S8 or wait for Pixel 2?

[njstone9]

So... I've seen the S8 and initially I really wanted to get one. I currently own a Nexus 6p with the beta program so I'm on Android 7.1.

The reviews of the Samsung were glowing... apart from the last two I read which have made me change my mind.

1. Updates - I'll always be a couple of iterations behind the most recent Android version. That's super annoying.
2. According to the review in Arstechnica, there's stuttering and the phone drops frames. The Pixel may have the slower processor, but the software is more optimised.
3. Bixby and the pointless button. Why bother trying to compete with Google? It's duplication taking up space in storage I could use for other things.
4. The fingerprint sensor. OK, I know that they couldn't put it anywhere else due to the internal design of the phone once they couldn't figure out how to get it under the front screen, but the position of the sensor on my Nexus 6p is *perfect*. I don't want to downgrade.
5. The curved screen. It looks fab. But is it practical? And is it more likely to break? I certainly want a full front screen phone but one more like the Xiaomi Mi Mix.

My Nexus 6p's battery has died. Well, the phone switches off without warning at around the 20% mark. I can pay $60 (Singapore dollars) for a new battery, but I have to wait for Huawei to bring in new stock. With a new battery essentially the phone I have is like new and I can wait till the autumn.

So what do you think the new Pixel will be like? Will they make it a full frontal screen? (Good). Will they add QHD with the ability to switch to lower resolution? (good). Will they make it a better looking phone? Will they ensure there's a big enough battery inside? Will it be waterproof? (apparently it will be).

My number one worry is that I wait till October then Google release something less good than what I was hoping for. This has always been the case with Samsung. There's always something they mess up (for me anyway!)

What do others think?

 

[eric002]

So... I've seen the S8 and initially I really wanted to get one. I currently own a Nexus 6p with the beta program so I'm on Android 7.1.

The reviews of the Samsung were glowing... apart from the last two I read which have made me change my mind.

1. Updates - I'll always be a couple of iterations behind the most recent Android version. That's super annoying.
2. According to the review in Arstechnica, there's stuttering and the phone drops frames. The Pixel may have the slower processor, but the software is more optimised.
3. Bixby and the pointless button. Why bother trying to compete with Google? It's duplication taking up space in storage I could use for other things.
4. The fingerprint sensor. OK, I know that they couldn't put it anywhere else due to the internal design of the phone once they couldn't figure out how to get it under the front screen, but the position of the sensor on my Nexus 6p is *perfect*. I don't want to downgrade.
5. The curved screen. It looks fab. But is it practical? And is it more likely to break? I certainly want a full front screen phone but one more like the Xiaomi Mi Mix.

My Nexus 6p's battery has died. Well, the phone switches off without warning at around the 20% mark. I can pay $60 (Singapore dollars) for a new battery, but I have to wait for Huawei to bring in new stock. With a new battery essentially the phone I have is like new and I can wait till the autumn.

So what do you think the new Pixel will be like? Will they make it a full frontal screen? (Good). Will they add QHD with the ability to switch to lower resolution? (good). Will they make it a better looking phone? Will they ensure there's a big enough battery inside? Will it be waterproof? (apparently it will be).

My number one worry is that I wait till October then Google release something less good than what I was hoping for. This has always been the case with Samsung. There's always something they mess up (for me anyway!)

What do others think?

You know I posted a similar question to the forums. From my opinion, the curved screen looks fantastic to me. I am going to play with the S8 in the stores very soon for myself. And think about them. As far as the Touchwiz Samsung software features and more enticing to me than they've ever been in the past. I think that I'm being this play is such a half-baked lock screen notifications idea that I dislike immensely and that the always on display feature of the Samsung phones has always been nice to me. I've always felt in love with the fastest software updates of Google phones of course but I might just have to get over it and deal with it in the future.

 

[xzell]

Wait for Pixel 2. If you don't like it buy S8, it will be cheaper than now.

 

[njstone9]

Yeah I thought of that. How much do Samsung phones normally go down by?

In the past I had iPhones and then I switched to Android with the HTC M8.

 

[eric002]

I'm seriously thinking about the essay or S8 plus. Obviously going to go to one of my local Verizon stores and play with it to see what it really is like but all the YouTube videos say the battery is very comparable and I'm sick of ambient display it was always a half-assed display notifications lock screen feature and the vibrate on my phone is always sucked. So I'll have to see what happens.

 

[muzzy996]

If always on display is something that you desire check out Ambi-Tuner.

 

[eric002]

If always on display is something that you desire check out Ambi-Tuner.

