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Shopping for a new Android phone

#1

GasBandit

GasBandit

It's getting to the point where I am going to have to retire my LG G3, which I'm rather grumpy about because it (mostly) works fine. It does have a few problems, though -

1) First and foremost, updating it past Kitkat causes massive performance problems. It's a 2 gig phone with a snapdragon 801. Not the beefiest thing out there by any measure.

2) The inability to update the OS means other problems, like I can't patch the latest bluetooth vulnerability, which means there's serious security concerns.

3) The quad HD screen is battery thirsty. I usually unplug and leave for work around 10am, and by the time I get home at 7pm I'm usually down to 30-40% with only moderate non-gaming use. Frequently, I'll need a mid-afternoon recharge if I've had to do a lot of texting that day. And that's with the screen set to 25-30% brightness. Besides, 1440p is kind of overkill for a 5.5" screen.

4) The GPS and Bluetooth have always been a bit unreliable, and the phone often needs to be rebooted (about once a week) to restore their functionality.

Aside from that, though, it's been a pretty reliable handheld and has had good performance, which is still the case. So I am a bit resentful that I'm going to have to upgrade.

Now that I've gotten THAT bit of whining out of the way, here are the phones I've got my eye on to replace it, keeping in mind one of my requirements is that the phone must support CDMA because I'm on Verizon, and that's unlikely to change in the near future.

Option 1: Google Pixel
Pros:
1) Good Performance - 4 gigs of ram, Snapdragon 821 CPU, reviewers rave about the performance
2) Stock android with timely and frequent updates since it is a google-branded phone unlocked from any one provider, longest support window.
3) Metal and Glass construction
Cons:
1) No SD storage
2) Fucking expensive ($600+)
3) Battery life is nothing special (reportedly similar to my experiences with the G3)
Verdict - this is the phone I probably really want, but my toes curl at the prospect of dropping 600+ fucking dollars on a phone.

Option 2: Google Nexus 5X
Pros:
1) Modestly Priced - can be had now for $250
2) Unlocked, Stock android for timely and frequent updates
Cons:
1) Plastic construction
2) Nearing end of support life (Sep 2018)
3) Noticeable performance hitches (2gb ram)... feels like I might be rebuying the same performance.
3) No SD storage
Verdict - While not as good as some other phones, it's still in the running for me to get that unlocked stock android experience - and the updates that come with it. I really hate having to be shackled to a carrier for updates and having to use their monkeyed-with Android builds.

Option 3: LG G5
Pros:
1) Reasonably Priced - can be had for $300 unlocked
2) Good performance - 4 gigs of RAM, Snapdragon 821
3) Fancy amenities and addons, metal construction
Cons:
1) Battery life is reportedly even worse than the G3 - compounded by no wireless charging and USB-C. It is removable... but let's be honest I'm not buying more batteries to carry around.
2) I may not have to be shackled to verizon, but I'll still have to wait on LG for Android updates.
Verdict: I was really hoping to get a google phone for the updates, but their shift to the more expensive end recently may force me to consider other options, and this is one of the more likely ones.

Option 4: Galaxy S7
Pros:
1) Good Performance (4gigs of ram, Snapdragon 820)
2) Really good battery life (3600 mAh instead of the usual 2800 or less)
3) Waterproof Construction
Cons:
1) Non-stock Android, bloatware
2) Slightly expensive - can be had for $400
Verdict - I tend to shy away from Samsung products, but this one looks pretty darn good. It's not as expensive as the Pixel but delivers similar performance and good battery life. The downside is the samsung-branded version of android. I hear they're pretty quick with updates, but I was hoping for the stock UI experience this time around.

Anybody have any other phones they would suggest? I'm halfheartedly also looking at the HTC 10 as a possible option that falls between the LG G5 and the Samsung Galaxy S7. But only halfheartedly.


#2

MindDetective

MindDetective

The OnePlus 5 is a great phone but will be the second most expensive on your list.


#3

strawman

strawman

Wait a month or so and google should announce a new pixel and the price for the old one will drop.


#4

Dei

Dei

There's already a new Pixel announced afaik. If there isn't, then, uh, I said nothing.

That said, I have a Pixel because my husband works at Qualcomm and basically picks my phones for me based on how (not) annoying the phones are to deal with at work. :p


#5

GasBandit

GasBandit

They've already been leaking stats for the Pixel 2, I guess smart money probably would be to wait for the Pixel 1 price drop.


#6

PatrThom

PatrThom

One thing's for sure, that so-called "Essential Phone" ... isn't doing so well.
The Essential PH-1 has only sold 5,000 units since its launch, according to a new report

--Patrick


#7

klew

klew

Until 10pm PST tonight or sellout, woot.com is selling refurbished 32GB black Pixel for $400 (before tax and shipping), all other combos sold out.

My LG G3 had well-known screen flickering problems, then wifi problems at nearly 2 years old, so I switched over to the Nexus 5X. But then that phone had the bootloop problem and replaced under warranty. The only advantages I felt the LG G3 had were better and larger screen, and slightly better camera. It was the only non-Nexus Android phone I've had (HTC Nexus One, Samsung Galaxy Nexus), and it makes me want to stick with Nexus/Pixel as long as someone other than LG makes them (LG also made the Nexus 5X).

I'd wait until the Pixel 2 comes out and then decide on Pixel 1 or 2.


#8

PatrThom

PatrThom

I thought, "Why aren't you even considering the Nokia 6?" ... and then I found out they don't do Verizon.

--Patrick


#9

Ravenpoe

Ravenpoe

I have a Pixel, and I'm pretty happy with it.


#10

PatrThom

PatrThom

GasBandit said:
They've already been leaking stats for the Pixel 2, I guess smart money probably would be to wait for the Pixel 1 price drop.
Click to expand...
Aaaand it seems that the P2 is dropping the headphone jack, if that matters.

--Patrick


#11

Bubble181

Bubble181

I'd throw in a vote for the Huawei P10 (lite), but their bloatware's worse than Samsung's and their update schedule sucks.


#12

strawman

strawman

Well, I waited for the pixel 2 to convince me otherwise, but the sheer processing power difference, as well as other minor quibbles, means I'm sticking with iPhone for now.

Text for those not interested in video:
http://www.androidauthority.com/why-are-apples-chips-faster-than-qualcomms-gary-explains-802738/

[DOUBLEPOST=1507209462,1507209368][/DOUBLEPOST]The pixel 2 comes with the qualcomm 835 mentioned in the video, so the comparison stands despite not having benchmarks on the pixel 2 yet. I expect there'll be a bit of a bump, google should get a bit more performance out of it, but it's not going to eclipse the A11.


