Once nextcloud provides free 50gb storage like mega I will switch instantly. Not hating on nextcloud, they're amazing, but that's how it is for me, I need space, and not 500mb (or I forgot whatever is nextcloud's offering)
I caught wind Google would ditch using a Linux kernel for Android a ways back. Not surprising Google would eventually go closed source, with their support for censorship and info suppression. Silicon Valley is as Silicon Valley does.
My hate for Apple was also very prevalent. I always had Samsung or HTC before that put custom ROMs and side loaded apps. Then I got an iPhone for work. Finally a phone and eco system that works. I switched my entire family to iPhones. I would never go back to Android and their data mining system. They even allow apps like WhatsApp etc. to spy on you. My hate for Apple was blinding my senses. No more!
@@nonyago apple doesn't respect your privacy either, unfortunately Their closed ecosystem sucks and creates a virtual walled garden, instead of trying to integrate with other devices and systems Their anti-consumer practices are out of this world too, from blocking app side-loading to using those shitty lighting cables, that they've been using for years
If more people were to commit to using the Linux phones then more money could be spent making them better, but unfortunately until they’re better not many people will commit to using them, catch 22, the chicken and the egg…
@@KaloyanNachev1994 - The Ahole phone is for people with more money than brains. No thanks. I have had to work with the AppHole phone at my job and for some things it is very difficult. Android units I can reset or use software and a jig like Octopus to blow away locks, remove sim locking, and remove cloud locks on phones. AppHole phones are not so easy. No second sim slot on ANY model and no MicroSD card. Its made to look good and be real sparse on function. More trouble and expense than it is worth.
I was thinking that too, I bought zenfone 9 as soon as it came out, it has been amazing, good battery life, powerful has headphone jack which I need alot and and size fits very well on my hand. There has been some issues with pocket detection though, I accidentally kept unlocking my phone in my pocket by touching fingerprint sensor, even when I tried to be very careful it kept happening and it started to do random thing in my pocket, but I changed fingerprint sensor settings so I have to press the powerbutton to unlock my phone, no issues after that. Edit: and after I got android 13 upgrade pocket detection works better, it didn't work when I covered my phone with my hand with android 12, but after update when I put my hand over the speaker it goes to pocket mode.
@@TheLinuxEXP It's pretty much the phone of the year 2022 ! Asus isn't Chinese and they respect your freedom infinetly more than Apple ever would : unlockable bootloader, source code downloadable from their own website(!!), community support, custom roms... even EDL mod is available to the users is you ever brick the phone completely. There are also Sony phones you could look at, and the Nothing phone 1 (and Sharp if you feel very brave)
Curved edges may look cool and be helpful sometimes, but MOST of the time they introduce more problems like accidental touch of the controls and much easier cracking of the glass when the phone falls on its side.
Screen protectors are also harder to apply (when they don't just avoid the curve entirely), and any benefits a curved screen might provide *which seem minuscule at best to me) is immediately loss the second you decide to put on a case in an effort to protect the body/screen from accidental drops.
And makes it EASY TO BREAK. Those phones are a disaster to put a screen protector on and for drops. THere is no way to have a robust construction on a phone with curved glass. GIve me a phone 2cm thick with a 10 or 20 ah battery and 1/8 in (3mm) thick piece of gorilla glass over the display and waterproof. A phone that you can beat someone half stupid with and have no problems is a good thing. Love it.
I have the S23 Ultra, next month I get my no cost upgrade with my carrier. I will be getting the S24 Ultra for me and my wife. I'm looking forward to flat glass, try using your S-Pen on the curve, what a pain in the ass.
This video makes no sense. He runs a channel called The Linux Experiment, complaints about Android not beeing good enough and private enough, yet switches to a more locked down OS with less privacy which he doe'snt even like to use, and which runs a iOS.
While he is mostly right about the Chinese phones, pretty much all phones have Parts made in China meaning they probably have some sort of back door. If you're really worried about that much privacy you shouldn't have a phone to begin with OR be using a dumb phone. Pretty much every single manufacturer is farming or information for one reason or another. It's the trade-off for convenience and having a good running product. I so appreciate Android 10 seconds and sideload apps that aren't connected to any major company so at least you can try to avoid having them scam your data too much
High refresh rate compact camera phones is pretty much Sony's entire thing. They are also usually waterproof and have headphone jacks (even though Apple said it was impossible). I haven't play around with it myself, but they do have an Open Devices program that might be worth looking in to if you want to degoogle.
@@TheLinuxEXP came here to say that too, when you pointed out your requirements, Sony was the only company I could think that could pull that off, although arguably with some weird aspect ratio for some people and a salty price, but I think you'll like it the second option would be ASUS but I think they can go a little to the large sizes too... Zenfone 9 is the closest for you, maybe, and I don't think you'll like the ROG lineup, nor their UI but that's changeable
@@TheLinuxEXP but they also have a record of braking after a year. Usually starts with the display becoming yellow, then touches by itself. Had this with at least 3 phones. Also, the most recent of mine Xperia 10 survived that, so maybe newer models should be alright.
@@TheLinuxEXP Definitely do. They leave things mostly stock with just a few additional apps. Their early phones were buggy, but the current ones haven't been from what I've seen. I had gotten an Xperia XZ2 Compact a few years ago for my girlfriend and she really enjoyed how small it was. Ran really well, decent camera, ect. Sony doesn't make a big push in US or European markets, but they're still good.
The reason I don't like curved edges, is because you either defeat its purpose by using a case, or just don't protect your phone at all. And once a curved screen breaks, it costs a lot of money to replace
My s8 screen broke on day one, so no more curved screens for me. I can't imagine having a phone without a good protective case, but that depends on a person and his way of life. Also, I never used unrooted phone for more than 2 days (need that Adaway, Afwall+ and maybe some magisk modules), but people say these days root is not needed so much, as you can debloat with adb, use blokada, etc.
