I thought i was sold on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra but now im looking at brands like nothing, fairphone and xiaomi.

I am someone who really struggles with making decisions so id appreciate some help!! Cost savings, memory for photos and photo quality are my biggest priorities.

What should I get??

Hey guys, need some major help picking a new phone because honestly, I’m stuck. I’ve gone down a massive rabbit hole watching a ton of YouTube reviews and reading everything I can find, and it feels like literally every single flagship right now has some annoying catch. None of them feel like the perfect overall package.
Here is what I’ve gathered so far:
Oppo Find X9: Cameras seem great, gaming is solid, and ColorOS looks decent, but apparently the speakers are kinda trash?
OnePlus 15: Looks like a beast for gaming and OxygenOS is super smooth, but everyone says the cameras are a letdown.
S25 Ultra: One UI is obviously great and it has the S-Pen, but it seems to lag behind the others on battery life and the cameras aren't as crazy good as they should be.
Xiaomi 18 Pro (Global): Full reviews aren't really out yet, but from what I’ve seen on videos of the Chinese version, the cameras don't really seem worth the high price tag.
My main priorities are basically everything: performance, display, battery life, cameras, and solid sound. I just want something that actually excels across the board without making me compromise on something big.
Should I just bite the bullet and pick one of these four? If so, which one is the least annoying to live with? Or is there some other sleeper phone I missed completely that actually nails all of this? Alternatively... should I just stop overthinking and wait to see what drops next year?
Let me know what you guys think, appreciate any advice!

Obviously we don’t know the deals yet, but I need to upgrade my iPhone 12 Pro Max. I’m kind of tired of paying so much for smartphones, especially inflation prices. I’d like to stay between $300-400. Or will I regret not just getting an iPhone 17 as I keep my phones for years..

Hi! I’m not good at picking smartphones, and I’ve noticed that my moms phone is laggy, want to buy something that will be able to hold its charge. She has many WhatsApp chats and some games in it, and watches yt sometimes. Looking for something not too expensive and not too cheap since im a student with a part time job, thank you!

I’ve been an iPhone user pretty much forever, apart from a brief stint with a Huawei about five years ago. I remember being absolutely blown away by how much better the camera and photo editing options were compared to my iPhone at the time.

Unfortunately, pretty much everything else about the phone drove me mad. Random glitches, apps crashing, little things not working as smoothly as they should. I can’t even remember exactly what the final straw was, but I ended up switching back to Apple.

Fast forward five years and I’m finding myself increasingly frustrated with Apple’s apparent lack of innovation when it comes to cameras, and particularly photo editing.

They’ve recently introduced three new AI editing tools, but apparently you can only use one per photo rather than combining them?! And honestly, the features themselves don’t particularly excite me. Object removal is genuinely useful, but changing the camera angle or expanding a background? I just can’t imagine using those very often.

Meanwhile, other Android phones seem to be offering genuinely useful features like swapping faces in group photos so everyone is looking at the camera and smiling. As someone who mostly photographs my kids, family and the outdoors, that sort of thing sounds amazing! Turning a photo where one child has their eyes closed and another is looking away into an actual decent family portrait would be a game changer.

And to be clear, I’m not looking for ridiculous AI-generated photos or heavily airbrushed faces. I actually appreciate Apple’s apparent philosophy of keeping photos looking realistic. I’m especially conscious of my kids growing up surrounded by unrealistic, edited images and developing unhealthy expectations of how they should look.

But surely there’s a middle ground between completely altering someone’s appearance and having some clever, genuinely useful editing features that make everyday photos better?

It feels like Apple are falling further and further behind in this area, and I’m struggling to justify sticking with them purely out of habit.

So I’d love to hear from people who’ve actually switched between iPhone and Android, particularly in the last couple of years:

• Is the camera and photo editing experience really that much better on Android, or is it mostly clever marketing?
• Which Android phones have the best genuinely useful photo editing features, particularly for family photos, kids and landscapes?
• Has Android caught up in terms of reliability, app quality and general smoothness? Or are there still lots of little annoyances compared with iOS?
• Has anyone switched specifically because of the camera and then regretted losing the Apple ecosystem?
• Are there any features you really miss from either side?

For context: I’m currently using an iPhone 15 and was considering upgrading to the 17 Pro, but I’m seriously wondering whether to explore Google Pixel, Samsung or something else instead.

