I want a phone that just works, and I'm hoping the Pixel is it..

[shady195]

Just a bit of a thought thread.

I've used every major player thats come into the smartphone game since 2007 with the iPhone launch. I've used Windows based devices before the iPhone, but the iPhone was my first real taste of a smartphone. In between there I've had blackberrys, a brief stint with Palm, Most of the major Android phones as well as the nexus line of devices. While I've always switched back and froth, ive always primarily used an Android device, and while I love android and some of the phones that have sprouted up, I always felt the need to tinker with my phones. Custom Roms, kernels, battery saving apps etc. Doing everything I could to get the smoothest, quickest and most power efficient experience.

Android devices have always seem to have been a mixed bag, there always seems to be a compromise between one feature or another. Very rarely did we ever get good battery life shipped from the factory, a camera app we liked, a theme we like etc..

Every single Android phone i've owned besides the S5 and S6 I have rooted and installed a custom Rom. I did originally on my Galaxy phones because I hate touchwhiz, but I learned to live with Touchwhiz because I was sick of always needing to have a work around for an update or an app that did not like the phone being rooted.

I love my Nexus 6P, but the battery life on it is horrendous if you use apps that are considered battery hogging. I'm a social butterfly, let me have my facebook and messenger. The ONLY way I got all day battery from a single charge was by installing a custom kernel and tweaking it. Granted, some of the issues were due to the SoC and not necessarily poor design of the device or software.

Look at an iPhone. They may not have the most stellar battery life compared to a select few android that are really great, but how many people actually complain about it? I don't think I know anyone who says "Man I hate the battery life on my iPhone"

I'm hoping the Pixel is a phone that just works. I'm not asking for the industry leader in battery life, I'm not asking for a camera that can compete with a Nikon DSLR, im not even asking for a panasonic tough book class device..

I simply want a phone that gets a solid 5-6 hours of screen on time, a camera that at least in good light can open and snap a few off quickly, and something that feels comfortable to hold for those long periods of time.

Love or hate the iPhone, it fits most of the bill of what people want. Battery life thats pretty much repeatable on any other iPhone you come across, a camera that takes great shots, and it feels great in the hands. Its a well rounded phone..

I'm really hoping the Pixel is this, and I hope it continues to be this through my existence.

 

[Richard Servello]

6p has been it for me. After I got tired of iPhone I got a Lumia wp, which was great, bit had major shortcomings. Then I got the s6 edge...which was good, but was dead by lunch, and I hated TouchWiz. 6p has been pretty flawless. Battery life could be better...but for regular day to day I never have to charge it...only when I game. Hoping pixel is 6p but better. (821 is supposed to be very energy optimized.)

 

[shady195]

6p has been it for me. After I got tired of iPhone I got a Lumia wp, which was great, bit had major shortcomings. Then I got the s6 edge...which was good, but was dead by lunch, and I hated TouchWiz. 6p has been pretty flawless. Battery life could be better...but for regular day to day I never have to charge it...only when I game. Hoping pixel is 6p but better. (821 is supposed to be very energy optimized.)

6P has been great to me, I do love the phone but..

It's not nearly as fast as say an S6 or S7, and while that seems silly, after you use a device thats faster, it irritates you pretty quickly when you know what you COULD have. The camera while great is slow, IMO the good shots are only in HDR, and it takes a long time compared to other phones in its class to snap and process a photo. Auto focusing can be a bit slow, and close up shots are almost impossible to take

It gets warm with heavy use, and the SoC throws a fit and shuts down the bigger cores. It can be pretty annoying when you're in your car, say "Ok Google, navigate to XX ADDress" and as its pulling up the GPS it decided to completely lock up for a few minutes because it got hot and shut down its cores and now everything needs to fight for CPU time.

Just a small real world example that happens to me more than I care to admit, because I do love the Nexus 6P. I would not have stuck with Project FI if I didn't

 

[Cant Miss]

It can be pretty annoying when you're in your car, say "Ok Google, navigate to XX ADDress" and as its pulling up the GPS it decided to completely lock up for a few minutes because it got hot and shut down its cores

You might want to look a little more closely at this. I have none of these issues with the 6P, even with Tasker running multiple profiles, and Pocket Casts or Play Music playing. So the question is... what is hitting your 6P's cpu so hard?

 

[shady195]

You might want to look a little more closely at this. I have none of these issues with the 6P, even with Tasker running multiple profiles, and Pocket Casts or Play Music playing. So the question is... what is hitting your 6P's cpu so hard?

Its an issue of heat. I've had 3 6P's now, all of them exhibit the same issues. If you google around you will find quite a few people that have issues with the 6P getting to warm and shutting cores down.

I could use a custom kernel and never have the issue, but my point is.. I don't want to h ave to do that. I'm hoping the Pixel is a more refined Nexus 6P if you will, better QC, quicker to remedy issues etc.

 

[Cant Miss]

Its an issue of heat

Are you referring to ambient temperature? Or heat generated by the phone? Honestly, the only time my 6P is even warm to the touch is in the middle of a charging cycle (when it is most rapid) or playing video (I am not a gamer though). It has never become warm enough that I notice any performance degradation.

