Hold on tight, we are almost back…
Previously on Lemmy: Sony
Past Discussions:
I thought we should restart the brand discussion with something more popular to give this community relaunch a bit more oomph. So, Samsung it is.
I’ve never really used a Samsung phone much before, despite them being so popular in the States. Have friends who used them, they usually look nice and high quality, and the Galaxy S Active are the only high-end phones I know that doesn’t shatter when you look at them wrong without a case, so, props to Samsung.
There are may reasons I don’t like Samsung phones: Hardware fuse disabling Knox on bootloader unlock, Exynos vs Snapdragon models, the mandatory Bixby button, the Galaxy Note 7 that really blew up. To me, Samsung phones are trying so hard to go against what makes Android good, which is the customizability to do whatever you wanted. Android is everything; Samsung is just Samsung.
Personally, I think Samsung is only worth buying at the very high end for the Galaxy S series. I’ve heard that A series have gotten better, but there always seems to be better choices from Moto/Pixel/Chinese brands on Amazon that it’s not worth considering their low tier offering.
What should we do next week? I’m thinking Microsoft, just to make fun of them for the very idea of making a Surface Duo 2.
FAQ:
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Hardware great, software garbage. They really want to be like Apple but aren’t even half as competent (which is more an insult to Samsung than praise to Apple). It comes bloated with all kind of garbage alot of which you can’t uninstall (like Facebook). They have their own app store next to the Google Store which is annoying. It has no reason to be there other than distributing their shitty apps that I don’t want in the first place.
I currently have an S21 and can’t wait to have the spare income to replace it.
Facebook does not come on their unlocked phones. I’ve set up my S8 and S23, as well as Note 9 and Note 22 for family and none of them came with bloatware aside from Samsung’s apps. However I got a used Galaxy tablet on AT&T and it had so much crap on it. At least it’s removable using ADB.
It does however include meta services, meta app manager, and meta app installer which you have to either disable after enabling view of system apps or use adb to remove it.
Fun fact, the Meta installer is a system app so it can quietly install (also system) stuff without your knowledge.
Also, having seen what extensive spying a regular Facebook app does (when it’s a non-system app!) I wouldn’t touch a Samsung phone without root with a ten foot pole.
Bold of them to assume people who buy expensive Android phones still use Facebook in 2023.
I bought a Samsung phone years ago and had to return it. I remember feeling really conflicted when I decided to return it. Hardware wise it was the best there was at the time and the phone itself looked beautiful. On paper it was a monster. Yet it dropped frames like crazy and stuttered doing the most basic tasks. I just couldn’t justify spending that much money for a mediocre experience. Such a pity.
It’s okay. Not bad, not great. Gonna get a Google phone with a headphone jack on it. Don’t really need my phone for anything other than basic tasks.
Samsung has great hardware but my OG galaxy S2 was peak Samsung for me. I still love their build quality but I don’t like curved screens, lack of sd slots and 3.5mm jack and so on. Neither do I want all the Samsung social etc. apps.
If Samsung made a clean phone like the pixel with their build quality, that would be a game changer.
It would be interesting for the users but it would also undermine Samsung’s position in their war with Google.
The reason Samsung duplicates all the apps etc. is so that they keep Google at arm’s length. Google controls their manufacturers with tightly controlled deals for the Android trademark and access to the Play Store and Services Framework. By duplicating those and the app ecosystem, Samsung is saying “we won’t be so easy to get rid of”.
Granted, Samsung is also the largest Android manufacturer, so all out war would probably mean the fracture of the entire Android landscape.
I’ve once read a comparison between the income percentage that Android represents for Samsung and Google respectively and I seem to recall it would damage Google more than Samsung. But it was years ago so that might have changed, and also the Google side analysis involved guesswork about the impact on their ad and data collection business.
Woah… i learned something new today
Samsung is a shit company and nobody should ever buy anything from them. Phones, TVs, appliances, it doesn’t matter – it’s all either pre-infested with ads and malware or sabotaged with planned obsolescence.
You and I must have ad the same Samsung experience.
A couple years ago you could replace that with Apple (except for the ads part i think), does that still apply or has apple seen any kind of redemption?
Just completely not true. I love my pixel phones, but apple takes care of its customers like no other company, while Samsung shits on its customers like no other company.
Only as long as you pay protection(apple care).
And bend over backwards.
Typing from a Samsung Galaxy A50 right now, as a long time Samsung user. I’ve always hated TouchWiz from the older days, but I really love One UI. I’d even go as far as to say that One UI is the best Android skin (controversial opinion, lol)!
Same. I don’t get so this hate. It’s like people still think it’s touchwiz and have never used one ui. I actually prefer one ui far more than stock android.
