Tech plateau since about 2018? - General Topics

How does everyone here feel about phone tech becoming more and more stagnant without any major breakthroughs for probably half a decade now? 2010's were a pretty exciting times with so many valid and unique choices on the market, but lately everything is bland and pretty much the same in terms of features and aesthetics. Differences between major and minor brand flagships is literally just paying for that Crapple logo or not. That excitement of getting a new phone is just about fizzled out these days.

Yeap. All hype up with little to show, like 108mp cam sensors when even top of the line pro cams use under 21mp for their full frame sensors!
Android Google went to Apple hell too with scoped storage.
That's why I bought my second Note 10+ 5 months ago. The first one still looks, feels and runs like new... it's just plain fun to use. Still running on Pie like a bat out of hell.
Unfortunately for Samsung, so far, the N10+ marks their zenith. Try not to try so hard to drop the ball Sammy...
Samsung's new definition of a power user; someone that uses their phone as a right hand, hand warmer

Honestly advertising aside, Sammy wasn't a hot potato since like S5 which is when I dropped my interest in em. And god-awful blueberry aside, no one really bothered with a physical QWERTY that is catastrophically lacking today.
I will say that I am glad to have a slew of "mid-range" priced phones with top specs available like ZTE has been doing.

Skv012a said:
Honestly advertising aside, Sammy wasn't a hot potato since like S5 which is when I dropped my interest in em. And god-awful blueberry aside, no one really bothered with a physical QWERTY that is catastrophically lacking today.
I will say that I am glad to have a slew of "mid-range" priced phones with top specs available like ZTE has been doing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I lucked out with the N10+ which I bought near it's release date. I'm holding a dual drive, 1+tb PC with a near perfectly factory color calibrated display in my hand. Gene Roddenberry dreamed about having something like this.
Samsung's and Android's progression is not linear or consistent and now backsliding 2 steps with every step forward. They seem to think hype sells like a traveling hawker selling rot gut tonics. Hey it worked for the Covid flu... until the ugly truths started coming out.
Your only as good as your last phone sold, something they should understood by now... not.

blackhawk said:
I lucked out with the N10+ which I bought near it's release date. I'm holding a dual drive, 1+tb PC with a near perfectly factory color calibrated display in my hand. Gene Roddenberry dreamed about having something like this.
Samsung's and Android's progression is not linear or consistent and now backsliding 2 steps with every step forward. They seem to think hype sells like a traveling hawker selling rot gut tonics. Hey it worked for the Covid flu... until the ugly truths started coming out.
Your only as good as your last phone sold, something they should understood by now... not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha, right? And then of course, US is locked out of Huawei because best believe those phones would erase Samsung from the consumer dictionary in an instant here.

Skv012a said:
Haha, right? And then of course, US is locked out of Huawei because best believe those phones would erase Samsung from the consumer dictionary in an instant here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The CCP is pervasive and embedded throughout all Chinese manufacturing. This threat is completely underrated. You see the robo dogs with bullhorns that they have policing their locked down cities -now-? Trust them?

