Android Phones

[Chalkie]

17 hours ago, docj said:

In addition, newer, high-end phones have more advanced modems and can access new frequency bands such as C-band (also known as sub-6 GHz). 

It doesn't necessarily need to be a particularly high-end phone if that also means high dollar. The wife and I upgraded to 5G phones about a year and half ago and we ended up with Samusng Galaxy A52 and A32 phones. Both have access to the C-band. The one thing the phones don't have is wireless charging which I think is a feature of the more high dollar phones, although that could be my misperception. 

[RV_]

Rod I am a big Pixel 6 Pro phone fan now and have had mine about nine months. It takes better pictures than any camera or phone I have ever owned. It is phenomenal. However it has no Macro lens for super close up shots. The Pixel 7 Pro does have a macro lens and settings. The Pixel 7 Pro finishes making it, IMO, the best bang for the buck phone yet.

Google makes Android and does all the security updates on their phones immediately. They also send out new versions and updates to their big customers that use Android like Samsung, Lenovo/Motorola, who seem to take forever to modify all updates to be compatible with all their "features" (bloatware) on their phones/tablets.

Mine upgraded to Android 13 months ago when released and many other brands have not updated their customers yet and some never will as many companies drop support after ~ three years.

So since Lynda's phone will be our last Motorola, I like the Pixel enough to get a Pixel Pro 7 when I find the "right deal." Then I can "Upgrade" Lynn to my Pixel Pro 6.

I am not a photographer, just a snapshot taker and always have my Olympus SZ 14 camera with 24X optical zoom that put my phone shots to shame. I do not use fancy features nor use the built in software. I just point and shoot and have been very disappointed with results of phone cameras.

My PIxel takes pro looking pics just snapping them!

I decided to sell my Olympus digital camera as this phone puts it to shame.

I also swore I would never pay new phone prices without a Black Friday sale or a significant decrease. I traded a 27" QHD Acer Monitor for my current Pixel 6 Pro and am seeing some great deals.

We also buy our phones and don't do payments with the cell service provider like Verizon/T-Mobile, AT&T.

All I can say is if you want the best support and immediate security and feature updates it makes sense to buy from the OS provider. 

I have Samsung Galaxy watches and don't like the bubble butt Google watch they just debuted. And mine work fine with the Pixels and my Bluetooth hearing aids.

The reception and clarity to those I call is much better than my last Motorola One Ace 5G. My wife still uses her Motorola One Ace 5G and like all tech I will have to coax her into upgrading her phone, then after a few weeks with her new computer/phone/Surface Tablet she tells how glad she is she switched. She just hates the learning curve. I have fun with it mostly, but we all resist change in one way or another.

Anyway I would look at the Pixel 7 pro, Not the Pixel 7. I am seeing them new in the box online and used gently locally for $550 to $800.

Also since the Pixel Pro 7 has been out for a few months so it should be even better.

 

[GlennWest]

I would never pay that for a phone.

[Lance A Lott]

The thing I dont like about my Google 6 is no sd slot. I will probably look for a different brand that has one next time. It does take great pictures. 

[RV_]

1 hour ago, Lance A Lott said:

The thing I dont like about my Google 6 is no sd slot. I will probably look for a different brand that has one next time. It does take great pictures. 

Good point except that my car has LTE and curated music stations similar to Sirius Radio. And in my previous vehicles was where I used my SD cards for recorded music because I did not like many of the stations. I also have several small 1 and 2TB SSD USB C drives. But for me SD Card slot is no longer an issue for me. I still have my Old 5G phone and it has the slot but I can also use the USB ports on my car with a flash drive.

For some it may be a show stopper. But yeah the pics are amazing without fiddling with settings etc. It has scads of those if one likes to mess with them.

Excellent point. It does have the iPhone drawback of no SD card slot.

[docj]

17 hours ago, RV_ said:

I decided to sell my Olympus digital camera as this phone puts it to shame.

