Click on this thread if you need some phone advice

Hello!
You either clicked on this thread because you're either super bored out of your mind right now or you are having trouble deciding what phone you should buy.

That's what I am here for!
Now, a video that already does what this thread is about to do is the Smartphone Awards 2017 made by MKBHD, a great video which sums up all the phones of 2017 in different categories.

But, if you need my help, then... k.

So, use this format if you want my advice.

Screen size: A big screen would be considered 5.8" or above and a small screen would be 5.3" or below. Somewhere in the middle would be 5.5".
Headphone jack: Do you REALLY need one?
Screen resolution: Most people won't care, but if you do, type 1080p or 1440p, maybe even 2160p. (Lol)
Speaker type: Again, not many people care, but if you REALLY want dual front-firing speakers, tell me here.
Camera: Tell me how good you want the camera to be. (Note: The best camera on any smartphone is in the Google Pixel 2 and 2 XL.) Also, say if you want dual cameras or not.
Price: Tell me which prices you will accept and between which price range.
Storage: 32GB, 64GB, 128GB or 256GB?
Operating System: iOS or Android?
Processor (optional): Last year's processor or this year's? This may be obvious to you, but you most likely won't notice the difference. This one is optional.
Aspect Ratio: If you want the more modern look of phones with less bezel, say 18:9. If you don't really care and you want the more traditional looking phones, say 16:9.
Brands you're interested in: Self-explanatory.
Brands you're not interested in (optional): Also self-explanatory.
Wireless Charging: Yes or no?
Water Resistance Rating: Yes or no?
Extra things you can clarify: Say any extras here.

When I see you have used the format, I will reply with my recommendation(s) and the good things and bad things about the recommendation. Obviously, it will be hard to find a phone with everything you need, but, I'll find the best things I can. Also, please don't just take my word for it, make sure you don't end up with a phone you end up disliking.

Here is the format with no extra writing:
Screen Size:
Headphone Jack:
Screen Resolution:
Speaker Type:
Camera:
Price:
Storage:
Operating System:
Processor:
Aspect Ratio:
Brands you're interested in:
Brands you're not interested in or don't like:
Wireless Charging:
Water Resistance Rating:
Extra things to clarify:

Here is the format without the optional bits:
Screen Size:
Headphone Jack:
Screen Resolution:
Speaker Type:
Camera:
Price:
Storage:
OS:
Aspect Ratio:
Brands you're interested in:
Wireless Charging:
Water Resistance Rating:
Extra things to clarify:

DISCLAIMER: I am not a huge professional at phones and technology, so please do not just take my recommendation for granted. Give the recommendation some thought before being 100% sure about buying the phone.

 

This is amazing. I'm actually considering to get a new phone, because my new phone is absolute crap; (cough-cough iPhone 6s) and I may be switching over brands. So, I may use this in the future when I am in the dilemma for choosing a new phone.

 

That's great! Just so that you know, I currently use a Google Pixel 2 XL, and it is amazing. Plus, the screen issues were fixed with an update, so it's pretty good. Just giving you my opinion :D

 

Ah, but you see I'm not the smartest to figuring out how a phone works/it's features, which is why I chose iPhone over Samsung, because I feel that an iPhone is more user-friendly? But hey, I think change is good, so maybe I will consider changing over to Google.

 

I see what you mean. Apple's iPhones are definitely easier to use because they run on what we tech-nerds call Stock iOS. There are definitely some strange things about the phone I use like its squeeze feature and its lack of a headphone jack, but the Pixel 2 XL runs Stock Android, which basically means that it's the iOS of Android? if that makes sense?

 

I think I know what you mean by that. A lot of my friends have phones that are not iPhones, (so they run on Android). However, I do appreciate the headphone jack, because the apple air pod (wireless headphones) could fall out of your ear, since it's pretty tiny and it's not connected by a wire to your phone. Also I feel that without a headphone jack, you would be more prone to losing your headphones. Just my opinion. There is always a + and - feature when deciding what phone you want, and there is no certain thing as a "perfect phone" that can please everyone.

