Pixel 3: Looking Ahead

[anon(5506951)]

So, with HTC's mobile division tanking despite the $1.1 billion infusion from Google, what are the chances that Google absorbs HTC in the future and buys up all of its patents, including BoomSound audio? With so many HTC employees now fully on board, what are the chances that we see BoomSound audio on a future Pixel? Since Google is releasing three phones this year, (two "high-end" and one"premium") might it be possible? It certainly would be a selling point for me.

 

[dc52ltr]

So, with HTC's mobile division tanking despite the $1.1 billion infusion from Google, what are the chances that Google absorbs HTC in the future and buys up all of its patents, including BoomSound audio? With so many HTC employees now fully on board, what are the chances that we see BoomSound audio on a future Pixel? Since Google is releasing three phones this year, (two "high-end" and one"premium") might it be possible? It certainly would be a selling point for me.

Mmm, nice thought

 

[cbreze]

The pixel line already rings all my bells and for 'me' it is the best android out there. Boomsound would just be more icing on the cake. I think phone speakers will continue to improve and device makers are always looking for some new innovations to best the competition. So anything is posible. Even me keeping the Pixel 2 for 2 years is possible. Not sure what they could addd to it to make it better enough to warrant an upgrade after only one year, even better speakers.

 

[Nubwy]

I have no interest in upgrading from my Pixel 2.

 

[Mike Dee]

So, with HTC's mobile division tanking despite the $1.1 billion infusion from Google, what are the chances that Google absorbs HTC in the future and buys up all of its patents, including BoomSound audio? With so many HTC employees now fully on board, what are the chances that we see BoomSound audio on a future Pixel? Since Google is releasing three phones this year, (two "high-end" and one"premium") might it be possible? It certainly would be a selling point for me.

I'll take Improved headphone output over boom sound.

 

[chriskwarren]

Will be interesting to see what they come up with. My predictions (not to be confused with a wish list):

1. a notch at the top
2. dual cameras
3. IP68

Battery will be about the same. Wireless charging may make a showing as well because of Apple. The Apple notch is a guess because Google seems to be trying hard to make it work. Might see a dark theme too.

 

[Mike Dee]

Will be interesting to see what they come up with. My predictions (not to be confused with a wish list):

1. a notch at the top
2. dual cameras
3. IP68

Battery will be about the same. Wireless charging may make a showing as well because of Apple. The Apple notch is a guess because Google seems to be trying hard to make it work. Might see a dark theme too.

I'm thinking they are making the software notch compatible so that others can take advantage of it.

 

[Jaycemiskel]

I'm thinking they are making the software notch compatible so that others can take advantage of it.

I think they'll put a notch in, unfortunately. I hope they don't, but it seems likely that they will. Andrew and Alex from the site both think so as well from what I gathered on the podcast. I'm looking forward to the 2 cameras that they'll likely do.

I think from now on I'll get a Pixel and a Galaxy every year. Just alternate between using them as I feel like it.

 

[Mike Dee]

I think they'll put a notch in, unfortunately. I hope they don't, but it seems likely that they will. Andrew and Alex from the site both think so as well from what I gathered on the podcast. I'm looking forward to the 2 cameras that they'll likely do.

I think from now on I'll get a Pixel and a Galaxy every year. Just alternate between using them as I feel like it.

The notch will be a turn off but not a deal breaker for me.

 

[Jaycemiskel]

The notch will be a turn off but not a deal breaker for me.

I'm with you. If everything else is decent, I'll probably still get one.

 

[I Can Be Your Hero]

Boomsound isn't really anything more than a marketing tool. It's not a patented audio technology, there's no certified 'boomsound' setup, it's just HTC's pitch when they created the One M7 to draw attention to the front facing speakers. Any phone could have had the same speakers, same sound calibration and called it whatever they wanted. HTC has ditched the two front facing speaker setup, the speakers have gone through different sound calibration profiles over the years and they still call it 'boomsound'. It's like Apple calling their screens the 'retina display' - meaningless and just a marketing tool.

So 'boomsound' on the Pixel 3 really doesn't mean anything. What I do hope is that with all those HTC employees is that the substantially improve the hardware design of the Pixel phones. I've though the original Pixel phone designs were ugly, I think the Pixel 2 designs are ugly, whereas HTC have been making beautiful phones. So I hope Google listen to HTC's designers and make a far better designed phone(s) than the Pixel 2 was.