I tried out a few of the other always on display applications in Play Store, the problem is that there always a background running processor and then run my battery down completely and they overheat my phone quicky! I tried a few of the always-on applications getting excited that it would work. The application works, but I know it is better drain so quickly, and my phone since it's all metal of course he's so like you can fry an egg on it within 10 minutes unfortunately.

 

[Mhd 1999]

I say wait for the P2, even I would choose the pixel over the S8. Touchwiz is Touchwiz, my S7 edge started to lag after a month of usage, despite the powerful processor and the 4 GB of RAM. The pixels are awesome, and the P2 will be even better, because google will surely add everything missing in the current pixels based on users' reviews. So I say wait

 

[eric002]

I say wait for the P2, even I would choose the pixel over the S8. Touchwiz is Touchwiz, my S7 edge started to lag after a month of usage, despite the powerful processor and the 4 GB of RAM. The pixels are awesome, and the P2 will be even better, because google will surely add everything missing in the current pixels based on users' reviews. So I say wait

Yeah that's one of the only things that I'm worried about. TouchWiz also has a lot of customization features within it. Yeah I'm dying to see what Google does the pixel 2 phone. I'm not saying that my 6p right now isn't a bullet because it is but there are certain features of the OS again such as ambient display and lack of vibrate feature on stock messaging that just sucks. And that's not going to be improved in Android all I don't believe. The stock interface and the fast software updates of course I love. Like a few other people here I am honestly thinking about both phones. I even try to turn ambient display future completely off and just use LED light controller but I ran out of light color options for different notifications so that doesn't work for me. On the S8, in TouchWiz, I like the fact that you can customize the entire layout of the phone. I'll have to see how I feel after I play with it. A lot of text editors have said that the S7 phones to the S8 phone, Touchwiz has been vastly improved for memory usage and for performance. I remember that even when I had my older Nexus 6, the same OS features still sucked.

 

[muzzy996]

I tried out a few of the other always on display applications in Play Store, the problem is that there always a background running processor and then run my battery down completely and they overheat my phone quicky! I tried a few of the always-on applications getting excited that it would work. The application works, but I know it is better drain so quickly, and my phone since it's all metal of course he's so like you can fry an egg on it within 10 minutes unfortunately.

The egg frying thing certainly is not my experience, not sure what's going on with your phone or which apps you have tried but for me with that app battery life isn't taking a major hit.

 

[eric002]

The egg frying thing certainly is not my experience, not sure what's going on with your phone or which apps you have tried but for me with that app battery life isn't taking a major hit.

Thank you very much, I'm trying that app right now.

 

[muzzy996]

Thank you very much, I'm trying that app right now.

Hope it works better. I hated that I had to take a leap of faith on the in-app purchase to see how the advanced features work. Just noticed that you are not referencing using the Pixel itself but a 6P and have to wonder how much more efficient and optimized things are on the Pixel when it comes to standby.

For me I still see more standby drain than I'd like to see on the Pixel (even before trying this app the past week) when compared​to my Note 4 which was rooted and had Xposed on it through which I put the brakes on a lot of wakelocks.

 

[eric002]

Hope it works better. I hated that I had to take a leap of faith on the in-app purchase to see how the advanced features work. Just noticed that you are not referencing using the Pixel itself but a 6P and have to wonder how much more efficient and optimized things are on the Pixel when it comes to standby.

For me I still see more standby drain than I'd like to see on the Pixel (even before trying this app the past week) when compared​to my Note 4 which was rooted and had Xposed on it through which I put the brakes on a lot of wakelocks.

Yeah believe me I know what you're talking about. Yeah I'm coming from a Nexus 6p same exact software as a pixel but it still Nexus 6p phone. I'll give this app a chance for a couple days and see how it like your. I'm not going to do the in app purchases because I don't find it work and of course. I still don't like it I think I might still go with a Galaxy S8 phone in the future. Once I play with it in the stores having of course! Oh hell yeah, those wakelock suck. They prevent obviously extreme doze from working correctly which drains battery exponentially.

 

[vzwuser76]

My only experience with any S8 (regular or +) is with a store dummy unit. Mostly wanted to see how it felt in the hand. Seems ok, but my issues with moving to it, or any Samsung device for that matter, is the inevitable slow down. I had that on the only Samsung device I've ever owned, the Galaxy S3. The fact that it's still happening is ridiculous. I mean 5 years and it's still an issue? Come on!