@@SlaggyGaggy Yeah, linux phones that have technologies that’s not a decade old. Couldn’t find one, unless he installs ubuntu touch in his future Iphone 16 Pro Max 😂
@@KR1ML0N Not just made in China but also confirmed to collaborate with the Chinese government to provide them data access when it comes to their citizen. Then the second row of double-moral hits when you realize that Apple is enforced by US law to provide at least the US access to any wanted data. So either way it doesn't look like any alternative from the point searching for privacy and the more honest approach here would be that Apple's marketing just succeed. From my perspective it doesn't make any sense to pick a specific phone for privacy reasons as long as Linux phones aren't a true option. Because they would be the obvious choice. Neither Google or Apple provides a good ecosystem you want to join when it comes to privacy. Maybe there are people in the comments recommending Android forks or AOSP but honestly it's still an operating system indirectly controlled by Google's decisions and firmware support isn't great either. However when firmware and drivers won't be an issue anymore for devices like the Pinephone, they could be a pretty amazing experience combined with a Linux desktop.
I'm sure you've probably tried it, but just in case others here are also experiencing the same issue where the SIM card would stop getting recognized by the phone, try getting a new SIM card. SIM cards can go bad and I've had several cards exhibit weird behavior like mobile data not working, phone calls getting dropped, or losing signal while other phones/SIMs had reception.
A hunch: The reason this happens is possibly because impurities in the metals of the phone moves to the sim card and end up ruining the sim card. Like if the sim card was a sacrificial anode of the phone.
I don't understand why people refrain from using products manufactured in China due to privacy and security concerns, while there is ample evidence indicating that companies like Google, Meta, and Apple may assist the FBI in providing user data, companies such as Samsung and TSMC have been publicly requested by the U.S. government to provide confidential information such as customer orders and inventory. Let's approach this issue from a factual perspective. Can the governments of European countries and the GDPR truly ensure the security of people's information? They can't even protect the phone of a former German chancellor! Now, even if we assume that the Chinese government would indeed obtain user data through Chinese companies (currently lacking concrete evidence), people essentially have only two choices: either refrain from using any electronic products or choose to expose their data to a particular government. In this scenario, the threat to personal security from exposing data to the Chinese government is much smaller than that from the U.S. government. In Europe, the Chinese government's potential actions may be limited to rejecting your Chinese visa application. In contrast, the U.S. government could request European governments to arrest and extradite you to the United States for interrogation-think about the differing fates of Snowden and Assange. Besides, in comparison to their competitors, Chinese companies tend to exercise greater caution in the practical aspects of data privacy and security operations. Because Western governments are more likely to mobilize various resources to subject them to stricter scrutiny and exclusion due to their China backgrounds, like TikTok in US.
5:18 To answer your question about curved edge displays: One reason is that they make matte screen protectors really hard to do. Many screen protector manufacturers exclude that portion of the display, giving you an inconsistent experience, which makes gestures harder.
Yeah, it's inconsistent in gesture recognition, feeling and the display itself looks bad, I mean, since the display is angled away from you the produced light just looks differently no matter how good the viewing angle is in the display. And the worst thing you've already mentioned, screen protectors / cases and the lack of the screen protection the screen itself has.
I just wanted to add that the few matte screen protectors that do include the curved edges are soft & flexible, and have very little matte texture, so don't do a good job of the anti reflectivity.
Haven't watched the video yet, bit I currently have a matte finish on my infinity edge, I have a full coverage tempered glass on my Note 9 and a matte skin in top, works great
@@BobDevV I actually tried that Linux phone from Nokia. We had it at the Technical University of Denmark to learn how to program GLES on a phone in my 3rd year. I actually really liked it. It was fast, the UI was sleek as heck, and it had some really great features and even a freaking terminal! What I got later while at Netcompany, a Nokia Windows phone, was a huge step down. It did have some jank though - mainly that in terms of power efficiency it behaved as a desktop computer, and that meant running every app at full tilt all the time unless you explicitly closed them. That was very bad, but it was also very possible to fix.
I used to smugly look down at my wife for being a normie with an iphone, while I had a badass android with custom roms and all that stuff. But then her iphone outlasted 2 of my android phones. They got so laggy near the end of life, while her 7 year old iphone was just as zippy as if on day 1.
@@xDoge26 yes, but 5 years for a modern phone is a long time. Most of the Android manufacturers barely guaranteed 2 years, and most of chinees phone manufacturers don't even made such promises.
You have an interesting set of requirements! You already mention this abundantly in your video so I won't try to convince you otherwise, but I'm almost 2 months in to using GrapheneOS on a pixel 6a (for $299!), and it is by far the best experience I've had using a cellphone, ever. The degree of control & security far outweigh all other considerations for me personally. Hope the hardware holds up!
CalyxOS Pixel 6 user here. Couldn't be happier, it's approaching a year now using Calyx. I have to absolutely rip on TLE's opinion of stock Android - it looks fucking great. OneUI is a mess of weird, inconsistent padding, a design language that is equally inconsistent, and like he said it's literally bloatware and comes with not only Google's shitware, but their shitware and Microsoft shitware as well!
Agreed, found a vendor in the LA area, a very nice guy, that sells DeGoogled devices. I opted for a Pixle 5 with Calyx installed. Because it is used, it seems the mechanical problems have been worked out of it. Why Pixle? That is the phone most often DeGoogled that works on Verizon, no other reason. As "icing on the cake", it works perfectly except one time it locked up. After a re-boot, and after it updated the next day, no further problems. Like Apple claims, Calyx just works, without Apple spying on you.
