Cell phones? Need a new one

[mbryson]

I have had an iPhone for all but 6-7 months of the last 8-9 years. I’m surprised how much I’ve liked them but I got a 7 last fall and REALLY hate it. Some things in the OS bug me but the single port thing is a big deal.

For the six month period, I had a Pixel. I was surprised how easily I adapted to that OS. I liked the swipe for text entry a LOT. Some other things about it were a little weird but the iPhone certainly has its quirks.

My biggest complaint about the single port phone is that there are a number of times I NEED to be on a headset and also need to charge my phone as I started a 2 hour call with 32% battery at 4 pm or something. I get down to 11% battery (or thereabouts) and I’m getting a little anxious. iPhone 6s or lower, no big deal. Find a USB port, plug the phone in and get some juice while connected and continue the call. Not so with Pixel 2 or iPhone 7 and newer . Only solution I’ve found is to go on speaker and get myself plugged in back to 20-30%

So new phones: I can choose IPhone 8, 8+ or X. Pixel 2 or Samsung S8 or S9. Samsung is the only device with two ports. Looks the most fragile by far.

Thoughts? (This will be Jeep/Toyota, Ford vs Chevy, Coors vs Bud I’m sure)

 

[Kevin B.]

I went for the Note7 when it was around and I fell in love. Big time. The huge curved screen is awesome and the stylus was a game changer. I thought it would be gimmicky but I ended up using it all. the. time. I was crazy pissed when AT&T told me I had to turn it in or they were going to shut it off. I've got the S8 Active now, which I picked for it's huge battery, but it's not the same. I want my curved screen and stylus back. Once this thing dies, which I'm sure it will because all these things are designed to fail in two years, I'll be back in a Note.

 

[Spork]

I don't get the pay $600+ for a phone thing. In the Jeep vs Toyota world, I'm going to offer the Suzuki option.
I picked up one of these the other day, octa-core, 4G/64G and running the latest android version, has a 3.5mm headphone connector. The only downside is the old micro-usb connector vs the usb-C connector. For about $230 you can buy 3 for the same price as the others. It is GSM network only (AT&T or T-mobile) so if you're on Verizon or Sprint ignore this.
https://www.amazon.com/Huawei-Mate-...D=41U%2BFucf26L&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

 

[mbryson]

Corporate phone choices dictate the availability. One other thing. Well two. Not a fan of a dongle (prefer that over the other) to give two ports, REALLY not a fan of the idea of Bluetooth headphones.

Bluetooth headphones sound like another hassle to me. The analog headphones are cool despite the low tech. They work AWESOME despite the occasional tangles. The idea of having two gadgets that are charged (or discharged) is not appealing. Maybe there’s a fantastic set of Bluetooth headphones for reasonable price that has a cool, sturdy accessible case? They won’t be as convenient as the analog headsets but maybe they can surprise me?

 

[Stephen]

Nokia 8110.

I'd seriously consider one of those if I didn't have to deal with e-mail so much on my phone for work. I guess I could carry my laptop around all the time, but thats the "two device" issue.

I got a iPhone SE as my latest phone. Small and functional for my needs.

 

[Tonkaman]

Honestly I say to just embrace the Bluetooth headset. There are some very cheap and reliable options out there.

To put that In perspective I bought my daughter her first set of Bluetooth headphones when she was 4. She knows how to connect them, and even remembers to charge them.

You can decide whether you want over the ear or simple earbuds.

 

[Hickey]

I've had a love /hate relationship with Bluetooth headsets for a very long time.

The LG Tone style is certainly my favorite headset. I've used it every day for at least 3 years now, 10 hours or more each day (audio books and podcasts) and still comfortable. It's the only headset I've found that makes up for all the damn wind and road noise I deal with constantly. Battery lasts a good 10 hours while in use. I have no idea how long it would last on standby. More than a week for sure. Usually cost about $50 or lesson Amazon.

 

[mbryson]

I went for the Note7 when it was around and I fell in love. Big time. The huge curved screen is awesome and the stylus was a game changer. I thought it would be gimmicky but I ended up using it all. the. time. I was crazy pissed when AT&T told me I had to turn it in or they were going to shut it off. I've got the S8 Active now, which I picked for it's huge battery, but it's not the same. I want my curved screen and stylus back. Once this thing dies, which I'm sure it will because all these things are designed to fail in two years, I'll be back in a Note.

So the curved screen thing .... why is it cool? The S8 S9 have it. It just seems more fragile due to the screen exposure. I’m sure I’ll buy a case for it (this iPhone 7 has been incredibly fragile vs other iPhones I’ve had) and I assume that’ll kill part of the screen?

 

[mbryson]

I've had a love /hate relationship with Bluetooth headsets for a very long time.

