No exciting Android phones coming out:(

[darkewaffle]

I don't think I've ever been excited for a phone.

 

[sweenish]

Well, this was a dumb discussion. Also worth pointing out that Google was first on the scene with NFC payments by a few years. Whoever credited Apple was way off base.

Over-generalized talking points in a simple (meant in the stupid sense) OS v. OS battle royale.

Back to the actual discussion, though. There is a point in there. Development of new things has slowed down. I think a part of that is because Android has slowed down. And right now, I think that's okay. Android has needed this kind of refinement. I don't know if M will bring the Lollipop base up to the level of polish that KitKat brought the ICS base, but until we get there, I'm okay with Android focusing more on the details and behind-the-scenes features.

In the meantime, we have got a lot of improvements. Especially in the cameras.

Maybe flagships haven't been as whiz-bang cool as they used to be, but they're still vastly improved over 4 years ago.

 

[Anubis]

I don't think I've ever been excited for a phone.

this

 

[bgstcola]

Back to the actual discussion, though. There is a point in there. Development of new things has slowed down. I think a part of that is because Android has slowed down. And right now, I think that's okay. Android has needed this kind of refinement. I don't know if M will bring the Lollipop base up to the level of polish that KitKat brought the ICS base, but until we get there, I'm okay with Android focusing more on the details and behind-the-scenes features.

In the meantime, we have got a lot of improvements. Especially in the cameras.

Maybe flagships haven't been as whiz-bang cool as they used to be, but they're still vastly improved over 4 years ago.

I agree about android. I just wish the phone mfgs would do the same. It was exactly what I requested. I'm happy with the way my phone works, I just want updated tech.

I don't agree that the flagships have improved because the improvements has been countered by bad decisions (size, too high resolution etc.).

 

[dawheat]

this

For me, I was super excited about the Note 3 release in fall 2013.

I was using an iPhone 4S in 2012, but tried using a Galaxy S3 in the summer of 2012. I found the phone OK overall but it was my first taste of a bigger screen (3.5" vs. 4.7") which I really liked.

When the iPhone 5 came out, it was the first iPhone I didn't buy due to screen size and instead got a secondhand S3. Then the Note 2 came out with an enormous (at the time) 5.5" screen, and I was hooked with the screen and battery life. However the phone had a lot of downsides - the screen resolution wasn't great at the size, sunlight visibility was bad, and the hard plastic back was just bad. Even so, it was the phone that shifted my browsing habits heavily toward my mobile phone.

So when the expected 5S cycle in 2013 kept the same screen size, I was excited for the Note 3 release and in general, it met my expectations. The 1080p screen was a huge step up in sharpness and brightness and the build got better (though I really wish it had come with the metal bezel of the Note 4).

Since then, I agree as nothing has been very exciting to me. Just evolutionary stuff.

 

[cronos]

The only time I was excited about a phone was about the Dell Streak back in 2010. First 5 inch phone and the pioneer of the phablet culture. People laughed at phablet back then until Samsung made the Galaxy Note, but hey we were first!

 

[purbeast0]

I haven't used one since the iPhone 4. How do you currently get music onto an iPhone?

i didn't use itunes with my iphone4 either. there are plenty of other options, just google and you'll get tons of them.

 

[Cakefish]

Luckily Motorola comes to the rescue. The Moto X Play looks really exciting. That battery.

 

[sweenish]

I agree about android. I just wish the phone mfgs would do the same. It was exactly what I requested. I'm happy with the way my phone works, I just want updated tech.

I don't agree that the flagships have improved because the improvements has been countered by bad decisions (size, too high resolution etc.).

I don't think those are bad decisions at all.

Subjectivity!

Also, are you calling it a wash, or a net step backwards? If the latter, you're always free to pick up an S2 relive the "glory days."

 

[bgstcola]

A wash. I think that Apple did the right thing with screen size. It's not one size fits all.

 

[J Rock]

If you're bored then you're boring.


Really though, the technology is all pretty much the same now. iphone/android both have great cameras, battery life, speed. There just aren't any new features that can be invented or added to a smartphone.

Apple likely will just have speed improvements from now on too, and next year all the iOS fans will be complaining of the same thing. We just plateaued first.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Apple likely will just have speed improvements from now on too, and next year all the iOS fans will be complaining of the same thing. We just plateaued first.

Apple knows how to hold a punch. Here I sit thinking "why would anybody need more iPhone than that eventual 6s with a Xbox 360 level GPU, an iPad Air 2 level SoC, a 1080p screen and 2GB of ram?" And the answer that I will hate is that the question won't even get asked because something will be left off that very obvious list. That rest of the market is too desperate to compete to hold any punches like that, to the point where a Samsung throws up in your face to stand out.

