Do you remember your history of smartphones?

HTC Evo Shift (sliding keyboard, very tiny, plastic screen... no breaky)
HTC Evo 4G LTE (built in kickstand, very thin, probably got the most "head turns" as I sat it next to me in portrait mode while eating and flicking)
HTC One M8 (infrared blaster built into the power button on top)
LG v40 (great audio DAC)
Samsung A71 5G (still has headphone jack and microsd expansion, and of course, 5G! 300Mbit-500Mbit)

Probably the pinnacle feature wise was the sturdy aluminum body HTC One M8, with microsd expansion, headphone jack, infrared blaster, fm tuner, etc.

LG had a nice DAC, but camera was hit or miss. Typical battery swelling issues of "newer" devices.

Sprint forced most everyone to get a new phone with the T-mobile acquisition, the free phone of choice for me was the Samsung A71 5G, it doesn't bother me greatly and sadly, maybe the most featureful phone over the next several years as phone makers continue to strip away features. I'm waiting for one to get rid of the screen next. "There was just no more room for it."

Losing the infrared blaster was huge. Nothing like having a truly single device to control everything (including other people's things).
 
cjcox said:
HTC Evo Shift (sliding keyboard, very tiny, plastic screen... no breaky)
HTC Evo 4G LTE (built in kickstand, very thin, probably got the most "head turns" as I sat it next to me in portrait mode while eating and flicking)
HTC One M8 (infrared blaster built into the power button on top)
LG v40 (great audio DAC)
Samsung A71 5G (still has headphone jack and microsd expansion, and of course, 5G! 300Mbit-500Mbit)

Probably the pinnacle feature wise was the sturdy aluminum body HTC One M8, with microsd expansion, headphone jack, infrared blaster, fm tuner, etc.

LG had a nice DAC, but camera was hit or miss. Typical battery swelling issues of "newer" devices.

Sprint forced most everyone to get a new phone with the T-mobile acquisition, the free phone of choice for me was the Samsung A71 5G, it doesn't bother me greatly and sadly, maybe the most featureful phone over the next several years as phone makers continue to strip away features. I'm waiting for one to get rid of the screen next. "There was just no more room for it."

Losing the infrared blaster was huge. Nothing like having a truly single device to control everything (including other people's things).
Click to expand...
I remember trying the HTC One M8... it was absolutely my favorite Android phone of the era. Exceptionally well-built, and HTC's interface felt so very cohesive when anything but stock Android was frequently a mess. It even had clever portrait-mode-like camera tech (it was too early to really succeed, but it was there).

I can imagine wanting to upgrade beyond the A71 soon, but your choices aren't huge. You're basically looking at a newer Galaxy (I'd recommend the S21 FE or S22+), a Pixel 6 variant or a OnePlus 10 Pro if you're buying from T-Mobile. Assuming you're not inclined to an iPhone, of course.
 
Nokia 3310
Motorola droid
LG G3 (still in use)

I never was big on phones, I pretty much use them only for calls, texts, and a few programs/apps.
 
Samsung SCH-i760 winmo 6 phone with slide-out keyboard and separate number dial pad, was pretty nice and I still miss the "actual computer style programs" from these like telnet, irc chat and what not lol.
Nokia 822 windows 8 phone (fb integration and such was really nice on this)
Xperia Z3V was alright but not really amazing, hated the power button location and the sealing flaps all broke, I feel like since it was a 1-off verizon model it was lesser because of that.
LG G6 had bad reception in some places on verizon which is why I got the next phone but I liked it overall.
Samsung Note 9

For work I've had a variety of iphones and a lumia 925 which was nice, still not a fan of iphones especially the crappy new ones without the home button ??????? I swear they just keep making them worse.
 
Last edited:
Just smart phones eh? EZ PZ.... I keep them until they die or apps I use no longer work reliably.

Motorolla Droid X (I replaced the screen and battery once each, this phone lasted me a long time)
LG G4 (loved the camera on this one; but the motherboard died twice after replacement)
Samsung Galaxy S9+
 
Samsung SPH-A460
Sanyo SCP-4900
Motorola RAZR (Several of them)
LG Shine
iPhone 4 (16GB)
iPhone 5 (32GB)
iPhone 6 (64GB)
iPhone XR (128GB)
iPhone 13 Pro Max (128GB)

As far as providers:

Sprint
Cingular
AT&T
Verizon
 
Last edited:
Off the top of my head, I buy a lot of phones. There's a few that I cannot recall, like some LG junk that I got rid off in a day or two LOL.

