Phones I jumped to Android and it was a disaster?

[ian87w]

When Samsung got rid of TouchWiz Nature UX


When Samsung got rid of TouchWiz Nature UX (which was my favorite UX, combined just enough skeuomorphism and some neat neature sounds and great wallpapers) they lost me really. I have used a Nature UX themed launcher but without all the sound effects it's just skin deep--literally.

I quite miss the plastic. the way the rear of the S5 was, it felt like my Nexus 7 tablet. Great grip and not attracting fingerprints.

What happened wasn't Samsung looking at Apple, it was them seeing reviewers and blogs crapping on them for 'using cheap plastic' and 'please PLEASE my God get rid of TouchWiz!' meanwhile I doubt any Samsung users cared or noticed. Stock Android fans would more likely just buy a Nexus or Pixel.

I do miss them packing features in though that were way ahead of their time, with Stock Android just now catching up. How long did they have multi-window again? since Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich?! Google finally saw fit to add it in on 8.0 Oreo. Of course, much like Apple fans whenever the iPhone gets an Android-exclusive feature--5 years later, they say 'well it's great because Apple/Google done it. Prior to that, if you so much as bragged about a feature that Google lacked or Apple didn't care to add, the fans just cried 'but it's just a gimmick!!'

Oh well, what's done is done. At least I can find a plethora of S3-S5s super cheap on Amazon if I wanted to amass some backups.

Personally, imo Samsung really did an excellent job with OneUI. They really streamline a lot of things. The old TouchWiz imo looked messy.

As for plastic, the irony is, the new mid to low end models of the Galaxy A and M series are now using plastic frames and backs. It's a bit disappointing since the old Galaxy A models use the same premium materials as the S series. But the pressure on pricing from the Chinese pushed Samsung back to plastic. Of course, the even funnier thing, the tech bloggers who were complaining about plastic way back when never said anything bad about these new plastic phones. It's just an interesting observation.

 

[Shanghaichica]

I respect your views of this, but the reality is that for every person who liked their plastic backs and TouchWiz, there are 2 others who prefer where they did go with glass backs that look beautiful but attract fingerprints and OneUI, which is more modern and more functional. That why they sold so many more flagship units starting with the S6 compared to other Android vendors.

Actually the highest selling Samsung smartphone is the S4. It sold 80 million units. Which had touch wiz and a plastic back.

 

[nickdalzell1]

Actually the highest selling Samsung smartphone is the S4. It sold 80 million units. Which had touch wiz and a plastic back.

the Galaxy S5, while a flop at launch, is (to date) still the most popular Android phone in retrospect.

The Galaxy S5 is still the most popular Samsung phone in the US

Following the launch of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, Samsung’s mobile chief revealed that pre-orders for the flagships have exceeded those of the previous S7 device. By the looks of it, the Korean tech giant’s latest efforts in terms of premium mobile technology, have quickly gained the...

www.androidguys.com

One UI is alright, but it looks so similar to other skins/stock build it's lost its identity. It's no longer as uniquely Samsung and their phones are glass sandwiches that look like everything else out there with few exceptions. I miss the era of unique phones that fit just about everyone. I even miss the nature aesthetic old TouchWiz had. Also miss the skeuomorphism. I will never ever let that go.

Many things One UI ruined. The Messages app no longer allows custom backgrounds/bubble styles like it had for years. They removed that when they got Android 9 Pie. The Samsung Health App (previously S-Health) has ads. Almost all the stock in-built Samsung apps now have ads.

I remember the tech bloggers crapping on the Galaxy S4 as well mainly (when not crying about 'cheap plastic') the slippery back it had that was bad about getting fingerprints. Today? glass has the same problem but no one cares. I think too many bloggers/reviewers use Apple as a barometer for 'premium' not customers themselves. Whatever happened to letting the market, not the OEMs decide?

Tech reviewers are more fake news to me. Anyone remember the inconsistency? Remember when they criticized the Galaxy S5 for 'bandaid back' but praised the Nexus 7 prior for having the exact same back ? So long as Google done it it's all well and good (or Apple as well) but should ANY other manufacturer do something like it, it's derided as either a 'gimmick no one ever uses' to 'crappy because it isn't stock Android'.

If stock Android were truly the way to go for EVERY device, what would be the point? It'd just be iOS again. Nothing different. What then would be the point of 'be different not the same?' Seriously, if Google's way were the right way, why did the Nexus line tank with Pixel following the same pattern? Why do Samsung phones make up a majority of the U.S. market? Apparently the free market has spoken.

