The best Android 'phone...

[Mark Kaine]

1 hour ago, Dedayog said:

RedMagic 11 Pro (or 10even) then?

I mean it depends what you want, to me fastest doesn't necessarily mean best... 

 

Like to me several Sony phones are nigh perfect (small, nice UI, headphone jack, SD slot, almost no bloatware) but only the more expensive ones have really good cameras.

 

On other hand nothing is generally pretty cheap, have good cameras and specs, probably the best UI... But huge downside no headphone jack and often not even an sd card slot...  

 

[Dedayog]

28 minutes ago, Mark Kaine said:

I mean it depends what you want, to me fastest doesn't necessarily mean best... 

 

Like to me several Sony phones are nigh perfect (small, nice UI, headphone jack, SD slot, almost no bloatware) but only the more expensive ones have really good cameras.

 

On other hand nothing is generally pretty cheap, have good cameras and specs, probably the best UI... But huge downside no headphone jack and often not even an sd card slot...  

 

True, but your negatives are not to most people.  SD slot?  Internal storage is just fine, but how much room do you need?  For what?!

 

headphone jack?  Wireless is in.  

 

Being older, I get the reluctance and resistance to change and progress.  But the world still moves.

[Mark Kaine]

25 minutes ago, Dedayog said:

Internal storage is just fine, but how much room do you need? 

Thing is you pay a premium compared to just buying a bigger SD card....and I need *lots* I still have all my photos etc from ca. 2008 to now on my phone (plus music, videos etc)

 

I get that throwaway lifestyle is in, but that doesn't mean I have to like it (I'm not sure that's really a age thing either tbh lol) 

 

25 minutes ago, Dedayog said:

headphone jack?  Wireless is in.  

It's honestly kinda impractical, plus I hate bt latency... and I have my pre 2000 SONY in ears that cost about 500 DMARK, I'd like to keep using those as new ones just don't sound as good, plus I already have them why buy new ones (I'm not really in favor of this throwaway mindset as mentioned) 

 

PS: plus no jack means I can't even use my brand-new YAMAHA studio monitors?  Nah screw this wireless nonsense, it's just yet another scheme to make people double and triple dip!

 

[Dedayog]

15 minutes ago, Mark Kaine said:

Thing is you pay a premium compared to just buying a bigger SD card....and I need *lots* I still have all my photos etc from ca. 2008 to now on my phone (plus music, videos etc)

 

I get that throwaway lifestyle is in, but that doesn't mean I have to like it (I'm not sure that's really a age thing either tbh lol) 

 

It's honestly kinda impractical, plus I hate bt latency... and I have my pre 2000 SONY in ears that cost about 500 DMARK, I'd like to keep using those as new ones just don't sound as good, plus I already have them why buy new ones (I'm not really in favor of this throwaway mindset as mentioned) 

 

PS: plus no jack means I can't even use my brand-new YAMAHA studio monitors?  Nah screw this wireless nonsense, it's just yet another scheme to make people double and triple dip!

 

You can't put your pics somewhere?  PC?  Server?  Cloud?  I mean, do you need ALL pics in your pocket?

 

It's not a throwaway lifestyle, but most people don't need all their life's pics with them.  That's a hoarding lifestyle.  

 

If you're using a phone with studio monitors, I have no idea if that's even feasibly smart.  Is the phone DAC good enough to warrant those?

 

Triple dip?  Conspiracy is strong with this one  

 

I think we will never see eye to eye on this, but as long as you're still able to find products that fit you... that's good stuff.

 

But at some point you missed the fact that 500 DMARK Sony's are a fuck in the ass, but maybe in 20 years you'll think no SD and no jock is good.  I think you're okay with change as long as it happened 20 years ago

 

[Blue4130]

3 hours ago, Mark Kaine said:

 

It's honestly kinda impractical, plus I hate bt latency... and I have my pre 2000 SONY in ears that cost about 500 DMARK, I'd like to keep using those as new ones just don't sound as good, plus I already have them why buy new ones (I'm not really in favor of this throwaway mindset as mentioned) 

 

PS: plus no jack means I can't even use my brand-new YAMAHA studio monitors?  Nah screw this wireless nonsense, it's just yet another scheme to make people double and triple dip!

 

Use a USB-C dongle DAC so that you get even better sound than the phone DAC? Pretty easy to get a 3.5 back on any phone these days.

[SlidyV2]

On 4/29/2026 at 10:23 PM, Commodus said:

It depends on what your definition of "best" is!

 

I would probably go with a Pixel 10 Pro or Pro XL for the overall camera quality and "pure" Android (you'll be the first to get OS updates for a long time), even if it isn't the fastest.

 

However, I would also look at either the Oppo Find X9 Pro or its OnePlus 15 stablemate if battery life is paramount. I've used the OP15... it's virtually impossible to run down in a single day. I wish the 15's cameras were better, but that's what the Find X9 Pro is for.

 

After that, it largely comes down to more Chinese phones (like the Xiaomi 17 Pro and Ultra). As much as I appreciate those devices, this is a sad commentary on variety in the Android world; outside of Chinese brands you're really down to Samsung and Google at the high end. At least the mid-range has fun alternatives like Nothing.

should i get the Pixel 10 pro XL or the Samsung S26 Ultra?

[Commodus]

2 hours ago, SlidyV2 said:

should i get the Pixel 10 pro XL or the Samsung S26 Ultra?

The S26 Ultra is best if you value raw speed and robustness; the Pixel 10 Pro XL is best if you prefer camera quality or ‘clean’ Android.

[SlidyV2]

1 minute ago, Commodus said:

The S26 Ultra is best if you value raw speed and robustness; the Pixel 10 Pro XL is best if you prefer camera quality or ‘clean’ Android.

i just bought the S26 Ultra 40min ago

thanks for the comment