Poll: what smartphone do you use as your primary smartphone? | Hacker News Reader

Poll: what smartphone do you use as your primary smartphone?

53 pointsplg85 comments

Previous phones: iPhone 4s, 5, 5s.

I recently switched to a Nexus 5. First I bought a Nexus 7 to play around Android and it turned out I liked it very much. I decided to switch because many apps I frequently use (Authenticator, Calendar, Chrome, Gmail, Docs, Drive, Google+, Keep, Hangouts, Maps, Play Music, Search, Youtube, etc.) are made by Google and I feel like I'm getting a better experience on Android. I also really enjoy the fact that I can install Play Store apps directly from my desktop web browser. And from a hardware standpoint, I much prefer the larger screen of the Nexus 5.

>I also really enjoy the fact that I can install Play Store apps directly from my desktop web browser.

Totally agree. Very similar to the Amazon "Whispersync" for kindle. I loved stumbling on an app online that looked interesting, click install, and next time I take out my phone it's just there ready for me.

I recently switched to a iPhone 5S from many consecutive android phones, and this is definitely on my list of things I miss.

you can do that with itunes

And with Windows Phone.

But that defeats the point - the point is that it's nice to be able to just click "install" from a browser page, and it ends up on my phone.

This might help iphone users: http://teleapp.me/

I think you can actually do that now. Although I believe it syncs everything you buy/get from any device. So it's not as selective where you can just press 'Download' and it goes to the device you choose.

Moto G! I've finally found a phone that annoys me the least.

I totally see using it for next couple years if Google continues to optimize Android for better memory utilization. As is with KitKat it only works good enough for most things.

I've thought about why I like this phone so much and I think I like the minimalism, the great in-hand feel, the very consistently nice performance and great battery life.

Edit: Coming from a Note 2, I noticed I have automatically made few usage adjustments chiefly due to screen size but somewhat also due to less RAM. But I find it works better that way.

Moto G, I really really really really really like the physical phone. Love the small size (compared to the slabs people are carrying these days). Some of google on the phone annoys me, other of google I like. Installed Firefox, works fine for the very little that I use it.

You know, I absolutely loved the moto g when I got it. One update later and it's in my closet and I hate motorola. The problem? It keeps telling me to insert a sim card. The only fix is to reseat the card. Apparently, when it loses all signal, even for a bit, it doesn't recover. And a phone that can't receive calls isn't much of a phone. I RMAd the phone just to get another with the same issue. After countless calls, the rep offered to send me a new sim card tray. Yes, setiously. The escalation contact told me to wipe the card with my shirt, ignoring ive tried 3 sims now. It's even listed on Wikipedia! Fuck motorola, they've cost me more time than the phone is worth.

May be they are having some QC issues with meeting all the demand lately. I bought 3 when it was released and haven't had any issues.

Got a Sony Xperia Z1 when it launched 6 months back - very happy with it and would recommend it to anyone looking for an Android handset. They don't seem to have much presence in NA though, which explains the low number of votes in the poll.

I got an Xperia Z1 Ultra (~6-inch screen). One day the screen just cracked -- no drop, didn't sit on it, just put in my (front) pocket in the morning, took it out a few hours later, and it was cracked. If you search, you can find many others who have had the same experience.

Sony refused to fix it, blaming me for some warp of the frame (I've handled this phone gently and never dropped it). Unless I persuade them to change their minds, I'm out over $600.

An iPhone 4S, which I grudgingly upgraded to IOS 7 after Apple refused to fix the SSL bug on IOS 6. I absolutely hate the look and the removal of button shapes is an affront to everything I ever learnt about user interfaces (from Apple's HIG, no less).

I'll probably keep this phone forever out of sheer apathy, since I don't want to spend money on another IOS 7 UI and don't much like Android for a variety of reasons. Maybe I'll try a Firefox OS device at some point, but the last time I looked at that it did not compare well.

Windows phone?

I didn't mention that because it wasn't worth mentioning.

