I want to upgrade my Pixel 2 XL...

auntjemima

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Well, I don't want to, and I truly don't "need" to, but I kinda need to as I have a few issues and I have just been living with them.

- My pictures are all grainy. Doesn't matter how much ambient light is around me.
- power button either double clicks or doesn't click at all. You might have to press is 5000000 times to get the screen to power off, taking screenshots is painful, for example. Been this way for more than 6 months.
- battery is starting to go. Used to be 30% when going to bed, then it started almost dying and I started to adjust the brightness to about 70% which helped tremendously. Now it doesn't seem to be doing much.

So, off I go to my carriers store, which I haven't been to since I bought this 3 years ago. I have been out of contract for years and I like it that way (for quite a while I have been looking at pixel 3 XLs locally for sale, but haven't jumped on one yet).

So, I'm on the site and looking at the Pixel 5. I see there isn't an XL version, but it seems the screen is still 6", just less bezel, cool, whatever. But the rest of the specs are meh? Am I reading this right? They are barely better than what I have and it used to be each gen was significantly better than the last and THIS gen is 3 gens newer than mine.

What gives?
 
Last years pixel devices got really fucking weird both in naming and in specs, there's multiple threads about it.

What you're probably looking for is the Pixel 4A 5G, which is bigger, released at the same time and is basically the same phone as the Pixel 5, except with 2GB less RAM.


tenor.gif
 
Last years pixel devices got really fucking weird both in naming and in specs, there's multiple threads about it.

What you're probably looking for is the Pixel 4A 5G, which is bigger, released at the same time and is basically the same phone as the Pixel 5, except with 2GB less RAM.


View attachment 319559
The 4a is bigger than the 5?
 
From a 2XL to 4A here. Love it.
How is it comparable? I am really losing patience with this one, and it's speed is definitely not an issue, but what makes you love it?

Looking for feedback! Thanks!
 
To me the 4a 5g is the only google phone that's worth it. Even that's pushing it. If you can get a good deal on a previous one plus generation phone... They are worth a look. But they are becoming less appealing as each generation goes by.
 
To me the 4a 5g is the only google phone that's worth it. Even that's pushing it. If you can get a good deal on a previous one plus generation phone... They are worth a look. But they are becoming less appealing as each generation goes by.
I finally did some looking at the 4a 5g and it seems nice. But then I take a look at the Huawei phones and even a used p30 pro is leaps and bounds over mine and I can get it used locally for $300.
 
After the 4 got rejected for being a shit, overpriced phone, Google has fled into Safe Mode cave and just gone and made the successful A-series into their main phone for this iteration; I imagine also that whatever they had planned for Pixel 5's improved radar features had to be scrapped and redesigned from the ground-up :rolleyes:


I'm on a Pixel 2 (5 would be a small singe-threaded and massive GPU downgrade), so I would wait a year, and see what they release next winter
 
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What you're probably looking for is the Pixel 4A 5G, which is bigger, released at the same time and is basically the same phone as the Pixel 5, except with 2GB less RAM.

4a 5G has 2GB less RAM, but also has no water resistance rating or wireless charging either.

I'm in the exact same boat as OP; 2 XL looking to upgrade to something soon. But fortunately my 2 XL's hardware is still going stong and the battery is still lasting all day for me, though I have been careful to baby the battery on this phone since I got it by capping most charges at around 80% and not letting it sit on a charger at 100% overnight like I did all my previous phones that needed batteries 18 months into ownership.

