For those of you that came from a Note 7....

[ihbsbA]

Interesting. I have a galaxy s6, and I moved to the Google keyboard, because I found it worked so much better than the Samsung keyboard.

Check out SwiftKey Neural...

 

[billykac]

Good thread. We former N7 owners have a unique perspective.

My Pixel should be delivered this week, and I am still using my N7. I fully appreciate that the Pixel doesn't have all the bells/whistles of the N7, and I've been vocal about the superior physical design of the N7 over Pixel.

Still, I can't wait to get rid of this N7, and Samsung. I know that there are some forum members that think that Samsung did a great job with the recalls, or at least a respectable job. I just don't. I am frustrated with the wasted time/energy in navigating Samsung's issues, and my personal opinion is that Samsung mis-handled (botched) this entire process.

So, might my new Pixel lack some N7 features? I bet it will.
Will I be happy to just not have a Samsung phone in my life. You bet.

Really looking forward to a Pixel.

Got the Pixel a couple of days ago. Overall, it has the N7 beat by a country mile - for my needs.
It's the most refined Android experience yet.
I won't repeat here what I've recently written in the "I Love This Freakin' Thing" thread.
Just wanted to weigh-in now that I have the device.
So nice to not be in the Samsung world.

 

[SteelGator]

S Pen: I really liked being able to take a quick note while the screen was off and pin it to the screen as a quick reminder. However, Google Assistant is quickly becoming more helpful in making reminders and notes via voice. Just something to get used to.

This is the hardest function to replace with anything but another Note. I did not use it that much, but when I did, speaking notes was generally not an option.

I have had wireless charging since my Note 4. I purchased a Spigen wireless desktop charger to put on my night stand and desk so I didn't have to plug my phone in everytime. With this high end (high price) of a phone, it really should have been included.

I have had this going back to my Droid Maxx. I still remember how excited I was by the TYLT I bought during their first Black Friday sale at half off, lol. I am finding with the Doze function and fast charge, it is less of an issue than I thought it would be. I charge up in the evening, then just let it sit overnight. I can top it off while I am getting ready or in the car in the morning if I forget. Still, I hope it is something they add back in future versions.

The Note 7 was cool b/c it had both types. I never used that at a Starbucks, but knowing I could was cool.

 

[SteelGator]

Check out SwiftKey Neural...

I have not switched back to this yet, but it is a great keyboard.

 

[SteelGator]

I just read that someone says there are no notification badges? Can someone elaborate...

Google does not, and from all signs will not, include notification numbers on the top of app icons. Folks that want this need to use Nova or other launcher that allows for them.

The notification shade is fantastic. They have implemented a lot of what Samsung innovated, and I like the way it works slightly better than on the N7.

 

[dsignori]

1. The Pixel XL is faster all around. The only places where I've noticed it being a little slower than the Note 7 are when double tapping the power button to launch the camera (the Note 7 is slightly faster) and focusing is a hair quicker on the Note 7 (just hair - the Pixel holds it's own very well here).

2. Cellular reception is just as good as my Note 7 on Verizon. No dropped calls so far.

3. Battery life has been better for me so far on the Pixel XL. Averaging over 6 hours of screen on time through 2 days as opposed to 4-5 hours on the Note 7.

4. The Google Assistant is better than S Voice and Google Now on the Note 7. In day-to-day use, it's not significantly better at this point, but you can see where it's headed.

This has been my experience as well mostly.

I have a few questions if anyone has the time. I am very hesitant to give up my Note and its pen as I love the freaking thing.

1. I see everyone says the Pixel XL is faster. As in opening apps? Just the camera? Surfing the net? or all of the above?

2. Is signal strength (on Verizon specifically) as good as your Note 7? Any dropped calls?

3. Battery seem as good as the Note 7? Note 7 is MUCH improved over my note 5.

4. Is the google assistant any better than the one one the note 7? I find the note 7 does all the things already that google is promoting on the pixel.

Thanks in advance all!

I did a comparison of my Note 7 and Pixel XL on another thread here : http://forums.androidcentral.com/sa...good-anyone-thinking-getting.html#post5526407

 

[jsgiv]

Good thread. We former N7 owners have a unique perspective.

