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ArtemisLunar

ArtemisLunar

One Winged Slayer - Shinra Employee
The Fallen
Jun 13, 2018
645
Wing84 said:
Something I noticed yesterday while at this backyard BBQ when taking photos with my dedicated camera; people were unanimous on using a dedicated camera over smartphones for the pictures. Mind you, outside of the very small children, the ages ranged from 30 - 41 years old.

Over the last year, I've been seeing more and more negative sentiment over smartphone photography. It mirrored my timing as well. I have grown to hate iPhone, Galaxy and Pixel post processing A LOT. Everything looks so artificial in comparison to a cameras output. I'm honestly surprised it took me so long to notice.
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One of the main reasons I don't really like Samsung, they tend to over process colors and sharpness, and the final photo usually looks very unreal (On a bad way), and editing the photos is really messy because all the processing it does.
Same goes for Apple and Google, however, I always had found Google's RAW files better, as the photos tends to be more natural and less edited, making it more easy to work and edit any details, but this still doesn't justify that it could replace your professional camera if you work depends of it.
 
Wing84

Wing84

Banned
Nov 21, 2022
1,257
ArtemisLunar said:
One of the main reasons I don't really like Samsung, they tend to over process colors and sharpness, and the final photo usually looks very unreal (On a bad way), and editing the photos is really messy because all the processing it does.
Same goes for Apple and Google, however, I always had found Google's RAW files better, as the photos tends to be more natural and less edited, making it more easy to work and edit any details, but this still doesn't justify that it could replace your professional camera if you work depends of it.
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I agree. My Samsung TV and Samsung Android tablet's oversaturation screens (and bloatware) are some of the reasons I'll never buy another Samsung product again. I think I've always hated my Galaxy phone photos for the same reason since the Galaxy Vibrant.

Pixels were better about color accuracy and sharpness early on, but now seem to do as much postprocessing as iPhones. The colors are still less fake than Galaxy photos, but Google has definitely increased the saturation levels since the Pixel 3.
 
TheDoctor

TheDoctor

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,277
DrFunk said:

View: https://twitter.com/9to5Google/status/1675960692350808070?s=20
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The European pricing for this leaked last week: €729 (12+256 GB) and €849 (12+512 GB) which makes it more expensive than the base Samsung Galaxy S23. You can also find the Xiaomi 13 and OnePlus 11 for a similar price nowadays if you look around in Europe.

Nothing was never going to be the new OnePlus; it prioritizes design over specifications and price. But I'm not sure if this is the direction they should be going. Nothing Phone 1 was actually a well-rounded midrange phone. It even supported wireless charging.
 
Hasney

Hasney

One Winged Slayer
The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
19,366
TheDoctor said:
The European pricing for this leaked last week: €729 (12+256 GB) and €849 (12+512 GB) which makes it more expensive than the base Samsung Galaxy S23. You can also find the Xiaomi 13 and OnePlus 11 for a similar price nowadays if you look around in Europe.

Nothing was never going to be the new OnePlus; it prioritizes design over specifications and price. But I'm not sure if this is the direction they should be going. Nothing Phone 1 was actually a well-rounded midrange phone. It even supported wireless charging.
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Yeah, keeping it price wise around the Pixel A series was attractive. I'm not sure why I'd get this over a Samsung or a Pixel outside of the design.
 
Megasoum

Megasoum

Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,692
Anybody knows if there's been any news or rumors about a refresh of the Amazon Fire HD 10 tablets? The last refresh is all the way back in 2021 so we're kind of due now...
 
derFeef

derFeef

Member
Oct 26, 2017
16,722
Austria
Having the Fold 4 for a day now and man I am really, really torn.
Like it is amazing in 80% of the time but there are things that bother me a bit too much to be completely happy - on the software side and the "this is like that on such device" kinda thing. But it would also probably go away after a week or two of use.

ONE UI is just crappy to customize, even with Good Lock. And sadly other launcher don't work as well on the Fold, as all mirror the front screen on the inside and this is one thing I do want to customize. Microsoft Launcher was the best custom one I tried - sadly my favourite one, Square Home, is just not usable on the inside but maybe there would be a trick to use two launchers? Also the task bar has some weird bugs, like floating icons when you hide it.

