from Hacker News

An Ode to My 5-Year-Old Samsung Galaxy S10e

by CPAhem on 8/31/24, 10:47 PM with 15 comments

• by onli on 8/31/24, 11:19 PM

  The S10e really does tick a few boxes. It is not only reasonable small, but as visible by the good price the author got for the battery replacement, it is rather repairable. Not perfect, but could be worse, moderate difficulty according to ifixit. It even has a headphone jack and an SD card slot. Arguably it was the last reasonable Samsung phone before they went off the deep end; made everything unrepairable crap, took away necessary features and locked the bootloader. Maybe with some exceptions, the Galaxy A52s for example also looks good on paper (but as an A series phone could be worse, even if two years newer)

  Because yes, that adds to its charm: Though it only got Android 12 from Samsung, you can run that phone with Android 14 via LineageOS. Or Android 13 via /e/ and iode. And thanks to the OpenAndroidInstaller supporting it, changing the Android version should be easier than usual.

  (I collect infos like that on a website dedicated to finding phones like this, https://www.sustaphones.com/#beyond0lte is the listing for the S10e)

• by sva_ on 8/31/24, 11:27 PM

  I still have my Galaxy S1 laying around and it still works.

  For anyone curious about size differences, Galaxy S1 next to S23 Ultra: https://imgur.com/a/CN9PxJk

• by RajT88 on 8/31/24, 11:40 PM

  I too have an S10e.

  The initial reason was I had a real leather case for my S7 for when it finally got too janky to use, and I was able to 3d print a new shell to put in the case for the S10e.

  I drop my phone enough, after a few years I had 2 problems: 1. The phone had a cracked screen and moisture found its way inside causing wireless (cell and WiFi) to sometimes not work and 2. Security updates (or lack thereof) meant I could not access work stuff anymore due to their policies.

  After shopping around I realized paying another $200 for a replacement phone which still did the job, fit in my pocket and my nice leather case, and which could be upgraded to LineageOS and get back up to date on security patches was the best option for me. So I am on my second S10e as of a few months ago.

  At 200 USD, I would be happy replacing the phone every 2 years, but I suspect if I am careful, I will not have to. Smart phones have become big, expensive and ever more filled with crapware. LineageOS helps with crapware too (which is probably why everyone locks their bootloader these days).

• by Gualdrapo on 8/31/24, 11:37 PM

  Not a Samsung but I rocked a Sony Xperia Z1 for 7 years, from september 2013 to november 2020. Granted, Sony being Sony cut short its updates after a couple years, but Cyanogenmod/LineageOS let it keep working great. And around that time I fell stupidly from my bike while having it on a pocket in my pants and its screen did not broke, but the whole phone bent (like some iphones did for that era, too). Somehow it kept going as if it never happened.

  But after all those years its battery wasn't going good and it ell of my hands, this time with no mercy for the poor thing, so it came the time to replace it. Spent a lot to get another Sony - people don't like them because this and that but I found they're that sturdy and the hardware quality is great. Now I'm realizing it's almost 4 years I've been with this "new" phone.

• by SushiHippie on 8/31/24, 11:14 PM

  Agreed I have had the s10+ for 3-4 years, and the only reason why I bought a new one was the lack of updates, otherwise I would have probably put in a new battery instead of buying a new phone.

• by xethos on 9/1/24, 2:23 AM

  Author notes some of the shortcomings of Linux-as-a-smartphone-OS, but to say a year-old Reddit post is out of date is an understatement.

  The biggest advantage of a relatively young ecosystem (6" touchscreen Linux) is just how rapidly things can progress - especially given how quickly older hadware can be brought up.

  So while TFA isn't wrong (Mobile Linux is not for everyone), it's also not entirely fair to call it "completely unusable".

• by luuurker on 8/31/24, 11:27 PM

  In case the author reads this: the latest Pixel (9) uses an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. Optical ones were used until the previous generation (Pixel 8).

  https://9to5google.com/2024/08/13/google-pixel-9-ultrasonic-...

• by Tamer on 9/1/24, 12:52 AM

  Unlocking the phone even before you take out it from the pocket is such a blessing. Side-mounted sensor is A++ feature, works 99% of the time for me https://i.imgur.com/CkIClxa.jpeg

• by albertopv on 9/1/24, 7:13 AM

  I too still have and use a S10e, 4 years now. Battery is still the factory one, down to 79% real capacity (in Italy official replacement costs about 65€, probably I'll get one). For me, it's still the best phone. Company gave me a Motorola Edge 50 Fusion that's good, probably a bit snappier, but much bigger, so for my stuff I'm sticking with the S10e. For the first time I have no reason to upgrade but software updates, which is pity given the still good overall performance. I know I shouldn't for security reasons, but for now I'm keeping it until it's completely wore out.

• by rpgbr on 9/2/24, 10:29 AM

  Galaxy S10e has official LineageOS support[1]. Throw it in and you’ll get the latest Android (14) plus security updates and a smoother, less bloated OS.

  [1] https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/beyond0lte/

• by bitwize on 8/31/24, 11:22 PM

  I've got a Galaxy Note 3 kicking around somewhere. I think it even still works. That was a great phone.

  I'm currently going on 3 years of usage on my GrapheneOS-equipped Pixel 6. I have no immediate plans to upgrade. The thing just works, and there hasn't even been a whole lot of battery degradation.

• by smitty1e on 8/31/24, 11:36 PM

  My Samsung Galaxy A7 is venerable, but runs Zotero and Acrobat like a boss and has spared several forests by holding all of that academic research.

  I make up for this by getting a new Samsung watch/phone combo every other year.

  Good products and non-abuse of customers are the stuff of loyalty.

• by ipunchghosts on 8/31/24, 11:12 PM

  Reading this on an s9! Also great phine6.