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Pixel vs HTC10

Anyone have any experience coming from an HTC 10 to a Pixel? I've got both on order and am looking for opinion.
My htc will never run sense and I'll always run whatever stable AOSP ROMs that are available out there.
I feel that I will miss external sd on the pixel and I have a hard time justifying the extra $400 that the pixel will end up costing me.
Not trying to start a flame war here, I'm a lover. Just looking for opinions....
Sent from my HTC One M9 using XDA-Developers mobile app

bacon612 said:
Anyone have any experience coming from an HTC 10 to a Pixel? I've got both on order and am looking for opinion.
My htc will never run sense and I'll always run whatever stable AOSP ROMs that are available out there.
I feel that I will miss external sd on the pixel and I have a hard time justifying the extra $400 that the pixel will end up costing me.
Not trying to start a flame war here, I'm a lover. Just looking for opinions....
Sent from my HTC One M9 using XDA-Developers mobile app
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Hi
Did you get both phones yet to compare?

bsbuggs said:
Hi
Did you get both phones yet to compare?
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Click to collapse
For what it's worth, I have both phones.
TL;DR:
I bought my wife and I the unlocked HTC 10 at the $500 price to use on Verizon. The next day I became aware of Best Buy's Pixel 32 GB deal for straight $9.99 a month (or $240 buyout like I and others did), and I ordered two. My main reason was because I was coming from a VS985 LG G3 with a Micro SIM and I didn't want to step into a Verizon store to talk them into giving me Nano SIMs to use with my unofficial configuration of using an unlocked HTC 10 on Verizon's network, plus to have to have said Nano SIMs activated via phone since in that case I wouldn't have had an actual Verizon device that was capable of activating the SIMs.
I activated the SIMs in the Pixels and then put them in the HTC 10 and purchased the SunShine license for both phones and jumped through the firmware/ROM hoops I need to in order to have it work right.
First, I'm not on an unlimited data account so to me, using the Pixel with only 32 GB is relatively unrealistic to me. In it's favor, Google Photos only on the Pixel provides free unlimited full resolution not-further-compressed picture and video backups, and also has the feature to automatically clear space on the storage when it's needed by removing backed up photos. This is an amazing feature and would use it even if I had a 128 GB Pixel.
Second, my wife just went without a working smartphone for more than a month, so I sold one of the Pixels and kept the other to play with and to keep as a backup in case one of our HTCs has an unexpected problem anytime over the next couple of years. So far I have only a) unlocked the bootloader with Depixel8 (which might not work now if a Pixel has received the December update before using it) and b) I put the complete 7.1.1 stock ROM image on there.
I likely will not root the phone so that I can take OTAs painlessly. If I were using the Pixel as my daily phone I wouldn't be able to stand it without root and modifications. I'm assuming that most modifications I would want don't even exist yet, and I know that others I currently use don't exist for Nougat yet, like Xposed.
Although I prefer not to have to jump through ANY hoops to use the 10 on Verizon, the fact that there are still little nit-picky preference things that cause me to want to use a stock-based custom ROM over completely stock makes the point moot since I still won't receive OTAs except as provided by the particular ROM(s) I use.
The phone is still a lot easier to deal with than the LG G3 regarding hoops needing to jump through when new OTAs come out, and mix/match firmware caveats/bricks/etc. I could handle the Pixel's 5" screen if I was using it daily but I prefer larger. I really wouldn't want to go smaller than the 10's 5.2" screen.
Both phones feel very well built, the 10 even more so than the Pixel. The Pixel is very...compact. I mean, it's heavy for it's size, but not overly so, and it is solid.
I don't think you'll go wrong overall with either, depending on what your usage will be, what your Verizon plan is like and what your expectations are. I have pretty high requirements as far as convenience so that puts the Pixel out in several ways, but it'll make a great backup phone for my wife and I.

thanks for the insight.. helps alot

I had the HTC 10 briefly before trading for a note 7 which I sent back to Samsung and now I own the pixel.
I really enjoyed my time with the HTC 10 especially the extra screen real estate and the capacitive buttons. The development is pretty solid if your into custom roms, kernels, etc. The max screen brightness is something lacking but the LCD is not a bad looking panel and it's QHD. I'm a huge fan of the capacitive buttons and dedicated home button on front. I use a car mount every day and if I want to wake up my phone without having to remove it to access the fingerprint scanner or reach for power button and put in a pin. Same applies to when phone is on my nightstand and I just want to open a notification/ check time it's convenient on the front plus you get to use all of your screen with capacitive buttons vs on screen. I'm don't take a lot of pictures but the camera seemed sufficient. Also the speakers sounded pretty good for YouTube and the little bit of music I listened to on it. Only con I really had with the 10 was the screen brightness.
I've only owed the pixel for about 5 days so I'll just say what I like and don't like as of now. The stock Android and frequent updates already make me wonder how I ever survived using AT&T Samsung phones for so long. I've got 2 updates since I've purchased the phone and the development is sure to be good into the future. The fingerprint scanner is the fastest I've ever used as well as all the software. I'm still struggling getting used to the 5in display coming from a long line of Samsung products. I still wish I would've held out for the Xl but the small display doesn't disappoint. The AMOLED is still my favorite type of panel and even at 1080p lookes better than the HTC imo.
Overall I'm happy and excited about owning the pixel and would pick it over the HTC again of money wasn't an object. I was lucky enough that Samsung paid me full retail for my Note 7 that I traded an HTC 10 for during the 2nd recall scare, so I had a little to burn. My 128gb quite black came in at $856 at Verizon with tax. You can pick up the 10 with 32gb and grab an SD card for around $550 or less I'm sure. I wouldn't mind going back to my 10 at all.
Things to consider is how long to you plan on owning, if your going to keep the phone for 2+ yrs I would lean twords the Pixel. That's why I went with it at least, I've been getting a new phone annually or sooner for past 3-4yrs and it needs to stop lol. I plan on keeping the pixel at least 18-24 months and I'm garenteed software updates for that long plus some.
Any questions about either ask and I'll try to answer.

AndroiderM said:
I had the HTC 10 briefly before trading for a note 7 which I sent back to Samsung and now I own the pixel.
I really enjoyed my time with the HTC 10 especially the extra screen real estate and the capacitive buttons. The development is pretty solid if your into custom roms, kernels, etc. The max screen brightness is something lacking but the LCD is not a bad looking panel and it's QHD. I'm a huge fan of the capacitive buttons and dedicated home button on front. I use a car mount every day and if I want to wake up my phone without having to remove it to access the fingerprint scanner or reach for power button and put in a pin. Same applies to when phone is on my nightstand and I just want to open a notification/ check time it's convenient on the front plus you get to use all of your screen with capacitive buttons vs on screen. I'm don't take a lot of pictures but the camera seemed sufficient. Also the speakers sounded pretty good for YouTube and the little bit of music I listened to on it. Only con I really had with the 10 was the screen brightness.
I've only owed the pixel for about 5 days so I'll just say what I like and don't like as of now. The stock Android and frequent updates already make me wonder how I ever survived using AT&T Samsung phones for so long. I've got 2 updates since I've purchased the phone and the development is sure to be good into the future. The fingerprint scanner is the fastest I've ever used as well as all the software. I'm still struggling getting used to the 5in display coming from a long line of Samsung products. I still wish I would've held out for the Xl but the small display doesn't disappoint. The AMOLED is still my favorite type of panel and even at 1080p lookes better than the HTC imo.
Overall I'm happy and excited about owning the pixel and would pick it over the HTC again of money wasn't an object. I was lucky enough that Samsung paid me full retail for my Note 7 that I traded an HTC 10 for during the 2nd recall scare, so I had a little to burn. My 128gb quite black came in at $856 at Verizon with tax. You can pick up the 10 with 32gb and grab an SD card for around $550 or less I'm sure. I wouldn't mind going back to my 10 at all.
Things to consider is how long to plan on owning if your going to keep the phone for 2+ yrs I would lean twords the Pixel. That's why I went with it at least, I've been getting a new phone annually or sooner for past 3-4yrs and it needs to stop lol. I plan on keeping the pixel at least 18-24 months and I'm garenteed software updates for that long plus some.
Any questions about either ask and I'll try to answer.
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Appreciate the comparison.. that really my dilemma.. I can GET a good deal on swappa for an HTC 10 for like 350...OR i see a guy locally selling his verizon Pixel for 450... so there is my struggle...