Palm Treo
Blackberry 8300
iPhone 2G
iPhone 3G
iPhone 3GS
iPhone 4
Samsung SII Epic Touch 4G
Samsung Galaxy S2 Skyrocket
HTC Vivid
Samsung Galaxy Note
Samsung Galaxy S3
Samsung Galaxy Note 2
Samsung Galaxy S4
HTC One M7
Samsung Galaxy S5
iPhone 5S
Samsung Galaxy Note 3
Samsung Galaxy S5
Droid Turbo
Samsung Galaxy Note 4
iPhone 6+
Google Nexus 6
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Samsung Galaxy Note 5
HTC One M8
iPhone 6S+
Samsung Galaxy S7+
Samsung Galaxy Note 7
Moto Z Force with projector and speaker option
iPhone 7
iPhone 7+
Droid Turbo II
HTC 10
Samsung Galaxy S8+
Samsung Galaxy Note 8
iPhone 8+
iPhone X
Samsung S9+
Samsung Note 9
iPhone XS Max
Samsung S10+
Samsung S10 5G
Samsung S10e
OnePlus 7 Pro
Samsung Galaxy Note 10+
iPhone 11 Pro Max
Samsung S20 Ultra
Samsung Note 20 Ultra
iPhone 12 Pro Max
Samsung S21 Ultra
OnePlus 9 Pro
Samsung Z Fold3
iPhone 13 Pro Max
Google Pixel 6 Pro
Samsung S22 Ultra

Cerriers: Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, AT&T, Virgin Mobile, Digicel and some others.
 
cpufrost said:
Off the top of my head, I buy a lot of phones. There's a few that I cannot recall, like some LG junk that I got rid off in a day or two LOL.

Palm Treo
Blackberry 8300
iPhone 2G
iPhone 3G
iPhone 3GS
iPhone 4
Samsung SII Epic Touch 4G
Samsung Galaxy S2 Skyrocket
HTC Vivid
Samsung Galaxy Note
Samsung Galaxy S3
Samsung Galaxy Note 2
Samsung Galaxy S4
HTC One M7
Samsung Galaxy S5
iPhone 5S
Samsung Galaxy Note 3
Samsung Galaxy S5
Droid Turbo
Samsung Galaxy Note 4
iPhone 6+
Google Nexus 6
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
Samsung Galaxy Note 5
HTC One M8
iPhone 6S+
Samsung Galaxy S7+
Samsung Galaxy Note 7
Moto Z Force with projector and speaker option
iPhone 7
iPhone 7+
Droid Turbo II
HTC 10
Samsung Galaxy S8+
Samsung Galaxy Note 8
iPhone 8+
iPhone X
Samsung S9+
Samsung Note 9
iPhone XS Max
Samsung S10+
Samsung S10 5G
Samsung S10e
OnePlus 7 Pro
Samsung Galaxy Note 10+
iPhone 11 Pro Max
Samsung S20 Ultra
Samsung Note 20 Ultra
iPhone 12 Pro Max
Samsung S21 Ultra
OnePlus 9 Pro
Samsung Z Fold3
iPhone 13 Pro Max
Google Pixel 6 Pro
Samsung S22 Ultra

Cerriers: Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, AT&T, Virgin Mobile, Digicel and some others.
Click to expand...
dug-phone.png
 
cpufrost said:
Samsung SII Epic Touch 4G
Samsung Galaxy S2 Skyrocket
Click to expand...
Your phone history is massive, but these two remind me of that silly era where every US carrier insisted on an 'exclusive' Galaxy S II variant that was really just a cosmetic tweak with a ridiculous name. Sprint definitely 'won' the silliness award with "Samsung Galaxy S II, Epic 4G Touch." You know you've gone too far when you need a comma to name the phone.
 
Aurelius said:
Your phone history is massive, but these two remind me of that silly era where every US carrier insisted on an 'exclusive' Galaxy S II variant that was really just a cosmetic tweak with a ridiculous name. Sprint definitely 'won' the silliness award with "Samsung Galaxy S II, Epic 4G Touch." You know you've gone too far when you need a comma to name the phone.
Click to expand...
Yes and those were horrible too. No data while on a call (with Sprint).
And the Skyrocket...people complain about battery life? How about under 40% at lunchtime on a slow day?!!
But oh that screaming LTE speed in excess of 30Mbit making my cable (at the time) cry.
My how times have changed!
 
cpufrost said:
Yes and those were horrible too. No data while on a call (with Sprint).
And the Skyrocket...people complain about battery life? How about under 40% at lunchtime on a slow day?!!
But oh that screaming LTE speed in excess of 30Mbit making my cable (at the time) cry.
My how times have changed!
Click to expand...
Reminds me of those very first Verizon LTE phones. A colleague had the HTC Thunderbolt, and you could practically watch the battery die in real time if you used LTE for any significant stretch. Made me happy with waiting until the next year to get an iPhone 5.
 
