I have an odd problem and I just wanted to see if anyone with the same setup has encountered it.
I bought a pair of Apple in-ear headphone w/ mic (I love white headphones and it has to have a mic and look stylish. it's the only that fits the bill afaik).
Strangely, the left earbud failed shortly after by not producing any sound. It's dead. I exchanged for another pair and 3 days later same thing happened. I exchanged again and within less than a week the left earbud failed again.
I'm baffled as there is no physical damage (it's not like I use it as a sling to play real life angry birds) and only the left fails.
My hunch is that the circuitry of S2 is somehow incompatible and killing the Apple in-ear headphone but I'm a noob to electrics so I'm I might be slinging pure bs.
I'm not looking for someone to miraculously solve my problem (it's just yet another exchange away) but I wanted to see if anyone is on the same (sinking) boat.
Are you buying from Apple ??
jje
Do you mean fakes?
JJEgan said:
Are you buying from Apple ??
jje
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
JJEgan said:
Are you buying from Apple ??
jje
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm in Singapore now and there are authorized Apple resellers instead of official Apple retail.
So I'd say yes they are authentic Apple goods if that's what you're indicating.
BTW, the regular earphone that came with the iPhone works perfectly fine and does not get slaughtered by the GS2.
GrimStranger said:
BTW, the regular earphone that came with the iPhone works perfectly fine and does not get slaughtered by the GS2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That means that it is clearly not the phone causing the problem, and the problem has been sub-standard headphones all along. I'd recommend returning them for a refund and shopping elsewhere.
iPhone 3.5mm connector is different from regular 3.5mm connectors.
Therefore if you use it on iphones or ipods they work fine, when you use it on a nokia or samsung or some other brand phone, not so good an idea.
Regular stereo jack has 3 segments or 2 separators. Stereo + Mic has 4 segments or 3 separators. The 4th segment also doubles up as the "remote" for volume up and down, on hook, off hook. You just have to trust Apple to make sure they are different.
Perhaps you should get a brand/model earphone/headphone that actually supports general equipments instead of iphone specific ones.
Just picked mine up today and was very surprise to not see any headphones inside the box, especially since it has beats built-in.
cortesjues said:
Just picked mine up today and was very surprise to not see any headphones inside the box, especially since it has beats built-in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not suprised at all! corners had to be cut to achieve that 200$ subsidy!
cortesjues said:
Just picked mine up today and was very surprise to not see any headphones inside the box, especially since it has beats built-in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just another way VZ to screw us. Atleast throw a pair in. Cheap a$$ bastards
I personally believe they're doing us both a favour, cuts down their cost, and in all honesty if you're buying a high-end phone you should seriously consider investing into a decent pair of headphones/earphones to experience true quality sound.
all the unboxing videos showed no headphones, so no reason to be suprised. They did the beats thing with the rezound, and not sure if any other phones got them. They were nice to get.
Ya were fooled
iSheep... iSheep... Meowww that's Apple
they discontinued the headphones in the box thing a long time ago... they just don't come with HTC phones anymore. then again they never came with any other smartphone to begin with. Apple headphones do not count, i can't even call them headphones when a cheap $5 pair from walmart is 10x better
ML417 said:
they discontinued the headphones in the box thing a long time ago... they just don't come with HTC phones anymore. then again they never came with any other smartphone to begin with. Apple headphones do not count, i can't even call them headphones when a cheap $5 pair from walmart is 10x better
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Beats buds that came with the Rezound are pretty darn nice.
I just found out that nokia is giving away a free Monster brand wired headset to those who bought the phone after launch. seriously? I waited 6 months for this phone, and they reward the casual consumer with free stuff. I call shenanigans. I saw that nokia supplied a phone number to call with questions. I'm going to try to reach out to them and complain, I'll keep you all posted so maybe we can all get a headset for free like every other manufacturer that includes one in the box.
