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41 votes
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Phone recommendations: Pixel 2? 3a? Something else?
My OG Pixel died last night and while I'm waiting for tech support to get back with me on how I can still use MFA to do my job, I figured I would ask you all how I should proceed with getting a...
My OG Pixel died last night and while I'm waiting for tech support to get back with me on how I can still use MFA to do my job, I figured I would ask you all how I should proceed with getting a new device. My first impulse is to get a Referb Pixel 2 on Amazon for $99, as I liked my original Pixel, I like having the latest Android version and I like only paying $99 for an older flagship phone. Additionally, I was considering a Pixel 3a as it would presumably last a bit longer and has had good reviews but is three times as much and hasn't devalued nearly as much when used, which is good and bad.
I'm open to anything that's relatively stock Android and still updated, and am curious about iOS, Kaios or other options. Landlines are a hard pass.
13 votes -
Envelope - Transform your phone into a simpler, calmer device
8 votes -
Cellphone review: Umidigi F2
I was recently in the market for a cheap used phone. I was looking for an Android device, preferably less than 3 years old, preferably with an unlockable bootloader and rootable, for $200 or less....
I was recently in the market for a cheap used phone. I was looking for an Android device, preferably less than 3 years old, preferably with an unlockable bootloader and rootable, for $200 or less. I was looking at used Pixel 2's when I came across this weird Chinese manufacturer I'd never heard of.
The Umidigi F2 is a bizarre device. I was blown away by the specs, and the seller was only asking $200CAD for it, so I took a chance. I've got to say, so far I'm pretty impressed.
Quick Specs:
- 6.5" IPS LCD, 2340x1080px, bezelless, w/ hole-punch camera, no notch
- 6GB Dual-channel LPDDR4 RAM, 128GB Storage
- Mediatek P70 - ARM Cortex A73/A53 Octo-core 2.0/2.1GHz CPU
- 5 cameras, 32MP front-facing, 48MP rear, 13MP wide-angle, 5MP depth, 5MP macro
- Dual SIM, MicroSD
- 5150mAh battery
- ~40 frequency bands
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- Stock Android 10
At this price I was initially skeptical. There must be something wrong with it, some glaring flaw I wasn't seeing, and/or those specs must be fake. I'm happy to say though, they're real, and the device seems much more solid than I expected.
I've had the thing a little over a week so far, and have only charged it once. On the first charge it lasted 4 days before I charged it, and still had 30% battery remaining after I'd spent a couple hours surfing the web and two hours watching youtube (total screen-on time was ~4.5hrs). After charging it I haven't been using it as much, but it's currently been running 3 days and it has 70% battery remaining. I've used it to listen to the radio for 3 hours this morning. Oh yeah, did I mention? Bizarrely, it has a FM radio tuner for some reason.
So far everything has been smooth, the device performs really well, which is not something I expected from a Mediatek CPU. Rooting it went smoothly, and I've been able to tweak a bunch of settings via the EdXposed framework, as much as you can in Android 10 anyway. I did remove some background bloat, but otherwise the default ROM is very close to vanilla AOSP.
The build quality of the thing is honestly not bad. I've used mid-range Samsung devices that have felt cheaper and more plastic-y than this. I have read some reports of bad touchscreens, but so far I haven't had any problems. There's also a DIY solution to solve that. Unfortunately, if it dies, this is pretty much my only option, since the warranty and support is pretty much nonexistent. At a quarter the price of a brand-name phone with similar specs though, I'm willing to roll those dice.
So, other than warranty, what are the downsides? Well, so far the biggest gripe I have is there is no notification LED on it. So if I go to the washroom and come back I can't just tell at a glance if I've missed a call or text, I actually need to unlock it. Luckily the fingerprint reader and face unlock are both pretty reliable. There is no wireless charging, which I'm more or less okay with. The main reason I'd want that is if the USB port died, but again, this is the sort of phone that if anything is wrong with it you're pretty much meant to throw it out. The speaker is a bit tinny, and unfortunately it's mono. The cameras are bad. The 48MP camera does take 8000x6000 pictures, but they're grainy to the point where even if you resize them down they still look worse than something taken with a good 6MP camera. This seems to be a software problem though. The camera module is apparently made by Samsung, and people have said it's gotten better with every OTA update. As for that, there's been an update this month, but a lot of people are expecting it might be the last update they put out. Umidigi apparently has a bad track record of only providing updates for a few months.
In conclusion, this is objectively a decent phone, and for it's price, it's exceptional. You sacrifice warranty, updates, any kind of support really, but you get some very decent hardware for $200.
