The State of Android Phones: A Personal Experience with the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the Prospects of the Samsung Galaxy S8

As I look back on the year that's passed, one thing stands out to me - the inconsistent performance of Android phones. My personal experience with the Samsung Galaxy S7 is a perfect example of this. At first, it was a fantastic phone with a brilliant camera that quickly became my go-to device. However, as time went by, I started to notice a decline in its overall performance.

The battery life, which was once one of the standout features of the S7, began to dwindle at an alarming rate. It would barely last me through a full day, and even with heavy use, it would struggle to make it to bed time. This was not only frustrating but also left me worried about how I would survive on-the-go. The Android 7 update that Samsung released in the latter part of the year did help improve things, but unfortunately, it only addressed some of the underlying issues.

I found that even with the latest software update, the S7's performance was still a far cry from what I had come to expect from my device. It would take longer to open apps, and it seemed like everything just "chugged" along. This may not be an issue for everyone, but for me, it was a deal-breaker. The phone's slowness and lack of responsiveness made it feel ancient compared to other devices on the market.

As someone who has reviewed numerous Samsung phones in the past, I have come to realize that this is not an isolated incident. Many Android phones struggle with software updates, battery life, and performance issues over time. It's a problem that seems endemic to the platform itself, and it's one that affects users across the board.

One solution that some people have turned to is switching to different phones when they come in for review. I've personally done this, and while it may seem like a hassle, it's been worth it for me. The Huawei P10, for example, has been an absolute revelation compared to my S7. It's faster, more responsive, and its battery life is far superior.

This got me thinking about the Samsung Galaxy S8, which I've heard great things about. While it may be a powerful device with impressive specs, I couldn't help but wonder if it would suffer from the same issues as its predecessor. Would it too become slow and sluggish over time? The answer to this question is crucial for anyone considering purchasing the new S8.

According to some senior editors who have had similar experiences with previous Samsung phones, the problem may not be entirely unique to the S7 or any other specific device. They've mentioned that they won't be buying the S8 because of their prior experience with the S6 and S7. Apparently, these devices did not last as long as they should have, and this was due in part to software issues.

One potential solution for Samsung is a stock Android phone like the Google Pixel. This device runs on pure, unadulterated Android, which means it's free from the skin that Samsung has applied to their phones over the years. According to some senior editors who have had experience with this device, it performs incredibly well and maintains its performance over time.

The other thing that I find concerning is Samsung's slow release of software updates. The S7 was only updated to Android 7 about a month before the launch of its replacement, which is a far cry from the usual 3-6 months that manufacturers are used to taking to get their devices up-to-speed with the latest operating system. This lack of urgency and transparency can be frustrating for users who just want to stay on the bleeding edge.

In conclusion, my experience with the Samsung Galaxy S7 has been a rollercoaster ride of emotions. At first, I was blown away by its performance, but as time went by, it began to slow down. The battery life, which was once one of its standout features, became a liability. However, I remain optimistic that future Samsung devices will learn from the mistakes of the past and create a better experience for users.

The prospect of the Samsung Galaxy S8 has got me excited, but also cautious. Will it too suffer from similar issues as its predecessor? Only time will tell. What's clear is that the phone industry needs to take a step back and re-evaluate their approach to software updates, battery life, and performance. Users deserve better than to be stuck with a slow, unresponsive device for an extended period.

