Related
For those of us like myself who had the Note 7, and now the S7 Edge or who have the V20 all these feature packed phones, would going to a Pixel XL be boring to us? I know the Pixel doesn't have the gimmicks like the Note, but do you consider the butter smooth software, and great camera a trade off?
Blues fan said:
For those of us like myself who had the Note 7, and now the S7 Edge or who have the V20 all these feature packed phones, would going to a Pixel XL be boring to us? I know the Pixel doesn't have the gimmicks like the Note, but do you consider the butter smooth software, and great camera a trade off?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be honest I love how buttery smooth the pixel xl is compared to my nexus 6p. I never use any of the fancy features that other phones have I mainly focus on performance. I've had the nexus 7, 10, 6 and 6p and would say if you want performance, come to the pixel xl. If you want fancy features, stick with your current phone
Yeah, the Pixel is VERY boring. Google basically went with iPhone ideology on this one. The only redeeming quality of the Pixel is Project FI, which is really economical for a low data user such as myself.
I almost cried a little when I put my beloved Note7 in a fire-proof box last night.
nabbed said:
Yeah, the Pixel is VERY boring. Google basically went with iPhone ideology on this one. The only redeeming quality of the Pixel is Project FI, which is really economical for a low data user such as myself.
I almost cried a little when I put my beloved Note7 in a fire-proof box last night.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Um wouldn't go that far dude. It's still Google software. It's not that much different than the nexus experience. It's definitely no where as boring as iPhone. That's just crazy talk lol.
toknitup420 said:
Um wouldn't go that far dude. It's still Google software. It's not that much different than the nexus experience. It's definitely no where as boring as iPhone. That's just crazy talk lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fair point. Pixel XL is about as boring as Boston is compared to Vegas.
nabbed said:
Fair point. Pixel XL is about as boring as Boston is compared to Vegas.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey I'm from Boston lol. Vegas is def more fun than here lol.
toknitup420 said:
Hey I'm from Boston lol. Vegas is def more fun than here lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Note 7 was a hoot! Really! And I've seen them all- Nexus One, HTC Evo/4G/3D, Epic 4G Touch. Pixel is not one of them. And I use one! Sorry, and sorry!
I own the v20, s7e and pixel xl. While the pixel out of the box is plain that's not my main point of getting it it. I'm a nexus user and when I killed my 6p 4 months ago I felt lost. Got the Samsung and hate bloat and ui, then v20 came out and while it's got decent hardware I'm just not super impressed with it.
Got my pixel and haven't looked back, it is my daily driver while v20 is work phone and s7e goes to my 6 year old ha.
rustyjay said:
I own the v20, s7e and pixel xl. While the pixel out of the box is plain that's not my main point of getting it it. I'm a nexus user and when I killed my 6p 4 months ago I felt lost. Got the Samsung and hate bloat and ui, then v20 came out and while it's got decent hardware I'm just not super impressed with it.
Got my pixel and haven't looked back, it is my daily driver while v20 is work phone and s7e goes to my 6 year old ha.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In your post, you mentioned current high-end phones - LG V20, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and, Google Pixel XL. (Hey, I have the Pixel XL -HIGH-FIVE!) But what you didn't mention is the excitement factor- if you spend over $900 US dollars on a phone, you want something special. You better want something special, unless you are a billionaire and the leader of the Free Wor...
Never Mind!
Hey! We are both stuck with the best phone money can buy, Pixel XL. And it sucks compared to the Note 7 (which I just returned to a cold-hearted US Cellular rep who couldn't print a simpl.... Never mind!
My point is, in 2016, we are both cucked (except I didn't say cucked.) We have been robbed, and we have been had.
Instead of enjoyment of our labors, we were given the finger and a Pixel XL.
I'm going slightly mad...
nabbed said:
In your post, you mentioned current high-end phones - LG V20, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and, Google Pixel XL. (Hey, I have the Pixel XL -HIGH-FIVE!) But what you didn't mention is the excitement factor- if you spend over $900 US dollars on a phone, you want something special. You better want something special, unless you are a billionaire and the leader of the Free Wor...
Never Mind!
Hey! We are both stuck with the best phone money can buy, Pixel XL. And it sucks compared to the Note 7 (which I just returned to a cold-hearted US Cellular rep who couldn't print a simpl.... Never mind!
