Should I get the Zenfone 8 or Pixel 6a?

[narutokaya]

I've been looking at getting a new midrange/budget phone (£350 is what I have put aside for a phone) and both of these phones are £300 brand new atm. These two are my favourites at the moment, I have done my research and I know that both phones have their pros and cons over each other (mainly the longer software support time on the pixel and the more powerful hardware in the Zenfone 8). But before I buy I wanted to here from those that actually use zenfones. Any advice appreciated. TLDR: as a Zenfone user, what do you think I should buy?

[nasch007]

Yeah idk man. I am not unsure it wasn't just a software issue as the hardware all seems to be functioning as intended and like I said I absolutely babied this thing. I decided to solve my own problem and reflash and I must say... having a locked bootloader is a severe impediment to working on your own device. And when I finally decide it's out of warranty ok time to experiment....... unable to unlock the bootloader. I don't know what sending it in to anyone will do for me at this point it's basically useless to me and I'm really disappointed with the whole experience.

[kaczkrzysiek]

ZF8 doesn't getting updates since May 2023, there is a problem with Volte configuration in tmobile, asus repaired it for ZF9/10, but don't want to update settings in 8, so volte is unusable since 2021 year and probably will be forever.

Better go with pixel.

[InteRadek]

Keep in mind, that comments here will be biased. Only people having problems with their phone will visit this forum.

I won't tell you if you should buy Asus Zenfone, but you should aim for a phone newer than Zenfone 8 as it has reached the end of its support period and it won't get any new OS updates (including security).

[nasch007]

Whilst this is true, and you'll probably only get people who have had a problem with their device come here, at the same time I would argue that the opinions of those who have had issues are more important and relevant than others'. The thing is, the experience one receives when the device isn't working is much more important than when the device works as normal. Basically, it is likely many phones on the market can do the minimum you want them to do. But what will set a company apart is its response to you when their stuff breaks. Especially when you didn't do anything wrong. Because that's when you really need them.

Look I loved my Zenfone. I was unaware of all of these problems until I had one myself. The hardware is more than decent and it gets me the best experience I've had since switching from a pixel. But I bought it specifically by comparing what phones are supported by lineage. And my plan was to switch when it leaves warranty. Currently that isn't even possibly for no other reason than the company so, yeah I would really weigh out the maker behind the device when making your decision.