Related

Lets talk about Android

I have been having numerous arguments with people regarding Android vs the rest.
We all know that Android is an operating system, that is used by many phone manufacturers - therefore it CANNOT be compared to iPhone directly and vise versa!
Same thing is about Windows OS.
What I am trying to say is that Android equipment manufacturers have to step up the game. I believe that making a new phone every other month is a BIG NO NO. Especially when the phone is not well tested.
As an example, I own myTouch 4G. First one had a washed out screen and not working Genius button. Second one had a spic of dust under the screen, but lucky for me - it had both good screen and eMMC. So I decided to keep it. Other folks have their phones die on them because of the bad eMMC chip.
Similar issue goes to the G2 (I read about bad eMMC chips). I also heard that Sensation has some issues too!
I witnessed people exchanging up to 7 phones, and yet to get a good one.
On the other hand, Samsung devices are seem to be very plastic on the touch. I did held them in hand. Yes, the screen looks gorgeous, but the phone itself feels bad in the hand.
LG is another story.
I haven't tried or read about SE phones.
You would ask, why the hell did I write this all?
I simply want to voice my opinion. I just sick to see all these phones popping out and then read that one has bad power button, another has 2 types of screen, and then get one of them. I really want to see Android rise up in class!
Heck for not having problems I could have gone with iPhone, but I am an Android fan and chose it because it can do what I need!
I believe with the resources that Samsung, HTC, LG and other have - they can do so much better!
Lets discuss what bad sides Android phones have and what can be improved. I think it is more productive topic than fighting over blindly.
The reason for Samsung's "plastic" feel is durability, you drop a metal phone then the weight is going to make it more likely to break, the plastics Samsung uses often just has the back pop off, maybe a scratch.
As for HTC, they're just not a quality company. They build devices that are pretty from afar but once you use them they often have horrid flaws. Very little quality control.
There's nowhere near the level of QC there used to be in the 'real' smartphones - Treos, Communicators, iPAQs etc.
I think they do a pretty good job, there's a fit and finish for just about every taste out there today. The target audience has changed a lot, the userbase has expanded exponentially, plus there are many more manufacturers today, all vying for a slice of the pie - price competitiveness has a lot to do with this, too.
It sucks, but these things are built to be thrown away. Why pump billions of dollars into the fit and finish of something outdated two weeks after it hits the streets? Sucks for us, but 'near enough is good enough' for the manufacturers, and fair enough in my opinion
z33dev33l said:
The reason for Samsung's "plastic" feel is durability, you drop a metal phone then the weight is going to make it more likely to break, the plastics Samsung uses often just has the back pop off, maybe a scratch.
As for HTC, they're just not a quality company. They build devices that are pretty from afar but once you use them they often have horrid flaws. Very little quality control.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed about Samsung durability, I've dropped my phone on probably every surface and it is still good.
As for android there many problems with the OS. No hardware acceleration is probably big on my list. My nexus runs pretty good but I do notice lag from time to time. Stock browser is a joke to use, hella amounts of lag when viewing pics and forget about even viewing flash, so opera for me.
I hope ICS will live up to the hype, because I'm really digging the Nokia and windows mobile deal. Only time will tell...
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App
I was rooting for androids latest iteration to blow at least iOS out of the water but if that leaked nexus build is a final it doesn't even look smooth on a nexus device...
Who know?Probably NOT a final build as it as no acceleration. Word is that ICS will have hardware acceleration for both the interface and browser.
We will see.It does look impressive though....
On quality:My HTC Desire is horrendous, all buttons are almost dead, that has to do with quality. On the other hand my Huawei IDEOS X5 is surprisingly good for what i paid for (hint: zero but costs about 199euros).
If you want quality go for a truly expensive and good phone like the gs2, if not buy smething cheaper.
P.S. the buttons on the iphone 4 HAVE problems.3 of my friends went to the applestore to change them.That is not good build quality imho.
Eh, I like dells build quality though they fail as a software company. Honestly though I do hope ics is more impressive than it looked in that video because that was just slow and choppy, then again I guess the default UI of android isn't what's supposed to sell android. It's the customization options available.
I have a HTC Desire HD, and in my oppinion Android+Sense is the best mobile combo. all the good things from android + an awesome HTC skin.
Company's like Samsung don't make skins for their phones. I think that they should start making them. Ans if they do that, i might buy a Samsung phone or something like that after my HTC. But if they dont start making skins, i don´t want them...
i like my desire with htc sense, also like iphone with long time battery.
z33dev33l said:
The reason for Samsung's "plastic" feel is durability, you drop a metal phone then the weight is going to make it more likely to break, the plastics Samsung uses often just has the back pop off, maybe a scratch.
As for HTC, they're just not a quality company. They build devices that are pretty from afar but once you use them they often have horrid flaws. Very little quality control.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
i own HTC devices with metal... and all of them are broken, chipped so badly i have to pull out my sandy paper or file to smooth the metal back out, because the phone shell has been ripped apart after many close encounter with the floor
since i switched to Samsung the plastic design has proven that it can handle the drops much better than the metal
I got an issue with samsung and their software updates.
I've been lucky so far with HTC. Good build quality and frequently updated software.
If I need to trade off iphone quality for the freedom of Android, I will.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
There got to be some military grade glass, that will hold all kinds of abuse. My back cover of Glacier is already swinging from side to side. I really hope that this upcoming Nexus will fix all of the issues I, and many other, have with Android phones build quality.
I still do not get, where did samsung got info that 4.65" screen is good for everyone?
hmm. interesting thread, and views.
my experience hasn't been so great with samsung phones. i had a samsung moment and that thing was terrible. and apparently the gs2 is having some problems as well. users have reported problems with the screen/display having some kind of stain like color on it, and the wifi antenna has also been reported by many to be skittish.
not surprising to me. that's what happens when you push a device out based on deadlines rather than completion of thorough testing. regardless of what company is putting the phone out - HTC, samsung, LG... any of them will have problems if they don't ensure a good testing phase pre-release.
i went from the moment to the evo 3D, and the difference is night and day. and i have handled a gs2 and all i can say is i am not impressed. it feels weak and flimsy and in the end, it's still a samsung to me, with the samsung company behind it. i will never own one. but that's just me.
meanwhile, my evo 3D seems to be just a powerhouse in the performance area. i consistently hit quadrant scores over 4300 and linpack scores of 100+ and RL benchmark is completed in about 18 seconds.
there are merely a couple phones out there putting numbers like that down consistently. i know it is that fast in reality, as well, because performing tasks such as viewing, zipping, and opening pdfs from my work email are done extremely fast, and significantly faster than when the phone wasn't rooted with a custom rom/kernel.
just my opinion, but if you can't see the advantage in power and functionality in the android OS, you are not using your phone for anything other than playing games and texting.
I played this bubble game, it's fun. After a few rounds I found myself always stopped in the middle by the app ad and when I restarted the game, the previous records were all gone. Annoying!
Europa. said:
I played this bubble game, it's fun. After a few rounds I found myself always stopped in the middle by the app ad and when I restarted the game, the previous records were all gone. Annoying!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love the relevance! Made my day so far
I agree with most of your arguments, but there's nothing we can do about it.
Manufacturers are still going to release one smartphone per month because people are used to buy tons of different phones to show to their friends.
More smartphones = more profit.
Doesn't matter if for the market it would be a lot better to play with only one "model" like iPhone does.
Let's hope that Google's Nexus can step up its game and be the iPhone rival.

