How you decide on a new phone

[arirr]

How do you guys decide on a new phone? I've jumped on LineageOS and now I run their supported devices list through what features and price-points I or the person I'm recommending (people how I can get access to install LineageOS onto their phones) needs.

[VerticalDiscussions]

I always take the physical properties of a smartphone 1st and the operating 2nd, when shopping in the Android ecosystem. Outside of that, i really dont know what to say regarding an OS i have never heard about.

[Scruffy90]

1. Screen size - I'm sick of 5.5+" phones
2. Battery life
3. Storage
4. App selection
5. if android - Can I get a google or nexus branded device?

In my most recent case, I jumped to IOS and got an iphone 7 after using android religiously since the g1 released back 2008. A lot of the apps I use have better ios counterparts, but damn to I miss some of android core features. 

[Thinkfreely]

9 minutes ago, arirr said:

How do you guys decide on a new phone?

You point at it in that store and say "That one".

 

 

 

Seriously though I don't know much about lineage 

[Thue500]

Well if it was me I would go for the newest Nexus phone that supports the OS. Some of the other good things about their phone line are if you ever get tired of using the OS, you can always just switch back to pure android OS, and those are the phones that will get the newest updated for the longest time.

 

It also seems that they are some of the cheaper phones and still have a great build quality.  

[TristanK]

Just buy anything you can afford. There is no real difference between brands anymore. Phones of same price tag are usually the same or very simmilar in spec and quality and they are ALL made in china!

[TheAmazingCookieFromSquare]

1. Price (First I choose what kind of budget the phone is in)

2. Screen (I don't want a shitty generic ips 1080p on a flagship ex, iphone 7)

3. Battery (So I don't have to carry portable chargers all over the place) 

4. If there is a D-Brand Skin available / Types of Cases Available / Looks (*ahem* google pixel *ahem*)

[Orangeator]

23 minutes ago, Scruffy90 said:

In my most recent case, I jumped to IOS and got an iphone 7 after using android religiously since the g1 released back 2008.

TREASON!

[dizmo]

I have a list of requirements, and if a phone meets them then it gets selected.

I'm probably a lot more picky than most though.

 

25 minutes ago, Scruffy90 said:

In my most recent case, I jumped to IOS and got an iphone 7 after using android religiously since the g1 released back 2008. A lot of the apps I use have better ios counterparts, but damn to I miss some of android core features. 

The disparity between some iOs and Android apps is the most frustrating part of being an Android user.

Like FitBit. Their iOs app was miles better than the Android one for a good while.

[Scruffy90]

5 minutes ago, Orangeator said:

TREASON!

Lol I guess, I'm already sick of iOS too.

 

2 minutes ago, dizmo said:

I have a list of requirements, and if a phone meets them then it gets selected.

I'm probably a lot more picky than most though.

 

The disparity between some iOs and Android apps is the most frustrating part of being an Android user.

Like FitBit. Their iOs app was miles better than the Android one for a good while.

I use a few of the microsoft apps and its night and day. I use onenote for everything and the ios version is miles ahead of the android version, which kept getting stripped of features every update.

[Maxinfamily]

44 minutes ago, Scruffy90 said:

1. Screen size - I'm sick of 5.5+" phones
2. Battery life
3. Storage
4. App selection
5. if android - Can I get a google or nexus branded device?

In my most recent case, I jumped to IOS and got an iphone 7 after using android religiously since the g1 released back 2008. A lot of the apps I use have better ios counterparts, but damn to I miss some of android core features. 

Damn I hate the 5 ~ 5.5+ screens too, I dont get It -.-. And I stick to android since I dont like the W10phone appstore and i dont really like IOS (indeed I kinda hate it (?)) and because of pricing.

 

This is what I do (for android):

 

Zero: price, if It doesnt fit in my budget but I want It I just cry until I find other one that fits :_D.

1- I check on my favourite brands (xiaomi/huawei/bq or even meizu on the cheap &  oneplus/nexus(pixel) on the not so cheap).

2- Once Im looking into an specific brand I always select the "candidates" based on the aesthetics. CAREFUL, this is a personal preference. I do this since this is the phone that I will be using EVERYDAY for the next 2+ years)

   On aesthetics:

    - The bigger screen % (screen surface / total surface rate), the better IMO (I love frameless phones, but I dont like "curve"         frames, they are overpriced and they are not any beuatiful imo).

    - Black or silver colors. Black is very stylish and I think silver is beautiful too. I dont really like other colors at all.

    - "Premiumness" (I dont know how to call It lol): I love metalic/"glass" bodies and "buttonless" phones. Initially I didnt like them, but when you get used to them they are as confortble and reliable as the physical ones and they are better aesthetically imo.

    - Thickness: the thicker, the better (is not a very significant aspect for me, but if I can get It thicker, I do, It feels just great).

3 - Screen: 1080p no more, no less. Not 1440p, not 720p. 1080p is the sweetspot for me. Is preferable to have some protection like gorillaglass 3.

4 - Batterylife. (3000+ Mah are necessary nowadays to get through all the day without the need of recharging).

5 - Storage. If It supports 64+ microsd I wouldnt worry at all.

6 - Connectivity (some devices has really bad network connectivity like lack of dual band wifi, It really enhances the wifi experience.)

7 - 2+ GB of ram. It is necessary now a days to run Android smoothly.

8 - Any decent 13+ M camera will do the job for me, Im not very picky on the camera side.

 

To check the specs of teh devices and compare them I always use gsmarena, Its really good.

 

By the way I dont use case at all neither screen protector since Im kind of an "aesthetics freak" I love the "raw" experience of my device

[arirr]

I guess I should be a little more thorough.

 

1. Out of all the criteria, official LineageOS support is the easiest list of phones to start off my search. It is just a matter of going to the website and looking at the list of supported devices. I know hope that the supported devices will get consistent OS upgrades so they won't have to worry about their phone getting outdated because the manufacturer or carrier is too cheap or lazy to push updates. It just recently happened to one of my family members and I would like to prevent it in the future.

 

2. I weed out all the deal-breaking phones, it varies person to person. For me, I wanted a phone with USB type-c, top of the line SOC, local LTE support. I ended up picking an Axon 7. For the prior-mentioned relative, it needed to be less than $50. I recommended a used Nexus 4, Moto G, or Galexy s3.