 

[t1328]

My point was that since the S6, all of their phones have sold very well until more recently, not that the S5 wasn’t a best selling phone or that the S6 was better selling on its own than the S5. I don’t think Samsung would stick to the direction they’re taking it it wasn’t yielding comparatively good sales. Also, the article you guys referenced about the S5 still being the best selling phone is from 2017. But again, my point isn’t whether it’s better or not. I was simply pointing out that moving away from plastic backs, and away from TouchWiz to OneUI, appears to have been good, not bad for Samsung, regardless of whether we do or don’t think it’s better.

Also, OneUI just as different from AOSP or Pixel’s UIs as TouchWiz was. It’s just a different interpretation that in my view is much better now that their phones are so much larger. Having said all that, I personally use an iPhone 11 Pro Max. This debate started with a move from iOS to Android. Several folks said that moving to the Huawai was the wrong Android phone to switch to, with some saying Pixel, and others Saying Samsung. We’ve gone a bit off topic here. All I’m saying, is that we live in a world of many options in Android, and which one to switch to when switching from iPhones depends on what you want from a phone. For me, my preference is the Note line if I wasn’t on iOS. And if I switch back, it will be to a Note of some kind. But there are many options with many pros and cons.

 

[nickdalzell1]

I'd be happy to buy a modern phone with a slider keyboard myself. I'm always wanting something unique and useful. Today, all phones and UIs look alike. It's too homogenized these days. Nothing is out there that does more than what I already have for years. No IR blaster, no smaller display, no sliders, no buttons, and very few even offering a removable battery. All they got now is 'ZOMG it's got 10 cameras!!!!'

Am I the only one who never cared about a smartphone camera? they're all garbage compared with a proper DSLR. I would get a phone sans camera myself but they all have 'em.

 

[dj1891]

I'd be happy to buy a modern phone with a slider keyboard myself. I'm always wanting something unique and useful. Today, all phones and UIs look alike. It's too homogenized these days. Nothing is out there that does more than what I already have for years. No IR blaster, no smaller display, no sliders, no buttons, and very few even offering a removable battery. All they got now is 'ZOMG it's got 10 cameras!!!!'

Am I the only one who never cared about a smartphone camera? they're all garbage compared with a proper DSLR. I would get a phone sans camera myself but they all have 'em.

10 Camera's but the main standard camera is often crap, Yes it can do wide angle, macro, 50x zoom. I just want a decent standard camera.

 

[tbayrgs]

I'd be happy to buy a modern phone with a slider keyboard myself. I'm always wanting something unique and useful. Today, all phones and UIs look alike. It's too homogenized these days. Nothing is out there that does more than what I already have for years. No IR blaster, no smaller display, no sliders, no buttons, and very few even offering a removable battery. All they got now is 'ZOMG it's got 10 cameras!!!!'

Am I the only one who never cared about a smartphone camera? they're all garbage compared with a proper DSLR. I would get a phone sans camera myself but they all have 'em.

I can appreciate you have your preferences like any of us but you said it yourself in an earlier post, "apparently the free market has spoken." If a significant number of people cared about those features you personally hold dear, we'd still see them in new smartphones. Fact is, most people never swapped a removable battery, used an onboard IR blaster, or preferred physical keyboards. If it was important to even a reasonably small subset of the market, phones like the Blackberry KeyOne or Key2, or LG G5 with it's removable battery would've sold much better.

No IR blaster, no smaller display, no sliders, no buttons, and very few even offering a removable battery.

You're describing exactly what most phones were 10-15 years ago. And now they don't really exist...because the free market has spoken. Those are features that were left behind for a reason.

And yes, most people care about smartphone camera because who the hell wants to carry around a proper DSLR everywhere, everyday? I have a reasonably nice mirrorless that I enjoy using but you know what I hardly ever have with me on a day-to-day basis? My nice mirrorless. When most people care about being able to capture a moment at an instant and then share with others immediately, the allure of the stand-alone camera is no longer what it once was. Why do you think an iconic camera company like Olympus is ditching their camera division? Consequently, having as much camera as possible in your phone has risen to the top of many consumer's demands when buying a phone.

 

[nickdalzell1]

Actually, the OEMs had spoken, but us consumers still continued to buy, so the OEMs assumed (incorrectly) that 'we'll just get used to it'.

The free market had no say in any of those features being removed. The OEMs just ran out of ideas to improve so they started removing stuff and when they didn't lose any sales they didn't see any problem. After all, a phone with less stuff crammed in probably costs less to make. It's a market of diminishing returns these days. Oftentimes I believe they aquiesced to the tech bloggers/tech reviewers to make them happy.

If the folks miffed by the removal of those features actually voted with their wallets, the OEMs would likely have brought them back. Unfortunately, many people have this insatiable need: "must...buy...new...smartphone every...two years!!!!!" It's like a bad drug.

As for BlackBerry, different problem. Their name these days is akin to Nokia. They're dead. The name gives people bad vibes of long-term support. They lost popularity long before BlackBerry 10 came out. Doesn't matter if they offer all those features I miss or anyone misses if they're considered EOL.

