Anyone else hate modern smartphones?

[TehhMiik]

Okay so I'm someone who likes standards. I like the 16:9 and even 16:10 ARs of most screens. I absolutely despise this >16:9 bullcrap.

 

Anyone else?

[terrytek]

I previously liked older smartphones when you truly had a variety to choose from. These days everybody just copies everybody these days

[Enderman]

I like 2:1.

[samcool55]

My previous smartphone looks imo better than my current one and imo they can be bought so cheap these days there's barely any innovation left.

At this moment they are basically ditching all buttons and trying to make it as clean as possible.

 

I'm honestly hoping that someone soon will say "hey let's add buttons" and everyone goes "YEAH AWESOME IDEA" and hopefully that will bring back full physical keyboards.

I carry 2 smartphones, 1 of them is from 2013 i think and has a physical keyboard and i REFUSE to ditch it. I legit have no options, zero. 

 

Android with physical keyboard? 0 options, ffs...  Normal phones are like 90% for old people so that's not exactly an option anymore either.

Oh well, maybe at one point they'll realize it's time to start doing weird/funny stuff again and start creating unique things to be different from the rest of the market.

[terrytek]

4 minutes ago, samcool55 said:

My previous smartphone looks imo better than my current one and imo they can be bought so cheap these days there's barely any innovation left.

At this moment they are basically ditching all buttons and trying to make it as clean as possible.

 

I'm honestly hoping that someone soon will say "hey let's add buttons" and everyone goes "YEAH AWESOME IDEA" and hopefully that will bring back full physical keyboards.

I carry 2 smartphones, 1 of them is from 2013 i think and has a physical keyboard and i REFUSE to ditch it. I legit have no options, zero. 

 

Android with physical keyboard? 0 options, ffs...  Normal phones are like 90% for old people so that's not exactly an option anymore either.

Oh well, maybe at one point they'll realize it's time to start doing weird/funny stuff again and start creating unique things to be different from the rest of the market.

YOu do have the blackberry priv, but that's pretty much it. but really people aren't being unique bc they look to apple/samsung for design ideas and everybody copies. it's sad really.

[DocSwag]

I like it because it means I can have more text on my screen when reading stuff

[Princess Luna]

I don't hate smartphones I just don't care about them at all, I literally never cared for smartphones always felt it was a waste of money given all I do is better done on PC... I have a cheap Lenovo one I don't even know its model, rarely use it... every thing internet and what not related I do on notebook/desktop it's just how I am...

[Alariel]

What I truly despise is the amount of crap they come preinstalled with. Like seriously, if I wanted any of those apps I'd bloody install them myself.

[samcool55]

4 minutes ago, terrytek said:

YOu do have the blackberry priv, but that's pretty much it. but really people aren't being unique bc they look to apple/samsung for design ideas and everybody copies. it's sad really.

Sadly the priv is already almost 2 years old, still overpriced and no longer getting updates anymore

I wish companies like Xiaomi or another chinese brand would create a smartphone with a physical keyboard to show the world at least one of them has the guts to compete with apple/samsung and be different than them.

[FeralWombat]

6 minutes ago, Alariel said:

What I truly despise is the amount of crap they come preinstalled with. Like seriously, if I wanted any of those apps I'd bloody install them myself.

 

Totally agree. I would also like more phones to offer vanilla android. I know there is the pixel phones, but it's not available in a lot of European countries (of course you can buy it from certain online ""retailers"" but at a highly inflated price).

Also, what's the point of adding technology that didn't kick off when it was first launched, in newer phones? Linus made a small remark about this yesterday on the apple event when they announced the new iphone will have wireless charging.

This near bezeless trend, how long until this becomes a meme? I know, more screen real estate... but I've never looked at my S7 and thought "that bezel is thicc af"

[Guest]

Just now, FeralWombat said:

 

Totally agree. I would also like more phones to offer vanilla android. I know there is the pixel phones, but it's not available in a lot of European countries (of course you can buy it from certain online ""retailers"" but at a highly inflated price).

Also, what's the point of adding technology that didn't kick off when it was first launched, in newer phones? Linus made a small remark about this yesterday on the apple event when they announced the new iphone will have wireless charging.

This near bezeless trend, how long until this becomes a meme? I know, more screen real estate... but I've never looked at my S7 and thought "that bezel is thicc af"

I just want a Nexus 5x successor. I liked the bland design and just wish it wasn't limited to two GB of ram, easily overheated chip, and at the time of production, lg cutting corners with soldering leading to bootloops. Could of used a larger battery while at it. Fingerprint reader was in a great place, the camera superb (No OIS, or digital stabilization however...), and the easy loading of roms.