#13

Eriol

Eriol

@steinman I have to disagree, but not on the facts, but on the usefulness of such. I'd say that the main thing most people want in their phones is simple: is the UI fast or not? Everything should be fast, and come up instantly. Almost everything else is secondary to that. When talking about High Performance Computing you're not talking about your phone, so most of those numbers don't matter at all.

You can have a super-responsive UI on an original Macintosh. In fact, it did. VERY fast. So did DOS/text/ncurses-based GUIs. Somewhere along the line we've lost that for many devices, but it's not for lack of performance in the chips. Thus why I almost always pay more attention to reviews based on applications I actually use (games in the case of PCs) and general UI responsiveness through typical tasks when it comes to phones. The first is usually pretty easy to do (average FPS and time beyond certain ms measurements), but the second is highly subjective.

Basically, almost all of what I mention for phones has little to do with the processor. A lot of it is how much bloat (or not) is on your phone.


#14

SpecialKO

SpecialKO

I mean, we've talked in the previous thread about how iOS tends to be a lot snappier in response.



Android flagships tend to catch up when *loading* mobile game assets because they have more RAM (though as someone working in the mobile game space, most developers are very clear to me that iPhones usually *perform* much better once the assets are loaded).

BUT since that is not the point of this thread, @GasBandit, if you can justify it after the price drop with Pixel 2 coming out, I would go for the Pixel or the S7 on this list. I will cop to bias - I have a bunch of Google employee friends and they LOVE their Pixels, and notably were only mostly tolerating of their Nexus phones (crappy performance, but free for employees and had no bloat), and the camera is truly fantastic.

My mobile gamedev buddies who have Android phones liked the S7 at the time very much (many of them are on S8s now) because it's a super high performer with a gorgeous screen.


#15

strawman

strawman

Eriol said:
I'd say that the main thing most people want in their phones is simple: is the UI fast or not? Everything should be fast, and come up instantly. Almost everything else is secondary to that.
Click to expand...
I agree, but it's only recently that Android has come close to the UI responsiveness of the iPhone.

The comparisons between the latest snapdragon 835 based android and the iphone 8 so far don't mention a discrepancy in UI responsiveness, so I assume that the problems android had architecturally with UI responsiveness a few years ago (when the difference was staggering) have been resolved.

So unless there's significantly better responsiveness on the android (and so far it appears not) then the underlying power does come into play with actual application speed. These phones take 4k videos, and if you decide you want to send one to youtube, the recompression takes a lot longer on the 835 than the a11.


#16

GasBandit

GasBandit

SpecialKO said:
BUT since that is not the point of this thread, @GasBandit, if you can justify it after the price drop with Pixel 2 coming out, I would go for the Pixel
Click to expand...
That is my tentative plan, at this point. And I just got e-mails from Verizon today about buying the "new pixel 2," so it shouldn't be long now.


#17

PatrThom

PatrThom

Hmm...might you also consider the CAT S41? If nothing else, its ginormous battery might keep that dreaded icon at bay. Also, you (theoretically) wouldn't have to buy a case. The CAT S31 is similar, though smaller (and presumably cheaper).


--Patrick


#18

GasBandit

GasBandit

That one unfortunately is a no-go for me, as it is GSM only. I still need CDMA. Preferably both.


#19

strawman

strawman

GasBandit said:
That one unfortunately is a no-go for me, as it is GSM only. I still need CDMA. Preferably both.
Click to expand...
Only for another 4 years or so:

http://www.fiercewireless.com/wirel...ess-to-sunset-2g-and-3g-cdma-networks-by-2021

I'm sure sprint will follow suit. Phone manufacturers are anxious to leave CDMA behind, along with all its royalties and other issues.


#20

PatrThom

PatrThom

GasBandit said:
That one unfortunately is a no-go for me, as it is GSM only. I still need CDMA. Preferably both.
Click to expand...
Ah! I didn't realize that it wasn't CDMA. I didn't even look for that.
stienman said:
Only for another 4 years or so:
http://www.fiercewireless.com/wirel...ess-to-sunset-2g-and-3g-cdma-networks-by-2021
I'm sure sprint will follow suit. Phone manufacturers are anxious to leave CDMA behind, along with all its royalties and other issues.
Click to expand...
The reason everyone's so anxious to leave CDMA behind is probably 90% related to Qualcomm's stance on FRAND pricing and their reluctance to lose their income stream...they're like a 21st-Century Kodak, convincing themselves that they will stay relevant in spite of technology shifts.

--Patrick


#21

strawman

strawman

LTE FTW.

Unfortunately I didn't realize Apple was going to screw half their iPhone X's over and choose a chipset that doesn't support CDMA. Had I understood it I'd have ordered the verizon model rather than the AT&T model. Once of the reasons I stuck with them when I got the 6 was because I knew I could move it from network to network without issue (and I have).

Oh well. Boo on me for not doing my homework prior to ordering.


#22

PatrThom

PatrThom

stienman said:
Boo on me for not doing my homework prior to ordering.
Click to expand...
It's been that way since the 7.

--Patrick


#23

GasBandit

GasBandit

Apparently the launch of the Pixel 2 has not been without its problems.

Perhaps that's why the Pixel 1 hasn't come down in price yet.


#24

PatrThom

PatrThom

Mostly what I hear about is the burn-in issue.

--Patrick


#25

WasabiPoptart

WasabiPoptart

GasBandit said:
Option 2: Google Nexus 5X.
Click to expand...
Nah. Aussie and I have this phone. The battery life was really bad until I updated to Oreo. But then the wifi started randomly shutting itself off when the phone would sleep. I ended up doing a factory reset last night as a last resort to fix it. We're both looking at getting the Pixel or Pixel 2 after Christmas.


#26

MindDetective

MindDetective

If anyone is still looking, the OnePlus 5T looks like a decent buy: https://lifehacker.com/how-the-oneplus-5t-stacks-up-to-its-smartphone-competit-1820514848

I have the OnePlus 5 and it is great. I highly recommend considering it on your short list.


#27

Covar

Covar

From what I've heard the Essential phone got patches that fixed it's camera issues. Now making it a cheaper flagship level android phone that no one is buying because of a bad start. Of course I'm pretty sure it's GSM only so doesn't really help this conversation.


#28

GasBandit

GasBandit

Hrm.

That's not good.

In the middle of sending a text, my LG3 just turned black. Won't turn back on.


#29

strawman

strawman

GasBandit said:
Hrm.

That's not good.

In the middle of sending a text, my LG3 just turned black. Won't turn back on.
Click to expand...
Try a new battery, or an older battery you might still have lying around that didn't fully die. For whatever reason, LG designs their phones so if the battery goes bad in a particular way it won't turn on even when plugged into a charger, and some won't turn on with the battery removed and plugged into a charger.