I'm only looking to upgrade because software updates are important to me and the 2 XL got its last update last month in December. So as of right now I'm pretty much waiting for a sale on the Pixel 5 or I might get one of the new S21 phones if I get selected for the Mobile Insights thread like I did for the Note 5 and Note 9 phones to get them 50% off at launch (look up the Samsung Mobile Insights thread in Genmay for more info if needed). Samsung is really the next best thing for software updates now outside of Google, as they're supporting their phones with 3 major OS upgrades now and 4 years of security updates, which is actually a bit better than Google. Plus my wife's Note 9 is still running great for her, so I think all the complaints of Samsung bloat are pretty exaggerated since their One UI came out a few years ago. If only Google could just make a phone with competitive hardware at any price point, I could consider them again. But IMO since the 2 XL came out, they've cut way too many corners in hardware and demanded the same price premium as Samsung and others somehow. The Pixel 5 was a move in the right direction too IMO, but they definitely still overpriced that phone for its mostly mid-range specs (765 SoC, slower UFS 2.1 storage, 1080p display, only two cameras on the back, etc.). I was hoping it would go on sale on BF for $600 or less, but they could only offer $50 off, unlike previous years where they did $200 off (though on much more expensive phones then too). So here I wait.
 
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I tried several of the 2020 flagships (Note 20 5G, OP 8 Pro, Pixel 5, Xperia 1II), but returned all of them. Just didn't win me over enough to ditch my 3XL. Work bought me an iPhone 12 Pro Max. I like it, but still prefer Android for my personal phone.
 
Ugh... Seems I am sticking with this phone then. I considered replacing the battery, but I'm pretty sure the water proof will be ruined if I try it.
 
I'm also sticking with my Pixel 2. Was also planning on the Pixel 5 but then underwhelming specs of the pixel 5. And with Android 11 really helping my Pixel 2 run smoother makes me feel fine the Pixel 2 for another year.

Honestly my only complaint with my phone is Pokemon Go load times.
 
Ugh... Seems I am sticking with this phone then. I considered replacing the battery, but I'm pretty sure the water proof will be ruined if I try it.

Meh, unless you plan on submerging the phone or something, I wouldn't worry much about water resistance. Even then any phone I had before that wasn't rated for water resistance survived just fine after being submerged like my old Note 2 that fell out of my pocket while I was running through a parking lot during a torrential downpour and I didn't realize it until I got home 10 mins later that it was missing. So I went back and it was in a deep puddle with water rushing over it for at least 20 mins and it still worked fine after I let it dry out with the battery out for a few hours. Maybe I was lucky, but since then and after all the YT vids I've seen of non-water resistance rated phones surviving for the most part and using older phones in the rain without issues, the IP rating seems over-rated to me and I would prefer OEMs skip the license for it and provide their own water resistance rating and testing like OP did before caving to the marketing pressure of IP ratings.

But if you absolutely need it, I'm pretty sure if you go to UBreakFix, the OEM authorized repair place for Pixels, to replace the battery, it should retain the water resistance rating and they may warranty the repair for that if it somehow becomes water damaged (may not though too because factory warranty doesn't cover water damage despite the rating, but they should guarantee water resistance some how, so not sure how that would work). Even if the repair is $80 or so (think it was last I checked), that's still a lot cheaper than a new phone and worth doing if you plan on keeping it for several months still, IMO. Otherwise, I would just do it myself for a fraction of the price with a battery off Amazon or eBay like I have for all my previous phones. From what I recall, the 2 XL is one of the easier phones to replace the battery one, much easier than my previous 6P and One M8 I'm sure.
 
Meh, unless you plan on submerging the phone or something, I wouldn't worry much about water resistance. Even then any phone I had before that wasn't rated for water resistance survived just fine after being submerged like my old Note 2 that fell out of my pocket while I was running through a parking lot during a torrential downpour and I didn't realize it until I got home 10 mins later that it was missing. So I went back and it was in a deep puddle with water rushing over it for at least 20 mins and it still worked fine after I let it dry out with the battery out for a few hours. Maybe I was lucky, but since then and after all the YT vids I've seen of non-water resistance rated phones surviving for the most part and using older phones in the rain without issues, the IP rating seems over-rated to me and I would prefer OEMs skip the license for it and provide their own water resistance rating and testing like OP did before caving to the marketing pressure of IP ratings.

