For years Samsung Galaxy phones have been the phones I'd recommend to anyone looking for a phone that wasn't an iPhone, but not one I wanted myself. Most of the reason was software related (I detested TouchWiz), some was aesthetic, some fueled by what was available on my carrier. I rocked my Xperia Z3 with pride when I switched to #Team Magenta some years ago (and still one of my top 3 favorite phones I ever owned). Hell, I went so far as to get a G5 because I simply didn't want to deal with a Samsung phone myself (even though that Note 7 was looking so very tempting)

But now? There aren't really that many reasons for me not to get the S10e, which checks just about every spec box needed, still keeps a headphone jack, isn't a huge slab of phablet, and has a (supposedly) updated UI that doesn't suck donkey balls. G8? No reason to exist. HTC? Bought by Google, and I don't think they have a phone. One+? While T-Mo does carry them now, the latest one doesn't compete with the S10 spec.

Now, before anyone suggests the Pixel or any Huawei handset, I tend to go through a carrier to get my phone. First, I rarely have the funds to buy the phone up front in cash. Second, I'm too lazy to find and financing or, more importantly, insurance from a 3rd party provider for my phone (sure, you can argue Insurion or whomever is the 3rd party through the phone carrier, but that's usually taken care of at that point, not a separate thing to deal with). Considering I once ran my brand new phone under a lawn tractor, insurance isn't an option for me....

So yeah. In a few weeks the G5 is finally getting retired and I become a lemming. Not thrilled, but can't really rationalize doing much better with fewer compromises or frustrations. This One UI better work...