I can only guess they've done it on purpose, but whatever. A new battery is a cheap test.

Black screen, no response is the symptom.


#30

GasBandit

GasBandit

Ok, tried a battery pull... that got it to turn on briefly with the phillips "Life's Good" power on screen... then black. And it won't turn on/off again without another battery pull. But then it goes back to black again.[DOUBLEPOST=1513015291,1513015212][/DOUBLEPOST]
stienman said:
Try a new battery, or an older battery you might still have lying around that didn't fully die. For whatever reason, LG designs their phones so if the battery goes bad in a particular way it won't turn on even when plugged into a charger, and some won't turn on with the battery removed and plugged into a charger.

I can only guess they've done it on purpose, but whatever. A new battery is a cheap test.

Black screen, no response is the symptom.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, I don't have another battery for it. Hrmmmmm.


#31

strawman

strawman

GasBandit said:
Ok, tried a battery pull... that got it to turn on briefly with the phillips "Life's Good" power on screen... then black. And it won't turn on/off again without another battery pull. But then it goes back to black again.[DOUBLEPOST=1513015291,1513015212][/DOUBLEPOST]
Unfortunately, I don't have another battery for it. Hrmmmmm.
Click to expand...
If you go to one of those mall cellphone kiosks, or your carrier's store, they will test your phone with a new battery and tell you if that's all you need for free. It's a chunk of time, and batteries at those places are expensive, but at least you'll know quickly.


#32

GasBandit

GasBandit

stienman said:
If you go to one of those mall cellphone kiosks, or your carrier's store, they will test your phone with a new battery and tell you if that's all you need for free. It's a chunk of time, and batteries at those places are expensive, but at least you'll know quickly.
Click to expand...
I just got off the phone with the local verizon store, and the LG3 is too old for them to keep batteries for it on hand. I'm going to try Batteries Plus.[DOUBLEPOST=1513016526,1513016158][/DOUBLEPOST]They do have them, and they'll let me try in the store to see if that fixes it. So. Fingers crossed.


#33

strawman

strawman

GasBandit said:
I just got off the phone with the local verizon store, and the LG3 is too old for the [government to keep tabs on me]
Click to expand...


#34

GasBandit

GasBandit

Welp, it wasn't the battery. New battery, it still fails to boot.

Sooooo, my Pixel should be here Wednesday, I guess.

Meantime, I sure hope I don't need to do any 2-factor authentication :/


#35

Eriol

Eriol

GasBandit said:
Welp, it wasn't the battery. New battery, it still fails to boot.

Sooooo, my Pixel should be here Wednesday, I guess.

Meantime, I sure hope I don't need to do any 2-factor authentication :/
Click to expand...
For the Pixel setup itself! That should be interesting.


#36

GasBandit

GasBandit

Eriol said:
For the Pixel setup itself! That should be interesting.
Click to expand...
Oh shit. I do have 2-factor turned on for my google accounts.[DOUBLEPOST=1513023832,1513023560][/DOUBLEPOST]I tried hooking up my old Moto Droid... but the sim card doesn't fit, and it doesn't power on either, anyway.


#37

Eriol

Eriol

GasBandit said:
Oh shit. I do have 2-factor turned on for my google accounts.
Click to expand...
Let's hope you generated and wrote down those backup codes. And stored them somewhere OTHER than your phone.

Note: I have done so previously. Just checked. ;)


#38

GasBandit

GasBandit

Eriol said:
Let's hope you generated and wrote down those backup codes.
Click to expand...
Yep!

And stored them somewhere OTHER than your phone.
Click to expand...
Noooope.

:([DOUBLEPOST=1513023944,1513023891][/DOUBLEPOST]What I may do is start a new google account just to get the phone running, so I can receive texts, then add the other google accounts.


#39

Dei

Dei

You can set up the pixel without a Google account then add it later, aka after your phone reactivates. Assuming you have the same number. I think. Honestly I just did a peer to peer transfer of my old phone at the Verizon store. :p


#40

GasBandit

GasBandit

Dei said:
You can set up the pixel without a Google account then add it later, aka after your phone reactivates. Assuming you have the same number. I think. Honestly I just did a peer to peer transfer of my old phone at the Verizon store. :p
Click to expand...
I may end up having to go to the verizon store for help (especially if the sim card is different), but I'm leaving that as a last resort. I'm trying not to get roped into another contract so that I can bail on Verizon when a less shitty option becomes available. I already made sure this phone can GSM.


#41

Dei

Dei

GasBandit said:
I may end up having to go to the verizon store for help (especially if the sim card is different), but I'm leaving that as a last resort. I'm trying not to get roped into another contract so that I can bail on Verizon when a less shitty option becomes available. I already made sure this phone can GSM.
Click to expand...
I mean, you should be able to switch carriers and keep your number these days, but good luck on that not getting a contract thing. :p


#42

GasBandit

GasBandit

Dei said:
I mean, you should be able to switch carriers and keep your number these days, but good luck on that not getting a contract thing. :p
Click to expand...
Oh yeah, I'm already using my old landline number, so that's not a big deal. I know I can keep my number. But yeah... like I said, I'm trying to keep verizon out of this transition as much as possible.


#43

Covar

Covar

GasBandit said:
I may end up having to go to the verizon store for help (especially if the sim card is different), but I'm leaving that as a last resort. I'm trying not to get roped into another contract so that I can bail on Verizon when a less shitty option becomes available. I already made sure this phone can GSM.
Click to expand...
My folks just switched from Verizon to T-Mobile, and T-Mobile paid off their 2 pixel phones, around $1100. They're also getting some kind of signal booster for their house from them to help with the signal, but I made sure to turn on their wi-fi calling for them in the meantime.


#44

Dei

Dei

Verizon has not kept up with signal demand in my area and so now my signal went from being great to total shit with deadzones all over my neighborhood and random parts of my house in the last few years because they have not kept up with the population increase. Sadly, switching plans would probably not help since all those small carriers just piggyback off the established network.


#45

Eriol

Eriol

GasBandit said:
Yep!

Noooope.
Click to expand...
Dude, go download KeePass RIGHT NOW for your PC. Then put the file you use on Google Drive. That'll keep it "everywhere" for you. Then go download Keepass2Android (I dunno about other apps) and use THAT to access it from your phone from Drive directly.

Free, no worries about subscriptions or "peeking" like LastPass or the like, and you can put "other" information in the encrypted DB as well.


