This is my wishlist of features for my next phone I won't be buying for over a year or more in the future

"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein) 03/12/2018 at 11:41 • Filed to: None

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Being a gadget nerd, I can’t help but pay attention to the steady stream of new phones being announced all the time. But I also try to ride out my gadgets’ useful life as long as possible.

Here are my must-have features:

Unlocked

T-Mobile wifi calling and/or Google Project Fi

Big screen in a not-huge overall package

Above average processor with loads of RAM

Wireless charging

Fast charging

Big battery

Solid camera, especially in low light, for taking pretty pictures of food in dimly lit restaurants and posting them on Instagram

No goddamn motherfucking screen notches

High quality bluetooth codec support (aptX, etc.)

Reasonably prompt security patches, but I’m more patient about full OS updates

Always-on display of some kind (Samsung & Pixel are ok, Motorola’s still the best)

Here are my I’d reeeeaaalllyyy like to have features:

Universal carrier compatibility

Dark theme for UI

In-display fingerprint sensor

Extra camera gimmicks like portrait mode, dual lenses, etc

Nice clean Android build (although I’ve mostly been able to clean up my S7 Edge to the point where I don’t gripe about Samsung’s Android skin)

Scrolling screenshots like Samsung—I don’t use them a lot but it’s very handy when you want/need it

Water resistant—you don’t need it, until you need it

Things I say I like but honestly can probably live without:

Stereo speakers—they’re nice when I use them but I watch videos with the phone’s built-in speakers so rarely that it doesn’t matter much to me

Headphone jack—I own many pairs of wired headphones but for the most part they only get used with my tablet for watching videos in bed, or on planes, or with the remote on my Roku. I connect my phone to my car with bluetooth and I use aptX bluetooth headphones at the gym

I’ve only had my S7 Edge for 6 months, and it ticks enough of these boxes that I’m not actually in the market for a replacement. But what phones could be replacements?

The Galaxy S8+ and S9+ are closest to checking every box on the list. The S9+ wins here because of its better low-light camera and the horrible placement of the fingerprint sensor on the S8+. Samsung sucks at putting OS updates out quickly, but my S7 Edge has consistently been getting somewhat recent security patches. The unlocked S9+ may or may not support T-Mobile’s 600 MHz network. The T-Mobile version does. Waiting on confirmation here.

The Moto Z2 Force, if bought from T-Mobile, can do everything on my list if you add a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! that clamps on the back to get wireless charging. T-Mobile is selling it for $375. But it’s unlocked/universal, and it has the stupid-ass ShatterShield built-in screen protector that you can scratch just by looking at it wrong.

The OnePlus 5T ticks most of the boxes outside of wireless charging, but lacks any Verizon or Sprint network support. I’m kinda unlikely to go back to Verizon but maybe I’d do it through an MVNO at some point, so I’d like to at least have the radio in there just in case.

The unlocked LG V30 doesn’t support T-Mobile wifi calling. The T-Mobile LG V30 supports wifi calling and T-Mobile’s new 600 MHz network. But it’s locked to T-Mobile. LG’s software is a mess anyway.

If I want to try out Project Fi, the Pixel 2 XL would do the trick, but I’d have to give up wireless charging. Womp womp.

So, hey, maybe in a couple years I’ll buy a new old stock S9+! Or maybe the Pixel 3 XL will get wireless charging and I’ll hop on Project Fi. Or maybe my phone needs/wants will have completely changed by then.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Textured Soy Protein 03/12/2018 at 11:47

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“If I want to try out Project Fi, the Pixel 2 XL would do the trick, but I’d have to give up wireless charging. Womp womp.”

I have a Pixel XL and I don’t feel I need wireless charging, by the time I go to bed I’m so far always above 50% and plugging in USB-C is dead-simple, it’s a reversible plug after all.

What I would like is a user replaceable battery. I’m willing to have a thicker phone to have that ability.

But so far the Pixel XL is by far the best phone I’ve ever had, that’s coming from a Note 4.

Textured Soy Protein > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 03/12/2018 at 11:49

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Before I tried wireless charging with my S7 Edge, I didn’t think of it as a must-have feature. But since I’ve started using it, I like it a lot. It’s not really a must-have, but I like it.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Textured Soy Protein 03/12/2018 at 11:54

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Ah I remember your post. I just don’t really get it. If you have a phone that easily lasts through the day, the convenience of wireless charging really isn’t much more than a fancy trick. If you do have a phone that doesn’t last through the day, that’s a problem in itself that should be addressed, because any modern phone if running correctly should be able to do it. Unless all you do is watch netflix and play games on your phone. But that probably means you are on the go all the time and need to plug into a battery pack.

Tapas > Textured Soy Protein 03/12/2018 at 11:59

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Obligatory XKCD:

Textured Soy Protein > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 03/12/2018 at 12:00

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Even with a solid battery, sometimes I use the hell out of my phone. It’s nice to have.

