That is your opinion but there are many that beg to differ. Samsung experience has way more features then stock Android and alot of people find then useful.
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iPhone 8/Plus Goodbye Android....
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Like what? It's slower, uglier, and buggier. The only features that are debatably useful are on the Galaxy Note, but on the Galaxy S, it's just useless crap. I have a Galaxy S7 and a Moto G6, the G6 is much nicer to use, and it's near-stock Android, nice and clean, smooth and fast.
Again thats your opinion, i think it looks great and i love the theming that Samsung has available. I also disagree about it having more bugs, i don't have any real bugs on my S9 and same thing with my S8 and S7. Features like Smart select are very useful. Not to mention the main reason i use Samsung phones and thats the hardware which is so much better then what the Pixel offers.
I followed the opposite journey to the OP: Apple advocate for over a decade, but as of lately I was seeing both the hardware and software stalling, too afraid of much needed changes (proper file management, flexible multi-tasking, etc)...
So I switched from an iPhone 7 to a Note 8... simply the best phone I have ever owned.
So I switched from an iPhone 7 to a Note 8... simply the best phone I have ever owned.
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Don't forget many of the features samsung had years ago are only just finding their way into stock android now, like multi window and even there Samsung still does it better. Theming, one handed mode, better customisation out of the box, ability to use the phone with gloves on, better ways to take screen shots, gif creation, edge panel, better always on display, smart capture. Just a few things.
You are entitled to your opinion, but remember that the whole point of android is diversity. Remember its together not the same. There is such a thing as choice.
Personally I find stock android boring and lacking in features. Plus the hardware on the Pixel isn't as good as the S9 or even the S8.
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I don't find my s9 plus to be slow, even next to my iPhone X. It's not ugly and it's not buggy. If you don't like the way it looks you can always apply a theme or change the launcher.
However it's clear that you don't like Samsung phones and that's fine because there are other options. That's the beauty of android.
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I agree with you. I went from the S9+ to the OnePlus 6, and never again will I own a Samsung. Their OS and UI is just awful in comparison.
What do you prefer about the s9 over stock android? surely it can’t be bixby.
That’s sad because Samsung has the best android hardware hands down in my own opinion.
Pixel 2 has a great camera but mediocre phone still. It has timely updates unlike Samsung but unfortunately you’re bound to Verizon only.
For a Pixel, that’s a dealbreaker for everyone who is not on Verizon, who can’t change or don’t want to change, even if you don’t mind the phone.
The camera and screen are good, but I really don't care for the edge panels which get frequent ghost touches, or the glossy slippery back that they have. Plus they are extremely expensive compared to other options out there.
Sold my S9 on Swappa over the weekend and back on a Pixel 2 XL that I got from Google's $100 off sale. The experience is just so much better on the Pixel. Because there's no bloat last years 835 feels quicker than the 845 on my S9. Just talking day to day average use, I don't game or run any demanding apps. No more frame drops or stutters (I had the Verizon variant, not unlocked). No more useless edge screen that distorts the screen slightly during regular viewing. No more duplicate apps or tinkering with launchers to compensate for the crap Samsung launcher. I greatly miss Samsung Pay and wireless charging, but I'll live.
S9 vs. Pixel, totally different approaches to Android and both have - several - flaws and are built the way they are built for a reason. People who buy Pixels accept this going in. Just as people who buy Samsung accept the software issues for what they are, and appreciate that Samsung throws the kitchen sink at us and then some, in terms of hardware and features. I'm not a power user and value software and tinkering ability (of stock Android and unlocked bootloader) over cutting edge hardware.
That said, I will be buying the next iPhone come September...I've been very impressed with iOS 12 on my 8.
S9 vs. Pixel, totally different approaches to Android and both have - several - flaws and are built the way they are built for a reason. People who buy Pixels accept this going in. Just as people who buy Samsung accept the software issues for what they are, and appreciate that Samsung throws the kitchen sink at us and then some, in terms of hardware and features. I'm not a power user and value software and tinkering ability (of stock Android and unlocked bootloader) over cutting edge hardware.
That said, I will be buying the next iPhone come September...I've been very impressed with iOS 12 on my 8.
Completely agree here. I had a S8 that I played around with for a couple months which I liked, but ultimately sold it. I picked up a used Pixel 2 (not XL) and absolutely love the experience on stock Android. Granted the screen isn't as gorgeous as the S8, but there were times that I didn't like the oversaturated colors of the S8. The screen on the Pixel 2 is nice, but it comes no where close to the screen of my X.
I'm definitely not jumping ship, but I do appreciate the stock Android experience without all the unnecessary bloat ware. Plus, the Pixel launcher is fantastic (even if I use Nova). I appreciate the ability to customize the phone to the way I want it (nothing against iOS).
