Until recently I suffered from a self-described, self-diagnosed condition I called CAPS (Compulsive Android Purchase Syndrome). I found myself purchasing almost every Android flagship phone that was introduced and selling my current phone. I didn’t bother with Apple devices because I’ve spent enough time trying to help my wife with her iPhone and iPad to know that the locked-down iOS is not for me. I love the flexibility of Android; when I get a new phone I try the user interface provided by the phone’s manufacturer but, invariably, I switch to the Nova Prime launcher so that I can customize the interface to my liking.
After trying various flagship phones I discovered the Google Pixel 2 XL, and it’s a phone I’m going to stick with for a while (at least until Google introduces the Pixel 3 XL). I’m sure the smaller Google Pixel 2 is also a great phone, but my eyesight is not what it once was, and I need the larger display of the XL.
Google Pixel 2 phones combine great hardware, pure Android, and artificial intelligence to create the smoothest and fastest phone I’ve experienced. The Pixel 2 XL has great battery life, an excellent camera, and it’s always updated to the latest version of Android with the most recent security patches. I must admit that the Pixel 2 XL lacks two features I always look for on a phone: expandable memory and a headphone jack. Google partially makes up for the lack of expandable memory by allowing unlimited storage of photos and videos in their original format on Google Photos. As far as audio is concerned, the phone has front-facing stereo speakers, and for headphone use Google provides a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) adapter for the USB-C port.
When I bought the Google Pixel 2 XL I also switched carriers to Google’s Project Fi. Project Fi is a service developed by Google that automatically switches between three carriers — T-Mobile, Sprint and US Cellular – depending on which offers the best signal at the time. Project Fi also uses Wi-Fi whenever available to make calls and send texts. With Project Fi you get some of the same features that you get with Google Voice. You can forward phone calls from your mobile number to any phone, view voicemail, and make calls and send texts using your mobile number from any device using the Hangouts app and website. Unfortunately, to take advantage of the features offered by Project Fi you must have a Google phone or the Moto X4 sold by Google.
Project Fi also works internationally in 170 countries with no additional cost for data use or texting. You can call at a flat rate to any number while on the cellular networks abroad or pay much lower rates when calling on Wi-Fi. You can also call back home to the U.S. on Wi-Fi for free.
So far, Project Fi coverage has been great, and you only pay for the cellular data you use. I don’t use a lot of cellular data and my first monthly bill from Project Fi was $22.48 (I was previously paying $35.00 per month with Cricket).

I’ve been reading good things about Huawei (pronounced “Wah-Way”), a Chinese high tech company largely unknown in the US but very popular in Asia and Europe. Huawei also has a sub-brand, Honor, a line of budget phones sold primarily online from its own sites as well as from third-party retailers such as Amazon and Best Buy. Huawei is the world’s second largest smartphone maker, behind Samsung and ahead of Apple.

In 2017 Huawei started selling its flagship phone, the Mate 9, in the US as an unlocked phone for around $600. Honor also introduced the Honor 7x, a $199 budget phone. Both the Mate 9 and the Honor 7x have received very good reviews. Nine months after the Mate 9 was launched, Juan Bagnell, Senior Editor at Pocketnow, said the Mate 9 was still the most used phone in his collection, and XDA Developers named the Honor 7X the best budget smartphone of 2017. However, in spite of great reviews, the general public never heard about the phones because they weren’t offered by the major carriers – AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon.

Things may be about to change because it has been reported that Huawei has decided to make a serious effort to become established in the US. It is rumored that in 2018 AT&T and Verizon may offer Huawei’s latest flagship phone, the Mate 10 Pro. There are also reports that Huawei is lining up a $100 million advertising campaign for its US launch of the Mate 10 Pro. If the two largest US carriers offer Huawei phones, and if Huawei’s new phones are as good as those already released, Huawei could become a major contender in the US market and threaten the dominance of Apple and Samsung.

EDIT:  According to a January 9, 2018 article on C\NET:  “On Monday, news emerged that AT&T pulled out of a deal to sell the Huawei Mate 10 Pro, and The Information reported the deal had been a victim of congressional pressure. Now, on Tuesday, as Huawei touted the Mate 10 Pro at the CES tech show in Las Vegas, Android Police reported similar pressure on Verizon.”  Apple phones are manufactured in China, as well as some Samsung phones.  If the Chinese government is intent on using smartphones to spy on us, they could bug any of those phones before they’re shipped to the U.S.  I also wonder if there might have been some pressure on the carriers  from Apple and/or Samsung.  People will still be able to purchase Honor and Huawei phones in the U. S., but the phones will have to be purchased through the companies’ online stores or from retailers such as Amazon, BestBuy, Microsoft, NewEgg, and B&H.

I’m always curious about Android phones other than Samsung and I wanted to see what all the “Huawei Hype” was about.  I purchased a Mate 9 from Best Buy and started using it as my daily driver.  Much to my surprise, I preferred the Mate 9 to my Samsung Note 8. I’m going to turn 79 this year and both my vision and hearing are feeling their age. The Mate 9’s display, a 16:9 LCD screen with 1080p resolution, was easier on my eyes and the speaker seemed louder. I could have lowered the resolution on my Note 8 and increased the size of the icons and text, but it didn’t seem to make much sense to “dumb down” Samsung’s flagship smartphone. Also, I found that I wasn’t using some of the features on the Note 8, such as the S-pen. I decided to sell my Note 8 and keep the Mate 9.

So far, I’m very happy with my choice of the Mate 9.  It’s easy for me to hold, the screen is large and bright, and the sound is loud enough for me to hear.  It seems just as fast and smooth as my Note 8, and it charges faster and a charge lasts longer.  I think it’s an  ideal phone for us older folks. I have only one minor complaint, and it’s one I have with other major smartphone companies; the lack of prompt software updates. My Mate 9 is still running Android 7 (Nougat) and the security updates are not current. I spoke with Huawei tech support and was told that new software has been released but the updates are pushed in batches and it might take a couple of months for the new software to be pushed to my phone.

I had the original Samsung Note 7 (briefly) and then a replacement Note 7 (briefly). After the second Note 7 recall I bought a Samsung S7 Edge. While I’ve always been a fan of Samsung phones and plan to get the S8+ when it’s available, I’ve been curious about the ZTE Axon 7 since it was first announced. Recently I read that the Axon 7 was running Nougat and was Daydream certified so I bought one, using the rationale that I needed a backup for my S7 Edge.

Here is my subjective opinion of the Axon 7 after using it for almost two weeks. It seems just as fast and smooth as the S7 Edge, the display seems almost as good (it uses a Samsung AMOLED display), it has twice the onboard storage, it has a USB-C connector (with Quick Charge 3.0), and the audio is far superior (with dual front-facing speakers and Dolby Atmos Digital Surround Sound). On the negative side, the Axon 7’s capacitive buttons are too close together and aren’t backlit, the wi-fi and cellular radios are weaker, the cameras (both front and rear) are not as good, and the fingerprint sensor is not quite as fast (although I think I prefer the placement on the rear). I can’t describe the differences between Samsung’s TouchWiz and ZTE’s MiFavor launchers because I’m a long-time user of Nova Prime on all my Android devices. The Axon 7 does have a “Stock Android” option but I haven’t tried it.

The S7 Edge will continue to be my primary phone, but it’s hard to believe that the Axon 7 sells for about half what I paid for the S7 Edge. So far, I’m very impressed with the Axon 7 – it’s a great phone for the price.