 

[KentState]

i didn't use itunes with my iphone4 either. there are plenty of other options, just google and you'll get tons of them.

Wait, you have to use an app to transfer files over regardless? Just can't use it like a USB stick?

 

[Red Storm]

I am excited to see the Note 5, the new Nexus 5, the new Nexus 6, and whatever OnePlus has by the end of the year. Been using a work issued iPhone 6+ for months now and I am dying to get back to Android.

 

[trmiv]

I am excited to see the Note 5, the new Nexus 5, the new Nexus 6, and whatever OnePlus has by the end of the year. Been using a work issued iPhone 6+ for months now and I am dying to get back to Android.

I'm actuallylooking to get an iPhone 6s plus this time around after years of Android. I'm bored with Android at this point, and looking for something new. That will probably last a year or two and then I'll switch again. Good to have the choices though, because right now each platform can be a little boring.

 

[Ravynmagi]

I'm excited about the Nexus 5 2015. I'm looking forward to getting back to stock Android and a phone that is friendly to unlock, root, and mod. Also the potential fingerprint scanner on the back looks promising.

Also curious about the Nexus 6 2015. However it needs to be a tad smaller than the current Nexus 6. If they can get the dimensions down a bit, I might want this.

I currently own an iPhone 6 Plus and Note 4. Neither the 6S Plus or Note 5 are interesting me so far, so both seem to be evolutionary upgrades, nothing big really changing.

Zero interest in anything One Plus makes since they company seems to be run by arse holes and I don't like to jump through hoops to give someone my money.

HTC and LG don't really seem to be making anything exciting to me. Lenovo/Motorola seems to be focusing on mid range phones, and they are exciting for their price, but not for me.

 

[Bunlee]

why compare the two when they entirely different..it boils down to user preference..

 

[QueBert]

<sarcasm>And iOS feels like an OS that was made for children to use where everything has to be rigidly controlled. I have fun with it, but it just doesn't strike me as something an adult would use.</sarcasm>

If you want to be ridiculous, it works both ways.

<sigh>I'm not sure how I always seem to end up positioned as an Android proponent when my household has more iOS devices (MBP, iPad Air, iPhone 6, Apple TV) than Android (Note 4, G2) and we use both platforms happily, especially since there is a belief that this is an Android-centric forum base.

I like uniformity, something Android doesn't have. I also like attention to detail. While not inherrint to Android since it's an OS. No Android handset makers seem to really care. HTC came close with the One, the rest of the phones, little things here and there just don't line up and the design doesn't mesh. It's almost like 3 totally random groups of developers within the company worked on the phone. And none had a clue what the other was doing. Clean lines are beautiful, my iPhone 6+ has clean lines, the buttons line up, the speaker holes aren't out of place. Things are centered, I know stuff like that doesn't matter to most. But I notice anything that's not aligned and anything out of place. That's why I love super cars, because everything detail was thought out to an insane level. But it's to each his own. There's nothing wrong with being Source Forge'esk, it just seems odd on something as mainstream as Android.

 

[Zaap]

Meh. All this "Apple stuff is so polished and nothing else is" is so silly.

I have iOS devices and Android sitting right in front of me. There's no lines that are any 'cleaner' on the iOS stuff vs say my Note 4. The whole idea is all just sheer nonsense.

And attention to detail? PUH-LEASE. iOS I notice just simply skips all the details.

For example, I despise the keyboard- it's just so primitive and has so few functions/options. On my iPad Mini it infuriates me half the time how no matter how I turn the screen or move things, it's covering up-completely!- what I'm trying to type. I have the rotten choice of one 'randomly in the middle of the screen' position to move it to rather than my choice of wherever the hell I actually *NEED* it like a myriad of keyboard choices for Android. And sorry, iOS third party keyboards so far that I've seen just plain blow even worse.


I'm just startled sometimes at how non-to-semi-functional iOS often is, for even basic things that it should excel at, yet this I'm supposed to swallow the cool-aid and see as 'attention to detail' rather than what is is, LACK of a whole host of DETAILS that would add greater function and usefulness to the devices. That you've polished up the remaining stripped function doesn't really make me forget that, sorry. Android actually has many of those 'details' that actually matter.