Motorola Razr
Nokia XpressMusic 5300
iPhone 4
Samsung Note 4
LG V20
LG V30
LG V60
 
2009 Motorola RAZR V3xx
2010 Samsung Focus I917
2015 HTC One M8
2018 Motorola G6
2020 Motorola G Stylus

Yes, I stuck with Windows Phone for Eight Freakin Years. I deserve a cookie, hell, a lifetime supply of cookies.
 
Blackberry 9700 - iPhone 3G - MyTouch 3D - Nexus-One - EVO 4G - Nexus-S - EVO 3D - Galaxy S2 - Galaxy Nexus - HTC One X - Galaxy Note 2 - Nexus 4 - Galaxy S4 - HTC One M8- OnePlus One - iPhone 6 Plus - Nexus 6 - Galaxy Note 5 - LG G5 - HTC 10 - Nexus 6P - iPhone 7 Plus - Galaxy S8+ - LG G6 - Pixel 2 XL - LG V30 - Pixel 3 XL - Pixel 4 XL - iPhone 12 Pro Max - Pixel 5 - Pixel 5a - Pixel 6 Pro
 
Aurelius said:
Your phone history is massive, but these two remind me of that silly era where every US carrier insisted on an 'exclusive' Galaxy S II variant that was really just a cosmetic tweak with a ridiculous name. Sprint definitely 'won' the silliness award with "Samsung Galaxy S II, Epic 4G Touch." You know you've gone too far when you need a comma to name the phone.
Click to expand...
Still happens, I have the Samsung A71 5G, vs the "superior" Samsung A71 5G UW (it's not superior). And the phones are different to the point where the A71 != A71 5G != A71 5G UW when it comes to cases (sigh).

If you ever wonder why there aren't more cases for this phone, see the above != string.
 
Well this is a trip down memory lane:

HTC Thunderbolt - kickstand!
HTC DNA - 4G!
Iphone 6
Iphone 8
Iphone 13 Pro

I usually get four years or so out of my phones, and only upgrade when they feel really slow or start to get buggy.
 
Aurelius said:
I remember trying the HTC One M8... it was absolutely my favorite Android phone of the era. Exceptionally well-built, and HTC's interface felt so very cohesive when anything but stock Android was frequently a mess. It even had clever portrait-mode-like camera tech (it was too early to really succeed, but it was there).

I can imagine wanting to upgrade beyond the A71 soon, but your choices aren't huge. You're basically looking at a newer Galaxy (I'd recommend the S21 FE or S22+), a Pixel 6 variant or a OnePlus 10 Pro if you're buying from T-Mobile. Assuming you're not inclined to an iPhone, of course.
Click to expand...
Yeah, the lack of headphone jack and MicroSD means I'll stay with the "older" more feature laden A71 5G.

Still looking for a phone provider that isn't doubling their price every 5 years while removing parts and features. Though I suppose it's a great business plan if people (sheep?) are buying.
 
I resisted smartphones for the longest time.
I was actually walking around with a psvita until I picked up a in 2016
Lumia 640
Then on Prime day of that year I got a
BLU R1 HD I managed to suffer through that piece of shit for about a year when the
Moto G5 plus went on sale
In 2019 I bought a refurbished pixel 2.
Then in 2020 I got the 4a
And late last year got the pixel 6 with 256 gigs of storage for the price of a pro with only 128.
 
cjcox said:
Yeah, the lack of headphone jack and MicroSD means I'll stay with the "older" more feature laden A71 5G.

Still looking for a phone provider that isn't doubling their price every 5 years while removing parts and features. Though I suppose it's a great business plan if people (sheep?) are buying.
Click to expand...
I suspect you'll have to buy a phone without a 3.5mm jack or microSD at some point, as waiting for the industry to have a change of heart will probably be a fool's errand. With that said, there's also no rush if you're happy. And by then, you probably won't have to worry so much about expandable storage. I know my 512GB will likely be plenty for the life of my phone.

I don't know that you'll find a brand that's as aggressive on pricing as you'd like. Motorola and Google, maybe? And even brands like Apple and Samsung are better than you might think, since you can get high-end $700-800 devices from them without feeling like you're making gigantic sacrifices. The $1K+ models are now mainly reserved for the "gotta have the best" types who want the most camera features, the most storage, the latest screen tech.
 
