Pixel 7 / Pixel 7 Pro / Pixel 7a

Zarathustra[H] said:
Well, I haven't use the front ones yet, so I will reserve judgment for now, but I have come to really like the fluidity of the rear indented finger print sensor. I thought it was one of the biggest positive features of Googles phones. Once you get used to it, as you grab your phone from your pocket your finger just homes in on the fingerprint reader, and by the time you have the phone in a visible position, it is already unlocked.

I suspect the front fingerprint sensor could never be that efficient, but again, I will reserve judgment until I actually use one.

Generally my philosophy is that user interfaces should never change, but if they do it should be evolutionary. Think Windows 95 -> Windows 98 -> Windows XP -> Windows Vista -> Windows 7 as a good trend in this regard.

Developers and designers should learn to never change anything about user interfaces that necessitates a change in muscle memory of their users. Once designed, it should remain fixed in perpetuity (so design it well the first time around)

I still use Nova launcher to get a more constant UI on my launcher. Despite having nothing but Pixel phones since the first Pixel came out, I have never once used the Google Assistant or voice commands. (at least not on purpose, I may have accidentally triggered it once or twice) I don't see myself ever desiring to talk to my phone, or use any AI features what so ever.

I also still use the three navigation buttons on the bottom. I refuse to adapt to gestures.

View attachment 562085

I still miss the classic Office menu we haven't seen sine 2003. It's a WAY better design than the stupid ribbon.

Braking user muscle memory and making things new, just for trends or fashion oor for the sake of making things new is the number one cardinal sin of UI design, IMHO.

I have four demands when I buy a new phone (or device of any kind)

1.) No bloat. Let me opt out of and/or uninstall absolutely everything
2.) No cloud or sync of any kind. Never connect to the internet without being manually requested by the user.
3.) No AI features
4.) Don't change the user interface
5.) Make all new features optional, and opt in, never opt out.
6.) No data collection.

And I want my rear fingerprint sensor, damnit!
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Lol... Good luck with that. I mean I didn't like the gestures either and now when I go back to a three-button setup I don't like it.

You might as well just sign up for a flip dumb phone at this point.
 
I was a big fan of the 3-button navigation, but gestures have become so easy that I can't go back. I still miss the Home button, though. I liked being able to return to my home screen from anywhere on my phone with just a tap.

Anyone get the April update, yet?
 
Mad Maxx said:
I was a big fan of the 3-button navigation, but gestures have become so easy that I can't go back. I still miss the Home button, though. I liked being able to return to my home screen from anywhere on my phone with just a tap.

Anyone get the April update, yet?
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I haven't yet.
 
Tactlesss said:
I also can't stand the gesture system.
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It mostly still works if you choose it in settings, but they broke the "split screen" feature by holding square (I think it was? Can't remember now) and I haven't been able to use split screen in years as a result, which is annoying.

Never mind, I figured out how to do it. Still, annoying that they had to arbitrarily change it after the was a system in place that worked....
 
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Zarathustra[H] said:
I have four demands when I buy a new phone (or device of any kind)

1.) No bloat. Let me opt out of and/or uninstall absolutely everything
2.) No cloud or sync of any kind. Never connect to the internet without being manually requested by the user.
3.) No AI features
4.) Don't change the user interface
5.) Make all new features optional, and opt in, never opt out.
6.) No data collection.

And I want my rear fingerprint sensor, damnit!
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I suspect you're going to be waiting a long time if you're absolute about that criteria. After all, any Android phone with Google apps is going to have Assistant on it, even if you never use it. And I don't think UI changes are bad so long as they're thoughtful, or even don't significantly detract from the experience. I certainly wouldn't count on rear fingerprint sensors.

I find it much easier to embrace Bruce Lee's philosophy when it comes to tech... or a lot of things, really: be like water. That doesn't mean you have to like everything, but it does mean being open-minded and adapting to change rather than fighting it at every step. I've seen way, way too many people who say "I won't buy a phone unless it has old feature X" and wait for the industry reversal that never comes. Instead of learning to live with (and sometimes embrace) changes, they become That Person who holds on to a dying, obsolete phone simply because they'd rather be miserable than have anything less than their 'perfect' handset.
 
The updates always go live right after I finish doing something away from the phone, or out of wifi range.
 
Ended up getting a pixel 7 for $280 with tax. bought a pixel 5 for $128 and did the trade in for $320 off. Couple things I miss that the oneplus had. face unlock worked in dark conditions by turning the screen white. and being able to use multiple fingers to unlock.
 
I plug in the adapter and earbuds today on my pixel 7 and it says its not compatible, you got to be kidding me! First they remove the headphone jacks and now I have to buy a new adapter.

EDIT: apparently its cause the pixel doesn't have a dac, so the dongle needs one.
 
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I'm about ready to bag the p7...the battery life is abysmal even after a factory reset. I can't make it through the day without battery saver and that's with sub 3 hours of SoT.
 
There is something wrong with your phone (I think), I'm way over that and never charge during the day. I'll try to get screen on time / battery % this afternoon.
 
