Pixel vs. S7

[buzzyapyear]

Just returned my note 7, to my great disappointment. What an amazing phone that was.

I need to get the next thing asap and I'm torn between Pixel 128GB (which I have on cancellable pre-order from Fi) or just grabbing a used S7 off swappa and waiting to see what's up with the S8. I have decided to go back to a smaller size.

I've never lost a phone to water damage so not sure I care about the water resistance. I liked the SD card slot on the note 7 but 128GB is probably enough for me.

I do have a bunch of wireless charging gear and even a gear VR that someone gave me for free.... but Pixel will come with the free daydream headset so...

Pure android does appeal to me but I was pleasantly surprised when I went to note 5 last year that putting Nova launcher on it pretty much did it for me.

Appreciate any thoughts that might sway me in one direction or another... the indecision is killing me

 

[Nechasin]

How do you feel about running the latest software? S7 probably won't get Android 7.x until late spring based on past history with samsung. And that may be the only update you get. How long do you plan on keeping the device?

 

[Aquila]

I'd go Pixel. You listed it first.

 

[buzzyapyear]

Ha! Based on the depth of my indecision this actually makes as much sense right now as anything else.

 

[buzzyapyear]

How do you feel about running the latest software? S7 probably won't get Android 7.x until late spring based on past history with samsung. And that may be the only update you get. How long do you plan on keeping the device?

T-mobile kinda got me used to upgrading once a year. So the latest software thing is not huge for me. I'm familiar with the slow updates on samsung devices and I was moderately irritated by that on the note 5 for a couple weeks, but got over it. At the time I was pretty stoked to try now on tap and was annoyed I had to wait so long... but then once I had it I never used it lol. However the new assistant seems like it is an entirely different beast than now on tap.

 

[EnemiesInTheEnd]

Honestly, I don't think the Pixel will be as good as the S7.

 

[buzzyapyear]

Honestly, I don't think the Pixel will be as good as the S7.

Thanks. What is it about the S7 you think puts it over the Pixel, for you?

 

[EnemiesInTheEnd]

Thanks. What is it about the S7 you think puts it over the Pixel, for you?

The camera, the design, and the lack of on-screen buttons. The S7 is just good at everything.

 

[akin_t]

I could do without the on screen buttons but it won't be a deal breaker.

The finger print sensor on the back is just lol however.

 

[Aquila]

If we're going to do comparisons:

The S7 has wireless charging, a higher resolution display, a slightly larger battery and it also has one of the best quality displays available on an Android. And obviously it's made of glass and has the fingerprint sensor on the front. It also has a better IP67 rating over the Pixel's IP53.

The Pixel has better audio, better charging solution via the USB C port, better software, better security, will updated faster and longer, is likely to have better battery life (due to more efficient SoC, better software and pushing less pixels on the display), is available with more storage (128 GB or 32 GB vs S7's 32 GB only), a better camera and the 32 GB option is $20 cheaper, while the 128 GB version is $80 more expensive than the S7. Although both models come with a free VR thinger that's $80 for preordering it, so you could say it's $100 cheaper at 32GB or the same price at 128 GB. It has a metal design and rear fingerprint sensor. It's also got a temporary corner on the Google Assistant and Day Dream market.

The S7 is a known quantity because it's been out six months and its awesomeness is well established. The Pixel hasn't been released yet, so we are at best making educated guesses about performance and at worst, just imprinting our subconscious thoughts, good and bad upon it.

Really just a matter of which features are most important to you.

 

[Aquila]

I made a thread inviting the S7 owners to come over and weigh in since we're in the Pixel section: http://forums.androidcentral.com/sa...me-tell-us-about-your-phone-versus-pixel.html

 

[jd78]

Thanks. What is it about the S7 you think puts it over the Pixel, for you?

Unfortunately the Pixel has already garnered as much hate as it has praise... Here is my objective opinion from someone who currently has an S7, but is moving to the Pixel.

S7 Pros over Pixel(IMO)
+ Use of space in design. S7 and S7e are smaller than other phones of equal screen size.
+ Water resistance
+ Wireless charging
+ Screen size/resolution (S7 vs Pixel)
+ Micro SD
+ Samsung Pay/offers (Samsung Pay is awesome by itself, but I also managed to ear ~$150 in gift cards through various promotions).

