is going to be before buying a new Pixel today unless maybe I was looking at an a series model. The 6a was on sale for $249 the other day, after all.
posted by wierdo at 2:58 AM on September 16, 2023 [1 favorite]

I'm very happy with my Pixel 6 still and not expecting to upgrade any time soon.

I bought right at release though and it had some horrible bugs at the beginning. So I would hesitate about picking up the 8 right away.

I had a Samsung for a bit after starting with vanilla Android and I hated the Samsung-ified Android. So if you're picky about things, it might not be right for you.
posted by lookoutbelow at 3:22 AM on September 16, 2023

I currently use two Pixels and will continue to as long as they're made. I'd recommend evaluating the Pixel 8 when it comes out in a couple weeks.

I would love a USB-C port for charging AND the little hole for the earphones, but I guess the little hole (3mm?) is really gone from this world now (I'm not a big fan of Bluetooth headphone connections)?

They make wired headphones that plug into USB-C.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 5:42 AM on September 16, 2023

Response by poster: NotMyselfRightNow, I have wired USB-C headphones. What I want is a USB-C port for charging AND a 3.5mm port for plugging in headphones, so I can listen to my music at night WHILE charging the phone. Alas, I am apparently the only person in the world who wants this. Hence, the STUPID SPLITTER which only works some of the time.

I'm going to get myself a Pixel, thanks to all these comments. Thank you. I'm sure Samsung is good, but my husband's despised phone is a Samsung and the person above who refers to the "samsungization" of Android is right-on --- that's part of the problem with that phone experience.
posted by DMelanogaster at 9:28 AM on September 16, 2023 [1 favorite]

What I want is a USB-C port for charging AND a 3.5mm port for plugging in headphones, so I can listen to my music at night WHILE charging the phone.

The Pixel 8 (also going all the way back to the 5 or so, for that matter) supports wireless charging. I've never really used wireless charging as it's not important to me, but there are any number of Pixel-compatible wireless chargers out there that will allow you to charge wirelessly and still have the USB-C port available for your headphones.
posted by pdb at 8:45 PM on September 16, 2023 [1 favorite]

I had similar frustration with wanting a regular headphone jack. This guide from Wired seems to have the best recommendations. I'm planning on getting one of the Sony phones when I replace mine, although not a bleeding edge one.
posted by Hactar at 11:49 AM on September 17, 2023

(I'll add that the Sony ones seem to be the only ones that support both wireless charging and have a headphone jack.)
posted by Hactar at 11:50 AM on September 17, 2023

If you have a Verizon account with a contract, you may already be paying for a new phone every 2 years. In which cases, get new phones, leave once the contract is over and go to Bring Your Own Phone. Otherwise, I'd shop around.
posted by theora55 at 12:30 PM on September 17, 2023