 

[shady195]

Are you referring to ambient temperature? Or heat generated by the phone? Honestly, the only time my 6P is even warm to the touch is in the middle of a charging cycle (when it is most rapid) or playing video (I am not a gamer though). It has never become warm enough that I notice any performance degradation.

Its a known problem with the 810 in this phone. They are very hit or miss when it comes to heat problems. Mine gets warm from general use. Supposedly later batches had a revision that fixed the issue, but having gotten two others, the exhibit the same issues. The CPU gets warm and shuts down cores.

 

[Cant Miss]

Its a known problem with the 810

Sorry i don't have an answer for you, but IIRC all 6P's shipped with the rev2 810. I simply have not experienced these issues (mid Oct build), nor have my brother or my niece (much later builds).

 

[shady195]

Sorry i don't have an answer for you, but IIRC all 6P's shipped with the rev2 810. I simply have not experienced these issues (mid Oct build), nor have my brother or my niece (much later builds).

I don't have one either. Between flashing, reflashing, custom roms, custom kernels etc.. it's always been a problem unless I used a custom kernel. Maybe its a combination of apps running who knows, but I should not have to limit myself. Many people suggested "remove so and so apps from your phone"

Why? I should not have to. That is one of the great things about iOS apps, they have a much stricter set of guidelines and approval processes. Plus, it helps when you only have one major phone and set of hardware (for the most part) to worry about.

 

[Richard Servello]

You might want to look a little more closely at this. I have none of these issues with the 6P, even with Tasker running multiple profiles, and Pocket Casts or Play Music playing. So the question is... what is hitting your 6P's cpu so hard?

Agreed. This has never happened to me.

 

[Daniel0418]

I get a new iPhone every year as well as a new Nexus (now Pixel) every year. The iPhone battery life has been pretty horrendous as well. The only exception for me has been the iPhone SE which seriously blows me away with how long it lasts. The 6S/6 Plus, 5S, and 7 are as equally bad as the 6P was for me. So "it just works" is really irrelevant in your case. Outside of the iPhone SE, I've not met anyone who thinks the iPhone battery life is stellar.

 

[Bankz111]

I get a new iPhone every year as well as a new Nexus (now Pixel) every year. The iPhone battery life has been pretty horrendous as well. The only exception for me has been the iPhone SE which seriously blows me away with how long it lasts. The 6S/6 Plus, 5S, and 7 are as equally bad as the 6P was for me. So "it just works" is really irrelevant in your case. Outside of the iPhone SE, I've not met anyone who thinks the iPhone battery life is stellar.

The iphone 6/6s/7 plus versions battery lives are monsters tbh, I don't know how you can say otherwise. Makes me question if you've actually ever owned any of them and why you keep going back to them when they've had such "supposed" massive flaws..

 

[jimbo1mcm]

I think we might be all pleasantly surprised with the battery life. Initial reports from a user in Australia said it was fantastic. The Google Assistant might be the surprise.

 

[Cant Miss]

Why? I should not have to.

Well... it is a computer after all. And while Apple does a much better job at vetting apps, and iOS more likely to cut the legs out from under those that misbehave, there can still be apps that suck the cpu dry. Hell, the MAS app pins my MacBook Pro's cpu just checking for updates (wtf?).

So while we shouldn't need to check for poorly written apps that wastes memory and cpu cycles by the truckload, sometimes we have to. (c;

 

[sstephen17]

Look at an iPhone. They may not have the most stellar battery life compared to a select few android that are really great, but how many people actually complain about it? I don't think I know anyone who says "Man I hate the battery life on my iPhone"

Hmmm, 90% of my acquaintances use iPhones and quite a few of them complain about the battery life. It is rare to see any of them get through a normal day without having to plugin or use a battery pack. In fact, it's probably the only thing they don't like about their iPhone.

 

[akin_t]

Any Android phone "just works".

 

[person13628]

Without water resistance, you'll always have that anxiety compared to other phones

 

[Bearcats98]

I dont worry about water resistance. My first smart phone took a swim in its third day or so of ownership. Granted, a clean bowl. Maybe I got mine out of the way early (it was seven or so years ago). Water isnt my worry at all. I dont put my phone in my trunks and Im not a sloppy drunk *wink*. Water resistance isnt a worry for me and not a "have to have" check box.

Droppage is a different story. Mine still live in cases. I, in an instance of supreme coordination, managed to flip my phone out of my hands across a distance of maybe seven feet from about five feet up...landed exactly face down on my wood floor upstairs. Figured...cracked screen...guess Ill get to test out HTC oops. No crack. Maybe I am running out of luck?

I am looking for the Pixel to replace my wifes iPhone 5. Almost four years later and three batteries I am done replacing them. She hates the camera (which was a surprise to me as its why I got it for her). She wants a nicer camera; quicker. Better battery life (the need to see real world results). She likes my HTC 10 but I think the Pixel is just going to be a bit better.

Whats going to be tough to eat is if it runs circles around my 10. I like the design language of the 10...but in my boat functionality trumps design.

 

[Octo Man]

What phones out there get 5-6 hours of screen on time and have a competitive SoC?

 

[Kadeemhunt]

Me too at this point I'm seriously considering jumping ship.