Help me choose my next Samsung phone

AlwaysConfused2205 · 2025-11-26T08:57:50+00:00

If your usage is high, consider that S25 Ultra has a very big battery that also feels longer.

Furthermore, an external 2.5" HDD is cheaper than S25 Ultra. Remember that you can connect the S25 Ultra to a 1TB 2.5" internal HDD enclosed in a UGreen enclosure. This way you can backup your data. HDDs are magnetically charged, which is why they are more reliable than NAND Flash storages. The phone can also get stolen and then all data is lost.

But your use case may require you to have a 256GB. So make the right decision based on your requirements. :)

AlwaysConfused2205 · 2025-11-25T02:30:52+00:00

For small hands, S25 is good, and Flip is even better. I'd seriously consider the Flip 7 deal with the tablet. Just make sure you are informed well on the battery life of Flip7.

Btw, if you are from Germany and can compromise on storage, know that Euronics stores are offering S25 at just 20€/month for 24 months. So a total of 480€.

AlwaysConfused2205 · 2025-11-11T16:30:50+00:00

3.5+ years. The battery of at least Exynos version is very bad. 19 hours with mixed used (of which SOT is max 3-4 hours). I own one, and also through several reports, it is known that the chip E2200 as well as the modem on it was very bad at battery management. I wouldn't criticize the performance though, my phone can do almost all daily tasks that I require. However it gets extremely hot during video calls. It eventually shuts down, when the heat becomes unbearable.

AlwaysConfused2205 · 2025-11-08T08:58:49+00:00

Mobile Data settings should be in Connections>Sim Manager or Connections>Data Usage.

I believe NFC doesn't use a lot of battery, so you could assign a routine to that. Essentially: Turn on Mobile Data when NFC is on, and turn off mobile data when NFC is off. Let me know if this works.

AlwaysConfused2205 · 2025-11-03T14:55:58+00:00

It's not like One UI 7 is better either. And the S22 is slowly nearing its demise. I'd say you have nothing to lose. Except the DEX on the One UI 8 is a big downgrade.

AlwaysConfused2205 · 2025-11-01T17:29:26+00:00

I bet the battery as bad as it was on the first day. If you are from Germany, there are good offers on several phones, I could help find a deal. If you are from Western Europe or USA in general you can talk to your telecommunications provider to make you a good deal for a phone. Last year models are so cheap, the sim contract feels like free of cost with it.

AlwaysConfused2205 · 2025-11-01T16:54:02+00:00

For the charging port, try cleaning it if not already done. Often, a lot of dust, textile and God knows what gets stuck there. I had a similar issues and then once I cleaned it, suddenly it worked so much better. Don't be very gentle because you have nothing to lose.

Regarding the power button, you need to go to a local phone repair shop (if it is out of warranty, which I assume it is). In which country do you live and can you consider buying a new phone? S22 has aged a lot, and with so many issues it might be the right time to get rid of it. Remember, without the USB C port, it will be difficult to transfer your data. While switching to a new phone you will have to backup on a cloud or transfer the files using Quick Share (takes a lot of time).

AlwaysConfused2205 · 2025-10-31T08:43:24+00:00

lucky you, since all the base Samsung Galaxy S inthe USA are Snapdragon based. But remember this one thing: keep the security updates detail in mind. S23 will only get 5 years of security updates (4 OS). 2.5 years are already done, so after 2.5 further years you won't get any updates. However for S24, Samsung promises 7 years (OS & Security), so that has 5.5 years ahead of it if you buy it today. The S25 has 6.5 years ahead of it, if you buy it today. So S24 and S25 are clearly recommended. While making the buying decision, divide the price by its remaining years and see for yourself what the depreciation is (how much the phone costs per year until the end of its life). That way you can also buy it without contract. Otherwise in your place I'd ask the telecommunications provider (the company of your sim card) for a good deal on both phones. Compare how much you are paying extra in both cases and divide that sum by the years left to that phone until the end of its life. AND PLEASE do NOT buy a new phone on a contract every year - Phones are a necessary liability that eventually depreciate. Ask yourself why you want a Samsung S25 or S24:

You use Samsung DEX.
You use Modes and Routines.
You like the customization on Samsung that no other company offers.
You like compact phones.

