Recommend My Next Phone

[Dr. Dro]

If Sony is still selling the Xperia series in the US, might be worth taking a look at the Xperia 1 V if you have an $1,500 budget. The Xperia 5 is a midrange device (with the 10 being the low end variant) and if you have $1,500 to burn, you're in all likelihood looking at something better than settling for a midranger, so my vote against the Xperia 5 is noted here.

I've always been fond of Sony phones, but since they left our country, they're unobtainium here. Else, buy the Samsung S23 Ultra. If you want the closest thing to a flagship experience while sticking to Android, that's all you can do for the time being. 8 Gen 3 phones will likely be releasing within a few months if you can hold, wait for the S24 series, but other than that, nothing really comes to mind. Xiaomi's 13 Pro/Ultra are great devices and worth considering if you have no anti-China bias when it comes to your cell phone, but they likely don't have the same level of support in the United States.

 

[SchumannFrequency]

If Sony is still selling the Xperia series in the US, might be worth taking a look at the Xperia 1 V if you have an $1,500 budget. The Xperia 5 is a midrange device (with the 10 being the low end variant) and if you have $1,500 to burn, you're in all likelihood looking at something better than settling for a midranger, so my vote against the Xperia 5 is noted here.

I've always been fond of Sony phones, but since they left our country, they're unobtainium here. Else, buy the Samsung S23 Ultra. If you want the closest thing to a flagship experience while sticking to Android, that's all you can do for the time being. 8 Gen 3 phones will likely be releasing within a few months if you can hold, wait for the S24 series, but other than that, nothing really comes to mind. Xiaomi's 13 Pro/Ultra are great devices and worth considering if you have no anti-China bias when it comes to your cell phone, but they likely don't have the same level of support in the United States.

My advice, don't let what you consider 'flagship' and 'midrange' depend solely on the device's price tag.
That's a fairly simplistic line of thinking that often doesn't apply to reality.

What I mean is that you don't always get the amount you pay with many brands.

The Sony Xperia PRO holds up well in durability test despite its plastic body

The Xperia PRO may have arrived a year late, but it remains the only smartphone that could actually be used in a professional workflow. Sony's most expensive smartphone can take a beating too, even though it has a plastic body.

www.notebookcheck.net

Are Sony products like Sony Xperia 1 Mark IV smartphones more reliable than Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max, etc.?

Answer (1 of 3): In terms of build quality Sony are miles ahead of Apple, but in terms of software Apple has a slight edge. Sony has much better battery optimisation and has tweaked their version of Android for improved security. This means that Sony phones will generally require fewer battery re...

www.quora.com

In terms of build quality Sony are miles ahead of Apple.
When I worked in a mobile repair centre, I never saw any Sony phones returned for repair, but plenty of Apple and Samsung devices.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra - SAR values

Information about the SAR values of Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. SAR values for head and body according to the standard in the EU and USA. This device is also known as Samsung SM-S918, Samsung SM-S9180, Samsung SM-S918B, Samsung SM-S918B/DS, Samsung SM-S918E, Samsung SM-S918E/DS, Samsung SM-S918N...

www.devicespecifications.com

Body SAR 1.58 W/kg

Sony 5 V SAR: 0.9 W/kg

Which persons are more likely to have cancer, Alzheimer's and many other diseases related to RF-EMF radiation?

 

[Vya Domus]

In terms of build quality Sony are miles ahead of Apple.
When I worked in a mobile repair centre, I never saw any Sony phones returned for repair, but plenty of Apple and Samsung devices.

Apples sells orders of magnitude more phones than Sony, of course you never saw any Sony phone returned for repair, it amazes me that they still make phones, I can't even remember the last time I saw someone using one.

 

[SchumannFrequency]

Apples sells orders of magnitude more phones than Sony, of course you never saw any Sony phone returned for repair, it amazes me that they still make phones, I can't even remember the last time I saw someone using one.

