Technology

I'm going to throw in a sleeper pick and recommend the Motorola Edge 2025.

I'm still running the 2023 version and I dare anyone to tell me the difference between that series at 700 or so versus a 1000 dollar Samsung.

The reality is that once you pass the 600 dollar mark, your primary difference is whether the phone uses Snapdragon or Mediatek chipsets. And the people who tell you that make any kind of regular use difference outside of heavy gaming are flat out lying to you.

Save your money. Motorola is the last company that is seemingly still trying to price their products sanely rather than chasing Apples policy of "charge as much as we can until people say no"

https://www.motorola.com/ca/en/p/phones/motorola-edge/edge-gen-6/pmipmhp40mv?pn=PB7A0002CA&tab=techspecs

If good multiple cameras is what you look for in a phone, you can't go wrong with a Google Pixel. It comes with a clean OS as well. Don't listen to the others who say to flash a custom ROM, as doing that will gimp the phone's experience and potentially stop some of the apps from running.

Samsung's phones are pretty superior but the software is pretty bloated. And i don't think anyone should trust Nothing anymore because of all the controversies going around.

Google pixels on the other hand has a good bloat free OS. Also i think those 911 call failures and overheating issues that you mentioned might get fixed via a new update. I think you should go with the Pixel 10 Pro, You could also consider installing GrapheneOS on that bad boy.

Regardless of what brand you choose, buy it from the manufacturer. I bought my prior Samsung from Verizon and the bloatware was horrible.

$1000 is too much for a phone.

Google pixel /thread

I would not use anything that didn't run pure Android.

Don't spend iPhone money on an Android. Definitely don't on a Samsung unless you like having both Google and Samsung's versions of basic applications such as phone, messages, calendar, browser etc.

Motorola do a very minimally customised Android .

I would either get a pixel and put graphene os on it, or just get the iPhone. Android is trash for privacy.

Samsung is on my shit list. Their spammy, ad riddled UI is infuriating.

I don't trust them. They lock their phones down and don't let you remove their bloatware or block their ads/notifications.

Fuck them. Never buy Samsung.

I switched from a Pixel to a Samsung and I would like to inform you that Samsung is bullshit. The phone is nice and all but I'm always fighting the software. Google Pixel software stays out of your way and occasionally helps you.

If your wanting to switch for privacy reasons I would go for a Pixel and put a custom ROM on it.

Is there a reason you are tied to the idea of it being a flagship? I've been using the A series of Pixels forever and love them.

Need advice on $1000 flagships

Get a $500 non-flagship. Basically the same but a bit less AI-noise in the pictures it takes.

I can recommend the Xperia line, especially if you liked the old iPhones better than the phablet ones.

If you're seeking privacy, I bought a Pixel 9 from a clearance sale (at a $200 discount) and the only difference for me personally is a one year support timeline difference. You can install GrapheneOS using their official guide and never touch the Google OS.

Just jumped from Android to iOS, and I maintain Android phones for family, seen lots of both since the iPhone 4.

My advice...

Cheap out.

Either keep your phone or get an iPhone on firesale. There is no point to getting a Pro.

Android freaking sucks now, as you can either get a custom ROM and break finance apps, or bog your phone down (and let it go obsolete, quickly) with the stock operating system and rampant spyware via every app you install. You can't even uninstall bloatware anymore, like you used to. And it will get worse once sideloading is gone.

And flagship Android phones are awful. They either cost a fortune unlocked and 'mostly stock,' or they run absolutely horrid, spammy, battery sucking UIs (looking at you, Samsung).

...Apple pro phones are no different. I just went on a whole vacation with iPhone 16 Plus and 17 Pros side by side, and its just not worth spending more on anymore. The UI has regressed some. But at least Apple reigns in/restrics apps you install and keeps the experience pretty clean.

If you want great pictures, grab a nice point and shoot with optical zoom and sensor stabilization. They're incredible now. In fact, on a recent trip, I discovered my 2008 Canon takes better zoom photos than brand new iPhone 17 Pros.

EDIT:

If you must get an Android phone, get one with as close-to-stock a UI as possible.

