Google Pixel/Pixel XL Review Discussions

[VitaminA]

So what I'm gathering from all the reviews and comments I've read:

A lot of people wanted to love this phone long before it was "released;" and they found reasons to continue to love it.

A lot of people wanted to dislike this phone long before it was "released;" and they found reasons to continue to dislike it.

Pretty much the same thing that can be said of almost any phone these days. But, most people who didn't seem (in my eyes) to have an opinion prior to "release" seem to view it favorably; so that's a good sign.

 

[tcatnat]

The looks don't bother me either. As long as the phone is comfortable to hold and performs well that's all I care about.

Reviewers dinging it on looks baffles me when 95% of the population puts a case on their phone. That's my educated guess anyway.

 

[klau25]

Reviewers dinging it on looks baffles me when 95% of the population puts a case on their phone. That's my educated guess anyway.

It's fine if they don't like the look, let's just hope they say the same about how the iPhone looks too. Haha.

 

[jd78]

My two biggest complaints about the reviews (positive and negative) was the constant over attention of design and price. Design is subjective... I think the Pixel looks better than the S7, but doesn't make me right. As for price, I think its silly to state "best android phone to date" or something to that affect like several reviews did, but then ding it on price since it's priced as a flagship phone.

 

[klau25]

My two biggest complaints about the reviews (positive and negative) was the constant over attention of design and price. Design is subjective... I think the Pixel looks better than the S7, but doesn't make me right. As for price, I think its silly to state "best android phone to date" or something to that affect like several reviews did, but then ding it on price since it's priced as a flagship phone.

Agreed 100%, you can't say that it is the best android phone and then complain about the price. All we can hope for is with more high end competition, it will force the top manufacturers to innovate more and drive down the price a little.

 

[Citizen Coyote]

What's your current?

Currently I have a 2014 Moto X. For me, the biggest upgrade would be the camera. Everything else is extra. My Moto X is still fast enough for what I do with it, battery lasts all day for my usage, it's not waterproof either, and I don't really care about a fingerprint sensor (nice to have, but I'm not sweating the absence). So for me, the Pixel's current cost doesn't justify upgrading just for a better camera and software updates. But others may feel differently, and for them the Pixel may be worth its price. For those people I say groovy, enjoy your new shiny.

 

[russell1997]

delete

 

[Richard Servello]

Reviewers dinging it on looks baffles me when 95% of the population puts a case on their phone. That's my educated guess anyway.

What baffles me is that these same reviewers say, "It just looks like an iPhone"... Then they comment that nobody beats iPhone in terms of design. Then they say the pixel is boring and uninspired..... WHICH IS IT????

 

[bunser51]

Yeah that's kinda how I see it as well. When compared to the rest, its not going to blow them out of the water, but itll be just as good if not better in most situations. And its an improvement in all areas compared to my 6p camera, so that's all I can ask for seeing as non nexus/pixel phones are not an option for me.

 

[Adranalyne]

I guess I'm just confused on the excitement over this phone. If you told me last year that you could improve the camera, the speed of the camera (which was egregious to begin with), and offer the Google Assistant on the Nexus 6P, I'm not sure I'd have paid $800 for it and I absolutely loved the Nexus line. It just seems to me that they created a Nexus, regressed on the design of it, slapped a new name on it, went all in on it "being made by Google, as Google intended", released essentially the same software with Google Assistant baked in (which you can get through Allo on a 6P anyways), and improved the camera. Then with that entire package decided it was now worth $300+ more than the 6P last year despite no wireless charging, no IP67-68 ratings, and no SD card support (all of which is fine, but could have made the price tag a little bit more palatable).

Now don't get me wrong; the 6P was and is still a great phone, but I'm struggling to see how this isn't just another Nexus that improved marginally and now costs significantly more.

 

[jd78]

I guess I'm just confused on the excitement over this phone. If you told me last year that you could improve the camera, the speed of the camera (which was egregious to begin with), and offer the Google Assistant on the Nexus 6P, I'm not sure I'd have paid $800 for it and I absolutely loved the Nexus line. It just seems to me that they created a Nexus, regressed on the design of it, slapped a new name on it, went all in on it "being made by Google, as Google intended", released essentially the same software with Google Assistant baked in (which you can get through Allo on a 6P anyways), and improved the camera. Then with that entire package decided it was now worth $300+ more than the 6P last year despite no wireless charging, no IP67-68 ratings, and no SD card support (all of which is fine, but could have made the price tag a little bit more palatable).

Now don't get me wrong; the 6P was and is still a great phone, but I'm struggling to see how this isn't just another Nexus that improved marginally and now costs significantly more.

The Nexus 6P, while a solid phone, never had "flagship" specs. Its running the SD810, with 3GB RAM whereas the Pixel moved up to the SD821 (Android flagships are running SD820) with 4GB of RAM. Whether or not its worth the ~$300 premium is up to the consumer, but the Pixel is a flagship phone in specs and performance (per reviews), so no reason not to price it as one (just smart business). As a consumer, I wish it was cheaper, but why should I knock it if its just as good as its flagship competitors?

 

[ChuckG73]

Re: Pixel Reviews!

Here is the rub for me at least. I purchased the Pixel instead of the Pixel XL because I liked the idea of a smaller phone. I knew there was a difference in Battery size but had read since the larger phone had too push more pixels and work harder that the battery life would be the same on both phones, in fact some sites said the Pixel would have a better battery life. Now after reading the AC review I am regretting my decision!!!!

 

[Cant Miss]

Re: Pixel Reviews!

Now after reading the AC review I am regretting my decision!!!!

I wouldn't. In real life I believe the difference in battery life will be negligible.

