Pixel Imperfect: Inside 4 generations of flawed Google phones

[LeoRex]

It seems like the biggest ongoing gripes are the bang for buck or it doesn't provide flagship features for a flagship price. Both of which are subjectively false.

And people who've given both arguments typically ignore the most important (and costly) component in these phones; software. Any rando can call up Qualcomm, Sony and Samsung and slap some bits into a slab and call it a phone. It's what runs on those bits that's makes a phone special now. How functional is it? How does it improve your life, day to day?

Google's big software projects lately all have a purpose; to help you. Things like Google Assistant, Android Auto, Digital Wellbeing... I remember some years back when I got the first notification that there was a big accident on my commute that would add an hour to my commute and suggested an alternate route. I didn't set that up, or program in a reminder... It just knew that I was about to leave, where I was going and that I would be screwed if I took my usual route.

Keep your 'flagship' features and give me a phone that just gave me back an hour of my life.

And it goes beyond that. Google's phones have always been leading the way when it comes to look and feel, real world performance. Beastly phones from OEMs like Samsung were fast, but they ran like a race car that was having tuning issues... Janky, stuttery transitions and interactions that just felt rough, Garish UI designs that just felt bloated and poorly designed. The Pixel and Nexus line always felt fluid, as if what was on screen was something tangible moving about. They don't feel like you are issuing functional calls, they feel like you are actually interacting. They feel cohesive in a way that no other Android OEM even remotely comes close.

And cameras... Google is almost solely responsible for the massive leap in quality over the past few years. Everyone else was fussing with tired, established 'exposure+noise reduction+sharpening' processing techniques that had long since reached a technological dead end. They took an entirely new approach and caused a revolutionary shift in image quality.... Yes, many have caught up, but it also took a good 4 or 5 years for that to happen.

So I just can't see how you would look back over these phones and think they've been disappointing... They've drawn everyone else along and influenced them to innovate and improve in a way that matters well beyond geekbench scores.

 

[Mike Dee]

And people who've given both arguments typically ignore the most important (and costly) component in these phones; software. Any rando can call up Qualcomm, Sony and Samsung and slap some bits into a slab and call it a phone. It's what runs on those bits that's makes a phone special now. How functional is it? How does it improve your life, day to day?

Google's big software projects lately all have a purpose; to help you. Things like Google Assistant, Android Auto, Digital Wellbeing... I remember some years back when I got the first notification that there was a big accident on my commute that would add an hour to my commute and suggested an alternate route. I didn't set that up, or program in a reminder... It just knew that I was about to leave, where I was going and that I would be screwed if I took my usual route.

Keep your 'flagship' features and give me a phone that just gave me back an hour of my life.

And it goes beyond that. Google's phones have always been leading the way when it comes to look and feel, real world performance. Beastly phones from OEMs like Samsung were fast, but they ran like a race car that was having tuning issues... Janky, stuttery transitions and interactions that just felt rough, Garish UI designs that just felt bloated and poorly designed. The Pixel and Nexus line always felt fluid, as if what was on screen was something tangible moving about. They don't feel like you are issuing functional calls, they feel like you are actually interacting. They feel cohesive in a way that no other Android OEM even remotely comes close.

And cameras... Google is almost solely responsible for the massive leap in quality over the past few years. Everyone else was fussing with tired, established 'exposure+noise reduction+sharpening' processing techniques that had long since reached a technological dead end. They took an entirely new approach and caused a revolutionary shift in image quality.... Yes, many have caught up, but it also took a good 4 or 5 years for that to happen.

So I just can't see how you would look back over these phones and think they've been disappointing... They've drawn everyone else along and influenced them to innovate and improve in a way that matters well beyond geekbench scores.

Well said

 

[Morty2264]

It seems like the biggest ongoing gripes are the bang for buck or it doesn't provide flagship features for a flagship price. Both of which are subjectively false. Seems that some also feel it no longer arguably has the best camera or that other OEMs are close. In certain situations it may be true, but isn't it a good thing that everyone compares cameras against the Pixels? Isn't it also a good thing that Google created a competitive atmosphere so that everyone strives to beat it?
I don't have a Pixel at the moment because I don't need anymore devices, but if I was in the market it would certainly be on my radar.

I agree with you.

If manufacturers are consistently comparing their cameras to Pixel cameras, that immediately tells you something.

 

[anon(661246)]

And people who've given both arguments typically ignore the most important (and costly) component in these phones; software. Any rando can call up Qualcomm, Sony and Samsung and slap some bits into a slab and call it a phone. It's what runs on those bits that's makes a phone special now. How functional is it? How does it improve your life, day to day?

Google's big software projects lately all have a purpose; to help you. Things like Google Assistant, Android Auto, Digital Wellbeing... I remember some years back when I got the first notification that there was a big accident on my commute that would add an hour to my commute and suggested an alternate route. I didn't set that up, or program in a reminder... It just knew that I was about to leave, where I was going and that I would be screwed if I took my usual route.

Keep your 'flagship' features and give me a phone that just gave me back an hour of my life.

And it goes beyond that. Google's phones have always been leading the way when it comes to look and feel, real world performance. Beastly phones from OEMs like Samsung were fast, but they ran like a race car that was having tuning issues... Janky, stuttery transitions and interactions that just felt rough, Garish UI designs that just felt bloated and poorly designed. The Pixel and Nexus line always felt fluid, as if what was on screen was something tangible moving about. They don't feel like you are issuing functional calls, they feel like you are actually interacting. They feel cohesive in a way that no other Android OEM even remotely comes close.

