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Phone Upgrade Time - S10 Or XR

newpersn

By newpersn
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newpersn

newpersn

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I’m due an upgrade in the next few weeks. I’m undecided which phone to go next.

 

I currently have a iPhone 7plus and last phone was iPhone 6.

 

I’m not torn between Samsung S10 or iPhone XR.

 

Which is better?

Arthur

Arthur

Posted
Posted

I would go with the iPhone XR if those are your only two choices.

 

Considering your previous phones were iPhones, I reckon you would probably hate Samsung's software. See the 'Software' section of the review below.

 

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/04/galaxy-s10-review-for-1000-samsung-needs-to-offer-a-more-complete-package/

 

Since this is a Samsung phone, let's talk crapware! This is an unlocked phone direct from Samsung, so with no carrier involvement, this is as good as it gets. Despite being a premium, $1,000 smartphone, the Galaxy S10 comes loaded with ads, even my unlocked version. There are apps from Flipboard and Spotify as well as a unremovable version of Facebook. McAfee Anti-virus is baked into the operating system as "security," and the Samsung Gallery app wants to share my location with Foursquare. The storage management settings, which is just a simple file-cleanup app, is "Powered by Qihoo 360," a Chinese security company. A caller-ID feature built into the phone app is provided by a company called "Hiya."

 

Once you run through setup and connect to Wi-Fi, the phone spawns an undismissable "Secure Wi-Fi" notification, which, it turns out, is an ad for McAfee VPN subscription service. I tried blocking the notification—it's not blockable—but it turns out you can open the advertisement, carefully consider subscribing to McAfee VPN, say "No," and then it will go away. Cool.

 

The clash between Google and Samsung is visible all over the phone, and mostly it will manifest in having two competing version of every basic phone feature. During setup, you'll be asked to sign in with two different accounts, one from Google and one from Samsung. There are two app stores, Google Play and Galaxy Apps; two voice Assistants, the Google Assistant and Bixby; two browsers, Samsung Internet and Chrome; two security systems, Google Play Protect and McAfee; two "find my phone" systems, two password systems, two galleries, and two music solutions. The duality of everything makes some common tasks profoundly weird. After the usual ritual of setting up the phone and installing all the updates in the Play Store, I wandered into Galaxy Apps and found 14 more updates waiting for Samsung apps. You really do have to straddle two different ecosystems.

 

Samsung has made strides with the One UI, and its skin actually wouldn't be the worst thing on Earth if there was some cohesiveness to it. Right now, it's a messy pile of apps from Google, apps from Samsung, and apps that basically boil down to Samsung selling space for rent on your $1,000 smartphone. There is a clear priority here: Samsung's interests are valued over the interests of the user. Rather than just ship software that would create a good, cohesive experience and make the Galaxy S10 the best it can be, Samsung's One UI is a conflict of interests from various Samsung divisions and spots sold to app partners.

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newpersn

newpersn

Posted
  • Author
Posted
I would go with the iPhone XR if those are your only two choices.

 

Considering your previous phones were iPhones, I reckon you would probably hate Samsung's software. See the 'Software' section of the review below.

 

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/04/galaxy-s10-review-for-1000-samsung-needs-to-offer-a-more-complete-package/

 

Would there be any other choices i can pick from? I'm board of the iPhone (and my work phone is a iPhone 8)

Guest Guest

Guest Guest

Posted
Posted
Does it have to be the S10? Personally I really like the OnePlus 6, before that I the S8 and it feels so much faster and just generally nicer to use. The pricing is really good too
Arthur

Arthur

Posted
Posted
Would there be any other choices I can pick from?

The OnePlus 6T is a really good phone for the price, although as mentioned above OnePlus are releasing several new phones today.

cw222

cw222

Posted
Posted
Would there be any other choices i can pick from? I'm board of the iPhone (and my work phone is a iPhone 8)

 

Friend just got a huawei p30 pro and is loving it. (the camera is quite insane)

SamanthaD

SamanthaD

Posted
Posted

I went for a Huawei Mate 20 Pro this time around, has taken me a little time to get used to it but love it now. Factor in all the "new" stuff on the S10 has been on Huawei's for a while now (in screen fingerprint sensor for example). Only bug bear for me is lack of a headphone socket but getting used to having to use the dongle - small price to pay.