In the link I had given he says something else which was of interest:
I know people still using older Sony models like the Z5 Premium with no performance issues even though it was released back in 2015.

This is something many people have noticed, that Sony smartphones continue to work well more than other brands after many years of use.

https://www.reddit.com/r/SonyXperia/comments/ge60at

I chose Sony because I dislike disposable phones. I want to own a phone that will last and not have burn-in, but should be attractive to look at everyday for a few years.

https://www.reddit.com/r/SonyXperia/comments/q4fhz0

comment #1 My Samsung s20 ultra lasted a little over a year and then the motherboard died. My Sony xperia from 2017 is still going strong... I'm going back to Sony and will never get a Samsung product again.
comment #2 Beware of people who tell you what phone sucks without knowing what software and hardware matters to you. My 5 ii is better than any Samsung phone I've ever had.
comment #3 I always come back to Sony phones. I've had the Z2 and the XZ2 so far and some other Xperia in like 2010 or 2011 which I can't remember the name of. And I pre-ordered the Xperia 5 III.
comment #4 I owned Google Nexus and Pixel devices. I loved them. Unfortunately,my pixel 4 died so I am now using my son's old Sony XA1 which is 4 years old.
comment #5 The Sony phones are great excellent build quality everything hardware wise is there.

Why is Sony still the only phone maker creating smartphones with 4K displays 8 years later?

https://www.reddit.com/r/SonyXperia/comments/15f1b5m

Because it's more expensive. It's cheaper to use a lower resolution display and that is why manufacturers like Samsung started to downgrade the display to 1080p back in 2021. Other companies saw them getting away with it so they started doing the same.

https://www.reddit.com/r/SonyXperia/comments/emqkc9

comment #1 I choose xperias because I've never really been let down by their phones.
comment #2 I love quality and Sony never failed me.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/svpmzh

Hardware is very good, but marketing people at Sony just don’t seem to care about selling phones

You can see for yourself the statistic that Samsung has the highest failure rates of any brand.

You see the same thing with McDonalds which is also the most popular brand. According to research, it also has the very lowest quality:

Report: Consumers say McDonald's has the worst quality fast food

The golden arches chain could use some help in the kitchen, according to a new consumer report.

www.foxnews.com

It's not just that Samsung smartphones are the lowest quality.

From currently available studies it is clear that radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) have deleterious effects on sperm parameters (like sperm count, morphology, motility), affects the role of kinases in cellular metabolism and the endocrine system, and produces genotoxicity and genomic instability.

Because of Samsung's higher SAR values, you're going to see that the next generation will be of lower quality than if everyone had been using smartphones with low SAR values.
SAR has an impact on the quality of humans themselves which is therefore going to decline.

 

[Dr. Dro]

My advice, don't let what you consider 'flagship' and 'midrange' depend solely on the device's price tag.
That's a fairly simplistic line of thinking that often doesn't apply to reality.

If it didn't, the 1 wouldn't exist and the 5 would be the flagship. As well as no one would ever buy phones like the S23 Plus when the Ultra exists. It's simply a statement of fact that the Xperia 1 is a better phone than the Xperia 5, because the 5 itself is designed to be a compromise over the 1. Speaking of Galaxy S's, I had some hands on time with the S23 Ultra today, and I'll tell you right away it's on a league of its own. The 5 is a good phone, but it's not a super high end, no compromise device for an $1,500 budget.

As for older Sony models, I've fixed up and gave my girlfriend my old Xperia Z2 because she dropped hers and the screen broke. It holds up surprisingly well for a 9 year old device, although the software is extremely obsolete. Mine was the Brazilian special edition (model D6543) released to celebrate the 2014 FIFA World Cup that has a TV tuner. It was probably one of the nicest phones I've ever owned. It's very much abandoned however, Android security patch is literally from May 2016, less than two years after the phone was released they just straight up abandoned it on Android 6 and never released anything for it again.

 

[SchumannFrequency]

It was probably one of the nicest phones I've ever owned. It's very much abandoned however, Android security patch is literally from May 2016, less than two years after the phone was released they just straight up abandoned it on Android 6 and never released anything for it again.