Besides that, and this is in reference to the current year's models only, is the ergonomics and functionality. First, I'm not a fan of these phones with the newer aspect ratio (18.5:9 or 18:9), they're​ starting to look like a remote control. And so far as reaching on the screen, it may be narrower, but by stretching the display so much, it's going to be that much harder to reach top and bottom of the display without having to reposition the phone in my hand.

And then there's the curved screen. I agree with most everyone, it LOOKS great, however, since there is effectively no bezel on the sides, will it be prone to accidental touches? And if it's not, is it dead space so far as touches go? Then why not just do a bezel?

Lastly I wonder how media will be handled with the new aspect ratio. I know Google has been calling on developers to adjust their apps and especially games to conform to the new format. Now that's all well and good for games and apps, but what about video? The standard is still 16:9, and I doubt that's going to change anytime soon. Samsung said the new aspect ratio would be better for video playback, but I'm not seeing how that could be. I'd imagine video will either have black bars on the sides in portrait mode, or they'll have to stretch the video to fill the space. I've watched old video shot in 4:3 and stretched for 16:9 and I'm not a fan. Everyone looks shorter and wider, essentially unnatural. Making all the ratios equal, 4:3 would be 12:9, then there's 16:9, and now 18:9 and 18.5:9. Samsung's 18.5:9 is almost as different from 16:9 as 16:9 is from 4:3. I've asked S8 users to tell me what happens with video playback, but no one ever answers me. But I suppose it's a moot point since Google is also behind this aspect ratio change so I'd imagine the Pixel 2 will follow Samsung and LG with this new standard.

 

[vzwuser76]

Btw, I realize that motion picture aspect ratios are wider than 16:9, however TV shows shot in HD are shot in 16:9, and there are a lot more hours of TV shows than there are of movies. I'm used to seeing the black bars on movies, but I watch a lot more TV series than movies, so it will be more noticeable in my case I guess.

 

[njstone9]

My only experience with any S8 (regular or +) is with a store dummy unit. Mostly wanted to see how it felt in the hand. Seems ok, but my issues with moving to it, or any Samsung device for that matter, is the inevitable slow down. I had that on the only Samsung device I've ever owned, the Galaxy S3. The fact that it's still happening is ridiculous. I mean 5 years and it's still an issue? Come on!

Besides that, and this is in reference to the current year's models only, is the ergonomics and functionality. First, I'm not a fan of these phones with the newer aspect ratio (18.5:9 or 18:9), they're​ starting to look like a remote control. And so far as reaching on the screen, it may be narrower, but by stretching the display so much, it's going to be that much harder to reach top and bottom of the display without having to reposition the phone in my hand.

And then there's the curved screen. I agree with most everyone, it LOOKS great, however, since there is effectively no bezel on the sides, will it be prone to accidental touches? And if it's not, is it dead space so far as touches go? Then why not just do a bezel?

Lastly I wonder how media will be handled with the new aspect ratio. I know Google has been calling on developers to adjust their apps and especially games to conform to the new format. Now that's all well and good for games and apps, but what about video? The standard is still 16:9, and I doubt that's going to change anytime soon. Samsung said the new aspect ratio would be better for video playback, but I'm not seeing how that could be. I'd imagine video will either have black bars on the sides in portrait mode, or they'll have to stretch the video to fill the space. I've watched old video shot in 4:3 and stretched for 16:9 and I'm not a fan. Everyone looks shorter and wider, essentially unnatural. Making all the ratios equal, 4:3 would be 12:9, then there's 16:9, and now 18:9 and 18.5:9. Samsung's 18.5:9 is almost as different from 16:9 as 16:9 is from 4:3. I've asked S8 users to tell me what happens with video playback, but no one ever answers me. But I suppose it's a moot point since Google is also behind this aspect ratio change so I'd imagine the Pixel 2 will follow Samsung and LG with this new standard.

Netflix's new, original content is all in 18:9.

It could be the future.

"The 2013 Netflix original series House of Cards, The 2017 Netflix original series A Series of Unfortunate Events (TV series)[10] and the 2014 Amazon original series Transparent as well as the 2016 Netflix original series Stranger Things were presented in a 2.00:1 aspect ratio.[11]

According to IMDB technical specification stats there about 700+ titles with 2:1 aspect ratios and growing in recent years [12]" - Wikipedia

 

[Alan James0123]

I would wait for the Pixel 2, not because it's guaranteed to be a better choice than the S8, but because you'll also get to see what HTC, Sony, OnePlus and ZTE have to offer.

Sony's upcoming XZ Premium might have gigantic bezels to and bottom, but its camera and 4K display may make it a better option for you (though the rumored 2900mAh battery is worrisome).

