Any other Android phones worth it besides Samsung?

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jnvdh06

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I know there are a few brands officially available in SA, but it really seems like the market is actually just Samsung vs iPhone.

Samsung gets the most support in terms of after market accessories and apps seem to work better on Samsung compared to other Android phones.

Other brands like Xiaomi, Oppo and Honor seem to have good phones, but long term reliability remains a question mark and after market accessories are hard to come by.

I would love to try a Pixel but with no official support in SA it is such a risk to import one.

Im not a big fan of Samsung's OneUI and their cameras (slow shutter speed).
Just ask anyone who has tried to take pics of moving objects like kids or animals.

Honor looks like a good option but being a Chinese brand theres always a bigger privacy concern. Same with other brands like Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi.

So in the end it it feels like it basically leaves us with just two brands to choose from, Samsung or iPhone.
 
www.nanozee.com

OnePlus 13 5G | Nanozee

6.82-inch AMOLED screen with 120Hz LTPO, DisplayMate A++.Powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor.Cameras: 50MP(Sony LYT-808)+50MP(JN5)+48MP(Sony IMX581).12GB Ram & 256GB UFS 4.0 StorageOneplus 13 has 6000mAh battery, 100W super Warp charging.CN version, support Google Play...
www.nanozee.com www.nanozee.com

OnePlus 13

I skipped a year & did not make a 12er thread: The OP13 was just announced for China. While the OnePlus 13 is launched in China first, it will be released in global markets in the coming months. OnePlus 13 arrives with Snapdragon 8 Elite and 6,000 mAh battery OnePlus has always prioritized...
mybroadband.co.za mybroadband.co.za
 
jnvdh06 said:
I know there are a few brands officially available in SA, but it really seems like the market is actually just Samsung vs iPhone.

Samsung gets the most support in terms of after market accessories and apps seem to work better on Samsung compared to other Android phones.

Other brands like Xiaomi, Oppo and Honor seem to have good phones, but long term reliability remains a question mark and after market accessories are hard to come by.

I would love to try a Pixel but with no official support in SA it is such a risk to import one.

Im not a big fan of Samsung's OneUI and their cameras (slow shutter speed).
Just ask anyone who has tried to take pics of moving objects like kids or animals.

Honor looks like a good option but being a Chinese brand theres always a bigger privacy concern. Same with other brands like Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi.

So in the end it it feels like it basically leaves us with just two brands to choose from, Samsung or iPhone.
Click to expand...
Nokia is also an option locally.
 
jnvdh06 said:
I know there are a few brands officially available in SA, but it really seems like the market is actually just Samsung vs iPhone.

Samsung gets the most support in terms of after market accessories and apps seem to work better on Samsung compared to other Android phones.

Other brands like Xiaomi, Oppo and Honor seem to have good phones, but long term reliability remains a question mark and after market accessories are hard to come by.

I would love to try a Pixel but with no official support in SA it is such a risk to import one.

Im not a big fan of Samsung's OneUI and their cameras (slow shutter speed).
Just ask anyone who has tried to take pics of moving objects like kids or animals.

Honor looks like a good option but being a Chinese brand theres always a bigger privacy concern. Same with other brands like Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi.

So in the end it it feels like it basically leaves us with just two brands to choose from, Samsung or iPhone.
Click to expand...
I am on my second pixel device.. don't see the risk..
 
sand_man said:
www.nanozee.com

OnePlus 13 5G | Nanozee

6.82-inch AMOLED screen with 120Hz LTPO, DisplayMate A++.Powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor.Cameras: 50MP(Sony LYT-808)+50MP(JN5)+48MP(Sony IMX581).12GB Ram & 256GB UFS 4.0 StorageOneplus 13 has 6000mAh battery, 100W super Warp charging.CN version, support Google Play...
www.nanozee.com www.nanozee.com

OnePlus 13

I skipped a year & did not make a 12er thread: The OP13 was just announced for China. While the OnePlus 13 is launched in China first, it will be released in global markets in the coming months. OnePlus 13 arrives with Snapdragon 8 Elite and 6,000 mAh battery OnePlus has always prioritized...
mybroadband.co.za mybroadband.co.za
Click to expand...

Looks like a great device. Have seen a few videos of it already.
 
jnvdh06 said:
Looks like a great device. Have seen a few videos of it already.
Click to expand...
Yeah. I could jump on here and punt it but the product sells itself.

Owned 6 over the last 8 years or so.

Not a single hardware issue or failure of any kind.

As far as build integrity is concerned they Apple-esque.

Little to no local support though. I've imported every accessory I've ever used including, but not limited to, replacement batteries for my 3 year old 7T Pro. The batteries were R180 a piece. Original OP replacement batteries. Shipping was R700. I ordered 3...
 
jnvdh06 said:
Which device? Ive read that 5G doesnt work in SA?
Where did you buy it from?
Click to expand...
Pixel 8 currently off of amazon.com.. As for 5G, it's pretty much most of the same 5G bands the Samsung Galaxy S24 ultra has, so 5G should work fine.. I have never actually verified, but I have never had issues with mobile data connectivity, which is probably why I have not bothered checking to verify..
 
jnvdh06 said:
Honor looks like a good option but being a Chinese brand theres always a bigger privacy concern. Same with other brands like Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi.
Click to expand...
My Honor is a great phone. I don't see the privacy concerns; these phones all have Google deeply embedded in everything; that might be a bit of a privacy concern!
 
I have yet to hear anything bad about Honor.... If i didnt have a samsung house, id look at it...
 
marbro said:
I have yet to hear anything bad about Honor.... If i didnt have a samsung house, id look at it...
Click to expand...
I switched from Huawei to Honor, and my wife and FIL have had Honor for years, no issues. The Honor experience is very similar to Huawei (and I like that).
 
WAslayer said:
Pixel 8 currently off of amazon.com.. As for 5G, it's pretty much most of the same 5G bands the Samsung Galaxy S24 ultra has, so 5G should work fine.. I have never actually verified, but I have never had issues with mobile data connectivity, which is probably why I have not bothered checking to verify..
Click to expand...
On my Pixel 6, no 5G. Apparently it is something that has to be enabled on the network side.
 
used a few android phones, can vouch for some of the oneplus phones, although I had a cheapie oneplus X that died,
used some no name chinese phones, had decent support until they left, innjoo comes to mind,

as for samsung, you can always go down the path of root and rom, and load AOSP on it and remove one UI and load pixel experience on it,

although you lose warranty and some functions like VOLTE and a few other things, but I used to use my S9 quite successfully on lineage OS for a long time,
 
Claymore said:
Replaced my Huawei Mate 50 Pro with an Honor Magic 6 Pro. Wife and FIL have Honor X8 5G, replacing with Honor 200 Lite.
Click to expand...
I have been keeping an eye on the Magic 6 Pro. Seems like a great device.
Even the 200 Lite for a mid range looks great as well.
 
I purchased an Xiaomi Redmi 14C during the Black Friday week last year.

I did some research and for the R2499.00 pricetag it seemed reasonable, especially with Andriod 14 on it and ample memory.

Also ensured that the specs indicted that it had NFC support.

But when I tried to setup my Google Wallet, to my disappointed it did not support NFC. I initially thought that is was just disabled but could not find any setting to enable it.

I eventually emailed Xiaomi support , just to receive a response that NFC support is regional based and that NFC is NOT supported in South Africa.

What a let down - will NEVER buy Xiaomi again.
 
OnePlus 13 continues to garner rave reviews. At the price point, it is pound for pound the best phone in the world. Without a doubt....
 
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