Textured Soy Protein > Tapas 03/12/2018 at 12:04

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Dishwasher safeness is obviously the best feature.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Textured Soy Protein 03/12/2018 at 12:08

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fair enough! Haha.

Now if my house could charge my phone by simply being in my house, that’d be super cool. But I’d also be worried about radiation or whatever, haha.

facw > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 03/12/2018 at 12:09

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Replaceable batteries aren’t going to make a comeback. They add too much size, and make waterproofing more difficult. And it is easy enough to use an external battery to get more capacity.

facw > Textured Soy Protein 03/12/2018 at 12:11

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You say no screen notches, but are you ok with the fact that pretty much every flagship device has gone to rounded corners on the screen?

Textured Soy Protein > facw 03/12/2018 at 12:11

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Those don’t bother me.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > facw 03/12/2018 at 12:11

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I mostly want it because I can replace the battery after 1 or 2 years, instead of having to buy a new phone because replacing the battery requires applying a heat gun to my screen (fact in the case of my phone). But I suppose if I end up wanting to extend the life of this phone, I’m sure for $20-$30 I can find someone to do it professionally.

And I certainly understand we they don’t do it anymore, but I still want it, haha.

facw > Textured Soy Protein 03/12/2018 at 12:12

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Seems like a similar waste of screen space from where I sit.

Long-Voyager > Textured Soy Protein 03/12/2018 at 12:18

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1. Flip Phone

2. Ability to be thrown across a room / off a roof without breaking.

3. Decent Camera

4. Ability to make calls

5. Battery that lasts 3-5 days

That sums up what I need in a phone.

Chariotoflove > Tapas 03/12/2018 at 12:19

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Have never seen this. Single-handedly turned Monday into a good day.

Textured Soy Protein > Long-Voyager 03/12/2018 at 12:32

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Long-Voyager > Textured Soy Protein 03/12/2018 at 12:33

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Does that mean they’ve brought it back!!!!!

For Sweden > Textured Soy Protein 03/12/2018 at 12:41

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In-display fingerprint sensor

Delete this

Fingerprint sensors belong on the back of the phone.

Textured Soy Protein > For Sweden 03/12/2018 at 12:43

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I’m a front fingerprint fanboy.

kstn > Long-Voyager 03/12/2018 at 12:44

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I have a Blackwiev BW8000 Pro and it tics all those boxes exept the first one.

boxrocket > Textured Soy Protein 03/12/2018 at 13:19

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Sounds like you want an unlocked Microsoft Lumia 950XL. It meets all of your basic qualifications, and most of your “reeeaaallllly like to have” list.

I have one. It’s great. Highly recommended.

boxrocket > Long-Voyager 03/12/2018 at 13:20

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Nokia.

They might even still make flip phones. I know they still make excellent basic “candy bar” phones. The best ones had the button to spring the clamshell open.

chaozbandit > Textured Soy Protein 03/12/2018 at 13:23

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Sony has met a lot of these features for a while actually. Shame about the finger print sensor being on the side not working in the US because of patent laws. But it works in Canada no problem! Also all our carriers are unlocked by law.

Textured Soy Protein > boxrocket 03/12/2018 at 13:27

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I had a Windows phone once. Actually multiple Windows phones. In 2006-09.

Textured Soy Protein > chaozbandit 03/12/2018 at 13:33

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The XZ1 Compact has T-Mobile wifi calling support and starting with the XA2 and XZ2 series, Sony finally has fingerprint sensors (on the back) in the US. If the XZ2 ends up supporting T-Mobile wifi calling it could be an option for me, although it’s more the size of the regular S8/S9 and won’t support Verizon.

Textured Soy Protein > facw 03/12/2018 at 13:50

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A notch is much more noticeable than rounded corners.

Not much happens in the corners of a screen where rounding them off kills useful real estate.

A screen with 4 rounded corners is still uniform and doesn’t have a random bite taken out of it.

functionoverfashion > Textured Soy Protein 03/12/2018 at 14:08

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I just want:

iphone 5 sizing because reasons

plain-jane Android OS - let people spice it up if they want. My Galaxy S5 had a hateful Samsung skin on the OS that, if you removed it, also removed some of the features of the phone that were appealing to me in the first place.

good processor and ram so it doesn’t lag doing basic tasks

speakers at least as good at iphone 7

waterproof, durable without a bulky case

1 day battery life is fine by me - wireless charging would be cool, but I only charge my phone at night anyway, so plugging in is not a chore

microSD card slot! just... come on. really.

sensor that just knows when I want it to unlock

bottle opener, corkscrew, tiny useless wood saw

Textured Soy Protein > functionoverfashion 03/12/2018 at 14:19

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Sounds like you’re a prime candidate for a Sony XZ2 Compact.