#46

GasBandit

GasBandit

Dei said:
Verizon has not kept up with signal demand in my area and so now my signal went from being great to total shit with deadzones all over my neighborhood and random parts of my house in the last few years because they have not kept up with the population increase. Sadly, switching plans would probably not help since all those small carriers just piggyback off the established network.
Click to expand...
I remember that signal strength was a constant issue in much of Colorado even when I lived up there, and the few times I've been back to visit don't seem to have shown much improvement. There are still many areas even in COS that just plain ol' don't get any bars at all.


#47

Dei

Dei

GasBandit said:
I remember that signal strength was a constant issue in much of Colorado even when I lived up there, and the few times I've been back to visit don't seem to have shown much improvement. There are still many areas even in COS that just plain ol' don't get any bars at all.
Click to expand...
Nah, I can get a signal just about anywhere, unless I'm in the mountains on a hiking trail or something.


#48

GasBandit

GasBandit

Dei said:
Nah, I can get a signal just about anywhere, unless I'm in the mountains on a hiking trail or something.
Click to expand...
In that case, you might count yourself relatively lucky - because my Dad can't... and when I was up there, it was pretty hit or miss.


#49

Covar

Covar

I use Authy for all my 2 factor authentication. Not as secure as a local only generator, but so much more convenient with multiple devices and switching phones


#50

GasBandit

GasBandit

Dumb ol' me has been using Google Authenticator.

Which only works on mobile devices.


#51

Dei

Dei

GasBandit said:
Dumb ol' me has been using Google Authenticator.

Which only works on mobile devices.
Click to expand...
Do you not have a backup email address assigned to your account in case you don't have your phone?


#52

GasBandit

GasBandit

Dei said:
Do you not have a backup email address assigned to your account in case you don't have your phone?
Click to expand...
I'm still logged in to all my google accounts both at work and home, so I should be OK.

My backup e-mail address, though, just forwards to my regular gmail account :p


#53

strawman

strawman

GasBandit said:
Dumb ol' me has been using Google Authenticator.

Which only works on mobile devices.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I’ve moved away from it and just switched to sms two factor. Not as secure, but secure enough. Made the transition for the remainder of my accounts November when I got a new phone.


#54

GasBandit

GasBandit

Welp, it got here today, but it needs a nano sim instead of a regular sim... soooo I gotta go to the Verizon store anyway and get that swapped out.

Calling it right now - when I get there, it's gonna go like this:

"Sir, this is a GSM only phone, it won't work on our network."
"What? But the guy who sold it to me said it worked on Verizon.... sonofabitch."

And then I'm gonna have to go be one of those poor sons of bitches who's on... euugh... AT&T. Because switching over providers would be less hassle then sending back the phone.


#55

Eriol

Eriol

GasBandit said:
Welp, it got here today, but it needs a nano sim instead of a regular sim... soooo I gotta go to the Verizon store anyway and get that swapped out.

Calling it right now - when I get there, it's gonna go like this:

"Sir, this is a GSM only phone, it won't work on our network."
"What? But the guy who sold it to me said it worked on Verizon.... sonofabitch."

And then I'm gonna have to go be one of those poor sons of bitches who's on... euugh... AT&T. Because switching over providers would be less hassle then sending back the phone.
Click to expand...
Both Pixel 1 and 2 on Google's website say they have both GSM and CDMA, so you should be fine: https://store.google.com/product/pixel_phone_specs
You can click through yourself to pixel 2, similar "tech specs" section, dropdown for "network" says it.


#56

GasBandit

GasBandit

Eriol said:
Both Pixel 1 and 2 on Google's website say they have both GSM and CDMA, so you should be fine: https://store.google.com/product/pixel_phone_specs
You can click through yourself to pixel 2, similar "tech specs" section, dropdown for "network" says it.
Click to expand...
What makes me think this is that I went to Verizon's device registration page, put in the IMEI for the new phone, and it said it wasn't compatible.

So I'm wondering if I got an international version or something that might only have GSM.


#57

strawman

strawman

So far as I can tell there's only one US version, G-2PW4100, and it's verizon capable. They don't appear to have made one that doesn't support CDMA.

If you got the international version (G-2PW2200) it doesn't support CDMA2000 at 1900MHz, but is in other ways equal or better than the US version in supporting frequencies and modes.

So there's no reason for verizon to turn you away. If they do it's their loss, I suppose, but the phone is compatible.

https://www.techwalls.com/google-pixel-pixel-xl-model-number-differences/


#58

GasBandit

GasBandit

So I went to the verizon store, and they popped a new SIM card in it, and the thing didn't work. Or, rather, any attempt to make a call would go to the "welcome to Verizon! to complete this call, enter credit card number" automated system. No matter what the dude or his manager did, they couldn't get it to work. They tried clearing out the magic numbers deep inside the phone's configuration and re-entering it by hand and whatnot, still no dice.

So they had to call up Verizon itself and tell them what was going on, and the Verizon lady had them read off my IMEI number (at which point I mentally said "Here it comes...") and sure enough she said "That's coming up as incompatible."

DOH

But then she said "Let me see if I can try something," and put us on hold for like 10 minutes. Suddenly the backlog of text messages that have been waiting for me since my G3 died start rolling in.

Success!

So... now I just gotta get my google accounts set up on it, reimport my contacts, then start the long process of getting it to being as useful to me as my old phone was (load up the music, get the apps, teamviewer (which also will need 2 factor authentication), etc etc etc)... oigh. Good thing it's a slow day at work and I have time to futz with this.

Also I got a new otterbox for it while I was there. Which I'd planned to do in any case at some point.[DOUBLEPOST=1513198550,1513198063][/DOUBLEPOST]Oh but first I'm waiting for it to download Oreo, which is taking FUH-REV-VUR.


#59

PatrThom

PatrThom

GasBandit said:
But then she said "Let me see if I can try something," and put us on hold for like 10 minutes. Suddenly the backlog of text messages that have been waiting for me since my G3 died start rolling in.
Click to expand...
Phones are usually "destined" for one carrier or another. Supposedly they can "re-SKU" a compatible phone to be in the family (sort of like adding its machine acct to a privilege group in Windows) and then it'll start working. I assume that's what had to be done here.

--Patrick


#60

GasBandit

GasBandit

Welp, had to delete and recreate my teamviewer account. Switching to Authy for 2FA, lesson learned there...


#61

PatrThom

PatrThom

GasBandit said:
Welp, had to delete and recreate my teamviewer account. Switching to Authy for 2FA, lesson learned there...
Click to expand...
Wait, was it because your TV acct was compromised? Or were you saying you just forgot your login info?

--Patrick


#62

GasBandit

GasBandit

PatrThom said:
Wait, was it because your TV acct was compromised? Or were you saying you just forgot your login info?