I'm surprised you didn't mention Sony at all. Although they don't have many phones that work with your 90 Hz requirement, gsmarena still shows 3 models that fit all of them. Their rom availability is also pretty good.
@@user-fk2xg8nq6r Are you sure? A few weeks ago, I just unlocked the boot loader of my non-Japanese Xperia 5 III for free following the instruction on their official website. Then installed LineageOS and everything works great.
@@Alexandros_Alpha by "Nokia", you mean (basically chinese) "HMD" who owns a brand name "Nokia", right? Therefore a big no no. And the second thing, their (security) support is terrible, just two years (if you're lucky) and that's it. To me, it's just another "sell and forget" company selling Android based phones.
@@kmartyCZ - Ive had a few OnePlus phones that were really good... And a couple that were not so good. But the ones that were good lasted me many years.
I am with you on this. I hate how cluttered android is and I refuse to go with apple based off different corporate philosophies. I would love to use a linux phone in principle but man they need to send out a phone with hardware from this decade. Seriously all of the linux phones out there use like a quad core cortex a53 on 28nm, both of which are at least a decade old. A raspberry pi is more powerful and just as efficient. I almost wish raspberry pi would come out with a phone using the chips they already have, the camera they already have, and update things like the display and such.
What mobile linux needs isn't more powerful hardware, it's more appealing hardware. The hardware we have is very clearly for developers, linux phones aren't made for the average person. But the phones for developers (and i guess also for general users) should preferably be super underpowered. See, since android and apple phones have gotten fast and powerful the OSes have gotten super slow, if you run modern android on a phone with decade old hardware you're gonna have a terrible time. And if developers for mobile linux start to get phones that are actually fast, they might become lazy and develop for that. Which could leave mobile linux as slow and bloated as android, and unable to run properly on anything without new, expensive, power hungry SOCs.
@@avadrumm I agree with you to an extent. We don't NEED more powerful hardware but it sure can help some of the issues with latency and the like on current linux phones like the pinephone. They do NEED better cameras though and I would argue that they do NEED to be made on a smaller process node. Battery life is also a common complaint for current linux devices just like it was 10 years ago when the a53 and 28nm were common. That was the main reasons phones had replacable batteries back in the day because it wasn't all that uncommon to charge 2 each day and swap it out half way. Something that I would like to see is at least a cortex a55 or 510 built on at least 7nm. Hopefully this isn't too confusing but TSMC 7nm is 60% more efficient than 16nm which itself is 60% more efficient than 22nm which itself is 30% more efficient than the 28nm currently found on most linux capable phones out there. Assuming performance is equal that is almost 90% less power. Combine that with a cortex a55 cpu and you get 15-20% more performance as well. That is what I mean by linux phones need more powerful hardware.
@@terrydaktyllus1320 So I am going to have to disagree with you on this. I don't see any reason to not want better tools. You can do plenty of things with a hammer and saw but if I was asked to build a house I would want something better. My time is worth more to me than that. I want a linux phone that actually is supportable. I ran cyanogenmod on my phone years back but the problem with doing that is that if anything goes wrong it is on you to figure out how to fix it. I also had one of my phones brick itself doing an update with it. Not good when you need your phone to work for your job. Linux phones seem to give us exactly what most of us in this channel probably want. An OS that we control and that works like our computers do but that we can also do things like take phone calls. I pick my OS, my UI, and any of the other applications I want. If I don't want something to spy on me I can easily disallow that. You can do it on a computer but on a phone it is not very clear because they aren't designed to allow you to be in control. That is why I want a linux phone. I just want one that isn't using specs comparable to my galaxy s5 from 2014.
@@terrydaktyllus1320 Um using simple math most of us are going to be average. Also I may not have time to be an expert at everything. Some things I need to just work. I don't have enough time in my life to be an expert in computer programming, plumbing, electrical, hvac, automotive repair, medicine, counseling, law, accounting, physics, astrophysics, construction, manufacturing, supply chain management, food nutrition, weightlifting, sewing, machining, and the hundreds of other occupations out there. Just because I am smart enough to learn about something doesn't mean it is worth my time to learn about everything there is to learn in the world. It kinda defeats the purpose of any sort of specialization.
The main reason I switched to Pixel phones was due to Samsung phones having tons of bloatware that you could never remove, and would bog down your phone. I appreciate the Pixel phones for lack of extra bloat (the non-movable google searchbar is not great, but it's not too intrusive). I'm using a Pixel 6a which has been solid so far. FDroid has been great for alternate launchers (and a new vector-based dark-mode icon pack) but mileage will totally vary. Thanks for covering Android alternatives and sharing steps to de-bloat your life! It's helped me find alternatives with FDroid, like Aegis for 2FA and KeePass for password management.
"tons of bloatware that you could never remove" you can very easily remove it with uad (universal android debloater) I have almost 0 bloat that I dont use on my samsung
The new Nokia phones look like a good pick in my opinion. Made in Europe (with data stored in European servers), decent cameras (only 1920px though), clean stock android (that you can easily customize) and an unmatched warranty
Almost none of what you said is a criticism of Android, even your software gripes. You dislike the available options of phones that come preloaded with Android, not the OS itself. Also, your but about China doesn't even hold up, as Apple manufacturing has been historically Chinese based. Also, "android" releases aren't all the same. LG preloaded apps and UI is trash, but others aren't. The only thing that holds up is your desire for degoogling.
I am looking into replacing my iPhone XS Max with a Google Pixel 7 Pro with GrapheneOS. My main reason is privacy, so hardware is secondary. I am also disappointed with the multiple hardware issues I experienced on the iPhone, more than with any other previous iPhone. The lack of repairability is a huge factor.
