Need to get a new phone and am likely leaving the iOS ecosystem…

Want a great camera and good storage, either on board or expandable. Doesn’t have to be the latest & greatest handset as there all pretty good these days.
The search is narrowing to either a Google Pixel, OnePlus or a Huawei. Only concern is the current US embargo on Huawei affecting future Android upgrades…

Any thoughts?

Don’t think any google app works on a Huawei either does it? Lack of support from Google would put me off

No I wouldn’t.

I have a Pixel 3a and it’s about as awesome as a phone can be.

The camera in particular is very impressive, but it does all them phoney things very well too.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2h8DFu6]Kielder Forest[/url] by blackteaonesugar, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2h8GgCG]Laggan black[/url] by blackteaonesugar, on Flickr

For example…

I’m not sure how much stock I’d put on the embargo, however I’ve heard from a couple of friends with their phones that Huawei’s customisations on top of Android are quite annoying and intrusive.

The other two manufacturers you mention stick much more closely to bare Android, so would be my preference.

FWIW, I love my OnePlus 6.

I’ve had a Pixel XL and now a Pixel 3 XL. They take some beating to be honest. Any of the 3 generations are great.

Everything just runs so fast and smooth, being a Google phone you get updates before the other manufacturers too. I think you get the purest and best android experience with the pixel bar none.

Night Sight is also astounding. I mean properly impressive.

I no longer worry about not having an expandable memory either as Google Pictures manages my huge amounts of pics and video so easily.

I won’t be upgrading for some time now but when I do it’s likely to be to another Pixel of some description.

I’ve just gotten myself a Huawei mate pro buddy pal whatever.

100gb per month for £28.

Make of that what you will.

Had two incarnations before I likes them embargo, emshmargo.

I almost bought one due to the camera but went for a Galaxy s10 due to the whole android/google issue.

I wanted a phone with a decent camera. Went for Pixel 3 over the huwawei.

Cheaper, and no concerns over android support.

No I wouldn’t – proper Google integration is too important.

FWIW, I love my OnePlus 6.

I’m in the same boat ^^

Or I’d get a Pixel – no other options for me.

Yes. They still work fine, including all of the Google apps. Probably more likely to get updates than Samsung or Lenovo.

The EMUI interface is annoying, but easy enough to install a better launcher. There are a few based on the Pixel launcher.

I would expect it to be sending all your contact info, txts, emails and phone records etc to the PRC Military Intelligence division on a regular basis….

All the Google shenanigans came to light just after I got my p20 Pro on contract 🙄

Great phone and Google apps all ok at the minute, will see what happens next year….

I would expect it to be sending all your contact info, txts, emails and phone records etc to the PRC Military Intelligence division on a regular basis….

Probably like every other phone. I wouldn’t worry too much unless you’re thinking of taking down a government or blowing something up……and if you’re dumb enough to plan that over a smartphone then you deserve to wake up to waterboarding in a blacksite somewhere

I was given a hardly used Huawei a few months back, threw in a SIM tried to set it up using my Google account and suddenly I got a million warning emails from Google and was locked out of my account for 24hrs for security reasons.
I’d never really trust them again.
Te phone seemed excellent though with a reasonable camera, the only thing I was interested in as otherwise my MotoG3 does me fine.

My shortlist would either be Google’s own phones or something on the Android One programme. The embargo thing is likely to be a non-issue (as is any tinfoil hat conspiracy theories) but I’d rule out Huawei because it doesn’t meet either of those criteria.

Thanks for everyone’s feedback. Narrowed it down the the OnePlus 7T or the Google Pixel 3a XL.

Have a look at the OnePlus 7 pro also.

I’ve got a Huawei P20 Pro and i’m not that impressed with the camera.

It’s very inconsistent and slow to adjust to lighting, the video brightness flicks up and down annoyingly. Sometimes it gets great shots, sometimes it doesn’t and I end up taking a few just to get a good one.

My partners Pixel 3a and my old Samsung S6 were much more consistent.

I’d probably go Google Pixel next time (or Samsung or OnePlus).

Got a Pixel 3 earlier in the year and it’s been buggy as hell. The camera shots always looked over processed and now the focus sensor has broken (common fault) so it’s going back. I only moved away from Samsung because of the bloatware and stupid curved edges.

Just got an s10e and its fantastic. Best phone I’ve had. Solid construction (pixel felt like a toy) and everything  works again. Bluetooth actually  connects first time to car and house speakers etc plus a host of other niggles that the Pixel had which I’d been putting  up with cos the operating system was so good. However now I think Samsung have made a decent phone again.