 

Huawei's are well worth a good look IMO.

Localtechie

Localtechie

Posted
Posted (edited)

I've got a Note 9 and really like it.

 

Definitely consider the Mi 9 as it is an amazing phone (£390 from Amazon Spain), or the OP7 when it comes out.

 

If you do decide on a Samsung and want to risk the warranty consider buying a grey import from eGlobal or similar - an S10 is £500 currently.

 

A quick flash of UK firmware and you are good to go. I have Nationwide phone insurance through the bank which covers me if my Note has an issue as it is also a grey import but has never gone wrong.

 

Good luck in your hunt! :)

Edited by Localtechie
crc-ict

crc-ict

Posted
Posted
I would go with the iPhone XR if those are your only two choices.

 

Considering your previous phones were iPhones, I reckon you would probably hate Samsung's software. See the 'Software' section of the review below.

 

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/04/galaxy-s10-review-for-1000-samsung-needs-to-offer-a-more-complete-package/

 

Since this is a Samsung phone, let's talk crapware! This is an unlocked phone direct from Samsung, so with no carrier involvement, this is as good as it gets. Despite being a premium, $1,000 smartphone, the Galaxy S10 comes loaded with ads, even my unlocked version. There are apps from Flipboard and Spotify as well as a unremovable version of Facebook. McAfee Anti-virus is baked into the operating system as "security," and the Samsung Gallery app wants to share my location with Foursquare. The storage management settings, which is just a simple file-cleanup app, is "Powered by Qihoo 360," a Chinese security company. A caller-ID feature built into the phone app is provided by a company called "Hiya."

 

Once you run through setup and connect to Wi-Fi, the phone spawns an undismissable "Secure Wi-Fi" notification, which, it turns out, is an ad for McAfee VPN subscription service. I tried blocking the notification—it's not blockable—but it turns out you can open the advertisement, carefully consider subscribing to McAfee VPN, say "No," and then it will go away. Cool.

 

The clash between Google and Samsung is visible all over the phone, and mostly it will manifest in having two competing version of every basic phone feature. During setup, you'll be asked to sign in with two different accounts, one from Google and one from Samsung. There are two app stores, Google Play and Galaxy Apps; two voice Assistants, the Google Assistant and Bixby; two browsers, Samsung Internet and Chrome; two security systems, Google Play Protect and McAfee; two "find my phone" systems, two password systems, two galleries, and two music solutions. The duality of everything makes some common tasks profoundly weird. After the usual ritual of setting up the phone and installing all the updates in the Play Store, I wandered into Galaxy Apps and found 14 more updates waiting for Samsung apps. You really do have to straddle two different ecosystems.

 

Samsung has made strides with the One UI, and its skin actually wouldn't be the worst thing on Earth if there was some cohesiveness to it. Right now, it's a messy pile of apps from Google, apps from Samsung, and apps that basically boil down to Samsung selling space for rent on your $1,000 smartphone. There is a clear priority here: Samsung's interests are valued over the interests of the user. Rather than just ship software that would create a good, cohesive experience and make the Galaxy S10 the best it can be, Samsung's One UI is a conflict of interests from various Samsung divisions and spots sold to app partners.

 

This to me is exactly what is wrong with Android, and to some extent the whole mobile marketplace.

 

Why are we all so willing to pay hundreds of pounds for devices that end up just being used as a vehicle to shove adverts in our faces all day long?

 

At least you can avoid that sort of thing with stock apps on iPhone, but you can't escape it in the majority of third-party apps, even with Apple's more stringent controls on App Store content.

 

As for the OPs question, I'd definitely say the iPhone. I was an iPhone user, tried a switch to Android for a few years but got fed up of Android's quirks, and now I'm firmly back in the iPhone camp.