Anyway, on subject... I've been 'excited' by a few interesting phone designs like the S6 edge when I actually saw one, and I'm still satisfied that my Note 4 is my best choice right now. What will excite me most is related to the OP's wishes- rather than some 'new' thing that I don't really need, I'll settle for the things I DO need and have come to rely on not being stripped out in the name of dumbing down. Google and Android makes can be just as guilty of this as Apple, sadly.

 

[VVV]

The only time I was excited about a phone was about the Dell Streak back in 2010. First 5 inch phone and the pioneer of the phablet culture. People laughed at phablet back then until Samsung made the Galaxy Note, but hey we were first!

I still have the Streak with a broken screen as a souvenir. The Streak was an example of a bad timing, Android wasn't very good, and a non commitment from a pc vendor who never really tried to embrace the inevitable evolution of consumer device from pc to smartphone.

I, as a lot of others, saw all the potential from a 'phablet' and obviously there's a market for it.

The market for phablet will only grow. People will get more and more addicted to smartphone as a news, media, social hub consuming device and it's only logical to get the 'biggest' portable possible device.

Frankly, I am asian with small hands and I can use my Nexus 5 one hand easily than I can't see why others will have any trouble with 5.7-6.

 

[shady28]

I remember when I bought my Samsung Galaxy S2. That phone was really great when it was released. Right now I have a Moto X (first gen) which was cool as well. But since the Moto X there hasn't been a phone that I wanted.

Now all Android flagships are huge with unnecessary high resolution and looks like bad iPhone copies.

I want a 4.5-5 inch plastic phone with amoled, strong radios, strong wifi, good battery life and great speakers/call quality. And I don't want to bother with heavily skinned phones. Also I prefer on screen buttons.

Anyone feel the same way?

Gotta say I agree with the OP. I can also say I'm safely agnostic on the OS side.

I've also got a 2013 Moto X that got dropped flat on its face, wound up getting an LG G2 b/c at the time it was cheaper than replacing the screen on the Moto X. The LG G2 (5.2") is too big for my taste and now has its infamous dead spot on the screen.

I'm up for a new phone on 9/22 and I see like.. nothing of interest on my carrier (Verizon).

Looking beyond Verizon the Sony Z3 Compact looks good but it's a year old now.

Who makes a 4.5-5" phone with dimensions similar to the OG Moto X, a Snapdragon 801 or higher, 2+ GB of RAM, 32GB+ of flash storage (or MicroSD slot), and all day battery life?

I wish Moto had used the OG MotoX form factor and stuck a Snapdragon 615 in it.

 

[Excelsior]

"Who makes a 4.5-5" phone with dimensions similar to the OG Moto X, a Snapdragon 801 or higher, 2+ GB of RAM, 32GB+ of flash storage (or MicroSD slot), and all day battery life?"

That's pretty much the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact.

 

[shabby]

"Who makes a 4.5-5" phone with dimensions similar to the OG Moto X, a Snapdragon 801 or higher, 2+ GB of RAM, 32GB+ of flash storage (or MicroSD slot), and all day battery life?"

That's pretty much the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact.

Did they figured out how to root the z3 without unlocking the bootloader?

 

[shady28]

"Who makes a 4.5-5" phone with dimensions similar to the OG Moto X, a Snapdragon 801 or higher, 2+ GB of RAM, 32GB+ of flash storage (or MicroSD slot), and all day battery life?"

That's pretty much the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact.

I mentioned that one in my post, it seems to be the *only* premium mid-size android phone on the market.

It is a very fragile phone though. Glass on back and front, and apparently pretty fragile glass. Gets consistently low marks for build quality, with the glass coming loose and the camera lens getting scratched easily. Read a review where the user dropped it a few inches onto their *belt buckle* and broke the screen.

So far that seems to be the only real choice though, else stick with a Moto X from 2013. And that's what's galling. The highly vaunted 2015 Moto G benchmarks a tad slower than the 2013 Moto X (which was considered behind the times when it was released - dual core Snapdragon S4 Pro), and is physically bigger than the LG G2 despite having a smaller screen (5" vs 5.2"). A used LG G2 is a far better choice than a brand new Moto G.

And the iPhone 6... what a bezel monster. You get a midsize phone screen in a full size phone enclosure.

It seems like everything has switched to low-end mode, no one builds high-end or even upper midrange phones unless they're gargantuan. Everytime I find a phone with the right dimensions, it's got a Snap 400 in it or worse, a Snap 200 series.

Edit: Z3 Compact is discontinued in the USA - still available through some retailers like B&H Photo, for now.

 

[shady28]

There's a J1 compact with no back glass, 4.3" screen, but no SIM and only available in Japan!