Where is this headset you speak of
Sent from my RM-820_nam_att_100 using Board Express
sublimeload said:
I just found out that nokia is giving away a free Monster brand wired headset to those who bought the phone after launch. seriously? I waited 6 months for this phone, and they reward the casual consumer with free stuff. I call shenanigans. I saw that nokia supplied a phone number to call with questions. I'm going to try to reach out to them and complain, I'll keep you all posted so maybe we can all get a headset for free like every other manufacturer that includes one in the box.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) It was only for people that bought it from Nokia Kiosks. All eight of them in the US.
2) I got a free wireless charge plate for pre-ordering. I'm good.
3) Free promotionals happen, I don't think we should complain after every single one goes public. It's crazy.
Dregur said:
1) It was only for people that bought it from Nokia Kiosks. All eight of them in the US.
2) I got a free wireless charge plate for pre-ordering. I'm good.
3) Free promotionals happen, I don't think we should complain after every single one goes public. It's crazy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What he said...
I didn't get a wireless charging plate though as I bought mine through Clove, and there are seemingly no promotions for sim free people. Still, I got an awesome phone, and the earphone you get with it are surprisingly good
Got it on Indian launch
got it on indian launch ... but no freebies for me
Got it at the Indonesian launch. Got the wireless charger for $20. Also, is the back chrome supposed to scratch easily? Mine has lots of tiny scratches on the sides.
Just saw a retail version of the G5(T-mobile version) unboxing vid,and unfortunately there were no earphones in the box.Why would LG do that?could other versions include it?
Btw,if anybody wondering if the charger is a quick charger,yes it is.
Bit of a waste of money including them imo, most people don't use them.
alexp999 said:
Bit of a waste of money including them imo, most people don't use them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do. In fact I prefer it when they ship good headphones. I got the Sony Noise Cancelling headphones with my Z2 and loved them, made the purchase of the phone a little extract special. I'd agreed if every manufacturer just chucked some cheap ear buds in but most do provide something that will make the phone sound great when listening to music so you know your money is well spent
doomalikaw99 said:
Just saw a retail version of the G5(T-mobile version) unboxing vid,and unfortunately there were no earphones in the box.Why would LG do that?could other versions include it?
Btw,if anybody wondering if the charger is a quick charger,yes it is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because this is a phone that is projected to sell for no more than $300 in 3-4 months from now, and still bring some kind of profit.
I'd elect for the the extra battery and cam over wired headphones(with early purchase) any day
I just picked up my G5 from my local Sprint retailer. The phone does not come with headphones from Sprint either it just has the wall charger and the USB-C adapter. There is a promotion currently going on through LG's website (I would post a link but I can't due to not having enough posts yet) where you are able to get a second battery and cradle by showing your proof of purchase.
I’ve been in love with electronic gadgets for years. I had the first Palm Pilot and the HTC Blue Angel, a great windows mobile phone with a keyboard. Many of you are probably too young to be familiar with these devices. Each year, and sometimes twice a year, I would get so excited to see the new devices come out sporting new tech. I would buy two new phones a year, usually from Samsung as the new Galaxy S and Note models came out. I HAVE NEVER BEEN AS DISAPPOINTED WITH THE CELL PHONE MANUFACTURERS AS I AM TODAY. Let me explain why.
Apple is one of the most successful cell phone manufacturers. The I-Phone (the I stands for Idiot) has not been successful because of its great design or software; but because so many people were already hooked on the I-Pad and I-Tunes for their music and media. Another feature that has kept Apple high on the sales charts is I-Message. Though the Apple has good (not great) hardware, its software is for idiots (this is good because there are so many of them) and its feature set is very weak. My primary disgust with current phones is that all the Android manufactures are chasing Apple and removing features that made their cell phones great.
Let’s look at some of these features.
Removable Battery.
A phone is no good if the battery is dead. HTC and Samsung started out right with a replaceable battery. The idiot Apple loving pundits in this industry have reported gleefully that the removeable battery is gone forever. I hope not. No matter how fast a cell phone charges, there’s always times when you just don’t have time to charge. There are so many times when you realize your battery is almost dead and you need to be somewhere else NOW. I’m currently using the last of the great phones with a replaceable batter – the LG V20. I am an extremely heavy cell phone user. I have four batteries (one came with the phone) and three chargers. I keep a charged battery in my pocket and two in the chargers. I never have to plug in my phone. For each of my three sets of battery and charger I paid $22. So for $66, I never run out charge.