bsbuggs said:
Appreciate the comparison.. that really my dilemma.. I can GET a good deal on swappa for an HTC 10 for like 350...OR i see a guy locally selling his verizon Pixel for 450... so there is my struggle...
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For a $100 difference I'd take the Pixel only of 128gb if not I'd go with HTC. That's just me, even though I do stream alot of media I also have around 30gb of music I have collected over the years. I also use my phone for torrents and then otg to an external drive that plugs Into tv. The extra storage is more important to me than a SD821 and amoled.

bsbuggs said:
Hi
Did you get both phones yet to compare?
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Hey there. I agree with pretty much what everyone else that has had both phones says. I'm sending my Pixel back tomorrow. Here are my personal pros and cons on the pixel. I got my HTC 10 from HTC direct for $550 tax and 2 day shipping included. Pixel was about $950 for the 128 model plus Pixel care or whatever its called.
Pros
I think the screen is marginally nicer even though its only 1080p
Using the same spigen cases, it felt better in my hands.
The camera is much faster and takes better pictures with no fuss
It felt faster but i think much of it has to do with Nougat and not 820 vs. 821 (My HTC 10 runs cm13 now. Looking like we are really close to cm14.1 now though)
Cons
No external SD. This crushes me. My biggest fear is that if your phone gets damaged, you loose everything thats not backed up rather than just removing the microsd card and moving on. (Nandroids, Pictures etc...)
Its too early for development to be great. There's only one rom so far. I feel that the price of the pixel is keeping developers away too. I couldn't get the pixel to do what I wanted it to in a few ways due to lack of roms + xposed etc... The thing is, this phone will likely have excellent rom support in the future, it will just take time. Might as well wait until it gets cheaper and supports the customization you want.
While my Pros outweigh my cons, there is no way I can justify spending another $400 for any two missing pros. This is how I arrived at my decision to return the Pixel. I might mention that I wouldn't keep either phone more than a year or so as I like to try and upgrade annually. Ordering from HTC direct gets you one year of replacement protection free stateside. Google charges $100 for two years. There was also value in the HTC over the Pixel for this reason. Something to consider as well.
Hope this helps. Having to decide between the two over the last few weeks offset a fair amount of anxiety. (First world problems, i know). I feel pretty good about my decision and am looking past the pixel to see what Snapdragon 835 devices have to offer. Its right around the corner.

I have both the HTC 10 and the Pixel.
Aesthetically, I prefer the HTC 10. I've had more people ask me about what phone I was using when I was using the 10 as my daily driver than any other phone I've ever owned. The chamfered edges have a way of catching light that just draws people's eyes to it. That's not to say that I don't like the Pixel, but the HTC 10 just seems like it's in a world of its own in terms of build design. The only person who commented on my Pixel said to me, "That's the weirdest looking phone I've ever seen. It looks like a weird iPhone."
I also preferred the sound coming out of the headphone jack and dual (top and bottom) firing speakers on the HTC 10 over the Pixel's setup. Blocking the sound coming out of the Pixel's single bottom firing speaker is just insanely easy, and I find myself contorting my hands awkwardly in order not to block it when I'm watching media or playing games.
I also liked the HTC 10's fingerprint scanner location and the off screen buttons better than the Pixel's setup. That's just a personal preference though.
If you're worried about receiving timely updates on either phone, it's a non-issue. The amount of OTA updates on the HTC 10 has also been seriously fantastic. I've never had any phone that has consistently gotten as many updates as the HTC 10. It honestly makes most brands look like a joke, and I'm still waiting for my first update for my 10 while my HTC 10 just received Nougat.
With that said, there are a few things that are far superior on the Pixel.
I prefer the AMOLED screen on the Pixel for outdoor viewing. The higher contrast ratio seems to make viewing and reading a lot easier, and it also feels a bit brighter than HTC's LCD screen, which could be extremely difficult to read in direct bright California sunlight. The Pixel is not the brightest screen I've ever used, but it's certainly a lot brighter than the HTC 10. This always bothered me about the HTC 10 since I spend a few hours a day walking to work or in direct sunlight.
The camera on the Pixel is just amazingly consistent for the most part. The HTC 10 has this weird lense flare issue where if the camera lens is even slightly smudged, it creates the most insane lens flares I've seen, and whatever material is used on lens of the HTC 10 is just absurdly prone to fingerprint smudges. It's also really difficult to wipe it off entirely. I'm not sure if this issue has been remedied with the Nougat update, but there are some posts floating around on the HTC 10 forum indicating that the lens flare has been significantly improved. The Pixel, even without taking into consideration of the HTC 10's lens flare issue, just seems to be an overall better camera.
It's also significantly faster at snapping shots than the HTC 10.
I also generally find my wireless connection better on the Pixel. Battery life on the Pixel also seems slightly better to me.
I bought the 128GB Pixel so storage has been a non issue with me, but thinking back at it, the only time storage might've become an issue on my 32GB HTC 10 would've been when I went to Europe and loaded my phone with media for that 11 hour flight. Otherwise, 32GB with non-expandable storage would still probably be fine for me. I only bought the 128GB since 64GB wasn't available for the Pixel.

I had HTC 10 and actually 2 of them (Unlocked and T-Mobile variant). HTC 10 is a pretty good phone especially at the lower price. My unlocked unit received Android 7 on Nov 25th , so there were no complaints and software was faster than any Samsung phone I had. The build quality was also good, as was the audio experience. Unfortunately I had to return the devices because this phone had/has an issue with mic not working in some situations during normal phone calls. I did many test and found out something interesting. The transition from Band 4 to Band 12 where the signal of Band 12 drops to -101 dBm or more, then people on the other side couldn't hear me. I would be completely satisfied with HTC 10 and wouldn't buy a Pixel(didn't receive it yet, but should get it next week). I am personally kind of concerned about the issue I have described here because Pixel was made by HTC. Does anyone know if there are mic issues(or experienced this) that I have outlined here?

I sold my HTC 10 after using the 5" Pixel for two - weeks hands down smoother and better device. Camera rocks and the wight is hands down a seller. I actually bought a back up Pixel as well.

thanks for the thought.. im still deciding, and swappa has lime 55 of them fopr sale.. just trying to get someone to drop a little more.

I like the screen on the pixel better, and it seems faster (more responsive ui). However the 10's speaker was way better.

Would you still buy a Pixel 3 today?

The reason I'm asking is that I'm looking to replace my Pixel 2, but it is not urgent. Right now, Google is offering $200 off a Pixel 3, which sounds like a good deal. However, they slyly have the sale ending on May 6, and on May 7 they will be announcing something new, which is of course rumored to be the Pixel 3a. So what to do?
I like all the features that the Pixel 3 has -- similar to my Pixel 2 actually -- but realistically I don't need or use a lot of them. For instance, nothing that I do requires the fastest processor out there; I don't really care what the case is made of since I put a bumper case on it right away; I use the camera mainly when traveling, but take fewer pictures than I used to; and I've taken about a half dozen selfies in my life!
So should I get a discounted 3 knowing that the 3a (IF that's what it is) might have something even better (like a bigger battery), or just forget it all and wait for the Pixel 4? What would you do?