Mixed opinions.
Things I like about Samsung:
- Feature-rich hardware and software
- 4 years of OS updates compared to 3 by Google
- S Pen in Note/Ultra
- Foldables
- Keeping Android tablets and Android-compatible smartwatches alive when Google abandoned them. Huge props for that.
Things I dislike:
- Making fun of Apple and then doing the exact same things they did: removing the headphone jack, display notch, removing the charger in the box.
- They even got rid of expandable storage in the S series despite being a major manufacturer of micro SDs.
- Samsung’s software is notorious for being slow, generally inferior compared to Google’s and not the most well-designed out there.
- I tried both the Galaxy A52 and a Pixel 6a at Best Buy. The A52 was lagging. I bought the 6a.
- They’re edging towards anti-repair.
- Certain Samsung smartwatch features only work if you have a Samsung phone.
It just seems like every brand does the make fun of Apple then doing the exact thing they did thing.
Samsung phones have great hardware, but all the Samsung bloatware ruins the phone. Good if you can get one with only stock android
The only good thing about Samsung's software is Dex which unfortunately has no decent replacement.
Samsung phones are the worst android phones you can buy, except for all the others.
As frustrating as Samsung is, I always find myself going back to them. Displays, build quality, cameras, performance, storage capacity, speakers, software features (Dex!), they’re just ahead of the curve across the board.
The only legitimate advantage of Chinese phones is the super fast charging, but I’m in the better safe than sorry camp on that one.
I’ve had the Fold 3 and now Fold 4, and I really don’t see myself getting anything other than a Fold 6 down the line, unless something major changes.
They are very anti repair. And also this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-8qqkCbo3U
Why does everyone always copy the bad part of Apple and never the good parts?
I disagree regarding Android. Google’s Android feels to me like it’s trying to go against everything that makes Android good such as SafetyNet, Android 12 removing customizability from Android 11 and choosing default apps convoluted, separating gestures and launchers, half assed tablet experience.
One UI has a lot more customization and practical options and generally always implemented features before Google did, like split screen and still can do things no other OEM can.
Flagship has no headphone jack or even micro SD card. Absolute joke.
If they had those I would strongly consider buying. I was an LG person until they stopped making phones.
Just curious, why in the modern day do you need an SD card?
If phones can come up to a TB nowadays and USBCs have insane transfer speeds I can’t really find a reason why you’d need more.
Far cheaper to buy a microsd than a bigger capacity phone, and if you get the base model and run out of storage theres no way to upgrade.
Because I want more storage.
Because of the bloat and their Knox bullshit making it difficult to impossible to remove said bloat with a custom ROM, I will not touch a Samsung phone.
We need S5 but with modern specs. Galaxy Alpha would be zased phone if it had a MicroSD reader.
I personally love Samsung. Have a Note20 Ultra still going strong, got a Tab S9 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro in the last year. They are all so customizable out of the box using Good Lock and other software that it would be painful to switch. I find they all perform really well and the improvements of OneUI are appreciated. I like the Calendar, Browser (on tablet), Reminders and some other apps much more than Google’s offerings.
Samsung phones have so many quality of life improvements over the default Android experience that I don’t think I can get away from them just from software alone (why do you have to scroll down twice to change the brightness on normal Android it’s the most important function in the quick menu) Not to mention they’re the only phones that I can seemingly drop as many times as I want without breaking screen. I’d love to switch to another company as I don’t really like Samsung but every other software experience I’ve had has been abysmal.
Samsung phones have so many quality of life improvements over the default Android experience that I don’t think I can get away from them just from software alone (why do you have to scroll down twice to change the brightness on normal Android it’s the most important function in the quick menu)>
Only have to scroll down once but using two fingers. I am using Android 12 Motorola UX. I assume that stock Android would be similar.
I’m using the same at the moment, Motorola android 12, and that doesn’t work for me.
Start at the very top press and hold both fingers and follow through all the way to the bottom.
Basically follow through the motion all way to bottom OR swipe with both to at least mid screen and then flick downward with momentum. Can’t see why it wouldn’t work for your phone 🤔
Have an s21, wife has s22, few yrs ago child had A20 (I think) the s series has been great. I could have upgraded to s22 didn’t want. The A20 was horrid but for a youngish teen it was “fine” if I had to get another phone I would look around and see whats what but over all I like my phone better than the s22, and while my phone was being repaired I bought a Moto G5, considering the cost I hated the damn thing and was slow as F. Now my other youngish teen has that one, I am just happy to be rid of it. It worked for me, just barely. Admit to having been used to the s21, so may be somewhat biast.
