On the other side of the foldable spectrum, the OnePlus Open is a welcome addition to the mix with the best screen format on a book-style folding phone. It’s thin and light, and the software includes some thoughtful approaches to multi-tasking — a crucial part of the folding phone experience. At $1,700, it’s just $100 shy of the Pixel Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 5 and misses a couple of key features that both of those other options include: wireless charging and an IPX8 rating.
Does anyone really care about these though? Wireless charging is really niche and worse than wired in every way, and water resistance is one of those things phones love advertising but nobody ever notices.
I used to think the same way until my wife’s phone stopped charging via cable because the USB port failed. The fact that it can charge wirelessly has kept the device usable.
I’ve got a Pixel 6 Pro and if Google keeps providing current updates for it, I can see myself using it for three more years. It’s just a solid piece of tech.
And you can always go Lineage/DivestOS/Graphene after that and it’ll run faster than new.
I have a 6a and can’t wait to get rid of it. The cellular connections drops often and doesn’t reconnect without rebooting the phone, the GPS takes forerto figure out where I am making it very frustrating to use for navigation, and the fingerprint sensor doesn’t work great in the dark. Might give the s23 a shot next.
The “a” models are a different animal. We tested it when my wife wanted a “small” phone and she hated it. She has the S23 and loves it. Even then, my Pixel 6 Pro feels snappier, more feature rich, and takes significantly better pictures than her S23.
PS: We’re both on Google Fi and neither of us have connectivity issues. I’m fact, I often have better coverage on the 6 Pro than she does on her S23. That might have to do with the phone size though. (Bigger phone means larger antenna)
Thanks for this additional info. The “smallness” was something I was after with this phone, as well, but it definitely doesn’t feel as good in my hand as the s23. The pixel pro versions have some intriguing features, but they’re just too big for my liking.
My wants:
- ROM-friendly w/ active development
- flagship specs
- No hole-punch
Seems I can get two of three, but not all three with the latest phones.
EDIT: I currently rock a Oneplus 7 Pro running crDroid 9 (Android 13).
I love how this articles doesn’t even discuss phone size and headphone jacks, which are my 2 prerequisites before I even consider a phone.