But if you absolutely need it, I'm pretty sure if you go to UBreakFix, the OEM authorized repair place for Pixels, to replace the battery, it should retain the water resistance rating and they may warranty the repair for that if it somehow becomes water damaged (may not though too because factory warranty doesn't cover water damage despite the rating, but they should guarantee water resistance some how, so not sure how that would work). Even if the repair is $80 or so (think it was last I checked), that's still a lot cheaper than a new phone and worth doing if you plan on keeping it for several months still, IMO. Otherwise, I would just do it myself for a fraction of the price with a battery off Amazon or eBay like I have for all my previous phones. From what I recall, the 2 XL is one of the easier phones to replace the battery one, much easier than my previous 6P and One M8 I'm sure.
I haven't looked into the process, but I think I will now. I replaced the battery in my 6P as well and it was irritating after years of replacing apple batteries by removing three screws lol
 
Get a pixel 4a and immediately installed Graphene OS. It's one of the best phones ever only $349.99
 
Get a pixel 4a and immediately installed Graphene OS. It's one of the best phones ever only $349.99
What makes it 'the beat phone ever"?

I'm legitimately serious, because comparing it to my phone, which is 2 generations older, it's meh.
 
What makes it 'the beat phone ever"?

I'm legitimately serious, because comparing it to my phone, which is 2 generations older, it's meh.
It's not the best phone ever if you're coming from a higher-end device, that's for sure.

The regular Pixel 4a is a good phone because of the value for money -- $350 gets you a phone that takes great photos and has solid performance if you aren't particularly demanding. The problem, of course, is that it's pretty easy to want more performance, cameras and features.
 
What makes it 'the beat phone ever"?

I'm legitimately serious, because comparing it to my phone, which is 2 generations older, it's meh.
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It's not the best phone ever if you're coming from a higher-end device, that's for sure.

The regular Pixel 4a is a good phone because of the value for money -- $350 gets you a phone that takes great photos and has solid performance if you aren't particularly demanding. The problem, of course, is that it's pretty easy to want more performance, cameras and features.
the performance is very good I don't notice much of a difference from my oneplus 7t with a 90hz and sd 855+
 
Wife went from the 2xl to the 5 and really likes it. Slightly narrower but slightly taller screen. Double the battery life. 3.5mm jack. Never had a complaint with the 2xl speed, so the 5's lackluster cpu isn't noticed by her. Basically if you were happy with the 2xl hardware, the 55 is a nice evolution, without being a huge change.

Personally, I am waiting to see if the 5 Pro happens
 
Wife went from the 2xl to the 5 and really likes it. Slightly narrower but slightly taller screen. Double the battery life. 3.5mm jack. Never had a complaint with the 2xl speed, so the 5's lackluster cpu isn't noticed by her. Basically if you were happy with the 2xl hardware, the 55 is a nice evolution, without being a huge change.

Personally, I am waiting to see if the 5 Pro happens
I am edging towards the 4a 5g, which seems to just be a 5 in disguise. The Samsung and Huawei phones seem to be leaps and bounds better than these Google ones, but who knows if the Huawei will get randomly booted from carriers, with how scared everyone seems to be about them and my experience with Samsung is bloat.

Maybe I'll just stick with my 2 XL for now. It's irritating as all hell, but it's not a thousand bucks either.
 
Maybe I'll just stick with my 2 XL for now. It's irritating as all hell, but it's not a thousand bucks either.
This has been my attitude with my 3XL. Its battery life sux. but it still performs well in all the ways I need. As much as I'd like to upgrade, there just ain't nuthin' I've seen lately to justify a $1000 purchase.
 
Gave my son my Pixel 5, it is great little phone, but just too tiny for me, and the earpiece speaker sucks for phone calls. Other than that. it really is a very good phone.

If they made the same exact phone in an XL version, with a 6.7" screen and like a 4,500mAh battery I would've gotten that in a heartbeat. Especially with the compact almost no bezels and punch whole front facing camera, it wouldn't feel like a 6.7" tablet sized phone, it would still be a small / large phone.

