LG is getting out of the mobile phone business

Re:LG is getting out of the mobile phone business by perryizgr8 on Monday April 05, 2021 @01:02AM (#26695523)

> I never understood why Samsung phones were constantly receiving praise by tech reviewers while LG got crapped on.

Samsung phones work well, they have one of the best cameras, the best screens, the best batteries, usually the most features. LG phones are famous for boot-looping.

> different (shitty) UI

It is a matter of opinion. I much prefer Samsung's UI over the garbage that is google's, and even slightly better than iphone.

> Samsung versions of all the core Google apps (but worse)

Every Samsung app that replaces a google app is 2x better. The browser is faster, better than chrome. The contacts app is so much better. The dialer is like 10 years ahead. Gallery is at least 10x faster and less buggier than google photos. I always try to delete as much google bloatware from my phone as possible, and use the samsung apps.

> the stupid bottom button placement

What button? There are no buttons on Samsung phones for the past 3-4 years. The navbar is fully customizable (unlike google), and hidable.

> non-remappable Bixby button

Similar to the non-remappable squeeze button on pixels and siri button on iphones?? And the bixby button is remappable with an app nowadays.

> aggressively killing apps for power management

Samsung is hardly the worst offender here. And I can't blame them for trying to fix the clusterfuck that google has created with android.

> Do people actually like all those Samsung annoyances?

I can't speak for others, but your "annoyances" are useful features for me. The alarm app turns on my bedroom lights in the morning automatically. Bixby routines automatically cranks the brightness and enables auto rotate when I play a video. Samsung health auto-tracks my sleeping schedule and tells me which apps are keeping me awake. Samsung browser blocks all ads and has an automatic dark mode for every website. Samsung pay lets me pay with my phone at any credit card terminal, not just the ones with NFC.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:LG is getting out of the mobile phone business by Aloha on Monday April 05, 2021 @01:27AM (#26695631)

Apple has never had a dedicated Siri button.

Also, it's a phone dialer - like the functionality of a phone dialer has been well defined since the early 2000's (also having used PalmOS, webOS, Windows Mobile 6 and 7, Early Android, and iOS from 2012 on I've never desired additional functionality here), so like what makes a phone dialer "like 10 years ahead"? - I'm not trying to snark, it's a genuine question.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:LG is getting out of the mobile phone business by batiudrami on Monday April 05, 2021 @01:43AM (#26695686)

For a long time stock android didn't have T9 contact searching from the dialer (and, astonishingly, iOS still doesn't), something present since the Galaxy S1.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:LG is getting out of the mobile phone business by kiwijamo on Monday April 05, 2021 @04:31AM (#26696578)

This is the first time I've heard of T9 being used since we moved on from the old Nokia phones that pioneered T9! Bring back fond memories of my Nokia 3310 and 8210. But yeah it's odd to see T9 in the context of a touchscreen phone...

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:LG is getting out of the mobile phone business by porsager on Monday April 05, 2021 @05:45AM (#26697038)

I think it's a pity it's gone. I've developed https://typenineapp.com for iPhone, since I couldn't get used to the small buttons on the qwerty keyboard. I would dare to say I type almost twice as fast as regular qwerty phone users, and even without the tactile feedback I can do so without looking.

I've had about 60.000 downloads, and I almost never see a bad review, so I'd say T9 on a touchscreen has a place.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:LG is getting out of the mobile phone business by perryizgr8 on Monday April 05, 2021 @06:43AM (#26697342)

I love the T9 dialing on my galaxy phone. It's amazing. It saves so much time searching for contacts. Blows my mind that iphone doesn't have it.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:LG is getting out of the mobile phone business by LeoPanthera on Monday April 05, 2021 @01:49AM (#26695719)

Why would you need T9 on a touch screen? You can just display a full keyboard. That was the defining aspect of the keynote that launched the first iPhone, even.

There's nothing "astonishing" about it.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:LG is getting out of the mobile phone business by batiudrami on Monday April 05, 2021 @02:04AM (#26695796)

Because the T9 keyboard is already displayed, and the full keyboard isn't. It is a very fast way to search through your contacts directly from the dialier when I want to call someone, which is the primary use case of the dialer (calling someone already in my contacts).

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:LG is getting out of the mobile phone business by sanxiyn on Monday April 05, 2021 @01:58AM (#26695767)

For many people T9 is faster than QWERTY keyboard.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:LG is getting out of the mobile phone business by perryizgr8 on Monday April 05, 2021 @02:06AM (#26695805)

> Apple has never had a dedicated Siri button.

Sure it does. Right side button, hold it and it triggers siri. Single click locks unlocks the phone. This is identical to how the unlock/Bixby button works on Samsung.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:LG is getting out of the mobile phone business by iainmerrick on Monday April 05, 2021 @03:34AM (#26696267)

That’s optional, and opt-in -- it asks you during phone setup whether to enable Siri.