My point is, in 2016, we are both cucked (except I didn't say cucked.) We have been robbed, and we have been had.
Instead of enjoyment of our labors, we were given the finger and a Pixel XL.
I'm going slightly mad...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not mad at all, I knew exactly what I was getting. Wife had the note 7 bomb and while it's a nice phone it still can't do what the unlocked pixel can. I've been building Roms for the nexus since Nexus s and all the gimmicky gadgets and bloat don't add up to the freedom this phone brings you.
I'm coming from a Galaxy S5 and I couldn't agree more! Never thought I'd say it but newer touch whiz does offer some very nice features that you don't realize until you don't have them. Kinda crazy to go from that to such a new expensive phone and not be that impressed at all. I actually think it's better to have a phone running a skinned version of Android as long as the bootloader can be unlocked. When it comes to development there are far more options then. Take the S5 for example. Most of its life we only had root. Even with just root the devs were able to do some amazing things with touch whiz. Once the bootloader got unlocked is when it got fun. We had so many options. You could install a modified TouchWiz ROM.. you could run a port from another phone.. or you could run AOSP.
I know everyone says development will pick up for this phone but you would think there would be some more action already. Even when things so start to pick up how far will it really go? We are basically limited to going back and forth between different AOSP roms which are mostly all exactly the same with minor differences throughout.
I'm on Verizon so I know my options are limited but I got this phone for only $140 and if there was another newish phone with lots of development going on I would sell it and get that.
Blues fan said:
For those of us like myself who had the Note 7, and now the S7 Edge or who have the V20 all these feature packed phones, would going to a Pixel XL be boring to us? I know the Pixel doesn't have the gimmicks like the Note, but do you consider the butter smooth software, and great camera a trade off?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me put it this way.
All the "features" "gimmicks" them others gotta put in their phones because otherwise they'd be slow craptastic shooters.
I miss nothing those other phones have, none of the gimmicks. I enjoy and use my pixel xl way more than my previous phones. Thats just imho, YMMV
As for something special for $900, it's the latest greatest Google hype train, if you ain't got one or you're still waiting on your delivery, you just ain't in... you get to say you had Google's first phone, you're a pioneer, living on the edge, avant-garde, first with daydream vr, first to use assistant, even though she doesn't do much now. Basically.
rustyjay said:
I'm not mad at all, I knew exactly what I was getting. Wife had the note 7 bomb and while it's a nice phone it still can't do what the unlocked pixel can. I've been building Roms for the nexus since Nexus s and all the gimmicky gadgets and bloat don't add up to the freedom this phone brings you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your "Wife" had the "note bomb," didn't she?
And that bomb couldn't do, STILL couldn't do, what my unlocked Pixel could?
Do you truly believe that?
nabbed said:
Your "Wife" had the "note bomb," didn't she?
And that bomb couldn't do, STILL couldn't do, what my unlocked Pixel could?
Do you truly believe that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely
rustyjay said:
Absolutely
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We have a wonderful phone, don't we?!
The xl is good but three things I'm not impressed with. It's too big compared to the g4 with the same screen. It's too slippery in the hand. If the bottom bezel was smaller at least you could teach around the screen without losing the phone. The camera is not as good as the g4, though it is pretty good.
Things I love. Developer phone! (I have the Google one) fast updates.
aholeinthewor1d said:
I'm coming from a Galaxy S5 and I couldn't agree more! Never thought I'd say it but newer touch whiz does offer some very nice features that you don't realize until you don't have them. Kinda crazy to go from that to such a new expensive phone and not be that impressed at all. I actually think it's better to have a phone running a skinned version of Android as long as the bootloader can be unlocked. When it comes to development there are far more options then. Take the S5 for example. Most of its life we only had root. Even with just root the devs were able to do some amazing things with touch whiz. Once the bootloader got unlocked is when it got fun. We had so many options. You could install a modified TouchWiz ROM.. you could run a port from another phone.. or you could run AOSP.
I know everyone says development will pick up for this phone but you would think there would be some more action already. Even when things so start to pick up how far will it really go? We are basically limited to going back and forth between different AOSP roms which are mostly all exactly the same with minor differences throughout.
