I'm a software nerd, my biggest priority is keeping Android up-to-date on security and features, so it really seems like Samsung would be the best fallback option with a proven track record of getting security updates out as quick (or quicker) than Google and typically promising 4 years of OS upgrades/5 years of security patches (here's an article with many phone manufacturers policies). I'd really miss the stock Android experience and unlockable bootloader though!
I've moved from Samsung to Pixel and I think I actually prefer oneui for some of the software features. I had to disable a few things on Samsung and I don't like the secondary store being necessary for some updates, or the parallel Samsung version of a bunch of apps. Or having to be careful to avoid installing a bunch of bloat. That being said, once carefully set up, a Samsung phone is smooth, battery was excellent in my experience, great performance, hardware strong. I think if Pixels had Snapdragon based processors over modified Exynos, and a bump in battery they'd be considerably stronger.
The new Razr seems cool to me, not sure I'd actually hold onto it but the concept of being able to flip it into a square and tuck it away is awesome. Can't do Samsung phones because of OneUI though!
I had great experiences with Motorola in the past. Probably lean towards that.
I loved my Essential PH-1 and I wish that would have gotten a new device, but alas, I love my Pixel and each time I ventured out to try something new, I always returned.
I moved from a Xiaomi Mi11 to a P7. My decision was based largely on the camera but also the phone have relatively good reviews.
Camera A+, battery (for my use case) A+, however first time travelling with the phone has been a disaster. Android auto constantly disconnecting causing navigation nightmare. Can't log onto hotel WiFi connects disconnects so basically using 4G always for the week away.
I think next phone work be back to Xiaomi I've really been unimpressed.
I'd probably prefer a Sony device of some sort but they aren't well priced, so Motorola I guess. I had a Motorola X4 before I got into Pixels, and while I didn't like it being slippery glass, the software was nice and not bloated. It was part of the Android One program, which might not exist anymore.
It's a weird request but I'll probably jump from a pixel 7 pro to any phone that supports usb-c video output in the future. I'll stick with my 7 pro for another year or two and then hop probably to Samsung... but I'm open to other options. I'm hopeful the nothing phone 2 will have USB-C 3.1 and support video out.
I want to be able to watch things on my train commute without having to hold my phone up to my face in the middle of a packed train. It's a niche use case but it's a major selling point for me.
Pixel 3 was the last good pixel. I'm hoping that pixel 8 is the next good pixel.
Finger print readers have been garbage or gone since pixel 4, pixel 6 seemed to have poor QC where some phones had connectivity issues with wifi and 5G, I haven't tried the pixel 7 because it has the same garbage fingerprint sensor from the 6. I'm currently using a OnePlus 10 pro. I think it would be great with a custom ROM, but even with the default it's pretty good.
Rumor has it the pixel 8 will have an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor though and while the op10 pro has a decent optical sensor, ultrasonic is just so much better. Google has done a wild job screwing up one major thing per phone just bad enough to piss me off and make me sad starting with the pixel 4. Samsung has really great hardware, but they screw it up with their software.
Honestly I'd get an iPhone at this point, but why tf do they not have a back button, it's insane! Touch screens are bad enough as it is, if I click the wrong thing I want to be able to go back god damn you!
Finger print readers have been garbage or gone since pixel 4
I must be living in another dimension because I cannot grasp all the complaints about the in-display fingerprint reader. I had a Pixel 3a XL with a capacitive fingerprint reader and then switched to the Pixel 7 Pro. I was hesitant at first because of all the complaints. But honestly: the difference is marginal at best. It works fine 9 out of 10 times both in terms of speed and accuracy.
The only exception is when I have a sweaty finger. But then the 3a's fingerprint reader couldn't really deal with that either.
I'm not sure..maybe a 1 year old (cheaper) iPhone pro.
If it has to be android. Some AOSP small phone. But I'd probably try Apple first.
I'm planning on going with the Pixel 8 next (considering the size is closer to the 5), but if the battery life of the Pixel 8 is not at least 20%-25% better than the Pixel 5 (Pixel 5 on first month was giving me like 3 days standby with 6-7 hours of Reddit which was good for me), then I think I'll return it in 15 days and move on.