I have a Canon T5i with an 18-400 mm Tamron zoom which I think I've used once since I got the Pixel 6 Pro.  When photographing objects or birds at large distances I do like having a real viewfinder to look through and the "mass" of the camera/lens assembly seems to make it easier to point at the distance object.  But other than for that situation, I no longer have a need for it.  I guess it is time to get a price quote from the used camera  marketplace!  😥

[folivier]

I'll never replace my DSLR with my phone. Yes, I have my phone with me usually and will use it to take snapshots. But there is NO comparison between my DSLR and my phone. Just look at the distortion in many phone pictures. Hands and arms and legs that are out of proportion with the rest of the body? Won't get that with my DSLR.

 I'm always amused when someone posts a picture of a fisherman and the fish looks HUGE. And the hand also looks HUGE. 

[Second Chance]

53 minutes ago, folivier said:

I'll never replace my DSLR with my phone. Yes, I have my phone with me usually and will use it to take snapshots. But there is NO comparison between my DSLR and my phone. Just look at the distortion in many phone pictures. Hands and arms and legs that are out of proportion with the rest of the body? Won't get that with my DSLR.

 I'm always amused when someone posts a picture of a fisherman and the fish looks HUGE. And the hand also looks HUGE. 

The effects you are describing are caused by using very wide angle lenses on the phones (you can do the same with your DSLR and get the same effects). Many newer phones (including my Galaxy S22) have three lenses/cameras with everything from super wide angle to medium telephoto. You can even shoot raw with them and post-process on the phone or your computer (just like I used to do with my DSLRs when I shot weddings and events for pay). 

Peter Barlow, the famous marine and yachting photographer (https://www.amazon.com/marine-photography-Peter-Barlow/dp/091099014X) was often asked by aspiring young photographers regarding his opinion on what was the best camera. His response was, "The best camera is the one you have with you when you need it." (I think he kept a tosser 35mm half frame under the seat of his car at all times.) My DSLR kit for shoots consisted of a backpack and another camera bag (not counting studio lighting, backdrops, etc.). Combined, the two bags weighed over 40 lbs. One of my professional full-frame bodies with a decent L-Series lens on it weighed over 4 lbs. I quit carrying any of the DSLR equipment on hikes just because of the weight. I bought a "professional" point-and-shoot for those times. I found I was carrying that less and less and, as the phones got better and better with more lenses/cameras, higher resolution, better glass and processing, I came to rely almost completely on my phone since it is "... the camera I always have with me." I don't shoot paying gigs any more.

Rob

[RV_]

3 hours ago, docj said:

I have a Canon T5i with an 18-400 mm Tamron zoom which I think I've used once since I got the Pixel 6 Pro.  When photographing objects or birds at large distances I do like having a real viewfinder to look through and the "mass" of the camera/lens assembly seems to make it easier to point at the distance object.  But other than for that situation, I no longer have a need for it.  I guess it is time to get a price quote from the used camera  marketplace!  😥

Crazy huh? I am amazed at how far our cameras and video have come in just the last 16 years since smart phones came out in 2007. As well as the then impossible seeming connectivity and speeds. I got my wife her smart phone but since were off the road and I was re-tired I waited and did not get a smart phone for calls. My first one I used for a few years was a Sprint Samsung phone that was used as part trade with a used Samsung Tab 10" tablet for my last laptop. Sprint had zero signal in most areas around our rural village, and not great in town. XP was big and Apple switched to Windows hardware in 2005 just two years before they and Google came out with smart phones as we know them today in 2007. Microsoft came out with Vista in 2007 which was as buggy and rushed as Windows 2000/Millenium edition.

I did SLRs all through the 60s and 70s but did not get into Video recording until the 80s with Sony 8mm camcorders and we had the EVS series of Home VCRs to play them on. And music was first vinyl and then recorded to reel to reel in the 60s, then albums recorded to cassettes to save the needle wear on the vinyl. Then DVD in the 90s recording at home for music and videos.

But in 1998 the Nikon Coolpix 100, a 1/3 megapixel resolution or 512X480, using the PCMCIA slot on my laptop changed everything. And like my phone today, it fit in my back pocket! The BX put them on clearance for $150 and I bought one. Between it and my Handycams I was set until 2010 when I bought my Motorola Z phone. I still used my camera but caught some things with the phone I would have missed getting it out of the case.

Now we can hold a relatively tiny phone in our hands and watch movies, stream music and videos and take pics and videos at resolution and screen qualities we have never seen before now.