I do not game on phones, but my best experiences have, ironically, been with 'gaming' phones like the Razer Phone 2 and Asus phones. They have gigantic batteries, lots of RAM, and lean, stock UIs that let you disable/uninstall apps, hence they're fast as heck and last forever. I only gave up my Razer Phone 2 because the mic got clogged up with dust, and I miss it.

Get a pixel. They are less expensive, especially at last year's model. Way less vendor bloat. Easiest device to deGoogle, ironically. I'm running GrapheneOS on a pixel 7 I spent $700 a couple years ago. Get your freedom while you still can

Honestly, if you’re coming from IPhone you won’t find any meaningful advice on Lemmy. Everyone here hates iPhones, and will try to sell you on phones with little to no market support. They’ll tell you to wipe the device and boot load your own OS.

I haven’t used an android in years but their strength is the flexibility in apps and you have a lot more options in terms of app ecosystem. That said I don’t know how long you’ve had an iPhone but if you exclusively use the apple ecosystem like MacOS, Apple Music, Apple TV it’s not worth changing it unless you are fully committed to starting over.

The other thing to consider is the camera. If you take photos every single day the Samsung phones will be your best bet.

Not sure where you're located, but if you're in the EU you can consider Fairphone for an extremely repairable phone instead. The 6 doesn't have the specs of proper flagships, but it's quite a step in the ethical direction in my opinion.

I was a lifelong android user, mostly pixels, and switched to a an iPhone 14 pro 4 years ago. This is the first phone I've had that's lasted 3+ years, that's never crashed, and still runsas quickly and smoothly as when I bought it. Apple would have to seriously fuck something up for me to ever go back to an android.

I have both. iPhone 16 Pro Max (2024) and Galaxy S10 (2019).

Okay so the iPhone 17 Pro is kinda pointless vs the regular iPhone 17. There's a reason the 17 is the hot seller. It got ProMotion and it has a virutal 2x telephoto (by cropping into the regular cam) so it's good enough for most people.

Pixel 10 Pro is worth considering, but try the camera first. You'll love it or you'll hate it. I love how when dialing into the 100X zoom, you get a little preview in the corner so you see where you're going! That's helpful. But it uses AI to hallucinate what it can't make out, so be advised the 100X is kind of an illusion. But it's also a 100X zoom! That's awesome.

P10P has roughly the same compute power as an iPhone 11, and that's sorry as hell, given the price, and given that Google sells your personal information. It's borderline inexcusable, but if you're considering Android, you're not getting away from that. Also, benchmarks can be misleading. The Tensor CPU may be a few generations behind in raw compute power, but the P10P package makes up for this in other areas, like camera compute and battery life. It is NOT like having an iPhone 11 in 2025 (not that there's anything wrong with that, I rock a 2019 S10 in 2025 and I still love that phone). The phone is not much slower (if at all to a layman's perspective) than any 2025 flagship.

Speaking of benchmark shenanigans, the Galaxy S25 gets the highest benchmarks (not sure if this counts the iPhone 17 line, they were benching against the 16 series), but it loses more when thermally throttling. So if you're playing high-end games, the Galaxy S25 will become weaker than the 16 Pro because it slows down more. But in day to day tasks? Kicks the iPhone's ass... in benchmarks. Both phones will perform admirably!

If I had to replace my S10 right now, I'd get a base Galaxy S25. I like Samsung. It gets the best of Android and you generally get a year or two before Google's more controversial decisions (removing the buttons, removing the headphone jack) come to Galaxy. Galaxy phones are fun. They've always had good energy to me.

If I had to replace my 16 Pro Max, I'd get a base 17 in a heartbeat.

I don't hate the Pixel phones. I want to see Google step up the power of the Tensor chip a bit. I like Apple's lax approach to AI. Samsung tries to make it fun and I think Google does too much, but I can't point to any one thing with AI that really bothers me that Google does. I just think Samsung is better here, and they use more powerful chips.

I've always said that no matter what side of the iOS/Android fence you're on, you really can't go wrong with either Apple or Samsung. That goes for platform loyalists and those considering switching. Samsung isn't really the Apple of Android, that'd be Google, but Apple is kinda boring and so is Pixel, and Samsung... isn't.

GrapheneOS is nice, and a way to keep your phone going even longer. Also supereasy to install.

I'd go with the pixel. Even if they might be the worst on battery life 🤔

What's your reasoning for wanting to switch?