And yeah the outer screen is narrow. It is very usable and readably, but maybe not as "comfortable" if that makes sense, as I also use a bit of a bigger font.
And I can't decide on on a case. The silicon grip is great, but I am missing the Pen. And the Standing/Pen case has not as nice of a grip.
I bet there are 3rd party cases that do both but with the Samsung cases the phone is already very bulky.

So yeah, I will give it the two weeks grace period and we will see.
I wish it would be a bit wider, maybe less tall, and the software is not as polished as I would like.
 
Hasney

Hasney

One Winged Slayer
The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
19,366
derFeef said:
Having the Fold 4 for a day now and man I am really, really torn.
Like it is amazing in 80% of the time but there are things that bother me a bit too much to be completely happy - on the software side and the "this is like that on such device" kinda thing. But it would also probably go away after a week or two of use.

ONE UI is just crappy to customize, even with Good Lock. And sadly other launcher don't work as well on the Fold, as all mirror the front screen on the inside and this is one thing I do want to customize. Microsoft Launcher was the best custom one I tried - sadly my favourite one, Square Home, is just not usable on the inside but maybe there would be a trick to use two launchers? Also the task bar has some weird bugs, like floating icons when you hide it.

And yeah the outer screen is narrow. It is very usable and readably, but maybe not as "comfortable" if that makes sense, as I also use a bit of a bigger font.
And I can't decide on on a case. The silicon grip is great, but I am missing the Pen. And the Standing/Pen case has not as nice of a grip.
I bet there are 3rd party cases that do both but with the Samsung cases the phone is already very bulky.

So yeah, I will give it the two weeks grace period and we will see.
I wish it would be a bit wider, maybe less tall, and the software is not as polished as I would like.
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Yeah, Samsung software and the narrow outerscreen are the big downers from using a Fold for 3 years now. I don't use a case anymore and I find that so much better. The Pixel Fold corrects both of these since I can't go back to candybar phones, but I'm not paying that much for a first gen product.

If we get the deals the US has been seeing, I'm switching in a heartbeat though.
 
Jeff ChickenDig

Jeff ChickenDig

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,608
yea one ui launcher is ass. i can get it to work somewhat for my needs. but i got thaat all setup years ago so its not something i think about much.
 
Charpunk

Charpunk

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,852
Wish the pixel fold turned out better than it did. I love my fold 4 but would love to switch to a foldable phone that had a wider cover screen. The samsung ones are too damn narrow.
 
Wing84

Wing84

Banned
Nov 21, 2022
1,257
Charpunk said:
Wish the pixel fold turned out better than it did. I love my fold 4 but would love to switch to a foldable phone that had a wider cover screen. The samsung ones are too damn narrow.
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Just like Samsung needed; Google needs a generation 2. I think the Pixel Fold is a great start, but it seems to be very much a first generation device from a company that only in the last few years just started taking hardware seriously.
 
derFeef

derFeef

Member
Oct 26, 2017
16,722
Austria
Managed to set up two launchers with Routines but it's not as smooth. The real deal breaker is the narrow screen sadly. Otherwise a foldable will be my next device.
 
Valanarro

Valanarro

Member
Oct 27, 2017
317
Not sure if this is the right place to ask this but I just picked up a Galaxy S23 Ultra the other day to replace my iPhone, which I've been pretty much just using iOS for about 5 years now? I'm familiar enough with the UI and everything, but is there any lesser known or older features unique to Android/Samsung phones that I'm missing out on by not using? Missed out on MST which is a bummer for places that don't support NFC payment.
 
LightKiosk

LightKiosk

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 27, 2017
11,479
Valanarro said:
Not sure if this is the right place to ask this but I just picked up a Galaxy S23 Ultra the other day to replace my iPhone, which I've been pretty much just using iOS for about 5 years now? I'm familiar enough with the UI and everything, but is there any lesser known or older features unique to Android/Samsung phones that I'm missing out on by not using? Missed out on MST which is a bummer for places that don't support NFC payment.
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Bixby sucks but Bixby Routines is really good for automation and is what I miss the most from my time using a Samsung device. It's the equivalent to Shortcuts on iOS.
 