Regarding cameras in phones: the issue is a good 90% of consumers are NOT photographers and likely just need to snap a ton of garbage photos or pet videos to upload to instagram or snapchat. Even my S5's camera is more than up for that task. I'd have given anything to actually have the kind of camera back when my pet deer Daisy were still alive. The photos I took of her were with my Kodak EasyShare 4 megapixel camera. Not bad looking until you attempt to make a wallpaper of one of her photos scale to 4K and it ends up blurry garbage.

 

[jamezr]

Actually, the OEMs had spoken, but us consumers still continued to buy, so the OEMs assumed (incorrectly) that 'we'll just get used to it'.

The free market had no say in any of those features being removed.

The free market had every say in those features being removed. Just don't buy a phone that doesn't have the features you want. That is how the free market system works.....

Here is a list of phones made in 2020 with removable batteries.

Best Android phone with removable battery 2024

Stop worrying about your phone's battery running out.

www.androidcentral.com

 

[ian87w]

Actually, the OEMs had spoken, but us consumers still continued to buy, so the OEMs assumed (incorrectly) that 'we'll just get used to it'.

The free market had no say in any of those features being removed. The OEMs just ran out of ideas to improve so they started removing stuff and when they didn't lose any sales they didn't see any problem. After all, a phone with less stuff crammed in probably costs less to make. It's a market of diminishing returns these days. Oftentimes I believe they aquiesced to the tech bloggers/tech reviewers to make them happy.

If the folks miffed by the removal of those features actually voted with their wallets, the OEMs would likely have brought them back. Unfortunately, many people have this insatiable need: "must...buy...new...smartphone every...two years!!!!!" It's like a bad drug.

As for BlackBerry, different problem. Their name these days is akin to Nokia. They're dead. The name gives people bad vibes of long-term support. They lost popularity long before BlackBerry 10 came out. Doesn't matter if they offer all those features I miss or anyone misses if they're considered EOL.

Regarding cameras in phones: the issue is a good 90% of consumers are NOT photographers and likely just need to snap a ton of garbage photos or pet videos to upload to instagram or snapchat. Even my S5's camera is more than up for that task. I'd have given anything to actually have the kind of camera back when my pet deer Daisy were still alive. The photos I took of her were with my Kodak EasyShare 4 megapixel camera. Not bad looking until you attempt to make a wallpaper of one of her photos scale to 4K and it ends up blurry garbage.

I disagree. The free market does have a complete say as smartphones market is highly competitive and not a necessity item. When a feature gone to the wayside, that means the market couldn't care less about that feature. I mean if they did, then the previous model with such feature would've been still in high demand vs the newer model without that feature, and OEMs would've seen it in their numbers.

And although a feature might be important for you or me, it might not be for the general consumer. Eg. removable battery. It's a convenient feature, but in reality the number of people who actually replaced their phone batteries are probably very small. Majority simply replaced their phones with a new one. Heck look at laptops. And we're not talking about Apple. Most Windows laptops, especially in the ultrabook segment, have adopted a less accessible design for their components. And consumers have shown that they prefer a sleeker design and sacrifice those features.

We can look at the Chinese OEMs who are willing to make dozens of models just to cover every market segment they can. Yet they are not adopting certain features (eg. small screen phones). It kinda tells you what the market wants. We may not like it, but that's the way it is. OTOH, certain features are being dropped every year (eg. dual-lens 3D camera, modular phones, etc), showing that OEMs do react if the market doesn't like something. Another one that is going away quickly is those pop-up selfie camera.

 

[tbayrgs]

Actually, the OEMs had spoken, but us consumers still continued to buy, so the OEMs assumed (incorrectly) that 'we'll just get used to it'.

This is literally the definition of the free market. If consumers weren’t happy about the addition/omission of specific features in a phone, it would have been reflected in sales. Things like the physical keyboard, removable batteries, etc weren’t summarily removed simultaneously by all OEMs. They disappeared over time because consumers didn’t seek them in their phones.

Oftentimes I believe they aquiesced to the tech bloggers/tech reviewers to make them happy.

Yeah, because catering to tech bloggers, not the actual consumers spending the money, is what keeps the sales coffers full.

The free market had no say in any of those features being removed.

Wrong, they absolutely did. See my previous explanation above. I think you’re confused about what a free market really is.

The OEMs just ran out of ideas to improve so they started removing stuff and when they didn't lose any sales they didn't see any problem.

Again, textbook free market behavior. People bought the stuff they actually wanted...go figure.

If the folks miffed by the removal of those features actually voted with their wallets, the OEMs would likely have brought them back.

