Google Pixel 3

I'm interested in how you're drawing "parallels"

30 pin come from a time when there are no standard ports for PDAs and music devices

FireWire is an IEEE standard... And what Trimlock said.

And lightning... No need to say more.

How is this parallel again? All I'm saying is Google's proprietary charging is BS, and yet you're saying so did Apple without any logical reasoning.

I'm on an Essential Phone. So I totally love Apple?!?
Jesus Christ dude, you need to grow the fuck up.
I didn't even disagree with you. Apple has had a history of talking their own path, at one point swearing off USB entirely for firewire only to eventually adopt USB to everything and start paying out firewire. Better or not, it was a consumer gamble.
The proprietary wireless is a hugely stupid gamble. Apple has the guns to do that, or the give-no-fucks anyway. Hence RJ11 keyboards. They do what they want.

I'm sorry you are so fucking invested in this.
 
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I've owned 150+ phones in the past decade or so, with micro-USB on nearly all of them save for 3-4 with USB-C (my current V20 for example), and I've owned dozens and dozens of micro-USB cables numbering into the low hundreds and out of all that hardware, connecting and disconnecting frequently, messing around with flashing ROMs and wiping devices and moving data around and all that activity with so many devices and cables, I've only had one micro-USB cable fail on me and not one micro-USB port/connector on a device fail, not one.

I think the fact that people just don't take care of their shit is the more likely reason if they have problems with that connector. :)

I hadn't looked at this thread in a while and I see activity all the time, figured I'd see people raving about the Night Sight camera stuff now that it's been "outed" by someone over at XDA, and I check in and you're all bitching about charging and data connectors? Really? :D

Yeah no shit right? One friggin tongue in cheek comment (FFS I even literally typed "ZING" after it) and I'll never hear the end of all the things that apparently I implied. I forgot how touchy the kids outside genmay get.
I should go into the video card forums and make a lighthearted comment about about 2070s or whatever the newest rage is, see if I can derail some shit there.
 
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I'll just be slightly happier when Apple completes their transition to USB-C. Hopefully bringing some standardization to USB in the process, because holy fuck there are too many possible variants.
 
Well I completely gave up on the Otterbox. That fucker won't charge for nothing. With multiple attempts over two days and an unmentionable amount of time spent, I was able to get it to charge and stay charging one time. And it was slow as shit as expected if it couldn't even maintain connection normally. So thats going back to Google and I'll have to stick with the google case for now. I ordered a spigen and a generic to compare effectiveness. Such a shame, I've used Otterbox as long as I've had smart phones, and quality on this one was top notch as always; just such an oversight not making some sort of provision to improve connection quality.
 
We were talking about how this google proprietary charging is evil. And it got derailed into an "Apple did it too" argument.

FireWire, an IEEE standard, that was finally replaced with another thing that Apple helped develop and made popular, Thunderbolt, is not a parallel of Qi to Google Proprietary. I pray for the day when people stop using "Oh yeah, but don't forget Apple does/did it too" on anything bad an Android competitor does something bad or evil, especially when it makes no sense.

Let's just get back to topic.

Anyone's Pixel 3/XL experiencing speaker issues? I see people convinced that the Pixel 3 XL is suffering wide spread issues. I watched a few videos, and I don't hear anything wrong with it on my puny speaker on my Essential Phone. But I do see heavy back vibrations that makes me wonder if my magnetic mounts would hold the phone with music playing. Still looking for a replacement to my HTC M7 (had the M8 and M9, but traded them in.) That M7 is a beast at watching YouTube in the bathroom.
 
Simpsons did it :cool:

Funny, the m7 was my aforementioned first "why would I replace this?" phone, even when ~2.5 years old it did everything I wanted. I still have it, couldn't bear to sell it.

I've posted most of my issues here... No deal breakers yet though.
I do notice the speaker vibration, but that guy that hate-reviewed it was a bit excessive from what I see (as well as other reviewers that specifically address it).

