Thoughts on Google Pixel? Switching to Android?

[roseake]

My iPhone 6 is now two years old and basically fried, so it's been time for a replacement for a while. Considering I have no other Apple products and my iPhones have never lasted very long, I've decided it might be worth the switch to Android. I have good ties to Google because of uni and the Pixel comes with an adapter to transfer everything anyway.

I'm not going to lie, the ad for the Pixel got me so excited and someone at Google needs a raise: I really want the phone! But I don't want to just jump on a bandwagon with three wheels, I'd really like the opinions of people who might actually know what they're talking about with phones. Or even people with experience transferring from iPhone to Android. Thanks!

 

[psCargile]

My first smart phone was and continues to me an HTC; a co-worker had one and I was impressed by it. Now certainly there are going to be issues with any smart phone, but I have no complaints. But everyone I know that has an iPhone has problems I never encounter. The only major problem I ever had was a screen went out, but that was an issue with the phone and not the operating system. It was replaced promptly. I'm happy with the Android system. The only recent issue I had with it regarded an update, but downloading some pics and video cleared up space and it updated without further problem.

 

[Ronald Held]

It is a big change going from IOS to Android 7or vice versa.I am going to IOS as a change but cannot say that f I will not go back to Android.

 

[Marc]

Hopefully being a Google phone, the Pixel won't suffer from major delays in getting updates to a new version of Android or get caught out because the vendor decides it's not worth releasing the update for a given phone model because they didn't sell enough of them.

Fragmentation of OS updates is probably the biggest issue faced by Android.

On the other hand it's nice to be able to plug the phone in with a USB cable and not have to worry about using iTunes to transfer music and video and be able to easily store other files types on the phone and access them.

 

[SPCTRE]

It is a big change going from IOS to Android 7or vice versa.

it's a big step if you're heavily invested in the respective ecosystems (especially if it's Apple's patented walled garden) and/or not especially tech savvy

Hopefully being a Google phone, the Pixel won't suffer from major delays in getting updates to a new version of Android or get caught out because the vendor decides it's not worth releasing the update for a given phone model because they didn't sell enough of them.

what he said

 

[{ Emilia }]

Don't like the look. And Google would have to convince me they can do hardware first.

I'll stick with my S7 Edge.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Reviews are coming out and apparently the flagship feature is Google Assistant, which is basically a UI refactor of the Google Now app. So uh... wow! Revolutionary! Definitely worth $750!

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Some of my Androids have only lasted (nearly) 2 years, but mostly due to the USB port going bad because of charging.

My current S6 Edge+ charges wirelessly, so we'll see on that front.

I hope if there's an S8 Edge, there will be a + version. I've gotten used to the larger screen.

 

[UssGlenn]

Google would have to convince me they can do hardware first.
.

They are contracting with HTC as the manufacturer. I've been running the HTC One M7 since it launched in 2013, it's been a great phone except for the purple camera issue. I think they learned their lesson on that one. There is a high probability I'll get the Pixel as my next phone.

 

[{ Emilia }]

Well, reading reviews it sounds pretty unremarkable.

Arstechnica's review was pretty benevolent and still didn't sound particularly enthusiastic:

The Good

• Android from Google. This is a cohesive, consistent software package instead of being a branding battleground between Google and a third party.
• The Assistant is fun, fast, and useful. A great evolution of Google's already great voice command system.
• The only 2016 Android phone with fast OS updates.
• One of the best cameras on a smartphone. Great low light shots and speedy performance.
• Has a headphone jack. Won't explode.

The Bad

• The sky-high price feels more like a marketing ploy ("We're just as good as the iPhone!") than a justifiable price point.
• The single speaker is a big downgrade from the Nexus 6P. Google is charging more and delivering less.
• A rear glass panel adds fragility and ugliness in exchange for... nothing? Just use metal.
• Other devices at this price point from Samsung and Apple are "dunkable" in water with IP68 rating. The Pixels are not.
• Still no SD card slot even though Google made SD cards much more usable in Android 6.0.
• Google's two years of major OS updates can't compare to Apple's iPhone support, which is often 4+ years of OS updates.

So given that it's a pretty ugly phone without an SD card slot and hardware that's about as good as my S7 Edge, I don't really see a reason to switch.

The assistant sounds incredibly useless in that it's basically just what Cortana and Siri do (I use neither of them) and it's basically just the previous OK Google command with the SAME backend converted into what looks like a messaging UI so you can imagine you're talking to an assistant.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Derail time: I remember when personal virtual assistants were thought up in the '90s and we thought we'd all be talking to our computers in a few years and having them do all kinds of (figurative) heavy lifting for us. "Schedule me for yoga at 10am on Tuesday."

Turns out we still aren't anywhere near that.

You know what I'd find revolutionary?

"OK Google, I want to fly from Newark to Berlin next Tuesday. One ticket on any nonstop flight between 10am and 6pm departure will be fine. I don't want to spend more than $1000 and I don't want to fly United. Use my default payment method."

...and have that do all the work for me, pinging me in a few minutes with details of my flight.

Does anything actually do this right now, or are we still stuck in the dark ages of clicking shit in a web browser?

 

[Marc]

Does anything actually do this right now, or are we still stuck in the dark ages of clicking shit in a web browser?

IBM's Watson is probably the closest system the the general public might be aware of that could it but that's using a cluster of 90 servers and worth about $3mil.

I think we're about 1/2 way there. The search functionality readiliy available as would be the ability to automate the booking (well except that many systems have blocks in place to prevent automated order) but think we're lacking in the speech recognition part and the ability for the computer to comprehend what you're saying (think the term I'm looking for involves natural language),

 

[JasonJ]

If ever there was an Android phone that could woo me away from my iPhone, it would be the Pixel.. at least right now. It's a fantastic phone from everything I've seen.. and the only way I'd consider an Android phone for my primary device is if it was a Nexus phone, or direct from Google.. no way I'd be OK with waiting months and months and months or never to get an OS update. That is just ridiculous.

But my iPhones last me until I want to trade them in, I've never had one die or crap out on me.. and they do everything I need them to do with minimal frustration, so for now... keep it I suppose.