It does try to nudge you into enabling it, but if someone kept pressing that button and invoking Siri accidentally, they could open Settings and search for “siri” to disable it, which I think is reasonably discoverable.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:LG is getting out of the mobile phone business by perryizgr8 on Monday April 05, 2021 @05:55AM (#26697086)

Bixby is also optional. You can disable the key trigger from the settings, exactly like iphone.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:LG is getting out of the mobile phone business by totalZero on Monday April 05, 2021 @07:48AM (#26697795)

Depends what phone. S8 for example had a Bixby button that could not be disabled.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:LG is getting out of the mobile phone business by morsch on Monday April 05, 2021 @04:37AM (#26696618)

On my S10, there is a seperate Bixby button on the left side, so it's not shared with the unlock button. The best thing about the Bixby button is that I can freely remap it with third party applications, meaning I have a dedicated, customizable, physical button, something all phones should have.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:LG is getting out of the mobile phone business by m-ee on Monday April 05, 2021 @01:24AM (#26695619)

I’ve owned 5 iPhones so far and never seen this Siri button.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:LG is getting out of the mobile phone business by philliphaydon on Monday April 05, 2021 @02:04AM (#26695790)

I don’t think he ever owned an iPhone. Lol

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:LG is getting out of the mobile phone business by perryizgr8 on Monday April 05, 2021 @02:04AM (#26695789)

It's on the right side. Hold it and it will start siri.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:LG is getting out of the mobile phone business by philliphaydon on Monday April 05, 2021 @02:04AM (#26695797)

The on off button? Doesn’t do anything when I hold it down.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:LG is getting out of the mobile phone business by noahtallen on Monday April 05, 2021 @02:34AM (#26695937)

You can enable it in Accessibility > Side Button > Press and Hold. It appears to be enabled by default for me — Siri shows up in less than one second of holding the power button.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:LG is getting out of the mobile phone business by philliphaydon on Monday April 05, 2021 @06:35AM (#26697293)

Hmmm I have Siri enabled, but this button is off for me. Didn't even know I could enable this.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:LG is getting out of the mobile phone business by perryizgr8 on Monday April 05, 2021 @05:52AM (#26697075)

It triggers siri on iPhone 11. Single click locks, unlocks. Hold triggers siri. And this is identical to how the lock/Bixby button works in Samsung.

Read about it on apples website: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203017

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:LG is getting out of the mobile phone business by philliphaydon on Monday April 05, 2021 @06:38AM (#26697306)

I have the iPhone 11 Pro Max, since launch, with Siri enabled since launch. It's only ever worked with 'hey siri', and apparently my button is off. I didn't even know the button existed until the other reply to my comment!

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:LG is getting out of the mobile phone business by mrweasel on Monday April 05, 2021 @02:26AM (#26695908)

Even if it did that is an extremely deliberate press, it’s not a button you randomly push.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:LG is getting out of the mobile phone business by perryizgr8 on Monday April 05, 2021 @03:22AM (#26696212)

Well Samsung has the exact same setup. So why blame them when you give a pass to apple?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:LG is getting out of the mobile phone business by mrweasel on Monday April 05, 2021 @04:15AM (#26696479)

Samsung users makes it sound like they are activating Bixby constantly, while Siri can’t be activate when not enabled. So is Samsung allowing users to disable Bixby? It sounds like they’re not.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:LG is getting out of the mobile phone business by perryizgr8 on Monday April 05, 2021 @05:53AM (#26697078)

Samsung lets you disable Bixby fully. Users complain more about Samsung because Android users are not used to being forced by the device they paid $1000 for, it's a new experience for them, unlike Apple users.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:LG is getting out of the mobile phone business by hackerfromthefu on Monday April 05, 2021 @08:38AM (#26698186)

I have the s20+ and tried to disable bixby as much as possible, but it cant be uninstalled (short of adb hacks that can get lost with updates), and even after disabling everything i could it kept popping up asking to update, though that thankfully stopped after a month or so of regular annoying popups. Probably going stock android next time

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:LG is getting out of the mobile phone business by mrweasel on Monday April 05, 2021 @06:29AM (#26697257)

I don’t understand the complaint then, what is Samsung forcing users to do?

Just disable Bixby or buy a phone from another brand.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:LG is getting out of the mobile phone business by perryizgr8 on Monday April 05, 2021 @09:15AM (#26698508)

I agree.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:LG is getting out of the mobile phone business by m-ee on Monday April 05, 2021 @04:13AM (#26696467)

Samsung does not have the same setup. They added a separate button mapped exclusively to this feature. The iphone has an alternate mapping most aren't even aware of for a multifunctional button

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:LG is getting out of the mobile phone business by perryizgr8 on Monday April 05, 2021 @05:54AM (#26697082)

You are misinformed. It works exactly identically as it does on iPhone.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:LG is getting out of the mobile phone business by m-ee on Monday April 05, 2021 @02:55PM (#26703056)

Samsung added a separate hardware button for Bixby, Apple did not. That is not identical. The only buttons on the iPhone are power, volume, and the silent switch. There is no separate Siri button. I’m not sure what you’re disagreeing with here?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:LG is getting out of the mobile phone business by perryizgr8 on Monday April 05, 2021 @10:15PM (#26707252)

There is no separate Bixby button either on Samsung phones. It is a side button that locks unlocks the phone and activates Bixby when held. It is identical to how it works on iPhones.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:LG is getting out of the mobile phone business by dragonwriter on Monday April 05, 2021 @10:43PM (#26707430)

> There is no separate Bixby button either on Samsung phones.

Huh. As a longtime Samsung owner, I’m surprised that the dedicated Bixby Button added alongside the existing power and volume buttons with the S8 generation is an illusion.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:LG is getting out of the mobile phone business by daemoon on Monday April 05, 2021 @05:11AM (#26696821)

Yeah, that's a shortcut for not having to say «Hey Siri» - not a dedicated button for starting Siri.

[ Parent | on HN ]