So, I got a free upgrade to the pixel 3 from the pixel 2 in January and honestly, if its not urgent I wouldn't recommend doing it.
Yes the pixel 3 camera is better, but the 2's camera still takes pictures comparable to any flagship, and I can't personally see a difference in the pictures I take day to day.
In terms of UI, I'd actually say the pixel 2 provided a smoother experience, though I've never seen the devices side by side so can't say so for sure. (other people have also suggested this is true)
Major thing for me is that I've experienced worse battery performance, especially when on standby mode, which I think is due to pie, as when upgrading from oreo to pie on my pixel 2 I saw similar results.
And its likely that the pixel 3 will see a price drop once the next gen pixel line is out anyway, so if price is a concern, I don't see why you shouldn't just wait it out either way

rochrunner said:
The reason I'm asking is that I'm looking to replace my Pixel 2, but it is not urgent. Right now, Google is offering $200 off a Pixel 3, which sounds like a good deal....What would you do?
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Forget it. Wait until the Pixel 4. The P3 has a lot of problems with the display and for $650 with tax it's simply not worth it.

Thanks all for the intelligent, reasonable advice (hard to come by online these days!). I've decided to wait until the P4 is out since I can always fall back to whatever the May 7 product is, or a reduced P3. Price is not really a factor from an absolute standpoint, but I don't want to pay more for something that what it's worth to me. In any case, Fall is a much better time for me to get a new device since I'll be curtailing my summer activities by then and will be looking for something to occupy my time for a while.

No. I mostly love the phone but the lack of proper 60fps on the camera needing me to use 3rd party apps to get usable video kills it for me.

What I would do is buy a pixel 3 @ eBay with large discount and keep it for 4 years ?

I found these sealed, brand new in box Pixel 2 on eBay for incredibly cheap - just £275, claims to have extended 2 years warranty too (item number 293056131709). Want to buy Pixel 2 for my sister's birthday, but listing smells fishy - claims to post from Essex UK, but posting takes 14 days, so clearly the phones are not UK models and come from somewhere else. Previously I had 3 different Sony Z3c and last one wasn't UK model - very, very different quality product...

For my opinion just wait for pixel 4 im using pixel 3 now but so far i like smsung it just everything it better samsung s10 i had so many issue from pixel 3 camera bokeh not copletly good some reason doesn't perfect for 1 camera and software and some photos by google canot be open it was dispointing when you gonna uplod picture to intagram and the picture canot be open how do feel?
Speker does good but when you play music in half volume you will feel vibrant in back and your hand
Pixel 3 its small some time typo for me
Some issue in the screen greeny but mine still look ok but when you open color dark grey yiu will see thats green color show up
If i have change im gonna sell or switch this phone to samsung s10

I replaced a Nexus 6 with a Pixel 3. The wife has an original Pixel, and sees no reason up update to the 3. If I HAD to buy a phone today, I would still get the P3, but I sure would not upgrade from a P2 at this time. I don't think the 3a is going to have anything to offer you - I might look at getting my son one because the Moto X4 is getting long in the tooth, but would only consider it if in the $300 range.

IMO the 50% off deal from Fi last week (making the phone $399) was worth it, but I wouldn't do it for $200 off. The phone is under powered/slow. The 3a is going make a slow phone even slower, so definitely would avoid that like the plague.

mdmogren said:
IMO the 50% off deal from Fi last week (making the phone $399) was worth it, but I wouldn't do it for $200 off. The phone is under powered/slow. The 3a is going make a slow phone even slower, so definitely would avoid that like the plague.
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I got my Pixel 3 during that sale. For $429(tax included) this phone is so worth it at that price.

yes definitely.. can't see around another pretty compact phone as good as p3

Nope. Not at the current price. Average hardware and average form factor, regional software enhancements(call screen, etc great I'd you're n.america but ****.outaide of that), tons of continuing bugs and issues.
I'd wait and get the oneplus 7 where you're at least gonna get more bang for the buck

Xdevillived666 said:
Nope. Not at the current price. Average hardware and average form factor, regional software enhancements(call screen, etc great I'd you're n.america but ****.outaide of that), tons of continuing bugs and issues.
I'd wait and get the oneplus 7 where you're at least gonna get more bang for the buck
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op7 with edged screen? no thanks lol
I'm literally having 0 issues or problems with my p3, but that's maybe due to the fact I'm running custom...? ( i got rid of stock since day 1) dunno..

FcukBloat said:
op7 with edged screen? no thanks lol
I'm literally having 0 issues or problems with my p3, but that's maybe due to the fact I'm running custom...? ( i got rid of stock since day 1) dunno..
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Neither am I so far but lots of users are. It's not very good for Googles rep/the consumer to have as many issues as these phones have been having at such a high price point. They wanna be premium they need to offer it by doing better than what I previously mentioned.

For a good deal yes! I bought the p3 when it was half off. Phone has been very snappy despite having 3x less ram than my previous OnePlus 6t McLaren. But for full retail not worth it for me

Just traded my OP6 8/128 for a Pixel 3. Half the RAM Is the only thing that sometimes bother me on certain situations. But overall is really snappy, and the touch latency Is the best I've ever had on an android device... Camera is spectacular. But, if you have the Pixel 2 i wouldn't bother and wait for the P4.

Compare to S10/S10 Plus, I would say its good deal. So... Why not?

The 3a looks promising as well, maybe that's the more adequate purchase

luckana said:
The 3a looks promising as well, maybe that's the more adequate purchase
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only problem is the front cam.. in regular p3 it is simply wonderful, in 3a it is a clear downgrade.. but if you don't use it that much no problem..

Returning Home? Back to Sammy?

Haven't had a Note since I sold my note 5 to get a Nexus 6p.. I always loved that phone, the specs, and then pen, but really coveted a vanilla Android experience for a while there. After being torn between nexus, pixel, and OnePlus phones for the last three or four years I've been really considering the 20 ultra..
Verizon is offering me 550 for trade in on the pixel 4 XL and some other incentives if I agree to a 2-year $22 a month payment type thing period sounds like an incredible deal especially including the trade-in value for that 4xl, knowing that even the unlocked 128 gig version and mint condition is probably not going to go much more than 450 if that....
They are requiring me to sign up my family for unlimited, I think I can live with that. Does this seem like a good deal or are there other avenues? I figured out the payments and it was a little under $500 plus the value of my pixel 4 XL..
Definitely have missed the note series something fierce over the years. Any tips? Anybody going caseless? I'm a pretty minimal phone guy, tend to enjoy the spigen thin case for the d brand grip.. definitely enjoy minimalist things but definitely want to increase the grip.. am I dumb for considering this switch or is it a no-brainer?

kickenwing13 said:
Haven't had a Note since I sold my note 5 to get a Nexus 6p.. I always loved that phone, the specs, and then pen, but really coveted a vanilla Android experience for a while there. After being torn between nexus, pixel, and OnePlus phones for the last three or four years I've been really considering the 20 ultra..
Verizon is offering me 550 for trade in on the pixel 4 XL and some other incentives if I agree to a 2-year $22 a month payment type thing period sounds like an incredible deal especially including the trade-in value for that 4xl, knowing that even the unlocked 128 gig version and mint condition is probably not going to go much more than 450 if that....
They are requiring me to sign up my family for unlimited, I think I can live with that. Does this seem like a good deal or are there other avenues? I figured out the payments and it was a little under $500 plus the value of my pixel 4 XL..
Definitely have missed the note series something fierce over the years. Any tips? Anybody going caseless? I'm a pretty minimal phone guy, tend to enjoy the spigen thin case for the d brand grip.. definitely enjoy minimalist things but definitely want to increase the grip.. am I dumb for considering this switch or is it a no-brainer?
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Correction, today's random Verizon chat guy is telling me that doesn't qualify for me even though we just spent two hours going over the unlimited plan based on what last night's rep told me.

