Critiques for Pixel 3 and Android P

[mustang7757]

Top notch screen....of course!
Where else would you put the notch?

Lol....very good display
They could put it on top and bottom like developer settings lol

 

[I Can Be Your Hero]

Yeah I can agree on overall phone 2018 note 9

Pixel 3 does have a top notch screen now and speaker's

3XL has a top notch screen. 3 not so much.

And my speakers are grainy. They're loud, but grainy.

 

[mustang7757]

3XL has a top notch screen. 3 not so much.

And my speakers are grainy. They're loud, but grainy.

So you have the regular 3 not 3xl?

 

[I Can Be Your Hero]

So you have the regular 3 not 3xl?

I have the 3XL.

When I saw the 3, it made me move to the XL.

 

[J Dubbs]

For full disclosure, these are Anandtech's recommendations for the current 2018 holiday season. Note that they do mention the current prices and outstanding value some phones offer.

View attachment 296203

If those prices are correct, a Galaxy S9 for $520 and a Galaxy S9+ for $640, then I would have to agree with anandtech for calling the S9/S9+/note 9 line the phones of the year. That's an incredible piece of hardware for those prices.

 

[Milt K]

If those prices are correct, a Galaxy S9 for $520 and a Galaxy S9+ for $640, then I would have to agree with anandtech for calling the S9/S9+/note 9 line the phones of the year. That's an incredible piece of hardware for those prices.

If you read the article, Anandtech has been flip-flopping between the S9/S9+ and OnePlus 6T the past couple of months as the best flagship devices to get in the Americas (Mate20 Pro outside the Americas). They stated the price cuts were what dethroned the OP 6T in their recommendations. Yeah there were some incredible deals going on for these phones from Thanksgiving week through Cyber Monday and leading up to Christmas. The best one I found was a US unlocked S9+ with 256GB storage including an Echo and Echo Spot for $759 on Cyber-Monday through Amazon.com. Take off $150 for the base 64GB model with the same add-ons and you can see how crazy those prices were ($609 for the whole she-bang). The carrier deals were even more crazy (e.g., $400 off a Verizon Note 9).

There were a lot of great deals going on recently. Not just for Samsungs but for lots of phones. Tis the season!

 

[anon(10092459)]

Regarding Android 9.0 reviews, the only one that I would even begin to label as thorough is Ron Amadeo's review over at Ars Technica. His review at least attempts to be thorough at 19,000 words, and you would think that would be enough, but while he's closer than anyone else he still misses the mark a bit. Ron is close to being great, but still allows his personal feelings to bleed too much into otherwise great work.

 

[mustang7757]

Regarding Android 9.0 reviews, the only one that I would even begin to label as thorough is Ron Amadeo's review over at Ars Technica. His review at least attempts to be thorough at 19,000 words, and you would think that would be enough, but while he's closer than anyone else he still misses the mark a bit. Ron is close to being great, but still allows his personal feelings to bleed too much into otherwise great work.

Regardless what these Youtubers/reviewers are saying , I know one thing stock andriod on Nexus/pixels once you have a taste of it and leave it for a bit you always want to come back to it . I know they have some bugs and didn't hit all the spots with the fans but hopefully they do that next year. Everytime I use this device it's a pleasure. I can nit pick about stuff on this phone but I can also do that on my other phones to.

 

[anon(10092459)]

I can nit pick about stuff on this phone but I can also do that on my other phones to.

I think that's very true. You can nit pick any device to death, if that's what ya want to do. It's the overall user experience down to the individual that is of the utmost importance. With Android, we're fortunate to have a cornucopia of choices.

The Pixel experience is unique in what it wants to deliver. Right now, I think the audience for Pixels is fairly specific and not as broad as what Android represents to most people. Though, I think that will continue to grow as more people understand what the brand experience represents. It's more about Google than Android, IMO.

 

[Golfdriver97]

So who do you guys trust as good reviewers? Ones that put the Pixel 3 and 3XL ahead of all others based on them subjectively having the best cameras even if they lack other hardware features other OEMs are implementing and are overpriced? The big YouTube reviewers also placed other phones ahead of it as their POYs as well (MKBHD, AA, Mr. Mobile, Dave Lee, etc.) such as the Note 9, Mate 20 Pro, and OP 6T. Pixel wins some awards for having the best camera but rarely best overall package.

Most people in these types of nerd forums vote with their wallets as most cannot buy more than one phone anyway to do proper long-term comparisons. So they are always partial to their own phones.

The Reader's Choice poll done by AC (not the editors which others have already said are non-credible) also have the Note 9 first for what it's worth and sure you can poo-poo the validity of that poll too.

https://www.androidcentral.com/best-2018-awards-your-phone-year

If anything, I now take The Verge reviews with a large grain of salt. Their 'demonstration' of how to build a PC has now made me question everything they look at in terms of technology.

 

[Itsa_Me_Mario]

Regardless what these Youtubers/reviewers are saying , I know one thing stock andriod on Nexus/pixels once you have a taste of it and leave it for a bit you always want to come back to it . I know they have some bugs and didn't hit all the spots with the fans but hopefully they do that next year. Everytime I use this device it's a pleasure. I can nit pick about stuff on this phone but I can also do that on my other phones to.

