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Comment by BallyBrain | Hacker News Reader

Must say I'm a little surprised with many of the comments from a tech focused site/forum like this one. I find that Android is a far more open system with a great community that rewards the inner hacker (no matter how much of a novice they may be).

I have a Samsung Galaxy S4, it is still a very usuable phone and is running a modern android version and gets regular updates. Sure it is a bit slow and I had to flash a custom rom (/e/os) but that is not hard to do.

This phone is now almost 10 years old, but still gets updates and can run most apps. I don't think this can be done with an iphone.

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Android is more customizable for sure but the default behavior does matter and the default state of android devices almost invariably feels advesarial and cheap. Bloat wear, ugly launchers, horrid camera apps, all sorts of dark pattern. Used to be that nexus devices offered a no BS android experience but having just switched to a pixel I feel like these days are gone too

The most expensive phones you can buy right now are all android, by far. I highly doubt they have a low build quality and a botched slow OS.

> I have a Samsung Galaxy S4 ...

> ... I had to flash a custom rom (/e/os) ...

> ... 10 years old, but still gets updates

It's e/OS that's getting regularly updated, right?

If you had never flashed a custom rom and stayed with Samsung's Android that came with the phone, would you still be receiving regular updates?

> can run most apps

Curious to know what apps haven't run on your phone?

yes it is /e/os getting updated but it is still android and I thought that most people here would be up for changing between the flavors rather than just sticking with the original.

I don't stay with the original OS on my PC why would I do the same with my phone. If my original PC OS stops getting updates I change to a newer one. I figured most here would be used to that.

Uber, that I can remember. Didn't like the micro g aspect, but I hear that may have changed. Also banking apps but I don't use those myself.

For me, I think that’s actually part of why I stay away from Android. I tinker and whatnot with my open systems and it often leads to various forms of slight incompatibilities or instability. I rely on my phone to work consistently, and for me that’s meant staying with a more closed off ecosystem to protect me from myself.

/e/os has been absolutely consistant, no issues for my use. Having said that I really only use the phone for basic functions.

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