The 10+ is still a powerful Note if you can get a good deal and don't mind the fixed refresh rate and slightly slower processor/memory. Go with the 512 gb version and 5G if you need it. I would leave it running on Pie as it's a stable, fast platform with no scoop storage to waste cpu cycles and battery.
Both Notes lack the latest bt chipset and can never support AptX-HD. The most advanced HQ codecs they will ever support is LDAC and SSC. A major Samsung audio upgrade fail. Using the bottom mounted C port for HQ audio is cumbersome at best.
I've been considering upgrading to the 20U. However the price tag, issues with protecting its huge square cam hump,the same bt lackluster audio as the 10+, display complaints and the fact it's running on Q dampen my enthusiasm. My 10+ still is a fast, fun machine that's now fully optimized... so Sammy is that all you got?
Do Not use either without a good case; the only thing they love to do more than corner hit is faceplant. With an almost nonexistent bezel these heavy phones can be easily damaged by a drop onto a hard surface. I recommend the Bolt case. Easy to hold, use and takes a beating like Ali.
A screen protector is highly recommended after the factory installed one (if present) wears out. It saved my screen more than once from marring.
The curved screen on both phones makes finding a screen protector/case much more difficult.
However I make good use of the curved portions with the app One Handed Operation plus... so I've come to really like it.
Both are fun, big, capable machines with drop dead gorgeous displays that are positively addictive to use.
As for deal breaking, tell that reject wannabe used car salesman to go pound sand... AT&T is the next best bet as far as coverage in the US in rural areas.

blackhawk said:
The 10+ is still a powerful Note if you can get a good deal and don't mind the fixed refresh rate and slightly slower processor/memory. Go with the 512 gb version and 5G if you need it. I would leave it running on Pie as it's a stable, fast platform with no scoop storage to waste cpu cycles and battery.
Both Notes lack the latest bt chipset and can never support AptX-HD. The most advanced HQ codecs they will ever support is LDAC and SSC. A major Samsung audio upgrade fail. Using the bottom mounted C port for HQ audio is cumbersome at best.
I've been considering upgrading to the 20U. However the price tag, issues with protecting its huge square cam hump,the same bt lackluster audio as the 10+, display complaints and the fact it's running on Q dampen my enthusiasm. My 10+ still is a fast, fun machine that's now fully optimized... so Sammy is that all you got?
Do Not use either without a good case; the only thing they love to do more than corner hit is faceplant. With an almost nonexistent bezel these heavy phones can be easily damaged by a drop onto a hard surface. I recommend the Bolt case. Easy to hold, use and takes a beating like Ali.
A screen protector is highly recommended after the factory installed one (if present) wears out. It saved my screen more than once from marring.
The curved screen on both phones makes finding a screen protector/case much more difficult.
However I make good use of the curved portions with the app One Handed Operation plus... so I've come to really like it.
Both are fun, big, capable machines with drop dead gorgeous displays that are positively addictive to use.
As for deal breaking, tell that reject wannabe used car salesman to go pound sand... AT&T is the next best bet as far as coverage in the US in rural areas.
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Unfortunately I live in one of those counties where AT&t literally doesn't work in my hometown, a small village on a main highway. Family has just been on Verizon so long. Good deal, it would be nice if there was enough competition too go back and forth always taking the best deal like people started doing with TV providers. Thank you for the in-depth breakdown, that certainly slowed down my upgrade train. Been sitting there going back and forth in and out of Samsung website considering ordering since I left the Verizon store.
Currently on the pixel 4 xl. Love it. Just getting frustrated with the face unlock. Being that at work I'm always in a mask. Considered waiting for a Black Friday OnePlus 8 pro deal, still miss my seven pro sometimes just because it ran like a dream and the 12 GB variant

kickenwing13 said:
Unfortunately I live in one of those counties where AT&t literally doesn't work in my hometown, a small village on a main highway. Family has just been on Verizon so long. Good deal, it would be nice if there was enough competition too go back and forth always taking the best deal like people started doing with TV providers. Thank you for the in-depth breakdown, that certainly slowed down my upgrade train. Been sitting there going back and forth in and out of Samsung website considering ordering since I left the Verizon store.
Currently on the pixel 4 xl. Love it. Just getting frustrated with the face unlock. Being that at work I'm always in a mask. Considered waiting for a Black Friday OnePlus 8 pro deal, still miss my seven pro sometimes just because it ran like a dream and the 12 GB variant
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Click to collapse
Just can't imagine going to a Hertz refresh rate screen after being on 90 Hertz for the last year and a half or so

kickenwing13 said:
Unfortunately I live in one of those counties where AT&t literally doesn't work in my hometown, a small village on a main highway. Family has just been on Verizon so long. Good deal, it would be nice if there was enough competition too go back and forth always taking the best deal like people started doing with TV providers. Thank you for the in-depth breakdown, that certainly slowed down my upgrade train. Been sitting there going back and forth in and out of Samsung website considering ordering since I left the Verizon store.
Currently on the pixel 4 xl. Love it. Just getting frustrated with the face unlock. Being that at work I'm always in a mask. Considered waiting for a Black Friday OnePlus 8 pro deal, still miss my seven pro sometimes just because it ran like a dream and the 12 GB variant
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AT&T is a pain too.... as they are partnered with Samsung in ways which seldom serves the customer well. In the US they are Verizon's leading competitor with almost as good coverage.
If you can wait, I would for the next generation or even longer.
If not go with the 10+ or 20U whichever you like more. The 10+ will come loaded with Pie hopefully, if so stay on it. I still don't consider Q an upgrade. Pie has been stable and secure for me for over a year.
If you have an account with Verizon talk to their retention dept or whatever they call it. They can offer deals that sales can't many times. Keep beating at them... as long and as many calls as it takes. Time is on your side if you use it.
One of Samsung's greatest charms is customization and no other Android matches it. It's a very desirable smartphone especially if you want to make look it and act like you want it to.
No 3rd party launchers or rooting needed.
Do get PD MDM package blocker to kill the bloatware, block updates you don't want and more.
The way I get around the unlock trash is by not using it; 2 taps the 10+ is on, 2 taps it's off.
Saves resources, time and frustration.

Can we confirm the unlocked version works fine on verizon? I was hoping to get Wi-Fi calling but I do have a network extender so I'm sure there are workarounds like Google voice to do some Wi-Fi calling if I really needed it. Everything I read says it has the technical capabilities but Verizon is making it hard. Can anyone confirm?

blackhawk said:
AT&T is a pain too.... as they are partnered with Samsung in ways which seldom serves the customer well. In the US they are Verizon's leading competitor with almost as good coverage.
If you can wait, I would for the next generation or even longer.
If not go with the 10+ or 20U whichever you like more. The 10+ will come loaded with Pie hopefully, if so stay on it. I still don't consider Q an upgrade. Pie has been stable and secure for me for over a year.
If you have an account with Verizon talk to their retention dept or whatever they call it. They can offer deals that sales can't many times. Keep beating at them... as long and as many calls as it takes. Time is on your side if you use it.
One of Samsung's greatest charms is customization and no other Android matches it. It's a very desirable smartphone especially if you want to make look it and act like you want it to.
No 3rd party launchers or rooting needed.
Do get PD MDM package blocker to kill the bloatware, block updates you don't want and more.
The way I get around the unlock trash is by not using it; 2 taps the 10+ is on, 2 taps it's off.
Saves resources, time and frustration.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Considered the note 10 plus .. going to start seeing a lot more of them but I guess I'm just worried about that screen. I really have enjoyed 90 hertz. Just having a hard time convincing myself that going back to 60 hertz for anything would be an upgrade no matter how much I would enjoy the pen and Samsung pay and some of the other things that I haven't had a chance to play around with

