If it was a Pixel 2 or a 4a I’m keeping it, that phone was peak modern smartphone before everything went downhill with no rear fingerprint scanner and fixed focus selfie cams
Don’t have a 4a, but big fan of my 5a with Graphene! The last one with both usb-c AND a headphone jack! It has been my phone of choice since my iPhone SE broke, and it is still my main driver.
The Pixel 7a is almost the same size, just 0.2 inches bigger. Unlike the S10e, it is still supported by Google and gets security updates (until 2028). And you can install a better, more secure Android ROM like GrapheneOS.
Not quite sure about that. Wtf is that aspect ratio?
I’ll have to figure out of I can see it in person, because it reminds me of those 2000’s crappy ultra wide monitors that claimed a normal size but because they were extra wide it ended up being smaller.
[Edit]
Ah, it was the Asus Zenphone. I was going to get the 10 because that remained <6" and I still might because that aspect ratio on the Sony looks insane. I don’t know how anyone could reach the top of that without a ladder.
Anyway, the Zenphone 11 only comes in 6.8". Which is stupid.
everyone i suggest to complains about the aspect ratio, and sony does a terrible job showing what theyve done to mitigate it lol
theres handy sidebars to pull down the top drawer, and a quick shortcut to pull the screen down to reach the top one handed. i got used to it in the first week or so, and love the extra verticality while still feeling like a small phone in my hand. good for doom scrolling and watching a video while doom scrolling
GrapheneOS is the way to go, unfortunately the 5a won’t be supported by Google for much longer, only until August of this year. GrapheneOS will probably provide a few extra months of extended support though.
Wild. Had no issues until the 5th QC wise but it was all downhill from there. I’m now considering carrying a dumb phone and some alternative to a smartphone
Say whaaaat. That’s an interesting and brave take.
How’s the pixel experience worse than Samsung? That’s the reason I stopped buying Samsungs way back. All the malware PUPs Samsung loads on being my main sticking point.
The most annoying thing is that major android updates are mandatory. I could not choose NOT to update. Notifications are bugged as hell for ages. Some just disappear, some don’t even ring/light up. Samsung had some apps that had more features compared to the Google alternatives. The only annoying this were all teh MS apps that I couldn’t deinstall.
Strange. I’ve never updated my Pixel and it doesn’t bother me about it, and you can always also roll back after an update also since there are no e-fuses or measures of that type, in fact there is even an official tool for this that runs in the chrome browser of all things. I’ve been meaning to go back to Android 10 from 13, ‘Material You’ is just an eyesore.
I’ve not had issues with notifications either, perhaps it’s worth it to check your settings?
If there are specific Samsung apps you miss, why not download them from Google Play if available or Apkmirror, or look for FOSS alternatives on F-Droid?
The phone kept nagging me to update to 12 and later to 13 all the time. I didn’t manage to find a way to make the notification go away… Maybe it’s just me being a doofus.
As for the notifications thing, I literally tried everything except factory resetting my phone. Guess I am just unlucky.
I wanted to get some of the Samsung apps back, but most weren’t updated to work on 12 at that time and later I just forgot and gave in. I’ve never used F-Droid before but it looks like a good time to start now. Tnx for reminding me about it.
One more thing I forgot to add. The OS shits itself when I try to charge my phone and use it at the same time. All apps lag, you can’t scroll, can*t type without noticible delay and can’t even close the app by swiping. This was doxumented on some forums. Noone knows why. (I use the charged I got with my phone)
GrapheneOS gets rid of all the Google crap, it’s a much lighter and more minimal experience, I really like it. It also has some significant privacy and security improvements, it’s pretty neat.
I was thinking about it ever since Louis Rossmann showcased it. But as he had problems using his banking app and some other stuff, I decided it wouldn’t be worth the hassel. Also, many people wrote that with Graphene you lose a lot of the fancy camera shenanigans that Google made. And the camera was one of the more important points in getting this phone.
Regarding the camera: Yes, you lost some quality with the default GrapheneOS camera app. But you can easily install the official Google camera app from the Play store (or anonymously through Aurora) to get full quality. You don’t even need Google play services installed for that to work, and you can revoke it’s network access, so it’s completely offline and private. I use the Google camera app all the time, it works flawlessly.
If it was a Pixel 2 or a 4a I’m keeping it, that phone was peak modern smartphone before everything went downhill with no rear fingerprint scanner and fixed focus selfie cams
Don’t have a 4a, but big fan of my 5a with Graphene! The last one with both usb-c AND a headphone jack! It has been my phone of choice since my iPhone SE broke, and it is still my main driver.
I’m still on my Galaxy S10e.
The last normal sized phone with USB C and a headphone jack.
The Pixel 7a is almost the same size, just 0.2 inches bigger. Unlike the S10e, it is still supported by Google and gets security updates (until 2028). And you can install a better, more secure Android ROM like GrapheneOS.