@@doboy930 GrapheneOS is actually the most privacy oriented OS available. I run it on a totally de-googled Pixel 7. Look it up! You obviously do not know GrapheneOS
@@doboy930do a Research on grapheneos. Incident the most private solution for a mobile device, may be with the exception of certain (so far very limited) Linux phones
Also a Sony xperia 5 IV, Xperia Pro I, or Xperia 1IV (yeah their naming sucks) probably could meet your needs as well. Sony is a reputable brand, top tier sensor, minimal bloatware, and I think those are all 120hz displays.
Oh ball sheet! I have multiple old sonys. Can't hold a candle to competing Samsungs (Z4 vs S6 Edge). I failed to charge the z4 for a year and the battery got damaged and bloated. No problem with the S5 and other Samsung's. Also the batteries on the Mid range 2014 xperia A2 are far more durable than the ones they put in the 2015 flagship Z4. Sony is a load of crap 💩 only the braindead would think it's still a cool brand
Asus zenfone 9 would be a good option I guess, small, flagship, 120hz refresh. It has a stockish android which you might be able to get a ROM for though. Even I used to hate the Material You theme of Google and now using an S21 FE makes it very clear why. As you said, there's just so much padding and for no reason whatsoever.
Zenfone 9 is more expensive than S22 (~$250 extra in current US prices), it's bigger while having smaller screen, has less cameras, plastic back not glass like S22, and will only have 2 years of updates, not 5 like S22, so I'm not very sure why anyone would pick Asus over Samsung? Bigger battery and 3.5mm jack doesn't look like a good justification for spending $250 extra.
@@snowmean1 Umm, better battery, S22 has bad battery life. Less camera don't mean bad camera(2 MP macro/depth is not actual camera). It has a gimbal camera which might be a gimmick but yeah it is good enough, not for the price but it is good for that form factor. Plastic back is not that big of a deal for me. Also he had a very specific issue with Samsung so the only other small android phone is Asus zenfone 9.
@@Sasha-zw9ss because you need to justify the price difference somehow. Plastic is cheaper as material and cheaper to manufacture. Glass is more fragile to direct massive impacts but it provides better scratch resistance and less colour degradation over time so more practical for everyday use, unless you are throwing your phone as a daily routine. Even though display part of the phone is still glass so having plastic at the back doesn't protect you from accidental drops much.
@@modernlogix he had issues with S21 not S22 though. I do understand "good enough" point but not when we're talking about more expensive phone. I don't argue about bigger battery on Asus, but S22 also have good enough battery which also justified ita lower price point this time. My S22 comfortably accompanying me throughout the day on a single charge with no problems. Not the best in class autonomy but no nonsense either.
Asus Zenfone 9 ticks all your boxes as far as I can tell, Android always has that exact configuration that you want, you just have to look for it. I am assuming you will comeback to android soon enough. Also just buy a Xiaomi and change the ROM.
@@aaron284 yeah, I am actually using a vanilla rom with safety net pass and it just works wonderfully plus not having google services saves a ton of battery
How will you even change the rom? For the last two and a half years there has not been any significant development for the flagship line of devices ( beyond MAYBE getting TWRP ), the T series devices have MTK and nobody wants to develop for that, and the company never releases the device trees anymore. So no custom roms. They used to be timely release them, but now? by the time they do everyone has moved to one of their newer bimensual releases
I have been using the Pixel 4a and still do. Main concern was form factor and clean os. It's perfect for me and I hope to see more compact size phones in the market.
My Sony Xperia is a bit chunky, but some of their other options seem to fall in line well with what you were looking for. Plus retaining the headphone jack means they're the most likely to get my money next upgrade as well.
@@asclepeus-games I'll be honest, I forgot they existed as an option when I was looking for an update at first. It took me about a week into my search before I remembered "Oh yeah, Sony makes good phones. What do they have out right now?"
Was going to come here and say this. Ive had my xperia 5 ii for a few years, and despite the fingerprint reader issues i'm sticking to it for the foreseeable future
I use a Pixel 5 with Calyx OS. I have no problems with the hardware either, although the device is a few years old now, and Calyx OS is not quite as restrictive as Graphene OS, which I also used for a longer time. I only use apps on the F-Droid store, plus my own Nextcloud with calendar and contacts, all in sync with my Linux computers - so I now run my own ecosystem, without any Big Data.
@@wolfwoof2000 I'm pretty sure the old design won't be coming back. I like the Pixel 5's optimal size, but it also feels very cheap, unfortunately. It's all plastic, and not even high-quality. To be honest, I'm considering buying a Pixel 7 Pro. I recently had one in my hand and it is quite different in terms of feel.
@@thatgreenguy244 I used it before sandboxing and now with this option all the time, but I sometimes have problems with notifications. With Calyx it works better for me, although I would like Graphene more, also because the updates come much more often and faster here. And it has no micro-G, and is really absolutely purist. That's exactly my style.
one of my pet peeves with iPhone is how difficult it is to move stuff off of the phone to a computer, if you are not using Mac. As a Linux user, how do you deal with this?
No answer for that-wife has an Apple, loves it, however, recently it has started loading music to her collection-randome stuff or entire albums of people she listens to. To me that is intrusive and presumtuos-I might like a peiece of music by an artist but do not want everything they ever did loaded onto my phone because sometimes the restof their stuff kinda sucks.
Looking forward to FairPhone partnering with CalyxOS. Not saying you'd like it, it's too big, but it seems to be an interesting option depending on what FairPhone releases in the future (not a fan of them removing the headphone jack tho, and the FairPhone 4 is way too big)
@@tosch9057 they said they'd support phones for years and the OS should be manually installable. Could still be possible worth it on the 3. I know Linux generally works well on old hardware, don't know much on CalyxOS.
