Like them or not, Google's Pixel phones will be the iPhone competitor we've demanded for years

Water proofing would be nice for peace of mind, but to be honest, I've never had a water issue with any phone I've owned so (knock on wood) I don't think that will be an issue.

As far as wireless charging goes, I think that is just stupid and wasteful. It is highly inefficient, wastes energy creates heat, adds bulk and cost to a phone and for what? The minute convenience of not having to plug your phone in? I'll pass. I'm not too lazy to plug a cord in when I want to charge :p


I've never had a problem with water and my phone either, but that wasn't really my point. The point was that it is a big feature of phones this year, and if they want to charge premium prices, they should be including current premium phone specs.

As far as wireless charging goes, I actually like it. Is it necessary? No. It is just extremely convenient to be able to put my phone on my nightstand at night and not have to fumble around with a cord in the dark. It's also a feature of basically every Android flagship out there, so again, I feel like it should be included at this price point.
 
Overall Google really did deliver an exceptional device and early hands on reviewers say Google Assistant is flat out awesome.

If Google Assistant turns out to be legitimately useful in day-to-day use I will definitely amend my impression. I guess since all the innovation is in software its difficult to immediately gauge what sets this device apart, unlike hardware innovation which you can more easily appreciate on-the-spot.
 
Well, keep in mind, the only people who participate in forums like this one are those who are most likely to prefer cheap and cheerful.

I don't get that impression after checking the video card, monitor or cpu forums! At least we can't SLI cellphones, then wallets would be in real trouble.

The price means different things to different people. I'm replacing a 4-year-old phone, hopefully the pixel XL lasts as long for me. And it's switching me to Fi, which is a huge plus, lowering my bill by ditching verizon.
 
After sleeping on it I really don't think the price is that bad. Overall if I got a Pixel XL 128GB with device protection that puts me at ~$37 a month. Currently with T-Mobile and my G5 with JUMP i'm at ~$38 (26.25 for device +$12 for JUMP). So Pixel XL is technically the better deal there.

I think the shock came from people conveniently forgetting that there were trade offs for the low cost Nexus devices (I'm guilty of this because the price bothered me when it was first announced). Then I remembered Nexus was never designed to be a mainstream device. Nexus was a developer phone first and foremost. Nexus camera quality was pretty much shit for many generations. There's a reason why Nexus and "Potato camera" are synonymous with each other. During the time of Nexus 4/5/6 microSD card was in just about every device BUT the Nexus line. You didn't have IR blasters in the Nexus devices or high quality DACs or anything like that. You didn't even have the best screens. Nexus 6 was a more premium device and we saw a price tag of $650+ and people bitched (I didn't. I loved my N6). Nexus 5X and 6P were cheaper because they had no frills, old SoCs and the 810 in the 6P was known to be garbage.

Now we have a truly premium device like so many have been clamoring for and as soon as we get it people bitch because it costs too much but is right in line with other devices on the market.




You are 100% correct.
I thought TMo just axed JUMp this week?

Exclusive: T-Mobile no longer offering JUMP! On Demand for new customers


NVM, only for new customers...but old customers are under old rules, I guess?
 
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How ya liking the iPhone 7 Plus. ?
Best iPhone ever. I didn't expect it to be so fast. The touch sensor is quicker than my HTC 10. I'm not thrilled about being locked down in iOS again, especially after several months with Android. But, the speed and battery life make up for it. Maybe we'll see a jailbreak for iOS 10 soon.
 
I like the feature set, minus the lack of an SD slot - I don't think that "feature" should have been copied over from the iPhone. And the device checks most of the boxes for me (pros: great camera, non-swipe fingerprint sensor on back, large battery, native Android, AMOLED, fast charging - cons: no mSD slot, no removable battery).

Few things hurt the Pixel launch. But what did was the pricing and the availability. They're priced about on par with he LG lineup, not so bad, not great. But their availability at only Best Buy, Google Store, and Verizon limits me. I can't do a Jump on Demand to get out of my lease because they aren't being sold by T-Mo directly. The iPhone remains popular because it's everywhere. Google needs to get everywhere. Nice to see Google is doing the same financing as the carrier's though.
 