kickenwing13 said:
Unfortunately I live in one of those counties where AT&t literally doesn't work in my hometown, a small village on a main highway. Family has just been on Verizon so long. Good deal, it would be nice if there was enough competition too go back and forth always taking the best deal like people started doing with TV providers. Thank you for the in-depth breakdown, that certainly slowed down my upgrade train. Been sitting there going back and forth in and out of Samsung website considering ordering since I left the Verizon store.
Currently on the pixel 4 xl. Love it. Just getting frustrated with the face unlock. Being that at work I'm always in a mask. Considered waiting for a Black Friday OnePlus 8 pro deal, still miss my seven pro sometimes just because it ran like a dream and the 12 GB variant
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Click to collapse
kickenwing13 said:
Considered the note 10 plus .. going to start seeing a lot more of them but I guess I'm just worried about that screen. I really have enjoyed 90 hertz. Just having a hard time convincing myself that going back to 60 hertz for anything would be an upgrade no matter how much I would enjoy the pen and Samsung pay and some of the other things that I haven't had a chance to play around with
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't say myself as I never had a refresh rate faster than 60hz. Smoother scrolling be nice...
The 10+ has zero display issues though and may be brighter than the 20U. The fact that the 10+ 512 gb is holding its price well is telling.
Since I have the 10+ running on Pie, the OS is a prime consideration for myself. I have it optimized now, it's a fast, stable, efficient platform as are the apks I'm using. Add to that there's more online support for 10+ (including older Notes) and Pie. Frequently that's what I use to help solve many issues. The cost and learning curve to go to the 20U simply aren't worth it.
Samsung didn't provide enough incentive.
Will you have 5G in the foreseeable future? The 5G variants add more sauce to the goose for trouble.
Q definitely does mean trouble especially after Playstore requires scope storage for all apps. My office app which is free would fail and no equalilant alternatives exist. Some of my favorite apks that use overlays be killed as well.
Google made another mess... I don't have to play in it.
Keep researching the different lines.
No rush though as it will be a buyer's market for quit some time
Do what serves you best and pick which features you want the most.
Either model will be fun or simply wait for a better one to come out.
Here are some current screen shots making use of Good Lock apps, stock Samsung launcher/theme/icon packs with Color Wallpaper apk providing the wallpaper.

blackhawk said:
Can't say myself as I never had a refresh rate faster than 60hz. Smoother scrolling be nice...
The 10+ has zero display issues though and may be brighter than the 20U. The fact that the 10+ 512 gb is holding its price well is telling.
Since I have the 10+ running on Pie, the OS is a prime consideration for myself. I have it optimized now, it's a fast, stable, efficient platform as are the apks I'm using. Add to that there's more online support for 10+ (including older Notes) and Pie. Frequently that's what I use to help solve many issues. The cost and learning curve to go to the 20U simply aren't worth it.
Samsung didn't provide enough incentive.
Will you have 5G in the foreseeable future? The 5G variants add more sauce to the goose for trouble.
Q definitely does mean trouble especially after Playstore requires scope storage for all apps. My office app which is free would fail and no equalilant alternatives exist. Some of my favorite apks that use overlays be killed as well.
Google made another mess... I don't have to play in it.
Keep researching the different lines.
No rush though as it will be a buyer's market for quit some time
Do what serves you best and pick which features you want the most.
Either model will be fun or simply wait for a better one to come out.
Here are some current screen shots making use of Good Lock apps, stock Samsung launcher/theme/icon packs with Color Wallpaper apk providing the wallpaper.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks dude period pretty sold right now but at least talked into waiting till Black Friday and seeing if they sweeten the pot a little.. if not I may just make a sideways move and go with the pixel five, get the rear fingerprint sensor back which I think is my most missed feature

You are welcome kickwing13.
Major weakness with the P5 is storage.
Even 250 gb isn't enough for me. Currently I have roughly 1 tb of storage, 220 gb alone are used for .wav files.
The P5's blue tooth supports AptX-HD but not LDAC?
That may not matter but it limits your bt audio options.
Samsung on the other hand has their propiatory SSC and LDAC as well but sadly no AptX-HD (or higher) hardware support. The weak bt chipsets in the new Sammy's really ticked me off.
Good wishes making the choice that best suits your needs.
Even with these new big bad phones it you still need to make compromises

blackhawk said:
Can't say myself as I never had a refresh rate faster than 60hz. Smoother scrolling be nice...
The 10+ has zero display issues though and may be brighter than the 20U. The fact that the 10+ 512 gb is holding its price well is telling.
Since I have the 10+ running on Pie, the OS is a prime consideration for myself. I have it optimized now, it's a fast, stable, efficient platform as are the apks I'm using. Add to that there's more online support for 10+ (including older Notes) and Pie. Frequently that's what I use to help solve many issues. The cost and learning curve to go to the 20U simply aren't worth it.
Samsung didn't provide enough incentive.
Will you have 5G in the foreseeable future? The 5G variants add more sauce to the goose for trouble.
Q definitely does mean trouble especially after Playstore requires scope storage for all apps. My office app which is free would fail and no equalilant alternatives exist. Some of my favorite apks that use overlays be killed as well.
Google made another mess... I don't have to play in it.
Keep researching the different lines.
No rush though as it will be a buyer's market for quit some time
Do what serves you best and pick which features you want the most.
Either model will be fun or simply wait for a better one to come out.
Here are some current screen shots making use of Good Lock apps, stock Samsung launcher/theme/icon packs with Color Wallpaper apk providing the wallpaper.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How's the under the screen ear piece speaker working out?

Limeybastard said:
How's the under the screen ear piece speaker working out?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Works fine on calls. Ok for vids but if you want anything the sounds good you need put the Buds in.
For music it's dreadful... not really a surprise*.
Any improvement on the 20U?
*this is on the 10+

blackhawk said:
Works fine on calls. Ok for vids but if you want anything the sounds good you need put the Buds in.
For music it's dreadful... not really a surprise*.
Any improvement on the 20U?
*this is on the 10+
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I never owned a note 10 plus to compare with to be honest. I'm wondering if it didn't work out well hence the n20u didn't implement this type of ear piece. The note 10 plus has the pen on the correct side though? ?

Limeybastard said:
I never owned a note 10 plus to compare with to be honest. I'm wondering if it didn't work out well hence the n20u didn't implement this type of ear piece. The note 10 plus has the pen on the correct side though?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My first Note, it's on the right side.
Lol, the power button isn't though and they forgot the 3 5 mm jack they use to raze Apple for removing. Maybe the next Note will have the spen going through the middle of the screen... for convenience.

blackhawk said:
My first Note, it's on the right side.
Lol, the power button isn't though and they forgot the 3 5 mm jack they use to raze Apple for removing. Maybe the next Note will have the spen going through the middle of the screen... for convenience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd hazard a guess they'll put it back to the right side.

Limeybastard said:
I'd hazard a guess they'll put it back to the right side.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You never know what that box of rabid gerbils will brain storm next... maybe all the buttons will be on the right side.
The button thing doesn't really bother me but the 3.5 mm jack does.
No jack makes audio diagnostics harder too. Lol, that cost Samsung an open box special from me... suck it up Sammy.

Took advantage of 300 of through Best Buy. Probably could have held off until Thanksgiving but was happy with 300 off

kickenwing13 said:
Took advantage of 300 of through Best Buy. Probably could have held off until Thanksgiving but was happy with 300 off
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Click to collapse
Best buy has the unlocked with no activation available currently for 1099 plus tax. According to their black friday flier they'll have 450 off with activation later for black friday probably off the original msrp of 1299.. But by the time you pay for a months of service and stop service etc get unlocked blah blah that savings figure will shrink.
In any case I personally wouldn't even consider a single sim device, especially at this price point.

Limeybastard said:
Best buy has the unlocked with no activation available currently for 1099 plus tax. According to their black friday flier they'll have 450 off with activation later for black friday probably off the original msrp of 1299.. But by the time you pay for a months of service and stop service etc get unlocked blah blah that savings figure will shrink.
In any case I personally wouldn't even consider a single sim device, especially at this price point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Understandable for sure. I'm sure something better will pop up closer to Thanksgiving and I'll kick myself a little bit. But still excited, this is as future proof as any device I could get in 2020 for my needs and it keeps me from having to use my 2012 Galaxy note 10.1 anytime I want to mess around with an s pen.

Question worth the "upgrade"?