Opinion: Samsung’s Galaxy Note is the iPhone of the Android world

http://www.sammobile.com/2014/03/27/opinion-samsungs-galaxy-note-is-the-iphone-of-the-android-world/
Great Article, worth reading.
Sent from Note 3 (The beauty & beast)
sohebq said:
http://www.sammobile.com/2014/03/27/opinion-samsungs-galaxy-note-is-the-iphone-of-the-android-world/
Great Article, worth reading.
Sent from Note 3 (The beauty & beast)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually no, the Sx (last year S4, soon S5) is the iphone of the Android world, with around 30-40 million units sold for the yearly Sx vs about 3-5 for the corresponding Note. Vs around 50 million iphones.
The Note is like a super-iphone, which in 1-2 years Apple will probably also "invent" (read - steal the idea) in order to reverse the current trend in their sales.
^^
Actually the article compared the loyality of iphone with Samsung. Its true that note series users are more satisfied with samsung than S series users. I have hardly seen anyone going from note 2 or note 3 to small screens or even similar but I have seen a lot of users from S series moved to sony, htc and Lg.
Sent from Note 3 (The beauty & beast)
sohebq said:
^^
Actually the article compared the loyality of iphone with Samsung. Its true that note series users are more satisfied with samsung than S series users. I have hardly seen anyone going from note 2 or note 3 to small screens or even similar but I have seen a lot of users from S series moved to sony, htc and Lg.
Sent from Note 3 (The beauty & beast)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Former S user using Note 3 and more then happy, next phone will be a Note series, S series no more thanks.
xclub_101 said:
Actually no, the Sx (last year S4, soon S5) is the iphone of the Android world, with around 30-40 million units sold for the yearly Sx vs about 3-5 for the corresponding Note. Vs around 50 million iphones.
The Note is like a super-iphone, which in 1-2 years Apple will probably also "invent" (read - steal the idea) in order to reverse the current trend in their sales.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What the article was really saying is people with the note series tend to be more faithfully then the s series just like Apple fanboys are with iPhones
Sent from my SM-N900W8 using xda app-developers app
dakunclear said:
What the article was really saying is people with the note series tend to be more faithfully then the s series just like Apple fanboys are with iPhones
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A lot of that is not a matter of "being faithful to the brand" but instead a combination of a very minor part of that plus:
- no alternative to S-Pen
- no alternative phablets with microSD + replaceable battery + enough mass to have both a decent accessory market and a decent ROM prospect in the future (if you think that Samsung is not great with the updates consider that most of the Chinese stuff never gets any update and are never supported by something like CM).
That being said - the Note line is not the main cash-cow, 3-5 million units is very little compared to 50 million units; it is far from zero so it is a pretty lucrative niche, but still not in the first line, and the way I see the evolution of things with Samsung I would expect that S5 mini might get a lot more attention from a certain segment of the market (but that depends a lot on the specs and even more so on the price).
It's much easier to be faithful to a unique product that meets specific needs, than it is to a product designed to have as wide an appeal as possible.
The iPhone, like the Galaxy S4/S5, is designed for mass-market, to be a flagship, primarily bought on contract by technical and non-technical consumers and primarily from network operator stores. People walk in wanting 'an iPhone' or 'a Galaxy' and will be led to what is considered 'best' at the time.
The Note is not going to appeal to everyone due to its size - something some people hate it for - so when people buy one, they are doing so having researched and thought carefully about their needs. They buy that product specifically and tend to know their requirements technically and specifically.
Therefore loyalty will be higher, it has been a very deliberate and considered decision.
Robster83 said:
It's much easier to be faithful to a unique product that meets specific needs, than it is to a product designed to have as wide an appeal as possible.
The iPhone, like the Galaxy S4/S5, is designed for mass-market, to be a flagship, primarily bought on contract by technical and non-technical consumers and primarily from network operator stores. People walk in wanting 'an iPhone' or 'a Galaxy' and will be led to what is considered 'best' at the time.
The Note is not going to appeal to everyone due to its size - something some people hate it for - so when people buy one, they are doing so having researched and thought carefully about their needs. They buy that product specifically and tend to know their requirements technically and specifically.
Therefore loyalty will be higher, it has been a very deliberate and considered decision.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very true. I do miss the size of the smaller phones though. But when it comes to reading and watching media, note is brilliant
--
"Skate where the puck’s going, not where it’s been.”
- Wayne Gretzsky
How?
iPhones have hardware of 2 years ago, the Note is ahead of everyone.
People who use iPhones are blind to all their faults, we grumble and complain about KNOX on a daily basis.
iPhones are meant for users who want simple, our Note has more features than an iPhone user can handle.
iPhons are meant for the common cattle, our Note 3 is meant for a specific group of people.
I'm not seeing it. We love our Note 3 because there is, in terms of hardware, nothing out there of equal level. Even the newer devices are less. But we are not blind to its faults.
ShadowLea said:
How?
iPhones have hardware of 2 years ago, the Note is ahead of everyone.
People who use iPhones are blind to all their faults, we grumble and complain about KNOX on a daily basis.
iPhones are meant for users who want simple, our Note has more features than an iPhone user can handle.
iPhons are meant for the common cattle, our Note 3 is meant for a specific group of people.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IPhone is not a phone, it's more like your buying IOS with the hardware you can afford.... and speaking my mind, the moment Nokia WP8 has a pen device( or enhanced screen tap precision), bye bye arrogant Google android& crappy Sammy...:good:
htc9420 said:
IPhone is not a phone, it's more like your buying IOS with the hardware you can afford.... and speaking my mind, the moment Nokia WP8 has a pen device( or enhanced screen tap precision), bye bye arrogant Google android& crappy Sammy...:good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hate Windows phone metro style
Sent from my SM-N900W8 using xda app-developers app
ShadowLea said:
How?
iPhones have hardware of 2 years ago, the Note is ahead of everyone.
People who use iPhones are blind to all their faults, we grumble and complain about KNOX on a daily basis.
iPhones are meant for users who want simple, our Note has more features than an iPhone user can handle.
iPhons are meant for the common cattle, our Note 3 is meant for a specific group of people.
I'm not seeing it. We love our Note 3 because there is, in terms of hardware, nothing out there of equal level. Even the newer devices are less. But we are not blind to its faults.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do agree with you, but not entirely. I am a huge Android fanboy and after switching from iOS I've never looked back. However Apple has made iOS very specific to it's hardware it's a marriage between software and hardware that works They do have some very cool features aswell. Sapphire glass, a faster response touch screen, 64bit processor, camera that does 120fps video.
I still recommend iPhone to certain people that aren't interested in custom Roms and want a phone with a very basic interface. iPhone does that really well. The phone itself is very pretty and has a really premium feel to it.
I personally cannot handle the restrictions especially iTunes! As well as not being able to simply bluetooth a simple file from one device to another.
Credit where credit is due though.
--
"Skate where the puck’s going, not where it’s been.”
- Wayne Gretzsky
LiMz said:
I do agree with you, but not entirely. I am a huge Android fanboy and after switching from iOS I've never looked back. However Apple has made iOS very specific to it's hardware it's a marriage between software and hardware that works They do have some very cool features aswell. Sapphire glass, a faster response touch screen, 64bit processor, camera that does 120fps video.
I still recommend iPhone to certain people that aren't interested in custom Roms and want a phone with a very basic interface. iPhone does that really well. The phone itself is very pretty and has a really premium feel to it.
I personally cannot handle the restrictions especially iTunes! As well as not being able to simply bluetooth a simple file from one device to another.
Credit where credit is due though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You do realize a 64bit CPU is entirely pointless with only 1GB RAM? Its main feature is to support more than 3GB... Another one of those typical "I have it. Can't use it, don't know what it's for, but I have it and you don't" gimmicks on an iPhone...
What I hate most about Apple is the ridiculous process of files communicating between itself and the system. Try editing a .mp3 and then setting it as a ringtone. Can't be done without a computer with itunes to transfer the file from the phone to the pc and back to the phone. What. The. Bleeding. Hell.
I've had iPhone users comment on how much faster my Note 3 is than their iPhone 5S... So... (Also, how they love the homescreen and its freedom.)
As for premium feel... So far I've seen maybe 6 iphones without a broken screen. (And I commute an average of 7 hours a day on the busy Berlin-Schiphol airport train.) There's not much premium about a shattered screen, nor is there anything premium about needing a hideous rubber case to prevent said screen from breaking when you drop it from more than 5cm...
I'll recommend iPhones too, to 92 year old grannies who have never used a phone, or the sad little people who think more than 1 button is too complicated. (Those are the same people I recommend they remove themselves from the gene pool to improve it.)
My dad has never owned a smartphone until last month (He never saw the point. He does now.) and the very first thing he said was "I'd rather have no phone at all than one of those dictator-iphones. I want to decide what it does, not the phone. If I wanted to be dictated in everything by someone else, I'd go live in North Korea." The man has a point... :highfive: (So he bought an LG L5-II, and this morning he shows up at the breakfast table with a "I've been thinking about getting the same phone as you." :victory: Success!)
ShadowLea said:
You do realize a 64bit CPU is entirely pointless with only 1GB RAM? Its main feature is to support more than 3GB... Another one of those typical "I have it. Can't use it, don't know what it's for, but I have it and you don't" gimmicks on an iPhone...
What I hate most about Apple is the ridiculous process of files communicating between itself and the system. Try editing a .mp3 and then setting it as a ringtone. Can't be done without a computer with itunes to transfer the file from the phone to the pc and back to the phone. What. The. Bleeding. Hell.
I've had iPhone users comment on how much faster my Note 3 is than their iPhone 5S... So... (Also, how they love the homescreen and its freedom.)
As for premium feel... So far I've seen maybe 6 iphones without a broken screen. (And I commute an average of 7 hours a day on the busy Berlin-Schiphol airport train.) There's not much premium about a shattered screen, nor is there anything premium about needing a hideous rubber case to prevent said screen from breaking when you drop it from more than 5cm...
I'll recommend iPhones too, to 92 year old grannies who have never used a phone, or the sad little people who think more than 1 button is too complicated. (Those are the same people I recommend they remove themselves from the gene pool to improve it.)
My dad has never owned a smartphone until last month (He never saw the point. He does now.) and the very first thing he said was "I'd rather have no phone at all than one of those dictator-iphones. I want to decide what it does, not the phone. If I wanted to be dictated in everything by someone else, I'd go live in North Korea." The man has a point... :highfive: (So he bought an LG L5-II, and this morning he shows up at the breakfast table with a "I've been thinking about getting the same phone as you." :victory: Success!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
iTunes really is a killjoy.
And yup, widgets and home screens make your phone a whole lot more informative and pretty.
If you could change something about your note 3. What would it be?
--
"Skate where the puck’s going, not where it’s been.”
- Wayne Gretzsky
LiMz said:
iTunes really is a killjoy.
And yup, widgets and home screens make your phone a whole lot more informative and pretty.
If you could change something about your note 3. What would it be?
--
"Skate where the puck’s going, not where it’s been.”
- Wayne Gretzsky
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apart from KNOX?
I'd want the USB3 to work as USB3 and not as 2.1 , get rid of that bottleneck MTP (google's fault that) and a different, bigger sensor in the camera. The camera is rubbish, but I didn't buy the phone for that. (I own an EOS70D) It's still a flaw, though.
I haven't had the same issue with speaker quality as others mention so I can't comment on that.
ShadowLea said:
Apart from KNOX?
I'd want the USB3 to work as USB3 and not as 2.1 , get rid of that bottleneck MTP (google's fault that) and a different, bigger sensor in the camera. The camera is rubbish, but I didn't buy the phone for that. (I own an EOS70D) It's still a flaw, though.
I haven't had the same issue with speaker quality as others mention so I can't comment on that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Speaker sound is "muffled" that's for sure, and the volume a bit low... Even my previous S3 sounded better, especially when applying the volume increase MOD (Ahhhh... miss the root features, :crying... I know it's too much to ask for apart from all the premium features, but another speaker on the top would have given the sound a great stereo, surround feel
ShadowLea said:
Apart from KNOX?
I'd want the USB3 to work as USB3 and not as 2.1 , get rid of that bottleneck MTP (google's fault that) and a different, bigger sensor in the camera. The camera is rubbish, but I didn't buy the phone for that. (I own an EOS70D) It's still a flaw, though.
I haven't had the same issue with speaker quality as others mention so I can't comment on that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I enjoy the camera though. I have a Sony SLT-A57. Obviously can't mention the two in the same breath but For a tiny sensor it does quite well. What's your take on the HTC upx sensor? I'm contemplating an M8
--
"Skate where the puck’s going, not where it’s been.”
- Wayne Gretzsky
LiMz said:
I enjoy the camera though. I have a Sony SLT-A57. Obviously can't mention the two in the same breath but For a tiny sensor it does quite well. What's your take on the HTC upx sensor? I'm contemplating an M8
--
"Skate where the puck’s going, not where it’s been.”
- Wayne Gretzsky
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dual 4MP, not familiar with that system, but it's still a 1/3.0" sensor. The problem is they make smartphone CMOS from the rubbush left over from the plate they use to make the rest of the sensors. Middle bit of the plate is the best and goes in a Full-frame, next the APS-C, then the lower end DSLRs, then the high end compacts, then the low end compacts, and whatever is left over is used in smartphones.
So even with 100Map ,you'd still get the aquarel effect, blur, noise and colour issues. We're quintessentially dealing with rubbish.
Wait for a few of the serious picture tests, they might give a better indication.
imho the only android device that competes with an iPhone is the Google nexus series . Apple is a lot better than Samsung quality wise , also their warranty is a lot less a hassle , Sammy has lost its way and is actually writing its own version of the communist manifesto.
Despite KNOX and things like cheap plastic, I still like Samsung for many reasons. They will always create products that will fit users need and they will present it that way. For those who are not on note series considers it huge in size, not pocket friendly and so on. But those who have used it knows that this is true class of Samsung and this is to be kept. I have seen many S series users moving away from Samsung but hardly saw anyone from note series to move. This is Loyalty.