> I absolutely hate the look and the removal of button shapes is an affront to everything I ever learnt about user interfaces

Turn them back on [1].

[1] http://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-enable-button-shapes-on-io...

I've done that, but it doesn't cover all the things that are buttons.

I live in Thailand. The selection here is somewhat limited and phones are typically more expensive than phones in the states.

I picked up a white Lenovo s820 [1][2] for ~$230 without a contract. I saw someone else mention in the thread that "they didn't know Lenovo made phones" - which was me as well before I went shopping for a new phone!

The s820 fit my criteria of thin, light, 4.7" screen and decent specs better than everything except the HTC One X. As a satisfied former Ideapad owner, I felt comfortable going out on a limb that Lenovo's notebook quality would generalize to its smartphone offerings.

So far (~4 months), it has. Apart from the somewhat disappointing camera quality, I've been really pleased.

[1] - http://www.gsmarena.com/lenovo_s820-5486.php

[2] - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpnOMAp8I6M&t=1m44s

I don't own a phone. Not a smart, not a dumb, not a landline. Is this "other"?

Are you in the US? How do you deal with any one of the many sites that require a phone number (e.g. bank accounts)? SIP?

I'm in Canada. Amazingly, a lot of these sites that require a phone number don't actually require one. If it's a person grabbing my details, I tell them i don't have a phone, and they usually figure out what to do. If it's a computer that won't accept "no" for an answer, I pick 1234567 as my number after the area code.

This has not really impacted my life in any significant way.

Same, except I have a (dump) phone to keep in contact with my parents who live in another city. Also Canadian!

Interesting! I have a burner number that i use for sites I don't really trust (usually because they insist on texting to confirm it's real). I wonder if Canadian banks are more accommodating in this regard, because having a phone number seems pretty important for a lot of US institutions (utilities, finance, etc.).

I was first thinking about "how do you keep in touch with people then?" but obviously there's a lot of other channels you can use. The only thing that would bother me is how you would contact the emergency services? Do you send them an e-mail? Or do you have some other radio equipment like a walkie-talkie?

You can get a GPS Ham radio and license for the cost of an older smartphone.

I don't know, I haven't had an emergency yet. I live in an urban area, so if I did have an emergency, there would be no shortage of phones around me that I could use. If I were to go out to the wilderness, I might bring a flare or something, but I'm not a big outdoorsman.

I still have a dumb phone. Does that count as "other"?

increasingly this looks like a smart choice. :/

Why do you say that? The location tracking and call/sms traffic analysis is equally doable with a dumbphone as a with smartphone. Sure, there may be more ways to track a smartphone, but using a dumbphone doesn't eliminate the cell provider's ability to track you. And all dumbphones are now E911 [0] capable. so they can get the location of a user to several hundred meters accuracy.

[0] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enhanced_9-1-1#Wireless_enhanc...

-having battery life more than a few hours is a life changing experience

-being able to open the phone and just start typing on the dial pad to have it call someone without fishing through menus is great

-theres nothing more stylin then flipping the phone closed after a call ends, or flipping it open to answer

I agree that those things are benefits of dumbphones. But it's not obvious that's what GP was referring to as they used the word "increasingly". The aspect of smartphones vs dumbphones you mention haven't been a changing feature in the past few years. So I think it's reasonable to infer that the GP was referring to the recent NSA spying/surveillance, rather than the issues you noted.

The concept of a "primary" smartphone is a little strange to me. How common is it to have multiple active smartphones? (As opposed to, say, one for testing software, or an old one in the closet)

Agreed. Although while travelling I frequently find people who have 2 smartphones. Usually because the main one is carrier locked but also, I guess, as an anti-theft solution.

That's what I thought too, right after "Insert Dave Morin joke."

The common scenario I see here in Asia is a corporate provided phone (free business calls and the only sanctioned way to access corporate email, but invariably crappy, old, cheap and/or blackberry) plus a new smartphone (Samsung in ASEAN, iPhone in greater China) used for friends, family, apps etc. Very rare to encounter someone in a business meeting who does not have two phones.

