Samsung has gone hard promoting AI in their phones, and now OnePlus has also announced some heavy AI-based features in their new Android OS. Pretty much every other brand is now doing the same, so you can’t escape it.
I’ve been in the market to upgrade my nearly 6-year-old phone, but seeing all these AI features, especially when they rely on Google’s Gemini (or other cloud AI), and it feels deflating.
Will privacy ultimately have to be sacrificed “from now on”?
By not using these AI features, you pay a lot for features you won’t be using. And the usefulness of the device becomes limited as nearly all functions now have AI-based components to them.
I’m totally fine with on-device AI, but many features I’m seeing don’t seem to be on-device, and I’ve spent years trying to stop sending my data to companies like Google. I don’t want to go backwards for the sake of market trends.
What are your future plans when it comes to smartphones?
I’m guessing this is going to be an unpopular take here. Earlier this year I got a Xiaomi and have had a great experience.
I was getting frustrated with my s10’s battery life. I’ve replaced phone batteries before but always end up cracking the glass shortly after. So this time I spent around 300 usd on a Redmi note 13 pro. It seemed like a hassle to flash but I was able to get rid of all the bloatware via adb. The benchmarks are comparable to the S10 and with my settings the battery easily lasts 2 days (unless I play games). It also has a flat screen and a 3.5mm jack. No Bixby button.
I don’t know the security implications of buying a Chinese phone but I have solved all my complaints about my previous Samsung phones by switching.