I mean going down a list, there are so many issues I have with the Pixel 2/2 XL from a hardware design standpoint:

- Pixel 2 has 2013 enormous top and bottom bezels whereas 2XL has smaller bezels
- 2XL has 18:9 screen ratio, 2 has 16:9 screen ratio
- Metal bodies with plastic-feeling coating. If you're making metal phones, make it feel like metal.
- A-symmetrical top and bottom bezels on the 2 XL (top is larger than bottom).
- Quite wide side-bezels on the 2XL making it feel wider than it should be.
- Cameras in different positions on the 2 and 2XL (camera on right side of flash on the 2, camera on left side of flash on the 2XL).
- Plastic orange power button in the 2XL white version (feels cheap and wobbly), yet metal button on the black version.
- Power button not ridged so hard to feel with thumb.
- 2XL has 2.5D glass, 2 has flat glass.
- 2XL has large curved corners on the screen which don't suit notification placements, 2 has 90 degree corners on screen.
- Glass on top back of phone provides no tangible benefits to phone.
- Dual speakers on both phones pretty sub-par quality. Other phones with earpiece/bottom firing speaker setups sound much better.
- Different colour variants (2XL has black & white, 2 has all white)


These are all subjective issues I have with the Pixel 2/2XL designs, however this year with the 3/3XL I just want consistentcy from the two phones. I mean, where's the design control here? Things like different camera locations, 2.5D glass, vs flat glass, 18:9 screen vs 16:9 screen, rounded screen corners vs square corners should not be appearing on the two phones here. They should be absolutely consistent in design-cues with only the screen size of the two being the differentiating factor.

So basically I want less Google hardware designers in the room when designing the new phones, because they clearly don't seem care about having a consistent, thought out design language between their two phones. If Samsung or Apple had all these differences in hardware design between their standard and plus designs, they'd get (rightfully) ridiculed for it.

 

[anon(661246)]

I am going to buy only if it has a notch. I really love the notch and hope it's here to stay

 

[srgonu]

I am going to buy only if it has a notch. I really love the notch and hope it's here to stay

You are super

 

[bhatech]

I use an iPhone X, Pixel 2 XL and also have used the Essential phone. I have absolutely no problem having a notch. It definitely looks to bother majority of the people but thankfully I'm one of them who could care less about the presence of the notch.

And my guess is also Pixel 3 will have a notch.

 

[Mike Dee]

Boomsound isn't really anything more than a marketing tool. It's not a patented audio technology, there's no certified 'boomsound' setup, it's just HTC's pitch when they created the One M7 to draw attention to the front facing speakers. Any phone could have had the same speakers, same sound calibration and called it whatever they wanted. HTC has ditched the two front facing speaker setup, the speakers have gone through different sound calibration profiles over the years and they still call it 'boomsound'. It's like Apple calling their screens the 'retina display' - meaningless and just a marketing tool.

So 'boomsound' on the Pixel 3 really doesn't mean anything. What I do hope is that with all those HTC employees is that the substantially improve the hardware design of the Pixel phones. I've though the original Pixel phone designs were ugly, I think the Pixel 2 designs are ugly, whereas HTC have been making beautiful phones. So I hope Google listen to HTC's designers and make a far better designed phone(s) than the Pixel 2 was.

I mean going down a list, there are so many issues I have with the Pixel 2/2 XL from a hardware design standpoint:

- Pixel 2 has 2013 enormous top and bottom bezels whereas 2XL has smaller bezels
- 2XL has 18:9 screen ratio, 2 has 16:9 screen ratio
- Metal bodies with plastic-feeling coating. If you're making metal phones, make it feel like metal.
- A-symmetrical top and bottom bezels on the 2 XL (top is larger than bottom).
- Quite wide side-bezels on the 2XL making it feel wider than it should be.
- Cameras in different positions on the 2 and 2XL (camera on right side of flash on the 2, camera on left side of flash on the 2XL).
- Plastic orange power button in the 2XL white version (feels cheap and wobbly), yet metal button on the black version.
- Power button not ridged so hard to feel with thumb.
- 2XL has 2.5D glass, 2 has flat glass.
- 2XL has large curved corners on the screen which don't suit notification placements, 2 has 90 degree corners on screen.
- Glass on top back of phone provides no tangible benefits to phone.
- Dual speakers on both phones pretty sub-par quality. Other phones with earpiece/bottom firing speaker setups sound much better.
- Different colour variants (2XL has black & white, 2 has all white)


These are all subjective issues I have with the Pixel 2/2XL designs, however this year with the 3/3XL I just want consistentcy from the two phones. I mean, where's the design control here? Things like different camera locations, 2.5D glass, vs flat glass, 18:9 screen vs 16:9 screen, rounded screen corners vs square corners should not be appearing on the two phones here. They should be absolutely consistent in design-cues with only the screen size of the two being the differentiating factor.