The average smartphone last between 2 and 3 years in the United States, according to Statista.

I know a few persons who use an old Sony that I had recommended in 2019 and they have actually complained more about all the updates they had to do at the beginning than the fact that they don't receive Android updates now in 2023.

You can usually (easily) install LineageOS and GCam on old Sony flagships. Individuals who do this often discover that they prefer LineageOS over Android.

"Degoogle" Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact with LineageOS!

Speaking of Galaxy S's, I had some hands on time with the S23 Ultra today, and I'll tell you right away it's on a league of its own. The 5 is a good phone, but it's not a super high end, no compromise device for an $1,500 budget.

I recommended the Samsung Galaxy S23+ in the first post I did in this thread.
My idea is that it is not that the Ultra version is in "a league of its own. You have a bigger screen. Is this always a positive thing?
Tip: watch the video above and listen to what this user prefers.

The S23 Ultra has a battery that is narrowly larger than that of the S23+
The S23 Ultra has a larger screen that draws more power, so you're going to have to do tests to determine which of the two has the best battery life in practice.

But which of the two has the longest battery life when web browsing over Wi-Fi?
The correct answer: Samsung Galaxy S23+

Which of the two has the longest battery life when web browsing over 4G?
The correct answer: Samsung Galaxy S23+

You have a lot of people who think microSDXC is a basic feature.
Same with the 3.5mm jack.
You have a lot of people who think the camera is the most important thing.

Which smartphone is most like a flagship for these people: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra or the Sony Xperia 5 V?

 

[Dr. Dro]

The average smartphone last between 2 and 3 years in the United States, according to Statista.

I know a few persons who use an old Sony that I had recommended in 2019 and they have actually complained more about all the updates they had to do at the beginning than the fact that they don't receive Android updates now in 2023.

You can usually (easily) install LineageOS and GCam on old Sony flagships. Individuals who do this often discover that they prefer LineageOS over Android.

"Degoogle" Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact with LineageOS!

I recommended the Samsung Galaxy S23+ in the first post I did in this thread.
My idea is that it is not that the Ultra version is in "a league of its own. You have a bigger screen. Is this always a positive thing?
Tip: watch the video above and listen to what this user prefers.

The S23 Ultra has a battery that is narrowly larger than that of the S23+
The S23 Ultra has a larger screen that draws more power, so you're going to have to do tests to determine which of the two has the best battery life in practice.

But which of the two has the longest battery life when web browsing over Wi-Fi?
The correct answer: Samsung Galaxy S23+

Which of the two has the longest battery life when web browsing over 4G?
The correct answer: Samsung Galaxy S23+

You have a lot of people who think microSDXC is a basic feature.
Same with the 3.5mm jack.
You have a lot of people who think the camera is the most important thing.

Which smartphone is most like a flagship for these people: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra or the Sony Xperia 5 V?

By far the S23U, sometimes what people are looking for isn't a flagship with the absolute highest specs, but a device that suits their personal needs/niche well. We live in the age of true wireless and the cloud, so those things have been relatively forsaken in favor of Bluetooth and say, Dropbox or OneDrive integration. Not that I personally agree with those things, but it is what it is.

As for phones not getting software updates, hard pass, I want it to be well maintained just like my PC. My S10+ is effectively abandoned by Samsung already, with a 2 generations out of date One UI and obsolete security patch that is now months out of date while Apple still releases security updates even for the 6s which is now 8 years old! Got iOS 15.8 on my 6s Plus just a couple of weeks ago. It's important, especially important with the aforementioned in mind.

 

[SchumannFrequency]

Those things have been relatively forsaken in favor of Bluetooth and say, Dropbox or OneDrive integration. Not that I personally agree with those things, but it is what it is.

