• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

Google Pixel 3

The space cost of doubling the RAM is zero (if higher density RAM chips are available). RAM in modern smartphones is a single chip stacked on top of the CPU, larger RAM models simply have a denser chip.

The power consumption difference isn't zero but the cost of the memory controller and RAM in a smartphone is about 1W so swapping a double density chip in could only increase the consumption by 0.5W at most if naively assuming double power which is a small amount.

In practice, doubling the density of a same volume RAM chip increases power usage by maybe 10-15% so you wouldn't be able to notice it at all in a smartphone.
 
ChronoReverse said:
The space cost of RAM is zero. RAM in modern smartphones is a single chip stacked on top of the CPU, larger RAM models simply have a denser chip.
Click to expand...

...which would be non-zero...

ChronoReverse said:
The power consumption difference isn't zero but the cost of the memory controller and RAM in a smartphone is about 1W so swapping a double density chip in could only increase the consumption by 0.5W at most if naively assuming double power (which it wouldn't be).
Click to expand...

If the memory is hardly ever going to used, let alone needed, outside of spec-sheet comparisons, why sacrifice at all?
 
IdiotInCharge said:
...which would be non-zero...
Click to expand...
It's a denser chip occupying the same volume. I'm going to be nice here and will give you an analogy: imagine a 2GB microSD card and a 4GB microSD card.


If the memory is hardly ever going to used, let alone needed, outside of spec-sheet comparisons, why sacrifice at all?
Click to expand...
Well, you could lose 1 minute of battery life but avoid any sort of memory pressure during multitasking AND have faster launching apps because it's cached in the RAM. Or you could have the extra 1 minute of battery life.

Android is a modern operating system. RAM isn't wasted, it's used for speeding things up when not actively used by an app. This should be old knowledge ever since Windows Vista/7
 
IdiotInCharge said:
Well, I'm with you on the Pixel- though I'm not in a hurry to upgrade. It does everything I want it to do, and it still has a headphone jack.

I'm just not seeing the issue with memory. Either the phone has enough for the user or it doesn't, and generally speaking, just using the phone as a communications device I can't see 4GB vs 6GB+ being an issue.
Click to expand...

My pixel's battery is showing its age, I'm also going to swap service to verizon as att in my area is getting worst. I'd rather swap phones and service at the same time.

My big concern on the ram is future proofing. Just because its enough memory now doesn't mean it will be in the future. The phones were marketed more as flagship phones, I expect them to keep up with others.
 
I gotta say base one plus 6 is the best new Android phone you can buy. Outside of the camera(much better on the 6) but not quite on that level it's a pretty solid phone compared to the pixle line.
 
swatbat said:
My pixel's battery is showing its age, I'm also going to swap service to verizon as att in my area is getting worst. I'd rather swap phones and service at the same time.
Click to expand...

I actually did this to get my Pixel. AT&T has had spotty coverage everywhere I've lived for the past decade, and that was in Dallas/Fort Worth. Since I'm starting to travel more, I wanted something that's just going to work.

swatbat said:
My big concern on the ram is future proofing. Just because its enough memory now doesn't mean it will be in the future. The phones were marketed more as flagship phones, I expect them to keep up with others.
Click to expand...

I get this, I do- I'm a hardware enthusiast.

I just don't see it being an issue; there's nothing that I want to run on a phone that's going to push capabilities. I mostly just want the phone to be the best communications device it can be, and after that (and not before!), the best camera that it can be.

And after getting Android 9 (P?) on my Pixel, pushed down two days ago from/through Verizon, I'd have to say that I'm quite happy with it- it's even smoother now.

So, louder this time, fuck Samsung.
 
  • Like
Reactions: che
like this
ChronoReverse said:
*yawn*

Sick of these orchestrated leaks that don't included the regular Pixel 3.
Click to expand...
Yup that's the one I'm more interested in. Everything leaked so far with the 3 XL has been underwhelming to me. The leaked camera samples also don't look like a large improvement over the Pixel 2.
 
I'm looking for a new phone so I'm probably going to grab the XL when it arrives.
 
What's the real story on the 3 XL screen size ? I keep reading people say it will be a giant 6.7" display, but that the overall footprint of the phone itself will be nearly identical to the Pixel 2 XL size.

So, I can't see how the screen size can get that much larger ? I understand it will be bigger, but from 6.0" to 6.7" would have to make the 3 XL phone much bigger overall than the current 2 XL.

I'm thinking it's not really 6.7". Don't account for the notch, because isn't that just for the time and network bars ? Not actual useable screen like a full page website going up there too ?
 
Wow this is like the iPhone 4 leak. The Pixel 3 XL was first leaked a week or two ago, and the official announcement is Oct. 4th with public release end of October.

