Samsung could be stepping up its game by offering seven years of major Android updates for the Galaxy S24 series, and the generous update policy might extend to other Galaxy flagships.
The Galaxy S24 series might also introduce charges for AI features like Live Translate and Pixel-like photo editing tools after 2025.
There's speculation that users may need to sign in to their Samsung accounts for certain AI functionalities.
Samsung s23 ultra is my first Samsung and despite having come from Pixels and Oneplus I found I actually liked the Samsung stuff like edge panel, one hand plus+ operation, and sound assistant. All the good lock additions was like getting custom rom features. Find it hard to consider a phone without something like the Spen too now, since I use it to take notes and select text.
For me it's the dex mode when I connect my s22 to a monitor, I use it daily at work with a kvm so I can work on one monitor and VPN to my home vm on a second monitor with my phone, I came from a pixel 3 and the nexus 5 before that and I hope the s22 lasts me forever
Every time I've needed a new phone I've considered Samsung. But I just can't buy into their extremely heavy modifications and have always opted for a clean android experience. Their hardware looks amazing and I want nothing more in a phone than a Samsung running stock.
I'm a bit torn on this. I'm not a Samsung fan by any mean, but the hardware issues with the different Pixels (reception, overheating, etc.) and the Tensor ships vs Snapdragon make me reluctant to get one.
S23 especially seems like a solid device, with better battery than S22, "compact" size and good chipset. Also not the biggest fan of supporting Google while they clearly lack vision on what they are doing with most of their products.
GrapheneOS might be an option but I would prefer not having to tinker with the OS of a several hundreds euros phone.
Personally, I've had Pixels since the pixel 2 and I've never had an issue with them except for normal wearing out. They've lasted longer than any samsung phone I've owned (granted that was pre-pixel 2). What I liked about Pixel is that it's pretty much stock Android, with google play stuff on it, vs samsung which I felt was overloaded with both Google stuff and Samsung stuff.
As for Google - well, remember Google has it's hands in both systems, getting Samsung doesn't mean you're de-googling, Google still gets it's cut.
Software yeah flash away, but then it's just purely a hardware comparison.
Is the idea to go back to having a SD card slot, dual sim and a headphone jack? No? Because that's why my last Samsung was a S10.
Oh, well, back to my Xperia. Hang in there Sony, all seven of us left still need you even if your software all comes from one intern you keep tied to a broken PS5 in the basement.
Yeah, at this point they're only making these because they don't make any major changes and it probably has a bunch of synergies with their camera business anyway.
Between my post and yours I actually got the belated Android 14 update for my 2021 device, which is supposed to be probably the last major update it'll get. Aaaand it's missing the one feature I was looking forward to using.
So not great, and if anybody makes a similar set of specs on a flagship elsewhere I'll move on to that, I have no brand loyalty at play here. But there's literally no other option to match in the flagship space at all. Even gaming phones have started dropping some of these common sense features.