I went for a Pixel 7 Pro with Graphene OS. Works very well, is cheap, FOSS and banking apps are working fine. Same here, I would never buy a Chinese phone (any BBK phone and others) but also rather have no phone than an iphone.
Nice video, personally I dislike curved edge phones. I have a Samsung from my employer - it was either that or an Apple. I found it annoying (maybe it was caused by the way I hold it) but I found it wouldn't do anything if I held it in one hand and used the other to swipe/make gestures. I guess because I would wrap my fingers around each side of the phone to make sure it didn't drop from my hand (I don't like using one hand to operate a phone). This meant that it assumed I was making 4-5 finger gestures and didn't do what I wanted. I would much rather have a flat screen than curved any time.
Similar with me. I had to stop one handed phone usage on medical advice after I started to get RSI. So I have to use the phone two handed: one to hold the phone and the other to drive it. And I even get edge effects from the holding hand on a phone which doesn't have curved edges -- I find that is the phone isn't in a case then every so often the OS responds to my gripping hand when I never intended it to. So my hardware choices are effectively restricted to a phone with a flat screen and in a case.
Meanwhile, I specifically locked my phone to 60Hz maximum to conserve battery life. Can't think of a reason why I'd need a 120Hz refresh rate on a phone. 🤷♂ Was really hoping for a recommendation for a phone that can run Linux with minimal effort. I have a Pixel 7 Pro, which I'm paying off today to finally be able to install GrapheneOS; the whole reason I got a Pixel in the first place. It's slightly better than the Pixel 6 Pro in regards to size and that screen curve, but I agree with you. There hasn't been an actually well-designed Pixel since the 5th gen. When they put the fingerprint reader _underneath the screen_ it was a huge mistake. It's still less responsive and less accurate to this day than the reader on the back of the Pixel 3. The absolute worst part about the stock setup is how I can't just use the fingerprint reader after it's been sitting for a while to unlock my phone. It makes me use my lock screen code as well like I just restarted it, which is a massive PIA. The Pixel Pro lineup is severely lacking in regards to cosmetics and ergonomics in literally every single capacity. Now they have this funky camera jutting out from the back amongst a plethora of other perfectly valid reasons to not want a Pixel including the classic lack of headphone jack, lack of removable battery, and lack of expandable storage on top of their unique and utterly incomprehensibly inane screen curvature. The camera somehow works worse than the previous model and uses some absurd, nonstandard resolution. Thank God for manual exposure and open source camera apps that allow you to run the flashlight normally while in the app. Libre Camera isn't phenomenal, but it's pretty good. I've no complaints.
Yup, Asus flagships can be a good alternative - small, good battery life, and no background apps killing as most Chinese brands do (causing notification issues). However, if you are traveling a lot, it's worth checking the number of supported bands. There were cases when Asus phones may not work in the US networks.
The Pixel 4a I use with CalyxOS is the best phone I ever had. The display has only 5,8 " and, for me, the camera is good enough. The phone is small and compact- a real "handy" phone. With no bloatware and no other proprietary software on it, of course. When support ends this year, I'll switch to Lineage and afterwards to Ubuntu Touch. In times of climate change, short and expensive resources, for me, this is the way to go. Everything I cannot do with my phone, I can do with my Linux computer.
Why change after the end of its support since it is updated by calyx institute ? All phones are on the 4.5.0 patch as of right now even the pixel 3 which they continue to update OS code and the Linux kernel.
@@wolfwoof2000 Calyx follows googles support time. Once google stops supporting it Calyx does too I believe. They do try to support it longer but it’s not always feasible.
It's kinda hard to trust something that is free though, like the "Calyx OS", because nothing is free in life, as the saying goes. An iPhone on the other hand costs a lot, so I know I get a quality product, because the iPhone is made by a big company who hires programmers who know what they're doing. Who made the Calyx OS and why did they make it free? It makes no sense. Also the installation process of custom ROMs takes hours and is very complicated AND I've heard that custom ROMs have worse security, because for example you have an unlocked bootloader and the SE-Linux is set to permissive.
@@luminon9635 That just proves you don't know what Calyx is. CalyxOS actually functions with the bootloader locked. They don't sacrifice security unlike a lot of other ROMs. It requires it to be unlocked to install but during the installation it will prompt you to relock it. Its designed not to take sacrifices like most other ROMs do. Not saying CalyxOS is perfect but from my experience its one of the best ROMs to use. CalyxOS is also run by the Calyx Institute which is a non profit research and education organization. They don't earn their money from their users but from donors.
I tried the same route 2 years ago. Went back crying to android land a few months ago. My SE 2020 needed a replacement haptic engine because it just stopped working, and the battery got so much worse than what would be accountable to just hardware degradation, so it must be also due to updates. Add to that uncountable issues and workarounds to get stuff done without paying for apple services (like syncing photos to nextcloud automatically instead of using icloud), same bugs you find on the android apps if not more (was it always a myth that iOS apps were better?) and just a general impression of it being more of a rental phone I was asking permissions for, instead of my own. Unreliable alarms (and dumb volume management). And don't get me started on notifications, or rather lack of. Android is not perfect, and maybe it got worse, but until a third competitor enters the scene, it's the best mobile OS by a long shot
The SE battery issues are due to it's design (small battery and a chip that's not power efficient enough) meaning it's battery life is really bad out of the box and gets worse with age, can't say about the rest of the issues, I haven't used ios
@@mentalish9417 yes but when it was new it lasted a whole day with my use, after a year I had to plug it in the afternoon. Battery health was around 90%, so this was not just cell degradation. Probably "improvements" with iOS 16, along with more bugs
@@GiorgioAresu did you use "samsung smart switch" or whatever is it called to move the data from your old phone to the new one when you switched to the S20FE... there is a whole reddit thread somewhere that suggests that smart switch bugs something that kills battery life... I have an S9 myself with 72% battery health and it is terrible, far below what 72% should be (i know, i have to swap the battery, i'm just lazy and didn't get around to take to the service center) Whithout considering that from the android 10 update (last major for this phone) multitasking is worse but still accettable... If I am able to find spare time I am resetting this for sure without using smart switch
@@girogiacomo I didn't. I started clean without migrating anything, I don't really trust these procedures not to screw up or clutter. Apparently I'm right? 😅
Nice summary of the current state of the industry. I've bounced between Android and iOS a lot over the years because they both frustrate me in different ways. Neither ticks every box for me. Apple could do better if they offered more flexibility and Android needs to improve it's UX and eco system substantially.