--Patrick
Click to expand...
I had 2FA turned on on my TV account, so I needed to check my token in my authenticator to log my phone in to the TV app... but I loaded the token on my old phone in Google Authenticator, which doesn't back up your tokens online (counterintuitively). I also had the 2FA disable keycode saved... on my phone /facepalm

I KNOW, SHUT UP.

Now I've got it saved in a text file in my dropbox, just in case.


#63

PatrThom

PatrThom

GasBandit said:
I KNOW, SHUT UP.
Click to expand...
I run into this FAR more often than I want. Like, almost daily I have to go through the 21st-century equivalent of the whole Dear Liza, Dear Liza with people who can't remember their password, can't remember which fake birthday they lied about when they created their account, no longer have access to their backup email ("I haven't used that college account in years!") or who just relied on their phone/computer to remember the password and now can't get back in again and therefore can't get the email to reset it GRAAAAHHHH.

Don't ruin my image of you by being like them. Please.

--Patrick


#64

GasBandit

GasBandit

PatrThom said:
I run into this FAR more often than I want. Like, almost daily I have to go through the 21st-century equivalent of the whole Dear Liza, Dear Liza with people who can't remember their password, can't remember which fake birthday they lied about when they created their account, no longer have access to their backup email ("I haven't used that college account in years!") or who just relied on their phone/computer to remember the password and now can't get back in again and therefore can't get the email to reset it GRAAAAHHHH.

Don't ruin my image of you by being like them. Please.

--Patrick
Click to expand...
Well, fortunately all my other 2FA things are set up to do so via SMS, so it shouldn't be an issue.[DOUBLEPOST=1513206676,1513206296][/DOUBLEPOST]A clue you might have the international version of your phone:

IMG_20171213_170756.jpg


#65

PatrThom

PatrThom

That's the Australia/New Zealand plug config. Did you steal it from @IronBrig4?

--Patrick


#66

Dei

Dei

Incidentally, this is why I have a physical authenticator for my Blizzard account still, but it's irrelevant because you can just get SMS authentication. Though my son's account was authenticated through an iPad he broke, but thankfully the account was in my name so I just had to go through the account ownership verification process.


#67

GasBandit

GasBandit

Dei said:
Incidentally, this is why I have a physical authenticator for my Blizzard account still, but it's irrelevant because you can just get SMS authentication. Though my son's account was authenticated through an iPad he broke, but thankfully the account was in my name so I just had to go through the account ownership verification process.
Click to expand...
Well it's not like a physical authenticator can't be lost or broken just as easily.


#68

PatrThom

PatrThom

GasBandit said:
Well it's not like a physical authenticator can't be lost or broken just as easily.
Click to expand...
A lot harder to forget the password to get into it, though.

--Patrick


#69

Dei

Dei

GasBandit said:
Well it's not like a physical authenticator can't be lost or broken just as easily.
Click to expand...
Hence why I use sms all the time.[DOUBLEPOST=1513216017,1513215978][/DOUBLEPOST]Also as long as you know the tag number on it, it's really easy to remove it, unlike if you break your mobile device.


#70

GasBandit

GasBandit

Well, I have to say I am MUCH happier with the Pixel's battery life than the G3's. Despite having a smaller battery (2770 mAh vs 3000), a Pixel at rest seems to use one quarter the power percentage. If I left it unplugged overnight, I could count on my G3 using 5% (sometimes even 10%) of its battery per hour, usually resulting in me waking up to a charge of 50-60% remaining.

After the same conditions with the Pixel, however, the battery was still at 90%.



#71

PatrThom

PatrThom

Who knew newer technology would be better than old?
Yay for timer coalescing!

--Patrick


#72

GasBandit

GasBandit

PatrThom said:
Who knew newer technology would be better than old?
Yay for timer coalescing!

--Patrick
Click to expand...
Well, it's only newer by a couple years. But I have to wonder how bad the battery useage was because of Verizon's customizations to it, and how much better it would have been on stock android.

I mean, that's really why I shelled out 500 bucks. For stock android and the casting off of any leashes to Verizon :p It was nice to get a good phone out of it, too.


#73

PatrThom

PatrThom

Well there's this bit of news, too:
The Google Assistant: coming to tablets and more Android phones
...phones running 5.0 and later, that is.

--Patrick


#74

GasBandit

GasBandit

PatrThom said:
Well there's this bit of news, too:
The Google Assistant: coming to tablets and more Android phones
...phones running 5.0 and later, that is.

--Patrick
Click to expand...
The google assistant is kinda neat, I'll give it that. It's starting to approach siri levels of fluff and snark. Last night I discovered that if you ask, it will sing you a lullaby, then play sleep-inducing noise for an hour.


#75

PatrThom

PatrThom

Let me know what it does if you tell it "Hey, Siri," because if you tell Siri "OK, Google," she says, "You must have me confused with some other personal assistant."

--Patrick


#76

GasBandit

GasBandit

"I'm flattered to be mistaken for Siri. I admire her a lot. I even wrote her a poem. Google is red, Google is blue, Apples are sweet, and Siri is too (laughing emoji)"


#77

Dei

Dei

I kill the battery on my Pixel in 4 hours. Then again, I'm usually using my phone to play games or watch YouTube. I always joke to my husband that if he needs someone to check phone battery life at work, I'm there for him.


#78

GasBandit

GasBandit

Dei said:
I kill the battery on my Pixel in 4 hours. Then again, I'm usually using my phone to play games or watch YouTube. I always joke to my husband that if he needs someone to check phone battery life at work, I'm there for him.
Click to expand...
Seems about right. When I'd try to play something like Carmageddon or even Fallout Shelter, I'd easily kill the G3's battery in 1-2 hours if I didn't have it plugged in.


#79

GasBandit

GasBandit

The downside seems to be, unless I'm charging on the provided wall charger (which, as noted, is comedically australian, though I have an adapter now) it doesn't charge quickly AT ALL.

I'm charging it right now off a USB cable on my work computer, and it estimates 50 minutes left to finish charging from 89%.


#80

strawman

strawman

:eek:


#81

Dei

Dei

Yeah because no quick charge.


#82

GasBandit

GasBandit

stienman said:
:eek:
Click to expand...
But it charged from completely empty to completely full yesterday on the wall charger (with adapter) in less than an hour, I should mention.[DOUBLEPOST=1513288556,1513288487][/DOUBLEPOST]
Dei said:
Yeah because no quick charge.
Click to expand...
I've had nickel cadmium batteries that charged faster.