And cameras... Google is almost solely responsible for the massive leap in quality over the past few years. Everyone else was fussing with tired, established 'exposure+noise reduction+sharpening' processing techniques that had long since reached a technological dead end. They took an entirely new approach and caused a revolutionary shift in image quality.... Yes, many have caught up, but it also took a good 4 or 5 years for that to happen.

So I just can't see how you would look back over these phones and think they've been disappointing... They've drawn everyone else along and influenced them to innovate and improve in a way that matters well beyond geekbench scores.

Sounds like one big excuse for crappy phones Google releases.

 

[strikeIII]

The Nexus line was always trash. The Pixel line is great. Enjoy using my Pixel 4. It’s no Note 10 but it’s still a great device.

 

[Mr Segundus]

I disagree

I mean, there's a 23 minute video tagged on the OP which states otherwise.

 

[Ry]

If manufacturers are consistently comparing their cameras to Pixel cameras, that immediately tells you something.

Apple isn't.

 

[chevyman29]

I totally jumped ship due to the smaller battery on the p4. If Google wants to put out a iPhone I may as well get an iPhone.
I've had every generation of pixel and they are good over all . But never the best at anything other than photos.

 

[davidnc]

The latest Samsung phones have the December 2019 security patch. Pixels do not.

Btw my Pixel 2 XL had the Dec. update before you even posted the above quote, yes the Pixel 4 was delayed for bug Fixes , But not all the Pixel's Dec .update were delayed

I mean, there's a 23 minute video tagged on the OP which states otherwise.

I disagree with that video too. I'm happy with my Pixel 4 XL no issues.

Do you believe every video phone review you watch ?
There is bad video reviews about alot of phone's , Samsung included

What issues are you having with your Pixel 4 ?

 

[Wiley_11]

I mean, there's a 23 minute video tagged on the OP which states otherwise.

If you like listening to a whiny 8 year old.

 

[Russ Huffman]

Count me another Pixel fan.

I know it's not the latest hardware biggest bang for the buck, and I'm ok with that. I buy it because it is the closest thing to a consistent UI across versions, and I get the latest updates right away, plus features I want that other vendors don't provide with their reskin.

I also don't every buy them at "list price". I wait a month or so and get them BF or CM. My P4 XL was bought for $700 on Cyber Monday as a business deductible expense. I passed my P3 to my wife, and her P2 (I passed down last year) goes to my mother to replace an aging LG (that I had and hate).

So in the end, it doesn't cost all that much, and I get a UI and "experience" that I prefer.

 

[jsarino]

My first Android phone was the Nexus One, which I got from a friend of mine that was working for Google at the time, and I was using a Nokia e71x (Symbian OS, remember those?) up until that point. From there, went to a Samsung Galaxy S2 Skyrocket (learned about flashing ROM's at that point), then went back to Google with the Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 6P, Pixel 2 XL, and as of last week, the Pixel 4 XL. My wife has been a die-hard Samsung owner herself (S2, S4, S5, Note 7[aka, kaboom], S7[?], Note 8), and can't understand why I like the Google line of Nexus and Pixel phones. For me, it's the evolution of Android through the years, constant OS and security updates, good to excellent camera experiences, and solid (not necessarily flagship-level, but close enough) hardware experience. Yes, I do envy people that own the Note series a little from a hardware standpoint, but the slowness of OS updates, sporadic security updates, weird issues that crop up (at least in my wife's experience with Samsung) has turned me off their line of phones for those reasons. My kids both have the original Pixel, they both have no complaints about owning it, and I seem to have no issues communicating with them with the more seamless experiences with Google services (ex: Google Assistant, Broadcast, etc.).

The P4XL is the first I bought well past the launch date (Black Friday deal), so I'm glad I waited.

 

[anon(10181084)]

Since some of you mention burnin, here is a screenie of a post I made in 2017 when I was less experienced with OLED (now typing on burned-in Samsung phone ironically). I am histerically laughing at this comment of mine. Burn-in is not Pixel-specific though.

 

[I Can Be Your Hero]

Pixel 4 called a 'loser' of 2019 by Android Central:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laqQkTj53bU

Can't say I disagree. So many issues with the phone. Much better products available at the same price point.

 

[davidnc]

Pixel 4 called a 'loser' of 2019 by Android Central:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laqQkTj53bU

Can't say I disagree. So many issues with the phone. Much better products available at the same price point.

I can say I disagree with your opinion. So what issues are you having with your Pixel 4 ?

 

[JET4]

Really like my Pixel 4. Had the Pixel 2XL and got tired of carrying a large phone. Pixel 4 is a great size and a great phone

 

[osubeavs728]

I can say I disagree with your opinion. So what issues are you having with your Pixel 4 ?

He doesn't have a Pixel 4. Just likes to come here and try to stir the pot, nothing better to do I suppose.

 

[Wiley_11]

Pixel 4 called a 'loser' of 2019 by Android Central:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laqQkTj53bU

Can't say I disagree. So many issues with the phone. Much better products available at the same price point.

Hey, isn't that the same doofus that brought us the Pixel 2 XL *burn-in* fiasco? Haven't paid attention to him in years!

 

[anon(661246)]

I bought the pixel 4 for pictures. when I am not travel or know I am going to take a bunch of photos, it's stays in the drawer.

 

[Mike Dee]

I can say I disagree with your opinion. So what issues are you having with your Pixel 4 ?

He doesn't have one.