Probably too late, but I genuinely want to understand what's there in the apple ecosystem which cannot be replicated with windows + android. It's getting more out-of-the-box ish every year too IMO. Clipboard sync is a thing, quickshare (airdrop equiv) will soon be a thing, getting calls and notifications on pc is already a thing. I admit it used to be painful and janky about a year ago but it's getting damn good now. Samsung's ecosystem has started feeling so good I'm afraid of getting locked into it
Gonna disagree with you on the Material You opinion. The number one thing for me when looking for a new phone is looking for custom roms support, as I install lineage or some stock"ish" rom to get a bloatware free material you experience. i find it quite pleasing, a breath of fresh air from generic ui design without being a sore to the eyes.
Android is so much better than iOS. It's a shame that major manufacturers are locking down Android phones and making them less appealing to anybody except an overly general audience. Still beats using iOS and dealing Apple's walled garden BS in my opinion, but ehhhh...
I've never heard of that issue you ran into with Samsung. My main issue with them is their battery life. Other than that, the S22 fits my requirements easily. This is the only phone I've found that has the form factor and usability I need. I would encourage you to look into the alternatives that some others have mentioned. Also, I would have laughed if you chose an IPhone as a replacement hahaha. It would completely contradict your whole M.O. Edit: So you went with Apple eh? I guess you gotta do what you gotta do. I can't blame you if it is the only way to go. I just know after watching many of your videos that this must have been a tough choice to make. Unfortunately, there is not enough competition offering things for those of use who are privacy oriented
At least you can take Samsung phones to some random repair shop and get a new battery installed for a reasonable amount of money, and without the OS completely flipping out over the new part.
nah, it's not the only way to go. He just had to justify it to himself. The whole video sounds a little apologetic to be honest. If you want to use an iPhone, use an iPhone. But don't try to make it look like everything else is crap by making up artificial reasons.
@@TomatoFettuccini When that changes, simply don't buy Samsung phones anymore. It's very simple to vote with your wallet. That's what makes buying products from a company that has shown nothing but anti-consumerist behavior for more than a decade so dumb.
@@graealex I've had a total of 4 Samsung devices since they started selling them. I've been disappointed by every single one. I've had two tablets and TBH, I find tablets to be a completely useless form factor for anything other than media consumption or as a sub for a clipboard. Samsung's devices universally awful and I don't understand why people lavish so much praise on them. Looking at that last statement I have to clarify: Samsung's hardware is terrific. Samsung's software ruins that hardware. It'd be like if Ferrari or Lamborghini made terrific cars but the money wonks decided to make it so that the tires were tractionless the gas tank would gradually lose capacity, and the interior came in only one color and that color is vomit yellow.
The problem is that Android is really versatile, even with OEM ROMs. I got a used iPad from my brother, and while there are good features about it, a lot of features are missing. OTOH, Samsung's Android implementation has some oddities as well for sure. The 3 ecosystems approach is definitely one of them. Some Google apps are better than Microsoft, but some are the other way around. If Samsung really wants to do this Microsoft integration thing, they should go deeper, but also consider better integration with certain Google services.
A bit late to the party, but have you looked at Sony's Xperia line? The mid-tier 5 or low-tier 10 may suit your needs. Not sure how alternative Android ROM support is for these though. Also finding them could be a challenge.
It's really a pick your poison world I guess. I couldn't consider buying an apple product without losing my lunch but when you think about what the alternatives are it is a lose lose situation at this point. Especially after Samsung just covertly tried to destroy all independent repair and they might actually get away with it.
That SIM issue you mentioned seems very random and suspicious. I've had so many Samsung phones and I have my own personal gripes with them but I've never heard that specific issue. Something tells me that you are lucky that the rest of the phones that you're using don't have the same issue as it is either a SIM card issue or a network registration issue or something in-between. Like the rest phones have a bigger tolerance with something that is wrong on the SIM side and just only Samsung phones show that you should give attention to your SIM.
7:20 the Pixel 4's face unlock mechanism is considered even more secure than fingerprint unlock, due to the big range of sensors used. If you were talking about the fact that it used to unlock even if you had your eyes closed, that has been fixed years ago in an update.
"My preferences list is relatively small" "No Chinese companies" EDIT: I recently got myself a OnePlus 8T, since it's the only Chinese company I have some hope in. I get why you don't want a Chinese one but i don't think they will put hardware level spyware.
@@TheLinuxEXP haha fair point, but as i mentioned in an edit Chinese companies most likely don't put hardware level spyware, so as long you can replace everything else it should be fine.
When the only realistic alternative is Apple, I will be sticking with Android. I am also going to disagree totally where phone sizes are concerned as a bigger screen is just better for viewing videos and reading. Also there is the fact that Apple products are also made in China, largely by Foxconn.
