I get asked a lot what my “daily driver” or normal cellphone is. As I upgrade, I’ll keep this page updated.
In this post, we’ll discuss
- What I love
- What I don’t
- What I look for in a phone
- What I’ve got my eye on for the future
Since November 2018 I have been using a Galaxy Note 9.
As I publish this post in January 2021, I’m pretty impressed that I’ve had this phone for more than 2 years. When I bought it, I got a super lucky Black Friday deal for $800 when it was retailing for $1,000. Today, it’s just above $300. If you’re wondering if I’d still recommend it, the answer is a definite yes.
What I like about it
Large screen. It’s 6.4″/163cm, Super AMOLED (very high quality), and 2960×1440 pixels big. On a trip to Japan in 2019 (approximately 16 hours in the air), even though I had my travel laptop and travel tablet on me, I just watched movies/listened to music/podcasts on my phone the entire trip.
Huge battery. 4,000 mAh. OMG is this so much battery life! Just leaving it on and not playing with it, it lasted 8 days… that’s while using WhatsApp and other stuff connected to it (wirelessly) from my computer. Watching movies gives me at least 6 hours when starting from a full battery. Compare that to an iPhone 12 that has a 2,815 mAh battery. Please note that the current iPhone as of January 2021 is the iPhone 12. This is 2 years after my Galaxy Note 9 was sold!
Wireless charging. This is the best. I hate have having to find the little port to plug it in. I actually have wireless charging stands on my desk (at home, used to be at work too when I worked in an office) and in my car
6 GB RAM. I’ve rarely, rarely had this thing lock up or get slow. It’s a beast and I love it. I’m not going to get into the difference and importance of so my RAM being a good thing, but let me tell you that this is very helpful.
128 GB Storage. I only use the internal storage for apps. 128 gigs is quite generous and more than I need. Everything else goes on the microSD card.
microSD expansion. You can have up to 512 gig card. I currently have a 240 gig card more than takes care of my needs. All of my photos, offline Netflix/Hulu/Disney+ movies, podcasts, and so on sit here. Considering the amount of media I consume these days, my next phone will probably have a 512 gig card.
Camera. I’m an amateur photographer, and I will say that this is better than some early camera bodies I used to own. You can see the stats on Samsung’s product page.
Unlocked. One of the most important features for international travel, assuming you get a new SIM card when you arrive in the new country. If you use Google Fithen it’s not as important.
Every freaking radio. Different countries use different radios. I won’t get into the nerdy details, but I will say that more radios is better. For instance, your average phone may have just a single radio. This one has about 30. There’s an excellent chance that this will work all over the world. In fact, it’s worked in every country I’ve been to in the past 2 years. You can see the details on Samsung’s product page.
Durable. I’m usually pretty careful with my phones, but I do occasionally drop them. I’d estimate I’ve dropped it around 20 times and it doesn’t have a single scratch. Luckily I only ever cracked one screen… it happened to be the phone just before this one.
Android. From a technical perspective, iOS is very limiting and the devices are too. I only own iOS and MacOS devices because my job as an IT trainer has me doing documentation for them sometimes, so I need to make sure I have good screen shots, etc. In general, I avoid Apple products.
Samsung DeX. In short, you can connect the phone via cable to a monitor (and an adapter) and it’ll run an operating system on the monitor. No joke. Here’s a video with a guy that used DeX as a laptop replacement.
NFC. Near Field Communication. Sharing data or paying with Samsung Pay. (Many people think Apple Pay from their mobile is exclusive, it’s actually NFC… and it’s been around for years.)
Waterproof. I’m OCD and when I come home, I clean it with a Clorox wipe. I’ve also taken it in the water at the beach and gotten shots above and below the surface. Aside from a notification that says there’s water in the (USB-C) charging port, it’s been fine.
Weight. 7.09 oz/201 grams (microSD card adds +0.48 oz/14 grams).
A headphone jack. These are increasingly becoming rare. Bluetooth is taking over and while that’s OK, I can’t share audio with someone watching next to me easily like I can with an 1/8″ (3.5mm) jack splitter. I love to use these with ==my favorite noise cancelling earbuds== as well, which aren’t Bluetooth.
What I don’t like about it
Rounded edges. This is super freaking annoying. I will admit it feels more comfortable in the hand, but having the screen wrap around a bevel is really bad and affects the perception of straight lines. I think Samsung just wanted to show you what they could do with curved displays and didn’t think of long-term needs here, but it’s just my opinion.
Bixby. It really seems like everyone wants their own digital assistant. Amazon has Alexa, Microsoft has Cortana, and Samsung has Bixby. I have never used it, I never will. I hit the button constantly and it begins the Bixby setup wizard. I don’t need another freaking device listening to my conversations all day. You can’t reassign the button unless you root (hack) the phone and I really, really don’t want it there.
The stylus. I have never once been in a position where I needed to use it. I suppose if I signed documents and such, it’d be handy, but otherwise, it’s just something that fell out many times and eventually broke. The chamber where the stylus lives also collects dirt and other stuff that isn’t easy to clean. That space could have been used for a slightly larger battery or something. I do like the option to take a photo remotely by hitting the button on the back of it. I did it once though and never again because I own a proper camera that actually uses my phone as the remote.
Traveling with my phone
If I travel to most safer places, I just bring the phone itself without a case, but if I go to some areas where crime is more common, I’ll put it in an OtterBox. They’re a little pricey for a phone case, but it adds extra protection for drops and makes it easier to hold on to as it’s slightly rubberized.
What features I need in my future phone
I currently have my eye on the Galaxy Fold. I’m not buying it any time soon because as I write this, it’s retailing for $2,000. I see versions for ~$1,500, but I’m going to wait until it’s about 1/2 that price or if my current phone breaks. It’s also a bit bulky and I’d like to see it get a little larger.
Large screen. Coming from a 6.4″ Super AMOLED screen, and especially how it’s replacing my desire for a ==travel tablet==, I don’t want to go below 6″ in size (insert joke here). The Galaxy Fold opens up to 7.3″.
Large battery. At least 3,000 mAh.
4 GB RAM.
64 GB Storage.
microSD expansion. I think my storage needs are increasing, I’d love 512 gigs capacity, maybe even 1 TB if possible.
Camera. I’m not really in need of an amazing camera since I use professional cameras, so this isn’t that important to me.
Unlocked. This is absolutely required. I can’t take it out of the country otherwise.
Every freaking radio. Same as above. Need this for international travel.
Durable. Gorilla Glass FTW!
Waterproof. Because reasons.
A headphone jack. I really want this, but it’s not absolutely required.
What do you use every day and why? What phone are you looking at for future use?