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LG is getting out of the mobile phone business

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Re: LG is getting out of the mobile phone business

#551
post #548

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most non-technical people I know opt for iPhones because they know they can use them for 5-6 years with 1-2 battery swaps (that costs 30 EUR where I live). And for display quality. I keep hearing this adage of "iPhone as a status symbol" and I have legitimately never in my life seen it. Only ever saw people on the internet talking about it. An anecdotal data point for you, if it's useful.

I used my $80 Android phone for four years. (Blu R1 hd). You you paid more for battery swaps than my phone.

And I likely used mine for much more activities than you used yours.

But if you’re convinced that your choice is superior then you do you. I’m not here to argue, only to provide info of what I did and what many others I know did as well.

Re: LG is getting out of the mobile phone business

#552
post #444

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really don't care about apps, I've barely ever ran into app compatibility issues on older devices. What I care about is security updates.

Nobody I know who isn't seriously into tech even realizes that phones need security updates. The problem is compounded by the fact that every manufacturer has their own schedule for security updates. Just because Android got a widely publicized security patch doesn't mean that their phones will get it any time soon. By the time they do, nobody remembers what it's for.

I'm not sure there's any phone provider that has security updates available the same day that Google releases them, or very quickly at all. I remember the last Samsung phone I had, S7 edge, I went months without updates. Unfortunately, if security is a top priority, your best choice at 1st party phones like Google's Pixel or the iPhone.

I used to use Xiaomi's flagship and it seemed to have fairly regular updates, but every time I installed one it would replace all of my preferences and default to using their own replacements apps instead of stock Android apps that I preferred. I finally had to get rid of it way before the end of its useful lifespan because there there seemed to be a whole lot of issues surrounding its customization of Android. The deal breaker was after an update when I stopped receiving text messages reliably. Sometimes they'd come through immediately, sometimes a few minutes late, and a few days a week they wouldn't come in at all until either 1) I rebooted 2) I lost and then regained cell signal 3) I airplane mode on then off.

I tried all sorts of work arounds, suggested fixes from browsing forums, etc., nothing worked. I liked the phone, but it just got too stressful for work: My boss is respectful of normal business hours, but during the day still relies heavily on text messaging for requests, urgent issues, etc.

I was pissed off at having to put out money for a new phone so early, so I went with the budget Pixel 4a, and honestly I don't see much of a performance hit at all, even though it's about 25% worse on CPU specs. And even though the camera specs are much lower, it takes much better photos. At this point, I'm a convert to 2nd tier Pixel phones.

Re: LG is getting out of the mobile phone business

#553

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Average salary is $6,000 a year. But those numbers are according to the official statistics and I don't think those are true because of huge gray economy sector. I think that it's more like $3,000-$4,000 a year for most people (but those numbers are after all taxes, we usually don't pay taxes from our salaries, our employer takes care of that). I agree that's one of the reasons that repair is more common. Very few pe…

This is actually a bit fascinating to me, so do people tend to buy much cheaper phones to begin with. I know in many parts of Eastern Europe iPhones aren't nearly as popular due to the expense. I've had to replace a battery once ( on a Nexus 4)and I will never go through that again.

Generally people tend to buy cheaper phones. But iPhones are kind of exception, some people are so obsessed with iPhones that they're trying to get loan to buy iPhone. It's not really logical decision, they just want to look more wealthy than they are, it's kind of luxury item.

Re: LG is getting out of the mobile phone business

#554
post #66

I never understood why Samsung phones were constantly receiving praise by tech reviewers while LG got crapped on. Samsung always wanted to do things their way -- different (shitty) UI, Samsung versions of all the core Google apps (but worse), reorganizing preferences for no reason, the stupid bottom button placement, non-remappable Bixby button, aggressively killing apps for power management and breaking widgets, etc…

I disagree with your take on the Samsung. While it's not perfect, it's the best (and sometimes only) option for most people who want an top end Android phone. Google sells it's phones in only a handful of countries, same with Oneplus, LG and Sony and all of them have their own compromises. So in many parts of the world, its either Samsung or a Chinese manufacturer like Xiaomi. I find Samsung apps to be much better th…

I would love to buy a Sony, because my previous phones were Sony, but a year ago when I needed a new on no Sony phones were available, and now they are only making 21:9 phones, which I think is just absurd. They look so tall, that I would be afraid of putting them in my pocket, fearing they will snap in half. Where is a man supposed to carry these phones, which are so tall that they don't seem to fit in jeans pockets? I wish they would stop with that sillyness.