[TacoSenpai]

I currently rock an S8+ and love it but there are some serious things I miss about older smartphones in particular anything Pre S5.

 

1)  Removable and replaceable batteries.  Li-ion batteries naturally lose their recharge ability over time.  I'd rather spend the 13 bucks to replace one then have to buy a new phone or risk breaking the thing/taking it to someone else to do it because the back is completely sealed off.  My most recent experience was with my S6 battery simply wouldn't hold a charge anymore after the Nougat update and I was stuck with having to upgrade or just essentially keep a brick of a phone.

 

2)  General ruggedness and durability.  I get these new phones look great and Samsung claims to use "gorilla glass" and I haven't had any problems with the S8...yet.  However, speaking from experience I had an S3 in a simple thin UAG case no screen protector I could take the thing out on military field training exercises for weeks and it would still come out unscathed and working like new.  I would not dare even try to do the same with the S8 and its massive albiet beautiful display. 

 

3) Apple, Headphone jack nuff said there.  I still can't fathom the company that changed how people download and listen to music decided that this was a good idea.  I know moving forward with lightning, adapters, and new standards but I can't say I agree with it.

[Enderman]

4 minutes ago, LordTaco42 said:

3) Apple, Headphone jack nuff said there.  I still can't fathom the company that changed how people download and listen to music decided that this was a good idea.  I know moving forward with lightning, adapters, and new standards but I can't say I agree with it.

Basically same thing people said when they removed the printer port from desktops.

[FeralWombat]

2 minutes ago, Enderman said:

Basically same thing people said when they removed the printer port from desktops.

And proceeded to replace it with an existing port, on a device with several of those ports. unless of course you will appreciate dongles for phones

[Sauron]

I don't see the problem, you aren't missing out on any vertical resolution when it comes to the S8 for example. They just made it taller without making it slimmer (in terms of pixel count). You can watch a movie exactly the way you could before, just with unnoticeable black bars on the sides.

[ProjectBox153]

31 minutes ago, Princess Cadence said:

I don't hate smartphones I just don't care about them at all, I literally never cared for smartphones always felt it was a waste of money given all I do is better done on PC... I have a cheap Lenovo one I don't even know its model, rarely use it... every thing internet and what not related I do on notebook/desktop it's just how I am...

I am similar, although with what I do for work it’s not always easy to use my laptop or desktop, so instead I use my desktop from my phone. Therefore I’m using my desktop. I don’t do much work on my phone. 

[FeralWombat]

Another thought (hope this doesn't hijack the thread)

Materials used to make the shell, why slippery glass or aluminum or both. Honestly I would like to see a phone with the same rubberized plastic you have on good mice, for grip, comfort and probably ruggedness. Yea I know, can buy a phone case, but we are talking about phones as they are out of the box, I feel.

[dizmo]

I love the way cell phones have advanced. Huge screens in small bodies? Hell yes! It's finally my dream come true!

I hate massive phones, but want a large screen. 18:9/10 accomplishes that with ease.

Why do you hate it? You don't lose anything at all, except a place for a front physical button..which is just the companies choice, it's not a requirement of the new screen format.

 

I assume that's your only gripe since it's the only thing you listed. Looking at all the other improvements (multiple cameras, greatly improved battery life, better security) it's hard to hate what they've become.

 

1 hour ago, samcool55 said:

My previous smartphone looks imo better than my current one and imo they can be bought so cheap these days there's barely any innovation left.

At this moment they are basically ditching all buttons and trying to make it as clean as possible.

 

I'm honestly hoping that someone soon will say "hey let's add buttons" and everyone goes "YEAH AWESOME IDEA" and hopefully that will bring back full physical keyboards.

I carry 2 smartphones, 1 of them is from 2013 i think and has a physical keyboard and i REFUSE to ditch it. I legit have no options, zero. 

 

Android with physical keyboard? 0 options, ffs...  Normal phones are like 90% for old people so that's not exactly an option anymore either.

Oh well, maybe at one point they'll realize it's time to start doing weird/funny stuff again and start creating unique things to be different from the rest of the market.

 

1 hour ago, terrytek said:

YOu do have the blackberry priv, but that's pretty much it. but really people aren't being unique bc they look to apple/samsung for design ideas and everybody copies. it's sad really.

 

Or the Blackberry KeyOne, which is actually a pretty solid device. Yes, it's on the high end price wise, but it's a niche market, and if you're part of it that's something you're going to have to bare. Judging by the massive success it's seen, I wouldn't be surprised if next year we see one with a better spec list.