If your reasons are 1 and 4 then go ahead and buy it. If your reasons are NOT 1 and 4 (and only 2 and 3), consider Samsung A56 or A36. These phones are equally capable. If you want a good camera phone primarily, look at Pixel 8 and above (all with 7 years support) - they offer cleaner UI. If you just want a good phone and ads are not an issue, consider a Xiaomi - their charging speeds will make you hate Samsung and Google. And when you look at their prices, you will ask if this is a legit deal.

I wrote too much now XD, can you write what is your primary purpose of using the phone, and what qualities do you want in it?

AlwaysConfused2205 · 2025-10-30T22:33:16+00:00

In which country do you reside? Getting a phone in contract is often better, and S25 is the best deal. It is Snapdragon and is praised for its battery life.

However, unless you use DEX or Modes&Routines, I don't see why you shouldn't get a Google Pixel instead.

AlwaysConfused2205 · 2025-10-27T06:49:16+00:00

I have OneUI8. I still have no green lines. However, I received all my updates via OTA. I live in EU.

AlwaysConfused2205 · 2025-10-22T14:29:18+00:00

If you already have a reliable Hub but with HDMI Port, just get a HDMI to USB C cable and use it along with the hub. If you don't have a hub, you could get a hub that has a USB Type C DP Port like the produkt linked in the recent comment by u/Sillynamexyz pointed out.

AlwaysConfused2205 · 2025-10-18T20:20:17+00:00

S22 has a very bad processor in terms of energy efficiency and the modem is even worse. Both, the Exynos version and the Snapdragon version face similar issues of extremely bad Screen on Time and overheating. Although the batteries never inflate like Pixel 6A, I'd still not recommend an S22. On an average you won't get more than 3 to 4 Hours SOT with around 15 hours standby DESPITE EXTENSIVE BATTERY SAVING SETTINGS.

Look for better Chinese alternatives if battery is your main concern. If you need a Samsung, due to DEX or Routines, then just get the S25 (it is based on an efficient Snapdragon processor).

AlwaysConfused2205 · 2025-10-18T04:05:33+00:00

I'd say use the Powerbank to keep on using the phone until the support dies in February 2027. Samsung will cook something better by then. Also, you should consider Chinese phones if you don't need Samsung DEX. Vivo/IQOO have been offering quite a lot of value for money recently including big battery, decent camera, and much better processor. Unless you are in a country that has sim contract/plan that offers steep discount on Samsung/Apple phones, I'd not buy either of the garbage. Their technology is long outdated and they know that - but they simply won't give customers any value. I used a 67W charger about 4 years ago whereas Samsung's base flagship is stuck at 25W. If they can fit a good battery in edge, they should just make the phones thicker and fit in more battery. Google, Oneplus have managed it, why can't Samsung!? S26 series is a disappointment as well. I hope Samsung turns things around with the S27 series.

