Ask Paul: August 14 (Premium)

Happy Friday, and thanks to everyone for another great set of reader questions to kick off another weekend in this endless summer.
Recommended smartphones
cornholio asks:

Any update on your Oneplus 8/8Pro review(s)? Also, coming from an iPhone, do you have a short list of Android phones that you currently recommend? Woot was recently running a daily deal for a Oneplus 7 Pro 256gb - unlocked, $450. Little nervous with the purchase.

I’m at a big disadvantage compared to some when it comes to device reviews---especially but not exclusively smartphones---because I don’t have relationships with too many hardware makers and thus would have to buy the phones out of pocket to review them. Every year, I spend my own money on the new iPhones and Pixels, and sometimes on other phones (like the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra I purchased earlier this year). So I don’t really have a current database of phones I recommend per se, and I can’t really review every single phone that comes down the pike.

Aside from that, smartphones are complicated decisions: Everyone has their own set of needs and wants, and certain features that are dealmakers or breakers. My own matrix of needs/wants, as I think of it, has changed a bit over the past year as I walked away from the Google Fi wireless carrier, but job one for me is camera quality. Beyond that, I prefer Android to iOS, but I’d go with an iPhone if it provided the best camera experience.

For several years, that meant I would get the newest/best Google handset, from the Nexus 6P in 2015 to the Pixel 4 XL last year. But with Samsung and Apple really upping their camera game and with Huawei surpassing Google last year to offer the best experience overall, I’ve moved in that direction. (That Huawei can no longer use Google apps/services or easily sell their handsets in the U.S. right now complicates things moving forward, of course.)

OnePlus is my favorite phone maker overall and they make the best handsets overall, from both hardware and software perspectives, except for the camera. They’re good to very good depending on the model, but they’re not in the top tier. If that’s not a dealbreaker for you, you’ll be very happy with a OnePlus, I think. I wish they’d figure this out, because I’d be a loyal OnePlus user myself if the camera was superior.

If you’re looking for something similar to the Apple ecosystem, it’s worth looking at Samsung, but of course they make about 1100 different handset models and it’s not always obvious which way to go. But I really like their launcher/UX and the hardware quality is excellent.

I don’t know if this helps at all, sorry. Smartphones are tough.
Living with …
OldITPro2000 asks:

I know you are doing a Living With series on laptops. Have you considered doing one on using Web-based office applications (Office 365 Apps, GSuite, or both) full-time for a week or so?

Yes, actually. I have a few potential “Living with…” ser...

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