why is buying a cell phone so annoying

[cahn]

My cell phone is slowly dying by inches, and although I think it could last for quite a while, I was reminded recently that as we don't know what will happen as things open up, second waves happen, supply chains, etc. I should probably get a new one now rather than be stranded later.

So I have narrowed it down to the Samsung A51 and the Google Pixel 3a.

A51 pros:
Expandable memory
bigger battery

A51 cons:
Too big
Kind of... just okay. It seems like a decent phone but there's nothing that super impresses me about it
Samsung comes with all kinds of bloatware
Camera has too many megapixels and apparently won't let you pick how big you want your pics to be
Camera is not great in low/inside light, which is a large percentage of my pics

Pixel pros:
Right form factor
Google is probably a bit smoother than Samsung
Will continue to get google updates for at least a couple of years, which is not at all clear for the Samsung phones
Everyone agrees it has an amazing camera, which is my #2 criteria for a smartphone (the #1 use is as a phone, of course)

Pixel cons:
No expandable memory
Decent battery but smaller than A51
Pixel 4a is coming out soon
A number of users have reported problems with the speaker where they either can't hear the call or the caller can't hear them (which, uh, see my #1 criteria)

So as far as I can tell it is a minority of people who have this problem, but it's not like one or two people, it's a bunch, probably several percent. Ordinarily, I'd roll the dice and take my chances with those odds, but I am also moving from a micro Sim card to a nano Sim card and I don't have any other phones at this point that take that kind of card. So if it dies or has to be fixed I'm stuck in the same situation where I don't have a phone, which is the whole reason I'm buying a phone to start with! And because people report finding this problem after 6 months or so, I don't think I can go with the Pixel 4a either, just in case.

I think I have to go with the Samsung this time, even though I really really want the Pixel. I guess since phones don't have replaceable batteries any more (I have been holding to my Samsung S5's for forever because it's the last generation of replaceable-battery phone) the battery will start dying in a couple of years and I'll have to get a new phone anyway, but I feel like I'm not so excited about this line of thought :P

Anyone have either of these phones and like/dislike them? Other thoughts on phones?

Comments

[cahn]

ahahaha I feel VERY SIMILARLY to you. What are your priorities?

One of my big priorities is REMOVABLE BATTERY, but I am finally coming to the conclusion that zero phone designers have this as a priority any more :P

[sophia_sol]

My priorities include:
- small enough to operate one-handed without any awkward thumb-stretching that makes losing my grip and dropping my phone more likely
- stable in appearance and function (OS changes are solely for improvement, not aesthetic alteration that I have to get used to)
- decent storage space or can accept memory cards to expand this
- no unremovable bloatware taking up storage space and distracting my visual attention from the things I actually care about
- long battery life
- doesn't save or share my personal data with anyone
- can survive being dropped on hard surfaces from a height on an extremely regular basis
- does the things I ask it to promptly, without throwing hissy fits
- has a headphone jack (I heard Apple phones don't anymore???? Outrageous!)
- reliable at connecting to (and staying connected to) wifi
- not subject to intentional limited lifespan; designed to be repairable
- made out of ethically sourced materials
- affordable to buy outright rather than locking me into a multi-year plan with high monthly payments

Basically, my primary use for my phone is not as either a phone or a camera, but as an assistive devices to help me cope with issues caused by my ADHD, so prioritising making it easy to keep it on my person at all times and smooth to use are what encompass most of what's important to me.

The closest any of my phones have ever come to meeting my priorities is....only half this list.

[cahn]

*nods* Some of these are my priorities (small! WHY is it so hard to find a small phone. Easier these days than it was last time I was looking for a phone, but still) and some are not, but... I very much share the feeling of "phone designers are not in sync with me AT ALL."

[sophia_sol]

Yeah, I still think fondly of the days when I did not have a smartphone but instead had an ipod touch, because it was the PERFECT size. I eventually got a smartphone instead for a reason (I never remembered to keep my flip phone charged and OCCASIONALLY one does need to use a phone as a phone, and also having data capability is super nice), but I miss that ipod.

I think maybe part of the reason for the trend towards enormous phones is that for more and more people, their main computing device is their phone, and trying to do stuff on a really really tiny screen can be more challenging, so phones are more like mini-tablets these days than like. Phone-sized. Which is fine to have some products aiming at that market, but can't those of us who like small phones have SOMETHING to choose between????

[cahn]

Yessss! I had an ipod touch! I agree it was the perfect size.

IDK, I think maybe phone designers just didn't have a clue, because I think the pendulum is swinging back towards at least slightly smaller phones. When I last bought a phone I couldn't find any newly-made phone that was as small as my Samsung S5 (which is already fairly large, though not a behemoth) and now there seem to be a few at least. Though not as small as the ipod touch, to be sure :P

[sophia_sol]

Oh that's exciting to think it might be going the other direction finally! Of the various smartphones I have had in my life, every single one has been larger than the last and it's just getting ridiculous.