[hunta2097]

The problem for me is that there is a large spectrum of devices, some of them are shit. Especially if you don't do your research.

Ive had Apple-like longevity out of all my family's Samsung "S" and Sony Xperia devices.

If you met my daughter (destroyer of USB cables) you would know that the fact her Xperia has survived 2 years is some small miracle on its own.

Just avoid LG, HTE and off brand crap - they eventually have issues.

[freehunter]

That seems to be the way these conversations always go:

1 "iPhones are too expensive, people should buy cheaper Android phones"

2 "I buy cheap Android phones and the quality is terrible"

3 "You can get good quality Android phones, you just have to pay iPhone prices for them"

Every time a conversation about price vs quality comes up, the conversation starts at the price, goes into the quality, and then ends up at the same price and quality as the competition.

[matwood]

This is the exact conversation I have had with myself and others multiple times. If I'm going to pay a lot of money, I'll just stick with my iPhone.

The Google Nexus line really could have changed things. It was inexpensive, a great phone, and ran vanilla Android. I moved from an iPhone to the Nexus 5. It had some quirks, but for the price it was great. Then Google started chasing the iPhone money, and pushed me back to iOS.

[freehunter]

I had a Palm Pre then was with Windows Phone for a bit, but the only Android phone I've owned was a Nexus 4. I liked it (for the price) and would have stayed with the Nexus line if the prices had stayed in the Nexus price range. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the hardware, I actually still use the Nexus 4 today to test my app on older Android versions.

But by the time I needed a new phone, the Nexus 6 was twice the price of the Nexus 4. For that price, I switched to the iPhone.

[parliament32]

I went from the Nexus to the Pixel line and I couldn't be happier. The main thing I noticed is that the Pixels pull you further into the Google ecosystem (the assistant, hard-integrated Google calendar/weather, etc) while the Nexus phones tried to be a "pure" (read: vendor independent) experience.

Depends on where you are but here iphones are the new "grandma" phone -- phones you can get for $0 and are idiotproof. They're simply not fashionable anymore.

[matwood]

> Depends on where you are but here iphones are the new "grandma" phone -- phones you can get for $0 and are idiotproof. They're simply not fashionable anymore.

Good thing I don't care about fashion or if I'm carrying a grandma phone (do I need a glittery case or something to be cool again??). I need something that is fairly quick, works, and I don't have to tinker with. It helps that I prefer iOS, and there is an Apple store within walking distance from my office.

[GFischer]

Not true. Me and my family are on Xiaomis, they're on a different level.

I have a company-issued S8 and an iPhone, and I wouldn't trade them for my Xiaomi.

Best part is, they cost less than half of an equivalent iPhone, have better battery and amazing performance.

I used to buy Samsungs (and Nokias earlier before they suicided).

I have an iPad and it's a great piece of hardware, but I don't stand the Apple ecosystem (iTunes in particular is a piece of crap).

Currently waiting for the Pocophone F1 to be distributed by the local carrier. Another slam dunk by Xiaomi.

[pimeys]

You just need to unlock Xiaomis and install Lineage OS. The unlocking process is the most ridiculous I have seen, requiring a windows tool that works only after you've tried their Android version a week. And the tool requires some black magic to even work. The Xiaomi OS talks to many Chinese tracking servers all the time regarding to Blokada reports.

I have a Mi Mix 2 and I love the phone. Just be aware of the unlocking procedure before buying one of their phones.

[davrosthedalek]

I agree with 1 and 2, but really, you don't have to spend iPhone level prices, just don't buy the cheapest phone you can get.

[freehunter]

I wouldn't say LG and HTC are the cheapest phones you can get. The parent comment recommended Samsung S series or the Sony Xperia series, which are $700-$900 phones which is squarely in iPhone territory.

[jbay808]

I'm using the Sony Xperia XZ1 compact, a truly excellent device which launched around $580 USD and which I bought new for $450 last year. It's a bit cheaper than the non-compact version that more people know about, but has all the same specs and internals, just a smaller size and smaller screen. After a full year of use and updates it doesn't seem any slower than when I bought it, and because it has a microSD slot I will never run out of space.