[CliffHanger]

Guys,

Nowadays, I'm not getting Whatsapp messages preview on my home screen. I use a Samsung Galaxy S9.

Please let me know how I can get the preview back.

[sukhoi]

Originally Posted by dragntailonfire

Phone is performing pretty good and I don't have any major complaints. There hasn't been any lag or performance dips so far, and the camera is more than sufficient for me. I still prefer a compact form factor, but I'm adjusting well with this. Outside the flagships, this, for me, is still the best phone to buy right now.

Thanks for the feedback dragntailonfire. One more question, are you using the 6 GB RAM variant or 8 GB one. The YouTube videos I watched for this, one of them mentioned that better to go with the 8 GB one for better performance. The 6 GB variant had some sluggishness is what was mentioned in the review.

Originally Posted by joslicx

The phone is quite good actually. And exynos 2100 is not bad either (and Snapdragon 888 has its own set of issues anyway). Not concerned about the chipset choice to be honest.

I'd pick it at around 40k but 55k is asking 15k too much. It's a shame Google can't give us the pixel 6 series. That would have helped bring down prices of quite a few of these phones. I'm hoping they would consider launching the 6a. I'm in the market to change my S9 as it has to be charged twice in the day now. I was considering S21 FE but maybe need to wait till prices go down.

S21 FE 5G is now available for INR 46,149/- after INR 5,000/- HDFC cashback. If you are exchanging your old phone, depending on phone price would be lesser. This is on the corporate web-site of Samsung wherein S21 FE 5G is listed for INR 51,149/- (8GB/128GB) and INR 54,869/- (8GB/256GB).

Originally Posted by sukhoi

So now with S21 FE launched, pricing known and feedback for S20 FE also in, I am thinking of going with neither and getting an A52S 5G instead. My requirements from the next phone are:
1) Good performance overall, good call quality. Am not a power user and do not play games
2) Good cameras. Again not a pro photographer but rather an amateur/enthusiast. Would like to get best possible camera in the price range though
3) IP rating for water protection
4) High refresh rate. While most have said that it does not matter much but I wanted to try it out since have heard so much about it
5) Headphone jack and expandable memory are good to have, not must haves though
6) 5G not a must but good to have since I tend to keep phones for long (3 years at least)

Was looking at S20 FE 5G and was hoping that post the release of S21 FE maybe it would get a further price cut but that has not happened. Instead it is available at INR 39,389/- on Amazon at the moment. Also, given that the camera does not seem to be the highlight of the phone, spending the 40K odd on it does not seem like a great idea to me. The latest on chipsets also makes me think that for my usage 778G on A52S 5G would be good enough. A52S 5G is available for INR 30,200/- on Amazon. The other benefits of A52s 5G over S20 FE 5G are:
1) Android 11 out of the box so gets 1 more Android update (S20 FE 5G comes with 10 out of the box)
2) Headphone jack
3) Decent camera for my kind of usage

So I was checking the pricing and the gap between A52s 5G and S20 FE 5G is now reduced. Earlier it was around 8.5K but now with the on-going republic day sale, S20 FE 5G is now available for INR 32,229/- after card discounts (Samsung corporate website). A52s 5G 8GB variant is unfortunately is not available on Samsung corporate website at the moment and looking at Amazon pricing (INR 29,499/- after discounts) the difference is now 2.7K odd. Am now tempted to re-consider S20 FE 5G given the discounts, even though I had almost made up my mind for A52s 5G (was hoping to see a repeat of 26,xxx deal on Samsung but the phone is not available). Will wait it out a few days and if A52s 5G (8 GB variant) is not available then will probably go ahead with S20 FE 5G (even though I would loose out on headphone jack and 1 Android update). Bit confused between the two given the reduced price difference now.

BTW, came across another video on upcoming Qualcomm processors and how there are heating issues. Did not know much about processors and found it helpful. Sharing in case it helps others. Folks who know about processors can comment on the information in the video and its accuracy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKIxPWfh2Nw

Regards,
S

[joslicx]

Originally Posted by sukhoi

S21 FE 5G is now available for INR 46,149/- after INR 5,000/- HDFC cashback. If you are exchanging your old phone, depending on phone price would be lesser. This is on the corporate web-site of Samsung wherein S21 FE 5G is listed for INR 51,149/- (8GB/128GB) and INR 54,869/- (8GB/256GB).