Oh look, yet another example of free market behavior. They did vote with their wallets...and bought the phones with the features they wanted. You’re disproving your own argument with your very own examples.

Regarding cameras in phones: the issue is a good 90% of consumers are NOT photographers and likely just need to snap a ton of garbage photos or pet videos to upload to instagram or snapchat.

Yup, but those 90% of consumers are going to dictate what features OEMs to their hardware. People care about the cameras so, voila, Apple, Google, Samsung and others keep working on improving the cameras. What’s that behavior called? Oh yeah, free market economy dictating what OEMs produce to meet the needs of consumers.

You have very specific preferences that are just not representative of what most consumers want and seem to resent OEMs for not catering to what you want. So 90% of consumers have dictated they don’t care about the features you wish you had in your phone, yet those consumers are the ones who are wrong. OK..?

 

[t1328]

I also think it’s important to recognize that these companies like Samsung have product managers who own the product lines, and decisions of what to do with those product lines. As a former product manager and PM exec, I can tell you that most of these companies don’t make any decisions in a vacuum. Apple is one of the few that has gone non-traditional and told users what they want, and been successful. But most don’t do that.

Instead, they create a number of user personas based on their market research of who buys or considers buying this phones (including folks who use competitor’s phones today that they’re trying to win over), and then create focus groups with those folks, pay folks to give them their views of various things like removing the plastic backs or getting rid of removable batteries, the importance of the camera, the importance of waterproofing.

Reviewers are seen as a point of input for this, but only 1 point. They don’t replace actual people using the phones. Many of those people are at different age groups, different technical levels etc. They try to come up with a solution that caters to most of these personas as much as possible.

Doing these things in a vacuum is very foreign to most companies, and for good reason. Most companies that don’t have product management, fail dismally. Personally I think LG’s product management has failed dismally in the last few years, and the result is their declining sales. Samsung’s product managers have a done a pretty good job. Google seems to think they’re another Apple, and can dictate what the market wants. I think they can, but only on the software side like computational photography. Their lack of product management and market research on the hardware side is clear as day and is costing them (e.g. most users actually feel a wide angle camera is more important than a zoom camera, but Google is the only vendor ignoring this fact). LG had it right early on and were first to market with wide angle, but they banked too highly on audiophiles, and paid too little attention to UI and updates. These are all product management decisions with input and thought.

 

[michael9891]

Of course phone cameras aren't as good as a dslr, but to say they're garbage is laughable. Far from it and they're extremely capable. Trying to justify it with a "well that's opinion" kind of attitude simply shows ignorance.

 

[t1328]

Of course phone cameras aren't as good as a dslr, but to say they're garbage is laughable. Far from it and they're extremely capable. Trying to justify it with a "well that's opinion" kind of attitude simply shows ignorance.

Agreed Michael. This photo taken with my iPhone 11 Pro Max at night.

 

[nickdalzell1]

"dictating what the market wants" exactly my point. We didn't demand anything we just didn't have the balls to say 'nope'.

I doubt highly that any iPhone sales were dropping back when Apple only cared about 3.5" displays, but for some odd reason they went to only having brick-sized displays on EVERYTHING other than the original iPhone SE. Why? There was literally zero demand for it!

Point is, that smart people are being phased out. Those of us (myself included) who read all those DOS and CP/M manuals, learned how to build gaming rigs, etc. We appreciated the way things worked and had a better experience. Tech support wasn't the joke it is today. Why is being smart and intelligent today considered a problem? Are there ANY phones made for folks like myself? Any? Any company catering to MY demand (I am not alone either)? Android used to be all about geeks, root, hacking and custom ROMs, now? Modern Android looks so much like iOS and Google's safetynet has killed root, Custom ROMs are just updated builds of Android for unsupported phones, no real features...It's a sad world really. All about conformity, homogenized devices, zero individual choice. A Moto looks like a Samsung looks like a Pixel looks like an LG. As for LG, what happened to the V-series? Why even offer it if the trademark feature, that 'second screen' is no longer present?

Kinda makes me sick to see people throwing out perfectly good phones just because a newer one (with less features but OMG cameras!) comes out. The E-waste issue is a major problem and no one gives a crap! Whatever happened to waiting for something to be broken, trying to fix it yourself, and replacing it only if that fails? When did phones start becoming disposable crap? Why did they start becoming disposable crap.

As for tech bloggers, yes, the OEMs aquieced. you'd be surprised how many people base their buying decisions on tech bloggers. Sad but true. About the same folks who take mainstream media at face value without questioning it these days.

I will never back down from my stance on devices being far more interesting (and made for more people unlike today's one-size-fits-all strategy) back in 2010. I might have to humor Amazon on a few old Galaxy Tabs, HTC Thunderbolts (still works since LTE ain't going anywhere), perhaps an old Samsung Smart TV from then. For some reason, everything just dazzled me. I wanted it all but today, I hardly want to buy anything and it has zero to do with coronavirus. I just am not interested in modern anything. Perfectly happy with my Galaxy S5.