Last edited:
First cell was one of the classic Nokia, then a flip phone. I don't remember all the models, but my first actual "smart" phone was a Samsung windows phone. When it needed replacing I tried android but still needed it to be windows so I went back to HTC windows then Lumia 950. Stayed with that until it became only useable as a phone. Now I have an S9, and S20. Might need to retire before I need my glasses to be connected as well. Nah, chances are I will sign up for that too.
 
Aurelius said:
I suspect you'll have to buy a phone without a 3.5mm jack or microSD at some point, as waiting for the industry to have a change of heart will probably be a fool's errand. With that said, there's also no rush if you're happy. And by then, you probably won't have to worry so much about expandable storage. I know my 512GB will likely be plenty for the life of my phone.

I don't know that you'll find a brand that's as aggressive on pricing as you'd like. Motorola and Google, maybe? And even brands like Apple and Samsung are better than you might think, since you can get high-end $700-800 devices from them without feeling like you're making gigantic sacrifices. The $1K+ models are now mainly reserved for the "gotta have he best" types who want the most camera features, the most storage, the latest screen tech.
Click to expand...
Makes zero sense to pay even $700 for a phone that has fewer features than a 5 year flagship phone.

16K screen on a phone.... do we really care? Photo files that occupy 500GB each, is that really progress?

They're chasing goals that simply do not exist.
 
cjcox said:
Makes zero sense to pay even $700 for a phone that has fewer features than a 5 year flagship phone.

16K screen on a phone.... do we really care? Photo files that occupy 500GB each, is that really progress?

They're chasing goals that simply do not exist.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't say they have fewer features, just that they aren't uniformly positive upgrades.

The funny thing is that screens haven't really evolved much in the past few years. The biggest upgrades seem to be refresh rates (120Hz or better is increasingly common) and brightness (you no longer have to squint in bright sunlight). Sony is the only brand pushing resolution as a major feature, and it's been at 4K for years.

Photography I see as an important goal. Your phone is the camera you always have with you, and there have been moments where I've really appreciated having more than a basic shooter (like a Nick Cave concert I went to this month, in fact). It's just important for people like me to remember that it's not the be-all, end-all of phone upgrades.
 
I'm so nearsighted that I actually get more value watching movies and such on high resolution smart phone screens than if I were to get big TV.
So I really appreciate that pixel density is so high on midrange and flagship phones.
It's the initial reason why I started looking at my current phone
 
Wow you guys go through phones fast!
iphone 4
Galaxy S5
LG V20 (my favorite - IR blaster, removable battery and SD card, best audio, I even liked the clunky 2nd screen)
LG V60

I don't know what to get next now that my beloved LG V series is gone. I hope there will be one phone in 2+ years which has good wired audio, or at least some kind of dongle which can give me the same experience. It's the main feature I want in a phone.
 
Yes. I had a Samasung phone back in early 2013. Then, I moved to a smartphone (Lenovo). Currently, I am using an iphone.
 
bananas1 said:
Wow you guys go through phones fast!
iphone 4
Galaxy S5
LG V20 (my favorite - IR blaster, removable battery and SD card, best audio, I even liked the clunky 2nd screen)
LG V60

I don't know what to get next now that my beloved LG V series is gone. I hope there will be one phone in 2+ years which has good wired audio, or at least some kind of dongle which can give me the same experience. It's the main feature I want in a phone.
Click to expand...
Apple's 3.5mm-to-Lightning adapter is supposed to be good... and while I wouldn't say the DAC tops the best LG offered, it's at least solid.

With that said, I wouldn't pin all your hopes on great wired audio. You don't want to be That Person who's holding on to a rickety old phone, waiting for the industry change-of-heart that never comes. Either grab a phone with a good dongle or look for the better Bluetooth audio options (Sennheiser, Sony, Bose, etc.).
 
Current "trendy" thing is wired head phones. If you follow "the trends".
 
I use IEMs I like to fall asleep with. The LG V60 has very low noise so it's almost silent. Every other phone, laptop, or non audio-enthusiast device has a hiss which I can't stand. I am that guy...I know, hah! I hope this V60 lasts a long time, at least long enough to keep using it for music beyond its useful life as a phone.

Wired is always king. Bluetooth is lossy and I notice it even with eadphones or earbuds under $100
 
I run a cobalt dragonfly DAC and it's quiet. My UE18 Pros are super sensitive and like sitting in front of a pair of Klipschorns with a stupid noisy amp where they hiss louder than a damn pissed off crocodile, yeah that annoys me too!
 
bananas1 said:
I use IEMs I like to fall asleep with. The LG V60 has very low noise so it's almost silent. Every other phone, laptop, or non audio-enthusiast device has a hiss which I can't stand. I am that guy...I know, hah! I hope this V60 lasts a long time, at least long enough to keep using it for music beyond its useful life as a phone.