Was just thinking that in all the hubbub about the Pixel devices there appeared to be absolutely no mention of Andromeda yesterday, or did I miss that? Wasn't really paying much attention to what all the Googlefolk were babbling on about to be honest, and I didn't watch the entire keynote - did they mention anything about the next Pixel laptop either? Hrmmm... maybe I will have to do a fast run-through of the keynote today and check.

For all that happened yesterday, that tweet that came out last week from Hiroshi Lockheimer, SVP Android, Chrome OS & Play:

Ooops.png


I have to wonder if he still feels the same way considering. ;)
 
Was just thinking that in all the hubbub about the Pixel devices there appeared to be absolutely no mention of Andromeda yesterday, or did I miss that? Wasn't really paying much attention to what all the Googlefolk were babbling on about to be honest, and I didn't watch the entire keynote - did they mention anything about the next Pixel laptop either? Hrmmm... maybe I will have to do a fast run-through of the keynote today and check.

For all that happened yesterday, that tweet that came out last week from Hiroshi Lockheimer, SVP Android, Chrome OS & Play:

Ooops.png


I have to wonder if he still feels the same way considering. ;)


Yeah after yesterday, I don't recall anything memorable that 8yrs from now we'll still be talking about. Unless it's the iPhone-esque pricing strategy, no more affordable Nexus, and now super high priced Pixel, which is a major change from the Nexus line all these years. Even though each year the Nexus phone always had current flagship hardware matching whatever current high end Samsung Galaxy phone had for the same year. So don't know why all of a sudden putting a better camera in and maybe a nicer display, doubled the price of this new Nexus I mean Pixel ?
 
The thing I don't understand, year after year the Nexus phones always had top of the line hardware, same exact processors and same RAM, and same screen resolution as the current Galaxy S or HTC One M phone from that same year, but those Samsung and HTC phones were selling for $650 to $700 off contract, whereas the Nexus phones sold for $399. Yeah the Nexus phones maybe had a poor camera, and maybe lower end build quality, but is that worth double the price difference ? Nope.

So why is this Pixel now so much more expensive all of a sudden compared to like the $499 Nexus 6P ? Is the better camera, and display costing that much more to shoot it up from $499 to $800 ? No way. You can't count the internal hardware, as that always get upgraded and improved year to year. So even if there was a Nexus 7P, it would also be rocking the SD820 + 4GB RAM.
 
I don't find the Pixel devices appealing at all, so obviously the pricing doesn't matter to me personally since I wouldn't buy one. Hell, if someone knocked on my door right now and offered me a Pixel and Pixel XL (in black of course) I'd put 'em on eBay within an hour I suppose. ;)

I don't know what the hell Google is thinking at this point and we all know they didn't have millions of these things in the wings for the pre-orders, especially the blue variant that apparently sold out in what, an hour or less, so I suppose we'll find out as things move along.

Just nothing impressive or outstanding at all in that keynote but like I said in another thread, Google (and Microsoft and most every other company) does need to take a cue (or many) from Apple in terms of their presentations because even in spite of my distaste for Apple on many levels, they do know how to put on a show.

Perhaps the reason the Pixel devices are so much more expensive is that the companies Google has been using for their hardware OEMs (Samsung, LG, HTC, Huawei) finally realized they're not making much money on the margins considering the lower cost for the premium specs and this time Google just couldn't entice any of them to do things once more considering how much more control Google wanted and got over the final product with the Pixel units.

Hard to say but, sooner or later the OEMs would just have to say enough's enough considering the low numbers of sales of Nexus devices over the years. This time out, Google seems to be on their own, or maybe I'm just reading it wrong.
 
The thing I don't understand, year after year the Nexus phones always had top of the line hardware, same exact processors and same RAM, and same screen resolution as the current Galaxy S or HTC One M phone from that same year, but those Samsung and HTC phones were selling for $650 to $700 off contract, whereas the Nexus phones sold for $399. Yeah the Nexus phones maybe had a poor camera, and maybe lower end build quality, but is that worth double the price difference ? Nope.

So why is this Pixel now so much more expensive all of a sudden compared to like the $499 Nexus 6P ? Is the better camera, and display costing that much more to shoot it up from $499 to $800 ? No way. You can't count the internal hardware, as that always get upgraded and improved year to year. So even if there was a Nexus 7P, it would also be rocking the SD820 + 4GB RAM.