As I finish writing this article, I'm eagerly awaiting my hands-on review of the Samsung Galaxy S8. I'll be putting it through its paces alongside other devices like the OnePlus 3T and comparing its performance over time. Stay tuned, folks, as I delve into the world of high-end smartphones and explore what makes them tick.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enI'm not sure what to do I'm not sure if I should buy a Galaxy S8 and the reason why is because as nice as it looks as stunning as those bezels or lack of bezels are on the Snapdragon 835 and Bluetooth 5 and USBC and fancy camera as great as the Galaxy S8 and S8 plus look it's this that makes me wonder and question whether I should go out and buy it and pay £689 for it this is the S7 and it is a fantastic phone when I reviewed this last year I was incredibly impressed by it and for most people I suspect this is probably considered the phone of the year for 2016 except perhaps maybe the Google pixel towards the end of the year No Doubt a fantastic phone brilliant camera but over the course of the year I found this has got a lot slower the battery's got worse things just take a little bit longer to open it just chugs a bit Falls over itself as I say battery barely gets me through a full day now and while the Android 7 update did help compared to when it launched last year it is a lot slower and the battery life is not as good is it touch whz Infamous Touch wiz which everyone knows is a bit of a system hog is it Samsung phones is it the issue with Android are all Android phones like this and that's to the point where I've started swapping to different phones when they come in for review and actually really enjoyed using them the Huawei P10 for example I've swapped to this it's so much faster and whether this is just because it's a new phone probably is the case but the batter is better it's fast it's more responsive and that's why I'm not sure whether I should go out and buy a Galaxy S8 because it may be great wait for the first few months but is it just going to get slow again in 6 months time when the pixel 2 comes out am I going want to jump ship to that because the S8 started getting a bit laggy and unresponsive on me now I'm not the only one I don't think who who thinks this and do let me know if you agree in the comments or you've experienced similar things but I recently read a article from a senior editor who said that this exact reason is why he won't be buying the S as great as it looks as powerful as it is it's just from prior experience of the S6 and the S7 he and and I agree have just just found that the S7 and Samsung phones just don't last as long as you would like and the problem is if you went out and bought say a 1plus 3 OnePlus 3T that's sort of 350 400 if in a year's time it does get a bit slow or a bit unresponsive you know it's it's not great but you haven't paid an absolute Fortune for it I say absolute Fortune 550 for when the S7 came out now the S8 is about 680 now what will be interesting is the pixel and how that stock Android phone from Google themselves performs over a long period of time so I'm really looking forward to revisiting the pixel in 6 months in 12 months to see whether that performance whether that responsiveness of UI has uh been maintained and the other issue is with Samsung is they're really slow to get updated this was only updated to Android 7 nugar about 6 weeks ago about a month before the launch of its replacement which isn't particularly good at all and that's a good reason why you may want to consider a stock Android phone like the pixel but hopefully fingers crossed there is some hope for the Galaxy S8 not only is it running the latest Hardware whether it's the xnos 8895 or Snapdragon 835 processor more powerful more efficient but it also comes running Android 7 nouar out of the box and I did find Android 7 to be quite a big upgrade for the S7 and hopefully it's a bit more well optimized for the S8 but the bigger thing for me is the fact that Samsung has kind of dropped the touch with well at least the name from their user interface from their skin on top of Android they're just calling it basically their ux the Samsung ux so hopefully their new software the new ux will run a bit better will have better longevity so I will of course be reviewing the essay completely impartially I'll give you my thoughts on it when it comes out and I will have one right here and I'll be thoroughly testing it comparing it versus the S7 comparing it versus the uh OnePlus 3T and phones like that so hopefully I can come back in 6 months and be like yeah it's still an incredible phone still super fast no problems there I just thought I'd make this quick to camera piece basically uh sharing my experience with the S7 and how it's not quite as good as it used to be and maybe that should be something to consider if you've got your mouse or your finger over that pre-order button on the S8 but let me know in the comments below whether you've had similar things with your phone whether the performance has got worse the camera's taken a bit longer battery life's got a bit rubbish over time thank you very much for watching guys and do subscribe and stay tuned because I will be having that big S review as well as these comparisons coming very soon thanks for watching and I catch you next timeI'm not sure what to do I'm not sure if I should buy a Galaxy S8 and the reason why is because as nice as it looks as stunning as those bezels or lack of bezels are on the Snapdragon 835 and Bluetooth 5 and USBC and fancy camera as great as the Galaxy S8 and S8 plus look it's this that makes me wonder and question whether I should go out and buy it and pay £689 for it this is the S7 and it is a fantastic phone when I reviewed this last year I was incredibly impressed by it and for most people I suspect this is probably considered the phone of the year for 2016 except perhaps maybe the Google pixel towards the end of the year No Doubt a fantastic phone brilliant camera but over the course of the year I found this has got a lot slower the battery's got worse things just take a little bit longer to open it just chugs a bit Falls over itself as I say battery barely gets me through a full day now and while the Android 7 update did help compared to when it launched last year it is a lot slower and the battery life is not as good is it touch whz Infamous Touch wiz which everyone knows is a bit of a system hog is it Samsung phones is it the issue with Android are all Android phones like this and that's to the point where I've started swapping to different phones when they come in for review and actually really enjoyed using them the Huawei P10 for example I've swapped to this it's so much faster and whether this is just because it's a new phone probably is the case but the batter is better it's fast it's more responsive and that's why I'm not sure whether I should go out and buy a Galaxy S8 because it may be great wait for the first few months but is it just going to get slow again in 6 months time when the pixel 2 comes out am I going want to jump ship to that because the S8 started getting a bit laggy and unresponsive on me now I'm not the only one I don't think who who thinks this and do let me know if you agree in the comments or you've experienced similar things but I recently read a article from a senior editor who said that this exact reason is why he won't be buying the S as great as it looks as powerful as it is it's just from prior experience of the S6 and the S7 he and and I agree have just just found that the S7 and Samsung phones just don't last as long as you would like and the problem is if you went out and bought say a 1plus 3 OnePlus 3T that's sort of 350 400 if in a year's time it does get a bit slow or a bit unresponsive you know it's it's not great but you haven't paid an absolute Fortune for it I say absolute Fortune 550 for when the S7 came out now the S8 is about 680 now what will be interesting is the pixel and how that stock Android phone from Google themselves performs over a long period of time so I'm really looking forward to revisiting the pixel in 6 months in 12 months to see whether that performance whether that responsiveness of UI has uh been maintained and the other issue is with Samsung is they're really slow to get updated this was only updated to Android 7 nugar about 6 weeks ago about a month before the launch of its replacement which isn't particularly good at all and that's a good reason why you may want to consider a stock Android phone like the pixel but hopefully fingers crossed there is some hope for the Galaxy S8 not only is it running the latest Hardware whether it's the xnos 8895 or Snapdragon 835 processor more powerful more efficient but it also comes running Android 7 nouar out of the box and I did find Android 7 to be quite a big upgrade for the S7 and hopefully it's a bit more well optimized for the S8 but the bigger thing for me is the fact that Samsung has kind of dropped the touch with well at least the name from their user interface from their skin on top of Android they're just calling it basically their ux the Samsung ux so hopefully their new software the new ux will run a bit better will have better longevity so I will of course be reviewing the essay completely impartially I'll give you my thoughts on it when it comes out and I will have one right here and I'll be thoroughly testing it comparing it versus the S7 comparing it versus the uh OnePlus 3T and phones like that so hopefully I can come back in 6 months and be like yeah it's still an incredible phone still super fast no problems there I just thought I'd make this quick to camera piece basically uh sharing my experience with the S7 and how it's not quite as good as it used to be and maybe that should be something to consider if you've got your mouse or your finger over that pre-order button on the S8 but let me know in the comments below whether you've had similar things with your phone whether the performance has got worse the camera's taken a bit longer battery life's got a bit rubbish over time thank you very much for watching guys and do subscribe and stay tuned because I will be having that big S review as well as these comparisons coming very soon thanks for watching and I catch you next time\n"