[callmeneo]

I used to hate Samsung for their laggy low end phones until the day i bought my S9+.It has been with me for 3.5 yrs now and still works as a charm . Use it to play COD too occasionally. That's when i realized that if you want to keep a Samsung for a longer duration then you need to invest in the Galaxy S series or the now redundant note series.
None can beat them for their screens or Cameras to an extent.

Any other series' s are good enough for a year or 2 at most after which all types of degradation starts happening.

Speaking from experience after owning Samsung Galaxy S2 , S9+
Samsung Galaxy on8,M32,Grand 2.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by ram.iyer95

Positives:
1. Perfectly sized. Neither too big, nor too small. Not too heavy either.
2. Vibrant Super-AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate. I can't even think of going back to a 60Hz LCD display anymore.
3. Practical, useable set of cameras. All three cameras on the rear (main, ultrawide and telephoto) are great and have their own use-cases. No gimmicky depth sensor or macro sensor here. Will definitely satisfy most of the casual photography requirements.
4. OneUI is better than I expected it to be, and a refreshing change after years of using vanilla stock Android. Has a lot of useful features. Some of my favourite features are listed below:
(a) You can configure the Always-On Display to turn on only when you get a notification; so, if AOD is ON, that simply means there is some unread notification and if it's not, then there is no need to pick up to glance at the lock screen. Functions somewhat like the erstwhile notification LED lights that we had in earlier phones.
(b) Ability the schedule automatic restarts to keep the phone running fresh.
(c) Double press power button to activate Torch. I do not miss Motorola's chop-chop gesture for flashlight.
(d) Good Lock modules to add new features.
5. A lot of the preloaded bloatware like Samsung Browser, Samsung Music, few Microsoft Apps, etc are uninstallable. Heck, even the default Calculator and Voice Recorder apps can be uninstalled if you wish.
6. Water resistance.
7. Availability of compatible protective cases from reputed brands like Spigen.

ram.iyer95, that was a pretty detailed review of the Samsung S20FE 5G. I too bought one because it is a very sensible all rounder that bridges the gap between the lower priced phones in the market, and the really expensive ones. The camera is good. The battery life is good enough that I dont have to leave the Battery Saver mode on all day. I charge the phone once a day or once every day and a half. It gets an IP68 rating (non negotiable for me). The only thing that I didnt like about the phone was the lack of a 3.5mm jack but Ive got used to a pair of JBL bluetooth headphones.

I havent noticed the negatives that you mentioned. Im a little puzzled about the charging times because it takes me around 1 hour 14 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes to get from say 15% to 85%. I guess Im using the same charger and charging cable that came in the box, Im not a 100% sure because I had a Samsung S9 charger from earlier.

Overall, I highly recommend the S20FE 5G, especially to those who arent fans of the One Plus, Oppo options. It does everything that it says it will do.

I like to keep my phone for several years and I dont see myself needing to upgrade from this phone for a very long time.

[Aravind_M92]

Originally Posted by ram.iyer95

Long Term Review - Samsung S20FE 5G

Hi folks, I've been using the S20FE 5G for the past 6 months, and thought of sharing my long-term experience here for everyone's benefit.

I too was contemplating on buying the S20FE 5 G back when it was launched in 2020. In India only the 4G variant with Exynos processor was launched back then. It had a lot of negative reviews, poor battery backup and bad performance. Then the 5G variant was available in the middle East first and the reviews for them there were similar as well! I was a little concerned on getting a device with poor reviews. The point which made me consider the phone was it's camera. It's a 12MP sensor with 1.8 mim pixel size. And was hoping for a good camera performance. But those too were a let down for me when I tried the 4G variant. Hopefully with software updates S20FE does clear out some issues.

I finally went with the last OnePlus team designed phone before Oppo took over completely. The OnePlus 7T Pro. I got it from Amazon at ₹37k without any vouchers. No issues till date. The screen has a very high pixel density of 516 ppi, making the display sharp and clear and also has a refresh rate of 90Hz. It's less compared to the 120Hz but the screen's sharpness makes up for it.

My earlier phone was a Moto G5S Plus and served me a good 4 years still holding strong. It was my stupidity to wipe the data without backing up the IMEI and installed a Custom ROM. Now the phone works without a SIM card.

[rajivr1612]

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

I am looking for a short,50cm Micro USB cable. Type A to Micro USB. All the brands I see offer long cables but no one offers shorter ones. I want to use this in the car and I do not want long winding cables inside the car.

I had bought this item from Amazon in 2015. Currently unavailable, but you could look for similar products.

BlueRigger Rapid Charge USB 2.0... https://www.amazon.in/dp/B00HFF80VO?...p_mob_ap_share

[ram.iyer95]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

ram.iyer95, that was a pretty detailed review of the Samsung S20FE 5G. I too bought one because it is a very sensible all rounder that bridges the gap between the lower priced phones in the market, and the really expensive ones.

