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Unless my phone can be a PC, I don't want to keep paying for extra performance

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291–300 of 430 posts

Re: Unless my phone can be a PC, I don't want to keep paying for extra performance

#291

I think you haven’t considered the luxury goods aspect of higher-end phones. The majority of people buying new phones every year or two don’t carefully study specs, and don’t need to use a PC or laptop at all, or only need a “real” computer for work or specific tasks. Already smartphones serve as the primary internet access device for a majority of internet users. Sales of new phone models have a lot more to do with…

I think lots of people here have little understanding how expensive $600 to a stay at home mom or teen is. Getting an iphone says you got middle class money(even if it was $12/mo for the next 5 years).

There are upper-middle class equivalents of this. Cars come to mind.

It is interesting explaining to a middle class person why I have a $100 crappy phone. "My old one broke, and I have 4 of these $100 phones for my wife's company, so I'm using it until I find a good phone with an Aux port". Ease is everything.

Re: Unless my phone can be a PC, I don't want to keep paying for extra performance

#292
post #210

Until recently, the availability of software updates was a limiting factor, especially for midrange phones. (Before that, phones were so slow and had so little RAM that software updates made them unusable eventually). The mid-range Samsung A52 5G now comes with 7 years of security updates and you can get it with 8GB of RAM for less than 300€. That's a pretty good deal! You just need to replace the battery every three…

You just need to replace the battery every three years or so. If you used it as a PC, presumably in a dock attached to a monitor, keyboard, etc, then it's be plugged in most of the time and battery wouldn't get much use.

My comment was about using a phone just as a phone :-)

Re: Unless my phone can be a PC, I don't want to keep paying for extra performance

#293

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I immediately put a transparent case around my device as soon as I get it and put a screen guard on it as well. My wife mocks me saying that it totally kills the device's looks but considering how integral having a functioning phone at all times is to... well, existing (and accessing any Govt. service in my country), I take the hit in aesthetics for extra durability. As a result, all my phones end up looking pristine…

> As a result, all my phones end up looking pristine several years into them being used. They look pristine except for being wrapped in a case and a screen guard. It's a bit like how some people wrapped TV remote controls in plastic film. Don't get me wrong, I also put a case around my phone, but it makes it look fugly from day one.

I think the parent's point about "looking pristine" is less about the aesthetics of it than a way to say that it's intact and fully functional, no wear and tear that would force the user to replace it

Re: Unless my phone can be a PC, I don't want to keep paying for extra performance

#294
post #210

Until recently, the availability of software updates was a limiting factor, especially for midrange phones. (Before that, phones were so slow and had so little RAM that software updates made them unusable eventually). The mid-range Samsung A52 5G now comes with 7 years of security updates and you can get it with 8GB of RAM for less than 300€. That's a pretty good deal! You just need to replace the battery every three…

How is Samsung? I had 1 bad experience with their phones, 1 bad experience with their tvs, a few bad experiences with their appliances, and a bad experience with their SSD.

I just assumed they are the Apple of Android, big marketing budget, expensive, but mid-tier.

Re: Unless my phone can be a PC, I don't want to keep paying for extra performance

#295
post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a Huawei P20 Pro that did much the same back in 2018. I never really used it for much, a bit of light browsing and really just as a gimmick, buit yeah, there was a desktop of sorts and you could use all the apps, and the touchpad/mouse thing worked. You could attach a bluetooth keyboard too, IIRC. Kindof a shame my iphone doesn't do this (I assume, I haven't tried), but I'm not sure if I'd use it.

iPhone has good support for peripherals, hubs and external displays, but lacks a desktop mode.

Actually, I use my iPhone with a USB-C/HDMI cable, the Remote Desktop client and a Bluetooth keyboard when traveling. Some apps will let you use an additional display just fine.

Re: Unless my phone can be a PC, I don't want to keep paying for extra performance

#296
post #2

This and also I don't want a tumor on the back of my phone. Can we go back to flat bodies at the expense of camera quality? For some of us phone cameras are really not _that_ important.

And in 2024 can't software make up for fewer/thinner lenses for the average use case?

No

Re: Unless my phone can be a PC, I don't want to keep paying for extra performance

#297
post #2

This and also I don't want a tumor on the back of my phone. Can we go back to flat bodies at the expense of camera quality? For some of us phone cameras are really not _that_ important.

And in 2024 can't software make up for fewer/thinner lenses for the average use case?

No, you cant add any extra pixels

Re: Unless my phone can be a PC, I don't want to keep paying for extra performance

#298
> Unless my phone can be a PC

But it cannot. Have you ever seen the kind of setups professionals in various industries are using for their craft? Like DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), 3D modelling (Blender / Maya / whatever), JetBrains IDEs (or others), architects, doctors, etc.

How does that fit on a smartphone's screen? It doesn't.

Your phone is not and cannot be a PC.

A laptop is barely adequate.

Now I'm not saying there's not that one musician who managed to create that one hit from his smarthpone but most musicians use a proper setup. Proper instruments. Proper PC.

Is a phone sufficient to post pictures and vids on social media? Sure. But there's more to the world than social media.

I haven't seen many vids of chip engineers or SpaceX engineers working on next gen tech from smartphones.

A phone is not a PC, no matter how much you're addicted to your phone.

Re: Unless my phone can be a PC, I don't want to keep paying for extra performance

#299
> Money thrown at higher benchmark scores could be spent on better cameras, newer battery tech, or anything else on your wishlist.

I am personally much more fascinated at the new possibilities opened up by having all this processing power in a handheld form factor than the prospect of humanity being able to snap slightly better looking Instagram pictures.

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