Did Apple Do It Wrong? - The State of Smartwatches

So two days ago Apple finally did it, they released their smartwatch that has been rumored for the last year and a half now, if not longer. The good news for Android.. I'd like to say we still win. Especially in terms of design (Moto 360). What do you guys think, are you still pro Android Wear or now on Apples side? Or do you not feel like smartwatches aren't even worth it right now?
To be honest, I feel like this entire subsection of products is still in its infancy stages. I feel like this could be a viable technology outlet but no one's really sure what to do with it yet. We're on the road there, but it isn't perfected and no ones cracked the case of what would make these things MUST-HAVE.
It really depends what other devices you have. If you have Android devices, an Android Wear device will work with them. If you have iOS devices, you get an Apple Watch.
bentleyboy said:
To be honest, I feel like this entire subsection of products is still in its infancy stages. I feel like this could be a viable technology outlet but no one's really sure what to do with it yet. We're on the road there, but it isn't perfected and no ones cracked the case of what would make these things MUST-HAVE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. The Moto 360 is definitely the best looking, but it's freaking thick. The iWatch isn't bad looking, but is only compatible with the most recent of iPhones, which is effing stupid. I've never seen anybody wearing a smartwatch, but then I don't live in NYC or LA, so I don't know if it's really trendy yet or not. Frankly, I think the smartwatch is either, as you said, in its infancy, or an attempted fad that'll never become popular. They're big, heavy, thick, and require daily (if not more) charging. I'd wager that many people that buy a smartwatch will use it for a few days, maybe even a few weeks, but give up on it because it's just not worth bothering with.
this whole trend of smart watches is just ridiculous , seriously i had big hopes with apple of innovating the smart watch (and wasnt expecting anything from motorola and LG , samsung is out of equation) but they did nothing , ugly over priced full of gimmicks with one day battery ( LOL ) , funny and sad how corporates are looking for pathetic ways to milk people as if planned obsolescence wasnt enough with their flagships problem is people who dont even *need* them will end up buying them only to realize after playing it for a week that they dont really *need* it.
fahadsul3man said:
this whole trend of smart watches is just ridiculous , seriously i had big hopes with apple of innovating the smart watch (and wasnt expecting anything from motorola and LG , samsung is out of equation) but they did nothing , ugly over priced full of gimmicks with one day battery ( LOL ) , funny and sad how corporates are looking for pathetic ways to milk people as if planned obsolescence wasnt enough with their flagships problem is people who dont even *need* them will end up buying them only to realize after playing it for a week that they dont really *need* it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree to an extent but this is the state of technology these days. Instead of holding onto a product and really delving into how to make it unique and innovative, there's a need to just get on the market quickly. From there they can update, hear complaints, see results and whatnot. It makes sense to see how people respond and what uses they find for it, so it's hard to say that it's a completely bad idea IMO.

Essential 2 possibility?