My Pixel should be delivered this week, and I am still using my N7. I fully appreciate that the Pixel doesn't have all the bells/whistles of the N7, and I've been vocal about the superior physical design of the N7 over Pixel.

Still, I can't wait to get rid of this N7, and Samsung. I know that there are some forum members that think that Samsung did a great job with the recalls, or at least a respectable job. I just don't. I am frustrated with the wasted time/energy in navigating Samsung's issues, and my personal opinion is that Samsung mis-handled (botched) this entire process.

So, might my new Pixel lack some N7 features? I bet it will.
Will I be happy to just not have a Samsung phone in my life. You bet.

Really looking forward to a Pixel.

I'm in the same boat - I really liked the N7 - and hated to give it up.

I was certainly willing to give Samsung the chance to redeem themselves after the first recall (everyone makes mistakes right?).

However - once the second recall happened - I was done and not going to go with Samsung on any alternative (and I had the chance to use the S7e during the first recall and came away unimpressed anyway).

What drew me to the Pixel was the software experience... and from the various reviews and threads regarding the device- it appears to be an overwhelming success. Something that Samsung was well positioned to deliver and failed miserably. What's interesting is the recent articles out there outlining how the Puxel was brought to market in approximately 9 months.

Imagine what will be available on the next Pixel with a full product development lifecycle of 18 months...

Competition is great - I'm hopeful Samsung and others in the market take note. (Pun intended )

 

[Amele]

I don't have my Pixel yet, but after a lot of thought and reading this forum here's what I came up with to convince me to drop the money on an XL after giving up my n7.

I used the Pen all the time.
➡ the trade off will be having a phone with no lag, I will have to figure something out about the pen. I used it mostly for precise navigation, and drawing on photos to help explain something.

The Samsung is a nice looking phone and the n7 was symmetrical (this matters to an OCD individual)
➡the trade off is having any new software features, first. And the Pixel is a nice looking and feeling device. (I have, at least, played with one)

I'm heavily engrained in Samsung's ecosystem, but the honest truth is that all of those features slow the phone down. Samsung Pay got in the way often, I didn't use Touch Whiz but I didn't like having to add another piece of software to correct something that just should have worked.

I don't care about wireless charging, it is not as fast as wired charging and it's a gimmick. I have several docks but the truth is that I would end up plugging in because my time between appointments or errands was so short that I'd never get much from the wireless charger. I do believe this was not added because it's another "feature" that can potentially cause issues. The time it took me to find the sweet spot was time I could have just plugged in. I'm all for innovation, but it was just something I didn't implement.

AOD, loved it.. But I came from relying on the LED for my quick glance to see which notifications I have, and I'll go back to that with Light Manager or Light Flow. Basically, if it blinks green, I know I have texts. Blue and orange were Facebook and email which I don't check that often, red was a missed call and white was Whatsapp.

Scroll capture - used this ALL the time. Looking for apps to replace, I've found one that I need to try.
https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...s?id=com.glitch.stitchandshare&token=8D3Eav86

Editing the screen capture right after it's captured will be the next thing I need to find.

Cameras will be comparable.

Frustration will be down, I was irritated that I upgraded from the n5 to the n7 with the few features that it had, I would have been happy keeping my n5. Since I gave that to my son, I needed to make a decision.

The v20 is huge. Bigger than I want, as we know, the n7 was the perfect size.
The Nexus 6p is clunky, and a year old.
The s7 edge is too edgy.
Not even considering any iCrap.

The Pixel XL it is. I actually think it's a very nice minimal look. I almost went with the smaller one just because I am feeling more minimalist..

I just read that someone says there are no notification badges? Can someone elaborate...

The Pixel Xl is definitely faster than the Note 7 but I'd trade that in a heartbeat for the bigger screen, AOD, swipe to take a screenshot, the spen and all it's abilites. The Pixel camera is good but I don't care what anyone, including some rating dudes and Google, say, it is no way as good as the Note's in lowlight and I miss that little bit of video you could get before the still pic. That said, since the Note's gone, I am ok with the Pixel, having ruled everything else that runs on Verizon out. But if Samsung comes out with a Note 8, I will be looking to trade the Pixel in. It is a case of, not as good as I wish, but definitely good enough and better than current alternatives. And I am not really a Samsung fangirl. Only had one other (GS 3, which in it's time was a pretty good phone). It's just the Note 7 was the perfect phone for me and I am still ticked off at Sammy for screwing it up.

