Phones may be boring in 2018, but purchasing "the" one is proving to be a challenge. (Lf advice and suggesting a video)

[garthvater111]

Tdlr: We need a 2018 phone round up. I also need advice on a new phone (flagship range) 

 

Basically, i have a pixel xl and absolutely love it. From day one ive had a hard on for it, and other than an issue i had with the Bluetooth a while back (resolved), no issues. But it now has some serious screen burn and is starting to showing its age. 

 

Ive been looking for a new phone for months now but have been really torn apart by what is on the market. And as a pjxel owner already, i was really hyped for the pixel 3 xl, but actually cried when it was released. That notch is probably the ugliest thing on a phone released in years. The note 9 seems to be every i want, but one small problem... Its a samsung, which is somthing i swore to never purchase again after i replaced my note 4 with my current pixel. I am simply sick of the lack of support samsung phones get, and i almost bought an iPhone when i upgraded, but ultimately got a pixel. I also swore id never buy another samsung phone again given how infuriating my note 4 was when i upgraded it (and my s3 before that). 

 

The one+ 6T on the other hand looks just as perfect, except im Canadian eh, and the 8gb 128gb midnight black is going to be over 800 cad after tax. Its not that i cant afford that, especially considering how much contracts have gone up in the last 2 years, but its still would be an 800$ pill for a phone i cant even walk into a store to purchase. Also consider the lack of cases there are for it, even on amazon, is a real kick in the balls. Like i couldnt find a single case with a kick stand, let alone one that would at least have given some drop resistance. 

 

Overall i am really torn, and could really use a 2018 phone buyer's guide or something. At the very least i could really use some advice. I also have considered waiting until next year to upgrade my phone, and just replace my pixels screen and battery to get me by. But the s10 leaks look like ass, and it will probably end up being a 10 month wait just to see the pixel 4.

 

Not to mention the iPhone xs max, although has an ugly notch, isnt near as bad as the pixel xl 3, and checks off every other box for me. And i basically use my phone for calls, texts, emails, google, and videos in bed. Every else means nothing to me (considering how good literally every phones camera is), but i would have to learn how to use an iPhone and would also be supporting a company against right to repair which i dont like the idea of. That said my one phone purchase means nothing considering how many people apple already has in the ecosystem. 

[Enderman]

MKBHD should be releasing his roundup for 2018 within the next week or so.

[PopsicleHustler]

My brother bought himself a Note 9. It seems like a great phone, although it's 90% of my Note 8 with some improvements.

 

I don't know what your issue with Samsung was, but my Note 8 is working perfectly fine for 8 months so far. 

[NeuesTestament]

If you want long term software support the iPhone is the only option 

[LUUD18]

5 hours ago, garthvater111 said:

The one+ 6T on the other hand looks just as perfect, except im Canadian eh, and the 8gb 128gb midnight black is going to be over 800 cad after tax. Its not that i cant afford that, especially considering how much contracts have gone up in the last 2 years, but its still would be an 800$ pill for a phone i cant even walk into a store to purchase. Also consider the lack of cases there are for it, even on amazon, is a real kick in the balls. Like i couldnt find a single case with a kick stand, let alone one that would at least have given some drop resistance. 

Can't you import the 6T from something like gearbest?

[garthvater111]

5 hours ago, LUUD18 said:

Can't you import the 6T from something like gearbest?

Still going to cost almost as much given how worthless the Canadian $ is. There is a reason linus calls our currency Canadian rubles lol. Because of this, it wouldn't be woth the hassle given oneplus has their own Canadian online retail shop and only rounded up 4$ on the currency conversion. 

[garthvater111]

10 hours ago, PopsicleHustler said:

My brother bought himself a Note 9. It seems like a great phone, although it's 90% of my Note 8 with some improvements.

 

I don't know what your issue with Samsung was, but my Note 8 is working perfectly fine for 8 months so far. 

Maybe Samsung has gotten their game together since the note 4, however the way people talk about Samsung phone support makes me belive otherwise. 

 

Put it this way, on my note 4 i had issues syncing gmail, would not receive calls, sometimes missed texts, had spotty Bluetooth, and had multiple crashes in a single day for no apparent reason. Even after i factory reset the phone, it still had issues. Once i got my pixel, i have yet to have any issues, other than an issue with the Bluetooth and my truck stereo, which i found a work around for, and was completely fixed after an update. 

 

Im not asking for Samsung to bring the latest and greatest features and updates whenever google has somthing new for Android. Imo thats an unreasonable expectation. What is reasonable to expect is to get security and bug fix updates several years into the lifespan of the device, even just two years of commitment would sell me a note 9 today. 

[garthvater111]

9 hours ago, NeuesTestament said:

If you want long term software support the iPhone is the only option 

The only reason i hesitate to buy an iPhone is that ive never owned an apple device, and have had a hard enough time using other people's iphones. Now that they have a totally new ui design, ontop of the fact there is an ugly notch, i am still on the fence about it. Its not that i would be incapable of learning to use it, but im not sure if i want to. Also no app drawer really grinds my gears, especially when i see people with walls of apps. 

[Commodus]

54 minutes ago, garthvater111 said:

The only reason i hesitate to buy an iPhone is that ive never owned an apple device, and have had a hard enough time using other people's iphones. Now that they have a totally new ui design, ontop of the fact there is an ugly notch, i am still on the fence about it. Its not that i would be incapable of learning to use it, but im not sure if i want to. Also no app drawer really grinds my gears, especially when i see people with walls of apps. 

As someone who uses an iPhone XS and an Android phone (an Essential) on the side... you'll get used to the notch and that UI sooner than you think.  It is true that you end up with a wall of apps if you're not careful (though folders definitely help), but I look at it this way: I'm at the home screen to launch apps, not to stare lovingly at my icon feng shui.  

 

In your case, Apple has at least two big things going for it: a deep ecosystem and extremely robust support.  You can always get a case, always find a significant app, always know that accessories will work.  You go from two years of major OS updates to four or five.  And if something breaks, you can walk into an Apple store instead of begging your carrier for mercy (or talking to someone thousands of kilometers away).  It's just a question of whether or not you can get used to the design and software, and if you can't, that's fine.

[D13H4RD]

1 hour ago, garthvater111 said:

Im not asking for Samsung to bring the latest and greatest features and updates whenever google has somthing new for Android. Imo thats an unreasonable expectation. What is reasonable to expect is to get security and bug fix updates several years into the lifespan of the device, even just two years of commitment would sell me a note 9 today. 

They've been quite good in that regard as of late 

 

For security patches 

[garthvater111]

 

4 hours ago, Commodus said:

As someone who uses an iPhone XS and an Android phone (an Essential) on the side... you'll get used to the notch and that UI sooner than you think.  It is true that you end up with a wall of apps if you're not careful (though folders definitely help), but I look at it this way: I'm at the home screen to launch apps, not to stare lovingly at my icon feng shui.  

 

In your case, Apple has at least two big things going for it: a deep ecosystem and extremely robust support.  You can always get a case, always find a significant app, always know that accessories will work.  You go from two years of major OS updates to four or five.  And if something breaks, you can walk into an Apple store instead of begging your carrier for mercy (or talking to someone thousands of kilometers away).  It's just a question of whether or not you can get used to the design and software, and if you can't, that's fine.

I know one thing for sure, i will definitely miss this.