Valanarro

Valanarro

Member
Oct 27, 2017
317
LightKiosk said:
Bixby sucks but Bixby Routines is really good for automation and is what I miss the most from my time using a Samsung device. It's the equivalent to Shortcuts on iOS.
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All my friends that have had samsung phones have told me about how bad bixby is, but I never used shortcuts on ios either so maybe it's a good time to learn how to do so.
 
LightKiosk

LightKiosk

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 27, 2017
11,479
Valanarro said:
All my friends that have had samsung phones have told me about how bad bixby is, but I never used shortcuts on ios either so maybe it's a good time to learn how to do so.
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Just as an example I had one automation set up that every time I'd get in my car with BT it would put my phone on DND mode after connecting, launch Spotify and start shuffle playing my playlist.

They give you a good amount of control over the automations with a lot of app and action support so it becomes really nice to just set it up once and forget as the phone handles it from there.
 
derFeef

derFeef

Member
Oct 26, 2017
16,722
Austria
Valanarro said:
Not sure if this is the right place to ask this but I just picked up a Galaxy S23 Ultra the other day to replace my iPhone, which I've been pretty much just using iOS for about 5 years now? I'm familiar enough with the UI and everything, but is there any lesser known or older features unique to Android/Samsung phones that I'm missing out on by not using? Missed out on MST which is a bummer for places that don't support NFC payment.
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Bixby Routines and Good Lock are two things you def. need to check out.
 
Valanarro

Valanarro

Member
Oct 27, 2017
317
LightKiosk said:
Just as an example I had one automation set up that every time I'd get in my car with BT it would put my phone on DND mode after connecting, launch Spotify and start shuffle playing my playlist.
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That does sound quite useful, I'll have to play around with this then.

derFeef said:
Bixby Routines and Good Lock are two things you def. need to check out.
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Looking into Good Lock and it seems like it could be useful. Thanks for the suggestion!
 
Wing84

Wing84

Banned
Nov 21, 2022
1,257
Hasney said:
Nah, it's either US or NA only they're targeting. I don't believe these offers are happening in the EU either.
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Seeing as how even Canada (a NA nation) isn't getting this device, I'm guessing Google is focused mainly on their largest market for the first Fold. Hopefully they have a wider reach with the Fold 2.
 
Ravelle

Ravelle

Member
Oct 31, 2017
18,167
The charging port of my current OnePlus 7T is completely busted and only charges when I firmly press the cable in and don't touch it so I'm looking for a new phone soon.

I'm looking at the OnePlus 11 or the Samsung S23. Anyone here have experience with them and which is the better deal?
 
Wing84

Wing84

Banned
Nov 21, 2022
1,257
Ravelle said:
The charging port of my current OnePlus 7T is completely busted and only charges when I firmly press the cable in and don't touch it so I'm looking for a new phone soon.

I'm looking at the OnePlus 11 or the Samsung S23. Anyone here have experience with them and which is the better deal?
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youtu.be

Oneplus 7 Charging Port Replacement

Repair guide on how to repair and replace the charging port and main ribbon flexes on the Oneplus 7 mobile phone.Compatible Replacement parts - https://bit....
youtu.be youtu.be
 
NovumVeritas

NovumVeritas

Member
Oct 26, 2017
9,321
Berlin
Ravelle said:
They seem very similar and was wondering if there's one that excels at something, The 7T is a great phone and word was the following phones were a step down.

But overal impressions of either is good too.
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I am pretty happy with the S23.
The only thing which popped up recently was that there is some issues with the camera lens
The focus is producing blurry pictures if you're taking pictures up close:
www.forbes.com

Samsung Confirms Serious Camera Problem On Galaxy S23 Smartphones

Samsung has finally acknowledged a serious camera problem affecting Galaxy 23 and S23 Plus models, paving the way for a much-needed fix.
www.forbes.com www.forbes.com
The S23 uses the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, phone is pretty fast, like the OP11.
I would recommend the S23 with 256 GB, because the 128 GB version only has UFS 3.0 instead of UFS 4.0.
I don't mind One UI by Samsung, but that's more preference.
The S23 is pretty compact, with 6.1 inch, I like compact phones, so this is preference as well.
It has less battery capacity than the OP 11, but the battery lasts me one to two days.
One point why I use Samsung is that you will get four years of android upgrades.
Not sure how long OP will provide updates or upgrades here.
 