I got a Spigen case to replace the OtterBox and while not as heavy duty, it does wirelessly charge without too much fuss (some minor adjustment if it isn't centered well), something the Google cases don't seem to have an issue with even though the thickness compared to Spigen appears about identical.

I've tried to reproduce the memory-suspected issues but I just can't. I load up twenty apps and scroll back and forth through them with zero issue, none restarting the app or anything. Makes me wonder if they're is bad ran out there and not a size issue (which would make more sense with last year's not having any problems with 4gb).
 
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Having the Pixel 3 XL now like ten days or so, coming from the Pixel 2 XL.

- I like it, seems like a refined 2 XL, just everything being a bit better.

- It's not a night and day upgrade whatsoever, and I knew that going in. But I am very happy so far.

- Noticable upgrade would be the display #1. It's clearly a nicer quality screen.

- Haptic vibration seems overall nicer and stronger.

- Phone is very smooth fluid. Really no lag or hiccups.

- 4GB RAM issue ? I don't know, haven't really noticed a problem yet. But I'm not a big multitasker, I'm always clearing apps and closing apps all the time, I don't like background stuff running behind the scenes. That's the way I use my smartphones. So the RAM issue doesn't effect me.

- Speakers sound loud and clear, but they do vibrate the phone, which is weird.

- Dark themes help make this phone look so much better. Swift Black actually hides the notch, but still lets you see the time and network info in the corners, making it look like a full screen display.

- Notch, yeah the notch does suck, no way around it. I don't like it. But with darker wallpapers and a black theme for most apps, it does get hidden away better. The dark theme does wonders in making it sort of disappear.

- Camera, yes it's great. And Night Shot is amazing.

- Overall I like my Pixel 3 XL. Is it the greatest smartphone ever created ? LOL of course not, no phone is. But for liking stock vanilla Android, and it's smooth UI, it's a good phone for me.


Really no other phone I'd rather have right now. Except in dream world, would be an iPhone XS Max running Lineage 16.0 ROM.
 
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I'm still kinda stuck deciding between the Pixel 3 and iPhone XS.

The XS has a better processor, Pixel has a better camera and assistant. Both have 4gb memory and both have their issues. Tough to decide.
 
I'm still kinda stuck deciding between the Pixel 3 and iPhone XS.

The XS has a better processor, Pixel has a better camera and assistant. Both have 4gb memory and both have their issues. Tough to decide.

And..they both do the same thing. If you are heavy in the Apple ecosystem go for the iPhone, otherwise go Android.
 
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The other known bug is photos not saving. Fix is also coming for that.

So the only possible hardware issue might be the speakers, but not too many folks are complaining about it.
 
Yeah, I didn't notice that speaker vibration problem on the 3XL I had for a few days.
 
The other known bug is photos not saving. Fix is also coming for that.

So the only possible hardware issue might be the speakers, but not too many folks are complaining about it.

I've also read that the stereo speakers on the 3 XL are not of equal volume (the left is consistently slightly quieter than the right) and that the regular Pixel 3 display can experience a "pink hue" on half the screen as a defect. Both phones apparently experience black crush at higher brightnesses a little bit earlier than other flagships.

Nothing "big" like the Pixel 2 XL display last year that was plagued with problems.
 
If I remember right, the speaker thing is intentional. Seem to recall Google addressing that at some point.

Regarding the photo saving bug. I literally LOL'd the first time I saw this mentioned. My OG PIxel has done it since day one, and the addressing of it indicated all 3 generations were affected... I'm betting it's just rare enough that not enough people complained before. Hella irritating, because in addition to not saving the picture, it does save a preview so you can see what the picture looked like, but not open it. I've only had it happen like three times though, you have to REALLY try to make it do it, like shutter button and power button milliseconds apart.
 
Had a hands on with a 3XL in Verizon, these were my findings regarding the speakers.

