Pixel 8

[fuzzylumpkin]

I canceled my iPhone 15 pro order and went with pixel since they're going to have the seven years of support.

Do bear in mind that Google saying they will support the phone for 7 years does not necessarily mean Google will actually support the phone for 7 years. It's great if they actually do it, but it's not what I'd base the decision to buy the phone on.

 

[rikken]

Obsidian, 256 version.

 

[mustang7757]

Do bear in mind that Google saying they will support the phone for 7 years does not necessarily mean Google will actually support the phone for 7 years. It's great if they actually do it, but it's not what I'd base the decision to buy the phone on.

Even if they do 5 years not bad

 

[rvbfan]

Keep your phones for that long?

I'll be retiring in a few years. So it's a distinct possibility for me.

 

[diesel97]

Keep your phones for that long?

yes

 

[athomas917]

Do bear in mind that Google saying they will support the phone for 7 years does not necessarily mean Google will actually support the phone for 7 years. It's great if they actually do it, but it's not what I'd base the decision to buy the phone on.

Yeah, as long as it's not that 2-3 year mess.

 

[Kizzy Catwoman]

Got a blue 256gb through my carrier, EE uk. With 125gb data pm will cost me £1176 over 2 years. Keeping my 7 Pro as my backup...

That is an excellent deal!

 

[J Dubbs]

Do bear in mind that Google saying they will support the phone for 7 years does not necessarily mean Google will actually support the phone for 7 years. It's great if they actually do it, but it's not what I'd base the decision to buy the phone on.

I highly doubt the original battery will last 7 dependable years If they actually abide by the EU law requiring user replaceable batteries by 2027, then going forward from there I could see a more substantial number of folks keeping a phone that long.

But a sealed Pixel? By 4 years in or so when the battery dies, I don't see too many people replacing the battery in their scratched, cracked, glitchy, boring to them phone when they can pick up a shiny new one

In fact even with user replaceable batteries, that same scenario might apply. And Google may actually be counting on it lol. Like you said, promising something and doing it are 2 different things Many other phone makers have broken those types of promises

Although folks keep iPhones around that long ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

 

[fuzzylumpkin]

I highly doubt the original battery will last 7 dependable years If they actually abide by the EU law requiring user replaceable batteries by 2027, then going forward from there I could see a more substantial number of folks keeping a phone that long.

But a sealed Pixel? By 4 years in or so when the battery dies, I don't see too many people replacing the battery in their scratched, cracked, glitchy, boring to them phone when they can pick up a shiny new one

In fact even with user replaceable batteries, that same scenario might apply. And Google may actually be counting on it lol. Like you said, promising something and doing it are 2 different things Many other phone makers have broken those types of promises

Although folks keep iPhones around that long ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

Don't underestimate how many people actually want their phone to be boring. Most people I know keep their phone as long as they possibly can, even some of my more tech savvy friends will only upgrade when their phone loses security support.

Also don't underestimate how many of us can actually look after a phone lol. Not everyone has scratches and cracks all over the thing after 3 months I've still got a OnePlus 5 that still gets used and looks like it was just taken out of the box.

 

[wyelkins]

Don't underestimate how many people actually want their phone to be boring. Most people I know keep their phone as long as they possibly can, even some of my more tech savvy friends will only upgrade when their phone loses security support.

Also don't underestimate how many of us can actually look after a phone lol. Not everyone has scratches and cracks all over the thing after 3 months

I kept my first smartphone 4 years. It was am inexpensive piece of crap. Samsung Galaxy Prevail. Primitive and underpowered. But xda devs rooted and rommed it into a thing of beauty. I kept it that long because I was broke. Then I got a S3. Great phone. I kept it 3 years. Then I got a Nexus and never kept a phone longer than a year. I did skip the Pixel 3 because I was Sick that Year. I hope to keep the 8 pro longer than that but definitely not until 2030. It's nice to think that it might be an option.

 

[hannsoft]

My first Pixel phone was the OG Pixel XL. I kept it going until I got my Pixel 4 XL, and I upgraded then mainly because it was the end of the OG's Android update life. I extended that phone's life by bringing it to UBreakIFix and having them replace the battery for me. The result was like a new phone. It was not outrageously expensive, and was hundreds of dollars less than the cost of a new phone. If the 8 turns out to be as good of a phone as that first one, I'll gladly pay to have it's battery professionally replaced and go the distance with that one too.

 

[Jeremy8000]

I kept my first smartphone 4 years. It was am inexpensive piece of crap. Samsung Galaxy Prevail. Primitive and underpowered. But xda devs rooted and rommed it into a thing of beauty. I kept it that long because I was broke. Then I got a S3. Great phone. I kept it 3 years. Then I got a Nexus and never kept a phone longer than a year. I did skip the Pixel 3 because I was Sick that Year. I hope to keep the 8 pro longer than that but definitely not until 2030. It's nice to think that it might be an option.

I know myself to the point that I admit that going even three years between upgrades is a herculean effort I've only achieved once. 7 years of updates might seem nice, but irrelevant for the buying habits of so many people.

Having given it some thought, I think the direction I'll likely go will be to keep my P8 Pro next time I do upgrade (hopefully not till the P10 Pro this time), as it will make an amazing backup phone, being secure and functionally relevant for that purpose for a very long time.

 

[Joshua Luther1]

With phone manufacturers offering trade in deals every time a new device is released, it makes it difficult to hang on to an older phone. The majority of people I see who keep their phones for much longer are people with iPhones. Occasionally I see android users but they mostly have mid range Samsung phones or ones that are several years old. I would say 75% of the people I'm around use iPhones. I'm not really sure that Google offering 7 years of updates is going to appeal to these people.