I currently have an S9+, and aside from the battery dying much quicker than it used to, it still runs fine. I was looking at trading in for the S21+ since T-Mobile has a decent offer, but I'm having trouble deciding if it's worth it. The specs don't look to be that huge of a leap above what I have now, slightly faster processor and slightly more memory, and the screen resolution is actually a downgrade. Plus, no SD card.
The Ultra looks like it would be, but I don't want to spend quite that much. I'm not seeing enough to convince me on the 21+ Am I missing something or is it really not worth upgrading?

BradHP said:
I currently have an S9+, and aside from the battery dying much quicker than it used to, it still runs fine. I was looking at trading in for the S21+ since T-Mobile has a decent offer, but I'm having trouble deciding if it's worth it. The specs don't look to be that huge of a leap above what I have now, slightly faster processor and slightly more memory, and the screen resolution is actually a downgrade. Plus, no SD card.
The Ultra looks like it would be, but I don't want to spend quite that much. I'm not seeing enough to convince me on the 21+ Am I missing something or is it really not worth upgrading?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Jump on the hype train my dude ! Look at funny camera holes, not good 4 trypophobia lul
Spoiler: Me ranting about the design
No seriously, I think the upgrade is more on the look and feel side than anything else, and my personal tastes don't really hate the new design but don't love it either. It's like they tried to be revolutionary, then someone on twitter told them the first design was offensive to the [insert random common point, physical trait, interests and tastes] group of people, so they sanatized it so everyone would not feel it's awful. Well it worked, I don't think it awful but damn that's booooooorrriiiiiiiiiinnng.
in short I think you're fine with what you have, and i may even say try to look elsewhere a little, you might find your true love (in phone of course) in another brand
Have a nice day.

Raiz said:
Jump on the hype train my dude ! Look at funny camera holes, not good 4 trypophobia lul
Spoiler: Me ranting about the design
No seriously, I think the upgrade is more on the look and feel side than anything else, and my personal tastes don't really hate the new design but don't love it either. It's like they tried to be revolutionary, then someone on twitter told them the first design was offensive to the [insert random common point, physical trait, interests and tastes] group of people, so they sanatized it so everyone would not feel it's awful. Well it worked, I don't think it awful but damn that's booooooorrriiiiiiiiiinnng.
in short I think you're fine with what you have, and i may even say try to look elsewhere a little, you might find your true love (in phone of course) in another brand
Have a nice day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I'm already leaning towards not getting the S21. I don't understand how it's barely an upgrade (and in some ways a downgrade) from the phone I've had for 3 years. Looking into the OnePlus 8T right now.

BradHP said:
Thanks, I'm already leaning towards not getting the S21. I don't understand how it's barely an upgrade (and in some ways a downgrade) from the phone I've had for 3 years. Looking into the OnePlus 8T right now.
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Click to collapse
I have a OP8. OnePlus is. A good brand, but if you prefer smaller phones (which I doubt since you had samsung phones lol), check Google Pixels

Yeah, I like the biggest screen I can afford. Watch a lot of Netflix/Prime/Youtube on the go. I already went ahead and ordered that OnePlus 8T after reading more reviews and the forums here. Can't beat the price of free when I trade in the S9.

I decided to upgrade from my Note 9 to the 21+. Why? Because I felt like it and got a great deal from AT&T on my trade in. My Note was running fine, but it is getting a little long in the tooth since It's been 2+ years.
I chose the Plus because I wanted the bigger screen and bigger battery. The glass vs plastic wasn't an issue for me, I'd have been fine with either. I also didn't want to spend the $$$ for the Ultra since I'm not a big photo person, just a casual photographer for personal purposes. The plus was just in that nice sweet spot for me, and I knew this would be the last flagship that I'd get the big $800 credit from AT&T for a trade-in, so I figured I might as well take advantage while I could.

How much the battery on your S9+ last?
With the S21+ you will have twice the battery time. The 1080+ screen actually increases battery time by about 20-30% over the unncecessarily high (IMO) QHD+ resolution
And apart from battery is far better in processor power of course, and an upgrade in genearl in many ways... On screen fingerprint reader, much faster one, far better cameras, better audio, and so on

Definitely worth it. My last phone is exynos s9+ and definitely s21+ (exynos) double performance and double the battery life

I came from a VZW Pixel 3aXl....to a Unlocked phone... seems like an upgrade to me, plus I got 200 bucks tradein

BradHP said:
I currently have an S9+, and aside from the battery dying much quicker than it used to, it still runs fine. I was looking at trading in for the S21+ since T-Mobile has a decent offer, but I'm having trouble deciding if it's worth it. The specs don't look to be that huge of a leap above what I have now, slightly faster processor and slightly more memory, and the screen resolution is actually a downgrade. Plus, no SD card.
The Ultra looks like it would be, but I don't want to spend quite that much. I'm not seeing enough to convince me on the 21+ Am I missing something or is it really not worth upgrading?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The s21 Plus looks great but honestly I went from Samsung to Sony to Huawei to Xiaomi and I find Xiaomi to be the best, decent custom ROM support and good hardware, a lot cheaper than Samsung devices too. Maybe take a look at the Mi 10 Ultra? Not sure about where you are from though, afaik you have to import them into the UK. If you don't mind flashing a new ROM to your phone and tinkering around with it, I'd go for a Xiaomi. Big fan of Sony's though, the hardware is awesome and they're pretty much bloat free out of the box

I moved from S10+ to S21+ and I'm happy with the change because S21's screen is flat, the battery life improved, the camera improved a lot, the fingerprint scanner is way much better than s10+, I like the screen to be setup to 96Khz for example, still it has the crappy amoled with terrible PWM like most of the phones... If you have the S9+ that has much worse battery than s10+, the s21+ could be a good choice in all senses.
Take in consideration that Android 11 is still not very good in general and we need to wait 6 month till we will see an improvement.
I never been interested in the ultra because its curved screen, is not practical.

Like everyone else whether a device is an "upgrade" comes down to preferences, useful features which make a difference. Price is a consideration but not an issue if the device stacks up. Trade-in promotional pricing doesn't motivate me for a number of reasons. First off, I don't want to deal with carrier bloatware. Secondly, I don't care to enter into a muli-year commitment with any Service Provider. Lastly, all US Galaxy variants are bootloader locked.
My daily driver is an SM-G9750, S10 Plus, Hong Kong variant. I would enjoy Snapdragon's latest SoC found on the S21 but that's not saying the S10 Plus is slow, it's not. A larger battery is also appealing but I'm pretty sure I'll still need to charge the battery once a day. The cameras on the S21 Plus are the same as the S20 Plus and the only difference from the S10 Plus is a bit larger appiture. 5G is in it's infancy but at this time many of the useful iOT it will enable aren't yet available. Additionally, many 5G users state it's not much faster if any, than a good 4G pipe but at this time for device manufacturers and service providers 5G is a goldmine, the greatest marketing scheme since light beer. Based on my preferences these are issues I have with the S21 Plus.
1) No MicroSD. Sorry but I have zero faith in Cloud Storage, not only for data security but privacy as well. Samsung has also reduced internal storage capacity. 256 GB isn't enough, I have to close double that amount on my MicroSD already and adding more every week. It also saves time when you need to transfer data to a new device.
2) Camera Housing. The S21 camera module is an improvement over the S20 which is awful. It blends into the frame a bit better but it still doesn't lay flat and will snag coming in and out of pant pockets. It also degrades the device's symmetry. Samsung has like many of their competitors have gone overboard with multiple lenses. I'm certain if you had a photo from an S10 and another from an S21 side by side, you wouldn't be able to tell which device created the snaps. That's the trend in mobile phones but if you want really great photos, use a camera not your phone.
3) 3.5mm Jack. Wired audio is the gold standard, Bluetooth doesn't compare and who wants the hassle with charging buds? Yes, I can buy new earphones with a USB connector if I don't want to use a dongle but then I can't charge my device while listening to audio files, which I do often. Plus I really like my earphones, they sound great!
3) Flat Display. I like the look of Immersive Displays. I do a lot of gaming and watch a ton of movies or videos. A curved display doesn't bother me at all.
4) Size. The s21 Plus and Ultra aren't pocket phones. They're huge, closing in on tablet size, just too big! I prefer a device I can easily slip in and out of my front pocket. If I went with an S21 it would fit well but sacrifice a number of features.
5) Screen Resolution. Not sure in most instances if I could tell the difference between 1080 X 2400 and 1440 X 3040 Pixels but why downgrade on an "upgrade"?
6) No Earphones or Charger. Not my biggest issues but then again isn't the S21 Plus supposed to be an "upgrade" over my current device?

