I notice all the Android phones I use have moments of horrible lag, and unresponsiveness. But for for the most part it gets the job done. I'm thinking of switching to an iPhone for better performance, but at the same time I like treating the phone as a disposable thing instead of an heirloom. Android is good for that cheap disposability.
Sure it will last 5 to 6 years once I had it down to my partner… but the recent price raises by Apple overvv be the last few models has rapidly passed the “this costs $1 per day” mark where I start mentally doing math on my purchases. It completely sucks any joy from the purchase and really ruins a lot of the product satisfaction for me. I start worrying about the Dan thing and being pissed off at every little software problem Apple never bothers fixing because “fuck you I paid a lot for this, I deserve better” … I didn’t feel the same way about buying a $900 AUD iPhone.
Definitely starting to affect my customer satisfaction that’s for sure.
I bought it for its insane battery life. 3-4 days at full use. I got so pissed off with my expensive Samsung running out of juice in the afternoon. All it took was a little use of Google Maps to get me where I was going and periodic reading on the Kindle. Regular, everyday use and I'd hit low battery issues by 3pm.
The Mototrola isn't as attractive and it's bigger than I'd like. But the battery is near indestructible.
I chose function over form. It depends on what you want from a phone. Is it a trendy accessory, or a screwdriver for getting the job doing? You won't find both in one device.
I tend to favor Motorola devices that are a couple of generations old (G7 Plus currently). They're cheap and popular and tend to be well supported by alternative, privacy respecting ROMs. I always install a microSD for expanded, portable long term storage.
The performance of a cheap phone improves if you strip out all of the privacy invading antics running in the background. Another often overlooked advantage of cheap phones --- it's practical to keep a backup device. I keep two so if one gets broken or needs repair, I can easily switch to the backup.
I don't know many people with a $1000USD iPhone lying around just in case.
I hpreviously ad a BLU R2+ from 2017, but Google's updates (that I had disabled, but the did them anyway) broke so much stuff that I switched to iPhone. At the end, I couldn't even zoom a picture without it crashing the built-in photo viewer app. I didn't have a single app loaded that didn't come with the phone (used it just as a phone).
Been very happy with the iPhone. It doesn't bug me about waiting to give permission for everything all the time like Android did.
I therefore view all cars as modern day horses and anyone who pays a small fortune for a car must be absolutely stupid, blind to the impact of market forces, the effects of advertising and a general lack of personal awareness around socialized narcissism.
The same for phones.
I have never bought a new phone. For years I have only bought second hand android phones a few years old.
I recently bought a Oneplus 6T for £100 and installed lineage 19.1 with Android 12. running perfectly. Who would want for anymore than that?
Paying $1500 for a phone which is the equivalent to a months wages for those on minimum wage is obscene to me.
Usually, $300 is my maximum I wish to spend when I need to change a phone.