 

[Shanghaichica]

"dictating what the market wants" exactly my point. We didn't demand anything we just didn't have the balls to say 'nope'.

I doubt highly that any iPhone sales were dropping back when Apple only cared about 3.5" displays, but for some odd reason they went to only having brick-sized displays on EVERYTHING other than the original iPhone SE. Why? There was literally zero demand for it!

Point is, that smart people are being phased out. Those of us (myself included) who read all those DOS and CP/M manuals, learned how to build gaming rigs, etc. We appreciated the way things worked and had a better experience. Tech support wasn't the joke it is today. Why is being smart and intelligent today considered a problem? Are there ANY phones made for folks like myself? Any? Any company catering to MY demand (I am not alone either)? Android used to be all about geeks, root, hacking and custom ROMs, now? Modern Android looks so much like iOS and Google's safetynet has killed root, Custom ROMs are just updated builds of Android for unsupported phones, no real features...It's a sad world really. All about conformity, homogenized devices, zero individual choice. A Moto looks like a Samsung looks like a Pixel looks like an LG. As for LG, what happened to the V-series? Why even offer it if the trademark feature, that 'second screen' is no longer present?

Kinda makes me sick to see people throwing out perfectly good phones just because a newer one (with less features but OMG cameras!) comes out. The E-waste issue is a major problem and no one gives a crap! Whatever happened to waiting for something to be broken, trying to fix it yourself, and replacing it only if that fails? When did phones start becoming disposable crap? Why did they start becoming disposable crap.

As for tech bloggers, yes, the OEMs aquieced. you'd be surprised how many people base their buying decisions on tech bloggers. Sad but true. About the same folks who take mainstream media at face value without questioning it these days.

I will never back down from my stance on devices being far more interesting (and made for more people unlike today's one-size-fits-all strategy) back in 2010. I might have to humor Amazon on a few old Galaxy Tabs, HTC Thunderbolts (still works since LTE ain't going anywhere), perhaps an old Samsung Smart TV from then. For some reason, everything just dazzled me. I wanted it all but today, I hardly want to buy anything and it has zero to do with coronavirus. I just am not interested in modern anything. Perfectly happy with my Galaxy S5.

The battery life on my S5 is too poor for me to be happy with it.

 

[michael9891]

"dictating what the market wants" exactly my point. We didn't demand anything we just didn't have the balls to say 'nope'.

I doubt highly that any iPhone sales were dropping back when Apple only cared about 3.5" displays, but for some odd reason they went to only having brick-sized displays on EVERYTHING other than the original iPhone SE. Why? There was literally zero demand for it!

Point is, that smart people are being phased out. Those of us (myself included) who read all those DOS and CP/M manuals, learned how to build gaming rigs, etc. We appreciated the way things worked and had a better experience. Tech support wasn't the joke it is today. Why is being smart and intelligent today considered a problem? Are there ANY phones made for folks like myself? Any? Any company catering to MY demand (I am not alone either)? Android used to be all about geeks, root, hacking and custom ROMs, now? Modern Android looks so much like iOS and Google's safetynet has killed root, Custom ROMs are just updated builds of Android for unsupported phones, no real features...It's a sad world really. All about conformity, homogenized devices, zero individual choice. A Moto looks like a Samsung looks like a Pixel looks like an LG. As for LG, what happened to the V-series? Why even offer it if the trademark feature, that 'second screen' is no longer present?

Kinda makes me sick to see people throwing out perfectly good phones just because a newer one (with less features but OMG cameras!) comes out. The E-waste issue is a major problem and no one gives a crap! Whatever happened to waiting for something to be broken, trying to fix it yourself, and replacing it only if that fails? When did phones start becoming disposable crap? Why did they start becoming disposable crap.

As for tech bloggers, yes, the OEMs aquieced. you'd be surprised how many people base their buying decisions on tech bloggers. Sad but true. About the same folks who take mainstream media at face value without questioning it these days.

I will never back down from my stance on devices being far more interesting (and made for more people unlike today's one-size-fits-all strategy) back in 2010. I might have to humor Amazon on a few old Galaxy Tabs, HTC Thunderbolts (still works since LTE ain't going anywhere), perhaps an old Samsung Smart TV from then. For some reason, everything just dazzled me. I wanted it all but today, I hardly want to buy anything and it has zero to do with coronavirus. I just am not interested in modern anything. Perfectly happy with my Galaxy S5.

Enjoy the cutting edge TV tech from 2010. Glad I'm not smart and prefer the quality a TV from 2020 provides.

