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surf rock
Aug 12, 2007

We need more women in STEM, and by that, I mean skateboarding, television, esports, and magic.
I feel like it's really hard to compare phones in a meaningful way. I've got an original Pixel that I got in November 2016, and I know it's coming to the end of its lifespan in two respects: (1) the software no longer getting updates and (2) the battery no longer lasting like it used to. Obviously, I know that if I get a Pixel 4 (or 3a, or wait for a 4a or 5), both of those problems are going to be solved for a few years.

But, I don't know how to compare differences in build quality, camera quality, processing speed... let alone if I compare my phone and the newer Pixels with other Android options like Galaxy or OnePlus. is there a good site or tool for that?

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Thermopyle
Jul 1, 2003

...the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt. —Bertrand Russell

surf rock posted:

I feel like it's really hard to compare phones in a meaningful way. I've got an original Pixel that I got in November 2016, and I know it's coming to the end of its lifespan in two respects: (1) the software no longer getting updates and (2) the battery no longer lasting like it used to. Obviously, I know that if I get a Pixel 4 (or 3a, or wait for a 4a or 5), both of those problems are going to be solved for a few years.

But, I don't know how to compare differences in build quality, camera quality, processing speed... let alone if I compare my phone and the newer Pixels with other Android options like Galaxy or OnePlus. is there a good site or tool for that?

It's really hard to compare the subjective experience without actually using the device yourself. More objective things like the comparative speed in benchmarks are available all over the internet. Just google "whatever phone review".

Even the objective things are not so simple to compare. How big of a deal is it to you for a phone to open an app in 1 second vs .75 seconds? Is a high refresh rate screen going to make you gush with excitement or be like "hmm, thats different"? Your subjective experience of interacting with objective specs just isn't going to come out until you use the thing.

FWIW, I went from an original Pixel to a Pixel 3a and I guess I'm as happy as I could get with any phone. (Which is to say, not super happy since phones are all bad in their own way...but that's more down to stupid design decision by Google or Apple in their respective OS's) While the 3a's specs don't blow away the Pixel, the Pixel had probably slowed down over years of usage for a variety of reasons. The 3a is plastic while the Pixel was...not, but the 3a is put together well and I don't have any complaints about its build quality.

However, I'm sure I'd have been as happy with many available phones. I'd just have made different compromises on them.

space marine todd
Nov 7, 2014



space marine todd posted:

Recommendations for a Samsung Galaxy S20+ screen protector? The one that comes default on the phone is peeling off on the sides and has some annoying air bubbles in a corner.

Any thoughts on this? Reviews are all over the place and inconclusive.

dissss
Nov 10, 2007

I'm a terrible forums poster with terrible opinions.

Here's a cat fucking a squid.
Consensus in the S10 days was grab some more of the OEM screen protectors and replace when they get damaged (and they will, the material is very soft)

Personally I peeled mine off and never got round to replacing it - to phone feels so much nicer that I'm willing to put up with the coating wearing off and any incidental scratches.

smoobles
Sep 4, 2014

surf rock posted:

I feel like it's really hard to compare phones in a meaningful way. I've got an original Pixel that I got in November 2016, and I know it's coming to the end of its lifespan in two respects: (1) the software no longer getting updates and (2) the battery no longer lasting like it used to. Obviously, I know that if I get a Pixel 4 (or 3a, or wait for a 4a or 5), both of those problems are going to be solved for a few years.

But, I don't know how to compare differences in build quality, camera quality, processing speed... let alone if I compare my phone and the newer Pixels with other Android options like Galaxy or OnePlus. is there a good site or tool for that?

I find it's better to upgrade your phone every 2-3 years for this reason (and to save money obviously). You won't notice big changes from one year to the next, but a 2020 phone compared to a 2017 phone will almost certainly make you think "oh yeah this is a huge leap from my old phone".

It's subjective definitely.