I think it's not too uncommon -- I carry an iPhone 5s and Nexus 5 (in the same pocket), and I see a lot of other people do it too.

I do it because:

a.) iPhone OS is better but overall, but the tiny screen is super super annoying for many things (IMO)

b.) this way I have NTT Docomo in addition to Softbank, so I get coverage underground and weird places where one or the other doesn't work

c.) voice dictation is 100x better on Android, so I use the nexus for dictating things

I'm using Openmoko Neo Freerunner, but often also carry Nokia N900, which is nicer for web browsing and writing thanks to hw keyboard. I'm looking forward to replace them both with Neo900.

I'd say at least half the people I know have two phones, one for work, one for personal use.

I have carried a 2nd "development" phone for more than 5 years. Currently an S3.

Not only provides sandbox to play in, it has twice provided an acceptable backup during repairs to primary with only a simcard swap.

I was on a Samsung Galaxy S2 and I switched to a Nexus 5 in December. I'm really enjoying it. Someone stops me at least once a week to ask what phone it is and tell me that it looks really good.

I am still on Galaxy S2 but running Android 4.4.2 (Slim bean ROM).. And people still stop to ask what phone it is :-)

I wonder how these results compare to the user-agent analytics of hacker news.

right, I always read HN on my phone ;d

Please publish the results of this survey in a couple of days. Many of us would be very interested in the results.

The options and results are available right now (unless the results are hidden for low rep users?).

Set a calendar appointment for +2 days with the subject https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7713656

I suppose this is as good a place to ask as any. I can't be the only one in this boat!

I currently use an ancient Droid2 because it has a hardware keyboard with most of the characters I need for programming and SSH sessions. It's really starting to show it's age and I would like to upgrade.

No newer phones come with keyboards. The default software keyboard does not have the needed characters. Third party soft keyboards have the correct characters, but it takes a massive amount of screen space to display them in a usable manner.

So I ask you hackernews: What phone setup do you use for SSH during long commutes and such? Are there any decent external hardware keyboards that integrate well with particular models? How about Phablets that have the extra screen space for a proper soft keyboard?

I had an SK17i until recently. It was a great phone, very cool for ssh, running ncurses stuff and the odd patch, although the hardware keyboard was missing useful things like angle brackets.

When it randomly broke, i strongly considered the Blackberry Q5 as a replacement, but i ultimately gave in and went to soft keyboards.

I've got a Samsung Galaxy S Relay on the way with a physical keyboard. The keyboard is one of the reasons I chose it over one of the better-speced options in the same price range. It's a little old (late 2012), but it runs Android 4.1.2 and has good reviews.

A quick GIS tells me the keyboard has all the important programming keys. I plan to use it for writing, but it might work for programming.

I have an iphone 4 running ios 5.1.1, jailbroken. It's great. It runs incredibly fast after four years: Cydia has a good cleaning app, and a speed increase app that removes animations. Mine look faster than ios 7 apps on new iphones.

I disable safari, and hardly use apps. I just use it to text message, call, take pictures, make calendar entries, check the time, and occasionally take notes, though I prefer a paper notepad for that.

I'm sometimes asked why I have a smartphone at all, but I like the UI, and it does everything I want to do very quickly, while looking nice.

I don't really want to upgrade, but there's no option to buy my current configuration again if this breaks.

This list is very odd; LG Samsung and HTC have all made Nexus devices.

Motorola phones could be Android, Moto (whatever their OS was), or even incredibly old phones.

It's partially a list of manufacturers, and partially a list of brands.

Was on an iPhone but I'm switching to a Moto because that is all that is offered on Republic wireless and their plan prices are too good to pass up.

I have a Lumia 920. Say what you want about Windows Phone, but its UI is among the best I've ever seen. Also the build quality makes the phone very resistant (I don't really take care of my phone). The only issues I had with it are the app marketplace (it's not really the lack of apps, but rather the quality/respect of WP UI of most of them), and the fact that's its quite heavy.