You really need to get over the price. Nexus devices were almost NEVER the best hardware. That shitty OMAP in Galaxy Nexus? The 810 in the 6P and 808 in 5X? Not the greatest chipsets. There's a reason why last years S6 didn't use Snapdragon...

You'd be surprised how much extra a quality camera costs when you pack it so small. That cheap ass construction on the Galaxy Nexus or N4 or N5 saved a bundle. List goes on. Bottom line is the Nexus line typically was more mid-range than high end. The 5X and 6P weren't even high end because of the lack of RAM (especially in 5X) and the weak chipsets (808 and 810).

The only Nexus device that could probably be considered high-end would be Nexus 6. Great build quality. Great screen. Good chipset with Snapdragon 805 and finally a quality camera. Cost of Nexus 6: $650 for 32GB version

So yeah...time to get over the price.
 
Ok I'll get over the price, just like 99.99% of smartphone buyers will too, and this Pixel phone will be a bust, most likely the lowest selling Nexus type device ever.
I wonder if the Nexus One sold better than the current batch of Windows for Mobile phones...
 
Ok I'll get over the price, just like 99.99% of smartphone buyers will too, and this Pixel phone will be a bust, most likely the lowest selling Nexus type device ever.

Well you'll never know. Google has never announced numbers. Some have speculated that the Nexus 6 only sold about 3 million devices (which in reality is a pretty good failure). Nexus was never a big seller. Wasn't meant to be. All we know is next year we'll see Pixel part deux and we'll keep moving on.
 
Ok I'll get over the price, just like 99.99% of smartphone buyers will too, and this Pixel phone will be a bust, most likely the lowest selling Nexus type device ever.

Since Google never release the number of shipment, we will never know how many unit was sold.

it's not a horrible phone, and this time actually closer to what I want a Google branded phone would be, except Micro SD slot.
The price is a bit high still, but overall hardware spec is at least on par with most same price range flagship.
 
I recall a year or two ago that there was some sales numbers released for the Nexus line, and it was pretty dismal. Certain versions barely broke the 1 million mark, and most were not much higher than 2 million phones sold in a 12 month period. With the Nexus 5 from 2013 being the #1 seller of all Nexus phones getting close to 3 million sold, tops.

My point being that the iPhone or Galaxy S phone for a 12 month period might sell like 50 million each, maybe a lot more ? So this Pixel line has a very tough road ahead to come even a fraction close to those numbers. I'd be shocked if the Pixel phones sell even 10% to that of the Galaxy S7 numbers, most likely 5%.

And that begs the question, what's Google next step for Pixel phones ? Will they test it on Verizon for 6 months, and then launch on other carriers ? Or will the Pixel 2, come out on all carriers at launch with a bigger push ?

I guess at this point I'm more interested in the Pixel 2 in 2017, very curious Google's strategy after 12 months of Pixel phone sales ? It could be success and surprise them with great sales, or could be a bigger dud than they expected ?
 
In response to "Nexus users are cheap as fuck" and such: there's some of that, but it's more just a matter of them being tech nerds who demand actual value for the price. For the masses, a smartphone is more a status symbol than a piece of tech, and their buying decision is probably dominated by the right brain over the left brain. I'm not trying to say $750 flagships are objectively not worth the money, but if you looked a year ago at the Nexus 6P at $499 compared to the iPhone 6S+ or Note 5 at $750+, it's entirely reasonable to find the former a much better value for the experience you're getting. I'm sure many Nexus 6 and 6P buyers could've easily afforded the big name flagships if they wanted them.

With that being said, I think the Pixel line would've been quite fair starting at $549 for the 32 GB small version, rather than $649. Using the 6P as the basis for comparison again, it's tough to justify the jump from $499 at launch to $769 at launch on any objective grounds.

In reality, though, I believe this pricing partially reflects Google recognizing that smartphones are veblen goods, because the general public are irrational and consumed with prestige/status. It wouldn't shock me at all to see this phone do better with the general public precisely because it's expensive, at least after a generation or two. If this is what it takes to finally get the best mobile experience available (stock Android on good hardware) into the mainstream, I suppose it's a sacrifice that must be made, even if it sucks for the Nexus user base in the short term.