 

47 minutes ago, tjcater said:

I just want a Nexus 5x successor. I liked the bland design and just wish it wasn't limited to two GB of ram, easily overheated chip, and at the time of production, lg cutting corners with soldering leading to bootloops. Could of used a larger battery while at it. Fingerprint reader was in a great place, the camera superb (No OIS, or digital stabilization however...), and the easy loading of roms.

What? You've never used a phone with a decent camera, have you. The one on the 5x is trash.

47 minutes ago, LordTaco42 said:

I currently rock an S8+ and love it but there are some serious things I miss about older smartphones in particular anything Pre S5.

 

1)  Removable and replaceable batteries.  Li-ion batteries naturally lose their recharge ability over time.  I'd rather spend the 13 bucks to replace one then have to buy a new phone or risk breaking the thing/taking it to someone else to do it because the back is completely sealed off.  -snip-

 

2)  General ruggedness and durability.  I get these new phones look great and Samsung claims to use "gorilla glass" and I haven't had any problems with the S8...yet.  However, speaking from experience I had an S3 in a simple thin UAG case no screen protector I could take the thing out on military field training exercises for weeks and it would still come out unscathed and working like new.  I would not dare even try to do the same with the S8 and its massive albiet beautiful display. 

-snip-

Removable batteries were never that cheap  

I've found the newer versions of GG to be extremely reliable...I've only ever used thin cases and never scratched or shattered a screen, and I don't treat them like a baby.

26 minutes ago, FeralWombat said:

Another thought (hope this doesn't hijack the thread)

Materials used to make the shell, why slippery glass or aluminum or both. Honestly I would like to see a phone with the same rubberized plastic you have on good mice, for grip, comfort and probably ruggedness. Yea I know, can buy a phone case, but we are talking about phones as they are out of the box, I feel.

Blackberry does this with a number of their phones, whether it be glass weave or a rubber like material. The problem with that, however, is getting companies that cheap out on such materials. Ever seen the rubberized coating on Logitech products after a while? Breaks down, wears off, and turns to absolute shit. I'd rather have glass and a case, than something like that.

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, dizmo said:

What? You've never used a phone with a decent camera, have you. The one on the 5x is trash.

How so?

[IKnight]

I'm split over the way smartphones are going. On one hand, I don't like that critical features such as actual buttons and headphone jacks are being removed, but on the other hand, there are now tons of manufacturers and everybody can find a phone they are happy with. 

[dizmo]

24 minutes ago, tjcater said:

How so?

Horrible auto focus even though it's supposedly laser assisted, takes forever to actually take the picture (mad processing time), the selfie camera is absolutely awful with the pictures looking like someone's cranked the brightness.

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, dizmo said:

Horrible auto focus even though it's supposedly laser assisted, takes forever to actually take the picture (mad processing time), the selfie camera is absolutely awful with the pictures looking like someone's cranked the brightness.

I can agree with auto focus when something is around 4 inches away however the focus is pretty responsive in that after 1 second its fully focused.

I haven't experienced any issues with camera snapping speed which falls well under a second. (Granted it will process the HDR in the background after the photo is taken however that hasn't effected following photo snaps) I don't take selfies however a quick take only showed the room just barely brighter.

What was the last version of android you used with it?

[dizmo]

1 minute ago, tjcater said:

I can agree with auto focus when something is around 4 inches away however the focus is pretty responsive in that after 1 second its fully focused.

I haven't experienced any issues with camera snapping speed which falls well under a second. (Granted it will process the HDR in the background after the photo is taken however that hasn't effected following photo snaps) I don't take selfies however a quick take only showed the room just barely brighter.

What was the last version of android you used with it?

Always the most current. If you compare it to a phone with a good camera (Note line, S line, etc) it's trash. I'd say the 5x is at best "serviceable". I wouldn't suggest it to someone looking for a phone with a good camera.

[Guest]

Just now, dizmo said:

Always the most current. If you compare it to a phone with a good camera (Note line, S line, etc) it's trash. I'd say the 5x is at best "serviceable". I wouldn't suggest it to someone looking for a phone with a good camera.

Maybe to top of the line phones it would be "adequate" but in general it is far from trash. I'm not suggesting that someone go out and buy this phone for the camera as this is a phone from 2015 and there are other phones that focus in this category. I haven't seen the Galaxy's lineup of cameras in person but in comparison to an iPhone 7, this camera is not that far from it. The camera is certainly better than most $300 phones out there now (A far more reasonable value for a phone IMO). I will stand by the camera being superb even with newer cameras being better.