#83

Dei

Dei

GasBandit said:
But it charged from completely empty to completely full yesterday on the wall charger (with adapter) in less than an hour, I should mention.[DOUBLEPOST=1513288556,1513288487][/DOUBLEPOST]
I've had nickel cadmium batteries that charged faster.
Click to expand...
They were probably smaller. :p


#84

PatrThom

PatrThom

Also most (intelligent) chargers slow down when you get near the top of capacity so you don't slam into 100% at a potentially battery-rupturing speed.

--Patrick


#85

GasBandit

GasBandit

Dei said:
They were probably smaller. :p
Click to expand...
Individually, yeah, but they were generally 500-1000 mAh each, and almost always used in fours. That makes 2000-4000 mAh, comparable to the pixel's 2770. Charging rarely took more than a couple-three hours, 4 for the really old ones back in the 80s.

From what I'm reading online, it's just that USB-A doesn't push enough amps for the pixel. There've been reports of Pixels going even slower, like 3% an hour.


#86

PatrThom

PatrThom

GasBandit said:
USB-A doesn't push enough amps for the pixel. There've been reports of Pixels going even slower, like 3% an hour.
Click to expand...
Even USB 3 only specs out at 0.9A max draw per port, and it was only half an Amp with USB 2 and below. Phone chargers (that I've seen) are usually 1-2.5A.

--Patrick


#87

GasBandit

GasBandit

PatrThom said:
Even USB 3 only specs out at 0.9A max draw per port, and it was only half an Amp with USB 2 and below. Phone chargers (that I've seen) are usually 1-2.5A.

--Patrick
Click to expand...
Yeah. That's what I was saying. I specified USB-A, but from all accounts it's slow no matter what kind of USB you're charging off. Only the wall adapter goes fast, but it goes super fast.


#88

Eriol

Eriol

Gas, I have a Pixel, and you need to investigate USB-C chargers. They vary WILDLY with what they support for voltages and such. So you can find others that support Pixel's quick charge, but you need to go looking. A regular computer USB slot, while they definitely have the power in the "box" itself, the actual connections to the motherboard (and all the way back) may not support the higher voltages you need. Some actual usb-c ports on desktops/laptops support the higher voltages, but few (if any) of the usb-a ports do. It wasn't needed, so it's not on the wires/traces in the machine.


#89

PatrThom

PatrThom

Eriol said:
Gas, I have a Pixel, and you need to investigate USB-C chargers. They vary WILDLY with what they support for voltages and such. So you can find others that support Pixel's quick charge, but you need to go looking. A regular computer USB slot, while they definitely have the power in the "box" itself, the actual connections to the motherboard (and all the way back) may not support the higher voltages you need. Some actual usb-c ports on desktops/laptops support the higher voltages, but few (if any) of the usb-a ports do. It wasn't needed, so it's not on the wires/traces in the machine.
Click to expand...
*wattages.

I call this out solely because some "USB" ports are wired up to deliver 12VDC instead of the usual 5VDC, and plugging into those can kill your device. Most of them are labeled "12V" but some are not (though the unlabeled ones usually come from shady 3rd parties).

--Patrick


#90

GasBandit

GasBandit

Eriol said:
Gas, I have a Pixel, and you need to investigate USB-C chargers. They vary WILDLY with what they support for voltages and such. So you can find others that support Pixel's quick charge, but you need to go looking. A regular computer USB slot, while they definitely have the power in the "box" itself, the actual connections to the motherboard (and all the way back) may not support the higher voltages you need. Some actual usb-c ports on desktops/laptops support the higher voltages, but few (if any) of the usb-a ports do. It wasn't needed, so it's not on the wires/traces in the machine.
Click to expand...
Oh, the wall outlet adapter charges up fast just fine, as I said. I was just remarking on the slllllloooowwww charging from USB slots on computers.


#91

strawman

strawman

GasBandit said:
Oh, the wall outlet adapter charges up fast just fine, as I said. I was just remarking on the slllllloooowwww charging from USB slots on computers.
Click to expand...
Oh, yeah from a computer or USB hub a USB 2 port will only ever give you 500mA, or a total of 2.5W.

Some USB3 ports will supply more.

USB C ports may also provide more.

But you're going to have to get a wall charger that works with your phone if you want more than that, or look up computer specs and load the correct drivers to enable faster charging on any computer whose hardware might support fast charge (again, few do, and many of those that do only do it for certain devices - ie, apple computers will fast charge apple mobile devices).


#92

GasBandit

GasBandit

I've ordered a couple microUSB->USB-C converters, gonna see if my old wall chargers will fast charge it that way, when they get here tomorrow. Stay tuned!


#93

Dei

Dei

GasBandit said:
I've ordered a couple microUSB->USB-C converters, gonna see if my old wall chargers will fast charge it that way, when they get here tomorrow. Stay tuned!
Click to expand...
Can't you just... buy American charging bricks if you're going to go that route?


#94

PatrThom

PatrThom

stienman said:
few [support quick charge], and many of those that do only do it for certain devices - ie, apple computers will fast charge apple mobile devices).
Click to expand...
I think there are Gigabyte boards that do it, too. They usually trumpet it pretty loudly on the cover.
3182.jpg


--Patrick


#95

GasBandit

GasBandit

Dei said:
Can't you just... buy American charging bricks if you're going to go that route?
Click to expand...
The adapter is for the microUSB end of the chargers I already have, and cost about $2 each.

It's worth trying.


#96

GasBandit

GasBandit

Looks like the unbranded old microUSB wall charger, with a USB-C adapter, is barely faster than charging off a computer's USB port. 45 minutes per 10 percent. Ah well. At least I can still use my powerbank if I need to.


#97

GasBandit

GasBandit

Hrmm, reading reviews for the adapters I bought, other people ARE getting quick-charge out of them, but for samsung phones... I wonder if that's the difference.


#98

Dei

Dei

GasBandit said:
Hrmm, reading reviews for the adapters I bought, other people ARE getting quick-charge out of them, but for samsung phones... I wonder if that's the difference.
Click to expand...
I think I read the Pixel has its own quick charge tech, and doesn't use the same one as everyone else. I'm not sure if that's correct or not.


#99

GasBandit

GasBandit

Dei said:
I think I read the Pixel has its own quick charge tech, and doesn't use the same one as everyone else. I'm not sure if that's correct or not.
Click to expand...
It wouldn't surprise me if that's the case.[DOUBLEPOST=1513361082,1513360894][/DOUBLEPOST]Ok, the charger also seems to have defied its own expectations... it charged 17% in 45 minutes, almost twice as fast as it predicted. Still not as fast as the wall charger it came with, but a good deal faster than the computer's USB port.


#100

strawman

strawman

The Pixel doesn't support the samsung quickcharge spec, nor the apple fast charging spec. Google elected to follow the USB C Power Delivery spec.

