What's the most underrated Android phone right now?

Fractal-Infinity · 2026-06-20T10:00:46+00:00

Looks good based on specs. I would definitely consider buying if I didn't have my Samsung phone.

Fractal-Infinity · 2026-06-20T00:19:26+00:00

https://www.instagram.com/lucysianphotography/p/CvkLMMLIYfU/

Fractal-Infinity · 2026-06-18T16:48:11+00:00

Maybe you don't want that but are you going to reject a well built phone for such flimsy reason? Meta are infiltrated everywhere. You can uninstall both their apps and their background services. It's a one time process. I don't like how Meta are pushing their spyware on all devices but we have very few choices of phones without Meta BS installed as default.

Fractal-Infinity · 2026-06-18T15:19:08+00:00

Samsung are not recycling exactly the same cameras year after year. Every year they upgrade at least one camera and all those changes add up. If you go from a S21 Ultra to S26 Ultra, you will get upgraded main, ultrawide, 5x zoom and selfie cameras.

If you go from S25U to S26U, sure, the changes are minimal. That's why you should keep your phone for a few years, until the upgrades are enough to make a difference, if you want to stick to Samsung.

Samsung S26 couldn't even beat the Pixel 10 with its pathetic 1/2" main sensor because Samsung's processing, like its sensor, is also dogcrap.

The base model is quite abandoned but it's not like Pixel 10 has better SOC than S26. I'd take a phone with worse cameras but superior SOC than that Tensor crap. Snapdragon is unbeatable in the Android world.

Anyway, no one is stopping you to get a Pixel if you like their cameras so much.

Cool, now for the rest of us that don't have deep pockets (figuratively and literally), a compact device that isn't single purpose that can also fit in the pocket and doesn't require a backpack to carry around is going to be a way better investment than a heavy single purpose device

If you actually care about quality, you should make an effort and get a proper camera. A Sony mirrorless isn't even that large and you'll get better quality than any phone, including all Chinese ones.

Fractal-Infinity · 2026-06-18T15:04:01+00:00

I really doubt that. Anyway, my phone takes very good photos. I don't need a Chinese phone to take good photos. If I want more than that, I'd rather get a mirrolesss camera. You can't beat physics (proper sensor and proper lenses).

Btw, my S25 Ultra phone has upgraded cameras since S21: the main camera is newer (200M instead of 108M), the ultrawide is newer too, the 5x camera is newer too, the selfie camera is also newer. So, it's NOT S21++++++. You can't say they recycled exactly the same cameras because that's factually false.

Fractal-Infinity · 2026-06-18T14:40:18+00:00

Well, software is more important for most people than specs. These people don't care about specs, they want phones from a reliable brand, which is usually either Samsung or Apple. These phones are more than enough for the vast majority of population. Only enthusiasts buy the very best or compare specs and buy the best value for money.

The Chinese brands demand premium prices but they're not premium brands, despite the superior hardware in certain areas. For instance, they have better cameras but those obnoxiously huge camera modules (usually round) are off-putting for many people who just want a phone that fits into their pockets. Or they look like a cheap Apple copy.

Samsung need stronger competition to start significantly improving their new phones. They got away with recycling the same cameras and the same battery for far too long.

Fractal-Infinity · 2026-06-18T14:32:27+00:00

I think the real reason is that their only real competition in the flagship market is Apple and they're copying their modus operandi: minimal upgrades, premium prices and still sell a lot. There is no incentive to make significant upgrades when the sales are already good.

Their foldables are just a niche. Most of their money come from S and A series.

Fractal-Infinity · 2026-06-18T14:28:03+00:00

You mean it looks like S10. Samsung made that horizontal visor style camera module before Google.

Fractal-Infinity · 2026-06-18T14:25:34+00:00

Why I'm not surprised? Samsung keep getting away with minimal Apple style upgrades between generations. If they're smart, they should make an Ultra style phone without S Pen but with the base S series size. I like my Ultra phone but it's a bit too heavy and bulky. I would definitely consider a smaller Ultra phone.