Here's hoping we get a Pixel 6 XL.
 
My Pixel 2 started doing this:
1626915058178.png

1626915094261.png


That's the battery expanding so much that its pushing the screen off the body. You can actually see through to the other side of the phone underneath the lifted screen, and that screen is bulging at such an angle that you can feel it while in use.
I don't trust this phone to last long enough till the Pixel 6 is announced so I decided to do a super quick upgrade to a Pixel 4a through the Fi Subscription program in the meantime, for fear that this screen might just break in half or that battery will explode on me.

So I upgraded to a Pixel 4a, which, surprisingly, is actually a real upgrade. Not just a sidegrade with a better screen to body ratio. I think i'll be happier with it for longer than anticipated.

Anyone else hear of something like this happening with Pixel 2s?

Also, replacing the battery seems like an absolutely unnecessary clusterfuck of a procedure.
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Google+Pixel+2+Battery+Replacement/103334
 
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My Pixel 2 started doing this:
View attachment 377352
View attachment 377353

That's the battery expanding so much that its pushing the screen off the body. You can actually see through to the other side of the phone underneath the lifted screen, and that screen is bulging at such an angle that you can feel it while in use.
I don't trust this phone to last long enough till the Pixel 6 is announced so I decided to do a super quick upgrade to a Pixel 4a through the Fi Subscription program in the meantime, for fear that this screen might just break in half or that battery will explode on me.

So I upgraded to a Pixel 4a, which, surprisingly, is actually a real upgrade. Not just a sidegrade with a better screen to body ratio. I think i'll be happier with it for longer than anticipated.

Anyone else hear of something like this happening with Pixel 2s?

Also, replacing the battery seems like an absolutely unnecessary clusterfuck of a procedure.
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Google+Pixel+2+Battery+Replacement/103334
Never had this issue. Phone is still being used here and there for an MP3 player or by the kids for some games.
 
Been pretty happy with my Pixel 5 the past few months coming from the 2 XL. I really like the smaller size now. The only thing I really miss is the much better front facing speakers. I was worried I would notice the resolution downgrade, but I can't tell the difference even side by side. I can tell the display is much better on every other respect though (no crushing blacks at low brightness, much better high brightness outdoors). But I'm looking forward to seeing what the 6/6XL brings and if the hype delivers, I may pass this 5 to the wife to replace her old Note 9 and pick up the 6.
 
get a pixel 4a for $350 and install graphene OS
I actually did get a 4a and in the week or so that I've had it, it's a much bigger improvement over the Pixel 2 than I expected.

What benefits does Graphene OS offer to someone so ridiculously entrenched in Google as I am.
 
I actually did get a 4a and in the week or so that I've had it, it's a much bigger improvement over the Pixel 2 than I expected.

What benefits does Graphene OS offer to someone so ridiculously entrenched in Google as I am.
It's an Android-based OS that's basically de-Googled (no apps/services) with better security. Never tried it, but it looks interesting.

https://grapheneos.org/
 
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I actually did get a 4a and in the week or so that I've had it, it's a much bigger improvement over the Pixel 2 than I expected.

What benefits does Graphene OS offer to someone so ridiculously entrenched in Google as I am.
it's just plain vanilla Android with out Google's firebase api and all the googley bits. No playstore support. I use F-droid apps which are better than 98% of the Playstore apps anyway. I use Aurora store to install google play store apps in graphene os. Aurora store just randomly Spoofs a google account and allows you to install the app. Some apps don't work that heavily rely on the Firebase Api calls. Some work fine but use the firebase api for notifications. Like for example the protomail app. But this OS gives us freedom from iOS and Google no longer under their control.
 
Ah, Google already owns my soul and all of my data so I'm not that interested in removing that functionality. Does sound neat though, Might give it a try on a secondary phone.
 
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