[RMN]

Originally Posted by clutchNgo

Earlier I took my sister's iPhone 11 pro, but gave it back due to the software limitations and switched to a used galaxy s10e last year. Got its battery replaced and flashed android 14. Couldn't be more happier. The compact size, headphone jack, sd card slot, small camera bump and clean android on top. I wish there were more compact phones with sd slot and audio jack support.

My mother is still using the S10e since its launch. It's still runs great with absolutely no slowdowns!

[Rahulk302]

Originally Posted by ashvek3141

I am looking to pick an android phone under 30k for my MIL for the upcoming Republic Day sale.

1. Realme GT 6T
2. Moto edge 50 Pro
3. OP Nord 4.

Poco x7 pro @28k with a 6550mah battery and a flat screen would be good. Curved screens develop scratches on sides after some time. So I would recommend to go for flat screen display phones. Android phones in 2025 are all about huge battery, smooth animation and return of flat screen displays.

[manub22]

Originally Posted by RaguHolla

Casual observer of this thread.

I still use the 5T as my daily driver, which I bought in 2017, 7 years and counting. It still gives me around 18 hours of battery life, with approximately 7 hours of screen-on time.

The camera was great in 2017. However, now it shows its age when compared to current-generation devices.

Most Android devices can last years, rather than the typical 3 to 4 years that the market suggests. If one removes all the junk that comes with the phone, it should last.

I also bought OnePlus 5 in year 2017 (Sept) and used it till last year 2024-Mar, so almost 6 years of great usage. Just like your phone my phone was rock solid, battery, camera, everything was great.

Its just that I took it out in Holi to click some pics and it got drenched in my pocket with water and colors. All 3 cameras, and speaker & mic stopped working. I took it to service centre and they told they need to replace the whole assembly and it will cost me around 7-8k. But the Phone was working perfectly.

I thought better to check a good deal in amazon and get it replaced with a new phone. So I bought another OnePlus and got an exchange price of 4.5k Rs !!!

But still I loved that phone, and I still would use it had it not been damaged on the day of Holi !!!

[07CR]

Originally Posted by RaguHolla

Most Android devices can last years, rather than the typical 3 to 4 years that the market suggests. If one removes all the junk that comes with the phone, it should last.

Well said. Just remove the junk and prefer buying any stock android phone and you are set for years of usage.

I too have a July 2020 Realme X3. After 4.5 years it still gives great performance, but the fingerprint sensor has gone Kaput. Camera was excellent at the time, but today the low light performance isn't good. Battery has obviously declined, but I still manage a good 17-18 hours with heavy usage. With baby around the corner, I am expecting my usage to drop significantly and therefore the battery life should prolong a bit. I too expect to use this phone for another 1.5 years atleast and then take a call if a replacement is needed.

As a petrol head even for my birthdays, I have warned my wife of a giving me a Expensive phone as a gift. I would instead be very happy giving the car a detailing session on account of my birthday.

[SkylineGTR]

Originally Posted by ashvek3141

I am looking to pick an android phone under 30k for my MIL for the upcoming Republic Day sale.
..
1. Realme GT 6T
2. Moto edge 50 Pro
3. OP Nord 4.

Since this is an old person, I suggest getting another Samsung so she doesn't have to re-learn a new UI all over again. The A35 is a good option in your
budget - will do everything she wants but be prepared for a mediocre camera with slightly processed photos and only digital zoom.

[Flaneur]

Originally Posted by RaguHolla

Casual observer of this thread.

Typical calls start suffering since Airtel heavily throttles 4G users, but sending a PORT SMS once in a while sorts out the issue for the next year. Call quality is seamless on Wi-Fi.

I'm curious to know the PORT technique. Voice calls on Airtel are pathetic. Thanks in advance !

[Polu]

Originally Posted by fiat_tarun

Any users of the Nothing 2a or 2a plus here ? Looking at this for my mother as a change from the Samsung's and Moto's she's been using over the years.

I have read mostly good reviews barring the green tint issue which seems to be a problem in the dark when screen brightness is turned down which should not be an issue in my case.

It is one of the best all-rounder at under 25k. you can even get it for 20k with exchange bonus and card discounts.

The design is a bit controversial, but go to a store and ask her if she likes it or not.

About the updates, it'll be good for 4 years to come.

The cameras and battery are decent too with good charging speeds.

[SithDefender]

Originally Posted by dragonfire

Apart from the coolness factor, i have felt that flip phones provide zero utility. Saving vertical space in the pocket provides no additional benefit when the phone becomes too thick when folded.

Well, flip phones are considerably easier to carry around, especially for people who prefer smaller phones. Even when unfolded, it is not as risky as fold phones that can become a bit cumbersome for those with small fingers.

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

A nationwide authorised service center list can be found on this page.

Thank you for this! Good to know of their support in Kerala too - five centers !

Originally Posted by RaguHolla

I also see that taking a top-end device rather than a mid-range one lasts longer and compensates for the initial expense in the long run.

Absolutely! I had a cheap Android once and it was horrid to use. It was dead slow and almost all apps would freeze despite no extra apps installed. It had replaced an older HTC which was a dream to use. I still miss that HTC which went kaput after it fell in water. The UI was a genuine joy and it even took decent photos and played music well (for that era).

Originally Posted by buzzy_boy

I can also vouch for OnePlus's longevity. I'm using a OP 6 from 2018, and still going strong.

I currently have a Oneplus 7T bought in 2020. It is a fantastic phone and by far my favourite. Oxygen OS is intuitive, customizable and overall blazing fast. It is so good that I don't feel like changing it anytime soon, and even if I do, it might be another Oneplus. To quote your last line, the OP is still :

Originally Posted by ValarMorghulis

Saw MKBHD's video on OnePlus 13 yesterday. The biggest takeaway for me was the 6000mAh battery and no compromise on size.
I hope this trickles down to all phones and by that I mean iPhones!