So basically I want less Google hardware designers in the room when designing the new phones, because they clearly don't seem care about having a consistent, thought out design language between their two phones. If Samsung or Apple had all these differences in hardware design between their standard and plus designs, they'd get (rightfully) ridiculed for it.

Just keep in mind not everyone may be as critical about external design differences between regular and plus size. I love the Pixel 2XL design and I am mostly concerned with internal hardware improvents.

 

[Mike Dee]

So, with HTC's mobile division tanking despite the $1.1 billion infusion from Google, what are the chances that Google absorbs HTC in the future and buys up all of its patents, including BoomSound audio? With so many HTC employees now fully on board, what are the chances that we see BoomSound audio on a future Pixel? Since Google is releasing three phones this year, (two "high-end" and one"premium") might it be possible? It certainly would be a selling point for me.

It's what they should have done with Moto

 

[anon(5506951)]

It's what they should have done with Moto

Agreed! I loved Moto's suite of apps, I thought they should've been part of stock Android.

 

[Jaycemiskel]

Just keep in mind not everyone may be as critical about external design differences between regular and plus size. I love the Pixel 2XL design and I am mostly concerned with internal hardware improvents.

Yeah, I haven't really heard a lot of people make those complaints. They could be two totally different phones and I wouldn't care. I'm only getting one of them so how the other phone looks has nothing to do with me or the phone I buy. I think the Pixel 2 is ugly, but that had no bearing on me getting a 2XL.

I do agree about boomsound though. Clearly the marketing worked though because people still say they want it in their phone lol.

 

[enderhexfyre]

Boomsound isn't really anything more than a marketing tool. It's not a patented audio technology, there's no certified 'boomsound' setup, it's just HTC's pitch when they created the One M7 to draw attention to the front facing speakers. Any phone could have had the same speakers, same sound calibration and called it whatever they wanted. HTC has ditched the two front facing speaker setup, the speakers have gone through different sound calibration profiles over the years and they still call it 'boomsound'. It's like Apple calling their screens the 'retina display' - meaningless and just a marketing tool.

So 'boomsound' on the Pixel 3 really doesn't mean anything. What I do hope is that with all those HTC employees is that the substantially improve the hardware design of the Pixel phones. I've though the original Pixel phone designs were ugly, I think the Pixel 2 designs are ugly, whereas HTC have been making beautiful phones. So I hope Google listen to HTC's designers and make a far better designed phone(s) than the Pixel 2 was.

I mean going down a list, there are so many issues I have with the Pixel 2/2 XL from a hardware design standpoint:

- Pixel 2 has 2013 enormous top and bottom bezels whereas 2XL has smaller bezels
- 2XL has 18:9 screen ratio, 2 has 16:9 screen ratio
- Metal bodies with plastic-feeling coating. If you're making metal phones, make it feel like metal.
- A-symmetrical top and bottom bezels on the 2 XL (top is larger than bottom).
- Quite wide side-bezels on the 2XL making it feel wider than it should be.
- Cameras in different positions on the 2 and 2XL (camera on right side of flash on the 2, camera on left side of flash on the 2XL).
- Plastic orange power button in the 2XL white version (feels cheap and wobbly), yet metal button on the black version.
- Power button not ridged so hard to feel with thumb.
- 2XL has 2.5D glass, 2 has flat glass.
- 2XL has large curved corners on the screen which don't suit notification placements, 2 has 90 degree corners on screen.
- Glass on top back of phone provides no tangible benefits to phone.
- Dual speakers on both phones pretty sub-par quality. Other phones with earpiece/bottom firing speaker setups sound much better.
- Different colour variants (2XL has black & white, 2 has all white)


These are all subjective issues I have with the Pixel 2/2XL designs, however this year with the 3/3XL I just want consistentcy from the two phones. I mean, where's the design control here? Things like different camera locations, 2.5D glass, vs flat glass, 18:9 screen vs 16:9 screen, rounded screen corners vs square corners should not be appearing on the two phones here. They should be absolutely consistent in design-cues with only the screen size of the two being the differentiating factor.

So basically I want less Google hardware designers in the room when designing the new phones, because they clearly don't seem care about having a consistent, thought out design language between their two phones. If Samsung or Apple had all these differences in hardware design between their standard and plus designs, they'd get (rightfully) ridiculed for it.

The phones were made by different manufacturers there are bound to be discrepancies between the two of them. Besides the screen I don't really mind the differences as it gives a little more of an option besides "do you want the big one or the little one." The fact that both phones have an identical camera and hardware should be applauded as most manufacturers seem to lower the specs or camera tech on the smaller model.

 

[enderhexfyre]

At the end of the day regardless of design most of us buy the Nexus/ pixel phones for the pure up to date Android software. The design and any extra features are not going to make or break my purchase decision. Just my 2 cents.