ZeroHour

ZeroHour

Posted
Posted (edited)

Wow this changes things for Huawei and potentially any Chinese phone:

 

Alphabet Inc’s Google has suspended business with Huawei that requires the transfer of hardware and software products except those covered by open source licenses, a source close to the matter told Reuters on Sunday, in a blow to the Chinese technology company that the U.S. government has sought to blacklist around the world.

 

Huawei Technologies Co Ltd will immediately lose access to updates to the Android operating system, and the next version of its smartphones outside of China will also lose access to popular applications and services including the Google Play Store and Gmail app.

 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-huawei-tech-alphabet-exclusive/exclusive-google-suspends-some-business-with-huawei-after-trump-blacklist-source-idUSKCN1SP0NB

Edited by ZeroHour
mavhc

mavhc

Posted
Posted
This to me is exactly what is wrong with Android, and to some extent the whole mobile marketplace.

 

Why are we all so willing to pay hundreds of pounds for devices that end up just being used as a vehicle to shove adverts in our faces all day long?

 

At least you can avoid that sort of thing with stock apps on iPhone, but you can't escape it in the majority of third-party apps, even with Apple's more stringent controls on App Store content.

 

As for the OPs question, I'd definitely say the iPhone. I was an iPhone user, tried a switch to Android for a few years but got fed up of Android's quirks, and now I'm firmly back in the iPhone camp.

 

Well, it's a problem with samsung, don't think anyone else really does the same stupid thing.

 

No point paying > £200 for a phone. Then stick to software that doesn't show ads, https://f-droid.org/en/ is full of open source stuff, so a good place to start. Problem is mobile devices like to save battery, which means server side processing, which means someone's paying for a server, which means they need to make money. DNS66 blocks ads quite well.

Arthur

Arthur

Posted
Posted (edited)
Wow this changes things for Huawei and potentially any Chinese phone:

Apparently Huawei have created a proprietary OS that can be installed on their smartphones instead of Android.

 

Huawei confirms it has built its own operating system just in case US tensions disrupt use of Google’s Android

 

Huawei Technologies, the largest smartphone vendor in China, said it has developed its own operating systems (OS) for both smartphones and computers, which can be used on its devices in the event that current systems provided by US technology giants are no longer available.

 

The Chinese company has developed a proprietary OS as tensions between the company and the US government could impact the availability of US-made operating systems used on Huawei devices, Huawei’s mobile chief Richard Yu Chengdong, said in an interview with German publication Die Welt.

 

Yu’s comments confirm an earlier report by the South China Morning Post in April 2018, which revealed the existence of a years-long project to build an alternative to Google’s Android OS. Huawei started building its own operating system after a US investigation into Huawei and ZTE Corp in 2012, a person familiar with the matter said in the report.

 

“We have prepared our own operating system, if it turns out we can no longer use these systems [Android], we will be ready and have our plan B,” Yu said in the interview.

 

It's a shame Huawei (and Honor) also stopped allowing customers to unlock the bootloader on their smartphones. There's no way to install a custom AOSP-based ROM either. :(

 

www.xda-developers.com/huawei-stop-providing-bootloader-unlock-codes

 

Earlier this month, we wrote about Huawei and Honor users not being unable to access the page for generating bootloader unlock codes. The page was removed with no explanation, but they were at least still taking requests in a Google Doc and giving out bootloader unlock codes. Today, the news is much grimmer. Huawei (and Honor) will stop providing unlock codes completely.
Edited by Arthur
mavhc

mavhc

Posted
Posted
Well that’s the Huawei P30 off my list now :(

 

Why? Current phones still will get Google Play, not like Huawei was really fast at updating their phones in the first place. They can still get the patches from AOSP

newpersn

newpersn

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Why? Current phones still will get Google Play, not like Huawei was really fast at updating their phones in the first place. They can still get the patches from AOSP

 

Just put off by the whole thing. Reading too many different news about it.

 

I’m going in to a shop tomorrow to look at phones. (My wife’s due an upgrade)

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