Made in China but not subject to Chinese law ;) Phone sizes are subjective, personally, I’m certain the current trend of huge phones will invert in the next few years.
I never had any SIM card issues with any Galaxy. My latest S22 did overheat out of the box, which was soon fixed with an update. Now the phone works without any issues ... And I tried using an iPhone but it just didn't feel right.
I got the nothing phone, and although I like the hardware, I agree with you about the software. The pastel colours just don't work for me, and even when using an app to get custom ones, it makes it pastel. All blues are basically a tinted white. And the large sliders take up too so space I use an alternate volumes slider. And the quick settings menu has a blank 1/3 at the bottom which is just a waste of space. I have no clue what is meant to be there, but it is weird.
The main thing I have seen is that while tech gets faster and bandwidth increases, the increased spying and tracking mean those resources aren't available to the user. My S2 was as fast as my S21 for most tasks.
I switched two years ago from a Pixel 4 XL to an iPhone 12 (after using Android since the Nexus One and having helped making custom ROMs). The reason was that the back glass separated from the body and they just gave me a refund, at the time the 4 XL was sold out and the 5 didn't feel like an upgrade. Every other phone on the market was just not good IMO, especially in the update department. I then decided to use an iPhone 12 since it would be the easiest to sell when the Pixel 6 would arrive. I still have it and I really don't have the need to switch, IMO this is one of the largest benefits of an iPhone. Yes they are expensive, but even after two years it is still perfectly fine to use. In my experience an Android phone would start to show its age by this time. Before I bought the iPhone 12 I tested an iPhone 6S for a week and even that was perfectly usable. That device was 5 years old in 2020 and didn't stutter a bit. As for privacy, there was an actually study which showed how much data was collected by each device. Yes Apple collected as well but it was far less than an Android. That was in 2021 and I don't know how the situation evolved. However Apple has proven that they are even wiling to pick a fight with the FBI and I'm really looking forward to the end to end encrypted backups. I currently have those disabled and a lot of iCloud sync features as well. What annoys me the most with iDevices, is that you have to pay for software features. Stuff like astro photography is available on the cheapest Pixel device. On iOS you have to buy an iPhone Pro to get it and some features never even arrive on older devices. E.g. full monitor support for the iPad Air 4th gen. All in all I'm surprised how well switch went and keeping my iPhone 12 for at least another year.
End to end encrypted backups were just released with iOS 16.2, definitely try it out! If you don’t wanna use iCloud, iTunes and Finder on macOS have supported encrypted backups for years, the only downside being that it’s a local backup on a computer you gotta take care of. You can also enable App Privacy Report, in the privacy and security section of the settings app, let it collect data for a few days and it’ll show you a comprehensive list of what apps used which permissions and domains contacted. Even Apple’s apps are included.
@@zoruaboy Thank you for the reminder about the Privacy Report. Totally forgot it. The encrypted backups aren't available yet in my country but I hope they arrive soon.
I'm curious why you might be avoiding Sailfish X on a Sony device? I have one and it's great (Especially with android compatibility) but the only deal breakers for me are the facts that mms has been broken for quite some time and the lack of support for smartwatches. If they fix that, I'm jumping right back in. I honestly wish there was a decent alternative to the Apple/Google Duopoly.
Welcome to the club. Hate Apple but it just works and has never failed me in the last 10 years, fills my needs and is at least more private than any comparable android experience… personally I’m waiting for the day I can ditch Apple from my life but right now I personally don’t have any other option which SUCKS.
Currently use a pixel 3axl with Ubuntu Touch, loving it so far. Running android apps with waydroid as well as having a dock that turns it into a pc and running linux binaries is just not something I can ever live without again. I plan in the future upgrade to a Volla 22 so I can get that modern hardware but its really hard to import them into Canada.
Curves: The curved panels are not only more expensive, there are less alternate suppliers for them (thus they are more expensive.) If you ever need to replace them, good luck doing that without cracking the glass they are glued/laminated to.
Regarding the UI, use a good launcher, like Nova Launcher, it is awesome ... I've been using this launcher in my last 3 Samsung phones (Note8, Note9, S21 Ultra) and zero problems and a lot of customization
I just went with Nothing Phone due to the software "issue" you've mentioned. I've used Nokia's android before due to being the stock android experience and there was nothing else to go for. Sadly nokia stopped doing good middle range products like Nokia 7 plus was before. On this phone I like how it can even hide the google search bar, but I agree the stock android UI doesn't look as good as it could. If only Sailfish OS would be a good choice, but due to bank stuff and payments, It's just easier to use google, if you don't want apple products. Nothing Phone is a "cheap" copy of apple phone on the outside, minus the camera and performance for the for the 500€ range.
@@jcfawerd As a Nothing Phone 2a, user, who actually went for Nothing bcoz I wouldn't go for a Chinese manufacturer, I would need some facts there boss.
I'd be curious what you think about Sony Xperia Android phones. They are manufactured in Japan. They come as small as 6.1" (maybe smaller but I just took a quick glance at the options). Good camera (good manual controls but subpar automatic controls). And 120 Hz displays.
Xperia suffer bad reputation from the beginning, nowadays their phone are very capable but still software limited and not open. Community is not behind those phone because of it, at best you can find maybe lineage os but that’s it. If you want something open get a pixel
Yeah, choosing andorid phone these days is really hard suprisingly as they really turning to be pretty much the same across the board with minor differences. For me i also have a similar problem, but the main things i want is a real biometrics sensor(so basically either Ultrasonic/capacitive fingerprint, and/or infrared face recog.) and a Headphone jack(or any analogue audio port, even a 2.5mm or even properitary is fine for me). And for that, it's basically only Sony, which is so damn overpriced. Only thing I'm happy about is my s10+ still kicking (i really do not think android update means too much these days, there's barely any interesting features in the newer versions) so might even wait for a few more years before switch, when some real good choice comes up.
