- Jan 6, 2017
- 10
- 0
- 1,510
The power port on my Google Pixel has started to wear out, and while I am going to backup/factory reset/wipe it and bring it tomorrow to see if they will fix/replace it under warranty, I have decided that I am tired of this form factor entirely and really not happy with keeping it. I have done some considerable searching and in the end I believe I've reduced my list of choices for a new phone down to two: the iPhone SE and the BlackBerry KeyOne.
First, I should say in summary: I consume hardly any content on my phone. I am a huge computer nerd who is constantly embarking on new builds and experimenting with new languages, but I have so many devices as a result that my phone falls into a very specific use - it is a communication/organization/writing tool. I prefer its software to be minimalistic beyond the features I need to accomplish these tasks, and I find most things not relating to these tasks superfluous in a phone (for my uses.) I do enjoy a quality camera for spontaneous snapshots, but this is not a priority. I write down ideas and notes constantly, and being able to type accurately long-form is important.
The three primary things which draw me to the iPhone SE are size, price, and software. Many modern phones strike me as almost comically oversized. Most are too big to get one hand around, but small enough that any UI aimed at the use of two will be some manner of cramped or awkward. Maybe it's because I watch all of my video on other devices, but to me the SE's form factor still manages to hit a well familiar sweet spot. (Though I never had an iPhone 5 or 5s to begin with, but I digress.) At $350, with the latest version of iOS in tow, and modern(ish) internals, I could easily see this being my daily driver.
What I don't like about it is the lack of customization/direct control of the hardware offered by iOS (though I knew that was in the package when I signed up for its better aspects), the potential speed with which Apple might choose not to keep furnishing the device with security updates (ditto), the potential hairiness of syncing it with my Ubuntu PC/the inconvenience of syncing it to my OS X machine instead/the hassles of backing it up to a ZFS file server, the inability to install my own OS when Apple discontinues support, the inability to remove the battery, and the meaningless advertising-speak drenching every nook and cranny of every Apple product. (Such as the "retina" display.)
The 32GB storage size I do not mind, so much. My Pixel has 128GB and as of today, after a year or two of owning it, 29GB are used. And even that is somewhat inflated because I haven't been purging it of backed up files, lately.
The number one thing drawing me to the BlackBerry KeyOne is the physical keyboard. Oh how I miss the physical thumb-keyboard. They are not necessarily faster than a touchscreen, but they allow you to be eons more accurate. I also vastly prefer typing letter for letter, and absent autocorrect I am always (personally) faster on hard keys. So the KeyOne immediately grabbed my attention by having a high quality physical keyboard, and contemporary internal tech, and being reviewed as not-hampered by the OS/GUI (as with the Priv, et al.) and successfully running Android's full sweep of apps. I love that the keyboard doubles as a capacitive touch input.
I do not like that it is so large - it has to be somewhat wide and deep to accommodate a functional keyboard but I wish they had lopped off a considerable amount of the screen and kept it all within useable distance of your thumb. I suppose this would produce ugly redraw in some apps but I never saw the appeal in doing everything under the sun on my phone anyway. I wish the space bar doubled as a home button, rather than a fingerprint scanner, and I'm not fond of preloaded software/locked bootloaders, but then I also customize android down to the paint on the wingnuts, as a general rule, and I'm under no obligation to use the BB launcher. More worrisome is the possibility of nonexistent security support, a la most of the Android ecosystem. I also do not fancy the $540 price tag.
Ultimately, what I'm most caught between is the SE's pocket/hand friendliness and the KeyOne's physical keyboard.
Which do you think I should spring for?
First, I should say in summary: I consume hardly any content on my phone. I am a huge computer nerd who is constantly embarking on new builds and experimenting with new languages, but I have so many devices as a result that my phone falls into a very specific use - it is a communication/organization/writing tool. I prefer its software to be minimalistic beyond the features I need to accomplish these tasks, and I find most things not relating to these tasks superfluous in a phone (for my uses.) I do enjoy a quality camera for spontaneous snapshots, but this is not a priority. I write down ideas and notes constantly, and being able to type accurately long-form is important.
The three primary things which draw me to the iPhone SE are size, price, and software. Many modern phones strike me as almost comically oversized. Most are too big to get one hand around, but small enough that any UI aimed at the use of two will be some manner of cramped or awkward. Maybe it's because I watch all of my video on other devices, but to me the SE's form factor still manages to hit a well familiar sweet spot. (Though I never had an iPhone 5 or 5s to begin with, but I digress.) At $350, with the latest version of iOS in tow, and modern(ish) internals, I could easily see this being my daily driver.
What I don't like about it is the lack of customization/direct control of the hardware offered by iOS (though I knew that was in the package when I signed up for its better aspects), the potential speed with which Apple might choose not to keep furnishing the device with security updates (ditto), the potential hairiness of syncing it with my Ubuntu PC/the inconvenience of syncing it to my OS X machine instead/the hassles of backing it up to a ZFS file server, the inability to install my own OS when Apple discontinues support, the inability to remove the battery, and the meaningless advertising-speak drenching every nook and cranny of every Apple product. (Such as the "retina" display.)
The 32GB storage size I do not mind, so much. My Pixel has 128GB and as of today, after a year or two of owning it, 29GB are used. And even that is somewhat inflated because I haven't been purging it of backed up files, lately.
The number one thing drawing me to the BlackBerry KeyOne is the physical keyboard. Oh how I miss the physical thumb-keyboard. They are not necessarily faster than a touchscreen, but they allow you to be eons more accurate. I also vastly prefer typing letter for letter, and absent autocorrect I am always (personally) faster on hard keys. So the KeyOne immediately grabbed my attention by having a high quality physical keyboard, and contemporary internal tech, and being reviewed as not-hampered by the OS/GUI (as with the Priv, et al.) and successfully running Android's full sweep of apps. I love that the keyboard doubles as a capacitive touch input.
I do not like that it is so large - it has to be somewhat wide and deep to accommodate a functional keyboard but I wish they had lopped off a considerable amount of the screen and kept it all within useable distance of your thumb. I suppose this would produce ugly redraw in some apps but I never saw the appeal in doing everything under the sun on my phone anyway. I wish the space bar doubled as a home button, rather than a fingerprint scanner, and I'm not fond of preloaded software/locked bootloaders, but then I also customize android down to the paint on the wingnuts, as a general rule, and I'm under no obligation to use the BB launcher. More worrisome is the possibility of nonexistent security support, a la most of the Android ecosystem. I also do not fancy the $540 price tag.
Ultimately, what I'm most caught between is the SE's pocket/hand friendliness and the KeyOne's physical keyboard.
Which do you think I should spring for?
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