Are high end smartphones worth the money (to you)?

[IsaanT]

20 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Just a note, for longer battery life, you probably shouldn't be charging to 100% all the time.  

 

I support this approach. 

 

All rechargeable batteries have a finite number of full charges before they expire.  Charging from zero to 100% is one full cycle.

 

On my phone, charging from 30% to 75% uses 0.11 of a cycle - 11% of a full cycle.

 

I use an app called Accubattery which tells me when the battery charge reaches 75% (and repeats on my watch).

 

My phone batteries last a long time.

[tomazbodner]

9 minutes ago, IsaanT said:

 

I support this approach. 

 

All rechargeable batteries have a finite number of full charges before they expire.  Charging from zero to 100% is one full cycle.

 

On my phone, charging from 30% to 75% uses 0.11 of a cycle - 11% of a full cycle.

 

I use an app called Accubattery which tells me when the battery charge reaches 75% (and repeats on my watch).

 

My phone batteries last a long time.

Xiaomi 14 (at least Ultra) has a "Battery protection" setting where you can cap charging to 80%. There's another one for optimizing battery or something like that, which learns when you pull phone off charging pad, and tops up from 80 to 100% just before you take it off. Admittedly, even without all this, my battery on previous phone lasted over 5 years (Huawei P30 Pro).

[IsaanT]

1 hour ago, tomazbodner said:

Xiaomi 14 (at least Ultra) has a "Battery protection" setting where you can cap charging to 80%.

 

Admittedly, even without all this, my battery on previous phone lasted over 5 years (Huawei P30 Pro).

 

It's worth using a built-in charge limiting function. This obviously allows you to leave it on charge overnight without overcharging.

 

All my batteries last at least five years but the strength of a full charge diminishes slowly over time.  My current phone is a bit more than two years old and now has 94% of its original capacity.

 

[scubascuba3]

5 hours ago, Ben Zioner said:

Sounds like you never went to a movie theatre.

More likely you and others just don't want to move with the times and use a phone

[scubascuba3]

4 hours ago, henryford1958 said:

Those 5k phones are plastic crap.

Garbage, which ones have you tried?

[impulse]

11 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

More likely you and others just don't want to move with the times and use a phone

 

Every time I get back to the big screen, keyboard and mouse, I realize (and appreciate) what I've been missing while I was limited to using the smartphone.  Usually while traveling for a day or 2.  

[NoshowJones]

On 2/5/2025 at 11:29 AM, VR333 said:

Something like a Samsung A15 is good enough for many people, it's why so many are sold. My niece always has the latest and greatest Samsung at five times the price. In her job, she makes use of the premium features it comes with. I don't game, and I'm not making videos for YouTube, so while I can afford $2K for a phone, it would be a waste of money. A bright high-res screen with a snappy processor, maybe a step up from an A15 is all I need.

I bought that Samsung A15 for about 5000Bt but the sound of playing downloaded music is very poor so I am back to my  Redmi which costs about 10,000Bt.

[impulse]

19 minutes ago, IsaanT said:

All my batteries last at least five years but the strength of a full charge diminishes slowly over time.  My current phone is a bit more than two years old and now has 94% of its original capacity.

 

One of the things I love about Thailand is how cheap and easy it is to get a battery replaced, even on the models where the manufacturer tried to make it hard.  Crafty devils, those Thais...  They'll bend over backwards to make a transaction work.

 

[impulse]

2 minutes ago, NoshowJones said:

I bought that Samsung A15 for about 5000Bt but the sound of playing downloaded music is very poor so I am back to my  Redmi which costs about 10,000Bt.

 

Is that with Bluetooth (or wired) earphones? 

 

I'm amazed at how much cheaper Bluetooth headsets are in Thailand than back home.  I used to think I was getting a steal if I found a nice set for under $50 back home. 

[CygnusX1]

4 hours ago, klauskunkel said:

I bought an iphone 15 last year, and I have to say I am quite impressed with it's lowlight picture quality

Great photos, you have obvious talent. I’ve also been impressed with the low light performance of my new iphone16 pro after a few handheld test shots. Thing I really dislike about it is that it’s apparently impossible to turn off HDR (high dynamic range), even shooting in RAW. Only way around it seems to be to buy non Apple software to control the camera (subscription pricing model, which I hate).