 

Exactly that. Plus, if you're going on a trip and you forget your dongle, you're pretty much screwed, and wireless headphones don't last forever. It's an annoyance, but I don't use the headphone jack THAT often anyways, so it's not a dealbreaker for me. I use the Google Pixelbuds, too.

 

Really detailed advice thread, well done mate.

If you choose Samsung you will have no trouble getting used to the UI as in my opinion it resembles a lot of iOS features UI wise. The thing with android based phones is that you can even make your phone look like an iPhone if you wanted to, due to the vast amount of customization available.
example: http://cdn.apk-cloud.com/detail/scr...oMEZRzPBPPnOxfN8uOUwl7gDGPgrdVkNOj4x=h900.png
That screenshot was taken on an Android device.

Google Pixel is probably the most user friendly with its basic (stock android) approach.

 

That is really cool, google pixel does have a way better camera, and it should be easier to use because it's a google phone, and google is a pretty to use website. But, I just don't like the look of the pixel. You know? Especially the back of it. Samsung has a wide, edge screen which is unique, but Samsung phones are not as easy to use as a Google Pixel.

 

I totally agree. The Google pixel and pixel 2 look very ugly, but then you have to think, how often you look at the back of your phone. People buy pixel phones for an excellent software experience and an outstanding camera.

 

I'm going to cut to the chase; I already know what type of phone I want.
Can you give me a review of the Samsung Note 8?
Pros and cons would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

*Pros: The jokes you'll receive about it exploding
Cons: No longer explodes

Fixed it for you

 

I sure can.

If you want the short explanation, look in this spoiler.

Spoiler

Would I recommend it? Yes.
Is it fast? Yes. Very.
Are the cameras good? They're great.
Is battery life good? On short days.
Is it worth that price tag? It sure is.

But here's the detailed review.

Spoiler: Detailed Review

Let’s start off with the design of this thing. The Note 8 is a thick, heavier than average phone with a gorgeous glass back and the best screen on any smartphone, period. The display is of 6.4" making it one of the biggest displays on the market and it can reach brightness levels of 1,200 nits. To give some reference, one nit is equivalent to the light given off from the average candle, so imagine 1,200 candles put into one smartphone display, and that’s the one of the Note 8’s.


However, not everything is amazing on this design. The fingerprint scanner is placed in a more awkward position, and while me with my big hands didn’t find this to be a problem (because I put a case on my phone, usually) people with smaller hands should probably get used to using one of the 5 other ways to unlocking this phone.


Also, the speaker isn’t the greatest either - it’s a single monofiring speaker facing downward, which is just okay. Thankfully, this phone has the headphone jack though, so that’s a plus. The front-facing camera is great, but the IRIS scanner isn’t amazing. Luckily, Face ID is available on this phone unlike the S8 and S8+.


Moving on to the insides of this. You probably won’t understand any of this, so I don’t blame you if you don’t know what I’m going on about, but these are the specifications:


Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
GPU: Adreno 530
RAM: 6GB
Storage: Up to 128GB
Battery: 3300mAh

There’s plenty more, but those are the most important ones. The Snapdragon 835 is the flagship processor of 2017, but the newer Snapdragon 845 has been announced and the Samsung Galaxy S9 lineup is expected to have this chipset. But these specifications translate to snappy performance with no lag at all.