Phones without a headphone jack can take a flying leap off a tall bridge and fuck themselves on the way down
sony is trying to fill that role, i like my xperia:3
Ah, I thought the latest ones were going big again. I’ll have to check them out.
the 5 series is pretty much just the flagship but in a reasonable size
Not quite sure about that. Wtf is that aspect ratio?
I’ll have to figure out of I can see it in person, because it reminds me of those 2000’s crappy ultra wide monitors that claimed a normal size but because they were extra wide it ended up being smaller.
[Edit]
Ah, it was the Asus Zenphone. I was going to get the 10 because that remained <6" and I still might because that aspect ratio on the Sony looks insane. I don’t know how anyone could reach the top of that without a ladder.
Anyway, the Zenphone 11 only comes in 6.8". Which is stupid.
everyone i suggest to complains about the aspect ratio, and sony does a terrible job showing what theyve done to mitigate it lol
theres handy sidebars to pull down the top drawer, and a quick shortcut to pull the screen down to reach the top one handed. i got used to it in the first week or so, and love the extra verticality while still feeling like a small phone in my hand. good for doom scrolling and watching a video while doom scrolling
GrapheneOS is the way to go, unfortunately the 5a won’t be supported by Google for much longer, only until August of this year. GrapheneOS will probably provide a few extra months of extended support though.
Oof that’s really sad
Loved my Pixel 2 XL. Upgraded to a P5 a year ago tho. Really amazing phone
I still use Pixel 4 and the fabric case is so great to the touch, too bad the new ones don’t have them.
Do you have GrapheneOS installed on it? That way, you could at least get the update to Android 14.
Oof, the Pixel 2 XL was hot garbage. I returned mine four times due to speaker issues, and the fourth was no better.
Wild. Had no issues until the 5th QC wise but it was all downhill from there. I’m now considering carrying a dumb phone and some alternative to a smartphone
I have a 4a 5G variant and I can’t stand how the “stock” experience manages to be worse than on my old Samsung :-/ The pics are great tho
Say whaaaat. That’s an interesting and brave take.
How’s the pixel experience worse than Samsung? That’s the reason I stopped buying Samsungs way back. All the malware PUPs Samsung loads on being my main sticking point.
The most annoying thing is that major android updates are mandatory. I could not choose NOT to update. Notifications are bugged as hell for ages. Some just disappear, some don’t even ring/light up. Samsung had some apps that had more features compared to the Google alternatives. The only annoying this were all teh MS apps that I couldn’t deinstall.
Strange. I’ve never updated my Pixel and it doesn’t bother me about it, and you can always also roll back after an update also since there are no e-fuses or measures of that type, in fact there is even an official tool for this that runs in the chrome browser of all things. I’ve been meaning to go back to Android 10 from 13, ‘Material You’ is just an eyesore.
I’ve not had issues with notifications either, perhaps it’s worth it to check your settings?
If there are specific Samsung apps you miss, why not download them from Google Play if available or Apkmirror, or look for FOSS alternatives on F-Droid?
The phone kept nagging me to update to 12 and later to 13 all the time. I didn’t manage to find a way to make the notification go away… Maybe it’s just me being a doofus. As for the notifications thing, I literally tried everything except factory resetting my phone. Guess I am just unlucky.
I wanted to get some of the Samsung apps back, but most weren’t updated to work on 12 at that time and later I just forgot and gave in. I’ve never used F-Droid before but it looks like a good time to start now. Tnx for reminding me about it.
One more thing I forgot to add. The OS shits itself when I try to charge my phone and use it at the same time. All apps lag, you can’t scroll, can*t type without noticible delay and can’t even close the app by swiping. This was doxumented on some forums. Noone knows why. (I use the charged I got with my phone)
Well it’s less features for less bloat.
From there it depends how much of those extra features are useful / how much you miss in stock android.
What features? Most of the bloat is just duplicate applications like “Google photos” and “Samsung photos”
I’d say Dex is pretty cool. Thats really all I’d like to bring over to Google Experience personally.
Hoping it drops in 15 for Pixels
GrapheneOS gets rid of all the Google crap, it’s a much lighter and more minimal experience, I really like it. It also has some significant privacy and security improvements, it’s pretty neat.
I was thinking about it ever since Louis Rossmann showcased it. But as he had problems using his banking app and some other stuff, I decided it wouldn’t be worth the hassel. Also, many people wrote that with Graphene you lose a lot of the fancy camera shenanigans that Google made. And the camera was one of the more important points in getting this phone.
There’s a very detailed article about GrapheneOS banking app compatibility where you can check if your bank’s app works on Graphene: https://github.com/PrivSec-dev/banking-apps-compat-report/
Regarding the camera: Yes, you lost some quality with the default GrapheneOS camera app. But you can easily install the official Google camera app from the Play store (or anonymously through Aurora) to get full quality. You don’t even need Google play services installed for that to work, and you can revoke it’s network access, so it’s completely offline and private. I use the Google camera app all the time, it works flawlessly.
I 100% agree. Stock android experience is garbage even compared miui.