As a Pixel proprietor, this funds Samsung telephone is my greatest life hack

As a smartphone energy person, I naturally are likely to gravitate in the direction of selecting a flagship as my day by day driver. Excessive-end smartphones provide shows that compete with the perfect TVs, wonderful digicam methods, and sufficient processing energy to play console-quality video games — what’s to not like? However though I’ve completely loved the corporate of my Pixel 8 Professional over the previous yr, I’ve come to understand that there are a lot of eventualities the place proudly owning a flagship smartphone simply doesn’t make sense.

Carrying two telephones was as soon as the hallmark of enterprise executives juggling work and private lives — BlackBerry in a single pocket and a stylish private telephone within the different. Whereas that will now not be true today, I nonetheless suppose there’s a case to be made for proudly owning a telephone that’s cheap, dependable, and versatile sufficient to deal with conditions the place taking out a thousand-dollar flagship seems like overkill or downright dangerous.

That’s the place the Samsung Galaxy A15 enters the image for me — it’s an unassuming machine that will get the fundamentals proper and will function a invaluable addition to only about anybody’s life. Right here’s why.

Primarily based on the Galaxy A15’s spec sheet alone, you’d be hard-pressed to inform that you simply’re taking a look at a funds smartphone. It has a large battery, a 3.5mm headphone jack (keep in mind these?), and even a 90Hz show AMOLED that manages to one-up the iPhone 16. However the perfect half would possibly simply be the worth level — the Galaxy A15 is sort of laughably low cost in comparison with what you’d pay for a flagship smartphone.

The Galaxy A15’s funds worth level additionally means it doesn’t chase traits in the identical approach as its premium and flagship counterparts. Take the three.5mm headphone jack, for example — a uncommon discover in 2024. Whereas I’m compelled to achieve for a pair of Bluetooth buds on my Pixel 8 Professional, the Galaxy A15 lets me plug in wired audio gear like the great outdated days.

Shopping for a second telephone for listening to music or podcasts definitely doesn’t save me a lot cash versus a pair of Bluetooth buds, however I vastly worth the consolation of wired earphones. Significantly, dig up some earbuds and provides them a attempt — the distinction in consolation would possibly shock you. I merely haven’t discovered a pair of true wi-fi earbuds that I can get pleasure from for lengthy durations of time. Plus, it’s an effective way to present myself a digital detox once I exit for a stroll since I can go away my flagship telephone and its notifications at dwelling.

After all, I might’ve simply purchased an inexpensive dongle for my Pixel 8 Professional and known as it a day. However the Galaxy A15 affords a lot greater than only a headphone jack. Take battery life, for example — the huge 5,000mAh cell paired with a modest chip signifies that the Galaxy A15 comfortably outlasts even a number of the greatest Android telephones. So once I anticipate a busy day of being out and about, I sometimes relegate GPS duties and music streaming to it as an alternative of my major telephone.

Dwelling in a hotter local weather, I’ve misplaced monitor of the variety of occasions my telephones have thrown up overheating warnings whereas navigating beneath direct daylight. Excessive display screen brightness and steady GPS utilization are additionally a recipe for speedy battery drain. And in case your first thought is to easily plug in a transportable energy supply, that’s a good worse thought. Charging with an intensive app working and the display screen brightness cranked amplifies the warmth drawback and actively accelerates battery degradation. I are likely to improve each few years, so I worth the long-term battery well being of my flagship smartphone

For these causes, I’d a lot fairly use the Galaxy A15 for lengthy Google Maps classes — it weighs as a lot as an influence financial institution whereas delivering rather more utility. I don’t care if it will get sizzling to the purpose of damaging its internals, nor am I nervous about strapping it to a bike handlebar on lengthy freeway rides.

The identical utility holds for a lot of different use instances, too. My motion digicam, for instance, lacks a display screen however I can use any smartphone as a wi-fi show. And on that notice, the Galaxy A15 additionally retains expandable storage help through a microSD card slot, in contrast to nearly any mainstream flagship smartphone. This implies I can wirelessly offload footage from my cameras and drones after which have the telephone add it to cloud storage. Shopping for a complete Galaxy A15 prices only a smidge greater than what Google and different manufacturers cost for a higher-storage capability flagship.

Even once I’m at dwelling and don’t strictly want a second telephone, I’ve discovered methods to make the Galaxy A15 helpful whereas eliminating single-use home equipment or devices that take up invaluable actual property. With a couple of cheap magnetic wall mounts and adapters I picked up on-line (consider it as a poor man’s Qi2 or MagSafe), I’ve turned the telephone right into a mini sensible show that I can take round my dwelling.

Within the kitchen, it’s excellent for pulling up recipes or streaming music whereas I cook dinner. Not like a sensible speaker or show, it affords full interactivity — as a result of, let’s face it, utilizing Google Assistant for something extra complicated than setting a timer is borderline painful in 2024. In the meantime, the Galaxy A15 helps Gemini like every other Android telephone, which makes the digital assistant expertise much more tolerable (however undoubtedly not excellent).

At my bedside, I take advantage of one other magnetic mount the place the telephone serves as my secondary alarm clock and sensible dwelling dashboard much like the one pictured above that lives in my front room. I take advantage of an app known as Absolutely Kiosk, which boots robotically when the telephone is plugged in and related to my dwelling Wi-Fi. It brings up my House Assistant dashboard, giving me on the spot entry to lights and local weather controls even when I’m doing one thing else on my major telephone. The AMOLED show is straightforward on the eyes at midnight, and since it’s a secondary machine, I’m not too involved about burn-in.

Now, I’m not saying the Galaxy A15 doesn’t have compromises. Look somewhat nearer and also you’ll discover loads of them, like its lackluster chip and cameras. And whereas the Galaxy A15 makes for an amazing companion telephone in my dwelling metropolis, I can’t say the identical for once I’m touring overseas.

The dearth of eSIM help is the primary main hurdle given the sheer comfort of shopping for a plan whereas taxiing to the runway. For that function, you’ll must shell out a large premium to get the Galaxy A35 as an alternative. In case you can rating a bodily SIM at your locations or take care of roaming, although, the 5,000mAh battery will final you thru a day of hotspot use.

Nonetheless, most of my different complaints, like efficiency and picture high quality, don’t actually matter when you think about the Galaxy A15’s worth level. It’s unrealistic to anticipate flagship-level outcomes from a telephone that prices a fraction as a lot. Finally, then, the Galaxy A15 performs to its strengths and punches nicely above its weight for the numerous use instances it’s possible you’ll not have even thought-about.