FWIW, I was browsing my Facebook feed last night and noticed a diehard iPhone user (who isn't a tech nerd in the least) posting a link to CNET's coverage of the Pixel and expressing an openness to switching because he "loves Google services and uses them all the time." He and millions others like him aren't aware that Nexus has offered essentially the same experience at a lower price point for 5 years, but it doesn't matter: because this is marketed as being purely a Google device and it looks like an iPhone at iPhone prices, it's suddenly on their radar. It wouldn't shock me if this first Pixel iteration is a complete sales flop, but it's also possible that sales from the general public more than compensate for us nerds revolting. If it were in all US carrier stores, I'd actually be leaning toward that scenario panning out.
 
I think the way this thread is going, we've pretty much confirmed that android supporters are cheap and nexus supporters are cheap as fuck... A new exploding Galaxy sells for this price! But when Google does it...

A better way of saying this is this. At comparable pricing to the iPhone, Pixel has to be a just as good if not better alternative to the iPhone.

The iPhone can be priced higher because people are buying the Apple "brand", which many perceive as a "premium" brand for some reason. You're not actually getting $750 worth of phone parts.

And I find it hilarious that Google thinks it can sell itself as a "premium" brand.

It's Google.
 
The iPhone can be priced higher because people are buying the Apple "brand", which many perceive as a "premium" brand for some reason. You're not actually getting $750 worth of phone parts.

And I find it hilarious that Google thinks it can sell itself as a "premium" brand.

It's Google.

It's not the brand, it's the platform that cost its money.

Honestly, Apple have lost its brand long time ago... They sort of just die out after iPhone 4S, especially the iPhone 6.
No one buys iPhone because of branding, people buy iPhone because it just work out of box, and much better user experience. Android is seriously lacking in these departments.
 
What Android phone doesn't "work out of the box"?

I have tried to get people who is not familiar with "Smart" phone to use android, none of them are able to pick up the phone call, because Android design is to drag to answer.
Yet, iOS just simply a click. I have been trying to get the families with smartphone, the one with Android have so many questions and problems with it one way or the other,
iOS on the other hand got none of those bullshit and just using it fine.

Also, my wife's Nexus 5X is just super sluggish and slow with awful battery drain. Almost no 3rd party app install since 16GB gets you nowhere.
Most android phone is a shit show after few month of usage without some modding, either the battery drain insanely fast or slow performance compare to brand new.
Especially those Android OS update, each one is a downgrade for a phone pretty much. The only one that is still lasting without much of these problem is probably HTC.
 
Wow, just saw a picture of these phones just now. So, Did Google try at ALL to hide the fact that these phones are a direct, no shame, absolutely unoriginal rip of the iPhone 6-7? They look terrible, and on top of that, unoriginal. The iPhone 6-7 designs are worthless! now these phones look identical. WTF GOOGLE?
 
Wow, just saw a picture of these phones just now. So, Did Google try at ALL to hide the fact that these phones are a direct, no shame, absolutely unoriginal rip of the iPhone 6-7? They look terrible, and on top of that, unoriginal. The iPhone 6-7 designs are worthless! now these phones look identical. WTF GOOGLE?
There isn't a single major OEM with the balls to forge an entirely new path and send the message: "yeah, we're not Apple; we're better than Apple." Every single one of them has been falling all over themselves to make their phones more like iPhones in one way or another for years. If it isn't the physical design (as is the case with Pixel and a lot of recent Samsungs), it's some nauseating iOS imitation skin (ahem, Huawei). This, despite the fact that iPhones are a niche product that only specifically cater to the needs of superficial customers and/or those who value simplicity over capability (obviously, plenty of people who don't fall into that description buy them, but only because they don't feel like they have any better options). It's hopeless.
 
What Android phone doesn't "work out of the box"?

the one that pops to mind instantly, compared to iphone, is battery life. Almost all android phones, with a couple of exceptions, have awful battery life. 50% or less compared to iphone.
 
For everyone who keeps bringing up the monthly payment/carrier option as a plus, on the checkout page on the Google Store you can pay monthly.
 
the one that pops to mind instantly, compared to iphone, is battery life. Almost all android phones, with a couple of exceptions, have awful battery life. 50% or less compared to iphone.