 

[Amb312]

The Pixel Xl is definitely faster than the Note 7 but I'd trade that in a heartbeat for the bigger screen, AOD, swipe to take a screenshot, the spen and all it's abilites. The Pixel camera is good but I don't care what anyone, including some rating dudes and Google, say, it is no way as good as the Note's in lowlight and I miss that little bit of video you could get before the still pic. That said, since the Note's gone, I am ok with the Pixel, having ruled everything else that runs on Verizon out. But if Samsung comes out with a Note 8, I will be looking to trade the Pixel in. It is a case of, not as good as I wish, but definitely good enough and better than current alternatives. And I am not really a Samsung fangirl. Only had one other (GS 3, which in it's time was a pretty good phone). It's just the Note 7 was the perfect phone for me and I am still ticked off at Sammy for screwing it up.

This. Exactly. (except I had a note 4)

 

[SteelGator]

I have found a couple things that work better for me on the Pixel than they did on the N7 that are meaningful (to me).

• Trusted devices work on Pixel, they did not for me on either N7 I owned. I never could figure out why and blamed Airwatch. Airwatch isn't a problem on the Pixel though . . .
• Notification shade -- the do not disturb is more functional -- love being able to set it for 1 hour (or less, or more). I would get a lot of grief from my wife because I would turn it on for church or a meeting and never turn it off, missing a ton of texts and calls. That problem is now solved. I also like the way I interact with App notifications better. On the N7 expanding the notification was hit or miss. Pixel, one tap to expand, a second to open.
• Split screen -- much, much, much better on the Pixel. My biggest need here is to have my dialer open and my airwatch calendar open side by side to I can enter conference call passwords. This could not be done on the N7, neither app was compatible. I was so excited when it worked on the Pixel this morning! Absolutely flawless.

 

[Stoopstroop]

I have found a couple things that work better for me on the Pixel than they did on the N7 that are meaningful (to me).

• Trusted devices work on Pixel, they did not for me on either N7 I owned. I never could figure out why and blamed Airwatch. Airwatch isn't a problem on the Pixel though . . .
• Notification shade -- the do not disturb is more functional -- love being able to set it for 1 hour (or less, or more). I would get a lot of grief from my wife because I would turn it on for church or a meeting and never turn it off, missing a ton of texts and calls. That problem is now solved. I also like the way I interact with App notifications better. On the N7 expanding the notification was hit or miss. Pixel, one tap to expand, a second to open.
• Split screen -- much, much, much better on the Pixel. My biggest need here is to have my dialer open and my airwatch calendar open side by side to I can enter conference call passwords. This could not be done on the N7, neither app was compatible. I was so excited when it worked on the Pixel this morning! Absolutely flawless.

Agreed! It is good to know that Samsung and Apple now have some more competition. I am sure the next pixel will have some major upgrades like a pen, bigger screen, waterproof and memory card slot and make it a HUGE contender....

Wait... I just described my Note 7... lol

 

[tk-093]

I miss my Note 7 and look forward to the Note 8. Having said that, the Pixel is a fantastic device. Second best device I've ever used.. that's saying a lot because I support our mobile devices at work and I've used a crap ton of phones over the last 12+ years.

Main one is stylus. I used it all the time. Taking notes... partial screenshots... so nice to have... Make a Pixel Pro with a stylus and we can talk.

The Note 7 was so fricken beautiful. Best looking phone ever. It makes all other devices look very average.. Pixel.. iPhone.. all of them.

Wireless charging. Not sure why one would call it a gimmick. The thing would charge pretty dang fast with the Sammy fast charger... Not that I had to do that often, the Note 7 had a great battery (minus the boom boom!)

It was finally nice to have a waterproof phone. I do a like of biking and it's always annoying when you have to put a phone in a baggie... Not a deal breaker, just a nice to have.

Expandable storage was a nice to have.. I got the 128GB pixel and I feel that should be fine though.

Bluetooth. The Pixel seems to be lacking with their Bluetooth.. there is a thread I started about it. We'll see how quick they address the issues.

