Pixel 3: Looking Ahead

[Itsa_Me_Mario]

I'm never going to equate an all glass back with "premium". It's more fragile, it looks cheap (both trashy and inexpensive), is reflective and gets covered in fingerprints. I don't even like the glass window in the pixels except for on the Chromebook. I don't know if making the device out of glass actually is cheaper than aluminum, but aside from wireless charging, as far as I know there are no advantages to glass.

Plastic seems to be dead, but I wish it wasn't. The old plastic Samsung phones did suck, shiny plastic also looks trashy and toy-like. But some high quality soft-touch plastic brings increased durability, it's easier to provide more and better color options, supports wireless charging and is a lighter and less expensive material. But if we can't have the high quality soft-touch plastic, then I choose aluminum almost every day of the week.

 

[Mike Dee]

I'm never going to equate an all glass back with "premium". It's more fragile, it looks cheap (both trashy and inexpensive), is reflective and gets covered in fingerprints. I don't even like the glass window in the pixels except for on the Chromebook. I don't know if making the device out of glass actually is cheaper than aluminum, but aside from wireless charging, as far as I know there are no advantages to glass.

Plastic seems to be dead, but I wish it wasn't. The old plastic Samsung phones did suck, shiny plastic also looks trashy and toy-like. But some high quality soft-touch plastic brings increased durability, it's easier to provide more and better color options, supports wireless charging and is a lighter and less expensive material. But if we can't have the high quality soft-touch plastic, then I choose aluminum almost every day of the week.

I thought the plastic on the Nexus 5X was kinda nice. It almost had a ceramic look to it. I thought the Kevlar back on the Droid Maxx was nice. It had a nice grippy feel to it and very durable.

I'd like to see a poly carbonate or ceramic back on the next Pixel if it means wireless charging but truthfully I can live without it. Please no glass... it's bad enough the Pixel has glass at the top.

 

[Itsa_Me_Mario]

I liked the Nexus 5, liked the leather on the Moto x 2, there are lots of cool things to try and almost all of them are better than glass

 

[Mike Dee]

So my partner got the Galaxy S9+ and I have to say, when it comes to hardware, it's so much nicer than the Pixel 2 XL.

Metal and glass, feels extremely solid, has a nice heft to it. It's just immaculate. And again, seeing that beautiful AMOLED screen, it reminds me how far ahead Samsung's screens are than what we got with the Pixel 2XL. I have to say that looking back and forth at the S9+ screen to the P2XL screen, I'm not happy with the screen Google put on the phone.

Honestly, if Google go with LG's OLED screen again with the Pixel 3, I don't think I'll get it. I feel cheated that my partner got the Galaxy S9+ which to me looks and feels absolutely premium with no skimping on hardware, got a Samsung wireless charger, 8" Samsung tablet and really nice AKG headphones in the box for cheaper than what I got just the Pixel 2 XL for with no bonuses (not even headphones...).

As much as I love the software experience of the Pixel, I'm not going to reward a company who's deliberately going to go with inferior parts and still charge top dollar. It's just a phone after all and if Samsung and make a phone of that quality and include all those bonuses at an RRP cheaper than the Pixel 2 XL, then something is very wrong over at Google.

To each his own, but I'm just not seeing the differences in hardware you claim. If I did, I would have bought one. The toughest part for me is the all glass look. It's fragile and a smudge magnet. It's bad enough the Pixel has glass at the top.

 

[chriskwarren]

Accidental taps and an increased chance of breaking the display are something that the S9+ has as well. Lots of people I know (6-7 at least) who have the S7 edge or S8 series swear they will not get another phone with a curved display again.

 

[I Can Be Your Hero]

To each his own, but I'm just not seeing the differences in hardware you claim. If I did, I would have bought one. The toughest part for me is the all glass look. It's fragile and a smudge magnet. It's bad enough the Pixel has glass at the top.

Well what people like in hardware deisgn is subjective. You might not like the glass design, I don't have an issue with it. I just think that the S9 is a far more beautiful device than the 2XL is. The plastic coating on the 2XL feels cheap and nasty to me, the bezels are bigger on all sides and yes you get dual speakers, but they're not that great. Not as good as HTC's speakers in the past.

I agree with you regarding the glass on the Pixel. It serves no purpose and I think it looks really quite ugly. The black and white version tried to spice it up. They should probably remove it with the P3 or make it all glass and include wireless charging that consumers could use.

And the S9 screen is far better than the 2XL screen. Like generations ahead. When the two are right in front of you and you're looking back and forth, the difference is apparent. It's got far better colours, gets much brighter, no blue tint on an angle (at least on my partner's unit), on very low brightness, it doesn't have the horrible black smear or black crush the 2XL screens experience, nor does it have the grain on the background. It really is an excellent panel and one worthy of all the praise it gets.

I'm just hoping that Google improve the hardware a lot on the P3 this year. I mean even if they just switch the screen to a current-gen Samsung AMOLED one, and left all the other hardware design the same, that'd be good enough for me.

 

[anon(10092459)]

The plastic coating on the 2XL feels cheap and nasty to me, the bezels are bigger on all sides and yes you get dual speakers, but they're not that great.

If you feel this way about the Pixel 2XL, why not get an S8/8+? The build is the same as the current S9.

If you're thinking the P3 is going to like a Samsung hardware build, I think you're setting yourself up for disappointment come the fall. P3 will continue to be a build that puts software front and center. LG panels, whether it's P3 or P4, will make their way to the build in the near future. Both Google and Apple want to move away from having to "bend the knee" to Samsung.

 

[I Can Be Your Hero]

If you feel this way about the Pixel 2XL, why not get an S8/8+? The build is the same as the current S9.