I laugh when I see others tell me – “Wait, I cannot go yet, my phone’s dead.” The most idiotic thing is Samsung making a phone that can share a charge with others. Who the heck is going to do that? What Samsung and other manufactures should do is sell a charger and battery set direct for $29 or less. They charge $29 for their wireless chargers and you end up needing two or three so you can have one at the office and a couple at home anyways.
One of the most important things about the removeable battery is the ability to extend the life of the phone. The life of batteries decreases after a short period. It’s ridiculous and costly to have to send in your phone to have the battery replaced.
Build Quality/Cellular Connectivity
On any given day, you can find a reviewer of a cellular device touting “build quality.” Are they just stupid or Apple lovers? Samsung’s build quality was berated by reviewers because they had cheap plastic frames and plastic backs on their phones. This cheap plastic was great. The plastic back allowed easy access to the battery, SIM card, and SD card. Furthermore, plastic frames have better cellular connectivity than aluminum frames do. They are also much cheaper to make and are lighter. Most use a phone case to protect their phones anyway.
So because the industry has chased Apple, we Android users have no replaceable battery, no easy access to SIM and SD cards, heavier phones, and a much higher cost – now over $1,000. My Samsung Note 9 is so heavy that I get fatigued just holding it up in bed. The Note 2 made years ago was a masterpiece in terms of manufacture and feel. It was light and had nice curved corners. It felt great in the hand.
Screen & Screen Dimensions.
Most cell phone manufactures have a great screen. However, somewhere along the way, Samsung decided that a curved screen was a good idea. It’s just a stupid and useless sales gimmick. A flat screen can be easily protected with a case the edges of which extend above the screen. Such a case not only protects the screen but allows one to grip the device without touching the screen.
My next screen grip is the narrow screen. We cannot blame this trend on Apple. As I’ve aged, I need to use reading glasses. When the screens were wider (3 inches and above), I could read almost everything without my reading glasses. With my Note 9, I must use my glasses all the time. I have a LG Stylo 3 too. It has a wide screen that is easy for me to read. Also viewing videos on the wider screen is much better for everyone.
I get it that some people have small hands and need a slimmer phone. But there’s lots of people out there with big hands. You’d think that with all the Android phone models designed each year, someone could make a phone for us men. LG, you’ve got a ThinQ line. How about a FatQ line?
Camera.
Most of the cameras on today’s higher end phones are great and they need to be. I’d like to see more optical magnification.
3.5mm Jack.
Samsung, don’t you get it? People want the 3.5mm jack. Yes, they all have Bluetooth headsets. But sometimes you forget to charge them or need to use a wired headset for other purposes. I bought the Note 9 but will NOT be buying the Note 10 primarily due to the lack of a headphone jack.
IR Blaster/FM Radio.
These are two features I really miss on phones. I love not having to search for my TV’s remote control. This was a great feature now missing on almost all phones. I guess if Apple doesn’t have it, then no one needs it.
The FM radio may seem outdated to some. However, us older guys listen to talk radio and a bunch of other stuff that makes us smarter not dumber like the music you listen to on Spotify, etc. Furthermore, FM radio doesn’t suck the life out of the battery like I-Heart radio. What’s really nice about the FM radio is that you can get reception even where you don’t have cell service. This could be important in an emergency where cell service is down. I use the FM radio at our cabin where the cell signal is weak.
FM radio is available on almost all chips my by Qualcomm and Samsung. Yet, many manufacturers, including Google, make their phones so the FM radio is not functional. Shame on them.
Conclusion.
Android phone manufacturers are giving us phones that have less features, are less useful, are heavier and cost more. What’s the advantage of buying a new phone? Is it any wonder that the sales of flagship cell phones are decreasing? Quit chasing Apple and start adding back in real features that add value.