I'm starting to look for a new phone and the Essential has piqued my interest, but, it seems like there have been quite a few start up problems associated with new products.
So, since the World Mobile Congress is happening at the end of the month and Essential has a spot reserved in it, I was wondering if there has been any leaks, rumors or news associated with it? I was hoping for news of an Essential 2 or a ph-2? New release? Anything?
Thx.
Probably just new colors and accessories. They have their hands full dealing with the PH-1.
Sent from my Essential PH-1 using Tapatalk
Maybe they will showcase new PH-1 accessories that they have no intention of ever making. LOL
Just maybe, Essential is winding down their beta project (PH-1) and is focused on their first truly production phone.
artiemon said:
Just maybe, Essential is winding down their beta project (PH-1) and is focused on their first truly production phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe... Although with this phone flopping the way it did, I don't know how much I would invest in the next phone if I were them or their investors... The PH-1 was a failure. They lost money on every unit they sold. If Andy had not raised so much capital to keep them afloat, they would have closed their doors by now.
The vision was ambitious and great. The execution, not so much.
There are a lot of B.S. articles out there no doubt, and there were some growing pains... But I wouldn't give up my PH-1 for any other phone right now. I love it... no case since launch, and still looks great, camera is pretty good now. battery life spectacular, Looking forward to whatever they have to offer next
dca1970 said:
There are a lot of B.S. articles out there no doubt, and there were some growing pains... But I wouldn't give up my PH-1 for any other phone right now. I love it... no case since launch, and still looks great, camera is pretty good now. battery life spectacular, Looking forward to whatever they have to offer next
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I like most things about it. I am just annoyed at bugs, and the progression of updates isn't as good as I would have hoped. Yes, they put out 16 camera updates over 5 months, but that isn't exactly a ringing endorsement... that they HAD to put out so many updates just to get the camera up to "mediocre" status... LOL
Like anything, if it works for you and makes you happy, enjoy it! I am just on the fence with it...
SquireSCA said:
Maybe... Although with this phone flopping the way it did, I don't know how much I would invest in the next phone if I were them or their investors... The PH-1 was a failure. They lost money on every unit they sold. If Andy had not raised so much capital to keep them afloat, they would have closed their doors by now.
The vision was ambitious and great. The execution, not so much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Failure?
You need to define failure.
I have a friend on Sprint that has hated just about every phone she had Android and iPhone.
She absolutely loves the PH-1.
I have a PH-1 and it is by far the best phone I've owned.
Here is my list that I've owned:
SCH-i600W (Windows flip phone)
SCH-i760
Treo 700W
BB Storm 1
BB Storm 2
DroidX
Droid Bionic
Droid Razr
Droid Razr Maxx
Galaxy S4
LG G3
iPhone 6 plus
Nexus 6P
LG G6
Essential PH-1
There are some true failures in that list.
If you want to base success on how many sold you might be right.
What they learned though was how difficult it is to launch a device.
They leaned to roll out updates.
They learned how they need to support customers.
They learned how to partner, although they picked a crappy one (Sprint).
But overall as a new player in the high end market, I wouldn't call them a failure.
Failure defined by sales numbers and how much money they lost on this phone.
SquireSCA said:
Yeah, few failures on that list. I have had a few that were not on the list as well, I am betting that we all have.
One thing that I will say, and this is based on several tech articles that I have read in the past couple weeks, is that the market is changing a bit. It's not the wide open market that it was in a lot of ways, even just a few years ago. One article pointed out that a company like OnePlus, got really lucky. They hit at the right time, but for someone else to do it again in 2017/18 faces more challenges.
Oh well, time will tell I guess.
I love new products and the more there are, the more competition there is. I don't want a world made up of just Apple and Samsung. But we are gonna have to sift through a few lemons to find that occasional diamond in the rough...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Considering that Google only sold ~4 Million of Pixel and Pixel 2 phones of all types last year, calling the Essential a complete failure might be a bit premature.
The sales numbers might be low, but I think that this is just indicative of how difficult it is to compete with Apple and Samsung and nothing else.
I like innovative an new products.
No matter what they say about Essential, they were first to the party with a phone that had a huge screen and minimal bezels.
They have a build quality and hand feel second to none.
I don't plan on replacing this phone for a while.
I only with I could get a Poetic Affinity case. That is my favorite case and I've had one on my last three phones.
To be fair, 80k is a lot less than 4 mill. Lol
SquireSCA said:
To be fair, 80k is a lot less than 4 mill. Lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
88K.
But think about the size of the companies and length of time in the market.
Google had all year and only sold 4 Million. That's 333K per month. That's a rally low number.
Essential started shipping in the second half of the year and was an unknown company.
So if you put it into perspective. We don't know if the company is a failure or not, is all I'm saying.
The time on the market is not statistically significant enough to draw any conclusion.
I just know I like my PH-1.
88k shipped, not sold. Plus, how many returns?
Sorry guys. Didn't mean to start a phone bashing thread.
No bashing. The situation is what it is.
gimpy1 said:
Sorry guys. Didn't mean to start a phone bashing thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://www.cnet.com/news/essential-teases-something/?ftag=COS-05-10aaa0e&linkId=48081019
Sent from my PH-1 using XDA Labs
Hmm....
So this is the choice i have. start giving out warnings/infractions or you all have a civilized conversation without name callings of any sort or bashing each other ?
You all don't need to reply just answer yourself and proceed as i know what i would be doing next if this continues.
Thread cleaned.
I hope the company survives. Overall I am pretty happy with my PH-1. I much prefer it to any Scamsung product. And everywhere you go, Samsung and Apple are the only choices. That needs to end. Can't find an HTC anywhere to put my hands on despite it being critically acclaimed as one of the best devices of 2017. Pathetic. I asked about the PH-1 at Best Buy and the employee said they might have 1 in the back but there just wasn't enough display space. They had about 30 Samsung and iPhones on display though.....
chiadrum said:
I hope the company survives. Overall I am pretty happy with my PH-1. I much prefer it to any Scamsung product. And everywhere you go, Samsung and Apple are the only choices. That needs to end. Can't find an HTC anywhere to put my hands on despite it being critically acclaimed as one of the best devices of 2017. Pathetic. I asked about the PH-1 at Best Buy and the employee said they might have 1 in the back but there just wasn't enough display space. They had about 30 Samsung and iPhones on display though.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I like the my PH-1 and you'll need to pry it from my cold dead hands.
I can't think of any other phone I like better.
I just wish that Poetic made the Affinity case for the PH-1. :crying:
tech_head said:
Considering that Google only sold ~4 Million of Pixel and Pixel 2 phones of all types last year, calling the Essential a complete failure might be a bit premature.
The sales numbers might be low, but I think that this is just indicative of how difficult it is to compete with Apple and Samsung and nothing else.
I like innovative an new products.
No matter what they say about Essential, they were first to the party with a phone that had a huge screen and minimal bezels.
They have a build quality and hand feel second to none.
I don't plan on replacing this phone for a while.
I only with I could get a Poetic Affinity case. That is my favorite case and I've had one on my last three phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Considering that officially they only sell in the US...
It is a new product. I doubt anybody would expect too a million phones in 3 months or something.
Has some issues, yes. First gen stuff always does. Even second and third gen do.
Works Ok for a first gen. Does what I need to do.
I don't have brand loyalty to anything, may buy something else in a few months. Maybe even a PH-2...

Why so much hate for the 3 XL ?