samsung offered me a crazy good deal. traded in my note 20 which sucked anyway. gave me a huge trade in credit. only 199 which they jacked to 260 something with bogus shipping fee and tax. free galaxy buds plus. 200 dollar credit towards accessories. it was a crazy good pre order deal. its always the cheapskates who ask questions like this. of course your old phone battery is ****. thats gonna happen. is it worth it? if the phone has better features [except for losing MST] and costs next to nothing in trade hell yes it is. samsung gives me great offers and has since 2 years ago when I traded my S8+ in for an S10+.

I just bought it and upgraded from S8+
Apart from battery I can barely see any notable improvement so I imagine that from the S9 the improvement is even smaller.
I thought my phone was dead so I bought a new one. I then starting playing with the OS and "Odin"ed the **** out of it and now I have 2 almost identical phones.
Still worth for me as my old S8+ is not working properly with the camera and GPS but if the hardware would have been ok, I probably wouldn't have upgraded.

For me: Worth it 100x over. My previous phone was an lg g7 thinq.
That thing took a beating and was quite the loyal device.
However, it was my carrier that ultimately decided I jump ship and upgrade. After their recent merger, I began to roam in my upstairs office. Started to miss calls and texts. Bad bad bad.
So, as I said I jumped ship; to a carrier affiliated with my internet provider *cough*.
I looked over their offerings, and the S21+ jumped out as being the "best bang for the buck".
Never had a Samsung device before, but so far I'm loving it! My wife got one too, and she feels the same.
Got the 256GB variant, and that gave me some relief, as the lg was starting to act funky as I had to move a lot of apps to an sd card so I wouldn't run out of space.
Again, for me, totally worth it. Feels like I went from a buick to a lamborghini!

Am I late to jump on the bandwagon? Anyway, I just received mine a week ago and here are my thoughts why this should be worth or doesn't worth to be upgrade.
I came from Huawei P20 Pro. IMHO if you're holding last year models such as P40 Pro or Galaxy S20, you shouldn't upgrade to this one unless you're offered with a crazy trade-in deal.
So, if your phone is older than last year models? Like S9, S10, Huawei P20 Pro, or iPhoneX etc, the specs worth an upgrade, but the price is still arguable. You shouldn't get this one on MSRP. Only do it if there is some sweet deals. For example, in Brazil, they added a SF charger for free. That's the least deal you should go for. For me, in SG, I've received Galaxy Buds Pro and a Samsung 10k mAh Wireless Charging Power Bank, and a Samsung Clear Case. That deal is a can't miss one.
Storage-wise, on my previous P20 Pro, which is 128 gb, it barely hit to 80 gb after 2 years of photos and video recording. Have a few gb of songs downloaded but nothing else. I didn't install big-ass games. So, for this one, 256 Gb should last long enough for me. In case if the storage run out, I'll simply backup the large files to my PC and carry on. No big issue on the storage.
No audio jack is a bummer. My P20 Pro also doesn't come with a round hole, but at least, they throw a cheap USB to 3.5mm adapter in the box. Samsung even doesn't bother with it. So unless if you get a pair of Buds Pro like me, you should get some Bluetooth headphones, or if you still prefer your wire earphones, get those kind of adapters that you can plug-in your charger and 3.5mm audio jack at the same time.
For display, I didn't buy any of the previous Galaxy phones because of that waterfall edge display. Didn't fancy a curve edge especially because it's very hard to get a good screen protector. This flat screen is perfect for me. The issue comes where I have to decide between FHD 120Hz and UHD 60Hz display. I used to use UHD display on my LG V20, and if someone said the pixels are not noticeable, I'd surely give him a pair of glasses. They're very noticeable, but 120Hz wins over the 60Hz, so, I have to pick-up the FHD again.
For an Asian, I got a pretty big hands, so size of this phone is not a problem, especially it is even slimmer than some other smaller screen phones. But when your screen is 6.7" and FHD, the pixel density goes below 400 dpi (398 dpi to be exact). If you've got an OCD for this, get an S21, because it has got higher dpi than the S21 Plus.
To wrap things up, the deciding factor for me to choose this phone over other contenders such as OnePlus 8T, Mi 11 etc are as follows.
- Not Chinese Brand (currently, we're boycotting as much Chinese brands as possible)
- Excellent camera setup. (Easy win over OP 8T)
- larger battery
- sweet deals (to receive $300 worth of freebies for a $1000 phone is undeniable).

General Pixel 6 v OP9

What do you guys think of the new Pixel 6 that was (sort of) announced? Anyone planning to switch over when it gets released this fall?
Personally, I've constantly being going back and forth between Pixel and OnePlus devices.
I was thinking of sticking with OnePlus this time around but I've been dealing with poor RAM management on this device as well as feeling like the camera partnership with Hasselblad didn't live up to its hype. Tweaking just the colour science isn't enough for me, and it's unfortunate there's no OIS on the standard OnePlus 9 either.
The enhancements to the camera, particularly video recording on the Pixel 6 seems promising, so I'm pretty excited and I'm most likely going to switch!

I mean, even if the base model has OIS it'll be a vast improvement over the OP9. Hell, even EIS will destroy the OP9.

and it's unfortunate there's no OIS on the standard OnePlus 9 either.
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Click to collapse
im still so amazed how my OP6 has OIS and my "hasslebrand" advert focused 9 does not. it baffles me that call was made.
Ive tried every ROM and many camera apps on each of them, all of them have such terrible camera issues with auto-focus times and whitebalance bleeding. Its hardly noticeable in videos and pictures but try to scan QR codes with it off another screen, if that QR code is a succession of them (say, for secure crypto wallet confirmations on a hardware wallet) it makes it IMPOSSIBLE to do without optimal lighting and YOU moving the phone around until its focus/lighting can play along. its so bad, Ive kept my OP6 instead of selling it.
I have other issues but Id like to end on a positive for OP. My 9 has had 2 issues and both were caused by me flashing ROMs. both times left the phone unable to use MSMToolkit and both times ive sent my phone in, free of charge, and got it back in complete working condition, free of charge. One was even a complete phone replacement. Not the easiest support system to utilize but as a non-warranty user, the 2nd time really shocked me i didnt have to pay a dime. I flashed the phone with MSM right when i got to to assure it worked and sure enough, it does. (and i didnt learn a damn thing because im running crDroid and loving it.) I'm almost certain both times were caused by the unofficial TWRP port for 9/9Pro, so I would avoid that at all costs.

Simply put, I will be making the switch.

Switching. Definitely switching.