With many computers under 900 EUR, you see that a 1TB drive is often chosen
$549.99 https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/des...rice-ascending&appliedRefinements=38706,38705
$699.99 https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/des...p/spd/inspiron-3020-desktop/useithbts3020fyzp
$699.99 https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/des...l-in-one/spd/inspiron-24-5415-aio/na5415gllmh
$759.99 https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/des...ne/spd/inspiron-24-5415-aio/cai5415w11p5010r5
You can use the cloud for a PC just as well or even more easily, yet in these configurations they opt for extra storage rather than increasing any other specs.
It seems to me that storage will still remain a basic need now and in the next ten years. It's not excusable that a very expensive phone doesn't have upgradable storage.

As for phones not getting software updates, hard pass, I want it to be well maintained just like my PC. My S10+ is effectively abandoned by Samsung already, with a 2 generations out of date One UI and obsolete security patch that is now months out of date while Apple still releases security updates even for the 6s which is now 8 years old!

Every patch that happens opens the possibility for new bugs or security problems that happened because of this patch.
In the Linux world, you see that there is a trend toward immutable operating systems, which is not very different in principle from an Android system that is frozen and where the apps can still be installed, removed and updated.

Furthermore, you should also know that it has never been statistically proven that Samsung has fewer software bugs than other brands.

Is Samsung getting too close to Google? The latest "Super Update" release suggests so

The "Super Update" replacement from Samsung has issues of its own, especially with the fingerprint scanner.

www.phonearena.com

It appears from a new tweet from tipster Ice Universe that the new update pushed out also has some issues. The tipster wrote, "I heard that the June update of Galaxy S23 series (WF1) brought some new bugs such as fingerprint errors, and Samsung seems to have screwed up something again." And we are not just talking about a minor fingerprint bug; several owners reported that the fingerprint icon didn't appear at all on their phones after downloading the update.

S22 Ultra Very Laggy and slow

I got my new S22 Ultra this monday and I have been having quite a lot of problems with it. The battery life is terrible, only around 2-3 hours of lite use. Snapchat is near unusable because it is terribly slow and laggy to use and the viewport...

xdaforums.com

Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra Has Some Surprising Camera Problems

Samsung’s powerful new flagship, leaves room for improvement in the camera department.

www.forbes.com

Quality disappointment in s23 Ultra

I have been a Samsung user since 2016, specifically the Galaxy series. I have gone from an S6 to my most recent phone the 23 Ultra. I have never broken a phone, always secured them in a case and just overall enjoyed my phones. At the end of my contracts I've either sold them or given them back...

r1.community.samsung.com

S22 ultra crashing and buggy

Hi I love my samsung s22 ultra and have had it over a month now but I'm having quite a few crashes where the phone will not respond at all for a few minutes I'm also finding snap chat very buggy it's terrible to use and after April's update doesn't work at all

eu.community.samsung.com

Have you guys been having buggy phones?

https://www.reddit.com/r/samsung/comments/up7rm6

Do most OLED screens on Samsung phones get the screen burn-in problem after 1 year?

Answer: Yes and no. It depends. It really depends on the user and what they do on the smartphone everyday. A screen burn in is more likely to happen if a person has a habit of using 100% maximum brightness every single day.. and if they leave a static image on the screen for too long. For example...

www.quora.com

Samsung Promises Fix For Frustrating Display Issue That's Affecting Galaxy S22 Ultra Phones

Samsung has assured owners that a fix for their screens is on its way, but has issued some advice in the meantime

hothardware.com

 

[67Elco]

Pixel 7a...had I not left my Pixel 3 in a hot car and let it warp it is the one I would still be using.

 

[iNinja9K]

Samsung. Any of them. I had 3 Samsungs over the years, and I'm very satisfied.

 

[Deleted member 237269]

https://na.redmagic.gg/products/redmagic-9-pro

My Sony Xperia 5 II is still going strong but this Redmagic 9 Pro or the Samsung S23 would be my picks.

 

[Solid State Soul ( SSS )]

S23 ultra or the Google pixel 8 Pro, those are considered the top tier Android flagships