I would have to speak up here and say this is BS. EVERY iphone user I know complains about their battery life and thus why they have their screen dimmed to death.
 
Almost all android phones, with a couple of exceptions, have awful battery life. 50% or less compared to iphone.

And here I am using the Galaxy S7 Active, a thoroughly unpopular phone overall, missed over by so many, and yet I'm getting 2+ days of battery life and 6-7+ hours of SOT with pretty much every charge from 15% to full, go figure. Stock AT&T 6.0.1 Marshmallow ROM, Package Disabler Pro disabling all the crap I don't actually have any use for (about 155 packages), I got no complaints so far. ;)

Yes it's a 4000 mAh battery, yes it can do fast charging (but I don't), yes it gets the job(s) done very well, takes somewhat great images with the camera sensor and lens assembly (sorry, the G4 spoiled me and I still think it captures the best images of any smartphone so far), IP68 rated, I could go on but yeah, it works for me without issues.
 

Probably whatever the next HTC is if HTC is still around, some Chinese manufacture phone (which I wouldn't touch even if you paid me) or maybe Sony if they don't abandon the smartphone market.

Bottom line is Pixel (non-Verizon version) will still be the "easiest" device to root and build AOSP ROM's for.

Samsung - Pretty much impossible to unlock now. Even achieving root typically requires a leaked engineering boot for the device. That eng boot causes plenty of other issues too. Just visit the S7 guys. Yeah they got root but battery life issues, heat issues, and instability came along with it. AOSP based ROMs? Impossible. Custom kernel? Impossible.

LG - typically unlockable but extra steps needed to actually achieve root since LG has been removing fastboot commands. AOSP ROMs for current LG devices is very hard to get working. CM13 only recently available for LG G5 and it's pre-alpha honestly. Not even worth trying to use as a daily driver due to some of the bugs. LG V10 AOSP ROMs were just as bad and that pretty much eliminated the change of using the secondary screen. Time will tell but I expect none of this to change with the V20.
 
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For everyone who keeps bringing up the monthly payment/carrier option as a plus, on the checkout page on the Google Store you can pay monthly.

This is at least a little bit of progress. Though I am a bit concerned that it is essentially a credit card style financing/loan through a 3rd party bank. If you read the fine print it has 30% APR! Now granted that shouldn't occur if you pay it off per the "promotional" schedule of 24 payments etc... I'd still want to talk to someone at Google before I signed up for any such thing, the way I'd do so with a cell phone provider. That said, it is still a deficient option compared to those offered by many cell phone providers - at least T-Mobile and (I hear) Sprint - in that there isn't any "early upgrade" option.

Most cell phone providers offer a "Upgrade to a new phone before the thing is paid off if you've made at least 6-12 payments, and turn the phone back in" element on their financing. T-Mobile even has a "Upgrade up to 3x a year at no cost, just turn the phone in when you do" option, though it is no longer available to new accounts / those who aren't on one of the two upgrade options. Google's plan means that you'll pretty much need to finish paying off the complete phone no matter what, which is a significant downside compared to the cell provider. Furthermore, with Google Store only selling Pixel (and maybe Nexus?) devices with a release once a year, it is a lesser value proposition compared cell providers where there are many phones available as part of the same upgrade "plan".

Yet another place Google needs to do better with Pixel / Fi if they really expect to compete, but they're starting from a deficiency.
 
so.. I have this Droid Turbo 1 .. long in the tooth. been waiting to upgrade. originally planned Note 7, but, issues, and.. really wanted to go pure AOSP -ish, so waited for Nexus.. well.. now Pixel. hmm. considered iPhone, but I left iPhone after 3G, weary of apple's bs. so.. I guess a pixel it shall be.. but may as well wait a month or two, let them start being used and some actual user experiences start showing up on threads.
 
so.. I have this Droid Turbo 1 .. long in the tooth. been waiting to upgrade. originally planned Note 7, but, issues, and.. really wanted to go pure AOSP -ish, so waited for Nexus.. well.. now Pixel. hmm. considered iPhone, but I left iPhone after 3G, weary of apple's bs. so.. I guess a pixel it shall be.. but may as well wait a month or two, let them start being used and some actual user experiences start showing up on threads.