Official site: https://www.umidigi.com/page-umidigi_f2_specification.html
Purchasable on amazon for fast shipping, purchase on aliexpress to save $50.9 votes -
Add-on support was just merged into Firefox Preview
@aissn: Add-on support was just merged into Firefox Preview. Thanks @gabrielluong https://t.co/cXOCB00tKk
23 votes -
Ring's doorbell app for Android sends sensitive user data to multiple analytics and marketing companies
10 votes -
Apparently Samsung just put a removable battery in one of it's new phones
6 votes -
Messaging app ToTok has been removed from the Apple and Google app stores following claims the United Arab Emirates government was using it to spy on people
12 votes -
Facebook is working on its own OS that could reduce its reliance on Android
7 votes -
Google's dangerous monopoly-based foreign policy
8 votes -
Android exploit of system camera apps enabled a malicious app to record and upload photos, video and audio with only "storage" permission
10 votes -
Tutorial on how to enable RCS on any carrier/device with Android Messages
7 votes -
Google Pixel 4 and 4XL review: More than the sum of its sensors
5 votes -
Catalonia has created a new kind of online activism leveraging social media and peer-to-peer technology to orchestrate massive protests
15 votes -
Fifty ways to leak your data: An exploration of apps’ circumvention of the Android permissions system
12 votes -
Google’s new voice recorder app transcribes in real time, even when offline
7 votes -
Rwanda's Mara X, Z are the first smartphones made fully in Africa
16 votes -
Microsoft announces new Surface lineup, including two new dual-screen devices, one of which is an Android phone
25 votes -
Samsung Galaxy Fold review: The $2,000 phone of the future is here—please don’t break it
4 votes -
Huawei’s flagship Mate 30 Pro has impressive specs but no Google
4 votes -
Popular Podcasts app Pocket Casts goes free, web & desktop app now subscription-based
22 votes -
Android 10 has been released
13 votes -
Android Q is officially named Android 10
14 votes -
Fairphone updates its ethical smartphone for 2019
18 votes -
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus review
6 votes -
Disney+ will launch with support for Apple TV, Android, iOS, Roku, PS4, Xbox One, and more
7 votes -
Real or fake? I X-rayed my Samsung Galaxy Phone to find out
4 votes -
Galaxy Note 10 hands on
5 votes -
Budget smartphones - apparently there are good options. Opinions and recommendations?
I just picked up a Nokia 3.1 for $120 in a bit of an emergency and I really like it. It's very light, Android One, very nice styling and again it's $120! I was shocked by this experience at this...
I just picked up a Nokia 3.1 for $120 in a bit of an emergency and I really like it. It's very light, Android One, very nice styling and again it's $120!
I was shocked by this experience at this price point. This thing is excellent for my use case, as a pre-paid EU phone as my lovely iPhone 6s Plus has only one Sim slot. Are there any other great budget phones out there?
27 votes -
What are your thoughts on the Blloc phone?
10 votes -
How I made my own Android phone - in China
8 votes -
Samsung says it has fixed the Galaxy Fold and will release it in September
13 votes -
Public statement on neutrality of free software
25 votes -
Android aftermarket development and its boring state
So many ROMs. So many features. But they all look the same. I mean, I love that there are many options, but aren't you bored of going to XDA and finding only ROMs that follow the [9.0] EDGY NAME...
So many ROMs.
So many features.
But they all look the same.
I mean, I love that there are many options, but aren't you bored of going to XDA and finding only ROMs that follow the [9.0] EDGY NAME IN CAPS formula?
They all look stock. Android is supposed to be about personalization. Where are the highly customized UIs? Why are all fanboys so scared of breaking the scheme that Material has inforced upon us, and then whine about how Android is inconsistent? I wish that something like MIUI would appear again, like, a ROM made by a no name that ended up making a gigantic empire.
I wish to see someday another developer, making its own thing.
Breaking the AOSP UI mold.
[NOTE] This is reposted from reddit (it was made by me tho) because I wanted to discuss it here.
15 votes -
Bill Gates on making “one of the greatest mistakes of all time”
10 votes -
Google is enabling RCS independently of mobile operators in the UK and France this month
10 votes -
Diminishing differentiation: Are all our gadgets making each other redundant?
15 votes -
Huawei is sending developers requests to publish on its app store
8 votes -
Google argues the Huawei ban would hurt its Android monopoly
6 votes -
What little known mobile apps do you use?
What are some apps that you use that aren't particularly well known? Let's help each other discover some interesting new tools! lichess - best chess app out there IMO. Completely free and open...
What are some apps that you use that aren't particularly well known? Let's help each other discover some interesting new tools!
lichess - best chess app out there IMO. Completely free and open source, has daily puzzles, and a pretty active pool of users to play against!
Syncthing - file syncing tool that works with just about any operating system (although I don't think it works with iOS). I use it to take notes and write lyrics/my journal and sync them back to my linux laptop.
Untappd - social media app for tracking craft beers that you drink. I've only just started using it, since I was on holiday and wanted to keep a note of the ales I was drinking. It's a free app, but supported by ads. I believe there's a paid tier, but the free version works well enough, and it's useful for encouraging me and my friends to try new beers when we're out and about.
WK - Japanese flashcard app, which is technically a front-end for the wanikani service. As you learn new radicals, characters, and vocabulary, it serves them back up to you after a certain length of time. If you remember it, it'll wait longer next time, and if you don't get it right, it brings it back to the top of the pile.30 votes -
Tor Browser 8.5 released
11 votes -
Google suspends some business with Huawei due to sanctions - future Huawei devices will be unable to access Play Store as well as Google apps including Gmail and YouTube
23 votes -
Mozilla Firefox Preview, new Firefox browser, is available on Google Play
18 votes -
/e/ (formerly eelo) started selling phones today
13 votes -
WhatsApp voice calls contained a buffer-overflow vulnerability that was used to install spyware [CVE-2019-3568]
11 votes -
Samsung spilled SmartThings app source code and secret keys
5 votes -
Google Pixel 3a: High-end features at a more affordable price ($399 USD, $479 for XL)
17 votes -
Google I/O 2019 keynote
8 votes -
Samsung Galaxy Fold teardown
10 votes -
Samsung delays Galaxy Fold indefinitely: ‘We will take measures to strengthen the display’
14 votes