 

[dsignori]

I guess I'm just confused on the excitement over this phone. If you told me last year that you could improve the camera, the speed of the camera (which was egregious to begin with), and offer the Google Assistant on the Nexus 6P, I'm not sure I'd have paid $800 for it and I absolutely loved the Nexus line. It just seems to me that they created a Nexus, regressed on the design of it, slapped a new name on it, went all in on it "being made by Google, as Google intended", released essentially the same software with Google Assistant baked in (which you can get through Allo on a 6P anyways), and improved the camera. Then with that entire package decided it was now worth $300+ more than the 6P last year despite no wireless charging, no IP67-68 ratings, and no SD card support (all of which is fine, but could have made the price tag a little bit more palatable).

Now don't get me wrong; the 6P was and is still a great phone, but I'm struggling to see how this isn't just another Nexus that improved marginally and now costs significantly more.

It sounds like the value is not there for you, and that's understandable. It seems overpriced somewhat. That said, they are not trying to compete on specs. They apparently want a premium "google Experience" device. Add in 24 x 7 Google Support, unlimited photo storage, and a few software advantages - most of which will be for a limited time compared to nexus phones - but most of which remain forever vs other devices.

I'm mostly with you in that I wanted IP68 and wireless charging, etc at this price. Still, I am used to expensive phones . So for me I feel more like the Nexus phones were under priced, more so than the Pixels are overpriced. But the value we find in a purchase is unique to each of us ..

 

[Adranalyne]

The Nexus 6P, while a solid phone, never had "flagship" specs. Its running the SD810, with 3GB RAM whereas the Pixel moved up to the SD821 (Android flagships are running SD820) with 4GB of RAM. Whether or not its worth the ~$300 premium is up to the consumer, but the Pixel is a flagship phone in specs and performance (per reviews), so no reason not to price it as one (just smart business). As a consumer, I wish it was cheaper, but why should I knock it if its just as good as its flagship competitors?

The jumps between newer Snapdragon chipsets just isn't the huge deal it used to be from a performance or efficiency standpoint, nor is that extra GB of RAM. I'd fully expect them to put out at least what's standard for newer flagships and that's what they did (The 821 being a perk of it being released later in the year more than anything else). You said you wish it was cheaper, but if it's just as good as it's competitors, why should you complain. Is it just as good? I really don't see that. I see a phone that checks off a lot of boxes, but I don't think I could put it in the same class as an iPhone 7 or Galaxy S7 which offer certain things to justify their prices. HTC had the same problem this year where it was a solid phone, but went too far on the price and tanked as a result.

 

[Adranalyne]

It sounds like the value is not there for you, and that's understandable. It seems overpriced somewhat. That said, they are not trying to compete on specs. They apparently want a premium "google Experience" device. Add in 24 x 7 Google Support, unlimited photo storage, and a few software advantages - most of which will be for a limited time compared to nexus phones - but most of which remain forever vs other devices.

I'm mostly with you in that I wanted IP68 and wireless charging, etc at this price. Still, I am used to expensive phones . So for me I feel more like the Nexus phones were under priced, more so than the Pixels are overpriced. But the value we find in a purchase is unique to each of us ..

By no means am I saying anyone is dumb for liking this phone or purchasing one. Far from it. I guess I'm just surprised there's seemingly a lot of excitement over something that's only marginally better than it's predecessor and significantly more expensive.

 

[russell1997]

quote

you might be interested in this week All About Android podcast. there was a great discussions on the 6P and Pixel as well as the Nexus Line.
https://twit.tv/shows/all-about-android/episodes/288?autostart=false

 

[dsignori]

By no means am I saying anyone is dumb for liking this phone or purchasing one. Far from it. I guess I'm just surprised there's seemingly a lot of excitement over something that's only marginally better than it's predecessor and significantly more expensive.

Many many phones are only marginally better than their predecessors nowadays. What constitutes a"big" upgrade is different for every one, and part of what makes up value. I don't have any expectation now that new phones will have major improvements honestly. There all iterations of some magnitude, with the rare exception. Most flagship phones are fast, have good screens, have good cameras, etc. It's really about what your expectations were ..

There are also phones where the sum is greater than the parts. I think many reviewers felt so. Hopefully I will too when I get it

 

[jd78]

The jumps between newer Snapdragon chipsets just isn't the huge deal it used to be from a performance or efficiency standpoint, nor is that extra GB of RAM. I'd fully expect them to put out at least what's standard for newer flagships and that's what they did (The 821 being a perk of it being released later in the year more than anything else). You said you wish it was cheaper, but if it's just as good as it's competitors, why should you complain. Is it just as good? I really don't see that. I see a phone that checks off a lot of boxes, but I don't think I could put it in the same class as an iPhone 7 or Galaxy S7 which offer certain things to justify their prices. HTC had the same problem this year where it was a solid phone, but went too far on the price and tanked as a result.

I want everything to be cheaper, thats the consumer in me. Value wise, I don't see why the Pixel wouldn't be compared to an iPhone or S7 and the reviews seem to agree as well. With that in mind, i'm not going to ding it on the price. We are just going to have to agree to disagree.

 

[Cant Miss]

I'm just surprised there's seemingly a lot of excitement over something that's only marginally better than it's predecessor

I think the excitement is over the Google announced stance on this... that they intend to take matters into their own hands is a milestone. With that said, this clearly looks to be an HTC phone, with all of the limitations of the current HTC lineup (less SD card as Google hates them). So I feel a little underwhelmed with comments indicating this was designed by Google from the ground up. Clearly it wasn't or else they suck at it.

With that said I still bought one... more out of curiosity than need. It will be interesting to see how serious they will be going forward, and whether this newly declared "control" amounts to anything more than the 'out of box experience'.