Sound Quality
Very good and relatively full-bodied, was non tinny, and clear. In addition there was no sound distortion even at maximum volume. (I later read that the stereo speakers on the 3 XL are not of equal volume but during my listening to the speakers I wasn't aware of that matter and for that reason did not give it any attention).

Sound Volume
Very good and pleasing, I wouldn't call the volume superior because I have heard other phones that sounded equally as loud but the volume was never-the-less very pleasing.

Outboard Playing Speaker Vibrations
When I held the phone and the volume was high, the vibrations felt very strong, very annoying and distracting. At medium volume the vibrations were not as strongly felt but they were just as annoying and distracting. The vibrations were felt throughout the entire phone's edges and body. Forget about the idea that a case may suppress the vibrations, I placed the device in a leather pouch and it had virtually no effect on diminishing the vibrations.

The vibrations were not audible when held (no audible buzzing or rumbling), but when the phone is held the vibrations felt unacceptably distracting and annoying. For me it is an unexpected deal breaker because I enjoy holding a phone to view videos and listening to the sound through outboard speakers.
 
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Pixel 3
AnandTech


With Andrei addressing questions in Comments section.​

I jumped straight to the pictures and to be fair their nightshift mode is mostly a gimmick. It looks like it should only be used in those moments where you'd get a black picture, all the other photo's have some weird lighting added and blooming. You can tell from some of the night shots that had lights that nightshift mode just wasn't meant for.

Other wise the photos looked great.
 
I’d pick the 6T over the Pixel 3 XL.

The 6T is 42% ($420) cheaper and you get 8GB of RAM instead of 4GB which has begun to show some struggles already. While the camera is better on the 3 XL, the 6T is definitely no slouch and holds its own against the flagships that cost nearly twice its price. No hideously large notch like on the 3 XL. It has Dash Charge which time and time again proves to be the best fast charger. The 6T has a larger battery and better battery life (many users report that the 3 XL has noticeably worse battery life than even it’s predecessor the 2 XL). The 6T has a much more conveniently, albeit slower, placed fingerprint scanner underneath the display. Dual SIM capabilities on the factory unlocked version. OxygenOS is essentially just as good as stock Android at this point.

Sure with the Pixel 3 XL you get an official water resistance rating, a 1440p display, wireless charging, stereo speakers, and a better camera - but I don’t think I could drop nearly twice the dough on it with the 6T as an option and all of its own benefits over the 3 XL. Especially since I can get the 8GB/128GB version for $580. If I wasn’t so invested in the Apple ecosystem I’d definitely be picking up the 6T as my phone.
 
Interesting responses to the 6T vs 3 XL question. So it's the price difference that most are saying make the 6T the better phone, which I totally understand. And I agree for the $600 price the OnePlus 6T is an AMAZING deal, and a very fast smooth phone. But why is it ok to spend $1,000 on a Galaxy phone, or $1,000+ on the iPhone ? But not cool to spend $850 on a 3 XL ?

With tax and shipping the 6T is $600 or so, and the Pixel 3 XL is $850 w/Tax + shipping, if you bought it the first week with the free $100 Google discount they were offering exiting Pixel buyers. That's not a 42% difference.
 
Interesting responses to the 6T vs 3 XL question. So it's the price difference that most are saying make the 6T the better phone, which I totally understand. And I agree for the $600 price the OnePlus 6T is an AMAZING deal, and a very fast smooth phone. But why is it ok to spend $1,000 on a Galaxy phone, or $1,000+ on the iPhone ? But not cool to spend $850 on a 3 XL ?

With tax and shipping the 6T is $600 or so, and the Pixel 3 XL is $850 w/Tax + shipping, if you bought it the first week with the free $100 Google discount they were offering exiting Pixel buyers. That's not a 42% difference.
I never said it was “not cool” to spend that kind of money on any phone. I simply implied that the OnePlus 6T offered a lot for its price.