Endymion FRS MK1
Oct 29, 2011

I don't know what this thing is, and I don't care. I'm just tired of seeing your stupid newbie av from 2011.
Is a Pixel 3a XL a smart buy if I need a phone by June? I mentioned earlier my mom's birthday is in late June, and I'd like to upgrade her limping along Pixel 2. I thought about a OnePlus 7T, but its not in stock anywhere. I was going to wait for it to come back but The Pixel 3a XL is on sale for $319. That has the advantage of being basically exactly like her current phone, but with a weaker processor. What is you guys' advice? Are there any other phones I should consider?

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



Endymion FRS MK1 posted:

Is a Pixel 3a XL a smart buy if I need a phone by June? I mentioned earlier my mom's birthday is in late June, and I'd like to upgrade her limping along Pixel 2. I thought about a OnePlus 7T, but its not in stock anywhere. I was going to wait for it to come back but The Pixel 3a XL is on sale for $319. That has the advantage of being basically exactly like her current phone, but with a weaker processor. What is you guys' advice? Are there any other phones I should consider?

My mother will be using my aging Pixel 2 XL and I'll be upgrading her to a Pixel 3a eventually.

I'd say it's pretty much "what does your mom do with her phone" kind of thing.

My mom would use it for phone calls and...that's about it. I can use Google's Action Blocks to make things easy for her as she's coming from an LG Tribute HD with the simple UI thing turned on and that'll be that.

Does your mom do Duo or gaming or anything like that?

Endymion FRS MK1
Oct 29, 2011

I don't know what this thing is, and I don't care. I'm just tired of seeing your stupid newbie av from 2011.

ThermoPhysical posted:

My mother will be using my aging Pixel 2 XL and I'll be upgrading her to a Pixel 3a eventually.

I'd say it's pretty much "what does your mom do with her phone" kind of thing.

My mom would use it for phone calls and...that's about it. I can use Google's Action Blocks to make things easy for her as she's coming from an LG Tribute HD with the simple UI thing turned on and that'll be that.

Does your mom do Duo or gaming or anything like that?

She plays random slots games, browses Facebook, talks on the phone, takes selfies, and texts. Not really anything intensive. The 3a will probably be enough but I don't know how to judge a year old mid-tier processor

Thermopyle
Jul 1, 2003

...the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt. —Bertrand Russell

Endymion FRS MK1 posted:

She plays random slots games, browses Facebook, talks on the phone, takes selfies, and texts. Not really anything intensive. The 3a will probably be enough but I don't know how to judge a year old mid-tier processor

Ehh, like I said just a few posts before yours...it's really hard to convey this type of subjective thing.

IMO, she won't notice a difference, but that's just a guess.

Endymion FRS MK1
Oct 29, 2011

I don't know what this thing is, and I don't care. I'm just tired of seeing your stupid newbie av from 2011.

Thermopyle posted:

Ehh, like I said just a few posts before yours...it's really hard to convey this type of subjective thing.

IMO, she won't notice a difference, but that's just a guess.

That is true. But she also claims to have not noticed a difference switching from dialup to broadband, and SD to HD TV. And used a Galaxy S3 until her Pixel 2. So I feel like the good camera and bigger battery/screen would be the stand out features

Sneeze Party
Apr 26, 2002

These are, by far, the most brilliant photographs that I have ever seen, and you are a GOD AMONG MEN.
Toilet Rascal

Endymion FRS MK1 posted:

That is true. But she also claims to have not noticed a difference switching from dialup to broadband, and SD to HD TV. And used a Galaxy S3 until her Pixel 2. So I feel like the good camera and bigger battery/screen would be the stand out features
If she didn't notice a difference between dialup and broadband, then I don't see why she'd need an upgrade from a Pixel 2. The Pixel 2 is still a pretty good phone. My wife has one. It's great, suits her needs.

Endymion FRS MK1
Oct 29, 2011

I don't know what this thing is, and I don't care. I'm just tired of seeing your stupid newbie av from 2011.

Sneeze Party posted:

If she didn't notice a difference between dialup and broadband, then I don't see why she'd need an upgrade from a Pixel 2. The Pixel 2 is still a pretty good phone. My wife has one. It's great, suits her needs.

