• RedFrank24@lemmy.world
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    29 days ago

    If Google is going to lock down my device to the point where I can’t install apps without their permission, I might as well dump Android and go straight to Apple. I sacrificed my phone being good for the openness of the platform, but if Google loses that openness, why shouldn’t I go with Apple?

    • DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works
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      28 days ago

      Because the cheapest new iPhone is $600 and you can get a cheap new android phone for around $100-$200 and get 6 years of security updates (Galaxy A16 for example)

      If a smartphone is no longer a computer where you can install whatever you want, why bother investing so much money on a very locked-down phone? You can use the hundred of dollars you saved to spend on a small portable PC or something to run any software you want.

      • RedFrank24@lemmy.world
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        28 days ago

        Yeah but my banks don’t support my small portable PC, nor does my mobile phone provider. If I wanted a small portable PC I’d get a small portable PC. What I want is a smartphone.

      • Psythik@lemmy.world
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        28 days ago

        $600 is pocket change for a phone these days. And for that $600 you’re getting a flagship phone. You couldn’t pay me enough money to put up with a non-flagship. Been there, done that. They’re too slow and frustrating, and apps keep closing due to lack of RAM. Never again. I much rather spend $600-800 on a high-end device that’s a couple of generations old.

        • DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works
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          28 days ago

          A $200 phone in 2015 is not the same as a $200 phone in 2025. I know from experience.

          Those phones in 2015 were awful, but in 2025, they feel more like mid-range phones.

          Edit: And $600 is pocket change? Sound like someone lived a privilaged life.

          • Zen_Shinobi@lemmy.world
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            28 days ago

            This 100%

            I have used tracfone since 2012 and only bought phones from their store, sub $150. The budget phones today are so much better than the last 10 years.

            I just can’t wrap my head around sinking that much into a phone when you replace it every year and it cost as much as a decent budget computer, but worse.

            • Ilandar@lemmy.today
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              28 days ago

              I just can’t wrap my head around sinking that much into a phone when you replace it every year

              Usually the people who replace their flagship phone every 1 - 2 years aren’t paying full price for it, or at least not upfront. They are receiving trade-in and pre-order discounts, or spreading the cost out over a 12 - 24 month period through a plan with their telco.

              • xthexder@l.sw0.com
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                28 days ago

                I used my last phone for about 4 years. At that point the battery life was getting worse, and the coating to prevent smudges and make your finger slide easily had worn off in the middle. Even then it’s still perfectly usable, I just wanted an upgrade and to get away from Samsung.

                I don’t understand the people that upgrade every year or two. In the last 5 years basically the only new development has been higher refresh rate displays and faker looking (more processed) camera images…

                • Ilandar@lemmy.today
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                  28 days ago

                  I don’t think people are doing it because the new phones have better specs. It’s more a social status flex or because tech consumerism (buying new toys) is a default hobby now for many.

                  • xthexder@l.sw0.com
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                    28 days ago

                    That’s unfortunate. Personally I can barely tell all the black rectangles apart. It’s a utility for me, not a fashion accessory. Maybe if it was, I’d have an iPhone

            • Honytawk@lemmy.zip
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              28 days ago

              People who upgrade every year sell their old one at >50% the price.

              So they don’t fork over €600, they only do €250 or so.

          • Psythik@lemmy.world
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            28 days ago

            I make $19/hr and live paycheck to paycheck. I’m just being realistic about the current cell phone market.

            • Ilandar@lemmy.today
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              28 days ago

              Surely cost relative to income is more relevant than cost relative to the rest of the market? Something doesn’t magically become cheap just because everything else is ridiculously expensive.

    • humanspiral@lemmy.ca
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      28 days ago

      Apple hardware has always been a generation ahead. Even when android/qualcom catches up, next generation is out already. The reason to avoid apple was it being a closed system money grab.

    • Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world
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      28 days ago

      The only answer is money at that point. I don’t know how much phones are these days, but aren’t iPhones like $1400, but Android is like $900?

      I may be wrong though. Last time I bought a phone was 2018, and it was $600. Still using it.

      • viking@infosec.pub
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        28 days ago

        You can get Android phones with reasonable specs around $200. No need for the so called “flagships”.

      • RedFrank24@lemmy.world
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        28 days ago

        I already tend to buy the expensive flagship models of phones. I buy unlocked and it lasts me ~5+ years, so I get the best phone I can get at the time and make it last, so money isn’t as much of an issue if I were to move to an iPhone.

    • MrSqueezles@lemmy.world
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      27 days ago

      This change requires you to attach your real name when publishing software. That’s all. You can still publish to and install packages from anywhere. This doesn’t come close to Apple’s complete control.

      Google already scans packages you’re installing for malware and alerts you and allows you to install them anyway. This gives that scanner one more tool to identify bad actors.