Pixel 2XL vs 5 vs 7 upgrade?

[Crispy]

I'm still using a Pixel 2XL which I bought a few years ago. I guess I'm not that heavy a user and I don't game because its still holding up.

I saw the recent deals for P7, and used P5's on ebay that you can use for trade in towards a new P7 for a $320 discount, which makes it a good deal. So I have a few questions -

- how big of an upgrade will it be in daily use. Obviously the 4 and 7 are an upgrade but I saw a review that shows the 2XL still holds it own in app speeds
- how big of an upgrade is P5->P7 ? I don't mind the bigger screen. biggest thing seems to be rear fp sensor which everyone loves is gone
- modems; P6/7 use Exynos, previous ones used Qualcomm. does it affect signal quality/speeds?
- camera: 2 and 5 use the same sensor, 6/7 new one, how big is the upgrade?

I have following options -

1. just keep my 2XL and wait for 8. also could look into custom roms but I stopped doing that when I switched to Pixels
2. just buy the 5. would still be a nice upgrade over 2, and with wireless charging, Android 14
3. get the 7, new phone, new Assistant voice typing, updates till 2025, but lose unlimited photo backup

What would you recommend?

 

[Maljunulo]

Big upgrades in privacy and security, but I have no idea if you are concerned with either.

 

[B. Diddy]

Anything will be a significant upgrade from the 2 XL. I have a 7 Pro, which is excellent. The camera is superb, with a great telephoto and ultrawide angle lens, as well as macro mode (all of which are not available on the Pixel 7). The Tensor G2 is smooth and powerful -- I'm not a heavy gamer, but have found that performance on Asphalt 9 (which is still a pretty demanding game) is very smooth. Modem has been a point of contention, but that was more for the Pixel 6 line. It's supposed to be better with the 7 (I've had both the 6 Pro and 7 Pro, and didn't have any problem with either).

The loss of unlimited Google Photos is a bummer, but the higher quality photos you can take with the 7 Pro is worth it for me.

It sounds like getting a 5 for now, and then trading it in if you find the 5 somewhat lacking, might be a reasonable approach. If you want to minimize transactions, just get the 7 Pro. I always hesitate to advise people to "just wait for the next generation", because you can say that pretty much any time, and when does that end?

 

[Crispy]

Big upgrades in privacy and security, but I have no idea if you are concerned with either.

I am but only to the point where it makes a real difference. e.g. my 2XL doesn't get any security updates either. But I do try to be security conscious, use a dns etc.

 

[Crispy]

Anything will be a significant upgrade from the 2 XL. I have a 7 Pro, which is excellent. The camera is superb, with a great telephoto and ultrawide angle lens, as well as macro mode (all of which are not available on the Pixel 7). The Tensor G2 is smooth and powerful -- I'm not a heavy gamer, but have found that performance on Asphalt 9 (which is still a pretty demanding game) is very smooth. Modem has been a point of contention, but that was more for the Pixel 6 line. It's supposed to be better with the 7 (I've had both the 6 Pro and 7 Pro, and didn't have any problem with either).

The loss of unlimited Google Photos is a bummer, but the higher quality photos you can take with the 7 Pro is worth it for me.

It sounds like getting a 5 for now, and then trading it in if you find the 5 somewhat lacking, might be a reasonable approach. If you want to minimize transactions, just get the 7 Pro. I always hesitate to advise people to "just wait for the next generation", because you can say that pretty much any time, and when does that end?

good advice. As you can probably tell I dont upgrade phones too often and also am on a budget. So I don't want to buy a 5, then feel like I'm missing out on something newer, which is why I asked how big is upgrade from 5->7. I'm pretty sure I won't find the 5 lacking and also can't just keep it for a few months since the trade in deal might go away anytime.

Unfortunately the 7 Pro is out of budget at this time, its $300 more.

w.r.t the photos, I could just keep uploading from my 2XL after copying to it and disabling the photo upload on 7. more steps and manual work but I doubt selling the 2XL is worth it.

 

[Morty2264]

I can understand you hanging onto your Pixel 2 XL. That phone was a beast. As far as upgrades go, I think you'd be satisfied with the jump from the 2 XL to the 7. It'll do what your 2 XL does -- just in a better, more efficient way.

I actually just made the jump from a Pixel 5 to a Pixel 7 and I'm really enjoying it! It's kind of the same thing: the phone keeps being great, but the experience is better and more fluid. I think it just keeps getting better over time.

Good luck, and let us know what you decide!

 

[livetovacation60]

If the phone is doing everything you need it to do and your satisfied with that, then no need upgrading at this point in time. On the other hand to grab a Pixel 7 for 449.00 right now is a pretty sweet deal........alot of phone for 449.00!!

 

[Crispy]

I decided to go for the upgrade, will post separate threads with questions/impressions.

 

[Kizzy Catwoman]

Just to say that the Pixel 5 doesn't do unlimited photos either. Glad you went for the upgrade as I think the 7 series is really good.

 

[Crispy]

Just to say that the Pixel 5 doesn't do unlimited photos either. Glad you went for the upgrade as I think the 7 series is really good.

But the P5 does do unlimited backup in storage saver.

Updated storage policy for Google Photos - Google Photos Help

As of June 1, 2021, any new photos or videos you back up in High quality (now named Storage saver) or Express quality will count toward your 15 GB of Google Account storage or any additional storage y

support.google.com

"If you have a Pixel 5 or earlier, you receive unlimited storage for photos and videos backed up from your device at no charge"

 

[Morty2264]

I decided to go for the upgrade, will post separate threads with questions/impressions.

Yay! Happy Phone Day/Weekend to you! Looking forward to your impressions thread!

 

[Crispy]

Yay! Happy Phone Day/Weekend to you! Looking forward to your impressions thread!

Thank you. I like the P7 but I am concerned its battery life isn't as good, I posted a thread about it -

Why does the Pixel 7 battery life seem worse?

for reference, I am upgrading from a 2XL and as part of this I also have a Pixel 5 to test https://forums.androidcentral.com/threads/pixel-2xl-vs-5-vs-7-upgrade.1056769/ So I'm comparing a new P7 with a refurb P5 which will be going to Google as trade in. Both have latest Android 13, newly...

forums.androidcentral.com