The tiny 2+ year old battery is shot. I went ahead and jumped on a new $320 Pixel 3a XL

Jethro
Jun 1, 2000

I was raised on the dairy, Bitch!
Hi thread. The battery on my 3.5 year old OG pixel is kaput, so it's time for a new phone. Budget isn't a huge concern, though obviously I'd rather not pay for 5 times the phone I really need. I don't do any non-causal gaming or photography, so I suspect I don't need a true flagship. If not for the battery life, I'd probably be fine keeping my current phone for at least another year (though maybe not as long as my wife's 5 year old and counting Galaxy). And I'm not super interested in looks since I'm kinda klutzy and I'll probably get another OtterBox defender case.

I do like the Pixel experience, but I've heard not great things about the Pixel 4. Is the "Pixel 4" backlash real or just FUD? The battery life appears to be an actual issue, but I don't know if I'm ever away from a charger long enough for 8 hours to be a deal-breaker, though, if I'm honest, I apparently have battery anxiety and try to keep my battery between 50% and 100% all the time (which probably contributed to my current effective battery life of 30 minutes). I think I like the size of the Pixel enough to not want to get an XL just for battery life. Are there other real issues with the 4?

If it were coming out in a month or two I'd probably just wait for the 4a. But August is probably longer than I'm willing to wait.

I guess, ultimately, my question is why shouldn't I just get a Pixel 4 tomorrow?

Iron Crowned
May 6, 2003

by Hand Knit
That's how it went down for me in November. Looking over the differences, I went with a 3a XL because I didn't really need all the bells and whistles of the 4 for the price it was at the time.

The 3a is pretty nice, and I really do like the polycarbonate body a lot compared to the aluminum of my OG pixel.

Guillermus
Dec 28, 2009



What would be a good mid-ranger (something up to 399€) for something like September? My Nokia 7 Plus is still working perfectly, battery and all that but I may relegate it to workphone and get something newer for my netflix/youtube and emulation needs. Depending market I'm even thinking on going a bit higher and try a Realme X50 Pro since it comes with the big Snapdragon but I don't have experience with the brand nor I know people that has one. Spanish market is literally Huawei, Xiaomi, Samsung and iPhone. My focus would be more on performance over camera and of course not being total garbage software wise (I don't mind going back to MiUI stuff since I'll slap nova launcher anyways).

ClassActionFursuit
Mar 15, 2006

Jethro posted:

I guess, ultimately, my question is why shouldn't I just get a Pixel 4 tomorrow?

I have a 4XL and like it a lot, but the battery on that isn't as tiny as the normal 4. With my typical use, the XL's battery is estimated to last me 2 days and change which seems about right though I'm not a heavy phone user. I also really prefer the face unlock though if you're going to be wearing a mask that's something to keep in mind. The other thing I should note is that I didn't pay full price which makes it a little easier to swallow. I paid just over $500 on Swappa and my guess is if I'd paid twice as much I'd like it half as much.

FogHelmut
Dec 18, 2003

Not sure if this belongs here or the headphones thread -

Anyone got the new Pixel Buds? I'm not an audiophile by any stretch and I don't even listen to much music, I'm mostly on podcasts while exercising and phone calls. Reviews seem to be mixed - a true airpod killer, or a very Googly implementation of good enough hardware and a killer app with limited use cases and only available in the Pixel ecosystem.

I claim to not be a Google person, but I have a Pixel 3 and use Fi, and have mostly always had Pixels and Nexuses and the Motorola when Google owned them, and will probably get a Pixel 5 unless they really screw it up. I mean I just really hate Samsung's operating system.

FogHelmut fucked around with this message at 19:01 on May 27, 2020

molestrios
Jan 21, 2020
So I have a Pixel 4XL on Google Fi and I keep getting messages that I need to "reenroll in face unlock", but that seems to be impossible. Anyone else have this issue? Google is telling me I need to do a factory reset. Any other options?

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



https://www.reddit.com/r/GooglePixel/comments/gsktp3/wonder_why_your_pixel_4_xl_is_randomly_turning/

Apparently the Pixel 4 XL has bad connectors for its battery and thus has issues with randomly turning off, rebooting, and having battery issues.

quote:




The battery connectors are so brittle that they crumble like saltine crackers. This is the fourth I've replaced at my store under warranty so far.

