I remember my first android device, it had like 512MO of RAM (and storage), and it was blazing fast, it could be used as a WIFI repeater too (which is why I still have it, although it 2.5G...). Fast forward 13 year later or so, if your android device doesn't have at least 8gig of RAM and 64gigs of storage, then it's pretty much useless given how bloated the OS (and the apps) have become...
So basically, Android low end has become useless, I remember 10+ years ago having to search for something very fast because of the context, like something on a map or surf the web for info. It was still super responsive with 512MO...
I tried a few cheap Android phones recently... they are simply unresponsive, google apps will suddenly shut down because the device is out of memory or something... or you try to make a call, you make a mistake so you try to hang up, the phone will refuse to hang up because it's stuck! you'd have to remove the battery to quickly cancel the call! What the hell happened with that OS?
The same thing that happens to every OS, features and bloat.
That said, Pixel devices all the way. No gross UI reskin, no having multiple copies of the same type of app (Samsung camera vs android camera, dialers, keyboards, etc.).
Fast, stable, good features.
If it's not a pixel device, you're probably going to have a "mid" experience.
I own a Pixel 7 and two OP7 Pro 's. The OP7Pro runs much smoother and reliably, the physical buttons + the slider switch are sturdy and I would still recommend people buy this phone today. $<200 refurb for this device was an easy buy after paying closer to MSRP for my first one.Pixel's aren't what they are made out to be. "Feature"-rich - sure.
I don't call things I don't want to have "features" It's just more bloat in my mind.
Which is unfortunate, because one of the strengths of Android was the diversity of the hardware ecosystem (although that strength has been lessening as manufacturers have all begun to converge on a common set of hardware features). You could get a phone that had the features you in particular wanted. Needing to buy a particular phone to get a good experience is a bummer.
I say that as someone who has had several Pixel phones (and Nexus before that) and been happy with them. But yeah, my most recent phone is a low-end Motorola that I picked specifically for a set of hardware features, but unfortunately, as the parent commenter describes, it has been a _terrible_ experience for a variety of reasons. I got the hardware features I wanted (mostly, no one makes the full set I want anymore, see above), and it turns out that I had to give up a halfway-decent software experience.
I was hoping over time the hardware beginning to get more similar would make the hardware more standardised and open like it is on PC allowing easier rom development, but that seems to be a pipe dream.
Vendor blobs are used in third party phones that have different hardware. Or, in some cases, because the phone seller wants to track you or try an offer an additional "value add" with their version of the app.
Can you provide an example of a device that ships with official Android and Google mobile services, but doesn't include any Google apps like Chrome, Youtube or messages?
pixel devices are nice when they work. but damn hardware quality is shoddy in terms of aging. my pixel 6a battery got swollen with less than 3 years. I have a first gen iphone se still in use. I also had a pixel 3a that I couldn't find a screen replacement for luckily for me -- google accepted a trade in when the 6a got released.
the pixels have a overheating problem -- this you can google for.
oh yeah, when automatic android updates happen a bunch of your settings are reset even something simple as UI-theme.
My Pixel 6a (my current phone) has no battery swelling.
On the other hand, it takes over a minute to decide that it's confirmed a GPS location. The Pixel 3a will do the same thing in more like one second. The utter failure of the GPS on the Pixel 6a (and possibly other related phones?) seems to be a known, common issue.
I do have overheating problems. The phone won't work outdoors in climates that are less nice than California. Which surprises me, since that's most of the world.
My last 2 phones were Motorola and my most recent is a Pixel. Meh...
The Motos came with very little bloatware that was easy enough to uninstall or disable. There are just as many new Google Apps that just weren't available on Moto phones that I've been uninstalling from my Pixel:
Google One, Google Tasks, Google News, Google Lens, Google Support Services, Google PDF Viewer, Google Play Books, Google Pixel Watch, Pixel Buds, Pixel Studio, Gemini, Safety, Find Hub, Google Home
IMO that's the big 'problem' with Android - any fly by night company can make a phone with it, which sours those people on Android as a whole and rightfully so. They may not understand that it's not Android itself that is awful, but the low spec'd phone or 'enhancements' some company added.
Higher end Android phones generally don't have any of these problems at all. I can't even remember the last time mine had something crash or had to restart. I generally stick to high end Moto, Pixel, or Oneplus(current). Some people like Samsung but their skin/os is too heavy handed for me.
That's why "problem" is in quotes. It's a self-inflicted and purposeful problem that trades a unified perception of Android through flagship devices for broad reach.
> I remember my first android device, it had like 512MO of RAM (and storage), and it was blazing fast,
Which device was that? My memory of early Android devices is that they were anything but fast. It's only relatively recently that they've caught up to iPhones in terms of responsiveness.
The new(er) mid range chipsets indeed are so so nice now. Pretty/fully modern process nodes, battery efficient, still very respectable cores.
Really glad to see we've finally landed at a place where finding an old refurbished flagship is not the only logical choice, where the mid-range has a lot going on for it.
Just wish we had some mainline kernel support, could put Debian on these things! I've had a OnePlus 6T (2018) that supposedly does pretty ok that I've been meaning to try Mobian on, and it felt like for a bit Snapdragons were getting better and better Linux support. But that motion seems to have really tapered off in the last ~2 years?
I had a Moto X4 which was quite cheap for $200 or $250. It did everything perfectly. No discernable lag for any operation. Plenty of storage. Great battery life. I can't imagine "needing" more phone than this.
Unfortunately it reached the end of its (security) updates so I figured it would be unsafe to keep using it since I have banking apps on the phone. Sad.
So basically, Android low end has become useless, I remember 10+ years ago having to search for something very fast because of the context, like something on a map or surf the web for info. It was still super responsive with 512MO...
I tried a few cheap Android phones recently... they are simply unresponsive, google apps will suddenly shut down because the device is out of memory or something... or you try to make a call, you make a mistake so you try to hang up, the phone will refuse to hang up because it's stuck! you'd have to remove the battery to quickly cancel the call! What the hell happened with that OS?