So somewhat dissapointingly, after 3 years my Samsung galaxy S20’s battery is knackered. Battery health is at 70% and battery life on it wasn’t great to start with when new, but thought it might have lasted a bit longer than that. Battery now lasts half a day even in power saving mode.

Have been looking for replacement but as there’s so much choice now I’m a bit confused what is best. Last few phones have been samsung so used to their quirks (preinstalled apps, bloatware etc) but have been dissapointed with the S20.

Before that, iphones but I moved on from them as I had a few hardware issues with them. That was an iphone6 so a good while back, not sure if the new ones are any  better?

So my current shortlist are, galaxy 23+/ultra or google pixel 7 pro if sticking with android, or giving apple another chance and going with an iphone 15 pro?

I’m open to other options/good deals though.

All thoughts/advice welcome. Cheers.

I’m guessing that there must be great deals on the Pixel 7s given the Pixel 8 is upon us?

I’m using a Pixel 6 and might consider the Pixel 8. I don’t think it’s worth updating for every generation, hence skipping the Pixel 7.

Pixel 7. I’m on Pixel 6….good phone, no bloatware

I’m going to wait for the Galaxy S24 to come out and then pick up a refurb S22 to replace my S20 I think. I do fancy trying a pixel sometime though.

Just take it or send it off to a repair centre for a new battery if you’re still happy with the phone.

I had a Pixel 5 and it completely died. Luckily I got a Pixel 7 Pro, brand new in box, warrantied, for an extremely good price (under 1/3 RRP) so went for it….

In comparison it’s very big and heavy. Noticeably so. The camera bump adds to this. The rounded edges on the screen aren’t too my taste, they give reflection that makes the screen less usable and getting a decent screen protector is tricky. It also gets pretty hot when charging or after streaming for a while.

The camera is very good. Really good in fact. That’s why I’m sticking with it.

Apart from that everything else is underwhelming compared to my older phone.

New battery for the S20?

I have a pixel 6a and I was really happy with it but recently a variety of apps have started messing about and my wife has found the same (also 6a).

Also I find the fingerprint scanner pretty rubbish – often have to try 2 or 3 times or have to give up and use my PIN. though my wife doesn’t have that issue.

I went down this road recently after my Nokia took one fall too many. Ended up with a Pixel 7a. I can’t fault it, I see little reason to spend the extra cash on the 7 let alone the 7 Pro. The days of needing a flagship phone are in the past.

I have a pixel 6a. Competent phone, excellent camera and for me battery life.

Just too bloody big. I regularly leave it at home as I just can’t be arsed lugging it about.

Previous phone was a king Kong mini. Tiny, light, competent, but crap camera. It was great, apart from the camera

I’m happy with the cheapest Apple iPhone SE (product Red) and use a Smarty SIM

Here’s a Guardian 5 star review of it

Also I find the fingerprint scanner pretty rubbish – often have to try 2 or 3 times or have to give up and use my PIN. though my wife doesn’t have that issue.

Me too with my Pixel 6a. The FP scanner is crap even compared to my previous Samsung S8.

I’m also not that impressed with the battery life though I do use almost constantly for most of the day (I tend to get anxious when battery drops below 25%, so I may be an outlier)

Camera on my s22 ultra is insane…

Just saying.

I went from a cut down S20FE to a S23 Ultra – the camera is more insane than my wife’s S22 Ultra. It’s incredible – James Bond would be proud. Unfortunately, I have the phone in a nice rugged leather flip case, because I am a clutz. Doubles the thickness, unfortunately. The s20FE was faultless, big screen etc ec.

Battery life very good on the S23 Ultra too, despite the bells and whistles.

On my 2nd Pixel (4a now 6a) very happy they just work.

Previously had whatever the newest Samsung or iPhone was but won’t be doing that again.

I finally changed phones this year..went from Samsung S8 to S21(5g) mainly coz it’s the same size and I can get a 360 case for it…I got the phone from backmarket….yesterday it went back …lol

Great phone but a mic problem…should get it back next week

Loving my Pixel 7a.  I had 2 or 3 Motorolas before, but the Pixel is much nicer to use, better camera etc.  The fingerprint reader is a bit temperamental mind, but it also has face unlock which works well so it’s less of an issue.

My Samsung S22Ultra is very good so far.

But I do fancy a Samsung Flip 4 just for the sake of the size.

I have a 6pro, I’ve hated it from day one and would never buy a pixel phone again in case it’s even half as shit.

For what that’s worth.

Got a pixel 4a and my next one will be a pixel.

Still on the 4a and tempted to change but anything newer doesn’t have the headphone jack so I’ll probably just get a new battery.

I have a galaxy M51.