Wow the Pixel 3 XL is getting bagged and dogged on left and right as if it's the worst smartphone ever made. Yes it could have been designed better for sure. Try to go the more minimal notch like Essential or something, and no bottom chin, do the stereo speakers like the HTC 10, or and the iPhone XS, and Note 9's, do, etc... to allow a more full screen design. Yes give us 6GB RAM.
Mainly in tech forums I keep reading so much hate for the Pixel 3 XL;
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/pixel-3-pixel-3-xl.2106788/page-68#post-26666374
And YouTube channels dogging on the phone big time
But I still wouldn't go iPhone, just not an iOS fan whatsoever. And Samsung Touchwiz not my thing either. So if I hate the iPhone, don't like Galaxy phones and the Pixel 3 is sub par, what's the other options? I wish we had a third option, a Windows Surface phone or something.
Oh well, I still have my White Pixel 3 XL on order, and not changing. Yes the notch is ugly, and more RAM would have been nice, but I still value stock Android, updated directly and quickly from Google, and the smooth fluid vanilla UI, and the amazing camera, and A+ rated display, and IP68 rating, and wireless charging. Maybe I'm a sucker, but that's my choice.
Honestly, I didn't even notice the notch when I was checking out the display phone at Verizon. I love the feel of the phone, very well balanced and light compared to my old Nexus 6. Can't wait to get my phone call on Thursday (I hope) to come and pick up my phone.
I think manly they are charging Flagship prices but not delivering on flagship hardware /specs compared to whats already on the market and instead are betting on software to carry them. Now i love pure android how its meant to be not a fan of all tweaks each manufacture adds to the phone, If Samsung offered a note 9 /S9 pure (ie stock android no mods) i think the pixel would be left in its dust. The Pixel's have always seemed to be a generation behind. I love my pixel 2 xl i know i just wanted something more to go with the great feel of stock android and what not. maybe next year, i have my 3 XL ordered and will use it for a week or two to see if its worth the upgrade over my 2 XL
How would I have like to see Google design the Pixel 3 XL? Well on a realistic manner not some unrealistic futuristic design but a realistic version could have been a cross between like the LG V30 shape and size with the minimal bezels but give it the Essential notch and stretch the screen out on the top and bottom. And then do the stereo speakers like on the Note 9 or iPhone so they don't have to be front-facing, and allow for full display with almost no bezels at like 6.2" or so. And give it 6GB RAM. And a bigger 4,000MaH battery.
At the end of the day, for October 2018, I still think FOR ME, the Pixel 3 XL is the best phone out.
- Stock vanilla Android is my bread and butter OS. I go back to owning the Nexus-One when it was new, then waiting in line for the Nexus-S at launch. I just have a thing for stock Android, all other versions of Android just irritate me, or frustrate me.
- Updates first and quickly
- A+ rated display
- Best camera
- Wireless charging now
- IP68 rating is nice
- Phone can easily be rooted, mainly for the best ad blocking and Substratum themes
No other phone right now interests me. The Note 9 or S9+ ? Not at all, no way, Lagwiz still exists no matter what people say. The LG V40, yeah that's cool, but not a fan of the LG skin, and they suck at updates. iPhone XS Max looks super cool, a very beautifully built device, really liked it a lot, but man I hate iOS, and on the XS Max the OS looks out of place, dated like something from a decade ago. OnePlus 6T, yeah will be a great phone, but they always skimp somehow.
Is the Pixel 3 XL the best phone of 2018 ? NO, not at all. But for me a stock Android nerd, it's really the only option.
Yeah if the Iphone XS Max ran android it would be a dream phone lol IMO ... That said i do think the Note 9 Running stock android with all the software options of the pixel 3 would be a great option as well .
PSA:
Don't read Mac/Apple websites for reviews on Android devices. They are quite happy being locked into their apple ecosystem and will never appreciate the open source model of a pixel device.
No hate here, just wish the display was LARGER......Note9/V40 temp me with their larger displays......but I can't get away from pure google... C'mon google, 6.5 next year!!!
Why the hate? Did you notice that big black malignancy at the top of the screen? What about specs that are less than impressive? My guess is the answer is right there between those two things. Flagship means flagship, you want to charge this kinda money you need some wow factor and the ability to say you're second to none and have that hold water.
These devices don't give me that vibe. Too me they're like the second toughest guy on the block saying "Look, I can juggle!" As to the former enough has been said about it. I personally found my Best Buy experience to fall between what some said. At points when I was busy manipulating the GUI I forgot about it completely. Any time I stepped back from specific tasks the thing jumped out at me, it was like getting mugged with an ugly stick every timei looked at the phone as an object.
Yeah, I'm stupid so I'm still thinking about buying even though I'm not convinced I won't be sorry.
razor237 said:
I think manly they are charging Flagship prices but not delivering on flagship hardware /specs compared to whats already on the market and instead are betting on software to carry them. Now i love pure android how its meant to be not a fan of all tweaks each manufacture adds to the phone, If Samsung offered a note 9 /S9 pure (ie stock android no mods) i think the pixel would be left in its dust. The Pixel's have always seemed to be a generation behind. I love my pixel 2 xl i know i just wanted something more to go with the great feel of stock android and what not. maybe next year, i have my 3 XL ordered and will use it for a week or two to see if its worth the upgrade over my 2 XL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't agree with this at all. The pixel 3 xl has a Samsung screen which looks amazing (and I bet is par or at least close to what you see on a Samsung phone), it has the latest Quallcom processor, the best cameras and software, same day updates, wireless charging, front facing speakers, I mean, what else does it need to be 'flagship specs' to you? What, because it only has 4 GB of RAM? That's literally the ONLY thing I can come up with, and that's only because many OEM's have stuffed more RAM in their phones this year. And honestly, it's not really necessary, at least not for 90% of people who use smartphones. Sheet, iPhones only have 4 GB or RAM. They only had ONE GB or RAM for a looonnnggg time. No one complained about that.
To me, this is a premium flagship, no question. The hate is mostly the RAM and notch. It's superficial. Last year it was the blue shift. Which, I think that plus the terrible quality control was actually warranted. This year, it's not much to hate on. Either you like it, or don't get it. And you can hide the notch. Either way, I'm excited about it coming today. I LOVE 2 xl, but I'm definitely ready for this upgrade, even though I was very on the fence before I checked one out in the store. My point here is, people are going to hate on something every time. Every time. If you don't like something, don't get it. It's really that simple.
My $0.02
gettinwicked said:
I don't agree with this at all. The pixel 3 xl has a Samsung screen which looks amazing (and I bet is par or at least close to what you see on a Samsung phone), it has the latest Quallcom processor, the best cameras and software, same day updates, wireless charging, front facing speakers, I mean, what else does it need to be 'flagship specs' to you? What, because it only has 4 GB of RAM? That's literally the ONLY thing I can come up with, and that's only because many OEM's have stuffed more RAM in their phones this year. And honestly, it's not really necessary, at least not for 90% of people who use smartphones. Sheet, iPhones only have 4 GB or RAM. They only had ONE GB or RAM for a looonnnggg time. No one complained about that.
To me, this is a premium flagship, no question. The hate is mostly the RAM and notch. It's superficial. Last year it was the blue shift. Which, I think that plus the terrible quality control was actually warranted. This year, it's not much to hate on. Either you like it, or don't get it. And you can hide the notch. Either way, I'm excited about it coming today. I LOVE 2 xl, but I'm definitely ready for this upgrade, even though I was very on the fence before I checked one out in the store. My point here is, people are going to hate on something every time. Every time. If you don't like something, don't get it. It's really that simple.