NeutronBomb said:
Nobody gives a **** that you miss the removable battery or that you don't like the phone. Save it for your diary.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I give a **** that he misses the removable battery!
Neo3D said:
I give a **** that he misses the removable battery!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As do I. It should never of been removed as an option.
Form over function. Design over usability.
These are the priorities that Apple promoted and all other manufacturers followed, sadly.
Bollocks!
"a phone is no good if the battery is dead" = A car is no good if its gastank is empty. Do you carry additional gastanks with you to extend the mileage, or do you have the discipline to stop for gas when it is needed?
You are complaining about the lack of removable battery because you like to extend the phone's life by buying additional batteries. But you are buying two new phones every year? In my opinion that doesn't make any sense unless you're collecting them for a personal museum-like use.
If I could use to choose between removable battery or waterproof housing back in the days (let's say around the Note 2 era) I would have chosen waterproof housing. These days I cannot imagine why someone is not been able to charge there phones on a regular (daily) basis. So carrying extra batteries all day sounds stupid to me, and is the main reason powerbanks exist.
- 3,5mm jack?...Old technology....forget about it en move on.
- Rounded glass, metal frame not good? Millions of devices are bought by customers who are drooling about their shiny metal and rounded devices. Why in the hell would a manufacturer not jump in that gap and keep using ugly plastic screens and bodies? People are willing to pay the high prices for it...it is just a simple matter of demand.
- IR blaster? Seriously? In an era where we could controle devices with wifi/BT, even with voice commands etc.
- FM radio? There are dozens of apps out there where you could listen to thousands (if not more) radiostations, in the most cases in digital quality.
Your post, I mean rant, is nothing but a whining post about features that have had their time. Technology is moving on, I suggest you do too. Maybe you get a revelation and see that (not all ) I-Phone users aren't idiots. Those who keeps complaining about "it was way better back then" are...
jabberwock said:
Bollocks!
"a phone is no good if the battery is dead" = A car is no good if its gastank is empty. Do you carry additional gastanks with you to extend the mileage, or do you have the discipline to stop for gas when it is needed?
You are complaining about the lack of removable battery because you like to extend the phone's life by buying additional batteries. But you are buying two new phones every year? In my opinion that doesn't make any sense unless you're collecting them for a personal museum-like use.
If I could use to choose between removable battery or waterproof housing back in the days (let's say around the Note 2 era) I would have chosen waterproof housing. These days I cannot imagine why someone is not been able to charge there phones on a regular (daily) basis. So carrying extra batteries all day sounds stupid to me, and is the main reason powerbanks exist.
- 3,5mm jack?...Old technology....forget about it en move on.
- Rounded glass, metal frame not good? Millions of devices are bought by customers who are drooling about their shiny metal and rounded devices. Why in the hell would a manufacturer not jump in that gap and keep using ugly plastic screens and bodies? People are willing to pay the high prices for it...it is just a simple matter of demand.
- IR blaster? Seriously? In an era where we could controle devices with wifi/BT, even with voice commands etc.
- FM radio? There are dozens of apps out there where you could listen to thousands (if not more) radiostations, in the most cases in digital quality.
Your post, I mean rant, is nothing but a whining post about features that have had their time. Technology is moving on, I suggest you do too. Maybe you get a revelation and see that (not all ) I-Phone users aren't idiots. Those who keeps complaining about "it was way better back then" are...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OMG! Chill, guys. He was only expressing an opinion, not attacking your mother.
kat3k said:
OMG! Chill, guys. He was only expressing an opinion, not attacking your mother.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed! One thing I really don't understand...why manufacturer's follow apple? Unless apple pays other manufacturers To me it is the same thing if someone jumps from the bridge, then I would be doing it as well. Why not to do the opposite...Apple removed headphone jack, we(android people) keep it. When manufacturers follow apple, it shows users that apple is smart and go ahead buy their products. There are so many manufacturers around the worlds and once a notch on the phone became a thing, many started to copy. Small camera cutout is fine, but not the big notch!
