> i find even pixel phones to be sort of slow after a couple years into software updates

I assume that's because they're Google's software updates. Removing all Google apps, and most phones are fast. My BlackBerry KeyOne, with its midrange chipset, is still fast five years after it was released. Hell, I wanted a smaller form factor for a few days, and threw my SIM into my Nexus 5. Changing apps, installing updates, and navigating with OSM were all just as fast as 2013, when the phone was new. I even flipped through a few Tiktok videos to try it out - and while the first video stuttered a bit, everything after that was still quick.

Google Apps, like Google Play Services, the Play Store, and especially Maps, all seem to expand over time to consume all available resources. OS updates don't slow down your phone - the software you just want to run (and are pushed heavily to keep up-to-date) simply keeps getting heavier.

If I removed all Google apps, my phone would be like a paperweight to me. Maps, Photos, Calendar, Gmail, Drive, Books, YouTube and others are all critical to my workflows, and even just for navigating the world and taking photos in general.

You can find replacements for all of those through f-droid. You do lose a little bit of functionality and/or polish with those alternative apps though.

There's no replacement for Google Maps and Google Photos in the current world IMO.

That feels hyperbolic, but any alternative to Map that I've seen were either:

- strongly platform limited (e.g. only works on android/iOS, and you lose bookmarks, preferences, or even finding consistent info when using any over device)

- use inconsistent apps (e.g. OSM will have different clients on different platforms, which crosses the first point)

- be straight bad (e.g. Apple Maps in low population areas)

- have little to no third data integration ("what's the website of that business I'm looking at")

Photos is another can of worm, as outside of Apple Photos and Flickr every service gaining popularity just died a horrible death. Then Apple Photos is heavily platform limited, and Flickr isn't great for personal photo maintenance and sharing for many reasons, not going into the Yahoo part of it.

These two products have I think a stronger stand than Gmail or even Google Search, and they are the closest to someone's day to day reality.

Yes, excellent points.

And then Google Photos works together with Google Maps Timeline to show you pics taken on a given day in a certain place. Theoretically possible on any platform since photos have appropriate metadata, but practically only available from Google.

>not going into the Yahoo part of it.

Flickr hasn't been owned by Yahoo for a number of years at this point. I've had a paid Flickr account for quite a few years but I admit I don't use it a lot these days.

I find Google Maps is in a different category than Photos. I use Photos from time to time for image identification but that's pretty much it. (And there are a lot of alternatives for that these days.)

Flickr is now independent, but it was part of Yahoo for so long I’d guess most people having all their photos in it probably used a Yahoo account. I’ll confess I tried accessing mine after a years long hiatus and it didn’t work (endless password resets)

On alternatives, which storage/sync and management service do you see working at the same level as Photos ? I’m genuinely curious and would move if it matches up (Basically, what is the Gmail->Fastmail like go to alternative for Photos ?)

Image identification looks to me like a very fringe use for a photo storage service, or perhaps you’re referring to searching all your photos for specific keywords ?

PS: Reminds me of the photos services curse from “The Prompt” podcast, where every time they’d present a competitive photo service, like Everpix, it would go out of business or something horrible happen to it a few months in.

I use Flickr for a curated subset of my photos but it's honestly been a while since I've uploaded anything.

I have Apple Photos but only what I shoot on my iPhone.

Primarily though I organize and edit photos locally with Lightroom Classic. (And, in addition to local backups, it's backed up by Backblaze along with all my other files.

That's the problem though, those f-droid alternatives are nowhere near Google apps' functionality. Believe me, I've tried, and I've always gone back to GApps.

Sadly Maps is the killer phone app for me. Otherwise I'd try harder to get rid of the google stuff on my phone.

Yeah, I switched to iOS but still keep Google Maps around for the times when Apple Maps doesn't quite work the way it should. I'm still 90-95% Apple Maps but sometimes I have to call for backup.

Google also works better for "browsing" the neighborhood to see what businesses are nearby.

I mean, in the case of phone comparisons, what you want to benchmark is the phone with it's default services and apps (which is what people use).

If you can modify those, then what's the comparison on? How fast it boots to no apps or services running?

I wasn't trying to compare second-hand price vs new, I just added that since I didn't want to come off as complaining when I'm not really concerned by the cost of new phones (or electronics for that matter), it was just an observation. If anything, I'm thankful for consumerism enabling me to buy from an ample supply of quality second-hand electronics.

>cheap/expensive is relative

I guess that's kind of my point if there was one. Today's cheap smartphones are at the price of flagship phones from <10 years ago. I find it noticeable how far goalposts have moved when it comes to what cheap (let alone expensive) means for smartphones. Which is just a remark and not a criticism, consumers command markets as it should be and I'm more than aware my habits are not extrapolatable.

We are arguably in a tech golden age where all this cool stuff is cheap now.

Look at video cards. Counting for inflation those things were expensive. Then they got cheap. Now they’re gonna get expensive again ( look at the proposed prices for 4000 series GeForce cards ).

I think we are eventually going to see more expensive phones simply because people won’t really need to buy new ones anymore.

Through luck or minor hacks, I have been able to keep my phone costs less than $100 a year over the last decade. The nexus and pixel lines have almost always offered a new phone around the $300 mark (black friday, trade in, some promo, etc.) and they last for about 3 years.