Taking into account my previous two blogs – one about the Micro SD card slot, and the other about the Pixel 5 – I think I’ve now come to the conclusion that if I were to upgrade now, the Galaxy S20 would be the perfect phone for me.
I’ve taken on board advice I read on Reddit – to not just go for a phone from the same manufacturer, but to explore the options.
I have. I’ve explored all options, and yet the Galaxy S20 still comes out on top.
I still have my reservations: I don’t use or like Bixby, or that it’s automatically assigned to what is called the ‘power button’ on other phones.
Even on my S9 Plus, Samsung used to call it the Bixby button, and yet although it is now called the ‘Side Key,‘ by default it still retains the same Bixby functionality.
Sure, the Power toggle is now available from the drop-down Quick Settings, freeing up the button for other uses – and I know I can disable this in Settings, and re-assign it as the Power key – but I don’t like that Samsung are putting this extra step in my way to using my phone like any other.
Another couple of negatives about the Galaxy S20 are that I don’t use SmartThings, which seems to now be so central to the Galaxy experience, and the phone lacks a 3.5mm headphone port.
But, I do now have a great pair of Bluetooth headphones – the Sony WH-XB900N’s – and, when these are charging, I use the dongle that came with my Galaxy Tab S5e to engage with my media (music, TV shows, games, etc.) using my old Sony MDR-XB950AP’s.
I would also benefit greatly from the Micro SD Card slot, and the ultrawide camera – which has a wider field of view at 123° degrees than the Pixel 5’s mere 107° degrees.
The Galaxy S20, in every way, is a better device than the Pixel 5, and an improvement over my Galaxy S9 Plus.
But…
But… I still find myself coming back to the Pixel 5. It’s superior camera image processing; the new Power Menu; the promise of longer battery life and screen-on-time (thanks to its more power efficient Snapdragon 765G chipset); or, that it’s smaller than my S9 Plus and smaller still than the Galaxy S20.
The Pixel 5 would offer me a fresh and new experience, something I originally discussed when I started this search for my next, Next Phone.
But, ultimately, it is also the varying reports of unreliability, of manufacturing defects, that are putting me off the idea of adopting a Pixel 5 – and persuading me to stick with Samsung.
Samsung, again?
As much as I’ve come to hate some of Samsung’s features, and apart from the sudden demise of my Galaxy S7, most of the Samsung devices I’ve had have been reliable and ticked all the boxes.
My Galaxy S7 was a great phone, although I admit the selfie camera’s image quality could have been better. Also, in contrast, my Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4″ has been a monster in lasting nearly 5 years until it ran into major problems. That is, it slowed to a crawl to the point it was unusable, and some of my regular apps started having major performance issues.
In fact, it lasted 5 years despite an ongoing battery issue which means it really only ever had about 40% juice in the tank – which I found out a few days after the warranty ran out. Still, it powered on, and I was still able to use it, all the way from mid-2014 until mid-2019.
Also, it is possible that only people inside the Apple ecosystem keep their iPhones or iPads for that long, and that Android hasn’t yet experienced that much longevity from its users; so on the whole, the fact my Galaxy Tab Pro lasted that long was nothing short of a miracle.
My Galaxy S9 Plus, while huge, has also been a beast. Athough other users have said it is a slow device in contrast to 2020’s crop of phones – including phones that run an SoC like Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips, as opposed to Samsung’s own Exynos chips – from my experience, this hasn’t been the case.
I have not noticed any lag, any stutters, nor any bugs. It’s been an almost flawless device for 2 years, and continues to be…
And I think that’s why I’m having problems upgrading to a newer phone.
I realise my S9 Plus is now outdated, and will be unsupported without new OS updates – having just missed the cut in Samsung’s new 3 generations commitment, that starts with the Galaxy S10 series.
But, it still works, it still does what I want it to do, and it still takes great photos & videos.
What more do I really need?
A new phone means better camera options…
Sure, a better telephoto camera would be convenient, and would mean I have a better camera in my pocket – and no need to take a dedicated camera on holiday.
Sure, an ultrawide camera would be convenient – a feature that appears on both Galaxy S20 and Pixel 5.
But, taking photos without one has not been impossible, as I regularly use the Panorama mode to snap wider-angle shots. This work-around performs better with the phone held in portrait, rather than in my normal landscape, as I can then capture more of the scene in my image.
Also, if I’ve got a bit more time on my hands, or I’m capturing a fast moving subject that would appear blurred in a Panorama photo, I’ve got a couple of ultrawide, clip-on lenses for just this feature. One is a true ultrawide (I think on a par with the Pixel 5’s ultrawide camera, in terms of field of view), and the other is a fisheye lens. I’ve had them since 2017, and both have been incredibly useful for capturing more of the frame in one photo.
When using these lenses, I should note that blurriness can happen near the edge of the frame, as well there being some barrel distortion on the fisheye lens – which is great if that’s the effect I’m trying to achieve, but not so much if I just want a wider field of view.
But on the whole, a combination of using the Panoramic mode, or my clip-on lenses, has provided me with the ultrawide experience.
Faster charging & smaller phone
Another advantage of a new phone would be faster charging speeds – both wired & wireless – which would be more convenient than my S9 Plus’s current charge time of just under 1hr 40mins.
A smaller phone would also be nice, but while the Galaxy S20 is only marginally smaller than my S9 Plus, the Pixel 5 is perfectly smaller than my S9 Plus.
But, again, as my S9 Plus still seems to be working almost flawlessly, do I really need a new phone?
Summing up
It’s a shame, really.
I want the Pixel 5.
I want the Galaxy S20.
But I can’t have both, I can only have one, and both have their benefits and compromises. Unfortunately, it’s the compromises – in both cases – that far outweigh the advantages.
Seeing how the Covid-19 pandemic doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon, I have no real need for a newer phone.
I’m not going anywhere to take great photos, so I don’t need an ultrawide camera, or a better telephoto lens.
I also don’t need faster charging speeds, as I’m never that far away from a wall plug while I’m in lockdown, at home.
Although I would prefer to get a new phone, in all honesty I don’t need one.
It is not an urgent matter, and as much as I’d like a newer phone with better features, I am still very happy with my Galaxy S9 Plus.
Unless I can come to a decision before the end of January, it’s looking more and more likely that I’ll end up on a SIM-only plan for a few more months.
I was hoping to start afresh in 2021, but as I’m unable to choose between the Pixel 5 or Galaxy S20, I may have to accept the truth that neither are good enough for me.
It seems to also be true that the devices I’ve owned thus far have set my standards too high, and that no new device currently meets these higher standards.
As I said, I can’t have both. My finances mean I can’t buy both of them, meaning I must choose only one of them.
Once I’ve made my decision, that would be my primary phone for the next 2-3 years. For better or worse, whatever phone I choose, I would have to be happy with it until at least the end of 2022, or even mid-2023.
It is for this reason alone that I am not rushing into anything, and absorbing as much info as I can – both from reviews, and user comments on social media, such as the Reddit sub-forums dedicated to either device.
Hopefully that way, I can reach a conclusion sooner rather than later.
– Chris JK.
KPH tech blog 
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