Is the Pixel 3 the 2018 Phone of the year?

[robinhelenehebert]

I had the XS Max and had to exchange it for the cellular issues. Getting the 8 plus and of course I have the Pixel 3 XL as well which is my fav.

 

[Morty2264]

It would be nice if the Pixel 3 wins. It seems like Samsung is the top dominator all the time - it'd be nice if other phones with equal quality could win as well.

 

[TraderGary]

True, but they did drop the ball in screen brightness. I have a 3XL and a Xs, and the Pixel isn’t even close in bright sunlight.

OK. I don't have the two to compare. I don't have any trouble reading my screen in bright sunlight, so I'm OK with the brightness I have.

I did read somewhere I while back that Google reduced the brightness (I'm thinking I remember something like 10%) because of all the hysteria with the 2 XL and screen burn-in. They may very well have done the same with 3 XL brightness. The 3 XL is using a Samsung screen the same as Apple. If you're seeing a brightness difference, then what I read may very well be true.

 

[EMGSM]

I don't know about phone of the year. There is stiff competition this year and Google can't just rely on camera IMO.

 

[Morty2264]

OK. I don't have the two to compare. I don't have any trouble reading my screen in bright sunlight, so I'm OK with the brightness I have.

I did read somewhere I while back that Google reduced the brightness (I'm thinking I remember something like 10%) because of all the hysteria with the 2 XL and screen burn-in. They may very well have done the same with 3 XL brightness. The 3 XL is using a Samsung screen the same as Apple. If you're seeing a brightness difference, then what I read may very well be true.

That would make sense if they reduced brightness. This is just my opinion and pure preference, but I'd rather have a phone that was still bright enough to meet my needs but not as bright as other phones out there; instead of a phone that was super bright and was therefore at a higher risk of getting burn-in.

 

[Mike Dee]

I don't know about phone of the year. There is stiff competition this year and Google can't just rely on camera IMO.

It's hard to really call any device phone of the year.

 

[EMGSM]

It's hard to really call any device phone of the year.

Exactly. Nothing is really standing out right now.

 

[robinhelenehebert]

I for one love this phone.
I think we get spoiled and expect a phone to do everything but sing and dance.
For me...it makes great sounding calls, has an amazing camera...is fast...has good software...I'm good.

 

[freddyttt]

Without question the Note is an incredible device. It's just in a unique user space. Like, IMO, if you don't utilize the S Pen at least 2 times a week, that feature (and the cost associated with it) is wasted. Most people won't use that function to it's maximum potential.

what cost associated with it ?? the note is the same price as the pix xl wich has no s-pen .

 

[MrDoh]

Pixel 3 is my favorite Android phone at the moment *smile*. How's that for a qualified endorsement?

 

[niqknacks]

Would love to win a phone like this!

 

[anon(10092459)]

what cost associated with it ?? the note is the same price as the pix xl wich has no s-pen .

I was referring to the cost of a Note 9 vs a 9/9+. There's no need to buy an N9 when a S9/9+ would more than likely be the better fit.

 

[Vega502]

I'd call the Pixel 3 a strong contender because of it's size and features.

 

[Milt K]

Samsung S9+

Best screen (6.2"), no notch, 256GB storage, 6GB RAM, SD card, great camera, headphone jack, 3500mah battery, IP68, etc. for $759.99 now ($200 off) Plus the Pie Beta shows with a new one-hand friendly UI, system-wide night mode (for battery), and adoptable storage option (finally). If you don't need the S-pen, this is the best bang for dollar you can get right now.

 

[Kevin_G_Sanchez]

Phone of the Year for sure!!

 

[Mike Dee]

Samsung S9+

Best screen (6.2"), no notch, 256GB storage, 6GB RAM, SD card, great camera, headphone jack, 3500mah battery, IP68, etc. for $759.99 now ($200 off) Plus the Pie Beta shows with a new one-hand friendly UI, system-wide night mode (for battery), and adoptable storage option (finally). If you don't need the S-pen, this is the best bang for dollar you can get right now.

It's true if most of those features matter to an individual.

