Re: AC recommends....
Can't agree with Pixel being the top based on their current "Best Android Phone" article.
For a "best" you have to include all aspects.
Specs
Features
Camera
Battery life
Price
Design
UI
For the price Samsung s7/edge must surely win? And I don't own one btw.
The price of the Pixel, is absurd considering the features missing, or waterproofing, no SD support, untested battery life, copycat design.
The only major feature(s) are the UI, and maybe the camera.
It is a consistency in people arguing against the Pixels being compared favorably or even in the same realm of other established leaders like iPhone and S7/edge that they focus on specific features that Pixels lack while choosing to not acknowledge value-adding innovations that Google has implemented that are available either nowhere else, or nowhere else among Android devices.
No SD? Unlimited free lifetime cloud storage in full resolution for photos/video. 128GB? 500GB? 10TB? All you want...
No waterproofing? Well, no phone is waterproof. If an OEM claims it is, ask them why they don't warrant vs water damage. It's varying degrees of water resistance. Pixel isn't rated as highly, true, but it's not like the argument that it recoups that difference elsewhere is invalid. Rounding the facts to the nearest whole that would better support your position undermines that position.
Dull design? I'm ok with that. A lot of people want their phone to be a status symbol or flashy. A lot don't care, and would rather the R&D costs and time invested to be put towards improving the actual experience. Take your choice.
For any phone that someone says is better and points out features it has that Pixel doesn't and says "THAT is why Pixel isn't as good/worth the money!" one can make up a counter list to the say the same about the other phone. Thing is, neither person is right in their argument for anyone other than his/herself.
Example vs S7/Edge, since that's the position you took with them over the Pixels:
The price of the S7/Edge is absurd considering the features missing... Limited bands for international use; inability to work with all major wireless network technologies; no unlimited storage; poor history of delivering timely updates to OS, rarely delivering more than 1 major release; recent history of related products with MAJOR flaw; overpriced because 'they can' due to brand recognition; slower to replace defective devices; running OS a full generation and a subsequent revision release behind; outdated AI; no on-device support; bloatware, most of which can, if desired, be available to other devices via Play; etc (I'm sure there's more, but those are a few big ones off the top of my head).
Point of the above isn't to bash Samsung. They have a lot of strengths for their side of the argument, and both are good phones. I personally really like the S7 Edge. It was a close decision between it and the Pixel. But stacking all of the pros and cons exclusive to one another,
for what I'm looking for, the Pixels came out noticeably on top.
Also, if you feel AC would buckle in selection to advertising needs, let me ask you this: do you really think AC sees more capital, historically and long-term, resulting from Google or Samsung? If Samsung, a supposition with which I suspect most would agree, then that would speak even more highly of how they feel about the Pixels were they to slant it at all.
Last point, declaring that if AC were independent they'd have said differently is an interesting position to take given just how many independent sites have come to the same conclusion as AC regarding the Pixel.
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