 

[ian87w]

I doubt highly that any iPhone sales were dropping back when Apple only cared about 3.5" displays, but for some odd reason they went to only having brick-sized displays on EVERYTHING other than the original iPhone SE. Why? There was literally zero demand for it!

Point is, that smart people are being phased out. Those of us (myself included) who read all those DOS and CP/M manuals, learned how to build gaming rigs, etc. We appreciated the way things worked and had a better experience. Tech support wasn't the joke it is today. Why is being smart and intelligent today considered a problem? Are there ANY phones made for folks like myself? Any? Any company catering to MY demand (I am not alone either)? Android used to be all about geeks, root, hacking and custom ROMs, now? Modern Android looks so much like iOS and Google's safetynet has killed root, Custom ROMs are just updated builds of Android for unsupported phones, no real features...It's a sad world really. All about conformity, homogenized devices, zero individual choice. A Moto looks like a Samsung looks like a Pixel looks like an LG. As for LG, what happened to the V-series? Why even offer it if the trademark feature, that 'second screen' is no longer present?

Kinda makes me sick to see people throwing out perfectly good phones just because a newer one (with less features but OMG cameras!) comes out. The E-waste issue is a major problem and no one gives a crap! Whatever happened to waiting for something to be broken, trying to fix it yourself, and replacing it only if that fails? When did phones start becoming disposable crap? Why did they start becoming disposable crap.

As for tech bloggers, yes, the OEMs aquieced. you'd be surprised how many people base their buying decisions on tech bloggers. Sad but true. About the same folks who take mainstream media at face value without questioning it these days.

I will never back down from my stance on devices being far more interesting (and made for more people unlike today's one-size-fits-all strategy) back in 2010. I might have to humor Amazon on a few old Galaxy Tabs, HTC Thunderbolts (still works since LTE ain't going anywhere), perhaps an old Samsung Smart TV from then. For some reason, everything just dazzled me. I wanted it all but today, I hardly want to buy anything and it has zero to do with coronavirus. I just am not interested in modern anything. Perfectly happy with my Galaxy S5.

1. The iPhone 6/6 Plus are still the bestselling iPhone ever. So obviously the market demand has spoken.
2. Wait, are you implying only those who build gaming rigs are smart and intelligent? There are so many smart people out there, doctors, entrepreneurs, artists, or even a farmer, who are helped by technology being easier to use for them. Are you implying that technology are only for people like you to use?
3. People are NOT replacing their phones as often anymore. Did you see the reduction of shipments across the board worldwide?
4. LG? They fail because they don't have a good vision and product road map. Simple as that.
5. Majority of consumers don't listen to tech bloggers. Best sellers are still iPhones and low end Samsung. If people listen to tech bloggers, OnePlus and Pixel phones would be the best sellers.
6. You're contradicting yourself if you are consider yourself to be that "intelligent" person but prefer 2010 tech. Simply get any latest Android and put custom ROM on it. Not that hard.

Imo it's simply that you are looking at the wrong things. Go to XDA and go wild with custom ROM. No need to dismiss or insult the entire consumer market just because they don't fit your specific wants.

 

[t1328]

I doubt highly that any iPhone sales were dropping back when Apple only cared about 3.5" displays, but for some odd reason they went to only having brick-sized displays on EVERYTHING other than the original iPhone SE. Why? There was literally zero demand for it.

If there was literally zero demand for larger screens, no one would ever have purchased the Plus variants of iPhones, since they cost $100 more than their regular variants. Yet they account for close to 50% of iPhone premium models (that is, Apple sells the same number of iPhone 10s and iPhone 10s Max (slight edge to the max in year 1 of its production, and slight edge to the non-max in year 2).

I understand your frustrations, but as others have said, the market is speaking. These phones are insanely expensive, and yet people are paying even more for the larger variants. Also, the idea that the 3.5” displays were big enough was destroyed by the Samsung Note 1. And frankly for anyone watching YouTube or anything similar, that is a terrible screen size.

 

[BigSur]

Nokia also have great smartphones with a vanilla android experience

Nokia 9 PureView

Explore every detail with Nokia 9 PureView. One phone, five cameras with ZEISS Optics capturing simultaneously. Discover more with Nokia.

www.nokia.com

 

[Camarillo Brillo]

"dictating what the market wants" exactly my point. We didn't demand anything we just didn't have the balls to say 'nope'.

I doubt highly that any iPhone sales were dropping back when Apple only cared about 3.5" displays, but for some odd reason they went to only having brick-sized displays on EVERYTHING other than the original iPhone SE. Why? There was literally zero demand for it!