The LG Tone style is certainly my favorite headset. I've used it every day for at least 3 years now, 10 hours or more each day (audio books and podcasts) and still comfortable. It's the only headset I've found that makes up for all the damn wind and road noise I deal with constantly. Battery lasts a good 10 hours while in use. I have no idea how long it would last on standby. More than a week for sure. Usually cost about $50 or lesson Amazon.

This is good info as some areas I use the phone (server rooms or production floors) are probably similar noise levels?

 

[Hickey]

The only time people have trouble hearing me is when I wear a shirt with a button up collar. I simply have to move the main part of the headset inside the open collar to rectify that. The mic is on one end of the neck portion of the headset, so a taller collar blocks the sound a little, unless it's completely buttoned up like when you would wear a tie. A polo shirt or t-shirt doesn't cause any problems.

 

[N-Smooth]

iPhone with AirPods (apple’s Bluetooth ear buds) works amazing for phone calls. My wife is on conference calls all the time for work and prefers them over her fancy noise-canceling headset. I have a set too and love them. Convenient case that also charges them and the way they interface with the phones is awesome.
There’s also the option of wireless charging for being on the phone and charging at the same time. Oh and they have little “pigtails” that allow charging and audio at the same time but I’ve never tried those.

 

[Hickey]

Also, the LG Tone can pair with many devices at once. For instance, I have it paired with both my iPad mini and my old school basic phone at the same time. I can be listening to music or an audio book from the iPad when a call comes in on the flip phone a day the audio will pause when the phone rings. It switches between the two devices very well.

 

[Jesser04]

The AirPods are great. I got a pair for Christmas and love them. They check all the boxes except affordable.

 

[Kevin B.]

So the curved screen thing .... why is it cool? The S8 S9 have it. It just seems more fragile due to the screen exposure. I’m sure I’ll buy a case for it (this iPhone 7 has been incredibly fragile vs other iPhones I’ve had) and I assume that’ll kill part of the screen?

The case on mine only came halfway up the sides, so it didn't cover any of the screen. You'd think that it would be more exposed that way but I never had a problem with the screen cracking or chipping and I'm pretty hard on my stuff.

I'm not sure that I can explain what's so cool about it, other than the increased viewable area. It has a couple little apps and gadgets that rely on swiping from the side that they could easily include on regular boxy phones too (and maybe they do), but I disabled those. But going from the curved edge back to a square edge was almost crippling, like I was going back to 80s tech. The curved edge just felt right.

 

[Unimog]

Being an iPhone guy, I'll just throw this out since I didn't see anyone else suggest it: Just get the iPhone X with cordless charging dock.

 

[Unimog]

Being an iPhone guy, I'll just throw this out since I didn't see anyone else suggest it: Just get the iPhone X with cordless charging dock.

I didn't know it, but I guess the iPhone 8 also supports wireless charging.

 

[mbryson]

The AirPods are great. I got a pair for Christmas and love them. They check all the boxes except affordable.

This is my point. Here are the old analog headphones. They work well but we're taking those away so you can PAY $80-120 for some bluetooth headphones that will be easier to lose, a potential hassle to charge and be more frustrating than untangling my old school headset. Thanks for "helping" me Apple. I wuv you

Being an iPhone guy, I'll just throw this out since I didn't see anyone else suggest it: Just get the iPhone X with cordless charging dock.

Does that make the trending squirrelly OS even more squirrelly? Seems like the updates to iPhone the past few years are things I couldn't care less about. More emiticons, new feed apps I don't want, that kind of stuff. I see VERY little changes that would help me professionally. I'd still like to see a delayed text function. Maybe a DND function as well for the text app? (that's debatable of value). EVERYTHING is trending towards Apple digging their hands into my wallet. The Pixel gives a Tb for storage (maybe it's unlimited?). Apple gives me 5 Gb in their iCloud app unless I pay (it's not a lot of $ but still...). With the iPhone, it's kind of the "devil I know" vs the other platforms...

I've got to admit, I've not even looked at an X after checking them out after their launch. Do you have a wireless charging dock at the office and at the house?

 

[Kevin B.]

This is my point. Here are the old analog headphones. They work well but we're taking those away so you can PAY $80-120 for some bluetooth headphones that will be easier to lose, a potential hassle to charge and be more frustrating than untangling my old school headset. Thanks for "helping" me Apple. I wuv you

Has Apple gone to the integrated battery yet? My biggest beef with the new Samsung phones is that you can't swap the battery.

 

[mbryson]

Has Apple gone to the integrated battery yet? My biggest beef with the new Samsung phones is that you can't swap the battery.

I think they started that? I don't remember an iPhone with an easily removable battery

 

[RockChucker]

I have an iphone SE. Win. Small. Headphone jack. Been durable. No complaints