No exciting Android phones coming out:(

[bgstcola]

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?

 

[dawheat]

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?

What you described sounds useful but boring. What is remotely "exciting" about it - you want a cobbling of what sounds like tech from a year or two ago.

 

[mrochester]

When have Android phones ever been exciting? Boring OS = boring phone.

 

[shortylickens]

Get a good Android phone and you wont need excitement. You'll be too busy getting stuff done for years at a time.

 

[poofyhairguy]

When have Android phones ever been exciting? Boring OS = boring phone.

iOS is a hell of a lot more boring than Android. I mean, unless you like fiddling with social media/live streaming apps more than doing actual computer tasks like you can on Android. iOS is almost a kid's OS with its simplicity, stupid restrictions and color scheme.

 

[mrochester]

iOS is a hell of a lot more boring than Android. I mean, unless you like fiddling with social media/live streaming apps more than doing actual computer tasks like you can on Android. iOS is almost a kid's OS with its simplicity, stupid restrictions and color scheme.

I disagree. iOS feels more like a properly designed smartphone OS whereas Android seems to be trying to be a PC on a smartphone, which is not what I want from my smartphone.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I disagree. iOS feels more like a properly designed smartphone OS whereas Android seems to be trying to be a PC on a smartphone, which is not what I want from my smartphone.

If what you want from a smartphone is a device that doesn't even trust you the user enough to let you even do BASIC compute tasks like file management then that is a personal choice. It doesn't make it a "properly designed smartphone OS" it just means you like the feel of digital handcuffs. Proper design is subjective.

iOS is a great OS for the kind of users who felt maintaining their Windows PC and keeping it clean was too hard because "their computer hates them" or because they couldn't figure out where applications went once installed. I will give it credit for finally providing an OS option to the least technically inclined users out there. That doesn't make it the ultimate smartphone OS though, its just a pretty shortcut for those who never grasped basic computer concepts.

 

[mrochester]

If what you want from a smartphone is a device that doesn't even trust you the user enough to let you even do BASIC compute tasks like file management then that is a personal choice. It doesn't make it a "properly designed smartphone OS" it just means you like the feel of digital handcuffs. Proper design is subjective.

iOS is a great OS for the kind of users who felt maintaining their Windows PC and keeping it clean was too hard because "their computer hates them" or because they couldn't figure out where applications went once installed. I will give it credit for finally providing an OS option to the least technically inclined users out there. That doesn't make it the ultimate smartphone OS though, its just a pretty shortcut for those who never grasped basic computer concepts.

I think a SMARTphone shouldn't need to be micromanaged. It should be smart enough not to require it. iOS achieves that, Android doesn't.

 

[StrangerGuy]

Like our dear PCs before, welcome to the "good enough" era of stagnation.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I think a SMARTphone shouldn't need to be micromanaged. It should be smart enough not to require it.

I agree with that part of your statement 100%. A smartphone shouldn't be micromanaged, I should be able to just copy and paste over a mkv or mp3 file from a USB drive and play it and not have to micromanage my phone's media collection via iTunes and another computer system. I should be able to open any file type I want on the phone and not have to micromanage some sort of Dropbox hack just to get an "unsupported" file type on my mobile device. I should be able to get full file access if I want it out of the box, and not have to micromanage a jailbreak to force my phone's OS to treat me like an adult.

I don't like micromanaging either, I prefer an OS that works just as well no matter how technically competent I am. That is why I like Android more personally, as it works just as well for people who don't understand basic computer concepts as someone like me who wants a full computer in their pocket.

 

[dawheat]

When have Android phones ever been exciting? Boring OS = boring phone.

And like clockwork someone has to come and throw in an OS vs OS dig. On the third post too.

And blanket statements like that discredit anyone as pretty ignorant and close minded. Feel free to prefer a platform - but if you can't see the platforms are close to parity these days, with their own strengths and advantages, then it's pointless to have an adult discussion.

