I like a phone that runs well, too, but let's face it: (1) the Nexus line has not lived up to its promise (a promise I believed in whole-heartedly); and (2) other OEMs have been unable to break into the U.S. market.
I left Samsung for the Nexus line a few years ago; however, I'm now having second thoughts. Look, Samsung has their fair share of problems - carrier bloatware; delayed OTA updates; and some optimization problems. However, the Nexus line deserves its fair share of scrutiny. I switched from the N6 to the N6P last year after less than a year with the N6. Unfortunately, my N6P was stolen recently and I've had to return to the N6. The size and form factor was unwieldy and the phone actually cannot sit flat on a table. Android 6.0, the OS that would finally address all of Lollipop's shortcomings, made my N6 barely usable. Extraordinary camera lag; Snapchat became unusable (this is a big deal, given that Snapchat is one of the most-used applications on smartphones); battery drain; and lag ultimately inflicted most of the phone's standard operations (e.g., lock screen, merging a phone call). I would call this an anecdote but for the hundreds, if not thousands, of threads on problems with the N6. N6 users were promised timely OTA updates and we only got 7.0 Nougat yesterday. I imagine some N6 users still don't have the OTA update and won't for a bit.
This is not what I would call a phone that "runs well."
The N6P was supposed to address all of those problems and more, and I even bought into Google's direct-to-consumer model. But that meant forgoing the communication with carriers that would ensure that issues like poor call quality would be worked out in advance. That meant forgoing basic features like wi-fi calling on carriers like Sprint. Yes, Sprint is the pits, but 50+ million people have it (more than half of whom, like me, are in grandfathered unlimited data plans). Not to mention HDR+ processing lag; poor optimization for apps like Instagram and Snapchat (photo quality suffered); and the great USB-C conundrum that some still forget. Losing your official Google charger was like losing your phone; few third-party USB-C manufacturers have bothered to ensure that their chargers are compatible with the 6P.
This is not what I would call a phone that "runs well," either.
Also, these days, OEMs with fantastic phones like Huawei and Sony have struggled and fumbled their ways into the U.S. market. The vast majority of U.S. residents buy their phones straight from the carrier. I question the sheepishness of the traditional consumer everyday, but that isn't changing.
So, as far as I'm concerned, if anyone is going to fix all of these problems, it's either going to be Google or Samsung. Google has a lot riding on it today, and I really really want to trust them. But the part of me that bought into the pure Android experience feels a little bit jaded this go around. The same way I felt about Samsung two years ago.
. In reality it's just a pig with makeup.
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