Point is, that smart people are being phased out. Those of us (myself included) who read all those DOS and CP/M manuals, learned how to build gaming rigs, etc. We appreciated the way things worked and had a better experience. Tech support wasn't the joke it is today. Why is being smart and intelligent today considered a problem? Are there ANY phones made for folks like myself? Any? Any company catering to MY demand (I am not alone either)? Android used to be all about geeks, root, hacking and custom ROMs, now? Modern Android looks so much like iOS and Google's safetynet has killed root, Custom ROMs are just updated builds of Android for unsupported phones, no real features...It's a sad world really. All about conformity, homogenized devices, zero individual choice. A Moto looks like a Samsung looks like a Pixel looks like an LG. As for LG, what happened to the V-series? Why even offer it if the trademark feature, that 'second screen' is no longer present?

Kinda makes me sick to see people throwing out perfectly good phones just because a newer one (with less features but OMG cameras!) comes out. The E-waste issue is a major problem and no one gives a crap! Whatever happened to waiting for something to be broken, trying to fix it yourself, and replacing it only if that fails? When did phones start becoming disposable crap? Why did they start becoming disposable crap.

As for tech bloggers, yes, the OEMs aquieced. you'd be surprised how many people base their buying decisions on tech bloggers. Sad but true. About the same folks who take mainstream media at face value without questioning it these days.

I will never back down from my stance on devices being far more interesting (and made for more people unlike today's one-size-fits-all strategy) back in 2010. I might have to humor Amazon on a few old Galaxy Tabs, HTC Thunderbolts (still works since LTE ain't going anywhere), perhaps an old Samsung Smart TV from then. For some reason, everything just dazzled me. I wanted it all but today, I hardly want to buy anything and it has zero to do with coronavirus. I just am not interested in modern anything. Perfectly happy with my Galaxy S5.

Why don’t you just accept that you are NOT representative of what the market wants at all, and you are more interested in 8-10 year old phones?

just because there was ‘zero demand’ for large screen phones from YOU has nothing to do with what the market wants.

And this is coming from somebody that doesn’t like large phones, owns a decently nice mirrorless camera, AND wants a quality camera on my smartphone.

 

[Vegastouch]

Have to say since I ways have my phone's in a case, a plastic back means little to me for build quality. Won't bother me a bit to have one with a plastic back which also means color is not an issue either as it will get covered up.

 

[nickdalzell1]

The battery life on my S5 is too poor for me to be happy with it.

The great thing about the Galaxy S5 (also the S4, S3, Note 2, 3, et al) is the battery--it's replaceable and you can get a honking ZeroLemon 10,000 mAH battery if you want. With a modern smartphone, you not only lose features, but you're stuck with the battery it comes with unless you actually believe that having a phone-sized battery pack dangling from the Micro USB port is 'innovation' these days.

The reason I like 2010-2014 tech is because there were far more features that made the cost more worth it. What do you get for 1,000 dollars today? three cameras and a phone that looks identical to every other phone unless you can even see the logo behind the case. It does literally 1/3 what a 2010 HTC phone did. No slider keyboard, no different screen sizes, nothing. Homogenized like all the rest. Nothing differentiates anymore.

I used to get this argument from posts on social media when phones diverted to what they started becoming today. "We're a minority-the OEMs no longer want our demand, they want to cater to 'the mainstream'"

Dumbing down so everyone can use a phone or computer. so the OS has to look and act like a fisher price toy. Even the errors are made to seem 'more friendly' but far less useful in troubleshooting for experts like myself. I no longer get hexadecimals from Windows that I can look up and figure out the cause which reduces productivity. Once you design tech 'for the rest of us' as it were, it becomes so dumbed down that it can frustrate those who are actually educated in it. Then you get zero devices that even cater to the intelligent anymore. It's like all that I've learned is meaningless.

Custom ROM? You mean the featureless but upgraded Android versions you can put onto an S5 or S6? Have you even seen the massive feature list for CyanogenMod 7.1 (from 2010, no less)? It supported CPU and GPU overclocking, supported themes that changed the entire system UI itself, offered support for Xposed and that's only scratching the surface.

I am not ignorant. I got a Nexus 6 and a few Moto phones I tried modern custom ROMs with. Assuming you're not blocked by SafetyNet (you have to get rid of Google and that breaks a ton of apps these days and disables location), the 'ROM' doesn't even require root (and offers it less). Lineage today is nothing like the old CyanogenMod ROM. It has no Xposed support, no theme engine, no overclocking. It's just Android 10 on a device last supported officially by Android 7.1. Other than that it's featureless like the modern phones are.

When tech from 2010-14 does twice as much and is far more fun for me to use, I will stick to what I like. There's literally nothing a modern 2020 device even does and actually it does far less and that means less function which interests me none. Barring the huge screen aside, you're paying far more for a functional DOWNgrade, not an 'upgrade'.