Now, the Pixel does seem quicker/smoother and even though the Note 7 had great battery life, the Pixel seems to be far superior so far. So that's awesome. I'm enjoying the device very much and while the lack of stylus will push me back to the Note 8, I'm going to enjoy my time with this bad boy!

 

[tk-093]

[*]Split screen -- much, much, much better on the Pixel. My biggest need here is to have my dialer open and my airwatch calendar open side by side to I can enter conference call passwords. This could not be done on the N7, neither app was compatible. I was so excited when it worked on the Pixel this morning! Absolutely flawless.
[/LIST]

You using Airwatch Inbox? Don't they have that conference calling feature where if you tap on a number in your calendar it will also detect the conference ID and dial that for you?

 

[Stoopstroop]

Make a Pixel Pro with a stylus and we can talk.

AGREED! Bigger screen and a pen... I would settle for. Add waterproofness and it is bye bye Note 8 unless they pull a rabbit out of their hat and make something revolutionary.

 

[SteelGator]

You using Airwatch Inbox? Don't they have that conference calling feature where if you tap on a number in your calendar it will also detect the conference ID and dial that for you?

Yes and yes, but some people don't set it up right and you are left to scramble. I would say at least 25% of the time they are not set up right and I have to enter the password.

 

[Kayza]

Check out SwiftKey Neural...

I have SwiftKey. It's ok, but the Google keyboard works well for me.

 

[DaMaRa1109]

I have a few questions if anyone has the time. I am very hesitant to give up my Note and its pen as I love the freaking thing.

1. I see everyone says the Pixel XL is faster. As in opening apps? Just the camera? Surfing the net? or all of the above?

2. Is signal strength (on Verizon specifically) as good as your Note 7? Any dropped calls?

3. Battery seem as good as the Note 7? Note 7 is MUCH improved over my note 5.

4. Is the google assistant any better than the one one the note 7? I find the note 7 does all the things already that google is promoting on the pixel.

Thanks in advance all!

It's faster in every way.

Signal strength is on par with notes.

Battery life is about the same maybe slightly better.

Google assistant is miles better than any integration of it on the note.

All my from my experience. But dam I miss the notes design and screen, minus that cheap home button.

 

[Tanooki2]

Even though the Pixel XL is great, I really miss my Note 7. I had the Note 2, 4, and 7 was by far the best phone I've ever had the pleasure of using. With that being said, aside from many of the things already mentioned here, the other Note 7 features I will miss include:

1. Camera beauty mode. I know it's lame, but it really came in handy for selfies (which we all take) and I feel like I can't do much with the Pixel camera other than take pictures. I also loved the little video clip the N7 recorded.

2. The volume buttons being on the left. I mean seriously, the location on the Pixel is insane. Not only is it hard to control the volume left handed, but being that far down on the phone makes it more difficult to put it into my vent clip in my car because I have to secure it on the bottom third of the phone.

3. The notification sounds. The choices on the Pixel for app notifications, alarms, and ringtones are downright horrible.

4. Emojis. Again, the selection is horrible.

5. Color scheme. I get that it's following Google's colors. I guess I'm just not a primary color type of person.

 

[xxaarraa]

I had a Note 7 and would have kept it if they didn't take it away. However, the Samsung fanbois will neglect to mention how fragile the S7, S7E and Note 7 are (I had all 3 of them this year, as well as the S6E the year prior). Phones that shatter to bits on a moderate drop in everyday life are about as useful as buying Armani dress shoes to play soccer with.

I hate how recent designs by many manufacturers have turned phones into this piece of jewelry and not an actual phone that's easy to hold, comfortable to handle and holds up to everyday life. My Pixel is slippery, but way better on most other everyday usability measures than any recent Samsung.

 

[EnemiesInTheEnd]

I had a Note 7 and would have kept it if they didn't take it away. However, the Samsung fanbois will neglect to mention how fragile the S7, S7E and Note 7 are (I had all 3 of them this year, as well as the S6E the year prior). Phones that shatter to bits on a moderate drop in everyday life are about as useful as buying Armani dress shoes to play soccer with.

I hate how recent designs by many manufacturers have turned phones into this piece of jewelry and not an actual phone that's easy to hold, comfortable to handle and holds up to everyday life. My Pixel is slippery, but way better on most other everyday usability measures than any recent Samsung.

Yeah, about that...

https://youtu.be/z8P2odYwgps