S

Yes but unfortunately I do not have HDFC card.
By the way, i started looking at Vivo X70 pro and am liking it! It satisfies all my criteria - good cameras, good battery life. Looks like bloatware is even less than Samsung and most of it can be removed (unlike Samsung). And best thing is price - is around 42k on Flipkart. I think I'll order it. Cashify is valuing my S9 at around 8k so in the end the upgrade will cost me around 35k which is good.
Also I see S21+ for net 50k (after cashbacks) on Croma. Hmm.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by sukhoi

BTW, came across another video on upcoming Qualcomm processors and how there are heating issues.

Qualcomm is the defacto microprocessor in >90% of Android mobile devices.

The one that video is referring to is the latest iteration of the Snapdragon 8. Its unfortunate that it still runs hot. The previous 888 also suffers from this issue and is also quite inefficient when you push it, even chewing through that massive battery. The older 855 and 865 chips seem to run cooler. I have a phone with the former and after 2 years of use, its still snappy to use. It does run hot when you stress test with high res video recording and doing a lot of back to back shooting at max resolution. For 99% use cases, its quite okay and stays cool.

[dragntailonfire]

Originally Posted by sukhoi

are you using the 6 GB RAM variant or 8 GB one. The YouTube videos I watched for this, one of them mentioned that better to go with the 8 GB one for better performance. The 6 GB variant had some sluggishness is what was mentioned in the review.

I have the 6GB model. I feel this is more than sufficient since they have the virtual memory enabled, which gives an additional 4GB, borrowed from internal storage.

Will wait it out a few days and if A52s 5G (8 GB variant) is not available then will probably go ahead with S20 FE 5G (even though I would loose out on headphone jack and 1 Android update). Bit confused between the two given the reduced price difference now.

With this price difference, my vote goes to S20 FE. After all, it belongs to the S series family, albeit slightly watered down.

[Rajeevraj]

Kind of a rant. I am facing phone choosing fatigue.

Went through this purchase headache 5-6 months back for myself and finally purchased the S20FE-The timing was also good as I got it in the 37-38K price range.

Now need to upgrade my wife's phone and the same dilemma. Upgrade is from a 3 year old MiA2 and keeping requirements in mind-Anything from 15k would service the purpose. I am keep jumping between a 15-20k Motorola Edge 20 Fusion and similar priced models, then go to the 25K range model like the M52, then 35-40k range phones like the Oneplus RT. Sometimes the thought goes to the S21FE, the S21 and then even the iPhone 12. Then I am back to the 15K phone.

In between there are the MIs, Pocos, Vivos, iQoo, Realmes with tons of models with different initials, numbers and superlatives across the range.

The manufacturers along with the Flipkarts and Amazons of the world randomly increase/decrease prices, discounts, cashbacks etc.

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Kind of a rant. I am facing phone choosing fatigue.

Been there and I know how tiring it is. I swung between entry level Samsung's all the way till iPhone 13 until I decided what I needed, for how long and what's a fair price to pay. Finally got the S20FE 5g.

For me, the constraint was that I need to change phone every 2 years. Deal breakers were junk apps on entry level phones (mom has Mi A2, dad has Samsung M series, both plagued) which irritate/spoil the experience and the prices of iPhones. Hence, chose the middle path.

I suggest look for clean OS experience on Motorola if keeping budget of 20k or go premium Apple/Samsung way for long term use.

Edit: thank you for the feedback and recommendation for S20FE. I have been happy with this purchase

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Kind of a rant. I am facing phone choosing fatigue.

Went through this purchase headache 5-6 months back for myself and finally purchased the S20FE-The timing was also good as I got it in the 37-38K price range.

SNIP

The manufacturers along with the Flipkarts and Amazons of the world randomly increase/decrease prices, discounts, cashbacks etc.

I picked up the Fusion over the Nord, and happy with the decision.
My only gripe is the camera is good, but not the world changing affair I was expecting when i read 108 MP. That being said, I haven't really explored it as much as i would have wanted to.
But the fluidity of the OS is something else.

[deep_bang]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Kind of a rant. I am facing phone choosing fatigue.

i

If it helps make a decision, just also think about leverage of having similar phones between you and your wife - for example ease of having more chargers, you only carry one charger when travelling, only one charger in the car etc. You can invest more in buying better chargers - for example buy a fast charger for the car instead of a general purpose one.

My wife and I have OnePlus phones and it works great since we have the 2 chargers setup at a certain place in our house and either phone can be plugged to either of the places.

Usability is also better as you only need to learn once on how to do things. However this is a minor point unless you are talking about Android vs IOS.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Kind of a rant. I am facing phone choosing fatigue.