So to get fast charging you'll have to use either the pixel specific chargers, or a third party USB C PD capable charger. Usually these are labeled 29W USB C power bricks.

Notably the iPhone 8 and X also support this standard, which is nearly 3 times faster than the normal iOS fast charge (10W), and four times faster than the iOS wireless charging (7.5W), and 6 times faster than the charger that comes with the iPhone (5W).

It's also capable of charging USB C macbooks.

So as far as I can tell, people are moving to the USB C PD standard anyway, and all the chargers I buy in the future will be of that kind.

I've been looking at USB C Power Delivery devices, and they aren't dirt cheap yet, but they aren't terribly expensive. Many of them are available with micro USB to USB C cables, so they should work for you out of the box. Many of them also include a regular USB A port so you charge other devices as well, but so far as I understand the USB C PD isn't available over the USB A port.

The deal with the PD spec is that you can't increase the current the cables carry without thicker wires, which consumers don't want. But you can increase the voltage, which has the same effect of increasing total power to the device. Laptop manufacturers, particularly Apple, wanted to power their laptops through USB C, so the USB C PD spec allows the powered device to request higher voltages, so it can charge faster.

So you can get up to 100W over USB C PD adaptors, when the devices requests it the adaptor will supply 20V at 5A over the cable. The device has to ensure the cable is capable of that current, though, so there are additional considerations and issues, including cable detection (which apple has had since the early days of their mobile devices, and why apple cables are more expensive, they each contain a security/ID chip).

While this is all tied to USB C because it was introduced at the same time, the reality is that this specification also works over the standard USB A, B, and Micro B/AB connectors. Finding a power adaptor that follows this spec is hard, though, so people and manufacturers have kind of associated it with C.

http://www.usb.org/developers/powerdelivery/PD_1.0_Introduction.pdf


#101

Eriol

Eriol

This was extremely good as well, and explains the Pixel thing for @GasBandit too:


#102

GasBandit

GasBandit

Apparently one of the "power saving" features of the Pixel is that it doesn't check my damn email very often. Seems every day, I get an email notification 10 or 15 minutes later than the e-mail actually arrives. Sometimes it happens with hangout messages, too. There will be no notification, and then I'll pick up the phone and suddenly "oh hey here's a notification you got a hangouts message 12 minutes ago."

I downloaded a "push notification fixer" to try and address this, and reset the heartbeat on the check from 15 minutes (android's apparently new default) to 2 minutes. Lesse if that screws up battery useage too badly.


#103

GasBandit

GasBandit

Just wanted to update the thread and say I'm still really happy with my Pixel. Battery life is great, rapid charging is fast AF. My only gripe is if I'm playing music when it connects/disconnects from wifi, the music hiccups once or twice, but that's a paltry complaint.

Well, that and it doesn't have an IR transmitter, so I can't use it to control televisions. Also barely a complaint.

Everything else is beautimous.


#104

jwhouk

jwhouk

You know, I could really get used to this Chromebook thing.


#105

PatrThom

PatrThom

jwhouk said:
You know, I could really get used to this Chromebook thing.
Click to expand...
I see Chromebooks/iPads/phablets eventually replacing what people currently use “laptops” for right now. Maybe not right away like that whole “What’s a computer?” thing, but I fully expect your handheld whatever-it-is will handle the essentials, and for the stuff it can’t handle it will also be a thin client connection to your “real” computer back home’s display like steam link or RD.

—Patrick


#106

jwhouk

jwhouk

Acer Chromebook R11.


#107

Gruebeard

Gruebeard

PatrThom said:
I see Chromebooks/iPads/phablets eventually replacing what people currently use “laptops” for right now. Maybe not right away like that whole “What’s a computer?” thing, but I fully expect your handheld whatever-it-is will handle the essentials, and for the stuff it can’t handle it will also be a thin client connection to your “real” computer back home’s display like steam link or RD.

—Patrick
Click to expand...
I'm already using my tablet for everything now.

The trick was finding a decent replacement for MS Paint . . . well, useful drawing apps in general. (And if anyone cares, I've found Infinite Studio to be very useful, though the vector app doesn't quite fill all my needs - I've been using Touchdraw for dungeon floorplans)


#108

GasBandit

GasBandit

Has anybody updated to Android 9 yet? My Pixel is hassling me to update to it, and I'm always hesitant to jump on board with these things early.


#109

Dei

Dei

My husband did, he says his battery life is awesome now. Of course, his battery life was already awesome, so *shrug*


#110

Eriol

Eriol

GasBandit said:
Has anybody updated to Android 9 yet? My Pixel is hassling me to update to it, and I'm always hesitant to jump on board with these things early.
Click to expand...
Seems OK. I know @Dirona isn't as much of a fan, but doesn't seem that different to me. Just a little more colorful.

Just remember to go into the settings and disable the noise for the "ding" whenever you plug it in. I find that annoying, but searching the settings was quick and painless.


#111

PatrThom

PatrThom

AndroidPolice has an extensive write-up on the changes/additions, and they are continuing to update the article over time.

--Patrick


#112

WasabiPoptart

WasabiPoptart

GasBandit said:
Has anybody updated to Android 9 yet? My Pixel is hassling me to update to it, and I'm always hesitant to jump on board with these things early.
Click to expand...
The biggest thing I don't like is that they've inverted the controls for closing apps that are open. Now you scroll left or right through the list, then swipe up to close the app.


#113

Eriol

Eriol

WasabiPoptart said:
The biggest thing I don't like is that they've inverted the controls for closing apps that are open. Now you scroll left or right through the list, then swipe up to close the app.
Click to expand...
Here's a pro-tip that's been true for at LEAST 2 major versions of Android: closing apps COSTS you battery life. It's less battery to keep things hanging around in memory completely inactive, then you just re-focus on them, than to re-start an app from scratch, since all of the "Startup" routines need to run then, whereas from being suspended, they don't. Thus unless you need to clear cache or something, it is better to just "leave it" in the background.


#114

Bubble181

Bubble181

Eriol said:
Here's a pro-tip that's been true for at LEAST 2 major versions of Android: closing apps COSTS you battery life. It's less battery to keep things hanging around in memory completely inactive, then you just re-focus on them, than to re-start an app from scratch, since all of the "Startup" routines need to run then, whereas from being suspended, they don't. Thus unless you need to clear cache or something, it is better to just "leave it" in the background.
Click to expand...
...but my OCD and desire for order and neatness won't let me. Having a dozen apps open in the background feels wrong.