Hi Neil, yes, for someone who does not prefer Xiaomi/BBK group brands, this is still a sensible option. Just that some minor cons like the strange omission of a proximity sensor and the sub-par fingerprint scanner hinder an otherwise great experience.

The UI experience was pretty fluid until the Android 12 update, after which random stutters have started coming up in the UI. I am planning to do a full reset sometime soon to see if that fixes something; too lazy to do it though, hence have been procrastinating.

As for charging, the time that you have mentioned is what I experience as well, and is pretty much the standard charging rate for a 15W charger. Just that this is not befitting for the price it retails at. And yes, I forgot to mention this in the previous post - the ability to limit maximum charging to 85% is a godsend and a thoughtful addition. It will definitely help to prolong battery life, and you can put it to charge overnight without worrying about any impact on battery.

Personally, I feel that the S20FE 5G at 35-36k is still a better deal than S21FE at 50k+. Both phones have a lot in common and it doesn't seem like the additional 15k is worth just for an extra Android update or two. I would just advise someone planning to buy to analyse the cons thoroughly to see if they can live with them before purchasing.

[Oxy]

Originally Posted by ram.iyer95

Hi Neil, yes, for someone who does not prefer Xiaomi/BBK group brands, this is still a sensible option. Just that some minor cons like the strange omission of a proximity sensor and the sub-par fingerprint scanner hinder an otherwise great experience.

The proximity sensor issue is a massive deal breaker for me. I used to have a Redmi Note 3 like some 7-8 years ago and there was a proximity sensor issue on that. I still hear from Xiaomi owners that they have this issue on their latest phones too. Never going to buy a Xiaomi phone again just for this alone. If an OEM cannot fix a decade old issue then I have doubts on their competency as a brand.

Had purchased a Samsung A52s six months ago, but passed it on to my parents because they were using an archaic phone having 32gb internal memory, hence it was continuously freezing on them in day to day operations and it became impossible for them to use it.

Now I am looking for a phone for myself. Had made up my mind to buy the Samsung A33 but now will hold back. I don't want a phone without a proximity sensor, period.

Thanks for the enlightenment though, much appreciated.

[ram.iyer95]

Originally Posted by Oxy

The proximity sensor issue is a massive deal breaker for me. I used to have a Redmi Note 3 like some 7-8 years ago and there was a proximity sensor issue on that. I still hear from Xiaomi owners that they have this issue on their latest phones too. Never going to buy a Xiaomi phone again just for this alone. If an OEM cannot fix a decade old issue then I have doubts on their competency as a brand.

I had the exact same issue in my Redmi Note 3 as well, when I was on MIUI. Switching to a custom ROM reduced the frequency of occurrence, but the sensor still used to be wonky at times. Even the auto-brightness sensor calibration was pretty bad.

The proximity sensor thing might seem like a minor issue, but sometimes it really gets on the nerves, especially when it happens in the middle of an important call.

[TheHelix0202]

Originally Posted by Oxy

The proximity sensor issue is a massive deal breaker for me. I used to have a Redmi Note 3 like some 7-8 years ago and there was a proximity sensor issue on that. I still hear from Xiaomi owners that they have this issue on their latest phones too. Never going to buy a Xiaomi phone again just for this alone. If an OEM cannot fix a decade old issue then I have doubts on their competency as a brand.

Not to nitpick, but the Redmi Note 3 was released in India only in 2016; that’s barely 6 years ago. Was it the same MI phone that you had?

[SN88]

Originally Posted by ram.iyer95

Long Term Review - Samsung S20FE 5G

Background:
I was using a Motorola One Power bought in 2018, for 13.5k INR, prior to this. That turned out to be a solid paisa-vasool purchase, and a joy to use during the 3 long years that I used it for (yes, I do hold onto phones for that long!).

I had broken my phone at the airport in Doha so I randomly purchaded a Huawei nova 3i for approx Inr 18k as a temporary solution. Guess what I am yet using it since 3.5 years now!! Sometimes you just come accross a few gems
I will use this one till it coughs and dies and after this pleasant experience I am fully against spending big bucks on a phone!! Its sad Huawei is not offered much here but they are beautiful products with extremely robust build and interface. No glitches, battery life is yet a full day experience and there is nothing more I could ask for for in a phone.

[AppyS]

Keep my phones for long and been stuck with the S Series since 2011, current S7edge in its 5th year with a custom Rom. From S1, S4 the phones and quality seems to have come a long way from Samsung tbh on a positive side, that aides this longevity. One Ui keeps me hooked to samsung, especially with features like swipe to call and good lock. Only gripe is the battery that is on its last legs with SOT of 2 hours now. Contemplating to buy something cheaper this time near 30k and liked the S20 fe 5g, but only reason I have found myself veering towards A52s is Software support. Os updates are very critical for Samsung phones and S20fe is already on its 2nd last update, after which finding and installing custom roms becomes a big pain. Also something to ponder right now for long term users is with the 5g+5g support on different chipset that is not offered on most of the samsung chipsets. Missing dual 4g standby is the most irritating thing I've had to live with on this handset with a jio sim that forces the other one to be kept in 3g/2g mode.

