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New “Android Go” phones show how much you can get for $100

arstechnica.com

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Re: New “Android Go” phones show how much you can get for $100

#61

Post by amiga-workbench »

criddell wrote: post #47
amiga-workbench wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm pretty much through buying "flagship" devices due to the pathetically short software support lifetime they have, I bought a second hand Xperia Z5 Compact for £150 about 6 months ago and loaded Lineage OS onto it. Even my old Xperia Z3 has a port of Oreo available, and its perfectly functional.

I'm not buying any phones anymore unless they come from Google or Apple. Even manufacturers that do update their phones can be very slow getting security fixes out.

The Pixel devices don't really last that long either, and there isn't much progress on custom ROMs due to the weird partition layout.

Re: New “Android Go” phones show how much you can get for $100

#62

Post by on_and_off »

eof wrote: post #48

having used androids and always getting frustrated at them getting super laggy, i finally took my friends advice and bought a used 5s for $80. runs like butter for the last year. unbelievable to me we still can't keep garbage processes and excessive ui down enough to have a budget phone run like crap

It is too bad it was a private conversation, I would love to be able to point to a published form, but I discussed with one of the Googlers in charge of optimizing Android.

He did not exactly have nice things to say about how OEMs are optimizing their phones.

Basically they optimize in order to get higher benchmark score but it very often goes against general smoothness.

In the end he published a detailed article detailing how his team had optimized the pixel phone rendering pipeline so OEMs could try to do it correctly as well.

And that's for a high end phone.

However, I have got to say that after using iOS phones recently, I have not exactly been impressed with their smoothness either. Even system apps miss frames.

That's not shocking in itself, mobile computing is pretty hard, you can't even table on a stable cpu frequency (thermal throttle) but not what I expected due to the reputation of apple phones.

Re: New “Android Go” phones show how much you can get for $100

#63

Post by BugsJustFindMe »

r3vrse wrote: post #54
BugsJustFindMe wrote: post #40

As far as I'm concerned, the only question that matters is "What is the chain of responsibility for making security updates get to my phone?" If the answer is "Google-Carrier-Me" or "Google-Vendor-Carrier-Me" and not "Google-Me", then fuck it sideways. I'm so done with Android until the update model stops being garbage.

I completely agree. I do find it interesting though, as someone who through work has deployed a lot of cell phones for field ops - the situation seems to be kind of, sort of getting better in that respect. We bought a ton of Moto G4s and G5s in last 18 months, and for the first year, I saw maybe one OS update and a couple security patches?. In the past six months, it's been noticably different (and these phones are o…

> I'm writing this on a Moto G5+ which has 7.1.1

Well my G5+ says it's still on 7.0, and 7.1.1 still isn't the 8 update that was promised many months ago.

> and the January security patches

If you want to sleep at night, don't count the number of critical severity CVEs fixed in the February and March updates that you don't have.

Re: New “Android Go” phones show how much you can get for $100

#64

Post by cpncrunch »

BugsJustFindMe wrote: post #40

As far as I'm concerned, the only question that matters is "What is the chain of responsibility for making security updates get to my phone?" If the answer is "Google-Carrier-Me" or "Google-Vendor-Carrier-Me" and not "Google-Me", then fuck it sideways. I'm so done with Android until the update model stops being garbage.

That's why I only get google/nexus devices now, as they get fast updates (I assume the pixel is the same). I've given up on Samsung.

Re: New “Android Go” phones show how much you can get for $100

#65

Post by UncleMeat »

BugsJustFindMe wrote: post #40

As far as I'm concerned, the only question that matters is "What is the chain of responsibility for making security updates get to my phone?" If the answer is "Google-Carrier-Me" or "Google-Vendor-Carrier-Me" and not "Google-Me", then fuck it sideways. I'm so done with Android until the update model stops being garbage.

Okay. If you only have $100 to spend, what other option exists?

Re: New “Android Go” phones show how much you can get for $100

#66

Post by pulse7 »

StudentStuff wrote: post #24
ktpsns wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you provide a link to a shop where to buy a smartphone for $5?

Sure, I bought a bunch of LG Sunrise phones, but the current offer seems much better: https://slickdeals.net/f/11329603-8gb-alcatel-pop-icon-2-lte... Brick and mortar only though, and stock varies. I usually power dial all the local stores, then go to the ones with the most stock and clean 'em out. Easy way to get a few dozen Androids in short order. Sadly, at the $5 price point Amazon and eBay will never beat Brick…

Crazy if you compare this with Raspberry Pi Zero at $5 - you get: better CPU, 1 GB RAM, 8 GB storage, display, 2 cameras, GSM, GPS, microphone, speakers, battery, enclosure and a charger... if this continues, in 5-10 years you will get a solid machine for $5...

Re: New “Android Go” phones show how much you can get for $100

#67

Post by madez »

e12e wrote: post #60
BugsJustFindMe wrote: post #40

As far as I'm concerned, the only question that matters is "What is the chain of responsibility for making security updates get to my phone?" If the answer is "Google-Carrier-Me" or "Google-Vendor-Carrier-Me" and not "Google-Me", then fuck it sideways. I'm so done with Android until the update model stops being garbage.

I'd prefer a more classical model of having a group of volunteers work with semi-independent groups of vendors - along the lines of Debian Gnu/Linux. Rather than some semi-closed Linux + Google+hw-vendor Android. I like the direction Google one + lineage Os seem to be taking us; even if the baseband are still a problem / back-door.

Devices with LineageOS are still stuck on old kernels and can't run mainline Linux.

Re: New “Android Go” phones show how much you can get for $100

#68

Post by saghm »

cpncrunch wrote: post #64
BugsJustFindMe wrote: post #40

As far as I'm concerned, the only question that matters is "What is the chain of responsibility for making security updates get to my phone?" If the answer is "Google-Carrier-Me" or "Google-Vendor-Carrier-Me" and not "Google-Me", then fuck it sideways. I'm so done with Android until the update model stops being garbage.

That's why I only get google/nexus devices now, as they get fast updates (I assume the pixel is the same). I've given up on Samsung.

I had a Pixel XL and now have a Pixel XL 2; both get monthly security patches (including the XL, although it isn't hooked up to any carrier), generally on the 5th of each month.

Re: New “Android Go” phones show how much you can get for $100

#69

Post by cies »

jdietrich wrote: post #20
tudelo wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These phones seem like really good deals... too good to be true? I'm in the market for a cheap phone coming from a moto E 1st gen and these seem like promising options.

I own a Xiaomi Note 4. It's a fantastic device for the price and has given me no trouble at all. Xiaomi's Android skin (MiUI) is nicely designed, performs well and is regularly updated even on older devices. Xiaomi aren't well known in the west, but they're the fifth largest mobile phone manufacturer in the world. Depending on your country, you may have to pay import charges if you buy direct from China or Hong Kong.…

> I wouldn't recommend other Chinese brands like Doogee, Leagoo

Those names sound like Dodgy and Leakgoo, easy to remember, don't get those. Thanks.

Re: New “Android Go” phones show how much you can get for $100

#70

Post by cies »

dbspin wrote: post #14
tudelo wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These phones seem like really good deals... too good to be true? I'm in the market for a cheap phone coming from a moto E 1st gen and these seem like promising options.

The Xiaomi phones absolutely work. They're amazing for the price, and very popular as imports here in Ireland. There's always the chance they might have Chinese govt spyware however, as has been alleged with Huawei https://mashable.com/2018/02/14/huawei-prove-phones-not-spyi...

Isn't it nowadays down to: who's spyware do you prefer?
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