Samsung has gone hard promoting AI in their phones, and now OnePlus has also announced some heavy AI-based features in their new Android OS. Pretty much every other brand is now doing the same, so you can’t escape it.

I’ve been in the market to upgrade my nearly 6-year-old phone, but seeing all these AI features, especially when they rely on Google’s Gemini (or other cloud AI), and it feels deflating.

Will privacy ultimately have to be sacrificed “from now on”?

By not using these AI features, you pay a lot for features you won’t be using. And the usefulness of the device becomes limited as nearly all functions now have AI-based components to them.

I’m totally fine with on-device AI, but many features I’m seeing don’t seem to be on-device, and I’ve spent years trying to stop sending my data to companies like Google. I don’t want to go backwards for the sake of market trends.

What are your future plans when it comes to smartphones?

  • Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    0·
    2 months ago

    Just got an iPhone 16 Pro Max 512GB after using my XS Max for over six years. I probably won’t use the AI features when they are implemented, but I do appreciate that they’re only on-device.

    Other than that, I love everything about it, it’s perfect. The cameras take incredible low-light pictures of my cats, 120hz is incredible, and the battery lasts AGES. Zero complaints.

    • Showroom7561@lemmy.caOP
      0·
      2 months ago

      Oh man, as much as I’d love the hardware of an iPhone 16 Pro Max, I just can’t go back to Apple. On my Android phone, I use mostly FOSS apps, and self-host a lot of stuff that just works fine for me on Android.

      But I do appreciate that Apple at least makes it a point to repeatedly say that data is kept on the device and that AI is done on-board.

      These other manufacturers are so vague, that you have to assume it’s being processed in the cloud (even if it’s not).