A good 2 months before release, we see it in full glory, nothing hidden anymore. And most of the Android fans don't seem happy with it.

What is Google thinking now? They've got to be beyond pissed. And per all the hardware sites, and tech forums, it's getting criticized for it's design, and getting lukewarm reception. This will not go over well.
 
I don't see how anyone inside of Google could have honestly looked at all the available notch phones, compared it to the Pixel 3 XL and thought that their own design was even in the same leagues. The 3XL basically looks like a parody of notch phones with its wide AND deep notch and large chin. And to put only 4GB of RAM in a $1000 phone is just insulting.

Google could easily completely wreck the Pixel line's (modest because they suck at carrier partnerships) momentum entirely right now. Unlike the 1st generation Pixel, their camera lead was cut down significantly with the Pixel 2 and with this 3rd generation, everyone is on board with machine learning and HDR+ techniques. I can easily see the Pixel 3 as being just another high-end smartphone camera with not enough to distinguish it.
 
Good post Chrono.

I don't like the essential phone but I think their version of the Notch was easily the best done on a smartphone it's hardly noticeable and looks very modern with just a little hole in the screen with the display wrapping around it why not go that route?

Or the teardrop shaped notch rumored to be coming on the OnePlus 6t, based off the new Opportunities phone that looks really slick as well.

But this gigantic almost comical version of the notch on the pixel 3XL it's fucking hideous and I just can't buy the phone unless I see it in person there's no way I'm a first a buyer of this phone
 
The Pixel XL had 4GB RAM, the Pixel 2 XL has 4GB RAM, and the Pixel 3 XL will ship with 4GB RAM as well. Google is very stingy with RAM. They really like to copy Apple when it comes to certain things. Not enough RAM is one way to force people to upgrade.

As a sidenote: I used Project Fi and Pixel XL and the Pixel 2 XL for a long time. I moved on to a different carrier and a Galxy S9+. Once you customize the software the experience isn't that bad, but the hardware is way better than Google's offering.

Just my 2 cents.

/I can't stand iPhones and iOS/
 
If the one plus 6t does Truly Come to T-Mobile this fall I will most surely pick that up first and wait for real Hands-On user experience on the pixel 3XL and have to see it in person myself to even think about getting it to be honest I'm still very satisfied and happy with my pixel 2 XL
 
I LOL at the rumors of people saying these are dummy phones a plant by Google to throw everybody off these were early production units and not even close to what the final beautiful product will be.

Yeah ok.

More like Google got caught with their pants down and this was completely unexpected. I'd say 99% what we're seeing here is truly the Pixel 3XL coming out in October. And there isn't some other secret phone we haven't seen that's minimal bezel and a tiny notch like the Essential phone or something, sadly I just don't think that's happening
 
Zorachus said:
I LOL at the rumors of people saying these are dummy phones a plant by Google to throw everybody off these were early production units and not even close to what the final beautiful product will be.

Yeah ok.

More like Google got caught with their pants down and this was completely unexpected. I'd say 99% what we're seeing here is truly the Pixel 3XL coming out in October. And there isn't some other secret phone we haven't seen that's minimal bezel and a tiny notch like the Essential phone or something, sadly I just don't think that's happening
Click to expand...

I think you're right and I wish they would not have gone with a notch. Not that I'm buying one, but if I were interested I would have preferred no notch or a much smaller one like the essential phone.
 
At this point the Pixel feels like a phone full of compromises at an exorbitant price. Until they bring back the headphone jack I'm happy with other brands.
 
Blown 89 said:
At this point the Pixel feels like a phone full of compromises at an exorbitant price. Until they bring back the headphone jack I'm happy with other brands.
Click to expand...

Not doing anything particularly different than the competition though, right?
 
The Pixel 3 doesn't seem bad too barring stupid battery choices by Google if you want a smaller phone. But otherwise, the 6T really does seem like it'll just be the solid all-round phone.
 
Need I remind folks of all the BS OnePlus committed in the past? Like seriously, it'll take like 3 years of solid service without any incidences for me to trust OnePlus. If you don't mind your passwords being sent to OnePlus in plain text and OnePlus tracking you without your knowledge, sure, go ahead, get yourself a OnePlus.
 
Last edited:
CHANG3D said:
Need I remind folks of all the BS OnePlus committed in the past? Like seriously, it'll take like 3 years of solid service any big incidences for me to trust OnePlus. If you don't mind your passwords being sent to OnePlus in plain text and OnePlus tracking you without your knowledge, sure, go ahead, get yourself a OnePlus.
Click to expand...
Relax... OP's transgressions are well-known. And, they all can be rectified by installing a custom ROM.
 