There's always been this belief that android phones work great for the first year, but they slow down and lag after about a year of usage. Even if it's a false statement, which I believe it is, the people who believe this aren't going to buy them if they don't believe the hardware will last long enough to receive those updates.

The only reason to keep a phone that long is if the hardware can keep up with the software that it runs. And every year, Android hardware has continued to lose features like an SD card slot or a headphone jack that, in the past, have been compelling reasons to hang on to a piece of tech.

 

[Snareman]

With phone manufacturers offering trade in deals every time a new device is released, it makes it difficult to hang on to an older phone. The majority of people I see who keep their phones for much longer are people with iPhones. Occasionally I see android users but they mostly have mid range Samsung phones or ones that are several years old. I would say 75% of the people I'm around use iPhones. I'm not really sure that Google offering 7 years of updates is going to appeal to these people.

There's always been this belief that android phones work great for the first year, but they slow down and lag after about a year of usage. Even if it's a false statement, which I believe it is, the people who believe this aren't going to buy them if they don't believe the hardware will last long enough to receive those updates.

The only reason to keep a phone that long is if the hardware can keep up with the software that it runs. And every year, Android hardware has continued to lose features like an SD card slot or a headphone jack that, in the past, have been compelling reasons to hang on to a piece of tech.

They talk me into an upgrade every year. I think they gave me $350 for my 7 Pro and I got the free Pixel watch that I can sell for another few hundred. Admittedly if you had swapped my Pixel 6 for 7 without telling me I'm not sure I'd have had a clue, but they still talk me into the new ones. At least this one has the flat screen as a bit of a change. The batteries always seem to last roughly the same with my daily use, they are mostly the same size, same weight, same screen size. There isn't really much in the way in big innovative new features that either Android or Apple is coming out with on phones these days. My friend just went from iPhone 13 to 15 and she said she couldn't really tell much of a difference there either.

 

[wyelkins]

They talk me into an upgrade every year. I think they gave me $350 for my 7 Pro and I got the free Pixel watch that I can sell for another few hundred. Admittedly if you had swapped my Pixel 6 for 7 without telling me I'm not sure I'd have had a clue, but they still talk me into the new ones. At least this one has the flat screen as a bit of a change. The batteries always seem to last roughly the same with my daily use, they are mostly the same size, same weight, same screen size. There isn't really much in the way in big innovative new features that either Android or Apple is coming out with on phones these days. My friend just went from iPhone 13 to 15 and she said she couldn't really tell much of a difference there either.

We have really reached "peak smartphone". Very little changes year to year. I am still a sucker for new tech. I am hoping the 8 Pro will last me a few years.

 

[Joshua Luther1]

They talk me into an upgrade every year. I think they gave me $350 for my 7 Pro and I got the free Pixel watch that I can sell for another few hundred. Admittedly if you had swapped my Pixel 6 for 7 without telling me I'm not sure I'd have had a clue, but they still talk me into the new ones. At least this one has the flat screen as a bit of a change. The batteries always seem to last roughly the same with my daily use, they are mostly the same size, same weight, same screen size. There isn't really much in the way in big innovative new features that either Android or Apple is coming out with on phones these days. My friend just went from iPhone 13 to 15 and she said she couldn't really tell much of a difference there either.

Admittedly I still fall for the trap that I need a new phone every year. I'm hoping that my S23 ultra will be different and I'll keep it for 2-3 years. They talk about cutting down on E-waste but let's not kid ourselves here. Without selling phones each year, they don't make money. If I keep my phone for 2-3 years, that does little to nothing to benefit the company. They want us to buy a new phone each year. Or they increase the price of phones each year. Which is what we're seeing right now.

Apple always discontinues their previous Pro Max phone when they release a new one. That's for a good reason. They want people to buy the new one. Google has been following this trend as well recently. I would say Samsung at least still sells the previous Ultra phones on their website, although I question how many of those phones they actually sell because they don't offer the same trade in deals on the year old phones.

 

[YankInDaSouth]

I tell myself every year that this is the phone I'm keeping for 2-3+ years and without fail next release I'm right in there with the pre orders LOL.
Although this time I am already having thoughts of returning the P8 so maybe I turned a new leaf??! I was going to cancel the order but the option was gone when I went to go do it. Don't get me wrong, the P8P looks like a really good upgrade, but I'm very much enjoying my S23U and 7 Pro combo ... And honestly I am enjoying the S23U experience more than the 7 Pro experience as of late.

I may end up returning it and holding on to my 7P and look to the Pixel 9/10 series to upgrade my 7P. I shall try anyway ... and I stress try! No telling what happens once I get that shiny new device in hand LOL

 

[livetovacation60]

I have a 7 I'm pretty happy with, but I can actually trade-in my phone to Best Buy for more then what I paid for it. They're offering free pixel buds and a 450.00 trade in for an 8 and it makes it very difficult not to go for it. I've never traded in before and Best Buy is saying 7-10 days after receiving the phone you'll get the credit. Any horror stories about trading in with BB?

 

[Bkdodger1]

I went through BestBuy as well …I couldn’t pass up the trade in bonus they offered on the iPhone…I just recently upgraded to the iPhone 15 PM so it’s perfect timing..I keep my iPhones longer and will now roll with the new one at least 3 years ..

 

[swebb]

No horror stories that I've heard, but I never did a mail-in trade in with them. In store trade in is seamless, as one would expect, but the downside to that is you've given up your old device and are sol if you hate the new device.