Went through this purchase headache 5-6 months back for myself and finally purchased the S20FE-The timing was also good as I got it in the 37-38K price range.

Now need to upgrade my wife's phone and the same dilemma. Upgrade is from a 3 year old MiA2 and keeping requirements in mind-Anything from 15k would service the purpose. I am keep jumping between a 15-20k Motorola Edge 20 Fusion and similar priced models, then go to the 25K range model like the M52, then 35-40k range phones like the Oneplus RT. Sometimes the thought goes to the S21FE, the S21 and then even the iPhone 12. Then I am back to the 15K phone.

In between there are the MIs, Pocos, Vivos, iQoo, Realmes with tons of models with different initials, numbers and superlatives across the range.

The manufacturers along with the Flipkarts and Amazons of the world randomly increase/decrease prices, discounts, cashbacks etc.

To add more confusion into the mix, I see the Xiaomi 11T Pro 5G has launched today at 39,999 with some great offers including a INR 5000 extra on exchange. So this means I get INR 9000+ on the 3 year MI A2 and makes it an effective price of 30k. Specs seem top of the line including the SDG 888.

[Spinnerr]

Originally Posted by CliffHanger

Guys,
Nowadays, I'm not getting Whatsapp messages preview on my home screen. I use a Samsung Galaxy S9.

Could you check your 'Notification' settings?

Settings >> Notifications >> Whtasapp >> Message Notifications >> Scroll down to check 'Lock Screen'.

If it says "Show content" you can see preview.

[sukhoi]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

To add more confusion into the mix, I see the Xiaomi 11T Pro 5G has launched today at 39,999 with some great offers including a INR 5000 extra on exchange. So this means I get INR 9000+ on the 3 year MI A2 and makes it an effective price of 30k. Specs seem top of the line including the SDG 888.

If you can, would suggest that wait for a few days to get real world reviews of the device. There have been reports about 888 and 8 Gen 1 having heating issues. So maybe give it some time to see the real world feedback from folks and then take a plunge accordingly.

Cheers,
S

[KL01toKA03]

Originally Posted by joslicx

Yes but unfortunately I do not have HDFC card.
By the way, i started looking at Vivo X70 pro and am liking it! It satisfies all my criteria - good cameras, good battery life. Looks like bloatware is even less than Samsung and most of it can be removed (unlike Samsung). And best thing is price - is around 42k on Flipkart. I think I'll order it. Cashify is valuing my S9 at around 8k so in the end the upgrade will cost me around 35k which is good.
Also I see S21+ for net 50k (after cashbacks) on Croma. Hmm.

I suggest buying offline if you are planning to go for exchange. I had also considered changing my phone, and had checked out the x70 Pro+ at Pai International. They valued my 2+ year old Note 10 Plus at 20k, after claiming that the phone's seals were not intact and that it seemed to be opened. They also had the same card offers as Flipkart.

[white-power]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

To add more confusion into the mix, I see the Xiaomi 11T Pro 5G has launched today at 39,999 with some great offers including a INR 5000 extra on exchange. So this means I get INR 9000+ on the 3 year MI A2 and makes it an effective price of 30k. Specs seem top of the line including the SDG 888.

Xiaomi and Realme are swamping the market with models sometimes only different by the number of cameras in it. I wonder how this 11T Pro is different from the Mi 11X Pro.

https://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php...e2=10776#diff-

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

I am facing phone choosing fatigue.

Get the Mi 11T Pro. Eyes closed. I've tried it out at a store. Its a solid device and built to a high standard. The brands best to date.
I use a Mi 9, which was their flagship device over 2 years ago. Its so good that I am unable to cook up an excuse to replace the phone. The 11T Pro now retails (where I am) for the same price I bought the Mi 9, with more ram, 2x the storage, bigger battery, a serious camera stack and is likely heaps faster.

Originally Posted by white-power

I wonder how this 11T Pro is different from the Mi 11X Pro.

Bigger battery
Dolby Vision Support (Don't know how this matters on a phone)
Harman Kardon speakers
1 tele photo lens
Gorilla Glass Victus
Aluminum frame
>1 billion color display

Some other smaller though not significant improvements

120 watt charging versus 33watt. I am quite fine with the latter as its fast enough. For folks who need even faster charging, it does not get better than the 120 watt "in the box" charger with the 11T Pro.

I won't say the lack of OIS is a deal breaker. They had to differentiate with the Mi 11, Mi 11 Ultra and 11T and X Pro. That said, the primary camera sensor delivers good results, even in low light. The Ultra wide module remains weak for low light exposure.