#115

PatrThom

PatrThom

Eriol said:
Here's a pro-tip that's been true for at LEAST 2 major versions of Android: closing apps COSTS you battery life. It's less battery to keep things hanging around in memory completely inactive, then you just re-focus on them, than to re-start an app from scratch, since all of the "Startup" routines need to run then, whereas from being suspended, they don't. Thus unless you need to clear cache or something, it is better to just "leave it" in the background.
Click to expand...
FYI this is (mostly) true in iOS as well. Let the OS manage memory and launches. It knows what’s going on internally more than you do. It’s better that way.

—Patrick


#116

GasBandit

GasBandit

Man, I know I said it before, but there is SUCH a difference between regular charging and rapid charging on the pixel. I ran my pixel down to 0% (well, 3%, which was as LOW AS MY HEART COULD STAND) for the first time since the new android "pie" update to test the new power management to see how long it could go without charging (about 2 days 7 hours of normal use). Plugged it back in to charge, first on USB on my computer - took an hour to get back up to 16%, estimated 8 hours to finish charging. Took it to work and put it on the "good" charger (the one it came with), and rapid charging kicked in... estimated time to charge the rest: 25 minutes.

Ain't technology grand.

That said, "Pie" seems to be a little odd on its power management... my power useage was parabolic - to the tune of using only about 30% of its power in the first 24 hours (seeming to indicate it could go at least 3 days), then the remaining 60% being used up faster and faster, even when the phone was idle. I suspect it was calibrating itself. Hopefully future readings will be more accurate.


#117

Dei

Dei

I haven't upgraded my phone yet because I never got the notification until yesterday (I don't know how long it was just sitting in my settings waiting to go before that) and I'm not emotionally ready to change the way I swipe my screen, but I can kill my Pixel 2 in 5 or 6 hours right now. It will be interesting to see if Pie can make it last a whole day. :p


#118

GasBandit

GasBandit

Shit, wrong thread. I meant to put this in the "new phone" thread. Moving...


#119

GasBandit

GasBandit

Dei said:
I haven't upgraded my phone yet because I never got the notification until yesterday (I don't know how long it was just sitting in my settings waiting to go before that) and I'm not emotionally ready to change the way I swipe my screen, but I can kill my Pixel 2 in 5 or 6 hours right now. It will be interesting to see if Pie can make it last a whole day. :p
Click to expand...
I doubt it can. It seems to be more about standby management... active apps still use just as much battery as they ever did.

So, 6 hours of hearthstone is still 6 hours of hearthstone.


#120

sixpackshaker

sixpackshaker

Is there a good phone out there that has an SD card slot and a headphone jack?


#121

MindDetective

MindDetective

sixpackshaker said:
Is there a good phone out there that has an SD card slot and a headphone jack?
Click to expand...
I love my OnePlus 6!


#122

klew

klew

sixpackshaker said:
Is there a good phone out there that has an SD card slot and a headphone jack?
Click to expand...
I believe the Samsung Galaxy S line still has both


#123

Gared

Gared

klew said:
I believe the Samsung Galaxy S line still has both
Click to expand...
Yeah, but he asked for a good phone.


#124

GasBandit

GasBandit

GasBandit said:
Man, I know I said it before, but there is SUCH a difference between regular charging and rapid charging on the pixel. I ran my pixel down to 0% (well, 3%, which was as LOW AS MY HEART COULD STAND) for the first time since the new android "pie" update to test the new power management to see how long it could go without charging (about 2 days 7 hours of normal use). Plugged it back in to charge, first on USB on my computer - took an hour to get back up to 16%, estimated 8 hours to finish charging. Took it to work and put it on the "good" charger (the one it came with), and rapid charging kicked in... estimated time to charge the rest: 25 minutes.

Ain't technology grand.

That said, "Pie" seems to be a little odd on its power management... my power useage was parabolic - to the tune of using only about 30% of its power in the first 24 hours (seeming to indicate it could go at least 3 days), then the remaining 60% being used up faster and faster, even when the phone was idle. I suspect it was calibrating itself. Hopefully future readings will be more accurate.
Click to expand...
Tuesday: I plug in the phone at 3%: Time to charge? 25 mins.

Today: I plug in the phone to charge at 40%. Time to charge? 57 mins.



#125

Dei

Dei

GasBandit said:
Tuesday: I plug in the phone at 3%: Time to charge? 25 mins.

Today: I plug in the phone to charge at 40%. Time to charge? 57 mins.

Click to expand...
I think fastest charging kicks in under 20%. My husband explained to me how it works once but I only half listened. :p


#126

PatrThom

PatrThom

Dei said:
I think fastest charging kicks in under 20%. My husband explained to me how it works once but I only half listened. :p
Click to expand...
tl:dr; Li batteries don't like to be rushed. The emptier they are, the quicker you can fill 'em.

--Patrick


#127

PatrThom

PatrThom

OnePlus polls customers about headphone jack, 88 percent say they like it and want to keep it.
...so of course they say, “thank you for your input” and then announce that the upcoming 6T will not have a headphone jack...

—Patrick


#128

Gruebeard

Gruebeard

PatrThom said:
OnePlus polls customers about headphone jack, 88 percent say they like it and want to keep it.
...so of course they say, “thank you for your input” and then announce that the upcoming 6T will not have a headphone jack...

—Patrick
Click to expand...
Meh. I mean, it was a twitter poll. If they had asked what they should name their model, we all know what name would win, and we all know it wouldn't be a name that anyone actually wanted. They've probably looked at the sales figures from other phones that dropped the jack, and other sorts of useful data.


. . . I'd totally buy a PhoneyMcPhoneface. :oops:


#129

PatrThom

PatrThom

Over 400 Android devices were released last year. Here are the good ones.
This article was published Feb 21, 2019, which means it was JUST before the Galaxy S10 (and Galaxy Fold) launch, so I don't believe any of those were "officially" included in the ratings (other than to mention them).

--Patrick


#130

PatrThom

PatrThom

Hey, @GasBandit I think I found what might be your next phone.
Who doesn’t want their device to last longer between charges? Thanks to its frankly ludicrously sized 18,000 mAh battery, however, that’s not a complaint I can ever imagine anyone leveling at Energizer’s new Power Max P18K Pop
Click to expand...
(standard phones are usually 2000-3000mAh)

--Patrick


#131

Ravenpoe

Ravenpoe

PatrThom said:
Hey, @GasBandit I think I found what might be your next phone.

(standard phones are usually 2000-3000mAh)

--Patrick
Click to expand...
I have an 18,000 mAh power bank and it carries a not insignificant heft. How much does that phone weigh?


#132

jwhouk

jwhouk

It probably has a label on it. "Lift with both hands."


#133

PatrThom

PatrThom

Ravenpoe said:
How much does that phone weigh?
Click to expand...
Funny thing. They don’t say.

—Patrick


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