rambo6 said:
Though the Apple has good (not great) hardware, its software is for idiots (this is good because there are so many of them) and its feature set is very weak.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apple actually has great hardware. Their SOC is something that Qualcomm just can't match. As for their software, it's not "for idiots". It's for average users that only care about the standard smartphone experience. It's not for enthusiasts. Calling every IPhone user an idiot just shows how dumb YOU are.
rambo6 said:
Removable Battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get a powerbank. They're cheap enough and occupy basically the same space a spare battery would.
rambo6 said:
Most cell phone manufactures have a great screen. However, somewhere along the way, Samsung decided that a curved screen was a good idea. It’s just a stupid and useless sales gimmick. A flat screen can be easily protected with a case the edges of which extend above the screen. Such a case not only protects the screen but allows one to grip the device without touching the screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are still plenty of phones with flat screens. I personally like the curve. It's a subjective matter. Just buy a different phone that suits your taste.
rambo6 said:
Most of the cameras on today’s higher end phones are great and they need to be. I’d like to see more optical magnification.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure thing. Would you like a giant, thick, ugly as all hell sensor to go with that?
rambo6 said:
IR Blaster/FM Radio.
These are two features I really miss on phones. I love not having to search for my TV’s remote control. This was a great feature now missing on almost all phones. I guess if Apple doesn’t have it, then no one needs it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apple never had it in the first place (at least the IR blaster) so your reasoning why it was removed is pretty silly. You can buy a universal remote for 3$. As for FM radio, again, a ton of devices still have it. Just buy something that suits you.
Good grief.
Guys, calm down, man expresses his opinion here, it's not illegal
What worries me about Samsung, Samsung should work on a larger battery.
Flagships have smaller batteries, and are mid-priced have larger batteries, the battery on the N10 needed to be bigger (e.g. 4000mAh).
IMO IR-blaster is worthless on a touch device. I want physical buttons I can find and press without having to look at the remote, so good riddance to this feature.
"Cell phone"...that's a word I haven't heard in a while
LMFAO. The list of grievances here is just stupid. I don't give two ****s about removable battery, the goddamn 3.5mm jack is DEAD so get over it, and the rest are really not a problem. You act like features have ONLY been removed all while features like improved cameras, fingerprint reader on-screen, active wake word support for voice assistants, incredible screen improvements, better battery life, and inking support have all been added. You'll clearly never be happy with technology so just stop using it.
I returned my note 10 plus and got a huawei mate 20 x. It's a beast no pen. Better in other regards. 1080p is good enough for me on a phone. Older 4g version.
rambo6 said:
I’ve been in love with electronic gadgets for years. I had the first Palm Pilot and the HTC Blue Angel, a great windows mobile phone with a keyboard. Many of you are probably too young to be familiar with these devices. Each year, and sometimes twice a year, I would get so excited to see the new devices come out sporting new tech. I would buy two new phones a year, usually from Samsung as the new Galaxy S and Note models came out. I HAVE NEVER BEEN AS DISAPPOINTED WITH THE CELL PHONE MANUFACTURERS AS I AM TODAY. Let me explain why.
Apple is one of the most successful cell phone manufacturers. The I-Phone (the I stands for Idiot) has not been successful because of its great design or software; but because so many people were already hooked on the I-Pad and I-Tunes for their music and media. Another feature that has kept Apple high on the sales charts is I-Message. Though the Apple has good (not great) hardware, its software is for idiots (this is good because there are so many of them) and its feature set is very weak. My primary disgust with current phones is that all the Android manufactures are chasing Apple and removing features that made their cell phones great.
Let’s look at some of these features.
Removable Battery.
A phone is no good if the battery is dead. HTC and Samsung started out right with a replaceable battery. The idiot Apple loving pundits in this industry have reported gleefully that the removeable battery is gone forever. I hope not. No matter how fast a cell phone charges, there’s always times when you just don’t have time to charge. There are so many times when you realize your battery is almost dead and you need to be somewhere else NOW. I’m currently using the last of the great phones with a replaceable batter – the LG V20. I am an extremely heavy cell phone user. I have four batteries (one came with the phone) and three chargers. I keep a charged battery in my pocket and two in the chargers. I never have to plug in my phone. For each of my three sets of battery and charger I paid $22. So for $66, I never run out charge.
