It's nice, but damn, $999 for the base 6/128 model, and $1,249 for the 8/512 model? I'll be over here being happy with my $215 LG Stylo 4, just bought it maybe a week ago. Supports bands 66...
It's nice, but damn, $999 for the base 6/128 model, and $1,249 for the 8/512 model?
I'll be over here being happy with my $215 LG Stylo 4, just bought it maybe a week ago.
Supports bands 66 (extension of band 4) and the new band 71 on T-Mobile.
Snapdragon 450, built on a modern 14nm process. 8 x 1.8 Ghz + Adreno 506 GPU.
6.2" 1080p screen (with 720p battery saving option), with stylus. Not as fancy of a stylus, but still.
2 GB RAM, which has not been a limiting factor for me. 32 GB of storage, with microSD expansion.
3,300 mAh battery, USB Type-C, with fast charging.
Takes decent photos. The speaker leaves much to be desired. Has a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Android 8.1 out of the box. NFC, works with Android Pay. Also works with my Samsung Gear S3 for Samsung Pay cool MST. (Can pay at any terminal, watch fakes being a mag stripe card) Has a notification LED.
This is going to be the new price for flagship phones, probably. Between $799 and $1249, especially now that every new flagship is making changes that the company believes the customer perceives...
This is going to be the new price for flagship phones, probably. Between $799 and $1249, especially now that every new flagship is making changes that the company believes the customer perceives as "super high-tech expensive" (full screen on iPhone X, N9 with AI camera/bluetooth pen/water cooling, etc). I can see Google coming in around $850 with whatever the next pixel is, but depending on what they do with the XL, they could even try to come in around the $1000 ballpark, now that they see how it works.
While iPhones are one story, and if you want a top of the line phone you're paying for the X, I think for the Android market it's easy to sell phones this expensive because most so-called "pro-sumers" who actually are just regular consumers who think they're savvy don't really know that you can get flagship quality at a lower price. Combine that with the ridiculous advertising Samsung does with big influencers on social media (not to mention the Fortnite promotion) and they have no problem matching Apple's pricing scheme.
Just like with everything else, as much as the price bump is to make up for additional R&D/parts cost, we're seeing strong price creeps in mobile hardware because people don't see $999 as $999, they see it as $150/month for a phone bill for a 2-person plan, or $100/month for a single line. It's the same reason people with less money are spending more on cars - dealerships don't tell you, "This car is only $32k!", but instead will only talk about how you're paying $279/month for your brand new, awesome car that [insert instagram personality here] drives! Don't look behind the curtain and see your 72 month loan @ 12% APR that ends up costing you $45k (because you'll trade it in in 2 years anyway).
People are living more and more above their means and mobile companies have no problem taking advantage of that fact.
I've had a Samsung device in the past (S6), and while it was alright, I probably won't ever buy Samsung again. They're becoming too expensive and to me seem like the iPhones of the Android world....
I've had a Samsung device in the past (S6), and while it was alright, I probably won't ever buy Samsung again. They're becoming too expensive and to me seem like the iPhones of the Android world.
I'm very happy on my LG V20. You can get a used one in good condition for ~400 $CAD, and it has:
5.7" 1440p screen
64 GB of storage, 4 GB of RAM
3200 mAh removable battery (you can even buy massive 10,000 mAh that make the phone thicker)
Very good dual cameras (normal and wide angle, selfie camera also has wide angle mode)
Second screen above primary display (after using it for a while, I think it's very useful, not just a gimmick)
Quad DAC (best audio output you can get on a smartphone)
SD card support (and on some models, including mine, dual SIM support)
Very repairable (you can open the whole thing up and replace whatever)
Good Lineage/Custom ROM support (it's just getting an official Oreo update, which is very late, but I'm going to Lineage anyways)
High quality microphones, apparently can even record concerts with good quality
Snapdragon 820
Then LG did a 180 with the V30 and got rid of most of the fun stuff 🙃
I may sound like I'm shilling too hard for it, but I'm going to stick with my V20 for a long time, and honestly, I would probably just get another one in the future. It's the first phone that I really don't have any problems with. It seems like all new phones are moving away from the power user features. I am considering the Librem 5 though, will have to see how good it is when it comes out.