[NoshowJones]

7 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

Is that with Bluetooth (or wired) earphones? 

 

I'm amazed at how much cheaper Bluetooth headsets are in Thailand than back home.  I used to think I was getting a steal if I found a nice set for under $50 back home. 

Bluetooth, I bought the earbuds from Amazon for about 25GBP.

Great value.

[impulse]

4 minutes ago, CygnusX1 said:

Thing I really dislike about it is that it’s apparently impossible to turn off HDR (high dynamic range), even shooting in RAW.

 

You just mentioned a benefit I wasn't aware of.  I don't think it's possible to shoot in RAW on my A05s.  But is that because it's a Samsung, or because it's on the bottom end of the product line?

 

I just checked the photo settings and RAW doesn't appear as an option.  Or am I missing it?

 

[impulse]

3 minutes ago, NoshowJones said:

Bluetooth, I bought the earbuds from Amazon for about 25GBP.

Great value.

 

I buy mine from a guy in Chinatown.  Every couple of months I stop in his kiosk and look at what's new and zoomie. 

 

Shameless plug, I've been really happy with HOCO brand for 300-600 baht.  Except their active noise cancelling.  Not a fan of that feature, though the headphones sound great when it's disabled.

 

[CygnusX1]

6 minutes ago, impulse said:

You just mentioned a benefit I wasn't aware of.  I don't think it's possible to shoot in RAW on my A05s.  But is that because it's a Samsung, or because it's on the bottom end of the product line?

 

I just checked the photo settings and RAW doesn't appear as an option.  Or am I missing it?

I’m anything but an expert on this, but on the iphone 16 pro go to settings - camera - photographic styles - open settings - you can see ‘Pro Raw and resolution control’. Short reply sorry, have to catch a plane.

 

[impulse]

Just now, CygnusX1 said:

I’m anything but an expert on this, but on the iphone 16 pro go to settings - camera - photographic styles - open settings - you can see ‘Pro Raw and resolution control’. Short reply sorry, have to catch a plane.

Safe travels!

 

[scubascuba3]

30 minutes ago, NoshowJones said:

Bluetooth, I bought the earbuds from Amazon for about 25GBP.

Great value.

I bought Lenova Bluetooth earphones on Lazada, great for £3

[impulse]

5 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

I bought Lenova Bluetooth earphones on Lazada, great for £3

 

Whaddaya figure are the odds that they're genuine Lenova?

 

I bought a couple of pairs of Apple earbuds in Chinatown.  Turns out they work and sound great.  But I suspect they may not be genuine iPods (sp?), at 300 baht a pair.  But the packaging is very convincing, and they use Firewire.

 

 

[Centigrade32]

5 hours ago, jaywalker2 said:

For the most part, I don't use the apps. YouTube is the classic example -- unwatchable in the app because of the ads. I deleted Spotify and Twitter for the same reasons. So I open most sites in the Firefox on mobile. But if you want to  go to a link and read an article, you can't. You either have to sign up for "free" account or it's behind a paywall. And you're inundated with ads, of course  On the laptop, I don't have that problem. All the links work, no ads, and paywalls are usually not a problem.

 

Apps on phones serve two main purposes: data harvesting and the delivery of ads. Functionality is a distant second place, which is why so many people were surprised to see how user friendly RedNote was, unlike most US social media apps.

 

Slightly confused by your reply. First you say that you don't use the Apps, but then you describe using the Apps. 😊

 

Stop using the App and stop using Firefox. Use one of the Browsers aforementioned. You should have the same functionality as when using your PC. Pop into the Settings whenever you hit a Paywall...

[scubascuba3]

5 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

Whaddaya figure are the odds that they're genuine Lenova?

 

I bought a couple of pairs of Apple earbuds in Chinatown.  Turns out they work and sound great.  But I suspect they may not be genuine iPods (sp?), at 300 baht a pair.  But the packaging is very convincing, and they use Firewire.

 

 

I'd say genuine, they wouldn't bother to fake Lenova, looked like end of line stock, i bought another pair as back up once i tried them

[Toby1947]

Apparently Bill Clinton never had a mobile phone, so I'm pretty sure that 99% of the morons out there today don't need one 

[kimothai]

On 2/5/2025 at 9:48 AM, impulse said:

Honest question.  I'm a cheap phone guy.  My current phone is a Samsung A05s, which seems to do everything I need.  Around 5000 baht (+/-).  