Pixel Pros over S7 (*Some are speculation based on specs and based on my opinion.)
+ Software! I have strong dislike for Samsung's Android. A launcher helps, but I ran into the occasional glitch when running one.
+ Processor 821 > 820. How much is the question.
+ Design. Again IMO, I prefer the aluminum/glass of the Pixel to the all glass S7.
+ Camera. This will be argued and disputed, but I don't think its fair for people to use Displaymate for screen arguments and then ignore Dxomark in the camera discussion. Plus, i'm loving what I am seeing with the EIS and the multiple shots feature.
+ Updates.
+ Google Assistant
+ Fingerprint Sensor. The FP on my S7E is garbage compared to the iPhone 6/7. If the Pixel is even slightly better and has the notification feature, i will like it more.
+ Unlimited Google Photo storage for pics/videos taken on the Pixel.
+ Flat screen... This one is going to sound silly, but the screen being flat makes full screen glass screen protectors easier to install. Both the S7s and the latest iPhones have had slightly curved screens and most of the edge-to-edge solutions have been junk.

Personally, I think the S7E is a great phone, but liking the idea of the Pixel even more and i'll see soon enough if that idea is a reality for me. Again, the above comments are in my opinion and as objectively as I can be since I was trying to make a similar decision myself.

 

[Aquila]

Processor 821 > 820. How much is the question.

There's only one thing about this that matters to me and it isn't performance. It's my strong belief that the 820 is not going to be supported past next Q3 in terms of adopting new features that will be required to move on to new software versions. However it doesn't seem to matter to the OP, since they said they upgrade every year.

 

[jd78]

There's only one thing about this that matters to me and it isn't performance. It's my strong belief that the 820 is not going to be supported past next Q3 in terms of adopting new features that will be required to move on to new software versions. However it doesn't seem to matter to the OP, since they said they upgrade every year.

I figured a few of my comparisons wouldn't matter to some people, but figured i'd put out my opinion and thought process since I own a S7E and am moving to a Pixel.

 

[xocomaox]

I like my S7 Edge a lot because of the display, camera, Always on Display and Samsung Pay.

If you liked the Note it would be hard to not like the S7 unless you liked the Note mainly for the S-pen.

 

[Aquila]

I figured a few of my comparisons wouldn't matter to some people, but figured i'd put out my opinion and thought process since I own a S7E and am moving to a Pixel.

I agree with a lot of your points The processor you said it's a question of how much and I'm agreeing, I don't think performance will be THAT different in terms of visible performance. I think it might be noticeable on battery life.

 

[buzzyapyear]

Thanks a lot guys. I think a detail in this is that I would not buy the S7 new... but rather for no more than $400 used in good condition. Figure I can turn around and sell that for not too much of a hit in a few months if Pixel is getting real world universal praise. Thanks you guys for being my first-world-problem psychologists.

 

[T48]

There's only one thing about this that matters to me and it isn't performance. It's my strong belief that the 820 is not going to be supported past next Q3 in terms of adopting new features that will be required to move on to new software versions. However it doesn't seem to matter to the OP, since they said they upgrade every year.

But is the 821 really that different? I keep reading in forums that it is just an over clocked 820?
Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 821 is 10% faster than the 820 | Android Central

 

[AnhChuong]

I would go with the Pixel, man. Samsung has a bunch of features that will slow down the phone over time. I'm still using an Nexus 5, it is slowing down but not too much to make me annoy.
But i love the eye scanner on Samsung flagship anyway.

 

[jsgiv]

I like my S7 Edge a lot because of the display, camera, Always on Display and Samsung Pay.

If you liked the Note it would be hard to not like the S7 unless you liked the Note mainly for the S-pen.

The S7E is no Note... I used it for a few weeks as a loaner while waiting on my replacement N7 ....

It's "ok" - in that it's a very "good" phone... specs were great on paper.. but there were a variety of small enhancements on the N7 that made it a "great" phone..

I've also decided to go with a smaller device for now since I was forced to give up the N7 .. and I'm now awaiting my Pixel to ship in a few days..

Reasons why are in line with others above... one of the key reasons is consistent updates.. I don't believe that the S7E will receive more than one update and even then ... I think it's going to be awhile until Samsung finishes licking its wounds.... there's a lot of damage to their brand now and they have a long way to come back... I expect all of their focus now will be to find the root cause of the failures and address them before the S8 release

I also thought I read somewhere that Jerry mentioned that the new 821 was a key hardware upgrade for future updates past Nougat?