I don't really care about phone cameras that much, so for me I'd rather keep the OP9 than go to a phone with a brand new SoC from a company known for very crappy first iterations, bad documentation, and bad support of their own products. These phones are going to be way too expensive for what they are (ugly as hell), when you can get a OP9 for probably half the price of the new Pixel phones.
I'd rather have an iPhone or overspend on a Samsung with a snapdragon than buy the pixel 6

orangekid said:
I don't really care about phone cameras that much, so for me I'd rather keep the OP9 than go to a phone with a brand new SoC from a company known for very crappy first iterations, bad documentation, and bad support of their own products. These phones are going to be way too expensive for what they are (ugly as hell), when you can get a OP9 for probably half the price of the new Pixel phones.
I'd rather have an iPhone or overspend on a Samsung with a snapdragon than buy the pixel 6
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can understand that but personally I tried iphone recently for about 2 months and I had to switch back to android. The 12 pro max was just too heavy and had too many things that annoyed me because android did it better lol. I haven't owned Samsung since the note 5 and I'll probably never own another Samsung phone. Their skin and their bloat apps are just not for me. Been with OnePlus a while but the OnePlus 9 really disappointed me. My phone overheats just browsing the internet or using WhatsApp. It's annoying and the battery life is crap especially compared to the 12 pro max I had.

toyanucci said:
I can understand that but personally I tried iphone recently for about 2 months and I had to switch back to android. The 12 pro max was just too heavy and had too many things that annoyed me because android did it better lol. I haven't owned Samsung since the note 5 and I'll probably never own another Samsung phone. Their skin and their bloat apps are just not for me. Been with OnePlus a while but the OnePlus 9 really disappointed me. My phone overheats just browsing the internet or using WhatsApp. It's annoying and the battery life is crap especially compared to the 12 pro max I had.
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ya my iPhone/Samsung comment was really more joking. My point is that if your OP9 overheats then that's a specific unit problem, like I would just get a different one, or a Oneplus 8 Pro, or even a xiaomi 11 Ultra. I feel like the new Google device is going to have major issues like new google stuff always does. If you think your phone has issues now wait until you play wiht a brand new SoC from the one company notorious for putting out half baked, half finished products that usually get canned.

orangekid said:
I don't really care about phone cameras that much, so for me I'd rather keep the OP9 than go to a phone with a brand new SoC from a company known for very crappy first iterations, bad documentation, and bad support of their own products. These phones are going to be way too expensive for what they are (ugly as hell), when you can get a OP9 for probably half the price of the new Pixel phones.
I'd rather have an iPhone or overspend on a Samsung with a snapdragon than buy the pixel 6
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The s21 overheats to bad I sold mind and got OnePlus 9 I don't think I will be going back to Samsung anytime soon I ain't sure if it's just the chip or just the phone but I did notice that OnePlus phone don't get hot like Samsung does

I'm keeping a watch on the Pixel 6 Pro as a possible next device....
Google Pixel 6 Pro
The Google Pixel 6 Pro is a 6.71" phone with a 1440x3120 120Hz display. The Google Tensor chipset is paired with 12GB of RAM and 128/256/512GB of storage. The main camera is 50+48+12MP and the selfie camera is 11.1MP. The battery has a 5003mAh capacity.
forum.xda-developers.com

P6 100% The ride has been good but will be coming to an end.

I love my Oneplus 9 honestly. No bugs or issues, no overheating. Battery life is good. no curved screen (I cannot STAND curved screens). I mean for me it just works. That 120hz screen is awesome. there's not too much bloat and it's easily rooted.
Plus you can get it for a really good price right now. The warp charge it comes with is cool basically a full charge from nothing in 25 minutes or so. And wireless charging. No other frills needed, camera is good enough for me.
I will see what hte Pixel 6 has in store for me, but honestly I think it's going to be overpriced and not much or any better than the current snapdragon 888 offerings. I like competition, and I hope the new tensor SoC will make Qualcomm worry and start pushing their chip designs (like what AMD is doing to Intel).
But for me, I really feel like I am going to ride or die with the OP9 until OP11 or Xiaomi Mi Mix 5/6 or something that is actually really cool. Samsung has a horrible UI, is overpriced, and is a bit boring for me. Pixel phones have been outdated when they are released with older chip hardware and small screens while having a high price tag.
Let's keep a close eye on the Pixel 6, I could always jump ship too if I it blows me away..

orangekid said:
I love my Oneplus 9 honestly. No bugs or issues, no overheating. Battery life is good. no curved screen (I cannot STAND curved screens). I mean for me it just works. That 120hz screen is awesome. there's not too much bloat and it's easily rooted.
Plus you can get it for a really good price right now. The warp charge it comes with is cool basically a full charge from nothing in 25 minutes or so. And wireless charging. No other frills needed, camera is good enough for me.
I will see what hte Pixel 6 has in store for me, but honestly I think it's going to be overpriced and not much or any better than the current snapdragon 888 offerings. I like competition, and I hope the new tensor SoC will make Qualcomm worry and start pushing their chip designs (like what AMD is doing to Intel).
But for me, I really feel like I am going to ride or die with the OP9 until OP11 or Xiaomi Mi Mix 5/6 or something that is actually really cool. Samsung has a horrible UI, is overpriced, and is a bit boring for me. Pixel phones have been outdated when they are released with older chip hardware and small screens while having a high price tag.
Let's keep a close eye on the Pixel 6, I could always jump ship too if I it blows me away..
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I'm skeptical yet excited at the same time. Really hoping Google blows us all away with a beast of a device!

rickysidhu_ said:
I'm skeptical yet excited at the same time. Really hoping Google blows us all away with a beast of a device!
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Well I loved the Nexus One, which might still be my favorite new phone release to this day, so I guess it's not impossible.

still on cdDroid. love the built in buds control. other roms are reporting bluetooth playback issues, mine isnt.
My pixel dialer features broke for a day but the latest module fixed it https://github.com/Magisk-Modules-Repo/GoogleDialerFramework (just know, i run beta releases of messages, phone and carrier services alone with having the originals disabled.
if you want pixel 6 AI voicscreening, install the modual then clear cache of google play, google services and reboot!
we do not deserve the generosity of /u/audalics

Well Google proved once again they think it's OK to provide old hardware with flagship pricing again, because camera gimmicks.
The Pixel fanboys are hard at work forgiving Google for providing inferior CPU, modem, display, battery charging, fingerprint, aesthetic design, and more for the privilege of being Google's buggy software beta testers.
Android in weird place with OnePlus now settling on everything they once bragged or made fun of others for doing.
I don't think there will be much improvement I switching from OP9 to Pixel, just going from one set of annoyances to another. All I can say for certain is the display modem and CPU are superior on OP9. Will see if A12 improves OP9 experience.

zymphad said:
Well Google proved once again they think it's OK to provide old hardware with flagship pricing again, because camera gimmicks.
The Pixel fanboys are hard at work forgiving Google for providing inferior CPU, modem, display, battery charging, fingerprint, aesthetic design, and more for the privilege of being Google's buggy software beta testers.
Android in weird place with OnePlus now settling on everything they once bragged or made fun of others for doing.
I don't think there will be much improvement I switching from OP9 to Pixel, just going from one set of annoyances to another. All I can say for certain is the display modem and CPU are superior on OP9. Will see if A12 improves OP9 experience.
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Pixel 6 screen is a blotchy OLED mess, sent my first one back and ordered a second. If the second one is terrible I'm rooting the op9 and getting Google dialer features. The screen is the single most important part of a smartphone.

redeyss said:
Pixel 6 screen is a blotchy OLED mess, sent my first one back and ordered a second. If the second one is terrible I'm rooting the op9 and getting Google dialer features. The screen is the single most important part of a smartphone.
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Man that is crazy.
Waiting to see how your second ones comes in because I was eyeing this phone and ya can't handle a bogus screen.

orangekid said:
Man that is crazy.
Waiting to see how your second ones comes in because I was eyeing this phone and ya can't handle a bogus screen.
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I'm a pixel fanboy for sure but after returning the pixel 6 I tried two pixel 5a phones and both had horrible OLED displays, both returned. I bought a pre owned OnePlus 9 from Amazon and this screen is freaking amazing, uniform and even lighting and smooth as butter. If the second p6 screen isn't great I'll keep the op9 or go back to my pixel 4xl.

My big gripe on the 9 is the reception is terrible and I have BT issues all the time in my Hondas. Works ok with wireless Buds Z.
I was hoping the Pixel 6 would be better. I guess I can always go back to my 7 Pro.