Nexus 4 here. It's been an excellent phone, and I've really enjoyed Android. Only criticism would be the camera (mainly with regards to the shutter lag) and the battery-life (although this only gets me occasionally).

I've been building up quite an app library on my iPad, so if there is a larger screen iPhone released (4.7" hopefully) - I'll be tempted to have a go with that

Wow, seems like Blackberry is well and truly out of fashion (at least with the Hacker News crowd). Not surprised to see the iPhone, Nexus and Samsung phones rating highly in the poll. Interested to see if there are any surprise risers as this gets more votes. I use a Samsung Galaxy S4 myself, best phone I've ever owned.

Nokia 920, which I got at /build 2012

Used to work on Palm webOS, now on my third generation of Nokia Lumia phones. Really love the Windows Phone UI, don't want to be stuck in the iOS ecosystem. Have dabbled with Android, but now only user it in tablet form.

I am on a iPhone 4s, might upgrade this year if something good comes out.

Have tried Android, Nexus 1, HTC HD2, never liked them as much.

Will never buy anything from Samsung, they are one of the most scummy companies around.

> Will never buy anything from Samsung, they are one of the most scummy companies around.

Yeah, just like those companies that blatantly violated antitrust laws to suppress wages for thousands of engineers. Oh wait, wasn't Apple part of that too?

I like how you didn't address his concern, but instead responded with a completely different concern. Good response. Five stars. Very helpful.

I wasn't attempting to address it, I was merely pointing out the hypocrisy in ignoring Apple's misconduct while avoiding Samsung products because of their "scumminess." But you knew that perfectly well, yet chose to ignore it. Good response. Five stars. Very helpful.

The original swipe at Samsung was unqualified mud-slinging. Useless name-calling, so not sure why you're defending it.

"Scummy company" what the hell does that mean?

Every tech giant operating today has an ongoing responsibility to their customers for all sorts of concerns from environmental, legal, competitive, relentless pursuit of profit over quality, marketing spin, eco-system lock-in, the list goes on.

Pick something and discuss. Or stay silent.

The chip in your iPhone 4s is made by Samsung.

Why do you say that? I quite like Samsung...

I'm still running my T-Mobile G2 (HTC Desire) which I got in 2010. It's starting to get a little old and act a little odd sometimes but I hope to keep it for a year or two more.

HTC now, then whatever decent hardware gets a nightly FF OS port.

Samsung but I didn't choose it and I barely use it relative to a Nexus tablet. it is a hand-me-down. when I chose, it was HTC (twice).

Bar graph as of 11:30 EDT.

http://imgur.com/oaBZOv7

I made a Greasemonkey script that draws them (subtly) right on HN. Looks like this: http://cl.ly/image/0G001m393p3V/hn_poll.PNG

Script here: https://gist.github.com/ingmar/5564603

[Jolla](http://jolla.com), and loving it :-D

BlackBerry Z10 here. Love the new OS, happy with the hardware, very impressed with the browser fork.

Woah no love for Blackberrry? (As of now the only vote for Blackberry is mine!)

Aww, nothing for “I don’t have a smartphone” or “I don’t even have a phone”?

So are we ignoring that the Nexus 5 has an LG logo on the back of it?

I have a Samsung Galaxy Nexus, so I voted for both Samsung and Nexus.

The nexus in the poll refers to the Google Nexus range.

Google does not manufacture their own phones, the samsung galaxy nexus is most definitely part of the google nexus line of phones.

My first smartphone (Galaxy S Relay) arrives in the mail tomorrow.

The last 2 Nexus phones were also LGs. Not sure how to vote...

Other being Firefox OS

Moto X is pretty rad.

Lenovo ? .. it might be cheap.. but it works..

I didn't know they made phones.

Now Nokia 820. HTC Sensation previously.

Of course Openmoko.

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