The replacement batteries are in 4 different batches, each of which has the number written on the connector. And each is a different width and so requires "Battery Shim 1-3" installed to not move around and break again. Or supposedly #4 is the right size in the first place and doesn't need a shim (I haven't gotten any of those yet).

(I'm a Google Certified Technician and fix Pixel phones daily)

Mister Facetious
Apr 21, 2007

I think I died and woke up in L.A.,
I don't know how I wound up in this place...

:canada:
Imagine having to pay out for a second class action on bootloops in less than ten years.

Cao Ni Ma
May 25, 2010



At this rate the nexus owners are going to have pixels for life for free

Soysaucebeast
Mar 4, 2008




butt dickus posted:

System takes up 16GB now, but 32 would be fine.


Not for me. If a phone doesn't have a micro sd card slot, I need at least 128 gigs. This is even after I deleted a bunch of podcasts. It's just that unless I'm at home, I'm not really in a place where I can download podcasts/books/music so I tend to keep a bunch on my phone at all times. I'm sure I would max out the storage if I downloaded Netflix/Youtube stuff too.

Soysaucebeast fucked around with this message at 17:17 on May 29, 2020

DrDork
Dec 29, 2003
commanding officer of the Army of Dorkness

Soysaucebeast posted:

Not for me. If a phone doesn't have a micro sd card slot, I need at least 128 gigs. This is even after I deleted a bunch of podcasts. It's just that unless I'm at home, I'm not really in a place where I can download podcasts/books/music so I tend to keep a bunch on my phone at all times. I'm sure I would max out the storage if I downloaded Netflix/Youtube stuff too.

I made the mistake of getting a 64GB phone and not realizing that Android will happily eat...<checks phone>...21GB of that for System. I'm not even a heavy media user, but between a single game, the usual splatter of apps that can't keep their file sizes reasonable (why are you 500MB, Galaxy Watch Plug-In? The gently caress are you doing?), and bunches of cat photos, I find myself at <5GB free way too often.

A 32GB System partition while they're still selling 64GB phones would be insulting.

Endymion FRS MK1
Oct 29, 2011

I don't know what this thing is, and I don't care. I'm just tired of seeing your stupid newbie av from 2011.
16GB, 18GB, 21Gb... Ha, you are like little baby:

OhFunny
Jun 26, 2013

EXTREMELY PISSED AT THE DNC
Why does system size vary so much between phones/users?

ringu0
Feb 24, 2013


molestrios posted:

So I have a Pixel 4XL on Google Fi and I keep getting messages that I need to "reenroll in face unlock", but that seems to be impossible. Anyone else have this issue? Google is telling me I need to do a factory reset. Any other options?

I'm stuck with this problem since January I think. I'm not aware of any other options.

Blue Footed Booby
Oct 4, 2006

got those happy feet

OhFunny posted:

Why does system size vary so much between phones/users?

Id like to know this too. My system section says 18 gigs. That's a gigantic difference compared to above. I could fit a usable Linux install in the difference. :psyduck:

Endymion FRS MK1
Oct 29, 2011

I don't know what this thing is, and I don't care. I'm just tired of seeing your stupid newbie av from 2011.

Blue Footed Booby posted:

Id like to know this too. My system section says 18 gigs. That's a gigantic difference compared to above. I could fit a usable Linux install in the difference. :psyduck:

I don't know what OnePlus' problem is, pretty sure the 7 Pro didn't have the ridiculous size. Not a giant deal since the phone is 128GB standard but it's still really dumb

bull3964
Nov 18, 2000

DO YOU HEAR THAT? THAT'S THE SOUND OF ME PATTING MYSELF ON THE BACK.


System on my OP8P is only 20gb which is about the same as the 19gb on my P4 XL.

Endymion FRS MK1
Oct 29, 2011

I don't know what this thing is, and I don't care. I'm just tired of seeing your stupid newbie av from 2011.

bull3964 posted:

System on my OP8P is only 20gb which is about the same as the 19gb on my P4 XL.