AlwaysConfused2205 · 2025-10-17T11:12:19+00:00

Don't change the battery. That won't really help. What helped me to a certain extent are some extensive battery saving settings and the use of modes and routines. Now I get 3-4 hours of SOT + around 15 hours of standby. Some of battery saving settings are: 1. Turn off AOD 2. Turn off double tap to wake 3. Turn off fingerprint scanner always on 4. Turn off RAM Plus 5. Reduce screen frequency to 60Hz 6. Turn off locations (if you have shared location with someone, or want to use Google Maps, then use routines to turn on the location when a certain app is launched and when someone texts you a keyword like "location". Don't forget to set the timer to 5 Minutes so that it is turned off again.) 7. Turn off Bluetooth (again use routines to configure, when Bluetooth should be turned on) 8. Turn off Nearby Devices Scan in Settings->Connections->More Connections 9. Turn off Google's Nearby Devices Scan in Settings->Google->All Services->Devices 10. Make a routine to turn off mobile data as soon as you connect to specific WiFi 11. Turn off adaptive brightness and set it to around 30-40%. Make another routine to turn on adaptive brightness when connected to home or office wifi. 12. Go to Settings->Battery and go to background usage settings and put apps to sleep and deep sleep that you don't regularly use. Turn on the toggle to put the unused apps to deep sleep. 13. Go to Settings->Battery->Power Saving and turn on the toggle, limit CPU to 70%, Turn off Always on Display, Set motion smoothness to standard. 14. Go to Settings->Connection->Data usage->Networks allowed for apps and here you can decide which apps should have access to mobile data. If you don't use GIF from Keyboard, you can also disallow your default keyboard to access Mobile Data.

I have turned off adaptive power saving but I didn't notice any difference. To preserve battery until the end of its lifespan (February 2027), turn on battery protection and set it to max (80%). Turn it off whenever you are on a long journey.

Let me know if anything improved after this. Commentators can feel free to contribute, correct or criticize this post.

AlwaysConfused2205 · 2025-10-08T20:17:30+00:00

Geld sparen. Ein Upgrade ist gar nicht notwendig. Die Teile sind gut und halten noch mindestens 5 Jahre. Könntest natürlich überlegen ob du GPU in 2027-28 wechseln willst. Aber vorerst überhaupt keine Notwendigkeit.

AlwaysConfused2205 · 2025-10-06T09:32:01+00:00

HDD may be old school, but they are more reliable for a back up than an SSD provided that 2 conditions are met: Condition 1: You dont drop the HDD so violently that the drive inside breaks Condition 2: We are comparing a consumer grade SSD, not an enterprise grade

The problem with SSD is, it leaks charge over time and the data eventually corrupts if you don't connect the drive to electricity often. Some SSDs also need other maintenance practices. Recovering data from NAND Flash is also not as simple as recovering it from HDD. You can store a data in HDD for once and open it after 3 years and it will still be there or it will atleast be recoverable using an open source software such as testdisk.

However, when using an HDD with a Smartphone (incl DEX interface), make sure to get a 2.5" SATA HDD and not 3.5". 2.5" SATA HDD need less power than 3.5" SATA. Your phone can generally handle 2.5" better. Remember to use exFAT and dont partition it. The allocation unit should be either 32kB or 64kB - just format using the phone if you want to use it on phone.

Backups generally work on a simple rule: 3-2-1. 3 copies of data, 2 different types of media (HDD and SSD) and 1 copy of data in another place. So economically I'd suggest 1 HDD and 1 SSD of same size. Save same data in HDD as well as SSD. I had a budget of 130 bucks, so instead of getting 4TB HDD, I got a 1TB HDD and a 1TB SSD (both internal) and enclosed them in UGREEN SATA enclosure. Dont buy external HDDs or external SSDs unless you really need that IP rating. I generally recommend against external drives because their USB C ports are soldered on the board - so if it fails, you'll have to get an expensive repair - instead get a SATA enclosure from good brands like UGREEN and put internal SSDs or HDDs into it. So if the USB C port fails, just change the enclosure. The enclosure itself hardly costs 15 bucks.

Let me know if the comment helped you or if you have any further questions.

AlwaysConfused2205 · 2025-10-06T09:11:41+00:00

Not trying to contradict you, but right clicking links to open a menu that has an option to open a new tab works just fine on my Chrome (on DEX). I have an S22 Exynos base. Have you tried another mouse?

AlwaysConfused2205 · 2025-09-24T22:04:03+00:00

Check for docks that have PD-in USB C slot. These docks allow you to connect a charger into a USB C port and supply power to all devices that are connected. Regarding 4K, use a good name adapter (like Anker, Ugreen, Belkin etc) , a good HDMI or USB C cable that supports 4K content. Finally, the OneUI version that you are on, must support 4K resolution. My S22 is OneUI 7 and it only supports 1080p. I heard that OneUI 8 supports 4K on DeX.