And I was comparing the 128GB versions of both devices since that’s more “fair” and the 6GB version of the 6T is $550 which makes its a 45% difference while still having 50% more RAM. The $100 “discount” was in store credit which I couldn’t care less about and both phones have and will have their promos so that comparison would be entirely situational. I’m comparing manufacturer prices of comparatively equipped phones which is $999 vs $549/$579.
 
I never said it was “not cool” to spend that kind of money on any phone. I simply implied that the OnePlus 6T offered a lot for its price.

And I was comparing the 128GB versions of both devices since that’s more “fair” and the 6GB version of the 6T is $550 which makes its a 45% difference while still having 50% more RAM. The $100 “discount” was in store credit which I couldn’t care less about and both phones have and will have their promos so that comparison would be entirely situational. I’m comparing manufacturer prices of comparatively equipped phones which is $999 vs $549/$579.

If going by price, the 6T wins always. It's a great phone, easily on par speed wise and smoothness to the expensive flagships, actually the 6T is faster. For the $580 the 6T on the Android side is easily the best phone, why spend $920 on a brand new LG V40 over the 6T ? Why spend $840 on the Galaxy S9+ over the 6T ? Why spend $1,100 on the iPhone XS Max over the 6T ? ( personally I think spending over $1,000 on a cell phone is pure insanity and a poor decision, especially with how a year later they get outdated with a new model )

All these $900+ priced phones don't do anything different than the 6T. They all text the same. They all make phone calls the same. They all surf the web the same. They all have YouTube the same. They all play music the same. They all have pretty good overall cameras. I guess why spend any more than the OnePlus 6T for a new smartphone ? What do these $1,000 smartphone truly offer that the 6T doesn't ? Ok yeah IP68 is nice, wireless charging is nice too, but those features do not add up to the 50% price difference.
 
If going by price, the 6T wins always. It's a great phone, easily on par speed wise and smoothness to the expensive flagships, actually the 6T is faster. For the $580 the 6T on the Android side is easily the best phone, why spend $920 on a brand new LG V40 over the 6T ? Why spend $840 on the Galaxy S9+ over the 6T ? Why spend $1,100 on the iPhone XS Max over the 6T ? ( personally I think spending over $1,000 on a cell phone is pure insanity and a poor decision, especially with how a year later they get outdated with a new model )

All these $900+ priced phones don't do anything different than the 6T. They all text the same. They all make phone calls the same. They all surf the web the same. They all have YouTube the same. They all play music the same. They all have pretty good overall cameras. I guess why spend any more than the OnePlus 6T for a new smartphone ? What do these $1,000 smartphone truly offer that the 6T doesn't ? Ok yeah IP68 is nice, wireless charging is nice too, but those features do not add up to the 50% price difference.
$1000 isn't some magic limit. The Pixel 3 XL at $899 is overpriced, the Pixel 3 at $799 is overpriced, as is the Note 9 at $999, the XS at $999, the XS Max at $1099 and even the XR at $749.

But that doesn't seem to stop people (myself and many others here included) from buying them. And for that sole reason alone, manufacturers know that they can get away with that type of pricing. The OnePlus 6T and the Pocofone are prime examples as to why we don't need to pay those prices to still get a fantastic phone.

But why do people buy these overpriced phones? Well phone enthusiasts typically just want the best regardless of cost. For the average consumer? Simple - brand recognition. The companies up-charging on all these phones all are notable brands while lesser known companies like OnePlus prove that flagship phones are still available at significantly cheaper prices.

I will not be surprised that if OnePlus does well with their new T-Mobile partnership and become a more recognized smartphone brand that they'll also begin to jack up the prices of their phones.
 
I bet we see a $2,000 US dollar priced iPhone soon enough. Which will mean $1,500+ Android phones. And OnePlus will sell at the bargain price of only $999. I bet this is only 5 years away, if current trends continue.

And Trump doesn't put us into a massive economic depression in the meantime.

Phone carries have already started rolling out the 36 month plans, meaning the iPhone XS Max sounds pretty affordable to Joe Blow when it's only $28/month. Which is insane, because that's based off 3 years of payments.