Yep I am about to sell the Olympus. Today for under $800 we can get better pics and videos and do more with them in software than any high end SLR or DSLR on our phones. Yes, I know the high end Pros use DSLRs for some work but I believe those days are over. Even pros can use phones today and many do. I loved that First digital despite all the drawbacks and terrible long distance shots it delivered. In our Fiver we had a tiny Handycam in the underwater action case, a tiny Sony EV-S 100 High 8 VCR, and that tiny Coolpix Digital camera. Then after a few years a succession of compact point and shoots to the Olympus and now it is time to sell it for whatever it can bring. I was amazed to find the video.

[RV_]

3 hours ago, Second Chance said:

The effects you are describing are caused by using very wide angle lenses on the phones (you can do the same with your DSLR and get the same effects). Many newer phones (including my Galaxy S22) have three lenses/cameras with everything from super wide angle to medium telephoto. You can even shoot raw with them and post-process on the phone or your computer (just like I used to do with my DSLRs when I shot weddings and events for pay). 

Peter Barlow, the famous marine and yachting photographer (https://www.amazon.com/marine-photography-Peter-Barlow/dp/091099014X) was often asked by aspiring young photographers regarding his opinion on what was the best camera. His response was, "The best camera is the one you have with you when you need it." (I think he kept a tosser 35mm half frame under the seat of his car at all times.) My DSLR kit for shoots consisted of a backpack and another camera bag (not counting studio lighting, backdrops, etc.). Combined, the two bags weighed over 40 lbs. One of my professional full-frame bodies with a decent L-Series lens on it weighed over 4 lbs. I quit carrying any of the DSLR equipment on hikes just because of the weight. I bought a "professional" point-and-shoot for those times. I found I was carrying that less and less and, as the phones got better and better with more lenses/cameras, higher resolution, better glass and processing, I came to rely almost completely on my phone since it is "... the camera I always have with me." I don't shoot paying gigs any more.

Rob

Amen! The only reason I am switching to the Pixel 7 Pro is the macro lens and added software. The Pixel 6 Pro doesn't have one, the 7 Pro does. As well no DSLR will do what the Pixels do when the photographer is moving too! Image stabilization has also come as far. I also show pics on digital screens now, not slides and on projector screens. No one is trying to convince folks to drop their cameras.

See the Pixel Pro is my first premium phone. I used to use the Motorola mid range Z phones for their price and add-ons for batteries and speakers. But the cameras, although amazing for 2014, don't hold a candle to the Pixel Pro 6 and soon the 7 for me. We buy our phones together so I don't have to relearn earlier versions of software or OS' like she has Android 11 and I have had Android 13 for months now.

And Lynda will have the same system as my 7 Pro with my current 6 Pro. She hardly ever takes pictures with her phone and never had a stand-alone camera, I was always designated camera and video taker.

Lots of folks will keep the stuff they like using regardless.

Rob you said "I found I was carrying that less and less and, as the phones got better and better with more lenses/cameras, higher resolution, better glass and processing, I came to rely almost completely on my phone since it is "... the camera I always have with me." I don't shoot paying gigs any more. "

The same here, although I never did paying gigs as I was traveling the world and taking my own pics.

[RV_]

Lance,

What makes the SD Cards obsolete is the inexpensive storage on our phones. Back in the day we paid several hundred bucks for 64GB of phone storage and today 128 GB is pretty much standard.

I hardly use my SD cards anymore. I do use one of my my USB Flash drives just for quick file transfers and keeping my credentials air-gapped and safer. I have several 256GB Sandisk Fit tiny USB 3.0 flash drives and a bunch of 64-128GB ones. I kept one 256GB in my Surface Pro tablets before they made the 7+ I have now with an upgradeable SSD. IT came with 128GB and now sports a 1TB drive in it that can be had for 1/3 of what Microsoft charges for it new.

All the new computers either come with m.2 NVMe drives that are ten times faster than the old SATA 2.5" SSDs, or they come with a 2.5" drive and an empty slot for the smaller M.2 NVMe drives. And now my Surface ultra books can upgrade their NVMe drives too. (not the Pro 7, the Surface Pro 7+ and later models, and the Pro 8 and 9 systems all upgradeable)

Phones have come a long way too. 128 GB of storage is fine for most as we download the pics and videos to our other larger computers today.

