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US smartphone shipments fall sharply, but Android more than iPhone

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Re: US smartphone shipments fall sharply, but Android more than iPhone

#91

Post by trd716 »

bitsandboots wrote: post #76
AuthorizedCust wrote: post #48

Android’s problem is Pixel is the only good one, and it has not been flagship quality since the Pixel 2. The 3 had odd issues, the 4 had a laughable battery life, and 5-7 are a weird mix of midrange and flagship capability (trending towards flagship, but not in the club yet). All other Android vendors are on a continuum of crap, between these points: 1. loaded with bloat and customizations that aren’t better than wha…

Sony's phones seem best to me. Vanilla android with headphone jacks and microsd slots. They're just expensive. Nobody ever talks about Sony's phones for some reason but I think that's great because I wouldn't want them to get an ego and start ruining a good thing. Overall though, what's killing Android is Android (through Google) Every release gets more limited & restrictive, as does the Play store & framework. If th…

As soon as Sony supports GCam, then I would personally buy. As of now, I'm using a Pixel 6a

Re: US smartphone shipments fall sharply, but Android more than iPhone

#92

Post by tomjen3 »

_ea1k wrote: post #16

Apple messaging lockin is having the desired impact. Combine that with Google's mess of a strategy and it is easy to see why this is happening. It is why it is so critical to hire the right people in leadership to avoid squandering key, already successful, strategic positions.

Its annoying as hell, because iMessage isn't really useful when most of the people I write to don't have an iPhone.

100% I blame Google though, they need to get their ass together and make their own. It needs to work with everbody who already have a google account and they need to commit to it for 10 year minimum.

Then it is reasonable for Apple to create a system so they can talk together.

Re: US smartphone shipments fall sharply, but Android more than iPhone

#93

Post by matchbok »

PhilipRoman wrote: post #26
matchbok wrote: post #7

Years and years of terrible decisions from Google (15 messaging apps, Android SDK glitches that still exist from 2010, copying Apple's features instead of leading) will only continue to let Apple dominate. There's simply no reason to choose Android - iPhone does everything better, for the same price.

I'm sorry, but - "for the same price"? You must live in a very different place than I do.

Low-end iPhones outperform and outlast high-end Android phones. Nobody keeps an Android longer than 3 years because it slows down and doesn't get updates. Not the case for iPhone.

Re: US smartphone shipments fall sharply, but Android more than iPhone

#94

Post by collinc777 »

In the US, having an Android is one of the biggest social status negative signals I can think of.

I used to have an android and when I'd meet people the primary thing they'd remember about me was that I had an android. Their blinders were up after they had that information.

I think phones like the Galaxy line might be better than iPhones, but the experience of owning an iPhone far exceeds owning a Galaxy.

Re: US smartphone shipments fall sharply, but Android more than iPhone

#95

Post by sliken »

aluminussoma wrote: post #19

I am planning to make the switch this year. As a long time Pixel user, Google's support of its own hardware has been subpar. My phone was only officially supported for 3 years. They will increase support for new phones, probably because Apple does the same. It is too little, too late for me.

I've had every htc g1/nexus/pixel. 3 years hasn't been too big a deal, we have 3 phones in the household and the phones trickle down based on preferences for camera, phone size, and us. Did run up against the 3 year limit a few times. Fortunately the pixel 6 and 7 switched to 5 years of support.

I was considering switching to iPhone, but then I tried GrapheneOS. It's only for pixels, is easy to install, and focuses on privacy and security. Suddenly it feels like it's my phone. Zero crapware, something pixels have been pretty good at. I can remove any app I want, even the play store. It ships with a de-googled chrome. I'm impressed.

Re: US smartphone shipments fall sharply, but Android more than iPhone

#96

Post by sliken »

AuthorizedCust wrote: post #48

Android’s problem is Pixel is the only good one, and it has not been flagship quality since the Pixel 2. The 3 had odd issues, the 4 had a laughable battery life, and 5-7 are a weird mix of midrange and flagship capability (trending towards flagship, but not in the club yet). All other Android vendors are on a continuum of crap, between these points: 1. loaded with bloat and customizations that aren’t better than wha…

Well the pixel is generally about the newest android that's the flagship software experience, with a decent camera, running on 1-2 year older hardware. But in my experience the lack of crapware and gaming benchmarks means it feels pretty snappy compared to Samsung.

I tried Samsung a few times, even with more ram it was vicious about killing tasks in the background so switching apps always did a splash screen and relaunch. Some apps do that well, others not so much. I tracked it down and apparently that behavior helps it win benchmarks. Even on a generation older hardware the pixel felt much snappier, I could multitask with 3-4 apps going, and the home button was MUCH snappier. I verified it wasn't hardware by installing Cyanogen on the samsung, and suddenly everything felt fast again.

I switched to GrapheneOS, it's only for Pixels. The seem to have moved the needle on making it your phone, not just Google's phone that they let you use. You can remove every app, even the play store. Play has to ask permission to install things.

I think of GrapheneOS as a leaner Pixel that's more secure.

Re: US smartphone shipments fall sharply, but Android more than iPhone

#97

Post by sliken »

glitchc wrote: post #4

I was due for an upgrade and switched to Android this cycle. Acquired a unlocked Pixel 7 that was on sale in June and immediately reflashed it with GrapheneOS. Ultimately a very smooth experience. The difference in tracking is very evident as is the amount of data streaming out of the phone.

I have an unlocked 6, wife got the upgrade this cycle. Nice phone, but much nicer with GrapheneOS. Definitely feels like my phone, instead of the default Pixel which is more of a Google owned phone that they let you use.

Re: US smartphone shipments fall sharply, but Android more than iPhone

#98

Post by bitsandboots »

glimshe wrote: post #84

I'm a long time Android user but boy, Google is trying hard to make me switch. Android Auto is a mess, not a lot of good phone options with compact footprint, poor update policies and basically the feeling of always being 2-3 years behind Apple.

I don't get "Android Auto" and "Android Automotive" They aren't open source, and when they don't work, your car is left with a weird system that can't be substituted. They make it less likely that I'll want to buy a car with them. What's so good about it versus just using bluetooth and a phone mount? Could be crazy, but figure buggy software should be something I can swap out, not integrated into a car many times more expensive than it.

Re: US smartphone shipments fall sharply, but Android more than iPhone

#99

Post by bitsandboots »

ApolloFortyNine wrote: post #11

Honestly I don't know how iPhone users live without the back button (or more accurately now, the back gesture). I used an iPhone for a year (work phone) and just could not get over how much harder it was to work a large iphone. I felt like I had to reach every corner of the screen much more often than on Android.

Honestly I don't know how I live without the back button, either. The back button on Android 5+ stopped being "back", it's now some weird system I don't quite understand where it tracks, I think, "activities" and goes back from those, but the end result is the modern android back button is sometimes back, and sometimes close your app, which is really frustrating.

Re: US smartphone shipments fall sharply, but Android more than iPhone

#100

Post by bitsandboots »

drcongo wrote: post #83
flutas wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why compare the lower end iPhone to the higher end Android? iPhone 14 Pro: $999 Pixel 7 Pro: $899 iPhone 14: $799 Pixel 7: $599 Pixel 7a: $499

The lower end iPhone still outperforms the higher end Android.

In what? What are you doing that hasn't become so fast it's imperceptibly different on all modern phones? They all seem to text, browse, email, and play media at the required FPS and load time to me.

Yes I have seen synthetic benchmarks. But, they haven't had any relevance to what I do on my phone since like 2012, so I'm wondering what other people are doing?

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