I would consider the V20 as well. The V phones have got overshadowed by the iPhone, Note, and Pixel phones, but if it's anything like the V10 it will be a solid phone if you want something a bit different. It gets bonus points for shipping with Nougat installed too.
 
I would consider the V20 as well. The V phones have got overshadowed by the iPhone, Note, and Pixel phones, but if it's anything like the V10 it will be a solid phone if you want something a bit different. It gets bonus points for shipping with Nougat installed too.
I will check that, thanks man
 
I would consider the V20 as well. The V phones have got overshadowed by the iPhone, Note, and Pixel phones, but if it's anything like the V10 it will be a solid phone if you want something a bit different. It gets bonus points for shipping with Nougat installed too.

Loved my V10. V20 release date just announced for T-Mobile. October 28. Free B&O H3 earbuds ($150 value) with V20 purchase through T-Mobile.

My JUMP is ready again October 29. Guess I'm going back to the V series of phones since Pixel isn't really an option for me unfortunately.
 
It's technically a Nexus device with no Nexus logo on it. Google wants you to believe they made the damn phone. They're not actually aiming at the current Nexus users. They're targeting new customers and I am cool with that.

Yes, I do not like the 6p size factor, but for the price I paid? It is a well made phone and definitely worth the price. I would buy the Pixel for the same $499 price, but for almost $700 bucks after taxes I would seriously consider the iphone and not the damn Google HTC Pixel.
 
Probably whatever the next HTC is if HTC is still around, some Chinese manufacture phone (which I wouldn't touch even if you paid me) or maybe Sony if they don't abandon the smartphone market.

Bottom line is Pixel (non-Verizon version) will still be the "easiest" device to root and build AOSP ROM's for.

Samsung - Pretty much impossible to unlock now. Even achieving root typically requires a leaked engineering boot for the device. That eng boot causes plenty of other issues too. Just visit the S7 guys. Yeah they got root but battery life issues, heat issues, and instability came along with it. AOSP based ROMs? Impossible. Custom kernel? Impossible.

LG - typically unlockable but extra steps needed to actually achieve root since LG has been removing fastboot commands. AOSP ROMs for current LG devices is very hard to get working. CM13 only recently available for LG G5 and it's pre-alpha honestly. Not even worth trying to use as a daily driver due to some of the bugs. LG V10 AOSP ROMs were just as bad and that pretty much eliminated the change of using the secondary screen. Time will tell but I expect none of this to change with the V20.
So you're telling me I'm going to have to buy a Pixel. Dammit! ;)
 
Probably whatever the next HTC is if HTC is still around, some Chinese manufacture phone (which I wouldn't touch even if you paid me) or maybe Sony if they don't abandon the smartphone market.

Bottom line is Pixel (non-Verizon version) will still be the "easiest" device to root and build AOSP ROM's for.

Samsung - Pretty much impossible to unlock now. Even achieving root typically requires a leaked engineering boot for the device. That eng boot causes plenty of other issues too. Just visit the S7 guys. Yeah they got root but battery life issues, heat issues, and instability came along with it. AOSP based ROMs? Impossible. Custom kernel? Impossible.

LG - typically unlockable but extra steps needed to actually achieve root since LG has been removing fastboot commands. AOSP ROMs for current LG devices is very hard to get working. CM13 only recently available for LG G5 and it's pre-alpha honestly. Not even worth trying to use as a daily driver due to some of the bugs. LG V10 AOSP ROMs were just as bad and that pretty much eliminated the change of using the secondary screen. Time will tell but I expect none of this to change with the V20.


Sad days ahead for Android :(

- No more affordable Nexus phones, only the crazy expensive $800+ Pixel, and not even supplied on all carriers on contract.
- Samsung phones are super locked down, the good old days of the Note 2 which had dozens and dozens of amazing custom ROM's are gone. My Rooted and ROM'd Note 2 back in the day, goes down as one of my fav Android devices, had great development support. Too bad those days are gone.
- LG has gone locked down, and if not, there's very limited development on LG phones.
- HTC is the only one left, but even those are Sense based ROM's don't even see Cyanogen CM ROM's really anymore on new HTC phones.

- OnePlus is pretty much the last phone, and has taken the spot for the affordable Nexus type phone, with great development. I still have my OnePlus One as a backup, running a CM13 ROM, and for an old phone, that OPO is really good still.
 
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