I considered a V20. My previous phone was a Samsung Galaxy Note 4, with one of those enormous 10k mAh ZeroLemon batteries and combination rugged case. Unfortunately, its eMMC started to die, with...
I considered a V20. My previous phone was a Samsung Galaxy Note 4, with one of those enormous 10k mAh ZeroLemon batteries and combination rugged case.
Unfortunately, its eMMC started to die, with simple app updates taking minutes to perform. I read that this eMMC slow death is a known flaw in that series of phone.
I was worried that the V20 would have similar issues.
Hopefully, LG will bring the good stuff back, in the V40 maybe? I really like them as a manufacturer, and find even my supposedly "lower end" Stylo 4 to be a very capable device.
The "water cooled" bit is a total marketing gimmick. Unless there's an external radiator attached with liquid flowing through it, it's going to heat up almost as quickly as no water. Article...
The "water cooled" bit is a total marketing gimmick. Unless there's an external radiator attached with liquid flowing through it, it's going to heat up almost as quickly as no water. Article confirms there's no noticeable benefit.
Many hardware companies tried this before, to no avail.
It's nice, but damn, $999 for the base 6/128 model, and $1,249 for the 8/512 model?
I'll be over here being happy with my $215 LG Stylo 4, just bought it maybe a week ago.
This is going to be the new price for flagship phones, probably. Between $799 and $1249, especially now that every new flagship is making changes that the company believes the customer perceives as "super high-tech expensive" (full screen on iPhone X, N9 with AI camera/bluetooth pen/water cooling, etc). I can see Google coming in around $850 with whatever the next pixel is, but depending on what they do with the XL, they could even try to come in around the $1000 ballpark, now that they see how it works.
While iPhones are one story, and if you want a top of the line phone you're paying for the X, I think for the Android market it's easy to sell phones this expensive because most so-called "pro-sumers" who actually are just regular consumers who think they're savvy don't really know that you can get flagship quality at a lower price. Combine that with the ridiculous advertising Samsung does with big influencers on social media (not to mention the Fortnite promotion) and they have no problem matching Apple's pricing scheme.
Just like with everything else, as much as the price bump is to make up for additional R&D/parts cost, we're seeing strong price creeps in mobile hardware because people don't see $999 as $999, they see it as $150/month for a phone bill for a 2-person plan, or $100/month for a single line. It's the same reason people with less money are spending more on cars - dealerships don't tell you, "This car is only $32k!", but instead will only talk about how you're paying $279/month for your brand new, awesome car that [insert instagram personality here] drives! Don't look behind the curtain and see your 72 month loan @ 12% APR that ends up costing you $45k (because you'll trade it in in 2 years anyway).
People are living more and more above their means and mobile companies have no problem taking advantage of that fact.
All too true.
I've had a Samsung device in the past (S6), and while it was alright, I probably won't ever buy Samsung again. They're becoming too expensive and to me seem like the iPhones of the Android world.
I'm very happy on my LG V20. You can get a used one in good condition for ~400 $CAD, and it has:
Then LG did a 180 with the V30 and got rid of most of the fun stuff 🙃
I may sound like I'm shilling too hard for it, but I'm going to stick with my V20 for a long time, and honestly, I would probably just get another one in the future. It's the first phone that I really don't have any problems with. It seems like all new phones are moving away from the power user features. I am considering the Librem 5 though, will have to see how good it is when it comes out.
I considered a V20. My previous phone was a Samsung Galaxy Note 4, with one of those enormous 10k mAh ZeroLemon batteries and combination rugged case.
Unfortunately, its eMMC started to die, with simple app updates taking minutes to perform. I read that this eMMC slow death is a known flaw in that series of phone.
I was worried that the V20 would have similar issues.
Hopefully, LG will bring the good stuff back, in the V40 maybe? I really like them as a manufacturer, and find even my supposedly "lower end" Stylo 4 to be a very capable device.
The "water cooled" bit is a total marketing gimmick. Unless there's an external radiator attached with liquid flowing through it, it's going to heat up almost as quickly as no water. Article confirms there's no noticeable benefit.
Many hardware companies tried this before, to no avail.