Upgrading Note 9 to....what?

[listerfeend]

It's almost time to upgrade my Note 9. And, I really don't feel like there is a good upgrade out there, which is a bummer. Every new phone out there has implemented things I just can't get behind, and got rid of features that were better than their supposed "upgrades". Hole punch front facing cameras, under screen finger print readers, a complete lack of a finger print reader in lieu of facial recognition, headphone jacks...Man it's really a depressing market, in my opinion. I know, I know, "get with the times. Wireless is great" yadda yadda yadda. Except, it's not great, at least not in all situations. There are plenty of circumstances in which, for instance, having the ability to use wired headphones is simply better than wireless. Underscreen readers aren't quite as fast as most of the good implementations of standard ones. Unlocking a phone by looking at it is never going to be as fast as having it unlocked before it leaves your pocket. Removing all the ports from a phone is just plain bad... (Looking at you Apple)

 

I understand all of this has been in the name of "Innovation", and yet....none of it feels innovative. The most innovative phones have been the folding formats, and those are suffering from first gen technology issues, and probably won't be a solid recommend for a few more generations. 

 

I guess I just...what do I upgrade to?!?! I have no idea..I suppose I could just replace the battery on this phone and use it for another year or so...

Any recommendations?

[DotoreN]

I'm in the same boat. I really don't like the edged screen and neither a hole punch.

 

I suppose a oneplus 7(t) Pro might be what you're looking for.

Or perhaps the newly released Poco F2 Pro

 

[listerfeend]

17 hours ago, huilun02 said:

What do you want to keep and what are you looking to gain?

I like the screen size of the Note 9, the headphone jack, and the non-holepunch/forehead design for the front facing camera. I could probably deal with a underscreen fingerprint sensor, though at the moment it feels like a step backwards. 

[Commodus]

14 minutes ago, listerfeend said:

I like the screen size of the Note 9, the headphone jack, and the non-holepunch/forehead design for the front facing camera. I could probably deal with a underscreen fingerprint sensor, though at the moment it feels like a step backwards. 

I wouldn't stress about holepunch cameras and notches.  You think they'll annoy you, but in my experience (as an iPhone XS owner), they fade into the background.

 

Not the least of which is that it'll be difficult to find a phone that meets all your criteria and still represents a meaningful upgrade.  I was going to suggest a Galaxy S10+, but it's basically a slightly faster version of what you have.  I'd rather get a Galaxy S20+ and a headphone adapter than wait for the industry to make the design reversal that will likely never happen.

[listerfeend]

3 minutes ago, Commodus said:

I'd rather get a Galaxy S20+ and a headphone adapter than wait for the industry to make the design reversal that will likely never happen.

It's never gonna happen and that makes me a super sad panda. 

[Commodus]

13 minutes ago, listerfeend said:

It's never gonna happen and that makes me a super sad panda. 

You definitely don't have to like it -- I just want to be sure you aren't That Person who's holding on to a six-year-old phone because you're waiting for changes that will never come.  Advocate for changes, but be ready to roll with the punches... and don't be surprised if some of those changes aren't as bad as you thought they were.