It’s great, battery does 2 days 😁 7000mah capacity

The fingerprint scanner on my Pixel 6 works fine.

Upgraded from a Samsung S10 to a pixel 7.

Really happy with it, the camera is excellent and battery lasts all day no problem with heavy use.

Fingerprint scanner works well as does face id.

Before that, iphones but I moved on from them as I had a few hardware issues with them. That was an iphone6 so a good while back, not sure if the new ones are any better?

Having had iPhones from a 3GS, all the way through to my current 14 Pro Max, most were at least three years old when I upgraded them, my iPhone 11 was five years old, and I traded that in against the 14 and got £300 for it, and none displayed any hardware issues, oh, except for the 4G, which had a slightly shonky Home Button, down to the soft-touch button. Which wouldn’t have been a problem, if stupid people hadn’t whined about the button being ‘too clicky’!
Yeah, right – be careful what you wish for! I’ve actually still got that one, it sits on the dock on top of a clock/radio, and still works; I wonder if anyone has replacement buttons for them still

Great phone that, but so tiny!

It worked perfectly apart from the bits that didn’t?

Sony are due to release their Xperia 5v later this month. Seems to be getting good pre-release reviews and would be a bit different to most.

I have an S22Ultra. Contrary to some of the above comments, the camera is rubbish

Cheap Poco X3 NFC here. Looking at my emails I’ve had it 2.5 years and it’s still going fine.

So I’d avoid the big boys and go for something cheap(ish) and Chinese.

i sent from a S20 to a pixel 7.

The pixels are good value for money. They are not better (imo) than the samsung equivalent by any stretch. The software is slightly better with less bloatware but overall im underwhelmed. I would not get a pixel 8 on launch as there is a massive bug processing stage you have to get through and this seems to be traition with new pixels. However after a year its OK.

Pixel 6 here (my first having had a couple of OnePlus’s before) and I’ll definitely be sticking with the Pixel range mainly for the lack of bloat and quality camera.

If I can get a decent trade-in I may go with an 8.

I think it’s hard to look past the Pixels if going with Android.

Got a Xiami Redmi Note 10 pro – good camera, 2 day battery life (actually having owned it for about 2.5 years maybe only one day now). A little bit of their own software you can’t uninstall but for the most part I don’t notice it. All the Xiaomi’s review pretty well and are cheaper than a pixel. The entire range is massive though, tend to be 6.5″+.

If you’re looking to buy outright, £609 for a 7 Pro looks like the best price I can find so far

https://www.dealmonday.co.uk/google-pixel-7-pro-5g-smartphone-12128gb-obsidian-1

(obviously do your own checks on the website)

My pixel 4a survived being driven over a few times, placed it on the chassis for safe keeping and fell off onto a main rd and still works

Now have a 7a for two years hope it’s as strong but feels the same phone

Otter box cover and glass cover , not these cheap Flexi Amazon £5

pixel 7 (non pro, but I assume the pro has it too) has adaptive charging which is meant to help ease the battery in, I had an s20FE and the battery was nuked after 2 years. Neither of them have very good batteries

I would wait till the 8 comes out.

I found a deal for a pixel 7 for £200 through O2, it’s ‘refurbished’ but not a mark on it and battery at 99% health.

You commit to £20 month sim, but can cancel at any time.

Got a Xiami Redmi Note 10 pro – good camera, 2 day battery life (actually having owned it for about 2.5 years maybe only one day now). A little bit of their own software you can’t uninstall but for the most part I don’t notice it. All the Xiaomi’s review pretty well and are cheaper than a pixel. The entire range is massive though, tend to be 6.5″+.

I got mine in January this year for £180 – amazing phone, unbeatable value.

TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsSTR
I have an S22Ultra. Contrary to some of the above comments, the camera is rubbish

Yes, the shutter speed lag for S22 Ultra is obvious, even my Note 9 is better. Apart from that all fine.

The days of needing a flagship phone are in the past.

Did you ever? Really?

That’s the same money as Nokia X21 and Fairphone 4, obviously the Fairphone isn’t as good on paper but the repairability is what you’re buying into. The 5 is tempting if they really do support it to 2031 but £650 is a lot of money and that’s a long time to lock yourself in for in terms of hardware.

Did you ever? Really?

Yes, unless you’re going to be pedantic about “need.”

For a long time, the software requirements outstripped hardware ability. Even high-end smartphones could be slow as arse. Budget phones such as they were were terrible. I had the original Samsung Galaxy which in its day was supposed to be the best on the market and it wasn’t fit for purpose.

PCs went the same way. My first PC was well over a grand back in the 1990s and laptops were unthinkably expensive, paying much less got you a Speak ‘n’ Spell. Today a £300 laptop will do what most people need, the only people spending four figures are gamers and Apple fans.