I’ll believe it when I see it. Apple has a demonstrated track record of supporting their phones for years, Google has a demonstrated track record of killing anything that isn’t an immediate run-away success. So sorry Google, but I can’t just take your word for it.
this post was submitted on 26 Sep 2023
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When has Google failed to deliver on the promise of updating their phones? Yeah it's been way less than apple, but they have stuck to it every time.
You're 100% right about Google, but iPhone's also have a shit record for longevity. At least with android you can ROM them to update them. IPhone's just become useless bricks after Apple abandons them.
Respectfully, I disagree. I see far more people using older iPhones than using older Andriods. Personally I’ve never gotten a flagship Andriod to last more than a year without serious usability issues, like Google Maps running at 2 frames per second. I tried all the popular brands, Samsung, LG, Motorola, etc, and they all consistently ended up unusable after just a year of use, even if I factory reset them, they’d be right back to where they were in a month or two. I even took great care to leave them as factory as possible, installing only basic apps like gmail, Discord, Telegram, Chrome, etc. No power user stuff like Tasker or customization.
I got so fed up I switched to iPhone in 2020, and I’m still rocking the same 12 Pro Max I bought back then. My usage hasn’t changed from Andriod, but I feel like my phone is reliable again. I don’t have to worry about my phone crashing, and loosing Google Maps mid-merge, or not being able to call people if I’m in need. This three-going-on-four year old phone just got the latest iOS upgrade, and you could still go back a few gens if you wanted. Hell, my partner just found one of the first few iPod touches at a thrift store the other day, and even that still works just fine, you can install and use apps like normal.
Challenge: build quality lasts only 2.6 years.
You need to get a case and screen protector on your phone.
The only thing that'll let down my hardware is the battery.
Build quality ≠ wear & tear
Never had a lemon of a Pixel device? Count yourself lucky.
This is nice. I have a Pixel 6 running GrapheneOS which has 5 years of updates, so hopefully I won't have to buy another phone until then.
I hope that by then, the hypothetical Pixel 11 has a replaceable battery, due to the EU regulations and that would make my (almost) perfect phone (if only they included a 3.5 jack too).
The fairphone still beats that with 10 years of support. If only you could buy them in Canada...
If this is true, it would obviously be great. But I'll believe it in 7 years if/when the Pixel 8 gets Android 20 (assuming they go on with their yearly release cycle).
I'm not even sure they have the vertical integration to be able to do it. Some proprietary firmware for a modem that's not updated to work with later Linux kernels and all of a sudden it won't work with newer versions.
But if they can manage that, great.
Even then it's probably not for me. The last Pixel I tried for a week or so was the Pixel 6 Pro. The "Pro" Pixel line is their flagship lacking a lot of flagship specs: the SoC is basically a customized Exynos, which makes it rather inefficient compared to Qualcomm and Apple, resulting in pretty poor battery life despite sizable battery capacity. The optical (!) fingerprint sensor feels very slow (reminds me of first generation Touch ID, even though that probably was worse) and technically it's also less secure than an ultrasonic one. The camera system is usually up there, but hardly the benchmark anymore. If you want the "Google experience" (whatever that may be) it's probably great but other than that.
Also, storage options are very inconsistent with these. The biggest I could get in Germany was 256 GB with the 6 Pro, and that was only in black. Other colors were limited to 128 GB. There is a 512 GB version in some countries, but Google simply refuses to offer it here. Service/repair seems pretty horrible from what I've heard. 7 years of software updates don't help when you can't even get your battery changed quickly without hassle.
Phones overhyped by "tech" YouTubers. Their "a" series tend to offer great value for the money though, especially if you wait a few months after launch where prices from retailers drop quite significantly.
The only reason u would buy a pixel phone is to but graphene os on it
Ironically, the phone that potentially can be least infected by Google is the phone made by them.
I used the google to destroy the google.
I don't understand the downvotes. This is totally a valid reason to use a Pixel, specially with extended updates support.
I love graphene. I wish I had taken the plunge sooner.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
The big news is that Google is finally giving its Pixel phones a longer support window.
Google pitches the Pixel phones as the flagship of the Android ecosystem, and now, if this spec sheet pans out, the OS maker is finally giving them an update plan to match.
That would comfortably lead all major manufacturers, leaving only Google and Fairphone at the top of the charts.
The specs for the Pixel 8 Pro include something called a "Super Actua" display, which the marketing docs say will work "even in direct sunlight."
Manufacturers keep picking this fight with the sun, and while I guess brighter is better, I'm still not confident any phone will put a dent in sunlight.
The Tensor 1 and 2 had CPU clusters headlined by two Arm Cortex X1 CPUs and benchmarked similarly.
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