I don’t know what my first smartphone should be.

[afulton101222]

I am 17 years old and I have never owned a smartphone. Impossible, right? Well, it's true; I have never owned a smartphone. I still have a "dumb" phone that slides up to reveal a qwerty keyboard. I am not allowed to have a smartphone until I turn 18, but I LOVE technology and so I have been researching smartphones since I was 16. My 18th Birthday is in December, so I know companies will release new flagships along the way, maybe causing me to change my mind about which one I want to choose. It's not so much which specific model I would choose as it is which manufacturer I would go with. Below I have most of the manufacturers I am considering and some things I like and don't like. In sending this email, I am asking for your advice about what you think I should choose for my first phone. I am open to opinions, facts, and suggestions about anything that might sway me one way or another. Also, in case it helps, my carrier would either be Verizon or Straight Talk.

Pixel: I’ve heard many bad things about bugs and blue tint and that updates making the device hot, but the camera and stock android are very tempting.

Samsung: s9 or s9+? Which size will be best for me and why? I am a fairly tall person at 6'1" and my hands are medium sized for my height range. I want to go with Samsung because if I were to buy one, I would order unlocked from their website and then I could get a really nice discount with a trade-in of someone else's old phone and student discounts. and pay about $540.

iPhone: I love iMessage and how easy it is to share photos and files from device to device. Also, they are the fastest smartphones. The downside is that they have smaller batteries (which is mostly compensated for by the processor and internals) and that they are not very customizable.

ASUS: Cheaper phones that are still pretty nice.

iOS vs Android: iOS is clean cut like and pretty much the same for every phone. Android is a ton more customizable and can view files like they’re on a computer. iOS is way easier to share files with other iOS technology and i LOVE iMessage with read receipts and recipients typing. Android does not have that, some apps do, like facebook messenger, but the stock texting app doesn’t have it.

LG V30: just because of the looks and its specs, but it’s over $800, pretty expensive

 

[belodion]

Welcome.

I'm not familiar with any of the Android devices you mention, although I can tell you that the iPhone SE, small battery or not, returns an excellent battery time.
I'll move the thread to the General Help & How To forum for comments from other members.

 

[petroleumgearbox]

It sounds like you're set on iOS even though I think you're a little off the mark regarding speed and sharing functions.
You'll also find that iOS doesn't tend to work well with other non-iOS specific devices.
Personally I've always loved Android and it's versatility, customisation (literally almost every iPhone looks the same and it's rather boring, and you can have custom launchers on Android without rooting), progressive nature(some of the "new" features that Apple announce have been around for years on android devices).

Many stores carry these top end devices in a demonstration mode so it doesn't give a real life representation of how it will perform, try and speak to and experience first hand people who have the devices you're considering.

I'm currently looking at the OnePlus 5T(maybe the 6 if it's released soon), Pixel 2, Samsung S9(not really an option, but a good deal may sway me) and finally the newest top end Oppo device. I really miss my old Oppo Find 7, I dropped it last year and couldn't find anywhere to replace the screen (one of the downsides of buying from a manufacturer without local stores/retailers), it was better than most top of the line phones and literally half the price They are owned by the same people that own OnePlus, and use a custom OS that doesn't run the latest version of android but it does run very smoothly and they have some cool features.

Shop around, ask for student discount and play the shops against each other, they will usually offer to beat competitors deals.

Good luck!

 

[Rukbat]

I am 17 years old and I have never owned a smartphone. Impossible, right? Well, it's true; I have never owned a smartphone.

You grew up in a world of smartphones, I grew up in a world of payphones. Most of my friends didn't even have a landline in the house. (My father owned a business, so he had a phone in the house in case he had to make a business call when he was at home. It wasn't for me to fool around with.)

Pixel: I’ve heard many bad things about bugs

Every phone has a bug or two every update, and some of the bugs you hear about are from the version of Android, not the phone. (No text tones for individual contacts - that's Oreo, but Pixel has had it since September, so it sounded like a Pixel problem.)

and blue tint

Only the 2 XL.

and that updates making the device hot

Never had that happen.

but the camera and stock android are very tempting.

Very good camera - everyone else is comparing their dynamic range against it - and coming up short.

Samsung: s9 or s9+? Which size will be best for me and why? I am a fairly tall person at 6'1" and my hands are medium sized for my height range. I want to go with Samsung because if I were to buy one, I would order unlocked from their website and then I could get a really nice discount with a trade-in of someone else's old phone and student discounts. and pay about $540.

And get a few security updates a year (Samsung seems to keep them until they have a batch, then come out with one update to cover them all) and be susceptible to malware until the next one.

iPhone: I love iMessage and how easy it is to share photos and files from device to device.

Android will be using RCS (T-Mobile already supports it), so it will be Apple that has to catch up.

Also, they are the fastest smartphones.

Not really. They use the same ARM devices at the same clock speeds.

The downside is that they have smaller batteries (which is mostly compensated for by the processor and internals)

It's not, really - they just have smaller batteries, which means more frequent charges.

and that they are not very customizable.

Not really customizeable at all. And all your apps are on the home screen - there's no app drawer. (Also, just about no free apps. It's like Gillette, except the razor isn't free. The Apple logo adds to the price of a device - because some people are willing to pay more just because it's Apple [chalk that up to Jobs' marketing genius])

ASUS: Cheaper phones that are still pretty nice.

Cheap is as cheap costs, in this case.

iOS is way easier to share files with other iOS technology

Only because of iMessage and the fact Apple won't allow anyone else to use the protocol. As I said, RCS will eliminate that problem. If it goes all the way, you'll even be able to share things without the use of mobile data.

and i LOVE iMessage with read receipts and recipients typing.

RCS again.

LG V30: just because of the looks and its specs, but it’s over $800, pretty expensive

Nice phone, but most good smartphones will be in that price range.

And there's the choice of carrier. Are you really using the one that gives you the best coverage where you need coverage?

 

[afulton101222]

RCS again....

And there's the choice of carrier. Are you really using the one that gives you the best coverage where you need coverage?

RCS is the new 'SMS' technology that is being developed, correct?

Also, I live in the lower peninsula of Michigan near lake Michigan. My family is currently on Verizon so it would be cheaper for me to pay my data share if I were to stay on the family plan. I have a friend that pays for his phone bill and likes Straight Talk. He has the AT&T sim card for Straight Talk and he says that his data is always fast and reliable. If I were to transfer to Straight Talk, I would either use an AT&T or Verizon sim card. In my area, Verizon is the fastest but AT&T is a little bit more reliable.