This is how I feel about custom ROMs and rooting. Rooting to add features is fine. But rooting to remove "features" is not. Rooting to remove bloat like in Samsung's case is a good reason to not get a GS9 in the first place. Rooting to remove spyware and for security sake is even more stupid because rooting is inherently unsecure.
 
CHANG3D said:
This is how I feel about custom ROMs and rooting. Rooting to add features is fine. But rooting to remove "features" is not. Rooting to remove bloat like in Samsung's case is a good reason to not get a GS9 in the first place. Rooting to remove spyware and for security sake is even more stupid because rooting is inherently unsecure.
Click to expand...
Some people just can't let go of that urban myth about rooting being less secure. Keep on keepin' on! :rolleyes:
 
Yeah, flaws that are used to gain root are insecure by definition but rooting itself really isn't. You might as well call OpenBSD insecure because you can use su or sudo (which would be ridiculous in case you're ignorant).

If you bought a phone with an unlocked bootloader like a OnePlus or Pixel then you're not relying on any flaw in addition to using an approved and well-controlled vector.
 
ChronoReverse said:
Yeah, flaws that are used to gain root are insecure by definition but rooting itself really isn't. You might as well call OpenBSD insecure because you can use su or sudo (which would be ridiculous in case you're ignorant).

If you bought a phone with an unlocked bootloader like a OnePlus or Pixel then you're not relying on any flaw in addition to using an approved and well-controlled vector.
Click to expand...
On top of that, I'd like to add that official LineageOS builds are unrooted by default unless you flash a root enabler package from recovery. They do this to comply with SafetyNet and all the other anti-root crap that people accept on a mobile OS these days. If anything, running official LineageOS where possible is probably more secure, just from the respect of being updated more often and not being left to the latest BlueBorne/KRACK/Meltdown/Spectre/whatever vulnerability that's got everyone crapping their pants.

The problem is, when manufacturers lock down the bootloaders, those security flaws are frequently the only thing allowing the end user to gain root privileges, with the hope that the exploit application isn't doing anything else nefarious that the user isn't suspecting. It's basically just like trying to install custom firmware on a game console so you can run homebrew, which the console manufacturers most certainly do not want end users doing.

I see it as a symptom of a greater problem where the people behind the OS do not want the end user administrating the hardware and software that they paid for, to prevent that end user from doing things they don't want them to. There's a war on open computing going on, and the smartphone market makes that clearer than anywhere else, where you don't have the option of a standardized bootloader and device tree because these ARM smartphones never had an "IBM PC-compatible" moment making it trivial to boot whatever you want. (If we could do that in the first place, updating old Android devices wouldn't be such a pain!)
 
I'll definitely be on the Pixel 3 XL bandwagon.

I checked out the Note 9 and, honestly I really just don't like the Samsung Experience UI and the dozens of garbage pre-loaded apps.... I setup my old Note 5 for my mom to use and it downloaded like 8 updates before I could use it individually (guess Samsung never heard of cumulative updates). Ended up with the same UI basically. Not really excited by these (improvements) from Samsung, I like what Google is doing better honestly, though I was surprised to see it patched to August, which is impressive, better than they were doing for the first year and a half I had the phone...

Unfortunately the Pixel XL I gave to my mother started having weird charging issues, then all of a sudden, it just shut down and it is officially dead to the world. Who knows if it is a battery, charging port, or other issue... Hardly worth spending the money to find out at this point with how much these things are worth for resale (it aint an iPhone...) I'm kind of disappointing that this phone couldn't last a full 2 years....

The main thing I am hoping for is better hardware from Google this year. I have been pretty disappointing with the hardware on both the Pixel XL and the Pixel 2 XL to be honest, but from a reliability / warranty issues point of view I'm not seeing a huge difference from my experience with Samsung Note devices over the years, so.... yea. Hopefully they get rid of the wiggly volume rocker, crappy screen and crappy speakers and we'll be rocking nice hardware... I actually like the hardware other than these things...
 
IdiotInCharge said:
Not doing anything particularly different than the competition though, right?
Click to expand...
I wouldn't say that. The V30 has wireless charging, a wide angle camera, a damn good headphone jack, stereo hd audio recording, an unreal flex mic in the headphone jack, microSD card support, and a comparable software experience. The only compromise I see in the V30 are updates and stereo front facing speakers. At this point in Android's life the updates aren't as ground breaking as they used to be which leaves my one and only gripe about this phone, the speaker. In short, no, they are quite different.

Comparing the two the Pixel is stripped down to the point that I didn't buy a Google branded phone for the first time and don't regret it one bit.
 
I do believe that it'll differ by use case.

I'm probably a bit of an aberration- ran Notes for years, and realized that I didn't use any of it. I just need a damn phone. No extra SD card slot etc., only thing I might miss is the headphone jack, which I can fix with an adapter. Not that I've really used the one on my OG Pixel.

