What do you like most about 2015? What did you not like?

[D13H4RD2L1V3]

So, 2015 has left and in comes 2016.

It's going to be yet another exciting year for us Android geeks and tech geeks as a whole. But let's reflect on the past year and see the stuff that we really liked, along with the stuff that wasn't so hot.

Here's some of the stuff that I personally liked in 2015, and some that I didn't.

LIKES
- Samsung's re-invigoration. Absolutely gorgeous phones with the power to match. Brilliant hardware and also slimmed down software that is still a tad heavy but much better than before.
- LG's 2 excellent smartphones (G4 & V10). Coupled with solid hardware, great cameras, and the long-favorites of many power-users, being both a removable battery and SD card slot. Software needs some work, though, but it's getting there.
- BlackBerry's first Android phone, and it's a damn good one at that.
- The Nexus 6P. Nothing else needs to be said.
- Is it true? We can now get high-end phones for midrange money? YES INDEED!
- The slow but increasing adoption of wireless charging
- Android 6.0
- The iPhone 6S. Simply brilliant hardware (especially extremely-fast NVMe storage)
- Huawei's getting some recognition here.

DISLIKES
- HTC's disappointments. The M9 was a solid phone but looked too similar to the M8 for its own good, coupled with early woes of the Snapdragon 810 along with a disappointing camera. The A9 was a better overall package, but its design was.......controversial, to say the least. Let's hope the M10 and the Vive give them a better start to 2016.
- Battery life. Enough with the "thinner phones" race, people. We want phones with better battery life while also looking good to boot. Stuff in batteries as big as you can fit and as big as current tech allows in 2016.
- Samsung's removal of expandable storage and a removable battery. Meh, not really a big deal to me now, but some are still bitter about it.
- Sony's 4K display that runs in 1080p most of the time. I get the limitations and the need to stand out from the crowd, but isn't a 4K display too much for a phone??
- Moto's decision to leave out the Moto E and carrier versions of the 2014 Moto X in the Marshmallow upgrade timeline

That's what I have. I'd like to know what you guys liked and disliked in 2015.

 

[bembol]

I thought I could live without microSD and removable Battery, after all i Huawei's nexus 6 is my favorite of 2015.

The problem is the battery isn't the best and comes at a premium price, reminds me of a company I love, in Desktop and Tablets at least. LOL

My other issue seems to be with Non-Google phones, I had problems with my LG G4 and customer service was non existent to the point where I'm only sticking with Google phones.

This is why I want Google to open an android/Google store, like Apple where I can walk in and walk out with a replacement.

What I do LIKE is nexus line up is back with a company that I didn't even consider.

 

[Aquila]

Likes:

Samsung moved past removable batteries and removable storage. Next step, get your battery life to go "many days" not "all day".
LG - two solid phones, both need a lot of software work and a market to speak to. Also, people are paying attention when you make claims about screen and camera quality. Quantify that before you make claims.
Let's not forget the LG Nexus 5X. That device is awesome. I only had mine for a few days before I got the 6P, but loved it.
Pixel C. Best hardware, best software, fantastic design - hopefully it also pushes the Android ecosystem into some much needed multi-screen functionality.
Phones in general with HUGE batteries. Almost everything released with 3000 mAh or higher. Now that size is done, need longevity. Doze helps but that's not the only answer.
Nexus 6P. Wow. Not only did they smush up people's doubts, they exceeded expectations. Nice job Google & Huawei.
Carriers killing contracts.
Moto & Google removing carriers from the device purchase process.

Dislikes:

Moto going IPS LCD instead of AMOLED. Also adding microSD is a step back.
HTC totally missing the point.
Fingerprint scanners on the front of a device. When Samsung finally moves past hardware buttons this should become a non issue. Many users don't want the FPS on the back though, so need to look at Sony's implementation. But if the side isn't an option, it needs to be on the back. Keep the front of the device clean.
No new battery tech. For nearly 4 years now we've been hearing about batteries that can last for weeks. Where are they? Where's a step in between, where it's just many, many days?
The spec sheet. People still haven't gotten past this and it is frustrating.
Carrier exclusive device. Why is this still a thing? Get the carriers out of the freaking OEM business. Here's the phone, do you want to carry it? Ok, cool. On that note. Carriers shouldn't sell phones. Moto & Google have this correct.

 

[mohit9206]

Likes:
Budget phones getting decent specs.
Dislikes:
No phones with small(4")screen size
Downfall of Motorola
Failure of Windows Phone 10

 

[LeoRex]

Lots of good points here... I think the shift with carriers is a biggin'. Now that contracts are going to way of the dinosaur, consumers are already reaping the benefits. As there are fewer shackles chaining people to their carrier, this will force carriers to compete. A big ol' early termination fee was a get out of jail free card... Then T-Mobile rolled out their ETF program and kind of blew it to bits. Fast forwards two years, and VERIZON, of all people, have announced their own program to pay any cancelation fees (device payments, etc.). It wasn't long ago, that Verizon kind of scoffed at T-Mobile's promotions, vowing never to give them the time of day. A lot can happen in two years.

And with the increasing influence of the carrier-free phones ... the only incentive people will have to stick with a carrier is how good their experience is. If someone can pop out their SIM and put in a new one, without worry of getting dinged with a $500 bill, carriers need to be on their toes now. I hope this also means, like AD mentions, that locked-down, carrier-specific models go away. With carriers offering trade ins and paying off any remaining balance, they serve no purpose.

 

[hasina10]

Likes:
Budget phones getting decent specs.
Dislikes:
No phones with small(4")screen size
Downfall of Motorola
Failure of Windows Phone 10

Same for me

 

[DCTF]

Liked:
A wealth of options when it comes to top flagships, not only in range but in price. "Flagship" can mean a phone anywhere from ~£200 to ~£600 or more, and the cheaper ones aren't necessarily worse options.
Androids with great cameras
iPhones genuinely competitive again

Both liked and didn't like:
Windows Phone 10

I really like where it's headed. I like the styling of it, which has steadily improved through the beta program. I liked all the fanfare about greater app coverage with MS's new compiling tools, but I didn't like the fact that a year later they had amounted to nothing. I didn't like the false dawn of two flagships in a row (the 930, which I owned, coming and going from the spotlight before WP10 could be completed and with unique WP issues at the time I left; the 950/950XL being clearly uncompetitive phones seemingly held back from an earlier launch window by WP's sluggish movement), and a situation where it's patently clear that Windows Phones cannot lead the market in any respect until at least their next generation. Microsoft has badly lost its pricing advantage, too. On the bright side, this turbulence forced me to the G4 to try Android, and I'm really glad about that.