If you're thinking the P3 is going to like a Samsung hardware build, I think you're setting yourself up for disappointment come the fall. P3 will continue to be a build that puts software front and center. LG panels, whether it's P3 or P4, will make their way to the build in the near future. Both Google and Apple want to move away from having to "bend the knee" to Samsung.

I had the Note 8 but wasn't a huge fan of the software experience so went back to the Pixel 2XL. I am happy with the phone, but looking at what I get for what I paid for and what you get when you pay for an S9 has put a sour taste in my mouth.

I mean my partner got the S9+, wireless charger, 8" tablet and AKG headphones for a cheaper price than I got the P2XL for. And that's just at retail, no crazy deals or grey import.

My biggest gripe with the P2XL is the screen though. I can forgive everything else if they just go with a better screen this year.

 

[Mike Dee]

Well what people like in hardware deisgn is subjective. You might not like the glass design, I don't have an issue with it. I just think that the S9 is a far more beautiful device than the 2XL is. The plastic coating on the 2XL feels cheap and nasty to me, the bezels are bigger on all sides and yes you get dual speakers, but they're not that great. Not as good as HTC's speakers in the past.

I agree with you regarding the glass on the Pixel. It serves no purpose and I think it looks really quite ugly. The black and white version tried to spice it up. They should probably remove it with the P3 or make it all glass and include wireless charging that consumers could use.

And the S9 screen is far better than the 2XL screen. Like generations ahead. When the two are right in front of you and you're looking back and forth, the difference is apparent. It's got far better colours, gets much brighter, no blue tint on an angle (at least on my partner's unit), on very low brightness, it doesn't have the horrible black smear or black crush the 2XL screens experience, nor does it have the grain on the background. It really is an excellent panel and one worthy of all the praise it gets.

I'm just hoping that Google improve the hardware a lot on the P3 this year. I mean even if they just switch the screen to a current-gen Samsung AMOLED one, and left all the other hardware design the same, that'd be good enough for me.

I don't find the partial glass ugly...I just don't like glass. As for the difference in screens I'm not seening as big a gap as you indicate and I do see color shift on Samsung.

 

[LeoRex]

I agree with you regarding the glass on the Pixel. It serves no purpose.

It does serve a purpose... It's a widow for the various radios in use. If you go with a metal bodied phone, you have two choices; antenna lines, or have non metal body panels. Google decided to keep the glass window as a distinctive, and functional design feature. I expected (hope?) they maintain that next year.

Count me as another that does not equate glass with premium. It's the worst possible material to make a phone out of. It's fragile, FEELS fragile, hard to keep clean, slippery... I would be disappointed if Google went with an all glass body next fall.

But I'm a function over form kind of dude, so Samsungs will never be my thing. All that premium hardware is being driven by substandard software and sold by a company with an aversion to post-sale support.

 

[Itsa_Me_Mario]

so Samsungs will never be my thing.

Samsung will change if the market tells them that they need to.

 

[chriskwarren]

Those of you who mention the metal/glass back, do you guys use cases? I have always popped cases on every phone I have ever had, making the back build quality a non-issue for me (except when I lose a feature like wireless charging).

Mobile Syrup speculates that a notch is possible too on the Pixel 3: https://mobilesyrup.com/2018/03/12/android-p-google-pixel-3/

 

[anon(10092459)]

But I'm a function over form kind of dude

This! Definitely the same for me.

 

[ImTurningViolet]

Those of you who mention the metal/glass back, do you guys use cases? I have always popped cases on every phone I have ever had, making the back build quality a non-issue for me (except when I lose a feature like wireless charging).

Mobile Syrup speculates that a notch is possible too on the Pixel 3: https://mobilesyrup.com/2018/03/12/android-p-google-pixel-3/

I never used a case until this phone. I miss plastic phones. I could throw my Samsung across the room and it would be fine. And I bought the bamboo back for my Moto XPE. Felt totally comfortable with no case on it.

 

[LeoRex]

This! Definitely the same for me.

Yep... And I'm happy that Google has resisted the urge to cram a bunch of flashy features that realistically serve little to no use to users.

 

[LeoRex]

Those of you who mention the metal/glass back, do you guys use cases?[/url]

The last phone I used without a case was the Nexus 5. It had a great soft touch plastic body that was both grippy and durable... And could take abuse without getting scratched up.

You make a great point though... The majority of people take their premium bodied phones and slap them in a $10 case. What's the point then?

Personally, I'd love to see a push back to using high quality plastics, flat screens... Truly flat screens... That can happily take a 2.5D glass screen protector... Phones that don't feel like slippery bars of soap that will shatter and scratch with little motivation.

 

[LeoRex]

Samsung will change if the market tells them that they need to.

True, but the market is made up mostly of people who are more than happy to be told what they want.

 

[Itsa_Me_Mario]

True, but the market is made up mostly of people who are more than happy to be told what they want.

Yep

 

[chriskwarren]

The last phone I used without a case was the Nexus 5. It had a great soft touch plastic body that was both grippy and durable... And could take abuse without getting scratched up.

You make a great point though... The majority of people take their premium bodied phones and slap them in a $10 case. What's the point then?

Personally, I'd love to see a push back to using high quality plastics, flat screens... Truly flat screens... That can happily take a 2.5D glass screen protector... Phones that don't feel like slippery bars of soap that will shatter and scratch with little motivation.

Agreed. I splurged and got the Whitestone dome glass for the 2xl so that I could keep a tempered glass protector.

 

[osubeavs728]

Those of you who mention the metal/glass back, do you guys use cases? I have always popped cases on every phone I have ever had, making the back build quality a non-issue for me (except when I lose a feature like wireless charging).

Mobile Syrup speculates that a notch is possible too on the Pixel 3: https://mobilesyrup.com/2018/03/12/android-p-google-pixel-3/

I always use a clear tpu or hybrid tpu Case.