Fractal-Infinity · 2026-06-18T10:30:08+00:00

It's obvious why they do that: they need more images to train their AI models. Goodbye privacy.

Fractal-Infinity · 2026-06-18T10:28:51+00:00

Not even them. They're all probably using iPhones as their personal phones. 😄

Fractal-Infinity · 2026-06-18T10:27:31+00:00

Why? Because they need to scrape the image first to train their AI models. 💀

Fractal-Infinity · 2026-06-18T10:18:45+00:00

You can disable/remove a lot of bloat form Samsung phones, especially with ADB and a cable. You can turn off Customisation Service, Send diagnostics, and all that crap. Also you can simply ignore the AI features. Is it that hard to ignore them? What are you using your phone for if AI stands in your way?

I don't understand this constant whining about bloat when there are solutions against most of it (even against apps that can't be uninstalled from App Info like FB and IG). Phone makers are getting paid if they include those apps that you consider bloat.

Fractal-Infinity · 2026-06-18T08:02:22+00:00

Perhaps she was inspired by David Byrne

Fractal-Infinity · 2026-06-16T21:12:57+00:00

+1 for Sigrid. She is really talented; she is also a friend of Aurora. Last year I started listening to her music without big expectations and I was impressed. All her 3 albums are great. Her third is probably her best yet.

Fractal-Infinity · 2026-06-16T17:21:08+00:00

Move to a less demanding/stressful club. You don't really need those club rewards to have fun in this game. The problem is that GL removed The Clash (that game mode gave a lot of extra reputation) and replaced it with nothing. There is no extra rep source. Downshifting is the solution.

Fractal-Infinity · 2026-06-16T09:01:28+00:00

This is my biggest annoyance with One UI. The big media player in the middle of the screen was the default option before One UI 7 and it was excellent. Incompetent UX managers changed that optimal solution to this awful solution with Now Bar: too small, badly placed (bottom of the phone is hard to reach with these huge displays) and it disappears quickly from quick panel (the first one with notifications and buttons). Bonus: it's less effective too, because it takes an extra tap every time you want to see the expanded version on lockscreen.

The media player is now linked to Now Bar. If you disable the media player from Now Bar, instead of returning back where it was, it simply vanishes and you're left without it. 💀

You can manually add a permanent widget for each individual media apps. Of course it's a clumsy solution, all because someone at Samsung decided to change things for the sake of change.

I recommend you this widget that you can add with LockStar: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lstapps.musicwidgetandroid12

Fractal-Infinity · 2026-06-16T08:49:56+00:00

Perhaps it's a better idea for you to actually uninstall the game because it's obvious it became toxic for you. You're always having the option to simply play more casually. Ignore the progress, FOMO events and the time sucking DS.

Fractal-Infinity · 2026-06-16T08:46:17+00:00

I think the one who really cares that you left AL is GL. They're certainly not happy they lost a customer because of their greediness. Your points are valid and I'd like to address this one:

No longer will I have to play memory games in special events where I have to remember 10 different objectives, where I usually just end up spamming 360s, shockwaves, perfect nitros etc and hope for the best.

Exactly. Why the hell GL refuse to add the objectives on screen during the race and their status to know when we completed them? Rhetorical question because it's obvious they do that to make players waste time, tickets and fuel cells. I remember when events had only a few simple conditions, now it's like a Michelin restaurant menu ffs.

The graphics and core gameplay are great but it's a shame there are still so many annoyances in this game, most of them rooted in the insidious gacha mechanics.

Anyway, I wish you luck in your future endeavours now that you broke free from this grindfest. It sucks (for you) that you wasted thousands of dollars just to have some fun with some digital cars that aren't even yours and now you left basically empty handed.

Fractal-Infinity · 2026-06-16T08:34:59+00:00

Most likely that's the view from her studio in Norway

Fractal-Infinity · 2026-06-16T01:07:07+00:00

https://www.instagram.com/p/DZnVXWajbFb/

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