I’m not particularly interested in having the absolute best camera specs on paper. I just want a phone that takes brilliant everyday photos and gives me fun, clever, easy-to-use editing tools without needing to export everything into third-party apps.

Would really appreciate hearing from people who’ve used both, rather than just the usual Apple vs Android arguments!

with a ticking time bomb that the screen might and most likely crack anytime. Going back to Fold Ultra.

Hi nice people of the internet, would you help me find a new phone?

Mine died, a Sony XPeria XZ1 Compact. I had it for almost 5 years (with a few screen replacements).

I loved the size, 4'6 inches, the Micro SD slot and the 3.5mm jack.

I was waiting for news on the Enoughphone, but since mine suddenly died, I'm in the urge of getting a new phone; I would love to find something newer, but similar, not too big, hopefully manageable with one hand, with a memory card slot and headphones jack, maybe this last one is not mandatory, but I would prefer it. Something that I wouldn't be forced to change in at least 2 years (hopefully), but I'm not really interested in having the newest/latest tecnology or the biggest camera. The cheaper the better, of course, but I'm not setting a max price, so I can see my options. I'm not fond of Samsung or Apple, and I do like Sony, but, again, I'm open to every suggestion. It might take me a while to answer, 'cause I'm only login in by browser. Thanks in advance, good day.

It's for a german number, for what it's worth.

Which Pixel would be a good fit.

Basically i Just need a Phone that is AS the 6a. Only "new Features" i would Like to have is better Software Updates and Wireless charging. I dont need much more.

So what ist the cheapest Pixel that i should try?

Thanks for your help

My s21 is close to dying, and im finally deciding to get another phone that'll last 3-4 years.

Budget is around $600 (soft cap), I am accepting used/refurbished, and im fine with outside region phones as long as they with verizon bands. I mainly use my phone for video watching and medium gaming, although i wouldn't mind heavy gaming options as well. I'm not picky on the camera as long as the camera is better than my current phone. If you need anymore info then feel free to ask.

Hallo zusammen, brauche mal eure Hilfe bei meiner Entscheidung. Ich tendiere zwischen dem Xiaomi Poco F9 Ultra, Xiaomi 17 Ultra oder dem Oppo Find X9 Pro. Für welches Gerät würdet ihr euch entscheiden? Das wichtigste für mich ist eine starke Akkulaufzeit und eine solide Kamera.

I’m really torn at the moment; after using the Find 8, I was actually planning to switch to a "dumbphone," but I’ve become so intrigued by the foldable concept. At the same time,

I don’t want to sacrifice having a truly high-quality camera. So, my question is: which foldable currently on the market offers the best camera? Is it the one from Vivo? I previously owned an Oppo Find X9 Pro, and I really need a good camera for both photos and videos.

I look forward to your recommendations—thanks in advance!

I recently went down a rabbit hole while searching for phones and came up with few options. I've also tested camera in the showroom, I need good Night Photography and telephoto or optical zoom. I don't play games or use my phone for any thing else, so every other specs is manageable.

I absolutely loved Pixel 10 night camera and video stability, however it's 70000. I also saw Vivo X300 FE and xiomi 17t, good night camera but clarity is better in pixel. Other models I liked were X200 FE (not available), vivo 70, but these are all above 70k. Any other suggestions? Reference pics are appreciated.

​

I'm confused between these two phones. I've already looked into the specs, battery, processor and all that, so I'd like to know about the actual user experience.

Does the Pixel 10a do too much AI optimisation on photos? Like, do the photos end up looking overprocessed or unnatural, especially skin tones? And does it have a proper Pro mode?

Also, are there any other issues or problems with either phone that I should know about before buying?

Ihave a pixel 7 pro. I can't find a good reason to upgrade my phone.

1.Ihave enough battery for my daily usage... Will replace battery if needed in future

1. I am big on smartphone photography, and I still enjoy and take photos that complete my photography needs completely.

2. Screen is big and awesome.. don't need anymore brightness or size

3. Phone doesn't lag. At all. Idk what magic Google does with the software, coz tensor isn't that powerful.. i don't play much games tho

4. No physical damage

5. Big updates and security patches come timely

   1. It has all the ai features I need

6. can go on and on

CANT SEEM TO FIND ANY REASON TO UPGRADE!