ZTE will be releasing the Axon 8, which could be an attractive proposition if they fix the terrible software and address the poorly designed capacitive buttons from the Axon 7. I own the Axon 7 and those two things alone ruined the phone for me.

The HTU U 11 looks/sounds intriguing for several reasons, none of which include the gimmicky touch-sensitive body. You can pretty much bank on an SD 835 SoC and a great camera (the HTC 10 had one after all), but the larger 5.5" display looks to have decently small bezels on all 4 sides (judging by the promo video anyway), and HTC's statements about mobile VR means we can probably expect a QHD AMOLED display and a dedicated VR headset a la the Google Pixel and Gear VR. Even if VR isn't your thing, a push for VR necessitates a quality display AND a fairly large battery. Best of all, the display doesn't appear to be using curved or narrow aspect ratio gimmickry, which is a win in my book.

Lastly, the big wild card this year will be the OnePlus 5. The camera and 1080P display resolution are the only things preventing the OP3T from being th best phone on the market right now, IMO. If OP address those two areas without chasing the curved display gimmick (it's rumored the display will be curved, unfortunately), I'll be onboard.

Bottom line, you'll have lots of phones to choose from this year should you pass on the S8 for now. I simply can't tolerate curved displays and/or narrower/wider aspect ratio, so my money will be on the next great, flat-screened 16:9 phone. All signs right now point to that phone being the HTC U 11.

 

[eric002]

I would wait for the Pixel 2, not because it's guaranteed to be a better choice than the S8, but because you'll also get to see what HTC, Sony, OnePlus and ZTE have to offer.

Sony's upcoming XZ Premium might have gigantic bezels to and bottom, but its camera and 4K display may make it a better option for you (though the rumored 2900mAh battery is worrisome).

ZTE will be releasing the Axon 8, which could be an attractive proposition if they fix the terrible software and address the poorly designed capacitive buttons from the Axon 7. I own the Axon 7 and those two things alone ruined the phone for me.

The HTU U 11 looks/sounds intriguing for several reasons, none of which include the gimmicky touch-sensitive body. You can pretty much bank on an SD 835 SoC and a great camera (the HTC 10 had one after all), but the larger 5.5" display looks to have decently small bezels on all 4 sides (judging by the promo video anyway), and HTC's statements about mobile VR means we can probably expect a QHD AMOLED display and a dedicated VR headset a la the Google Pixel and Gear VR. Even if VR isn't your thing, a push for VR necessitates a quality display AND a fairly large battery. Best of all, the display doesn't appear to be using curved or narrow aspect ratio gimmickry, which is a win in my book.

Lastly, the big wild card this year will be the OnePlus 5. The camera and 1080P display resolution are the only things preventing the OP3T from being th best phone on the market right now, IMO. If OP address those two areas without chasing the curved display gimmick (it's rumored the display will be curved, unfortunately), I'll be onboard.

Bottom line, you'll have lots of phones to choose from this year should you pass on the S8 for now. I simply can't tolerate curved displays and/or narrower/wider aspect ratio, so my money will be on the next great, flat-screened 16:9 phone. All signs right now point to that phone being the HTC U 11.

The pixel 2 sounds interesting, but I also am thinking that I want to try something a little different this time when I upgrade my phone. Touchwiz has a little bit more customization, and supposedly has excellent battery life and the s8 can be one handed pretty easily. As for the fingerprint scanner, I don't find it that awkward to use, especially when you out a case on the phone.

 

[anon(847090)]

I say wait for the P2, even I would choose the pixel over the S8. Touchwiz is Touchwiz, my S7 edge started to lag after a month of usage, despite the powerful processor and the 4 GB of RAM. The pixels are awesome, and the P2 will be even better, because google will surely add everything missing in the current pixels based on users' reviews. So I say wait

I agree S8 has about 4 gb worth of additional bloatware compared to pixel. Pixel uses 4.5 gb system storage and S8 uses 8.5 gb for system. From what i can see many features Samsung introduced can be enabled with an app install.
There might be specific features which cannot be enabled by an app but most can be found on play store

 

[eric002]

I agree S8 has about 4 gb worth of additional bloatware compared to pixel. Pixel uses 4.5 gb system storage and S8 uses 8.5 gb for system. From what i can see many features Samsung introduced can be enabled with an app install.
There might be specific features which cannot be enabled by an app but most can be found on play store

True but there are also certain things about the Nexus/pixel phones that I don't necessarily like either. I've dealt with them for a while but might just be time to change it up a little bit, besides most of those apps can be de bloated thankfully.