Your experience with the Pixel

[Mhd 1999]

Hey there,
So I bought the pixel about two weeks ago. It's not officially available here in Lebanon so it was a tough time to get it and I paid about 720$ for the 32gb small pixel version ( yes, you read it right!). I wanted to have stock android really bad for the first time so I went with the purchase even that late (release of s8 and g6) and I want to share my experience with you about various topics.

Design: it's not eye-catching like some other phones, but u can't say it's ugly. It's certainly a premium design.

Performance: it's the most important topic in any phone in my opinion, and here, I could only say one word: OUTSTANDING. The combination of good hardware and stock android will definitely lead to the best performance in a phone.

Camera: here I was surprised. First I thought it was a little overrated on the pixel, but I was wrong. I have an s7 edge and the pixel surpasses it clearly with that fast focus and HDR+.

Battery: it's not the best, but it's very good. The edge surpasses it by a little, but it's still decent.

The software is astonishing, the assistant is so responsive, I love it! even if it's not available in my native language.

However, I would have liked to have waterproofing , micro sd card slot and a SLIGHTLY better battery for the price tag.

But as a conclusion, as a package I'm more than satisfied with the whole experience and I don't see myself buying a non stock android phone in the future. So I recommend it even at the present because Pixel 2 is like 5-6 months away.
So what about you guys, what's your experience with Pixel/ XL? Of course write less than I did ( sorry for that)

Update: I forgot to say that the quality of sound is awesome, and the screen is very sharp also

 

[jimbo1mcm]

I have a 128 GB Pixel and love it. It feels so good without a case. The software is flawless. I am now on 7.1.2 Verizon. This is a great phone,

 

[Aquila]

Love it, still think it's better than anything else that's been released or announced so far. For me anyways.

 

[peter nde63h]

However, I would have liked to have waterproofing , micro sd card slot and a SLIGHTLY better battery for the price tag.

waterproofing is good but i personally don't like sd cards. they are usually the cause of performance drop and system instability. try putting your stuff to cloud and using stream music services instead of storing songs by yourself. this habit not only saves your internal storage but alse makes you more easy to flash your phone in case of trouble. i don't store anything important locally. i can anytime give my phone a factory reset without bothering to backup.

 

[Aquila]

I definitely do not want a micro SD card slot either. Portable storage is already supported through otg.

 

[Mhd 1999]

waterproofing is good but i personally don't like sd cards. they are usually the cause of performance drop and system instability. try putting your stuff to cloud and using stream music services instead of storing songs by yourself. this habit not only saves your internal storage but alse makes you more easy to flash your phone in case of trouble. i don't store anything important locally. i can anytime give my phone a factory reset without bothering to backup.

Actually I backup all my pics on google photos on every battery recharge.
Also, I put my music on google drive.
I'm not worried about the storage running out, but I think it's faster and more effective to have my data on a memory card

 

[EMGSM]

It's fast. Going through the software is fluid. The audio is ok for me but i still would prefer stereo speakers. The camera takes GREAT pix but sometimes it's hit or miss. IMO it would be 100% better with OIS.

 

[Lilybell2]

I have a 128 GB Pixel XL and frankly, I cannot even imagine ever going back to a carrier branded phone. Nope! No way!

 

[Mhd 1999]

It's fast. Going through the software is fluid. The audio is ok for me but i still would prefer stereo speakers. The camera takes GREAT pix but sometimes it's hit or miss. IMO it would be 100% better with OIS.

Of course, I miss those front stereo speakers from my old Htc One m8, but I think the ones on the pixel are better than those on S7 edge. Camera is great for me, EIS is doing a great job!

 

[EMGSM]

Of course, I miss those front stereo speakers from my old Htc One m8, but I think the ones on the pixel are better than those on S7 edge

Yep. I found the speakers on the S7e to be pretty weak. Even though the pixel has bottom firing speakers, I agree they are better.

 

[pixiedroid]

I definitely do not want a micro SD card slot either. Portable storage is already supported through otg.

I thought I was the only one who dislike SD cards. I find USB-C flash drives (or usb A using the adapter provided with the Pixel) to be more convenient.

I'm all about the cloud (non-critical files) and USB flash drives

Also, SD cards tends to make storage/file explorer more confusing. When I had my S4, I had to traverse through 2 storages! If I don't remember where I saved a file, it had to traverse through a lot. Plus the Pixel's file explorer seems way more organized

 

[jlarkins08]

Loving my Pixel 128GB, but I do think the audio could be alot better (output I mean) my Bluetooth streaming skips some with my BeatsX, and like others have mentioned, I do miss my stereo speakers coming from my M8..
Other that, Google did a great job with this device! Fantastic Camera!

 

[Mhd 1999]

I thought I was the only one who dislike SD cards. I find USB-C flash drives (or usb A using the adapter provided with the Pixel) to be more convenient.

I'm all about the cloud (non-critical files) and USB flash drives

Also, SD cards tends to make storage/file explorer more confusing. When I had my S4, I had to traverse through 2 storages! If I don't remember where I saved a file, it had to traverse through a lot. Plus the Pixel's file explorer seems way more organized

Yes, USB is a pretty good way also

 

[hannsoft]

My Pixel XL 128 is the greatest phone I've ever had. I personally find the battery life comparable to my Droid Turbo, which was the largest battery I've ever heard of in a phone. The Bluetooth issues are the biggest negative aspect, but I don't expect those to be around forever.

 

[Mhd 1999]

My Pixel XL 128 is the greatest phone I've ever had. I personally find the battery life comparable to my Droid Turbo, which was the largest battery I've ever heard of in a phone. The Bluetooth issues are the biggest negative aspect, but I don't expect those to be around forever.

Battery life is pretty good on my pixel, but not extraordinary, the one in the XL is better like u said. I'm not experiencing any BT issues till present, and I hope not to

 

[EMGSM]

Battery life is pretty good on my pixel, but not extraordinary, the one in the XL is better like u said. I'm not experiencing any BT issues till present, and I hope not to

Yeah the Bluetooth issue appears to be hit or miss. I have issues on occasion but my experience has not been as bad as some.

 

[Davidoo]

I would never buy a device with an SD card slot. Or I just wouldn't use it. They are not needed, prone to failure and old technology.