I have a 1TB PNY Elite Portable SSD that screams compared to SD cards.

See I do not want to store my stuff in the cloud because I can store it here and have the drive docks for my 20 1-3TB 3.5" and 8 1TB 2.5" HDDs, and also external cases for the 2.5" HDDs.

Everyone is advancing to storage in the cloud but I want local storage/control. If we have an EMP event that wipes drives I have my own Faraday cage with one of my 2TB hard drives, one of my Windows Surface tablets, power supplies, Worldwide short wave radio,  digital watch, and a phone so we have addresses and media play capability from drives and internal storage. So I have my old ways are best for me too in avoiding storage online. My stuff is neither important enough or damning enough for me to worry about security, I am boring . No one wants my stuff except Identity theft folks. So I store locally for security as much as having control of it.

My choices for portable storage are the external tiny SSDs like the PNY above, and now I have two external enclosures for M.2 NVMe drives and the drives alone are cheaper than buying them in the enclosures. I have this to clone from my computer to new NVMe drives or to copy them: https://www.amazon.com/Enclosure-Tool-Free-Portable-Docking-Station/dp/B084ZKLQR8/ref=sr_1_16?crid=2TMDDQQEKW3GA&keywords=acasis&qid=1675805429&sprefix=acasis%2Caps%2C230&sr=8-16

And to use the extra smaller 128GB- 1TB drives I have this one but the little drive enclosures won't clone, just copy files or store System images like a USB flash drive. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09PYKBBBW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

But to be honest I do need to organize my pics again and make albums on my new phone. Before, I just took pics and deleted them from my phone after transferring them, my folders and organizing was done from my camera. But now my phone pics are the keepers!😮😏

 

 

Edited February 8, 2023 by RV_

[RV_]

Rod!

Just saw this. If you were considering the Pixel 7 Pro it is on sale at Best buy for $599, $300 off but only for folks that want to activate with a major service and do the payments. I don't do that because I am with an MVNO that does not do phones that way.

If your phone is fairly recent I think you get a trade in on it too but those are typically too low for me.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/google-pixel-7-pro-128gb-unlocked-obsidian/6519915.p?acampID=0&ar=1799374509614685822&cmp=RMX&irclickid=RB5zsRWAFxyNWJ-Sv1Wj7QDOUkA3ub1H83QZUw0&irgwc=1&loc=Narrativ&mpid=376373&nrtv_cid=1c074e5d755c589dac16e5190b0a7501ad573dbdbdb43fbf2f8edfd106128fd8&ref=198&skuId=6519915&utm_source=narrativ

I found out about this from an article from yesterday:

https://www.androidpolice.com/google-pixel-7-pixel-7-pro-deals-february-2023/

 

Edited February 7, 2023 by RV_

[lappir]

1 hour ago, RV_ said:

Rod!

Just saw this. If you were considering the Pixel 7 Pro it is on sale at Best buy for $599, $300 off but only for folks that want to activate with a major service and do the payments. I don't do that because I am with an MVNO that does not do phones that way.

If your phone is fairly recent I think you get a trade in on it too but those are typically too low for me.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/google-pixel-7-pro-128gb-unlocked-obsidian/6519915.p?acampID=0&ar=1799374509614685822&cmp=RMX&irclickid=RB5zsRWAFxyNWJ-Sv1Wj7QDOUkA3ub1H83QZUw0&irgwc=1&loc=Narrativ&mpid=376373&nrtv_cid=1c074e5d755c589dac16e5190b0a7501ad573dbdbdb43fbf2f8edfd106128fd8&ref=198&skuId=6519915&utm_source=narrativ

I found out about this from an article from yesterday:

https://www.androidpolice.com/google-pixel-7-pixel-7-pro-deals-february-2023/

 

Thanks for the info. I looked at Best Buy this past  weekend but not very hard. I'll probably do an eBay again. I have the unlimited Verizon data plan and won't be giving it up ever. My current is a Samsung Note 9. It works, but I'm having some issues with Android Auto and am hoping an upgrade  in the phone will help. Probably not, but I'm also not having some cell service issues at my current job and it's required me to carry a "Pager" again. 

 

Rod

[docj]

5 hours ago, RV_ said:

Yep I am about to sell the Olympus.

