Pixel Concerns (Build Quality, RAM, etc)

[BlackMamba14]

Have read some concerns about Pixel 4 and Pixel phones in general and wanted to get your thoughts on which ones do concern you and which don't.

Build Quality: Previous pixel phones have had issues with quality control especially at launch

Battery Size: With the battery life issues with the Pixel 3 (worsening over time) does it concern you that the battery may be smaller this year?

RAM: Google has always been stingy on RAM. Has it been an issue with your Pixel 3 experience?

Bezel: Google has typically had the largest bezels of any current flagship (Samsung, Apple, OnePlus, etc)

Other: Are there any other things you are concerned about?

Thanks

 

[anon(10092459)]

Have read some concerns about Pixel 4 and Pixel phones in general and wanted to get your thoughts on which ones do concern you and which don't.

Build Quality: Previous pixel phones have had issues with quality control especially at launch

Battery Size: With the battery life issues with the Pixel 3 (worsening over time) does it concern you that the battery may be smaller this year?

RAM: Google has always been stingy on RAM. Has it been an issue with your Pixel 3 experience?

Bezel: Google has typically had the largest bezels of any current flagship (Samsung, Apple, OnePlus, etc)

Other: Are there any other things you are concerned about?

Thanks

Not sure what you're looking for, if it's concerns about the upcoming 4 or reviews of existing Pixels. I'll share my experience, I'm sure others will have their own as well.

• Build Quality: I've never had a problem with any hardware builds, and I've owned all 3 generations from launch and haven't RMA'd any of them.
  
• Battery: I'm a moderate user, no gaming and very little music streaming, so no issues for me.
  
• RAM: I use my device primarily for information and communication. I'm in Chrome, Search and GA. No RAM issues for me.
  
• Bezel: Never been a concern of mine and never will be. Function over form, I say.
  
• Other: If I had to have a concern about the Pixel 4 it would suffering from feature creep.

 

[illiniah]

I have a 3 and 3xl,

build quality - best of class, fit and finish is perfect, 3xl screen is amazing, 3 is very good

battery - 3xl is fantastic, 3 is ok

ram - no issues with 4 GB, for my uses it has been great

sw - smooth performance, quick updates, no issues with slow downs or response

great camera

esim - allows FI and T-Mobile on Danes device

the best phones I have ever owned, everything I need and nothing that I don't

 

[Lepa79]

Have read some concerns about Pixel 4 and Pixel phones in general and wanted to get your thoughts on which ones do concern you and which don't.

Build Quality: Previous pixel phones have had issues with quality control especially at launch

Battery Size: With the battery life issues with the Pixel 3 (worsening over time) does it concern you that the battery may be smaller this year?

RAM: Google has always been stingy on RAM. Has it been an issue with your Pixel 3 experience?

Bezel: Google has typically had the largest bezels of any current flagship (Samsung, Apple, OnePlus, etc)

Other: Are there any other things you are concerned about?

Thanks

My biggest 2 issues with X pixel 3 xl was RAM and ugly notch design. My YouTube use to refresh all the time after just few minutes of it open in the background. Same for Facebook app. Sooooo annoying. The constant needing to refresh is because of the stingy 4 gb RAM.

I was in love with the camera. Best camera hands down and continue to be. It's why anyone would want to own a Pixel.

 

[eric002]

my opinion, my pixel 3 XL on Android Q beta 6 is perfect. The build is perfect looks good.. not the most beautiful phone you'll ever see, but it still is a bullet. As far as ram memory goes, I've NEVER had a problem with multitasking on my phone. Granted, I'm not a huge gamer. If you're massively into gaming, then this probably is not the phone for you. only because you need high levels of ram to run serious games. If you like simple games, then it's wonderful. honestly you buy Pixel phones for the s/w updates, and the power of Google.

 

[B. Diddy]

Build Quality: No problems for me. I heard recently that some Pixel 3 owners were starting to have mic issues like the 1st gen, but that has not been a common complaint on these forums.

Battery Size: I think this is primarily an issue with the smaller phone. I've never had a significant issue with battery life on my Pixel XL, 2 XL, or 3 XL. I also have not noticed any significant degradation over time (but I also don't abuse my battery, e.g. by letting it drain to zero regularly).

RAM: The Pixel 3 has had well-publicized issues with app jankiness and sudden app closures in the background that have been suspected to be due to the RAM management in the firmware, rather than the total amount of RAM available. Jerry Hildenbrand has said many times in the podcast that he didn't think boosting the Pixel 3's RAM to 6 GB would've made much difference. Hopefully the engineers will have ironed out these bugs for the 4.

Bezel: DON'T GET ME STARTED. IMO, having no bezels is impractical, increases accidental touches, eliminates the possibility of front-facing stereo speakers, and increases the risk of screen damage. The rush towards zero bezel has been mostly mindless on the part of the industry. GIVE ME BEZELS, I WANT THEM.