Initial checks (just browsing Imgur / news and updating 18 apps); 1 hour of screen on time over the morning is 15% battery, and that should count as hitting it pretty hard (data download/install, calls while internet reading).

Update: 3.5 hours screen time, many apps used, 70% battery.
 
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Something is off there. I have a 7 pro, running at 120hz and full 1440p resolution and...
screenshot_20230428-103146-png.566966


Actual use stats based off Accubattery.
I can easily go over a day without charging and sometimes just forget to charge it at night.
 

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kirbyrj said:
I'm about ready to bag the p7...the battery life is abysmal even after a factory reset. I can't make it through the day without battery saver and that's with sub 3 hours of SoT.
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My 7 Pro's battery life has been wretched since the February update. It was pretty good (for Android) until then. Right now, it's at 56% having made no calls, watched no videos, and recharged to 100% at 11am. All I've done is check emails/texts.
 
I wasn't thinking and threw my 7 on a trickle charger (it's rated at 1 watt) while showering after work, but it just stopped drain (because pandora). End of day; 6 hours screen time (ok, 5:57), 56% better left. What apps are using the most for you?
 
kirbyrj said:
I'm about ready to bag the p7...the battery life is abysmal even after a factory reset. I can't make it through the day without battery saver and that's with sub 3 hours of SoT.
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You're not alone, Pixel 7 here and all of a sudden my battery life is complete dogshit. In my case, I found that Discord was eating my battery even though I hardly use it during the day. I've since changed its battery usage from "Optimized" to "Restricted" and got back a bulk of my battery life.
 
TheSlySyl said:
Something is off there. I have a 7 pro, running at 120hz and full 1440p resolution and...
screenshot_20230428-103146-png.566966


Actual use stats based off Accubattery.
I can easily go over a day without charging and sometimes just forget to charge it at night.
Click to expand...

Is that Accubattery? Looking for something like that to try on my P7 (non-pro)
 
Yep... Big fan. Been using it since my Pixel 2.
The detailed breakdowns are super useful when trying to diagnose a battery hog.
Also it's just more stats, and I like stats.
 

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I got Accubattery Pro (for $0.99 after discount and a Play Store credit I had). I like it so far.
 
I seem to be doing a lot better battery wise lately. Not sure what the issue was but now it makes it through the day without problems.
 
Did I read that correctly? Only 3 years of updates for the 7A versus five for the 7 and 7 pro? Or is it 3 years operating system and 5 years security updates? I've seen both in reviews, but then again nobody actually does journalistic work anymore. It's just copy and paste from somebody else.
 
From google, and looks to line up with what folk are saying.


The Google Pixel 7a will get three Android platform updates and five years of security updates. This means the Pixel 7a will be updated to Android 16 at least and will be supported with security updates up until May 2028 at least.
https://www.androidauthority.com/google-pixel-7a-software-updates-3320290/
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https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/4457705?hl=en#zippy=,pixel-later,pixel-xl-a-a-g-a-g
Pixel 6 and later phones will get updates for at least 5 years from when the device first became available on the Google Store in the US.
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PhoneGuaranteed Android version updates until at least:Guaranteed security updates until at least:
Pixel 7 & Pixel 7 ProOctober 2025October 2027
Pixel 6 & Pixel 6 ProOctober 2024October 2026
Pixel 6aJuly 2025July 2027
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So now that the 7a is actually launched and I keep getting emails to buy it and get free pixel buds and a case in an introductory offer, I have been checking it out.

I'm just not convinced I can force myself to do it.

I don't understand why they had to get rid of the rear fingerprint sensor. The front one seems really shitty by comparison.

I'll also miss the 3.5mm audio outlet. No way in hell I am ever going to use wireless buds. That shit was dumb as hell when Apple introduced it, and it is still dumb as hell. Nothing wrong with wires. They will never have a dead battery when you want to listen to something, and will never fall out of your ears and disappear...

I may just hold on to the 5a until it goes EOL in August next year, at which point I guess I'll have to suck it up and choose something I hate.

This really sucks. Why does technology always have to get worse with every generation? it was supposed to be the other way around.
 
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Zarathustra[H] said:
So now that the 7a is actually launched and I keep getting emails to buy it ad get free pixel buds and a case in an introductory offer, I have been checking it out.

I'm just not convinced I can force myself to do it.

I don't understand why they had to get rid of the rear fingerprint sensor. The front one seems really shitty by comparison.

I'll also miss the 3.5mm audio outlet. No way in hell I am ever going to use wireless buds. That shit was dumb as hell when Apple introduced it, and it is still dumb as hell. Nothing wrong with wires. They will never have a dead battery when you want to listen to something, and will never fall out of your ears and disappear...

I may just hold on to the 5a until it goes EOL in August next year, at which point I guess I'll have to suck it up and choose something I hate.

This really sucks. Why does technology always have to get worse with every generation? it was supposed to be the other way around.
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I miss the 3.5mm jack but wireless earbuds are pretty awesome. I love working out with them, no wires to get in the way. I use wired earbuds for cycling.
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
So now that the 7a is actually launched and I keep getting emails to buy it and get free pixel buds and a case in an introductory offer, I have been checking it out.

I'm just not convinced I can force myself to do it.