I laugh when I see others tell me – “Wait, I cannot go yet, my phone’s dead.” The most idiotic thing is Samsung making a phone that can share a charge with others. Who the heck is going to do that? What Samsung and other manufactures should do is sell a charger and battery set direct for $29 or less. They charge $29 for their wireless chargers and you end up needing two or three so you can have one at the office and a couple at home anyways.
One of the most important things about the removeable battery is the ability to extend the life of the phone. The life of batteries decreases after a short period. It’s ridiculous and costly to have to send in your phone to have the battery replaced.
Build Quality/Cellular Connectivity
On any given day, you can find a reviewer of a cellular device touting “build quality.” Are they just stupid or Apple lovers? Samsung’s build quality was berated by reviewers because they had cheap plastic frames and plastic backs on their phones. This cheap plastic was great. The plastic back allowed easy access to the battery, SIM card, and SD card. Furthermore, plastic frames have better cellular connectivity than aluminum frames do. They are also much cheaper to make and are lighter. Most use a phone case to protect their phones anyway.
So because the industry has chased Apple, we Android users have no replaceable battery, no easy access to SIM and SD cards, heavier phones, and a much higher cost – now over $1,000. My Samsung Note 9 is so heavy that I get fatigued just holding it up in bed. The Note 2 made years ago was a masterpiece in terms of manufacture and feel. It was light and had nice curved corners. It felt great in the hand.
Screen & Screen Dimensions.
Most cell phone manufactures have a great screen. However, somewhere along the way, Samsung decided that a curved screen was a good idea. It’s just a stupid and useless sales gimmick. A flat screen can be easily protected with a case the edges of which extend above the screen. Such a case not only protects the screen but allows one to grip the device without touching the screen.
My next screen grip is the narrow screen. We cannot blame this trend on Apple. As I’ve aged, I need to use reading glasses. When the screens were wider (3 inches and above), I could read almost everything without my reading glasses. With my Note 9, I must use my glasses all the time. I have a LG Stylo 3 too. It has a wide screen that is easy for me to read. Also viewing videos on the wider screen is much better for everyone.
I get it that some people have small hands and need a slimmer phone. But there’s lots of people out there with big hands. You’d think that with all the Android phone models designed each year, someone could make a phone for us men. LG, you’ve got a ThinQ line. How about a FatQ line?
Camera.
Most of the cameras on today’s higher end phones are great and they need to be. I’d like to see more optical magnification.
3.5mm Jack.
Samsung, don’t you get it? People want the 3.5mm jack. Yes, they all have Bluetooth headsets. But sometimes you forget to charge them or need to use a wired headset for other purposes. I bought the Note 9 but will NOT be buying the Note 10 primarily due to the lack of a headphone jack.
IR Blaster/FM Radio.
These are two features I really miss on phones. I love not having to search for my TV’s remote control. This was a great feature now missing on almost all phones. I guess if Apple doesn’t have it, then no one needs it.
The FM radio may seem outdated to some. However, us older guys listen to talk radio and a bunch of other stuff that makes us smarter not dumber like the music you listen to on Spotify, etc. Furthermore, FM radio doesn’t suck the life out of the battery like I-Heart radio. What’s really nice about the FM radio is that you can get reception even where you don’t have cell service. This could be important in an emergency where cell service is down. I use the FM radio at our cabin where the cell signal is weak.
FM radio is available on almost all chips my by Qualcomm and Samsung. Yet, many manufacturers, including Google, make their phones so the FM radio is not functional. Shame on them.
Conclusion.