 

[Itsa_Me_Mario]

Best screen

5th or 6th best screen, still amazingly excellent, but not the best.

great camera,

Camera is great, but is probably not in the top 5.

headphone jack

100% of phones can use wired or wireless headphones, this isn't a thing

Let's also add: in poor software (bloatware, KitKat iconography, sketchy adoption of standard features, etc), slow updates, good but not great security, poor privacy, poor battery life compared to similarly sized peers, very bad charging solution, lots of RAM but still stutters, "edge" nonsense, etc, etc.

I would struggle ranking the S9+ in the top 5 devices of 2018 for anything other than hardware specs. The actual execution on user experience related to specs brings it down pretty far. My ranking in this thread includes the 2018 Samsung phones as a group in the top 5, only because the Pixels and iPhones are also listed as groups, rather than individual devices. A realistic top 5 list, from a individual device standpoint, is going to contain at least two 2018 iPhones and two 2018 Pixels, with the 5th slot probably going either to another iPhone or to the Note 9.

 

[Milt K]

5th or 6th best screen, still amazingly excellent, but not the best.



Camera is great, but is probably not in the top 5.



100% of phones can use wired or wireless headphones, this isn't a thing

Let's also add: in poor software (bloatware, KitKat iconography, sketchy adoption of standard features, etc), slow updates, good but not great security, poor privacy, poor battery life compared to similarly sized peers, very bad charging solution, lots of RAM but still stutters, "edge" nonsense, etc, etc.

I would struggle ranking the S9+ in the top 5 devices of 2018 for anything other than hardware specs. The actual execution on user experience related to specs brings it down pretty far. My ranking in this thread includes the 2018 Samsung phones as a group in the top 5, only because the Pixels and iPhones are also listed as groups, rather than individual devices. A realistic top 5 list, from a individual device standpoint, is going to contain at least two 2018 iPhones and two 2018 Pixels, with the 5th slot probably going either to another iPhone or to the Note 9.

I disagree respectfully about the screen. It's been proven to be the same screen (just a little smaller with a higher PPI and similar brightness) than the Note 9, which is generally regarded as the best smartphone screen out there. The headphone jack is important to lots of users as most people do not want to be tied to a charged headphone and the quality of USB-C or bluetooth is still not up to par to wired headphones. Can't argue with your comments about software experience as that is a completely subjective opinion. A lot of people find the pure Android experience boring and limited and may appreciate the richer feature set of the Samsung. Plus for certain use cases, having an sd card slot is invaluable. For the price, it may be the most versatile handset out in the market IMO.

 

[Itsa_Me_Mario]

I disagree respectfully about the screen. It's been proven to be the same screen (just a little smaller and thus but with a higher PPI) that the Note 9, which is generally regarded as the best smartphone screen out there. The headphone jack is important to lots of users as most people do not want to be tied to a charged headphone and the quality of USB-C or bluetooth is still not up to par to wired headphones. Can't argue with your comments about software experience as that is a completely subjective opinion. A lot of people find the pure Android experience boring and limited and may appreciate the richer feature set of the Samsung. Plus for certain use cases, having an sd card slot is invaluable. For the price, it may be the most versatile handset out in the market IMO.

As far as the display goes, the S9/S9+ falls behind the Note 9 according to DisplayMate The Note 9 is below the iPhone X, which is below the Pixel 3 XL, which is below the iPhone XS flagships. That puts it 5th if I'm counting correctly. But it also should be stated that no one can tell the difference between these devices, as they're all so close to perfect (and to each other) that our eyes cannot discern. That's to the best of my knowledge, but if you are correct that it's the same as the Note 9, that'd rank it 4th rather than 5th.

 

[Mike Dee]

I disagree respectfully about the screen. It's been proven to be the same screen (just a little smaller with a higher PPI and similar brightness) than the Note 9, which is generally regarded as the best smartphone screen out there. The headphone jack is important to lots of users as most people do not want to be tied to a charged headphone and the quality of USB-C or bluetooth is still not up to par to wired headphones. Can't argue with your comments about software experience as that is a completely subjective opinion. A lot of people find the pure Android experience boring and limited and may appreciate the richer feature set of the Samsung. Plus for certain use cases, having an sd card slot is invaluable. For the price, it may be the most versatile handset out in the market IMO.

USB C audio through a dongle that has a DAC is usually better than the internal DACs except LG phones with the Quad DAC. I've actually tested this across many phones.