Exciting times indeed. We might indeed see the technology trickle down, though I am not sure of Apple and it's "we do what we do when we want to do" approach. Let us see what the future holds.

[Oxy]

Off late I feel a burning sensation in my eyes while watching content on my Moto Edge 40. Is this a known issue?

I switch on the "Extra Dim" button as well as keep the screen brightness to 50% but it still doesn't help.

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by Oxy

Off late I feel a burning sensation in my eyes while watching content on my Moto Edge 40. Is this a known issue? I switch on the "Extra Dim" button as well as keep the screen brightness to 50% but it still doesn't help.

This happens when the fonts are too bright/sharp (not the screen per se)

OPTION 1:

Go to settings -> accessibility and play around with the display/ visibility /contrast/ font settings. Note that you have make changes under 'Accessibility' only and not elsewhere. You have to lower the contrast basically. For eg: black background/bright white font will hurt. But grey background/white font or black background/grey font will not.

Not sure about Moto Edge 40, but Samsung's contrast settings are under Settings -> Accessibility -> Visibility Enhancements



OPTION NO. 2

If you can't figure out accessibility settings, then switch OFF night mode. That is, background should always be white. It might sound counterintuitive but night mode hurts eyes if fonts contrast is too high.

So when you turn off night mode, you will have black fonts on white background. This does not hurt because what burns your eyes is white light from the font. You can then reduce screen brightness further you like.

OPTION NO. 3

Reset the phone.

[Buzzard_storme]

I still remember the excitement around the first OnePlus phone I sourced way back in Oct 2014 Oct from the US (through Shop&Ship) even before the India launch. The hype the phone had created was unreal and it truly lived up to as a Flagship Killer at that time and added to the drama was the purchasing power only through invites. I can't recollect how many I distributed to and how many I referred to buy the OnePlus at that time. It was value for every penny paid compared to the competitions and the biggest talking point was the almost stock Cyanogen OS on the OnePlus One.

I use my devices for calling, messaging, gaming and photography and the OpO served very well for three years when I jumped to OnePlus 5 in 2017 June because the phone started having erratic s/w issues and was getting considerable slower with the battery at the end of its lifespan.

Cut to 2020 and a very random decision (with a good exchange value + use of amazon vouchers), I jumped to OnePlus 8T exchanging the old device (the rep got confused as he thought I was exchanging a new phone - that was how well the phone was maintained). Though it was an impulsive purchase, the difference was evident and so was the weight and the speed (blame the OnePlus, I can't live with a phone that takes time to respond).

Here is when OnePlus has already lost it's sheen and was just like another manufacturer rolling out phones after phones and the decreasing quotient of value for money offerings that they were known for. Starting from only word-of-mouth or references in their initial years to advertisements everywhere currently, they're as good/bad as any other company out there. They did have their share of controversies through these years but their biggest strength has been their fan base that was built during the initial years that paid off for them handsomely.

The green line issue stuck my phone in 2022 just before a trip making me go crazy, but as luck would have it, the OnePlus service center replaced the screen for free and the phone was back to self in just a day which was a big relief. On this aspect, need to appreciate OnePlus who have been replacing the screens for free (they were even offering very good exchange value if the screens weren't in stock when I visited).

Cut to present, the 8T is going strong after 4.3 years but I have failed to maintain it well (as I used to with my previous devices) and two falls have induced hairline cracks on the screen (slap for my ignorace that I was under the assumption the screen had a good tempered screen guard while in reality it was removed during the screen replacement for the green line).

The one area I've been wishing that OnePlus improves is their cameras and they're sticking around till now with nothing exemplary about it while the prices of their phones is seeing an upward trend year after year.

Though I'm an inkling for an update (as the OS update for 8T is ending soon) and the OnePlus 13 seems value for money (yeah, no way it's cheap!), I don't know what am I going to do

[AjinkyaP]

Moved from iPhone 13 Mini to Google Pixel 8 temporarily.

Picked a refurbished one which still has 9 months of warranty left. Also purchased a new official case from Google.

Form factor is perfect for me.
Gets warm even without heavy processing.
5G on Jio is inconsistent.
Pixel UI is THE only android I can tolerate.
Battery performance is decent for my usage.

[Oxy]

Originally Posted by SmartCat

This happens when the fonts are too bright/sharp (not the screen per se)

Thanks a ton for the prompt response.

There was a high contrast mode under Accessibility which was already disabled. I then went on to disable the dark mode and have rebooted my phone too.

Let me see if this helps!

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Oxy

Off late I feel a burning sensation in my eyes while watching content on my Moto Edge 40. Is this a known issue?

Originally Posted by SmartCat

This happens when the fonts are too bright/sharp (not the screen per se)

It might be because of PWM dimming. I was reading about this two or three weeks ago: it seems it can cause all sorts of symptoms. Sorry, I don't recall details, please ask your favourite search engine.

[joserajesh]

Originally Posted by manub22

I also bought OnePlus 5 in year 2017 (Sept) and used it till last year 2024-Mar, so almost 6 years of great usage. Just like your phone my phone was rock solid, battery, camera, everything was great.

I bought a OP 6T in 2017. I have moved to a OP 12R in Oct 2024 -- this was a gift from my wife and not because there was something wrong with it. The phone is currently used by my fourteen year old when he goes out without us being around him. No issues at all with the phone. This is why we have gone with OP for my wife and daughter as well -- OP11R and OP Nord CE2 respectively. I just hope that this post does not jinx my experience with OP.