Android phone manufacturers are giving us phones that have less features, are less useful, are heavier and cost more. What’s the advantage of buying a new phone? Is it any wonder that the sales of flagship cell phones are decreasing? Quit chasing Apple and start adding back in real features that add value.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
rambo6 said:
I’ve been in love with electronic gadgets for years. I had the first Palm Pilot and the HTC Blue Angel, a great windows mobile phone with a keyboard. Many of you are probably too young to be familiar with these devices. Each year, and sometimes twice a year, I would get so excited to see the new devices come out sporting new tech. I would buy two new phones a year, usually from Samsung as the new Galaxy S and Note models came out. I HAVE NEVER BEEN AS DISAPPOINTED WITH THE CELL PHONE MANUFACTURERS AS I AM TODAY. Let me explain why.
Apple is one of the most successful cell phone manufacturers. The I-Phone (the I stands for Idiot) has not been successful because of its great design or software; but because so many people were already hooked on the I-Pad and I-Tunes for their music and media. Another feature that has kept Apple high on the sales charts is I-Message. Though the Apple has good (not great) hardware, its software is for idiots (this is good because there are so many of them) and its feature set is very weak. My primary disgust with current phones is that all the Android manufactures are chasing Apple and removing features that made their cell phones great.
Let’s look at some of these features.
Removable Battery.
A phone is no good if the battery is dead. HTC and Samsung started out right with a replaceable battery. The idiot Apple loving pundits in this industry have reported gleefully that the removeable battery is gone forever. I hope not. No matter how fast a cell phone charges, there’s always times when you just don’t have time to charge. There are so many times when you realize your battery is almost dead and you need to be somewhere else NOW. I’m currently using the last of the great phones with a replaceable batter – the LG V20. I am an extremely heavy cell phone user. I have four batteries (one came with the phone) and three chargers. I keep a charged battery in my pocket and two in the chargers. I never have to plug in my phone. For each of my three sets of battery and charger I paid $22. So for $66, I never run out charge.
I laugh when I see others tell me – “Wait, I cannot go yet, my phone’s dead.” The most idiotic thing is Samsung making a phone that can share a charge with others. Who the heck is going to do that? What Samsung and other manufactures should do is sell a charger and battery set direct for $29 or less. They charge $29 for their wireless chargers and you end up needing two or three so you can have one at the office and a couple at home anyways.
One of the most important things about the removeable battery is the ability to extend the life of the phone. The life of batteries decreases after a short period. It’s ridiculous and costly to have to send in your phone to have the battery replaced.
Build Quality/Cellular Connectivity
On any given day, you can find a reviewer of a cellular device touting “build quality.” Are they just stupid or Apple lovers? Samsung’s build quality was berated by reviewers because they had cheap plastic frames and plastic backs on their phones. This cheap plastic was great. The plastic back allowed easy access to the battery, SIM card, and SD card. Furthermore, plastic frames have better cellular connectivity than aluminum frames do. They are also much cheaper to make and are lighter. Most use a phone case to protect their phones anyway.
So because the industry has chased Apple, we Android users have no replaceable battery, no easy access to SIM and SD cards, heavier phones, and a much higher cost – now over $1,000. My Samsung Note 9 is so heavy that I get fatigued just holding it up in bed. The Note 2 made years ago was a masterpiece in terms of manufacture and feel. It was light and had nice curved corners. It felt great in the hand.
Screen & Screen Dimensions.
Most cell phone manufactures have a great screen. However, somewhere along the way, Samsung decided that a curved screen was a good idea. It’s just a stupid and useless sales gimmick. A flat screen can be easily protected with a case the edges of which extend above the screen. Such a case not only protects the screen but allows one to grip the device without touching the screen.
My next screen grip is the narrow screen. We cannot blame this trend on Apple. As I’ve aged, I need to use reading glasses. When the screens were wider (3 inches and above), I could read almost everything without my reading glasses. With my Note 9, I must use my glasses all the time. I have a LG Stylo 3 too. It has a wide screen that is easy for me to read. Also viewing videos on the wider screen is much better for everyone.
I get it that some people have small hands and need a slimmer phone. But there’s lots of people out there with big hands. You’d think that with all the Android phone models designed each year, someone could make a phone for us men. LG, you’ve got a ThinQ line. How about a FatQ line?