30 quid on 3 with 100gb data and only 29 up front with free galaxy buds seemed like a pretty good deal as well

Was thinking about a P30 pro..but have just upgraded ( early ) with EE this morning who waived the early upgrade fee increased my data to 60gb ( from 40gb )which I can share ( gift ) retained my 25% discount ..included a SIM only card so that I can use this current S7 edge as a work phone ( constant app usage ) ..reduced my partners sim only deal by £4.00 per month and supplied me with a new S10 ( coming friday )..and only increased my plan amount by £4.00 per month ..
I’m happy with that ..and I really like Samsung Galaxy’s…
I’ve also found that despite what stores might tell you ..you can always score a better deal on the phone ..

Need to get a new phone and am likely leaving the iOS ecosystem…

Why? The new iP11’s are stunning, I’m only needing to plug mine in every three days; apparently the new Pixel 4 won’t even get through a full day.

Was on the hunt for a new phone earlier this year and during this period met up with a mate who works in intelligence in the Cabinet office.

As soon as I mentioned phones their only advice was ‘DO NOT BUY A HUAWEI’ the stuff they’ve found in there is bone chilling.

Samsung for me then.

Looking like the Pixel 3a or XL. Great camera, headphone jack and 3 years of monthly updates. It’s also the cheapest on my shortlist which is a bonus.

iPhone is way too expensive for me. Previous ones have all been from work. Haven’t had a personal contract for years so phone shopping is all very new to me.

Don’t need the latest flagship phone as all I use it for is web browsing, email, bit of maps to get about in new places, music and a camera.

Man maths as follows;

Cancel Apple Music and get the Vodafone contract that bundles Spotify, 20Gb data with unlimited texts & calls for £33 a month including the Pixel 3a phone.

£33 x 24 months = £792
Google Pixel 3a handset = £399
Apple Music x 24 months = £240

Cost of 24 month contract works out at £393 exc the phone, or £16.37 a month for unlimited calls, texts, 20Gb data and Spotify. Include my current Apple Music costs into the equation and it brings the contract cost down to £153, or £6.37 a month!

No, I wouldn’t get a Huawei phone as their customer service when I had an issue with one of their smart watches was shocking. I would also worry about the security issues.

I’ve been using OnePlus phones for about three years now (first a 5, and now a 7 pro). Excellent phones – good camera, lots of storage, good battery, fast processor and works really well with Google apps.

Not when there are so many other options out there that are equally as good.

intelligence in the Cabinet office.

Sorry but that does not compute.

Using a P10lite here, never had any real issues with it and avoid using the bundled crap, I prefer Google to know all my business.

Was on the hunt for a new phone earlier this year and during this period met up with a mate who works in intelligence in the Cabinet office.

As soon as I mentioned phones their only advice was ‘DO NOT BUY A HUAWEI’ the stuff they’ve found in there is bone chilling.

Samsung for me then.

And yet not a single thing has been done about it?

Please elaborate…

Flipping media circus.

Hauwei / Honor have some fantastic phones. Hardware is excellent.

Yes they’re not vanilla but you can move the annoying apps to another page.

I’ve had loads of phones , my current Honor view 20 is by far the best.

How much of a spying thing is down to anti-chinese balls from trump’s gang?

Given most phones are made in China I wouldn’t sweat it too much. Hauwei is at least owned by its employees.

Not sure about the support – mine keeps updating. Phones tends only get supported so long anyway. I think that issue is over-cooked.

In for a penny in for a pound.

The US embago has absolutely no effect on phones in production.

For those phones yet to ship, the problem seems to be around access to Google-licenced apps, esp. the playstore, and that looks like it may be possible to circumvent, tho’ I don’t have any specific details.It’s normally possible to download/install from a .APK file outside of the store (as I did with a very old HTC whose reset ‘marketplace’ wouldn’t talk to playstore, so I had to find an old but compatible playstore APK).

In the company I used to work for we had out own arm-based soc (system-on-chip) which was configured into an android tablet for the Chinese market just before we were sold off/broken up. The open-sourceness of android IIRC makes it impossible to prevent its use, except that theres the tie-up into the playstore (etc). There’s also the issue of first tier early access to android releases, which the big companies have (and Huawei lose), but it’s just delayed – and manufacturers typically modify anyway.
I think these links are reasonably representative, but being out of the industry now I don’t know the latest or fine detail. I guess if the mate30 looks like it may float your boat, wait, and keep an eye on playstore workarounds for it.

https://www.pocket-lint.com/phones/news/huawei/148102-what-does-huawei-s-google-ban-mean-for-your-huawei-or-honor-phone

https://www.pocket-lint.com/phones/news/huawei/149446-huawei-chief-the-mate-30-series-won-t-work-with-the-play-store

Got my P30Pro a few months back. Haven’t signed up to any of the Huawei bloat ware. The camera is absolutely superb, it’s the main reason I got it. The battery life is two days plus  No issues with Android or any missing Google apps, yet

Having said that I’m not sure I’d get another one. Software is clunky compared with the slickness of Samsung.  Long term android support also a concern.

If you want a great camera there are some good deals around

I’ll let you know when I find out how they deal with the warranty issue on the Mate 10;pro I’m using now