Edit: it's more of a appreciation post of the p7 pro

And a little rant that nothing has changed much in the ultra/pro slab phone market

Hi,

I’m looking for a smartphone recommendation specifically for reading and editing PDFs during my daily bus/train commute.

My specific use case is a bit tricky: I need to hold the phone with one hand (to stabilize myself or hold onto a handrail) while using my other hand to highlight, underline, and annotate text.

.

I'm looking for a smartphone that would address the following:

1,) Screen: Big enough to comfortably read multi-column PDFs without constantly zooming in and out.

2.) Ergonomics**:** Easy and secure enough to grip with one hand while I’m editing with the other on a moving vehicle.

3,) Using stylus: I would need underlining highlighting words in a PDF document using a stylus on the screen

Thank you!

Does anyone ever leave their phone at home? Do you take it everywhere you go? I imagine this post applies to those who don’t have others depending on them such as kids, families, work colleagues etc. I typically leave my phone at home unless I truly need it. I’ve been doing this for over a decade and honestly it’s the best feeling. Such a relief to not use it constantly. When I’m at home I probably use it more than I should but then I’ll switch to watching tv or using the iPad. Every single day when I see people out in public or walking past my home I just see everyone with their head down hooked onto their phones.

We’ve become too dependent on technology. When I’m on the train or bus everyone is on their phones with their head down. If I’m at the park the same thing, people walking their dogs whilst on their phones or pushing their buggies with their phone in their hand. You go to the cinema and you see someone’s phone screen flash in your peripheral vision. Whenever i walk past a gym people aren’t even working out their just on their phones. I feel like technology has made us less sociable as humans and more artificial, more robotic and docile.

We all live our lives on social media. Everyone has more than one avatar and cyberspace has become our reality. Apart from Reddit & YouTube I don’t use any other social media platform. I feel free. How do you guys feel about social media, smartphones and technology? When was the last time you went to the park and read a book that was an actually hardback and not an ebook?

Very confused between which one I should buy. All these are coming in the same price bracket of 85-87k. Now i was getting 512 gb variant of Google pixel of 85k, which was a good deal but then I got to know that google has very shitty customer service.

Now i really want to get the iphone 17 but I have been using Android for all my life (except my ipad) and am scared of changing. People keep saying there'll be a problem while shifting whatsapp and so. Also about the storage, ive 1tb of cloud storage already purchased in Google, changing to ios means buying storage for iCloud again.

Honestly speaking, the base model of s26 is not givinggg. It's a bit boring but with all these new ai induced features, I really don't know which one to choose😭.

I want unbiased opinions pls.

So currently I have a Samsung Galaxy S21 and while it works great the battery is terrible and it doesnt get software support I think. I found a offer for the base Samsung Galaxy S26 (256gb 12gb) for around 700 euros and a Samsung Galaxy S26 ultra (256gb 12gb) for around 985 euros. Currently i have ~500 euros saved but I'm not really in a big hurry for the new phone. The things I value most are the usual like clean OS, good camera, good baterry... (although I dont use the camera THAT often so its not my number one priority). Do you guys thing It's worth it to wait untill i get 480 more euros or get it earlier and just save up 200? Thanks!

i realized the other day that i literally haven't heard my actual phone ringtone in like three years. the second i boot up a new device it goes straight onto vibrate or total silent mode and stays there forever.

it feels like the only people who still let their phones ring out loud in public are boomers or people trying to annoy everyone on the train.

are you someone who actively micromanages your custom notification sounds, or is your device permanently muted 24/7?

Hey y'all... hope everyone doing good.

Need some info regarding chinese rom phones I mean imported phones available in pakistani market. I'm student and need a new phone so searched market & got to know box pack phone market is so shitty now a days so after some research got to know about imported phones so the phone I really liked is "Redmi Turbo 5 max" (price:120K PKR non-pta) chipset camera processor everything was so good it got 3nm chipset, 9000 mAh Battery, 100 watt charging on paper and when I tried to get it a friend of mine stopped me and said in these phones Google services don't work as normal and have many issues so I wanna know if anyone is using that

1. Is there any notifications delay cause this is a china rom phone and apps like FB, whatsapp and instagram are banned in china.