Wired is always king. Bluetooth is lossy and I notice it even with eadphones or earbuds under $100
Click to expand...
I miss my V40 (killed by T-mobile's Sprint acquisition), but if I had a so-so DAC with headphone jack, user controlled storage, replaceable battery AND IR blaster, I might be happy.

What I'm not happy with, today's so-called flagship phones.
 
Easy enough for me: iPhone 4S, LG G4, iPhone 6S, iPhone 8+, iPhone 13
The LG was my venture into Android and I hated it. Flat out loathed Android. Granted this was around the time of Kit Kat I think. I got locked out of my Google somehow and my phone was basically a brick for 72 hours. I don't even remember how it happened, but that pushed me over the edge to switch back to Apple.
As for the G4 itself though, I loved that phone. Leather back, the curved screen was really nice and modest, less 'curvy' than most curved TVs for example, and having two batteries was a huge plus. Also the best camera I'd ever had up until the iPhone 13 I have now. I knew it was impossible, but I was actually sad I couldn't just get iOS onto the G4 and keep it.
 
iPhone
iPhone 3G
iPhone 4
Samsung Galaxy S3
LG G3
Samsung Galaxy Note 5
Samsung Galaxy Note 7
Samsung Galaxy Note 8
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
 
Short history for me, I tend to hang on to tech longer than most.

LG800G, Dumbphone
1962838dd283d10601e56e3223c69542.jpg

https://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-LG800G
While not a smartphone, it was the 1st touchscreen phone I had. Had a nice loud speaker I used as a alarm clock, shame you couldn't manually set the time tho........ Also had a nice built in programable conversion table you can program so I could calculate product easily. Ended up being stolen with my techbag a few years ago.

Samsung Exhibit II 4G T679
samsung-exhibit-ii-4g.jpg

https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_exhibit_ii_4g_t679-4277.php
1st smartphone bought in 2011-2012 for $200.
Ended up rooting it and flashed a custom OS, named Mandi, not sure. OCed the CPU from 1ghz to 1.5.
Developed pixel-rot, so I took it apart, for science.

Samsung Galaxy J3 Prime J327T
samsung-galaxy-j3-emerge-.jpg

https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_j3_emerge-8486.php
Underpowered POS, un-rootable and locked 1.4ghz quad-core, 1.5GB RAM budget phone that was OK for a year or 2 at most, currently assigned as a backup if my main is down. Might've still be using it if I did broke the front glass......

https://www.gsmarena.com/xiaomi_redmi_note_9s-10147.php
Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S, current phone.
xiaomi-redmi-note-9-pro-1.jpg

Snapdragon 720G, 6/128GB RAM/UFS2.1 ROM, 512GB SD
Nice budget mid-range bought more than a year ago, plays a few GameCube games OK.
Waited too long to replace the battery and the bulge put too much strain on a connector on the main board, breaking it. Just finished repairing it a couple of weeks ago but the main mic and mic line-in from the 3.5 jack isn't working so I have to either redo the connector, or replace it again since I have 3 spares left. Might end up replacing the ribbon cable and sub board so I have a fresh USB port.
I like that it has a FM radio and IR blaster.

1cm 40pin connectors are a PITA, Glad I bought a reflow gun!
20220401_172708.jpg

20220507_160918.jpg

--------------------------------------------------------------
Next phone I like to get as my main.
Motorola Moto G100
motorola-moto-g100-ofic-01.jpg

https://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_moto_g100-10791.php
Budget flagship with SD870, 8/128GB RAM/ROM, SD slot and 3.5mm jack that is a must. HDMI out with a well reviewed desktop mode.
Going to miss the dual SIM, but I have to ditch the SD card if I want to use a 2nd SIM.
 
HTC Mogul PPC-6800
HTC Touch Pro
Samsung Epic 4G
HTC Evo 3D
Galaxy S4
LG G3
LG G4
iPhone 6s
iPhone 7+
iPhone 11 Pro Max
iPhone 13 Pro Max

I could be missing one, but that looks about right.
 
Samsung Galaxy S II
Samsung Galaxy S III
Samsung Note 4, Huawei Mate 9 Pro
Samsung Note 8, iPhone 8 Plus

Wanted to try other brands but timing wasn't right, outdated or not offered here. Not considering any of the other Chinese brand phone (ZTE, Xiaomi, Oppo)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top