Other: I really hope the Soli sensor gains traction. I can envision having the phone on a Pixel Stand and controlling things like calls, audio playback, and smart home devices with my best Dr. Strange moves. But above all, Pixel is all about the camera, so the main thing here is to make sure the camera experience only gets better (which is a pretty high bar, all things considered).

 

[Theot]

Have read some concerns about Pixel 4 and Pixel phones in general and wanted to get your thoughts on which ones do concern you and which don't.

Build Quality: Previous pixel phones have had issues with quality control especially at launch

Battery Size: With the battery life issues with the Pixel 3 (worsening over time) does it concern you that the battery may be smaller this year?

RAM: Google has always been stingy on RAM. Has it been an issue with your Pixel 3 experience?

Bezel: Google has typically had the largest bezels of any current flagship (Samsung, Apple, OnePlus, etc)

Other: Are there any other things you are concerned about?

Thanks

I had three different Pixel 2 devices. All of them had touch response issues. The last one was tolerable but still finicky at times. Even had a button fall out on one. I've had my pixel 3 for almost a month now and it's been fantastic so far. Everything has been smooth and responsive.

Battery life has never been the Pixel's strong suit, at least not in my experience. With moderate use I can get through a day and if I know I'm going to be out for awhile I top up as much as I can and turn the battery saver on and it's been fine. The only Android phone that's ever got me through a day was my OnePlus 6T but it shuts so much stuff off with the aggressive battery management that it's no wonder. I would miss notifications and stuff. I'm generally near a charger if I need it so the battery life isn't an issue for me.

Haven't noticed any RAM or memory management issues

I love a little bit of bezel at the top and bottom, gives me a place to hold onto the damn thing, it's also a great place for speakers and it pushes the keyboard up a bit so I can actually use it comfortably (which was another issue I had with the 6T, no bezel and I couldn't hold the big heavy beast and type well)

Only thing that has me hesitant on the Pixel 4 is no fingerprint sensor. I would like there to still be one on the back. That said, I did grow to enjoy face unlock on the 6T so maybe I won't care.

 

[eric002]

You know, I think that the pixel 3XL ram memory management was more of an issue on Android pie 9 versus Android 10. Something to do with the operating system. Because I've had no janky issues with memory management at all running applications and multitasking! Thea, I don't care. Every phone has some sort of an option some sort of fashion. As far as I 1 + 7 pro with the pop-up camera motorized that motor is going to break eventually. It's more of a gimmick than functional. As far as smoothness of Android 10 on Pixel 3 XL, it's perfect. Once you get used to gestures everything is buttery smooth as it should be on stock Google phones. The screen is bright nice high resolution, the cameras amazing the best in class. Yeah I can speak for the smaller pixel 3, but I'll call you for the 3XL and 3450 MAH battery is fine. Now am I normal usage I get it insanely amazing battery but on most people's use of their 3xl, they're getting around four and a half to five hours of speed on time I think. now immediately, when I first bought my phone, I accidentally dropped it on the tile in the bathroom floor and that mean the screen got a little scratch like hairline scratches but nothing severe or major. And now I have dbrand skin on the back of it and a rhino shield bumper case on the sides. As far as built quality I say it's future proof. Like I said I know beauty is in the eyes of the beholder so to speak, but to me the three looks great! Like I said, the only area that you might want to consider another Android phone is if you're serious hardcore gamer especially on your phone versus PC or console gaming. But for light games The phone is absolutely fine. I'm planning keeping my phone for quite a while or as long as until 5G becomes mainstream in the country haha!

 

[mrpackerguy]

I have no issue with build Q. Seems as durable or as fragile as any other phone I've owned. Perhaps slightly more fragile than my previous phone, Moti XPE. I have a sturdy case and a screen protector and I'm better than good.

Battery - I've turned into a battery geek with my Pixel 3XL. My battery app claims it started life out at 108% of capacity vs design capacity. I'm "down" 3 percent points in 6 months to 105% or 3617mAh at a battery with a 3400 design capacity. I'm a heaby user as phone is for personal and business use combined. I can not get through the day without topping off. But I only charge to 75% based on general concensus that not charging to full 100% prolongs battery life. I top off several times a day without inconvenience.

RAM - maybe notice some slow response on certain apps, but nothing I find annoying.

Bexel - I'm fine with the phone the way it is.

 

[B. Diddy]

You know, I think that the pixel 3XL ram memory management was more of an issue on Android pie 9 versus Android 10. Something to do with the operating system. Because I've had no janky issues with memory management at all running applications and multitasking!

Ooh, I'm glad to hear that! Will be looking forward even more to the official release of 10 then.

 

[eric002]

Ooh, I'm glad to hear that! Will be looking forward even more to the official release of 10 then.

Yeah and I say that because when I had my 3xl on Android pie 9 when the first of my phone before beta was released I never actually tested Android pine out. I really meant all that I heard a lot of bad stories and bad rumors about the pixels on pipe 9. So when you better came out I automatically updated and flashed to that. Now, with that being said, I have never experienced any applications crashing in Android 10. like I said, I'm not a huge game on my phone but regardless my RAM management has been fine. Also part of Android 10, I love the gestures for the UI!