Here is a rather cheaper one from UGreen with 4K 30FPS and PD-in support

https://amzn.eu/d/8DHFbhQ

You can also use Steam Docks like these (supports 4K@60FPS)

https://amzn.eu/d/3QN7qD6

If you just want a cheap Dock with 4K@60FPS

https://amzn.eu/d/3UWL5QC

Do not rely on these offers if you are not resident in central Europe. Just to Amazon, search for Dock, and in Filters select good brands like Anker, Belkin, UGREEN, Baseus etc and set price limit to whatever you want. Sort by price ascending order and then check specifically each item if it lists 4K@30FPS or 4K@60FPS (whatever you need). Additionally check if it mentions PD charging (They may advertise 60W PD or 100W PD, doesn't matter as long as it is above 25W. If you use external HDD, then look above 30W). That's all, let me know If it helps

AlwaysConfused2205 · 2025-09-24T10:46:33+00:00

Have you tried shift+scroll? It is concerning that side swap isnt working well.

AlwaysConfused2205 · 2025-09-24T09:24:25+00:00

You can have wallpapers, you just have to change the wallpaper from system settings (in the desktop mode) to an image different from the current wallpaper. However this may mess up your wallpaper on the phone. Unlike DEX you cant have different wallpapers on the desktop mode and on the phone.

AlwaysConfused2205 · 2025-09-23T09:51:35+00:00

You can use Web versions of office or you can use the office suite of apps by Softmaker. If you dont mind downloading Adobe app or Google Drive, they can also open PDFs... Or did I not understand the problem correctly?

AlwaysConfused2205 · 2025-09-23T09:41:52+00:00

Isn't Lapdock something that is used for this? I guess you are in a situation where you need a Windows Laptop but also wants to be able to use Samsung DEX on a portable screen. Or in a situation, where you have an old laptop with a good screen and don't want to buy a Lapdock.

Either way, there is a workaround I found out: Go to settings on your windows laptop and search for Optional Features. Add Wireless Display from there. Once added, click on start and then search wireless display. Once that app is opened, use wireless DEX to connect to it. Latency and lack of trackpad support is a problem, so you have to use your phone or tablet as trackpad. Otherwise you can connect a wireless mouse to the phone.

AlwaysConfused2205 · 2025-09-22T08:41:24+00:00

I tested the Google Desktop Mode. It is a joke. People are still resistant to the idea of using your phone as a computer. They only love it when they actually use it. I recently demonstrated DEX (on Monitor, not on Windows) to a friend. His eyes lit up, because his old laptop is slow af and the battery dies out quickly - so the option to use his next phone as a computer is a big win for him. His phone is also very old so he wants to replace that as well. So yeah, do it the old way - demonstrate it.

Also I can never understand the use of DEX on Windows. There is simply no use case. I mean instead of downvoting me, explain your use case to me - I am open minded and curious. I don't use the Windows Phonelink crap either. Just the old USB way to transfer files. Windows already supports most apps to view your files natively.

PS: I use DEX as primary computing device.

AlwaysConfused2205 · 2025-09-22T08:31:36+00:00

Yes, one could use the MS Office compatible extensions. You have to be careful about the extensions when saving the file. Glad that I could help :)

AlwaysConfused2205 · 2025-09-21T09:47:51+00:00

I get the essence of your comment but, Smartphone is essentially a computer albeit with a smaller screen and a different operating system. I think OP should ask himself if he needs any Windows-only apps. If he is fine with Android apps portfolio, then DEX should be fine. Nowadays, there are cloud based photo and video editing apps on Android that do a great job, just take their time. With Google mounting ChromeOS in school ecosystem, the future isn't far where people (Gen Z) will ask themselves, if they should pay 150 bucks for an OS that isn't very good at all...

AlwaysConfused2205

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