Today, I decided to sell my Canon Rebel T5i with an 18-400 mm Tamron zoom!   Combining the $$ from that and the trade-in on my Pixel 6 Pro, it's almost a swap for a Pixel 7 Pro with 512 GB of storage.  The 7 Pro has a camera with 5x optical zoom (up to 30X combined optical and electronic).   IMHO it was time; I have hardly used the Canon in the past couple of years.  Thanks for getting me thinking!

[RV_]

18 hours ago, docj said:

Today, I decided to sell my Canon Rebel T5i with an 18-400 mm Tamron zoom!   Combining the $$ from that and the trade-in on my Pixel 6 Pro, it's almost a swap for a Pixel 7 Pro with 512 GB of storage.  The 7 Pro has a camera with 5x optical zoom (up to 30X combined optical and electronic).   IMHO it was time; I have hardly used the Canon in the past couple of years.  Thanks for getting me thinking!

Me too I just saw the sale today and even though I am keeping my Pro 6 I believe I can sell my other old phones for the balance. I have two Moto One 5g Ace phones , a Moto Z3 with battery pack that attaches to the back and makes it wireless charging capable, and a really old Z Play phone. My Olympus won't bring more than $30, and I should be able to get $200 for all the old phones and that's wash enough for me. I rarely use zoom and no more than 5 so that optical is fine on the 7Pro. MY problem is activation because I am not with Verizon.

Let's thank Rod for making us both think. And some lucky person gets our like new toys cheap. I love giving another a bargain too!

Thanks Rod!

Rod when you buy a new phone and activate on Verizon they don't change your plan do they? Activating any phone should be the same I would think but it has been years since I bought on payments.

I am calling Google and finding out how that works manana!

Edited February 8, 2023 by RV_

[Ray,IN]

I guess I'm cheap. I'm happy with my Samsung A03, bottom of the line phone, now if I could only find  phone company that would make me happy___.

[lappir]

9 hours ago, RV_ said:

Rod when you buy a new phone and activate on Verizon they don't change your plan do they? Activating any phone should be the same I would think but it has been years since I bought on payments.

I've changed many phones with no change in my monthly payment from the changes. Of course the monthly never went down after my first phone was well paid off. In talking with others, my monthly is better than most but more than some. I'm sure it's not close to what some are paying for satellite TV or internet , cable TV or the forms of entertainment connections. 

 

Rod

[docj]

14 hours ago, RV_ said:

Rod when you buy a new phone and activate on Verizon they don't change your plan do they? Activating any phone should be the same I would think but it has been years since I bought on payments.

I am calling Google and finding out how that works manana!

You really don't even need to involve Verizon in the process.  When I bought the Pixel 6 Pro I simply moved the SIM from my older phone to the new one and --Voila! the new phone had acquired the old one's number, etc.

[Second Chance]

5 minutes ago, docj said:

You really don't even need to involve Verizon in the process.  When I bought the Pixel 6 Pro I simply moved the SIM from my older phone to the new one and --Voila! the new phone had acquired the old one's number, etc.

... Unless you're moving from a 4G phone to a 5G phone. My Galaxy S10 was a 4G phone and its SIM card was not compatible with the S22. I had to have VZW send me a new SIM card which they did at no charge. I did the changeover online when the SIM card arrived without involving VZW at that time. I'm on a grandfathered prepaid plan (with the unlimited data on the hotspot) with multi-line and military discounts. Neither the plan nor the cost changed.

Rob

[RV_]

I am in the same boat with my plan through US Mobile, a Verizon NVMO. I got a deal with three lines unlimited for $25 a line when doing three then they deduct $14 to pay for our HULU Streaming as a "Perk," which drops it to $61 a month. If I change the plan my costs become the same as Verizon plans - much higher.

Two SIM Cards stay in our phones and the third SIM card which is the same unlimited plan, is shared between our three LTE Surface devices, My Pro7+, and our two M3/LTE Surface Go 2. Lynn likes it better than the larger Surface Pro 7.

This plan is no longer available but I did tell folks here about it. Most wanted hotspot service and they don't have it except for expensive per GB costs. But the Tablets have unlimited Internet etc. when the SIM card is switched from one to another.

