Blog: New Phone, Who Dis?
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New Phone, Who Dis? - Thursday, August 17, 2023
Well I held out for as long as I could, but after using the same phone for 6.5 years, I've finally moved on to something newer.
Okay, technically we had two ZTE Axon 7 Minis that I bought in 2016, and I switched to the spare one (which was Priscilla's but she gave it up for a Samsung Galaxy S8) a year and a half ago, but the point still stands. This phone wasn't made to be easily serviced, and every time I pried it open to fix something, a small piece of something would break off. The antenna finally got so damaged such that I could make calls but not receive them (though some might call that an anti-spam feature). The phone was also getting sluggish and some apps were no longer available due to the old OS. So while I like keeping things running as long as possible and am averse to buying new things, buying new parts to keep the phone operable no longer made sense.
I was set on sticking with Android and I still wanted a small form factor. I also needed NFC to be able to badge into the parking garage at work, and I wanted a headphone jack since I sometimes use wired headphones when on calls. According to the phone finder at GSM Arena, there were only 4 phones that fit all my criteria. I ultimately settled on the Asus Zenfone 8. The Zenfone 9 and 10 would've also checked all the boxes, but I didn't want to pay more for something newer.
Though it's two years old, the Zenfone 8 turned out to be a pretty decent phone. Most of the hardware is way better than my Axon 7, responsive times are great, and the battery life is terrific. I've gone 4-5 days between charging, though my usage tends to be low overall. The phone even has an FM radio, requiring headphones to be plugged in to act as an antenna. I don't know if I'll actually use that, but it's pretty cool to have.
On the downside, though the phone has stereo speakers, they don't sound as full as those on the Axon 7, which has some phenomenal speakers. So I'm still using the Axon 7 to listen to podcasts and music when working in the backyard. The other couple downsides are that the front pinhole camera is punched into the top of the screen (instead of being in a bezel above the screen like on the Axon 7), and the notification LED is on the bottom of the phone, making it harder to notice.
I had several apps where all the data was stored locally, and all but one of those was able to be migrated using the Android Setup Wizard. Unfortunately, the wizard failed to copy some things the first time, and it doesn't allow you to run it again without factory resetting the phone.
Overall, I'm really happy with the upgrade. Priscilla had been telling me for a while to replace my aging phone. There isn't going to be a perfect phone for me, but the Zenfone comes fairly close.
Okay, technically we had two ZTE Axon 7 Minis that I bought in 2016, and I switched to the spare one (which was Priscilla's but she gave it up for a Samsung Galaxy S8) a year and a half ago, but the point still stands. This phone wasn't made to be easily serviced, and every time I pried it open to fix something, a small piece of something would break off. The antenna finally got so damaged such that I could make calls but not receive them (though some might call that an anti-spam feature). The phone was also getting sluggish and some apps were no longer available due to the old OS. So while I like keeping things running as long as possible and am averse to buying new things, buying new parts to keep the phone operable no longer made sense.
I was set on sticking with Android and I still wanted a small form factor. I also needed NFC to be able to badge into the parking garage at work, and I wanted a headphone jack since I sometimes use wired headphones when on calls. According to the phone finder at GSM Arena, there were only 4 phones that fit all my criteria. I ultimately settled on the Asus Zenfone 8. The Zenfone 9 and 10 would've also checked all the boxes, but I didn't want to pay more for something newer.
Though it's two years old, the Zenfone 8 turned out to be a pretty decent phone. Most of the hardware is way better than my Axon 7, responsive times are great, and the battery life is terrific. I've gone 4-5 days between charging, though my usage tends to be low overall. The phone even has an FM radio, requiring headphones to be plugged in to act as an antenna. I don't know if I'll actually use that, but it's pretty cool to have.
On the downside, though the phone has stereo speakers, they don't sound as full as those on the Axon 7, which has some phenomenal speakers. So I'm still using the Axon 7 to listen to podcasts and music when working in the backyard. The other couple downsides are that the front pinhole camera is punched into the top of the screen (instead of being in a bezel above the screen like on the Axon 7), and the notification LED is on the bottom of the phone, making it harder to notice.
I had several apps where all the data was stored locally, and all but one of those was able to be migrated using the Android Setup Wizard. Unfortunately, the wizard failed to copy some things the first time, and it doesn't allow you to run it again without factory resetting the phone.
Overall, I'm really happy with the upgrade. Priscilla had been telling me for a while to replace my aging phone. There isn't going to be a perfect phone for me, but the Zenfone comes fairly close.