I don't understand why they had to get rid of the rear fingerprint sensor. The front one seems really shitty by comparison.

I'll also miss the 3.5mm audio outlet. No way in hell I am ever going to use wireless buds. That shit was dumb as hell when Apple introduced it, and it is still dumb as hell. Nothing wrong with wires. They will never have a dead battery when you want to listen to something, and will never fall out of your ears and disappear...

I may just hold on to the 5a until it goes EOL in August next year, at which point I guess I'll have to suck it up and choose something I hate.

This really sucks. Why does technology always have to get worse with every generation? it was supposed to be the other way around.
Click to expand...
Don't knock it 'til you've tried it. Wireless earbuds are very liberating (if you've ever snagged a cord on your jacket or a weight at the gym, you'll know why), and the whole point of the charging case is that you can top up the buds while you're not using them. The Pixel Buds A-series are really good value, especially at "free."

I find that rear fingerprint readers are a bit overhyped. There's a bit of a hunt for it, and of course you can't unlock your phone while it's sitting on your desk or a wireless charger. Google's in-screen reader isn't super-fast, but it's quick enough that it's a non-issue.

Having said all this: if the Pixel 5a is still doing a good job, don't rush to get the 7a. The Pixel 8a will be faster, probably improve photography and otherwise reward your patience that little bit more. I just think the 7a is a great device for those ready to upgrade now.
 
Aurelius said:
Don't knock it 'til you've tried it. Wireless earbuds are very liberating (if you've ever snagged a cord on your jacket or a weight at the gym, you'll know why), and the whole point of the charging case is that you can top up the buds while you're not using them. The Pixel Buds A-series are really good value, especially at "free."

I find that rear fingerprint readers are a bit overhyped. There's a bit of a hunt for it, and of course you can't unlock your phone while it's sitting on your desk or a wireless charger. Google's in-screen reader isn't super-fast, but it's quick enough that it's a non-issue.

Having said all this: if the Pixel 5a is still doing a good job, don't rush to get the 7a. The Pixel 8a will be faster, probably improve photography and otherwise reward your patience that little bit more. I just think the 7a is a great device for those ready to upgrade now.
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Why can't we have both? More to the point, why take anything away?

I could understand an ultra budget phone that has every manufacturing corner cut to save a few pennies for its already low margins. But a flagship phone? Doesn't make sense at all.

Why can't we have both a 3mm jack AND wireless headphones?
Why can't we have a dedicated fingerprint reader and an in-screen one?
Why can't we have a physical keyb... err, nevermind. There are exceptions to the rule obviously.

What are they saving in costs? Like pennies?

For what some of these companies charge for a flagship phone, we should be getting all the bells and whistles or at least have these things as premium options. I dunno, feels less premium when features are taken away.
 
Thinness and money. Them jacks were phatties, and the phone makers wanted the loop closed for money.

While screens are getting bigger, phones are actually becoming thinner every year, and in comparison to a phone, headphones jacks are quite large. To make way for thinner model devices, smartphone companies have started to remove the jacks altogether.
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https://mobileklinik.ca/blog/5-reasons-why-your-headphone-jack-is-disappearing

I can think of two immediate benefits that might tempt a big company—let’s say Samsung—when they finally move away from the connector. Namely, it helps them lock people into using their audio products, and it saves them money on manufacturing

Back in 2017, Samsung bought Harman International, which owns and manufactures products under the AKG, JBL, and now Samsung audio brands. Those Samsung Galaxy Buds? Made with the expertise and manufacturing might of Harman. This is where Samsung is different than, say, OnePlus is that it owns a large audio company like Apple does now. While several phone companies are looking to create another small market for their own branded audio devices, companies like Samsung and Apple can shovel people back toward existing huge brands they own to close the loop.
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https://www.soundguys.com/was-ditching-the-headphone-jack-a-good-idea-13825/
 
Absalom said:
Why can't we have both? More to the point, why take anything away?

I could understand an ultra budget phone that has every manufacturing corner cut to save a few pennies for its already low margins. But a flagship phone? Doesn't make sense at all.

Why can't we have both a 3mm jack AND wireless headphones?
Why can't we have a dedicated fingerprint reader and an in-screen one?
Why can't we have a physical keyb... err, nevermind. There are exceptions to the rule obviously.

What are they saving in costs? Like pennies?

For what some of these companies charge for a flagship phone, we should be getting all the bells and whistles or at least have these things as premium options. I dunno, feels less premium when features are taken away.
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Oh, I'm not saying their decisions were smart or necessarily guided by more than penny-pinching. But I also don't think it's the end of the world. I'd much rather have a good phone that needs a headphone adapter or Bluetooth earbuds than a mediocre phone with a 3.5mm jack.

And I'll admit: I'm always amused by That Person in a tech forum who's an enthusiast, but holds out for the industry trend reversal that never comes. That's not quite the case here, but I really have seen people who are holding on to an ancient phone until they can get a flagship with a 3.5mm jack/removable battery/microSD storage/no punch-hole camera. They might be utterly miserable with a glacially slow phone that lasts two hours on a charge, but dammit they can plug in the headphones they got in college!
 
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