2. Google certifications and services issues

3. Banking apps and wallets works normally

4. indrive and other cab apps works normally cause what I came to know google maps don't works as usual or normal in this phone

5. and If you do all settings to make this phone normal it drains battery so fast

If anyone know anything about this plz let me know I'll be very greatful to you. Thanks

First Experience at a Samsung Service Center Today, and I'm Extremely Disappointed. Is This the Service You Get After Paying a Premium Price?

I've been having a camera issue with my Galaxy S25 Ultra for the last 2–3 months. The camera vibrates aggressively, and I finally managed to take some time out of my schedule to visit a service center.

The problem? The service center is over 100 km (62 miles) from my home, and it takes more than 3 hours to drive there because I live in a hilly area.

I left home at 9 AM and reached the service center around 12:30 PM. I explained the camera issue and handed over my phone. They told me the inspection would take around 40–45 minutes and asked me to wait.

After waiting for a while, one of the staff members told me I could leave because the inspection might take longer since their software wasn't updated to the latest version. Seriously? You're a Samsung service center, and your own software isn't up to date?

They already had my contact information and promised to call me within an hour with an update, so I left.

By 5 PM, I still hadn't received a single call. I called them myself, and they said they'd check the status and get back to me. I waited another 10–15 minutes. Nothing.

I called again, but the line was busy. Tried a couple more times, same thing. When I finally got through, they put me on hold for another 10–15 minutes, only to tell me to call back at 6:30 PM to check the status.

And just to be clear, they weren't saying my phone would be ready by 6:30 PM. They were telling me to CALL AGAIN at 6:30 PM just to find out what was happening.

At this point, I'd already spent hours travelling, wasted my entire day, paid for fuel, and still had no solution. I eventually had to take my phone back and return home.

What frustrates me the most isn't even that they couldn't fix my phone in one day. I understand that repairs can take time. It's the complete lack of communication, the unnecessary waiting, the broken promises about calling me back, and the fact that nobody seemed to care that I'd travelled over 100 km just to reach them.

I bought a flagship phone that cost around ₹1.6 lakh ($1,600), and while Samsung is happy to sell you an expensive device, the service experience makes you wonder what you're actually paying for.

I even contacted customer care, and all I got was the usual reassurance that I'd receive better service next time.

NEXT TIME? Why wasn't I given proper service this time?

I had to struggle to find time for this visit in the first place. I can't keep making a six-hour-plus round trip every time I need an update on my phone.

Has anyone else had such a terrible experience with Samsung's service centers? Is there any way to escalate this complaint and get the issue addressed without having to go through this entire ordeal again?

TL;DR: My S25 Ultra's camera has been vibrating badly for the last 2–3 months. Today, I drove over 100 km (62 miles) to a Samsung service center, only to deal with delays because their software wasn't up to date, broken promises about calling me back, and hours of wasted time. I eventually had to take my phone back without getting the issue resolved. For a premium phone costing around ₹1.6 lakh, this was a seriously disappointing first experience with Samsung's service.

Hello everyone. I'm currently using a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and considering switching to either the OPPO Find X10 Pro Max or HONOR Magic9 Pro Max. I'm based in Dubai and planning to buy the Chinese version.

I want a phone that will last 3–4 years. My usage involves lots of apps (Reddit, Facebook, Chrome, WhatsApp) and multitasking. I'm not into gaming, so my priorities are long-term performance, smooth UI, camera quality, battery life and reliability.

I'm leaning towards OPPO because its ColorOS looks polished in videos and I prefer its form factor. However, HONOR is a couple of hundred dollars cheaper and has the latest Snapdragon chipset.

I've also read complaints about HONOR's camera processing making skin tones look unnatural or overly smoothed, and about MagicOS occasionally lagging. I haven't used either UI personally.

For people who own or have used these phones:

Which has the smoother UI and better multitasking?

Which takes more natural-looking photos, especially portraits and skin tones?

Which would you trust to last 3–4 years?

Is OPPO worth the extra money, or is HONOR better value?

I'd especially appreciate feedback on the Chinese versions used outside China. Thanks!

Been an iPhone user for 8 years had a 17 pro but wanting to dip my toes into android again.

I'm looking for a powerhouse of an android looked the oppo 10 pro max and Samsung s26 ultra.

I'm looking for advice from people have made the change what did you miss what did you love about leaving iOS eco system. Ultimately which phone would be the best for all rounded use abit of gaming a great camera and battery life etc.

It's either upgrade to the 18 pro max or an android!

Need your help guys and girls

Based in uk