Some things are genuinely useful this year - cameras like the S6/G4 which have the best low light photography you can get right now and finally match up in focus speed. I'm finding smart unlock surprisingly useful, though I wish they'd add a protected wifi network as an option, I think theme stores are a nice things for the average user who wants a one click way to really customize the look of their device. Touch biometrics + NFC payments and granular privacy controls are coming - and kudos to Apple for having them first. I'm glad for iOS users that they're finally adding multi-window to iPad Airs so users can see how situationally useful it can be on larger displays.

 

[olds]

My S4 was out of contract but no phones "excited" me. So I just transferred my contacts over to me work phone, an S5, and I am using that.

 

[Yuriman]

Same position here. Moto Droid > Galaxy S2 > Moto X.

The Xperia Zx Compact's are pretty neat.

 

[bgstcola]

What you described sounds useful but boring. What is remotely "exciting" about it - you want a cobbling of what sounds like tech from a year or two ago.

Yea I considered that when I wrote the post. But I guess it just makes my point stronger. The flagship situation is so bad right now that I'm not hoping for new cool stuff. I'm just asking that they stop screwing up what's good. I wan't to enjoy the progress in speed, power efficiency, better screens etc. with a phone that fits my hand and is a joy to use.

 

[antihelten]

I understand your pain OP, and I'm in pretty much the same boat. With that being said though, there are a few things on the horizon which might suit you.

Samsung is allegedly releasing a non-crappy galaxy S6 mini (1,2)

Now the S6 mini probably isn't plastic and it also features capacative buttons (plus an actual button), but it does have an amoled screen in the size you prescribed.

Alternatively there's the Z5 compact. You'll lose out on an AMOLED screen but you will get on screen buttons, a built in FM radio, and amazing battery life (assuming the Z5 matches the Z3).

I think both of the above phones are rumored for launch in the August-September time frame.

 

[stlc8tr]

I'm finding smart unlock surprisingly useful, though I wish they'd add a protected wifi network as an option

I use DelayLock.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.j4velin.delayedlock2.trial&hl=en

 

[QueBert]

When have Android phones ever been exciting? Boring OS = boring phone.

I wouldn't call Android a boring OS, to me it more that it looks and feels like an OS that was a college class project that ended up on Source Forge. I have fun with it, but it just doesn't strike me as something a real company put out.

 

[gorcorps]

I think a SMARTphone shouldn't need to be micromanaged. It should be smart enough not to require it. iOS achieves that, Android doesn't.

You don't need to micromanage android. There's things you CAN do if you choose, but it's not forced on you. Plenty of people use their androids exactly like they'd use an iPhone, because if you're not a power user the experience is very similar. The difference is, if you ARE a power user the android side gives you more flexibility.

I reached my limit with iTunes during the iPhone 4 days. A SMARTphone shouldn't be shackled to poorly designed software to organize music. It's embarrassing how bad it is.

 

[purbeast0]

do people still really think you have to use itunes with iphones?

 

[dawheat]

I wouldn't call Android a boring OS, to me it more that it looks and feels like an OS that was a college class project that ended up on Source Forge. I have fun with it, but it just doesn't strike me as something a real company put out.

<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.

 

[gorcorps]

do people still really think you have to use itunes with iphones?

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

 

[cronos]

<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.

It's because you see dumb comments as they are and just couldn't help yourself. I know exactly how you feel!

 

[gorcorps]

<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.

Where did that belief come from? Our previous owner and top writers loved Apple so much that many were convinced they were biased against removeable batteries and SD cards. It didn't help when the owner left to take a job with Apple.

 

[cronos]

Where did that belief come from? Our previous owner and top writers loved Apple so much that many were convinced they were biased against removeable batteries and SD cards. It didn't help when the owner left to take a job with Apple.

I think he's talking about this particular sub-forum, MD&G. Polls and discussions always ended up skewed heavily towards Android, at least most of the time.

 

[gorcorps]

I think he's talking about this particular sub-forum, MD&G. Polls and discussions always ended up skewed heavily towards Android, at least most of the time.

Oh, yeah that happens. I think a lot of the apple talk goes on in the All Things Apple area