I’ve been doing this for Samsung and Pixel phones, too, for a few years. I’m usually hanging out with the Android crowd on this forum.
But I’m retiring from Samsung on the S23 Ultra for the next couple of years, it’s a great phone. I’m not sure about Pixels yet. I’m happy with a 7a I got for way under $300. It’s likely the 15 Pro Max will be my only major phone purchase for the next 12 months.
I’m trying to get my health back so I can do other things besides play with phones. Before I got seriously bogged down in caring for elderly family members and occasionally a sibling in law for the last few years, and then got overtaken by health problems of my own (probably caused by stress) I used to love doing landscaping work and hiking and volunteer work and sculpting and had other hobbies and interests.
But eventually it evolved that all I had time or energy to do was obsess over these gadgets. The rest of my time was racing between hospitals with elders and kid’s extracurriculars. I gave up everything else except volunteering.
I do still have a widowed father-in-law and mom to look after. And the family home to clean out and sell. But I’m pulling back on spending on phones and planning the next phase of my life that I hope I can focus a bit on myself finally. My husband and I have been taking care of other people for decades and we are exhausted.
Android can be a fun space to inhabit. It can also take more outta you than Apple. I've lived over there too, and as much as I enjoyed Android for what it does, you have to stay on top of so much more, like manufacturer, updates (frequency, timeliness, duration, quality), skins, apps added, apps replaced - and that's after all the stuff that you would compare in the Apple world, like features, form, price. And you have to do that for a longer period during the year, in fact most of the year because of the multiple manufacturers in the space.
So when I hear you say you're reluctant to go from Galaxy to Nexus (both great brands, worlds apart in overall experience), I can relate. When I hear you throwing a PM into the mix, I'm intrigued!
You mention family, and, not to gloss over your experience here, I think part of the reason in our family for the Apple lineup is our moms - getting that call asking for help on a phone you've never seen with a skin you've never seen... not fun. At least when your mom is ignoring your instructions on the phone, you have an idea of where she went and how to get her back where you wanted her to go! And when they've both lost their husbands in the last couple of years, being able to sort that out becomes... more important, I guess.
Sorry, I didn't mean to turn that into an iPhone vs Android post, but this definitely invoked some memories. I hope your next year finds you having the time to take care of... you!
This is a fun chat/purchase experience - I've had iPhones for years, but this is the first time I've joined the crew here watching it unfold, and as fun as it is... I'll probably be back here for the 18 or 19!