We don't change our plan and have changed phones once already with them. As said already a new phone even if 5G should not change your plan, but you just have to call or email Verizon.

[RV_]

22 hours ago, docj said:

Today, I decided to sell my Canon Rebel T5i with an 18-400 mm Tamron zoom!   Combining the $$ from that and the trade-in on my Pixel 6 Pro, it's almost a swap for a Pixel 7 Pro with 512 GB of storage.  The 7 Pro has a camera with 5x optical zoom (up to 30X combined optical and electronic).   IMHO it was time; I have hardly used the Canon in the past couple of years.  Thanks for getting me thinking!

$309.00 for a brand new Pixel 7 Pro 128GB Storage! If I trade in my Pixel 6 Pro which decided me. I am trading it in and avoiding talking Lynda into setting up a new phone which she already said she did not want to do.

Joel call The Google store. Go through the help screens and click other then have them call screens and then have them call you, less than a minute. Then ask about the trade in offer today.

I called because I did not want to have to switch to Verizon to get the deal.

They offered a better deal.

My phone is cherry as a used phone can be with no chips or scratches beyond microscopic.

When you buy the phone from them they send you a box to ship your trade in to them in.

This promotion expires Feb 25th.

They take $150 off the price of the phone which makes it $749.00 total I pay to get my phone.  I was quoting the Pixel 7 Pro 128GB in Onyx or black or whatever they call it.

So after I pay minus the $150 sale price today, when they receive my trade in they will refund my credit card or however I paid with the $440 trade in. So the new phone ends up costing only $309!

I am going to go that route because I won't have to activate with a carrier just buy and trade in mine. Verizon towers work as well for me and I don't need a hotspot from my phone. If I want to watch something only on my phone, I can hook it up to the TV or whatever either by wireless casting or wiring the USB C to HDMI adapter I have and connecting it to the TV via HDMI.

But I never have needed that.

So that is the best price. Even better Glen my agent said to just call them back and their tech support guys will walk me through making sure all my data is transferred to my new 7 Pro.

Timeline:

1. Order the phone and pay full price $899 minus the $150 sale price - $749.00.

2. 3-4 days to get the new phone to me, and the box to ship the trade in to them.

3. Then I have 30 days to send my Pixel 6 Pro trade in to them.

4. They will then on receipt inspection and seeing my phone is indeed not cracked or scratched and works great they will then refund the $440.00 trade in to my credit card or whatever method of payment used.

So the end price is $309.00 for a brand new Pixel 7 Pro 128GB Storage. The Best Buy deal is much lower trade in price.

Hope that helps anyone interested, I am getting one!

I am going to get mine working and all my data transferred before I send in my 6 Pro. That should take an afternoon and a few days for all my stuff to trickle onto the new phone. I will be backing up all my contacts and pics/videos to an external drive just to be safe. Once all done and tested I can discard the backups locally. They are backed up automatically to Google anyway.

Edited February 8, 2023 by RV_

[docj]

1 hour ago, RV_ said:

Joel call The Google store. Go through the help screens and click other then have them call screens and then have them call you, less than a minute. Then ask about the trade in offer today

I've already done all that.  I have a Pixel 7 Pro with 512 GB storage on order directly from Google.  The trade-in estimate was $440 for my Pixel 6 Pro (with 512 GB).  Mine has been in an Otterbox with a screen protector for its entire live so I know is it in perfect condition.

I shipped the DSLR to B&H photo; they've estimated $450 as the trade-in value and they were pretty honest when I sold my previous SLR to them.

With both of these, the net cost of the 7 Pro will be ~$250.

[RV_]

Great minds think alike! Congrats!

Let me know how fast it came in. Mine is not on order yet but today or tomorrow will be. I paid more for my Lenovo made Motorola phone. It was not comparable to my Pixel 6 Pro! Except in one way. The Moto battery lasted three days on average and the Pixel just a day, day and a half. If Google puts a bigger battery in like Motorola they would have give Samsung and other premium flagship phones a run for their money.

 

[docj]

55 minutes ago, RV_ said:

Great minds think alike! Congrats!

Let me know how fast it came in. 

Mine is on a truck due to be delivered today.  I'll spend the weekend playing with it! 

[RV_]

Keep us posted. I can also receive PM messages here or rv at rvroadie dot com. What a deal!