Re: LG is getting out of the mobile phone business

#555
post #66

I never understood why Samsung phones were constantly receiving praise by tech reviewers while LG got crapped on. Samsung always wanted to do things their way -- different (shitty) UI, Samsung versions of all the core Google apps (but worse), reorganizing preferences for no reason, the stupid bottom button placement, non-remappable Bixby button, aggressively killing apps for power management and breaking widgets, etc…

For a couple years LG phones commonly had issues that bricked them. That kind of reputations sticks.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LG_smartphone_bootloop_issues

Re: LG is getting out of the mobile phone business

#556
post #477
post #316

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Galaxy S2 was a pretty bgreat phone and Samsung capitalised on that success by releasing slightly improved versions every year . LG on the other hand was up and down. I think LG was the one that needed marketing since they always lost their fans and had to bring in new people

This is so underrated as a comment, but so true. Samsung just kept at it with incremental updates to a single series and an occasional separate model if they wanted to try something new. LG was constantly shifting markets. I had a G2 and really liked it. I would have bought other devices from them, but the things that appealed to me about the G2 disappeared in most future products. Constant shifts in focus gained sha…

That's great insight. It kind of matches with that saying "people don't like change".

Re: LG is getting out of the mobile phone business

#557

Earlier quoted context omitted.

+1 for OnePlus. I started years back on the 2, upgraded more recently to the 6T. Will take a lot of convincing for me to even think about anyone else. Same experience though, people have either heard of it and rave about it, or ask who makes it.

Unfortunately OnePlus hasn't been releasing software updates for their new phones

that's wrong. They've just made their latest release - 10.3.9 - and it's supported on all models back to the 6.

Re: LG is getting out of the mobile phone business

#558

What I find most sad about this is that LG appears to be the only manufacturer who makes phones with both wireless charging and a headphone jack. Somehow these features seem to contradict themselfs for other manufacturers. Wireless charging is seen as a premium feature, while headphone jack is seen as a budget feature. I unfortunately have gotten so used to both that I don't want to give them up. I love my wired head…

You can use GSM Arena's Phone Finder tool to search for phones with specific feature sets. In this case released 2019 or newer, 3.5 mm jack, and wireless charging[0]. As of now there are 26 phones that match those criteria and 10 of them are from LG. Three are from Huawei which means they are basically useless outside of China. Looking at high end devices you are left with the 3 year old Samsung S10[+], the Motorola Edge+ from last year, and Sony's Xperia 1 II. Sony has an announcement on the 14th where they will likely announce the Xperia 1 III[1]. I would look forward to that to see if it retains the headphone jack.

[0] https://www.gsmarena.com/results.php3?nYearMin=2019&chk35mm=...

[1] https://www.techradar.com/news/sony-xperia-1-iii-gets-possib...

Re: LG is getting out of the mobile phone business

#559
post #445

Very sad. I found the perfect smartphone for me - the V20. It almost feels like a smartphone that happened by accident and will never return in its glorious form again. Dont know what else to use if it dies. Already have a spare Screen and its 4th Battery ready to be used. The second screen is just the perfect solution for having an allways on display without a real (and stupid) notch. I love this feature. Also knock…

I also have a V20 and am quite satisfied. The replaceable battery, SD card slot, headphone jack, and LOS support make for a great overall package. I pray this device lives for many moons.

Re: LG is getting out of the mobile phone business

#560

Ugh, no followup to the Stylo 5, then. Got mine in 2019 shortly after it was released, and it's been rock-solid. Aside from the inevitable non-removable battery, I've had no complaints, and to be fair to the battery, I still get outstanding life from it. I really don't want a phone that's all-glass. I know it's trendy, but, hard pass for me. The aluminum frame and plastic back are things LG got very right with the St…

> And, yes, that 3.5 mm jack is important I thought the USB-C -> 3.5mm adaptors are just mechanical, or have no delay?

If they are mechanical, they are probably some special sauce not quite USB-C ports. USB is digital, TRS is analog. (Yes that means standardized adapters have to include a DAC). The delay should be minimal, though.
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