Hi there! I simply don’t know, which phone to buy, so I’m hoping to get some help…
First of all, I currently own a OnePlus 7T, which I’ve been very happy with. Recently though it’s begun to act in mysterious ways, which is the reason, I’m now looking to buy a new phone.
Regarding what I’m looking for in a phone, I like a decent camera, good battery capacity and charging speeds.
Furthermore, I prefer to buy new and recently released phones, even though they’re more expensive. I know it is often recommended to buy used phones or last gen phones, but I really like to have my phone supported for the longest time.
Regarding my own research, I first looked at the new OnePlus Nord 3, which looks great. I do however think the camera could be better (though the main sensor seems good). That also lead to to look at the OnePlus 11. It seems like a fine phone, but I’m questioning whether it’s price is worth it. I do want to mention however, that I love the notification slider on my OP7T, which is also present on the Nord 3 and OP11.
Afterwards, I was looking at the presumably upcoming Pixel 8 (probably the pro). It seems to tick most of the boxes, only running short in regards to the charging speed, which I feel is a big drawback. I habe also heard about numerously bugs and glitches regarding the pixel 7, and is slowly loosing my trust in Google’s ability to make phones. I do use a lot of Google services however, which would fit in nicely with the pixel.
Lastly, I’ve been looking at the Samsung S23+. It seems like a fine phone, and my only real drawback is that it’s expensive. Furthermore I don’t know if I love OneUi but I also don’t know that I don’t love it. I won’t wait for the S24 however, as that seems to be too long in the future.
I hope someone will help me decide. It doesn’t have to be any of those phones, and I’m more than willing to hear more pros and cons regarding different phones.
(Lastly, I’m based in Denmark)
I am much in the same situation right now, i’ve had 3 OnePlus phones (3, 6T and now 9 pro), and been generally very happy with them. Ever since Oppo ditched the OnePlus software team, and decided to fuse the oppo ui into OxygenOS, creating their new ColorOS, my 9 Pro has become slow, unresponsive at times, gets really hot under normal web browsing and battery drain is insane. So time is for a new change.
I am also based in Denmark, and have researched a lot of brand new releases, and those that are right around the corner.
My own choice seems to fall on the Nothing Phone(2), as the creator of the company, Carl Pei, were the one who started OnePlus and got the boot by Oppo, their software and design values follow what i look for in a phone. Not necessarily the latest gen hardware, but some parts are bit older but more tested and refined, coupled with the solid experience gained from making OxygenOS, means the NothingUI is clear of bloatware and not far off stock android 13.
Other than that the Google Pixel 8 looked promising, but with Google refusing to support PD3, and limiting charging speed to 28W, it just doesnt suit a more on the go life.
Personally I am ditching my beloved Alert slider, the quad camera setup, 65W+ charging speeds, for a more well rounded phone, where i know the software isnt absolutely bloated and even with a smaller battery than most, actually fares better in tests, as the chipset and software isnt draining the battery like crazy.
Just a fellow OnePlus refugee sharing some opinions and a bit of rant. And maybe a bit of shilling for the Nothing Phone, even if it aint the prettiest, seems to be a good contender.