 

I'm wondering whether other people have found the extra features and speed of the higher end phones to be worth it, in their personal experience.  No wrong answers...  I realize it's a personal choice.  I'd just like some (preferably polite) input from people who aren't as cheap as me, and sprung for the higher end phones.

 

In fact, my favorite smartphone was my first, a Samsung S2 from 2011 or so.  I wish I could find a phone that size with today's tech.  They all seem to be going the other way, getting bigger and bigger.  (I'd add that the S2 cost me around 4x as much as the A05s, and that's before factoring in 10+ years of inflation)

 

I started with a Galaxy S2 and changed almost yearly for a newer model.  As the years went by the size of the phones kept getting bigger and bigger.  I simply got tired of big phones and opted for a Samsung Flip a few months ago.  I love it.  If the folding screen last for at least 2 years, I'll be happy to buy another.

[jas007]

I guess I'm somewhat of a sucker for electronic gizmos, especially phones, so once in a while, I'll buy the latest iPhone Pro.  I bought an iPhone 15 Pro ;last year.  I don't go for the high storage, though. Just 256GB.  I've used it for a year and it still only used 62 GB of storage.  I don't remember what I paid for it. 

 

I use it for photos, and streaming music to my Apple AirPods when I'm out at the pool.  Those Airpods will also connect to the computer and my iPads and the Apple TV, so it all works together.

 

And when I had a car, I could stream music to my car radio.  So I kept some playlists on Tidal and Qobuz.  And there's also Apple Play on some cars. 

[scubascuba3]

23 minutes ago, Toby1947 said:

Apparently Bill Clinton never had a mobile phone, so I'm pretty sure that 99% of the morons out there today don't need one 

He's very old too, times have changed

[jaywalker2]

1 hour ago, Centigrade32 said:

 

Slightly confused by your reply. First you say that you don't use the Apps, but then you describe using the Apps. 😊

 

Stop using the App and stop using Firefox. Use one of the Browsers aforementioned. You should have the same functionality as when using your PC. Pop into the Settings whenever you hit a Paywall...

I said "for the most part." Of course I have some apps on my phone and I've tried others but generally the experience hasn't been good -- like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. I prefer to use them in the browser. Personal preference. Again, there are exceptions obviously. I have tried Brave along with most of the other browsers both on the laptop and phone. As far as I'm concerned Firefox is by far the best.

[Jingthing]

7 hours ago, scottiejohn said:

What were those difference?

Major malfunctions even with all updated.

[impulse]

36 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

He's very old too, times have changed

 

And most of us haven't had a Secret Service detail escorting us around for decades, with zillions of dollars of secret squirrel communication equipment.

 

[3NUMBAS]

Still have an old button fone for the main one ,newer fones only for banking which stay at home 

[impulse]

50 minutes ago, jas007 said:

I guess I'm somewhat of a sucker for electronic gizmos, especially phones, so once in a while, I'll buy the latest iPhone Pro.  I bought an iPhone 15 Pro ;last year.  I don't go for the high storage, though. Just 256GB.  I've used it for a year and it still only used 62 GB of storage.  I don't remember what I paid for it. 

 

I use it for photos, and streaming music to my Apple AirPods when I'm out at the pool.  Those Airpods will also connect to the computer and my iPads and the Apple TV, so it all works together.

 

And when I had a car, I could stream music to my car radio.  So I kept some playlists on Tidal and Qobuz.  And there's also Apple Play on some cars. 

 

I get that you like all those features, but do you really use the goodies that are only available on the Top of Line iPhones?  Or could you be satisfied with a less premium iPhone?

 

Like I said in the OP, there are no wrong answers.  Just looking for personal observations.  And I'm almost hoping someone can convince me that I'm missing out on something and I should amend my cheap ass ways and splurge when the A05s goes tits up.  So far, I get that there are features, but I'm not convinced I'd benefit from them.  At least not to the tune of $500-$1000 additional.

 

Edit:  But a Pox (in advance) upon anyone who convinces me to go Apple.  Even though I almost cried when my company made me switch from Apple to Windows in the '90s.