Why is the 7T so weird? :(

OhFunny
Jun 26, 2013

EXTREMELY PISSED AT THE DNC
My OP6T's system size is 12GB.

butt dickus
Jul 7, 2007

top ten juiced up coaches
and the top ten juiced up players

OhFunny posted:

Why does system size vary so much between phones/users?
Because non-Pixel phones have a bunch of garbage added to the system partition. I think it got bigger on Pixels recently due to seamless updates.

DrDork
Dec 29, 2003
commanding officer of the Army of Dorkness

butt dickus posted:

Because non-Pixel phones have a bunch of garbage added to the system partition. I think it got bigger on Pixels recently due to seamless updates.

My Pixel 3XL 64GB uses 21GB for System. I've read that at least part of it is due to having originally released with Android 9.x and then upgrading to 10.x, it uses more space than being 10.x from the start. Still, it's a huge amount of space to be using. I'd happily deal with needing to restart for updates more often if I could get 10GB of that space back.

butt dickus
Jul 7, 2007

top ten juiced up coaches
and the top ten juiced up players
The other benefit is you have a backup system in case something goes sideways. You "I need days worth of digital entertainment in my pocket at all times" people might not care about that, but the average user probably doesn't want to have to deal with bootloaders and recoveries and all that nonsense.

DrDork
Dec 29, 2003
commanding officer of the Army of Dorkness
See, that's kinda my point: I don't have days of anything in my pocket. What I have is a massive System partition eating 1/3 of my usable space, a normal collection of apps designed by people who clearly don't give a gently caress about file size (why, exactly, does a banking app need to take up 400MB, eh? You don't even have appreciable media assets to be storing!) taking up another 1/3, leaving me with ~20GB of actual usable space for documents and media. If you like taking photos and videos at higher than potato-resolution, download a few hours of podcasts (and most podcast apps will helpfully pre-load a considerable amount of stuff with usually no way to limit that, other than turning it off entirely), and otherwise use it like a normal person (allow website caching, etc.), that space goes real quick.

Regardless, 20+GB is excessive. The Pixel 2 running 9.x had a typical System size <10GB. It's hard to accept that the OS itself has doubled in size in a year or two. What does seem probable is that Android is not great at clearing out stuff after updates and patches, and you end up with a bloated System size after using it for a year+. Factory restoring it would probably fix that, but that is a massive pain in the dick, considering how hard it is to get some stuff to port over correctly (like any authenticator app).

Sininu
Jan 8, 2014

OhFunny posted:

My OP6T's system size is 12GB.

And my OP7 has it at 13GB.

cage-free egghead
Mar 8, 2004
My LG V30 is at 13gb, which I'm actually surprised by given how much I use the phone.

ThermoPhysical
Dec 26, 2007



https://twitter.com/AndroidDev/status/1266589514937466880

Android 11 Beta release date delayed. No reason given but it might be due to the protests going on nationwide here in the US. Also could be due to the 100,000 deaths from COVID-19. Those are definitely not cause for celebrating a new OS.

The current rumor is the Pixel 4a will be announced on July 13th so that might be when the public beta drops but there's no telling, really.

ThermoPhysical fucked around with this message at 11:11 on May 30, 2020

90s Solo Cup
Feb 22, 2011

To understand the cup
He must become the cup





Can't figure out why the Photos app uses a whopping 4GB of space with 3.85GB of that being user data alone.

Endymion FRS MK1 posted:

The tiny 2+ year old battery is shot. I went ahead and jumped on a new $320 Pixel 3a XL

Best Buy refunded the $60 difference between what I paid for my 3a XL ($379) and the price drop that happened a week after I bought mine. At least I'm not feeling as if I was ripped off by not waiting a few more days.

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CLAM DOWN
Feb 13, 2007




90s Solo Cup posted:



Can't figure out why the Photos app uses a whopping 4GB of space with 3.85GB of that being user data alone

It caches photos as you scroll through them. It can quickly consume a lot of space if you have a lot of photos.

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