But the updates are something I'm big on. Google and Apple lead here; anything else gets molested by the carrier first, and I'd just prefer to skip that if I can.
 
IdiotInCharge said:
I do believe that it'll differ by use case.

I'm probably a bit of an aberration- ran Notes for years, and realized that I didn't use any of it. I just need a damn phone. No extra SD card slot etc., only thing I might miss is the headphone jack, which I can fix with an adapter. Not that I've really used the one on my OG Pixel.

But the updates are something I'm big on. Google and Apple lead here; anything else gets molested by the carrier first, and I'd just prefer to skip that if I can.
Click to expand...
I get that it's not important to everyone but here is why I found that stuff useful:

I used to be big on updates but at this point I think they don't bring as much noticeable change when it comes to day to day usage as they once did so I'm OK getting them late or not at all unless there's a big revolutionary feature I can't live without which, let's face it, Android hasn't had in a while.

I'm with you on all of the Samsung features. I've never felt any of them were worth even putting in there. I will say the wide camera on this V30 is a game changer for both still pictures and videos. A game changer to the point I'm not sure I want a new phone that doesn't have it.

The mics are a huge benefit when recording audio also. There's a clear difference in audio quality in noisier environments over my wife's Pixel 2. This phone can record without distortion up to 132 dB thanks to its acoustic overload mics. Side by side with a Pixel you have one that's a distorted mess in noisy environtments and one that's perfect.

The real benefit of the sd card slot is allowing users to get more storage for significantly less. It saved me a considerable amount of money vs getting the same internal storage.

I tried the headphone adapter in the store and it was terrible. I had trouble getting it to work and when it did the audio was horrific. The V30 doesn't just have a jack but also runs high impedance headphones like a champ. It also makes way for that Google's reason for not including a jack was that they couldn't make the phones thinner yet the V30 built a thinner phone than the 2XL. I really wish Google would reverse policy on that because there literally are no downsides.

That's why I'm struggling to get on board with Google's pixel line these days. To me it's a really expensive phone without any of the expensive features. That was fine when they were selling cheap phones like the Nexus 5 but at this point they need to offer something for that money. I was worried about the V30's software longevity as a lot of phones tend to self destruct over time but I'm almost a year in at this point and it's still running as smooth as the day I bought it. It's a shame this phone was so underrated because if it was more popular some of its excellent features might make it into competing phones.
 
Gonna do a blow-by-blow, just for conversation-

Blown 89 said:
I used to be big on updates but at this point I think they don't bring as much noticeable change when it comes to day to day usage as they once did so I'm OK getting them late or not at all unless there's a big revolutionary feature I can't live without which, let's face it, Android hasn't had in a while.
Click to expand...

Features are cool, but I don't expect any features beyond what the phone ships with- more important are security updates. Google and Apple can get these out the door. Beyond that, you're at the mercy of the telcos.

Blown 89 said:
I will say the wide camera on this V30 is a game changer for both still pictures and videos.
Click to expand...

As a photographer (see sig ;) ) the cameras are actually pretty important- the best camera in the world is the one you have!

Blown 89 said:
The mics are a huge benefit when recording audio also. There's a clear difference in audio quality in noisier environments over my wife's Pixel 2. This phone can record without distortion up to 132 dB thanks to its acoustic overload mics. Side by side with a Pixel you have one that's a distorted mess in noisy environtments and one that's perfect.
Click to expand...

This isn't something I'd really thought about, and hasn't been a problem for me in recent memory, but it's also something that I absolutely see the utility of.

Blown 89 said:
The real benefit of the sd card slot is allowing users to get more storage for significantly less. It saved me a considerable amount of money vs getting the same internal storage.
Click to expand...

I get this; I just don't use the extra storage. Or much storage at all! I also don't use nearly as much bandwidth as I used to think.

Blown 89 said:
I tried the headphone adapter in the store and it was terrible. I had trouble getting it to work and when it did the audio was horrific.
Click to expand...

There's no excuse for this. This stuff has been figured. It's a USB DAC with a small amp, and that together is one tiny cheap chip, and isolation is just not that hard- when done right, it's audiophile grade. If Apple can do that, anyone can!

Or they can just put the damned port back.


Overall, I'm not worried about the features- I don't even want the big phone. Prefer my OG Pixel (1) non-XL. I need the damn thing to work!

And I'll be looking closer at HTC the next time around- are they still allowed to make their own phones?
 
The Pixel 3 XL is one hideous phone. I'd take the smaller Pixel 3 over it any day.
 
Yeah, the Pixel 2 XL wasn't the nicest looking phone but it had its own charm. But the Pixel 3 XL just proves how all the design rejects get hired at Google somehow. It's the only explanation I have for why nobody pointed out how ugly it was (and how Android is turning blinding white).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top