ThatWasAJoke

ThatWasAJoke

Member
Oct 28, 2017
2,373
Wow I moved to a Pixel 7 after a few years on iPhone and some thoughts:
The UI and AI features are all very solid, some small nitpicks are that is is annoying to get to Google Pay from the home screen and I hate having to double-swipe down to change the brightness
The front camera is GARBAGE. Cannot believe this is sold as the best camera on the market. Terrible focus, terrible in low-light, overprocessed as hell.
Pattern unlock is good, FACE ID is decent but doesn't work in low-light unlikes Apples.

Overall... it's got a lot of stuff I like but that front camera is just a no-go for me and really not good enough for a flagship. Telstra (Australian AT&T) are refusing to take it back, however if I can sell it 2nd hand I think I will try an S23 instead. Loved my S5 which was the last Android I had (maybe 2 years ago?)
 
Ravelle

Ravelle

Member
Oct 31, 2017
18,167
NovumVeritas said:
I am pretty happy with the S23.
The only thing which popped up recently was that there is some issues with the camera lens
The focus is producing blurry pictures if you're taking pictures up close:
www.forbes.com

Samsung Confirms Serious Camera Problem On Galaxy S23 Smartphones

Samsung has finally acknowledged a serious camera problem affecting Galaxy 23 and S23 Plus models, paving the way for a much-needed fix.
www.forbes.com www.forbes.com
The S23 uses the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, phone is pretty fast, like the OP11.
I would recommend the S23 with 256 GB, because the 128 GB version only has UFS 3.0 instead of UFS 4.0.
I don't mind One UI by Samsung, but that's more preference.
The S23 is pretty compact, with 6.1 inch, I like compact phones, so this is preference as well.
It has less battery capacity than the OP 11, but the battery lasts me one to two days.
One point why I use Samsung is that you will get four years of android upgrades.
Not sure how long OP will provide updates or upgrades here.
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Yeah, the compact form is really enticing, I love the big screen of the 7T but I can't really handle the phone with one hand, thumb barely reaches the other edge and I'm always afraid it fumbles out of my hand.

I like the OP OS Oxygen, no problems here. The upgrades they do are good but the wait between upgrades is long. The upgrade from 10 to 11 for example took forever.
 
NovumVeritas

NovumVeritas

Member
Oct 26, 2017
9,321
Berlin
Ravelle said:
Yeah, the compact form is really enticing, I love the big screen of the 7T but I can't really handle the phone with one hand, thumb barely reaches the other edge and I'm always afraid it fumbles out of my hand.
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Also one of the reasons, I prefer more compact smartphones than bigger ones.
Before that I had the iPhone 13 mini because Apple was the only manufacturarer who offers compact smartphones.
The size of the S23 is pretty fine to me and easy to handle.

The upgrades with Samsung, at least for the S series are pretty quick.
I think they will start with the Beta of Android 14 this year, other companies took really long.
If you like the OP OS you should be fine either way and if you don't mind their update policy.
 
Phendrana

Phendrana

Member
Oct 26, 2017
7,129
Melbourne, Australia
I'm finally upgrading from my S9+ (the battery life has gotten terrible), and have an S23 Ultra on the way.

How necessary is a screen protector if I'm not sensitive to microscratches? I didn't use one with the S9+ and it's covered in them at this point, but I honestly never notice them when actually using the phone. Only when the screen is off and it's sitting on the desk. That's acceptable to me.

Is the S23 Ultra's screen more prone to deeper scratches?
 
derFeef

derFeef

Member
Oct 26, 2017
16,722
Austria
Phendrana said:
I'm finally upgrading from my S9+ (the battery life has gotten terrible), and have an S23 Ultra on the way.