[vredesbyrd]

Congratulations. It's a pretty good phone BUT...
I've owned 3 Samsung flagships in the past expecting change but it never happened.
Galaxy S5, S7 and gave up after Note 9.

First 6-9 months will be a dream run. Post that, the issues will reveal themselves and there are primarily four:

1) Horrible performance: It will take a long time to open apps or do any kind of work
2) Miserable battery lasting only about 8 hours: Managed to solve this and performance issues with a custom rom but then had connectivity issues and a sub-par camera
3) Excessive heating: Will get so warm during charging or work that it becomes really uncomfortable to hold (especially since both S7 and Note 9 had glass bodies)
4) OS updates or the lack thereof. Very short product life cycle. Maybe two OS upgrades at max. Look at Google and Apple extending their support for a long time.

I just hope that I haven't rained on your parade but in the past Samsung has made me really angry about spending a fat amount on a phone and I needed to vent about Sammy.

Current hardware:
iPhone 12 Mini - Excellent in every aspect except battery. Despite being mini, looks like a full size 12 in my hands
OnePlus 9R - No real flaws but camera could have been slightly better
LG V30 - Poor camera and performance but insane audio
Bold 9790 - It's a childhood fantasy device, nothing more. Still works like a charm

[Oxy]

Originally Posted by TheHelix0202

Not to nitpick, but the Redmi Note 3 was released in India only in 2016; that’s barely 6 years ago. Was it the same MI phone that you had?

Lulz yeah, seems like a very long time though.

[thanixravindran]

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

I am looking for a short,50cm Micro USB cable. Type A to Micro USB. All the brands I see offer long cables but no one offers shorter ones. I want to use this in the car and I do not want long winding cables inside the car.

Please check the cable accessory for Kindle. It is the smallest one I have seen. Or check the USB cables for Tablets. I think the cable I got with Lenovo tablet is 60 cm.

[harry10]

My Samsung F62 received the Android 12 update couple of days back along with ONE UI 4.1.

Phone has become smoother and fluid. Haven't noticed any bugs so far.

I have been contemplating changing phone since couple of months although this one is working absolutely fine. Was looking at Samsung Ultra and S22+ but when I used them at Samsung store they feel quite overpriced.

I have used almost every UI. MiUi is the worst. I will never recommend a Xiaomi phone because of it. Realme UI is much better. Oxygen OS was quite good but now it's a mixed bag with them mixing it with their parent UI. Although they have claimed they are going back to original Oxygen OS. Samsung's ONE UI is the best of the lot.

We often underestimate updates. The real user experience is through UI and timely security and Android updates keeping the phone fresh and smooth. Samsung promising 4 year OS updates and 5 year security updates is a big deal. No one else is doing it.

In my research I have found Iqoo SE at 34k ( 3k discount if you have an ICICI card making it 31k) to be the best option under 35k. Snapdragon 888, excellent cameras, good battery, fast charging and you get a charger in the box too
Anyone looking to buy in this budget range do give it a look.

A52s is currently selling at 29-30k. Excellent deal again at that price and please don't buy A53. It has much inferior chipset and performance than A52s. Do watch some you tube comparisons to understand this better.

Coming back to my thing. Somehow I am not able to go anywhere else than Samsung primarily cos of the UI and the updates. I was using Samsung A50 before F62 and my wife is using it right now. It's a 3 year old phone by now I believe. Still running on latest Feb security update and will get Android 12 soon too. It's as snappy as the day I bought it.

F62 has a 7000mah battery. Believe me when I say it's a monster and no matter what you do it won't be finished in a day. Recently on a holiday trip I used my Bro in law's One plus 9RT which he recently bought for 39k. After clicking the pics we compared the 9RT with F62 shots and they were quite similar. When it comes to Amoled display and Camera processing there is no competition with Samsung in Androids. This is why I am having a hard time changing the phone and will stick with it till I find a worthy succesor.

FYI, i have used Samsung S20 FE 5g and S21 FE. S21FE for 16k more simply doesn't makes any sense unless someone wants the Android update till Android 16. It's better to buy S20FE with VFM perspective or A52s.

One plus is launching 10 Pro tomorrow. Have seen the China unit which looked promising. Let's see how the Indian unit will be.

Another thing, I got the 25 Watt charger with F62. It's quite good and fast. I hate the current trend of Samsung where they aren't providing any charger with any phone, be it starting level or the flagship. I hope no other manufacturer follows this. Samsung's 25 Watt charger is available on Samsung shop app at 1299 if anyone's interested in buying.

[dragonfire]

Does your Samsung phone have a Game Optimization Service running on the background?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdkRuu4jvsk