So once phones reach closer to that $2,000 price tag, carriers will come out with 48 month plans to keep them looking affordable to Joe Blow.

I think these prices are pure craziness. $1,000+ becoming the norm is disgusting.
 
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I bet we see a $2,000 US dollar priced iPhone soon enough. Which will mean $1,500+ Android phones. And OnePlus will sell at the bargain price of only $999. I bet this is only 5 years away, if current trends continue.

And Trump doesn't put us into a massive economic depression in the meantime.

Phone carries have already started rolling out the 36 month plans, meaning the iPhone XS Max sounds pretty affordable to Joe Blow when it's only $28/month. Which is insane, because that's based off 3 years of payments.

So once phones reach closer to that $2,000 price tag, carriers will come out with 48 month plans to keep them looking affordable to Joe Blow.

I think these prices are pure craziness. $1,000+ becoming the norm is disgusting.

No one to blame but ourselves and other customers. If we suddenly stopped buying their phones and instead only bought a OnePlus 6T at $550 or a Pocofone F1 at $300 then they'd quickly rethink their pricing strategy.
 
No one to blame but ourselves and other customers. If we suddenly stopped buying their phones and instead only bought a OnePlus 6T at $550 or a Pocofone F1 at $300 then they'd quickly rethink their pricing strategy.

I bet that will be happening in the next few years. Once phones creeping to the $2,000 price tag
 
I bet that will be happening in the next few years. Once phones creeping to the $2,000 price tag
I don't think people will buy cheaper phones, they'll just hold onto their more expensive phones for longer - especially with these 36 month leases you mentioned.
 
But why do people buy these overpriced phones? Well phone enthusiasts typically just want the best regardless of cost. For the average consumer? Simple - brand recognition. The companies up-charging on all these phones all are notable brands while lesser known companies like OnePlus prove that flagship phones are still available at significantly cheaper prices.

Nah, more than anything else, it's just pure convenience with carrier financing and a low entry fee of $0-$200 (+ tax) depending on the phone. If these financing options weren't available, then I guarantee you that at least 1/3 (if not more) of these phones wouldn't sell and you'd see a LOT more $400-$600 phones out in the wild and/or people keeping their older phones for a lot longer. I'm sure brand recognition is a lot of it too, but more than anything else price dictates sales and with how convenient financing makes it to buy/lease these overpriced phones, coupled with how prolific they are with middle-class culture and carriers pushing them so hard in stores that half the broke-dicks I know have a iPhone X/XS or newer Note and barely a pot to piss in otherwise. It's actually somewhat comical to see people with these $1000+ phones working at near minimum-wage jobs and getting into/out of their nearly-dead shitbox cars when I happen to notice it out in public.

Anyways, back a bit more onto topic; I've been noticing a LOT more launcher redraws on my Pixel 2 XL in the last month or so, a lot like the memory issues that have been reported on the 3/3 XL. Not sure if this indicates a memory leak or something in the latest builds or what, but hopefully it will be fixed again soon.

Given that Google is shitting the bed more each year on both hardware and software design, hardware specs, and overall value, I'm pretty sure I would definitely go with a 6T or even a Note 9 (which my wife has now) at this point over the 3 XL. I'll probably be holding onto my 2 XL for the next year or so still though, so I really hope that OP puts stereo speakers on the next phones, because I really like them given that my last 3 phones have had them now and I don't want to give them up on my next phone. That's about the only issue I have with the 6T at this point.
 
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Stereo speakers like the iPhone XS, and IP68 rating on the OnePlus 7 would make it and instant buy for me.
 
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I actually really like my Pixel 3XL, the display is gorgeous, the camera is great, and I get fast updates once a month direct from Google. Plus nice features such as wireless charging and piece of mind with IP68. These aren't must haves, but good to have.

But people are saying the Pixel 3 is nowhere near worth the price, I should only get the OnePlus 6t and almost saying I'm stupid for buying the Pixel over the OnePlus.