How necessary is a screen protector if I'm not sensitive to microscratches? I didn't use one with the S9+ and it's covered in them at this point, but I honestly never notice them when actually using the phone. Only when the screen is off and it's sitting on the desk. That's acceptable to me.

Is the S23 Ultra's screen more prone to deeper scratches?
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I moved away from screen protectors. My S23U is holding up nicely but there will me microscratches for sure. If it doesn't bother you then go for it as avanilla/naked screen is always so nice to use.
 
Wing84

Wing84

Banned
Nov 21, 2022
1,257
Not for me, but I'm sure some would jump on this

cordcuttersnews.com

Deal Alert! Amazon Fire HD 8 Tablet Just $54.99 For Prime Day! | Cord Cutters News

Are you looking for a cheap tablet that can stream all of your favorite programs? Amazon’s Fire HD 8 tablet could be the perfect cheap tablet for you. Right now, Amazon has the Fire HD 8 tablet on sale for just $54.99 for Prime Day. This is down from the typical price of $99.99, but […]
cordcuttersnews.com cordcuttersnews.com
 
Rewrite

Rewrite

Member
Oct 26, 2017
2,223
Fontana, California
Wing84 said:
Not for me, but I'm sure some would jump on this

cordcuttersnews.com

Deal Alert! Amazon Fire HD 8 Tablet Just $54.99 For Prime Day! | Cord Cutters News

Are you looking for a cheap tablet that can stream all of your favorite programs? Amazon’s Fire HD 8 tablet could be the perfect cheap tablet for you. Right now, Amazon has the Fire HD 8 tablet on sale for just $54.99 for Prime Day. This is down from the typical price of $99.99, but […]
cordcuttersnews.com cordcuttersnews.com
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It's a good price for a cheap tablet, but is it worth getting? I was reading the specs and it seems awful lol.
 
Wing84

Wing84

Banned
Nov 21, 2022
1,257
KevdotL said:
www.theverge.com

Google’s custom Pixel chip might not arrive until 2025

Apparently, challenges with staff turnover are partly to blame.
www.theverge.com www.theverge.com

Pixel 10 it is.
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Don't assume that Google's fully in-house chip will be worthwhile. Then again, I don't think an mobile CPU is worthwhile these days. Mainly due to the limitations of mobile OSs.


gizmodo.com

Wrap your Galaxy Buds 2 in Dittos, Jigglypuffs, and Snorlaxes

Last year's Poké Ball collaboration is being followed up with three new cases featuring actual Pokémon for the Galaxy Buds 2 wireless earbuds.
gizmodo.com gizmodo.com
 
Gangrel

Gangrel

Member
Oct 25, 2017
981
catashtrophe said:
I have owned the Zenfone 8 since launch and love it and its still going strong.

I'm really excited about the Zenfone 10 and trying to think of excuses to buy it even though I don't need it

:-P
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DrFunk said:
The green color is lovely
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The more I look into it, the more I like it! It's not that much larger than my s9 and it has a headphone jack for my car(It's from 2004). Wonder what the price for the 512gb model will end up being.
 
PaulLFC

PaulLFC

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,188
Recently got an S23+ and I'm really liking it so far.

It has a feature to limit the battery charge to 85% to prolong battery health, which brings me to a question.

If I'm near a charger and charge the phone, is it fine to leave it plugged in so it keeps trickle charging and topping up to 85% while I use it? Or is that bad for the battery and I should unplug the charger as soon as it's charged?
 
neoak

neoak

Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,629
PaulLFC said:
Recently got an S23+ and I'm really liking it so far.

It has a feature to limit the battery charge to 85% to prolong battery health, which brings me to a question.

If I'm near a charger and charge the phone, is it fine to leave it plugged in so it keeps trickle charging and topping up to 85% while I use it? Or is that bad for the battery and I should unplug the charger as soon as it's charged?
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It's fine. What is bad is trickle charging it to 100% all the time.
 
sackboy97

sackboy97

Member
Oct 26, 2017
3,635
Italy
With my new phone, I've been able to keep it between 40 to 80-90% at all times, which I think is good? That would not have been possible with my old S8, it just wouldn't last until the end of the day if it wasn't at 100% or close to it.
 
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