My $0.02
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was simply stating why i think so many people hate the new pixel 3 xl from reading it sure does seem like a lot don't like it.
I agree the screen looks great but it should since they woke up and used a Samsung panel this time yay , my issue with it is its basically the same size as the 2 xl when you look at the usable part of the display and that is kinda disappointing to me i wanted a screen the size of the note 9 / XS max on the pixel 3 xl instead they went with a huge notch that takes away from the phone in stead of adding to it i honestly think they would have been better with out it at all, in person the notch isn't bad at all its big but once you play with it for a bit i didn't notice it as much and i don't mind the bottom chin as people call it since i love front firing speakers always hated cupping the end of the phone to direct the sound lol . They added an extra front camera and notch but no type of face id another missing feature that would have been a great addition to the pixel but we got wireless charging back so i guess its a trade off.
I said nothing about the ram because i think that's a mute point for most for the exact reason you said, apple has had little ram for a long time there is a difference between the two since apple designs the cpu they can help optimize it for the amount of ram they are using but mostly they iOS optimized for how it can handle the ram. google does the same with the pixel, most of the other phones need the extra ram because all the bs they add uses so much of it. for me as of now my daily usage on my 2 XL is 2.4-3.2 or so, 4gb is enough for me in 6 months that may not be the case but i doubt it
everyone has different ideas of what makes a phone flag ship quality or not, so this is just my opinion and you can agree or not for me i feel they could have done better and they came up a bit short compared to other phones only time will tell though and i still cant wait to get mine and use it to see if its worth the upgrade from the 2xl or not for me.
Nah, I don't buy it. Flagship is flagship. Almost flagship if it weren't for one big weakness is not flagship, it's second rate. I'm one of those people that can take advantage of more than 4 gigs of ram, I'm currently using 3.2 at home which is about average for me but usually hit in the upper 4s, lower 5s at work. Go ahead and name the one phone which is claiming flagship status and charging flagship prices but does not have me covered? See where I'm going?
Flagships is flagship, not second best with software optimization that every rooted oneplus will have installed not too far down the road on a phone that costs little more than half the price. Yeah, I'm talking about the camera. Still perhaps best in class overall but more than one reviewer has noted that telephoto shots lag behind other flagships including the fruit devices. They need to up their game here, flagships don't polish turds, they deliver the best hardware and polish that.
One that doesn't bother me in the slightest that I noted is the phones perceived build quality is a step behind Samsung and Apple. I cant point to one particular thing, either of those two just felt a little more expensive. As I said, I don't care because the phone will go into a case and I wont see it again until I give it to one of my kids or grand-kids in the spring.
So yeah, to me it feels like it's not quite up to flagship par except in price. It's all those things combined that give me that impression. And yeah, I'm still thinking about buying it, last night I got as far as putting it in my cart. Pixel has always been more the whole than the sum of its part, they are satisfying to own even if some things about them are underwhelming. The doubletake on the notch has me spooked though, when I was moving around the GUI it faded out of existence but when I just looked at the phone I kept doing this "whoa, what the hell were they thinking" thing. Cant figure out if that's ever going to go away or if it's going to be like a sore tooth. Still, buy in or not I'll never really consider it flagship hardware and every redraw I get will remind me of it should I start to forget.
The flagship price, the poor software utilization of the notch, the smaller battery and 4 GB RAM were the deal breakers.
The Note 9 is every bit as fast as the Pixel 3 XL, has a much better screen, better battery and SPen for the same price. The Pixel 3 XL may very well be a great phone but when priced with the Note 9, it needed SOMETHING to justify the price. Also, one can easily get a great condition LG V35 ThinQ or S9+ with better specs for hundreds less. Once the price drops, then it might be a better competitor.
For me a premium device needs to last me 2 years and be a useful companion for the duration.
The phone needs to be well built to last, have a good screen and the hardware features need to be ergonomic.
In addition to this the phone must have quick, well thought out software that ties in nicely to my favourite services.
For me, my best option is the Pixel 3 XL. I was considering the new Mate 20 pro as it is very similar in price here in the UK but there is now way I'll be putting up with their software and clutterware for two years. I'm also put off by their storage media and awful to uae, curved screen.
The pixel is getting stick for having underwhelming specs but this is a very short-sighted view unless your sole purpose for the device is to run benchmarks. People needs to evaluate what they use their phones for and what they need to achieve that.
I'm running the original Pixel XL 32Gb and it is still fantastic for all of my everyday uses. My wife is in fact selling her Samsung s9 and will be having my Pixel now that I've upgraded to the 3 XL.
Just as a side note, iPhones are brilliant for many as they offer a great experience across their devices and therefore are useful for their duration. This is more important than having a 40MP camera and 8Gb of RAM for the vast majority.
A lot of that was subjective: I find the Apple experience awful, spread it out across more devices and I call that cancer. I have to say however that your concept in general is on the mark in that the experience is what matters rather than the numbers. It's a fair summation.
for the peeps that hate on the notch and the ram .. just go buy the OnePlus 6T and be done with it
It's all just opinion as we have stayed here. The easy to pick on parts of any product is the visual appearance and listed specs. The new pixel XL appears to be poor in this area for a lot of people. Usabilit of the entire package is impossible to judge from online reviews.
If it is anything like the original Pixel, the phone will be great. If it's like my old Samsung phones or my iPhone 7, no thank you.
The phone is what it is. If you don't like it for the way it looks or a feature that it has or doesn't have, don't buy it. If all you have to say is you hate the notch, spare us. There are a lot of phones I don't like. I don't buy them and I don't seek out their communities and complain about them. This forum is here for the people that have the phone, not for those that hate it.
dmb219 said:
The phone is what it is. If you don't like it for the way it looks or a feature that it has or doesn't have, don't buy it. If all you have to say is you hate the notch, spare us. There are a lot of phones I don't like. I don't buy them and I don't seek out their communities and complain about them. This forum is here for the people that have the phone, not for those that hate it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This! Sooo much this! Last year with the pixel 2 xl, there were so many trolls who had zero intention of ever buying the phone who came onto the forum just to talk sheet. One thread went hundreds of pages. It was ridiculous and stupid. If people like that really have that much time on their hands that they have to go troll things that have nothing to do with them, get a hobby or a life. Seriously. I'm surprised there isn't more yet on here. But, people have only begun to start getting their phones, so, I'm not holding my breath that it won't start.
It still looks like a toy next to any Samsung phones.
My note 9 looks like a monster next to my xl3.
I hate the notch. I'm not those people that will get over it.
I never will.
Anyway, display on xl3 looks great to me.
Camera is amazing.
Anything else

Categories

Resources