Let me know when a phone comes out that offers the IR blaster, removable battery, headphone jack (for instances when my Bluetooth buds die or don't pair correctly), a UI skin that isn't flat, pastel and dumbed down to look too much like iOS, and a physical home button, and notification LED (seriously, where did they go?!) and I'll be happy to dump my S5 and Note 2 and feel like I'm getting an actual upgrade vs. regressing.

 

[Vegastouch]

The great thing about the Galaxy S5 (also the S4, S3, Note 2, 3, et al) is the battery--it's replaceable and you can get a honking ZeroLemon 10,000 mAH battery if you want. With a modern smartphone, you not only lose features, but you're stuck with the battery it comes with unless you actually believe that having a phone-sized battery pack dangling from the Micro USB port is 'innovation' these days.

The reason I like 2010-2014 tech is because there were far more features that made the cost more worth it. What do you get for 1,000 dollars today? three cameras and a phone that looks identical to every other phone unless you can even see the logo behind the case. It does literally 1/3 what a 2010 HTC phone did. No slider keyboard, no different screen sizes, nothing. Homogenized like all the rest. Nothing differentiates anymore.

I used to get this argument from posts on social media when phones diverted to what they started becoming today. "We're a minority-the OEMs no longer want our demand, they want to cater to 'the mainstream'"

Dumbing down so everyone can use a phone or computer. so the OS has to look and act like a fisher price toy. Even the errors are made to seem 'more friendly' but far less useful in troubleshooting for experts like myself. I no longer get hexadecimals from Windows that I can look up and figure out the cause which reduces productivity. Once you design tech 'for the rest of us' as it were, it becomes so dumbed down that it can frustrate those who are actually educated in it. Then you get zero devices that even cater to the intelligent anymore. It's like all that I've learned is meaningless.

Custom ROM? You mean the featureless but upgraded Android versions you can put onto an S5 or S6? Have you even seen the massive feature list for CyanogenMod 7.1 (from 2010, no less)? It supported CPU and GPU overclocking, supported themes that changed the entire system UI itself, offered support for Xposed and that's only scratching the surface.

I am not ignorant. I got a Nexus 6 and a few Moto phones I tried modern custom ROMs with. Assuming you're not blocked by SafetyNet (you have to get rid of Google and that breaks a ton of apps these days and disables location), the 'ROM' doesn't even require root (and offers it less). Lineage today is nothing like the old CyanogenMod ROM. It has no Xposed support, no theme engine, no overclocking. It's just Android 10 on a device last supported officially by Android 7.1. Other than that it's featureless like the modern phones are.

When tech from 2010-14 does twice as much and is far more fun for me to use, I will stick to what I like. There's literally nothing a modern 2020 device even does and actually it does far less and that means less function which interests me none. Barring the huge screen aside, you're paying far more for a functional DOWNgrade, not an 'upgrade'.

Let me know when a phone comes out that offers the IR blaster, removable battery, headphone jack (for instances when my Bluetooth buds die or don't pair correctly), a UI skin that isn't flat, pastel and dumbed down to look too much like iOS, and a physical home button, and notification LED (seriously, where did they go?!) and I'll be happy to dump my S5 and Note 2 and feel like I'm getting an actual upgrade vs. regressing.

Doubt you are going to find a phone with a removable battery, but..... Here is a headphone jack and IR blaster.
Oh and don't know why anyone would care about a sliding keyboard? Old tech, thick phone. Most of your likes... You are in the very minority, but here. A couple things you want below.

TCL 10 Pro - Full phone specifications

www.gsmarena.com

 

[nickdalzell1]

I don't require a sliding keyboard. But I loved the idea of a phone for everyone. Be different not the same and all that. Now all phones are basically alike. Nothing differentiates. Nothing tries to do anything unique. There's only two mobile OSs. There's less competition. The wild wild west of 2010-2014 was a fun ride. I'll stick with it until something enticing comes out that actually feels like an upgrade.

I will say that sliding keyboards were nice, they kept all those smudges off the screen. I personally never understood thin phones. easy to break or bend, but offering no real durability. I actually long for the days of thick, indestructable phones coming back. Like different screen sizes from 3.5 to 6 inches. Not just 6 inches.

Checked the link. no IR blaster mentioned in the specs, and the phone once again looks the same as the others. huge screen too big for one hand, gesture nav, no buttons, multiple cameras. It's like OEMs just ran out of ideas. Boring. The camera is literally the last thing I care about on a phone. It's not actually doing anything my S5's camera can't do. I mean, what little photos I have taken on the S5 are quite nice, but I do have photos I took on my old Mavica from 2005 that were quite amazing given it only had literally 1 megapixel to work with.

You needn't worry about me. I got all my old stuff and it works 100% and I'm happy. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I still got tons of features that have gone missing in modern stuff which means no purchase. I still can't grasp the whole less features = upgrade though.