[General Questions and Answers] adrscu:
Hi All,

I'm coming at you with a different type of post, one where I'm looking for everyone's expertise in choosing a new phone to replace my S21+ Exynos 256gb.

I've had the phone since launch, and I was forced to get the Exynos version as it's the only one available in my market (no SD).

I've had a myriad of problems and frustrations with this particular phone, and a few to mention are the fact that Fast charge and Super Fast charge no longer work. The phone refuses to charge in these modes even though I haven't changed my charger setup (genuine super fast charger and cable). Moreover, when the phone reaches a certain low battery level you cannot charge it because there's a "moisture detected in your port" error. It happens very randomly and yes, I've checked for moisture and pocket lint/dust each time, the phone and charging port are in pristine condition (air relative humidity in my home is ~40-50%). This even happens if I turn off the phone and try to charge it.

One thing that allows me to charge it in this condition is either - Wireless charging, which makes the phone scalding hot in a few minutes and the charging of course stops, or using a very old external battery (low amps maybe?) with it's built-in type-c cable.

My second gripe is camera UI performance. From the moment you start the camera and the moment you can take pictures there's a window of time where it acts very choppy and unresponsive (the whole phone does), and the interface takes time to draw to the whole screen. Sometimes when you change modes or exit the app and open it again, the same happens. Still on the topic of the camera, when I start the "Pro mode" and start working on a shot, including focusing, setting isso/exposure, zooming in/out and just general work to frame the best shot, the phone gets so hot in the upper right corner that you're given the impression it's gonna burn soon :). I think the camera setup uses way more processing power than the phone is able to deliver for extended periods of time. (keep in mind we're talking about 3-5 minutes, not hours).

Third and final gripe is software+hardware performance. I've switched to this phone from an S10+ and I wholeheartedly say that the S10+ combination of hardware and software delivered more day-to-day usage performance than the S21+. The interface was snappy, there was no lag and no applications were "hanging" or taking too much time to process changes or screen refreshes. My overall experience with the S21+ has been horrible in terms of usability, it somehow gives the impresion of an underpowered computer trying to run the most advanced software. I won't go into details on specific apps and scenarios, but I have been extensively multitasking on my old s10+ with both work and personal apps at the same time and I have not had this level of dissatisfaction with the phone's performance like with the S21+. It feels like I'm using a phone 2-3 generations older.

I know, I know, I'm whining, but I was very enthusiastic about getting a newer phone, after having a stellar experience with my old S10+, and this s21+ has delivered only problems and disappointments.

I'm a long time Samsung fan (may flagship phones over the years, Samsung TVs and appliances, you name it).

But I think time has come to say goodbye to the smartphone division of Samsung. Continuing to use Samsung phones would be at a detriment to me and I am trying to avoid that.

That being said - I am looking for an alternative, maybe it's time to try Snapdragon at this point in my life since Samsung only sold Exynos phones on my market and that's what I've been using along these years.

I've been looking at the Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro recently. Are there any other alternatives? I've been so far up with Samsung products that I don't even know who's their competition these days! :)

Thank you very much for reading my rant!