Smartphone recommendations?
I've been rocking a Sony Xperia 1 IV for the last 3.5 years or so and, save for some persistent and irritating Bluetooth issues (audio quality drops for no reason) I've really enjoyed it.
However, as of a month or so ago, the Bluetooth issues have graduated to "untenable" level, and considering its age, it's time for a new phone.
I almost entirely use my smartphone for watching YouTube, listening to music, watching videos, and reading books. I don't use it to play games or surf social media at all. Occasionally I'll take photos, but I don't need anything better than "takes decent photos"
My hard requirements:
Not an Apple
MicroSD card
My strong wants:
No back glass
Durable
Headphone jack
Decent audio quality
Does anyone have any recommendations?
EU phones with replaceable batteries are happening in 2027. In your place I would buy an old or refurbished phone that's similar to or same as your existing one for couple hundred bucks to limp along until 2027.
Meanwhile, usb-c to headphone jack adapter isn't so terrible, if it helps you broaden your choices a little.
The EU law has a carve out for devices with an IP water rating (eg, every major smartphone in the market) so I wouldn’t expect much to change after 2027.
I think I read somewhere that if a battery is designed to withstand a certain number of cycles of charges it's also exempt, which Apple and certainly other big brands certainly qualify for.
I thought they were in consultation phase about that right now, and the waterproofing exemption was meant for things like:
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/news/commission-seeks-views-battery-removability-exemptions-2026-04-28_en
Sadly I'm in the US; hopefully the EU making removable batteries a thing again will bleed over into the US market?
Here's hoping from Canada
GSMArena has a phone picker where you can search for phones with specifications to help you narrow down your candidates.
https://www.gsmarena.com/search.php3
Personal recommendation would probably be the Samsung Galaxy Xcover, 6 if you gotta have the Headphone Jack, 7 if you’re willing to go without and have something a little bit newer, but either hits all the other marks and gives you a removable battery as well. I also rather like Motorola’s and the Moto G Stylus or Power would hit those marks as well in the budget to midrange market, but those have a history of Bluetooth issues so may not be good if you’re trying to get away from that. None of those are in the same ballpark or price bracket as the IV, and would probably be a performance hit, and you may want to give it a factory reset or run it through Software repair or Troubleshooting to see if you can recover some of that speed and Bluetooth connectivity?
I've come to the realization that this phone is honestly way too nice and powerful for my usage. I don't care about recording video in 4k or playing games on my phone, so I really don't need to be dropping massive amounts of money on flagship models anymore. I just want a phone that can hold a ton of music and video files and isn't slow AF. (I work in areas without wifi or cell service often, hence my need for extra storage)
+1 for motorola then
If you want to stick with Sony, the Sony Xperia 10 VII meets your hard requirements and has an audio jack. Basically an upgraded version of your phone, although I guess the dimensions have changed. I'm not super familiar with Sony phones, but should be a fine replacement if you want something familiar.
+1 to the Sony Xperia 10 VII. Should feel fairly similar to your current phone though thr dimensions are more like a traditional phone now.
From what else I could gather on GSMArenas phone finder, you're mainly limited to MId-ranger models from Sony, Samsung, Xiaomi, Vivo, and Tecno. I'd say it's worth exploring Samsungs models as I have no experience with the final 3 brands. I'd be a bit weary about Samsungs though, they've never really aged well in my experience with the S8 and S22 Ultra
Has Samsung improved their back glass? My previous phone to this current one was a Note 8 and that back glass would shatter if you looked at it wrong.
Yeah I think the hardware is solid. Had no issues with my S8 and S22U in day to day use. Only cracked my S22 Ultra when I violently dropped it on concrete and the back shattered.
Gotta be honest, this is veering into “tablet and flip phone” territory, given that you are rarely using the phone or camera aspect.
I suspect you’ll have to compromise on at least one thing.
In that case I would say don't get the newest model of whatever you end up with. A 1-2 year old model should fulfill these needs perfectly fine - and cheaper.
I use Fairphone 6. I also had a Fairphone 4. You can replace many things, including the battery, they have their own OS which is a bit more privacy friendly (and Android which I am using), the camera is decent, they do not have an audio jack, the finger print reader is on the side which needs a bit of adjusting but it's not that bad.
Another good reason to wait on a permanent solution is the GrapheneOS-Motorola partnership. You might have a smartphone with Graphene and a headphone jack in less than a year!