Camera.
Most of the cameras on today’s higher end phones are great and they need to be. I’d like to see more optical magnification.
3.5mm Jack.
Samsung, don’t you get it? People want the 3.5mm jack. Yes, they all have Bluetooth headsets. But sometimes you forget to charge them or need to use a wired headset for other purposes. I bought the Note 9 but will NOT be buying the Note 10 primarily due to the lack of a headphone jack.
IR Blaster/FM Radio.
These are two features I really miss on phones. I love not having to search for my TV’s remote control. This was a great feature now missing on almost all phones. I guess if Apple doesn’t have it, then no one needs it.
The FM radio may seem outdated to some. However, us older guys listen to talk radio and a bunch of other stuff that makes us smarter not dumber like the music you listen to on Spotify, etc. Furthermore, FM radio doesn’t suck the life out of the battery like I-Heart radio. What’s really nice about the FM radio is that you can get reception even where you don’t have cell service. This could be important in an emergency where cell service is down. I use the FM radio at our cabin where the cell signal is weak.
FM radio is available on almost all chips my by Qualcomm and Samsung. Yet, many manufacturers, including Google, make their phones so the FM radio is not functional. Shame on them.
Conclusion.
Android phone manufacturers are giving us phones that have less features, are less useful, are heavier and cost more. What’s the advantage of buying a new phone? Is it any wonder that the sales of flagship cell phones are decreasing? Quit chasing Apple and start adding back in real features that add value.
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A mid spec device will have more of the features you want than the current flagship devices, which are advancing in areas that you don't understand.
How I miss the removable batteries, sd card support, 3.5mm jacks. I hate my iPhone (and newer Android's) but love it too
skally said:
A mid spec device will have more of the features you want than the current flagship devices, which are advancing in areas that you don't understand.
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I do realize that there's more and more tech added to the new flagships, but is it really that useful? Take for instance the new bluetooth stylus or the in screen fingerprint scanner. I do use the stylus of my Note 9 as a remote for the camera, but it's really not as useful as the removable battery or head phone jack. The same goes for the in screen fingerprint scanner. It's cool, but is it necessary. Part of my job is to design products with useful features. The gimmicks the phone designers may be cool and high tech. I hope they keep it up, but they need to develop some high end phones with REALLY USEFUL features. The mid-range phones don't cut it in speed though some come close.
Neo3D said:
I give a **** that he misses the removable battery!
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You must work for Samsung or one of the other phone manufacturers.
rambo6 said:
You must work for Samsung or one of the other phone manufacturers.
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That statement has 0 logic
Neo3D said:
That statement has 0 logic
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You want logic, try this: The reason the new cell phone sales are tanking is because they are too high priced for the features offered.
rambo6 said:
You want logic, try this: The reason the new cell phone sales are tanking is because they are too high priced for the features offered.
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This statement is a straw man's fallacy
---------- Post added at 03:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:30 PM ----------
Tundrok said:
LMFAO. The list of grievances here is just stupid. I don't give two ****s about removable battery, the goddamn 3.5mm jack is DEAD so get over it, and the rest are really not a problem. You act like features have ONLY been removed all while features like improved cameras, fingerprint reader on-screen, active wake word support for voice assistants, incredible screen improvements, better battery life, and inking support have all been added. You'll clearly never be happy with technology so just stop using it.
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I do give 10 ****s about not having a removable battery.
This phone has a fast SOC, 12GB RAM, 256GB storage, and 256GB micro SD... You think it will be outdated in 2 years? Of course not and Samsung f?kcing knows that!!!
That is exactly why they sealed in the battery, so when the battery is shot to hell in 2 years, then you'll be forced to upgrade.
As SOCs get even more powerful every year and phones get more and more RAM and storage, this PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE STRATEGY becomes more and more true.
Customers never had to replace their laptops every 2 years. Yet, Samsung and Apple are getting away with forcing people to do this with their $1000-$1500 phones which ironically cost as much as a laptop!