You can't go wrong there. It will be better in terms of performance, security, privacy, ecosystem, apps, and support.
If you can give up VoWiFi (I can't) it works fine on AT&T. If you can give up B71, it works fine on T-Mobile. Sprint sucks no matter what phone you use, but it will work on Sprint as well. Hopefully the Pixel 3 will have B71, so it will fully support T-Mobile. There's also Project Fi and prepaid carriers, all of which work to varying degrees with the Pixel 2.
I wish Samsung would do a Google Play Edition, and all the carriers would allow unbranded/unlocked phones to use VoLTE and VoWiFi.
Seriously. I hate that AT&T has always been so stubborn. Why not allow VoWiFi on any phone that will run on its network. Same thing with some exceptions on Verizon. Why make it so hard for people to want to sign up for service. Because they think locking people into carrier locked phones with gigabytes worth of bloatware will generate more revenue, is the real reason. Not "we want to ensure the best possible experience / certify that all phones will work on our network..." What a load of BS.
I would never consider T-Mobile if AT&T was more liberal with their unlocked phone policies. I'm betting several people are the same way.
In some ways, yes. It's like computers, there are cheap $200 notebooks and $2000 ultra books, and they are not expected to perform the same.
No it’s not. A $2000 Ultrabook may perform faster, but they get the same Windows patches as a $200 notebook.
Yeah, it's a lousy, customer-hostile decision to limit devices that can get VoLTE and VoWiFi. What's even weirder is that an occasional unlocked phone will slide through, like one of the HTCs, and the Amazon Prime Edition of the LG V35, but AT&T blocks the major phones that people actually want, i.e. the Pixel series, OnePlus series, and Moto E/G/X.
I think it's more for customer retention and lock-in on payment plans than anything else, but it just creates a crappy user experience, and it's extremely confusing for even the most hardcore phone geeks. I think they want to create fear and confusion, plush people back into the payment plans, and have them effectively in a sort of no-contract contract.
The problem is, I wouldn't consider T-Mobile with their current network, because AT&T's network has much better coverage, it's just AT&T is the new Verizon in terms of being hostile to unbranded/unlocked devices. The other issue is that T-Mobile has the same problem, except it's not their fault. USCC blocks unbranded devices on T-Mobile from VoLTE roaming, so you lose HUGE coverage areas in places like Maine and Wisconsin.
It doesn't really directly affect me, as I've been with AT&T for 14 years, and I'm not leaving anytime soon, but it's just frustrating that I can't have a clean, factory unlocked device, and I have to put up with AT&T bloatware, and go through the process every time I get a new phone to pay the device off and request unlock codes through AT&T. And now if I want to move my old device off to another carrier when I get my new one, I have to re-flash it with unlocked firmware, or the firmware of the carrier I want to move it to.
I love my Moto G6, as it's truly free and unlocked, but as a result, only T-Mobile will support VoLTE and VoWiFi on it, and only then on their native network. What I plan on doing when I get a new phone (most likely Note 9) is to flash my S7 over to Verizon, put it on XFinity Mobile when they allow BYOD Android, and then when my free year on Sprint runs out, put the Moto G6 on Project Fi, so that I will have access to all 5 major carriers. At some point, I'm hoping for a sub-$300 B71-capable Project Fi phone, but that may take another year or two. Sprint is great to have, since I get USCC CDMA roaming in addition to native Sprint.
I don't know. I've used cheap and expensive computers and the latter are always faster. The original post I replied to said cheaper phones shouldn't perform worse than the most expensive phones, but it makes sense an expensive device will perform smoother than a cheap one.
Depends on the software. Sure, one is two years newer than the other, but my $250 Moto G6 is a heck of a lot faster than my $700 Galaxy S7. My iPhone SE is super smooth and it cost me about $90.
Funny. I have 6s, which is 3 year old and it started having many, many issues! Should I do the same ans say goodbye iOS and get the latest Pixel?
Been using Android for a long time, but I finally got sick of it. I had the Galaxy Note 5 and was very happy with it. Lately though there was constant bugs and issues having to always factory reset or clear the cache. Ugh...enough.
So yesterday I traded in my beloved Note for the iPhone 8+. Gorgeous phone, very powerful, fast, better all around everything. Plus it will integrate better with my iPad Pro.
I maintain that the Galaxy S7 is one of the best phones Samsung has ever made.
Lightning fast, excellent camera, excellent battery life, fingerprint scanner, gorgeous screen.
I have the S8+ now and I'm not convinced it is a better phone.
Going to get the Note 9, however, as I also loved my old Galaxy Note 3.
Lightning fast, excellent camera, excellent battery life, fingerprint scanner, gorgeous screen.
I have the S8+ now and I'm not convinced it is a better phone.
Going to get the Note 9, however, as I also loved my old Galaxy Note 3.