The cameras on the back are also very good. There are two of these on the back, and again, you probably aren’t gonna understand this, but these are the camera specifications:

Main Camera: 12MP f/1.7 Wide Angle Lens, OIS, Laser Autofocus
Secondary Camera: 12MP f/2.4 Telephoto Lens, OIS, Laser Autofocus

The f/1.7 aperture means that the camera can take in a lot of light in photos and it is optically stabilised meaning that while recording video the footage won’t be shaky. The camera is capable of 4K at 30fps and the OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) works fantastically with this. Even at night times in a dim bar or at any lowlight situation, this camera works wonderfully. Not to mention, that secondary camera that lets you zoom in without having the picture become super grainy is very welcome for taking pictures of singers, or of something far away, or literally anything else. Also, portrait mode on this exists too, but it’s almost always a 50/50 chance of getting a good or bad shot. Personally, I can live without it.

In other words, these cameras are wonderful.

Samsung made this phone a very feature-rich one. It is water and dust resistant saving you a heart attack when you drop it into the toilet (or something) and you can charge it wirelessly. There’s expandable memory if 128GB wasn’t enough, it keeps the headphone jack, the S Pen is much more useful than you could ever think, great cameras, snappy performance, the best display, but there’s one thing that I think this phone falls in, and it’s battery life.

This phone has a 3300mAh battery. To give you a bit of reference as to how big that is, the average smartphone has a 3200mAh battery and a phone that should be able to get you through the day without charging it would be around 3500mAh. So, it doesn’t sound that bad, right?

You have to consider two things; First, the display is one of the biggest you can find on the market, and it’s also the BRIGHTEST display. I can’t really blame Samsung (because of what happened last year) but this phone also has terrible standby time (when you turn your phone off and you don’t charge it for a period of time). My father has a Note 8, and he went to sleep on 49% and woke up with 16%, just to give you reference, but this phone chargers very quickly, so that’s also a plus.

This is also the reason why this gorgeous display is set to 1080p by default and not 1440p. You can put it at 720p, and you can definitely get a full day out of it, but it’s not as enjoyable. 1080p means you’ll get around 3 and a half to 4 hours of total screen on time but put that to 1440p and you’ll definitely have this phone crying for the charger at the end of the day.

Obviously, this will depend on your usage - I’m a pretty heavy phone user, but, I can cope with it.

Overall, this is Samsung’s greatest smartphone. Yes, the battery is a bit small, the speaker is underwhelming and the software skin “TouchWiz” can be very annoying, but I don’t really care.

Would I buy this phone? Yes.

Should you get it? Consider one thing.

The Note 8 has a bigger display, a second camera and the S Pen for around $100 more than the S8+. Keep in mind that if you sacrifice these 3 things, you get a bigger battery that will keep you through the day, which is one thing to keep in mind on the Samsung Galaxy S8+ and the S9 Line-Up is coming soon, though I would most likely get the Note 8 over the S9.

Pros:

• Amazing display
• Spectacular cameras
• Snappy performance
• Looks amazing
• S Pen
• Face ID
• Expandable Memory
• Waterproof
• Has a headphone jack
• Wireless Charging

Cons:

• Under average speaker
• Not that much battery life
• "Okay" software experience

I hope this helped you! :)

If you want any more information, just make a convo with me or just ask it in this thread. I hope my review helped you :33

 

Thank you so much!
I'm currently using a galaxy s5 so all the cons I'm currently dealing with right now aha.
Strangely I missed the fact it has a jack which is a pleasant surprise considering I rarely use speakers.
I'll be buying a new phone soonish so I'll try to remember to at least let you know how I go.
C:

 

You're welcome!
Man, I remember when I had a Galaxy S5, I loved that and I would just always refuse to upgrade because of how well it worked, but now that I have a new phone, I probably won't upgrade for ages. Most people consider the S8 lineup to be the best smartphone lineup of 2017, and I would totally agree with that :D

 

Whats the best one for longevity
Engineered obsolescence was the worst thing capitalism has gifted us
I currently have a Alcatel Fierce 4

 

I just got the iPhone 8 and I'm in love with it

 

What features do you like about it? Is it good, since I'm in a dilemma for choosing a new phone, in case you hadn't read the thread. xD

 

Get something pure Android, you won't regret it. The Pixels are wonderful!!!