Listen I agree the 6T is a great smartphone, and for sure the deal of the year at it's price. But I just prefer my Pixel a little better.
 
I actually really like my Pixel 3XL, the display is gorgeous, the camera is great, and I get fast updates once a month direct from Google. Plus nice features such as wireless charging and piece of mind with IP68. These aren't must haves, but good to have.

But people are saying the Pixel 3 is nowhere near worth the price, I should only get the OnePlus 6t and almost saying I'm stupid for buying the Pixel over the OnePlus.

Listen I agree the 6T is a great smartphone, and for sure the deal of the year at it's price. But I just prefer my Pixel a little better.
Literally no one is even remotely close to saying you’re stupid for buying the Pixel 3. I only said that *I* would personally purchase a 6T over a 3 XL for the reasons I had listed.

I don’t think anyone here cares what you end up buying. Day after day you post why you think the Pixel 3 is amazing as if you’re trying to justify the purchase to yourself. Just enjoy your phone.
 
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Literally no one is even close to remotely saying you’re stupid for buying the Pixel 3. I only said that *I* would personally purchase a 6T over a 3 XL for the reasons I had listed.

I don’t think anyone here cares what you end up buying. Day after day you post why you think the Pixel 3 is amazing as if you’re trying to justify the purchase to yourself. Just enjoy your phone.


I'm not saying the Pixel 3 XL is the best thing ever. No. Way.

In my world, I would've designed it to have an Essential phone type tiny notch. I would remove the bottom chin, and have the phone be almost all display with zero bezels. To do that give it stereo speakers like HTC Ten or iPhone XS. Then the phone would have like a 6.5" screen, but be overall smaller.

Give it 8GB RAM

4,000mAh battery


Google could have, and should have done that, and then they could easily charge the $1,000 price tag.


But they didn't, and we got the 3 XL. But I buy my phones for smooth fluid UI, direct fast updates, beautiful displays, the top cameras. Yeah the Pixel 3 XL could've been so much better, but it is what it is, and I'll still take it over a Galaxy or LG, or HTC phone any day, mainly because I like vanilla Android.

And the iPhone XS Max not even an option as it runs iOS, which is a no no to me in it's current form. Now if there's a stable Jailbreak, yes I'd suggest the iPhone then, but stock iOS just sucks so hard, it desperately needs the JB to bring the OS into this decade.

But I will give Apple credit on design and hardware. Apple makes the most beautifuly designed smartphones each year. And their hardware and processors are the BEST. Holding the iPhone XS Max is a treat, just such a nice phone, and still no Android phone looks or feels as good. Like Apple has some patent on coolest looking phone's. The full screen, no chin, and amazing Samsung display just make the XS Max jaw dropping.
 
Also, keep in mind, I got my Pixel 3 XL for $855 w/Tax + shipping final price. If it was $999+ I would not have bought it.
 
I went for the $749 iPhone XR. Beats all these Android phones on performance, with likely less chance of having memory issues. I hope Apple learned from the bug ridden iOS11 mistakes. The Essential is a great phone; it's just a mediocre device. While if the Pixel 3/XL was offered on JoD, it is definitely more likely that I would have gotten either of them. But the other thing I'm considering is the spyware in my pocket. It seems like ever since I got the Essential Phone, them targeted ads been hitting me pretty accurately. It's actually kind of scary.

But goddamn the notifications on this iPhone suck.
 
I went for the $749 iPhone XR. Beats all these Android phones on performance, with likely less chance of having memory issues. I hope Apple learned from the bug ridden iOS11 mistakes. The Essential is a great phone; it's just a mediocre device. While if the Pixel 3/XL was offered on JoD, it is definitely more likely that I would have gotten either of them. But the other thing I'm considering is the spyware in my pocket. It seems like ever since I got the Essential Phone, them targeted ads been hitting me pretty accurately. It's actually kind of scary.

But goddamn the notifications on this iPhone suck.
I turn off all notifications except for messages
 
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