It's subliminally creating neural responses similar to those molded by crack.

 

[Mike Dee]

It's subliminally creating neural responses similar to those molded by crack.

Things that make you go hmmmmm!!!

 

[Robisan]

i look at most of the mentions above, don't swear by any of them and add that actual user reviews/comments/experiences on places like this forum, XDA etc. carry just as much weight. A reviewer using a device for a few days for the purpose of reviewing just isn't the same as the views of early adopter guinea pigs people who've spent their money and are living with them day in, day out and know their devices, beauty, warts and all.

What I look for is consensus agreement on likes, dislikes and potential problems, with the understanding that no device is going to be perfect. Once you learn to block out the natural (but sometimes blinding) fanboyism, the combo of professional reviews and user experiences gives a pretty good sense the strengths, weaknesses and oddities of devices.

 

[anon(10092459)]

What I look for is consensus agreement on likes, dislikes and potential problems, with the understanding that no device is going to be perfect. Once you learn to block out the natural (but sometimes blinding) fanboyism, the combo of professional reviews and user experiences gives a pretty good sense the strengths, weaknesses and oddities of devices.

Interesting approach.. How do you parallel your use case with others as they can be so different from person to person. Also, do you look at things like user reviews from Best Buy or Amazon or things like that?

Like Best Buy user reviews are showing 4.6/5 for the Pixel 3/XL. Does that come into play or no?

 

[Robisan]

Interesting approach.. How do you parallel your use case with others as they can be so different from person to person. Also, do you look at things like user reviews from Best Buy or Amazon or things like that?

Like Best Buy user reviews are showing 4.6/5 for the Pixel 3/XL. Does that come into play or no?

Best Buy, no. Amazon, yes sort of - but again really only if there's an overwhelming consensus approving a product. However, retailer comments sections are different from user forums like this, which tend to be more of an online community of people/members you get to know, at least in the sense of knowing what they like, dislike, general viewpoint etc.

Re paralleling my use vs others comments - I pay attention to comments on features and/or usage similar to my interests, but don't ignore other types of comments too. Really, first and foremost I pay attention to flaws, bugs or other real life usage problems that I should avoid (at least til remedied)*. Those things are usually revealed first in forums like this, not in professional reviews. Of course, if I'm not really in the market to buy the device I'll likely skip the forums entirely and just use pro reviews for general interest info.

* Sometimes I ignore my own advice - despite all the obvious flaws of the Pixel Stand I bought one and naturally it's even worse than I feared. I don't use the wake feature but literally nothing else works as designed (and even the design blows). The PS app may be the worst debut app ever from Google - calling it a beta app would be giving it too much credit.

 

[mustang7757]

It's subliminally creating neural responses similar to those molded by crack.

Hahaha Mario, that's deep..

 

[anon(10092459)]

Re paralleling my use vs others comments - I pay attention to comments on features and/or usage similar to my interests, but don't ignore other types of comments too. Really, first and foremost I pay attention to flaws, bugs or other real life usage problems that I should avoid (at least til remedied)*. Those things are usually revealed first in forums like this, not in professional reviews. Of course, if I'm not really in the market to buy the device I'll likely skip the forums entirely and just use pro reviews for general interest info.

I gotcha! When I read this, what popped in my mind was hotel reviews. A person might be planning a trip and looking for insight as about a few places. Look at a hotel you really like, at they might say avoid the sw corner. Anything below the third floor shakes from the powerful AC units located below .. or whatever. Pictures and the brochures might look nice, but the actual people provide more insight.

 

[mustang7757]

I gotcha! When I read this, what popped in my mind was hotel reviews. A person might be planning a trip and looking for insight as about a few places. Look at a hotel you really like, at they might say avoid the sw corner. Anything below the third floor shakes from the powerful AC units located below .. or whatever. Pictures and the brochures might look nice, but the actual people provide more insight.

You and robisan bring up some good views..

 

[Robisan]

I gotcha! When I read this, what popped in my mind was hotel reviews. A person might be planning a trip and looking for insight as about a few places. Look at a hotel you really like, at they might say avoid the sw corner. Anything below the third floor shakes from the powerful AC units located below .. or whatever. Pictures and the brochures might look nice, but the actual people provide more insight.

Yea, exactly. A Michelin guide or AAA rating can tell you something about a place but the 'local knowledge' from people who stayed there is more relevant and useful.

 

[J Dubbs]

Regarding Android 9.0 reviews, the only one that I would even begin to label as thorough is Ron Amadeo's review over at Ars Technica. His review at least attempts to be thorough at 19,000 words, and you would think that would be enough, but while he's closer than anyone else he still misses the mark a bit. Ron is close to being great, but still allows his personal feelings to bleed too much into otherwise great work.

Granted, I'm not on a pixel 3, but I've had no issues whatsoever with Pie... it's been the best version of Android I've ever used. Best Bluetooth, best battery life, no glitches or surprises, everything does what it's supposed to do when it's supposed to do it. I couldn't be happier :-D

And before I installed it I was sure it was going to be a disaster from all the negatives I was reading. Now shouldn't all 3 generations of pixels have the same version of Pie except for some very minor changes in the 3?