I’d recommend either the Asus Zenfone 9 or a Sony Xperia phone. Solid options. The Zenfone 9 may be your best bet as it’s smaller, but look into Sony as well.
About Samsung phones - I never had any issues with them and I had quite a lot from different segments - from Galaxy Ace, Galaxy Core, Galaxy A5, S5 Neo, Note 10+ up until S23 Ultra and I never had issues with them when it comes to their reliability. I don't think the phones were the issue here, sim cards do wear off at some point, especially when swapped often. And from Galaxy S20 series you can use esim if you want as it's supported. And to be honest, I'm surprised that after so many cases of the same issue on different phones you didn't actually check if it isn't the sim card`s fault...
As a tech guy I cannot imagine switching to iOS. I'd simply pick some decent hardware and run a custom ROM. Asus Zenfone 8 running LineageOS for example. 120hz, 16gb ram, headphone jack, good cameras.
You can remove the default apps using adb :) Personally I love the kiss launcher on android! I love the feature to type what your looking for and once it's at the top of the list just press enter and it's opened. No more hunting down apps in the drawer
It is still not possible, I tried removing chrome and it does uninstall but try installing it again from the play store and it gets installed almost instantaneously indicating that it never left :D
@@its_maalik Of course you can remove Chrome with ADB, actually you can remove any app/package that you wantvery easily. And no, it doesn't get reinstalled again by just using the play store. 🙅
I just want to clarify, it does uninstall the application when it's removed using adb, although it must be removed from all users. This process does not remove the applications files or data only uninstalls the application. This is the reason it's reinstalled very quickly because the files and data are still present on your device. I agree it's not a perfect solution but it's better than nothing, especially for devices that don't have a third party rom available or you don't have the prerequisite knowledge to be able to patch your own or compile AOSP from source :) Hope this was helpful!
@@terrydaktyllus1320 I never specified removing google services. I was referring mostly to the stock applications from for example samsung's rom, where they provide three applications that do the exact same thing. There's no reason to be so hostile and take my words out of context. Of course you can't remove google services without ruining the rom, it's necessary if you already have google play store or any applications provided by it. None of those applications will work correctly as they rely on the services for communication, verification and many other things. Not once have I recommended trying to remove google services or that removing stock applications will improve security I simply specified that they can be uninstalled. Just because you ruined your phone rom by not knowing what your doing doesn't mean it's not effective or a reasonable thing to do if you do research beforehand and know what it is that you're removing before you remove it.
The zenphone 10 or 9 seem like they'd fit you, amazing displays, alright cameras, "small" by today's standards. Assuming we're not counting taiwanese as chinese it seems like the phone for you. The only issue is that it's not the most popular, so finding custom ROMs for them can be hard. The Fairphone 4 is pushing against your size requirements but it seems like a good option. Repairability and openness is kind of its thing and even though it's not very popular it's compatible with /e/ and lineage OS. I know that they don't have a great track record but the Pixel 7a with graphene os might be nice, great camera, alright size, one of the best phones in its price range. (It's my current phone and I haven't faced any issues, though some people are reporting battery and heat problems, which my guess are software related as they're usually correlated so it's probably the phone doing something in the background. or something with the modem). Sony has an offering of 6.1" phones with great cameras and they don't have much of an ecosystem to speak of so bloat is minimal. Consider the XPERIA 5 IV or 5 III (the 10 series has a 60Hz display and the 1 series has a 6.5 inch display). Though you might face a similar ROM compatibility issue as with the zenfone. The older 5 III has lineageOS support. If you don't like the default android look, well that's the beauty of android, you can use a custom launcher.
I stick with Pixel because of the camera and the whole 1 app per function deal. I use the Google ecosystem as well. Yes, they've had issues with each version thankfully I've been REALLY lucky!!
5:17 Because most people use a case, negating any usefulness of the curved screen. And a curved screen prevents the use of a tempered glass screen protector.
For my part the new phones Nokia has been pulling out are fine. They are a sort of alternative pixels on the cheap (some corners are rough, but overall I'm fine)
I would really like to know your thoughts about the Nokia N9. Maybe as some sort of retro review. I'm imagining an alternate time line in which they didn't switch to windows phone and we would have "real" Linux based Meego as a 3rd option next to iOS and Android today. It was so ahead of its time.
Thanks for another interesting video, Nick. So you are not aware of some of the better phone brands out there: Sony (Xperia) and Nokia...? I have a LG V60, but of course that is no longer an "officially" available option - such a pity that LG had to terminate their phones department :( I also hate Samsung phoens with a passion, due to many years of bad experiences with them.
Hello Nick, I must say I have had many Samsung's over the years and never had those hardware problems you speak of. Only problem I find is the Lint in the pocket sometimes gets into the USBC ports. But have had the galaxy S4, 6, 8 and still use, also the A525G. I actually find them very reliable. Have a Garmin Sat-Nav but now just use the A525G with Android Auto which is great. So currently I am using 2 Galaxys, S8 for personal use and the A525G for work related use. Prior to using Samsung I had a Sony Arc and prior to that I was using Nokia Symbian phones. 6210i and such.
THAT and the ONE time I had a similar problem with a Galaxy S6 didn't have anything to do with the phone. It was a faulty SIM card. Perhaps he should try a different SIM.
Every phone I've ever gotten rid of had a problem with the charging port. I have the S22 now, and use a case that has a charging port plug and charge it wirelessly whenever possible. The charging ports are a weak point on any phone.