I'm on Verizon so I know my options are limited but I got this phone for only $140 and if there was another newish phone with lots of development going on I would sell it and get that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I came from S5 as well and am definitely missing all the custom roms right now. The TouchWiz based roms were OK but there is always something that is just ugly with TouchWiz that can't be changed and that drives me nuts. I am excited to get some custom roms on the Pixel XL that actually keep the quality of the camera. That was always a trade-off with AOSP based roms on the S5.
Sent from my Pixel XL using XDA Labs
I've had mutiple Samsung's, HTC and nexuses. Beside the notes s pen, which I didn't use, what can those phones do that a pixel cant? Either with stock or custom ROM. Secondly, a nexus boring? The reason I came back to a nexus is cause all those other phones are boring. If you think a nexus is boring, you need to dive a little deeper into XDA and learn about the things a nexus can do...far from boring
Had a note 7 replaced my Nexus 6 with it. Was a great phone replaced it with the pixel xl and it's not boring but I didn't use a lot of the Samsung gimmicky stuff. I missed not have bloat when I got the note 7. My wife has the v20 not my thing and the s7e is basically the note 7 with no pen. So if you are looking for a change get the pixel. BTW it is faster and smoother then any of the other phones. Like the Nexus line it will be updated to the latest version of Android first
I came from note 7 which was great. I only miss water resistant and the pen. This phone feels a lot faster, plus I like that I can do multi screen with Netflix. The battery is good enough for me. Camera is great. I don't have much to complain about. Those 3 things outweighs the missing features since it's my main 3 things I look for in a phone. Plus pure android.... I dislike apple
Kind of in a hard spot right now, both amazing phones but which one do you guys recommend?
Camera on the Pixel still beats the S8 & due to pure Android it feels much faster
Do you care about an unlocked boot loader, custom ROMs, root?
Pixel xl bought straight from Google you have a lot more freedom, and best part of all you can try out Google project fi. Also pure Android is the best in terms of speed, no bloatware, and you'll get the latest updated with the pixel XL. Or you can wait for the pixel 2 which is soon to be unveiled
Yeah i decided to go for the xl, i don't wanna wait for the s8 to get root and also i love flashing custom roms etc..
Mother of God. Of course the Pixel! Why would you want a lagfest phone? And this isn't because this is Pixel section, create same topic on Samsung section and my answer will be same, except there won't be any answer as I don't visit their section.
Congrats in advance by the way.
kel29738 said:
Kind of in a hard spot right now, both amazing phones but which one do you guys recommend?
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Click to collapse
Having used both the pixel XL and the samsung s8 plus, I would definitely recommend the pixel XL for the below reasons
1) The HDR+ is excellent in the google pixel XL. The front camera is also great for selfies
2) Stock android, haven't seen it lag till date. After a few weeks quite a bit of lag is visible in the S8 plus
3) in my view the Pixel XL is easier to hold and use on a daily basis. The Samsung S8 plus is quite scary to hold especially if you are a person who moves around a lot and travels
4) The google assistant is of some use. I didn't use the Bixby at all while it was there (no voice support)
5) The battery life is brilliant and gets me through the day
The only downside is the speaker output in the google Pixel XL but yeah I have bluetooth speakers. I miss the Always on Display but I love my Pixel XL that I got back to it and wouldn't look for a replacement
Shawn haz root said:
Do you care about an unlocked boot loader, custom ROMs, root?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you do the Pixel XL isn't actually a great phone. Google made the Pixels to run stock Android. They want Pixel users to run stock Android. Independent development is almost nonexistent for the Pixels compared with the wide variety of roms, kernels and tweaks that were available for the earlier Nexus devices. The Pixel is a headache to flash on, root and develop for. There is no official version of Magisk for the Pixel and according to the dev there may never be. Custom kernels for the Pixel are missing the most basic modification that custom kernels usually provide --the ability to change the governor. The Pixel XL is an excellent phone if you want to run stock Android but anyone who claims it's a great phone for development and flashing is either lying, stupid or completely delusional.
jhs39 said:
If you do the Pixel XL isn't actually a great phone. Google made the Pixels to run stock Android. They want Pixel users to run stock Android. Independent development is almost nonexistent for the Pixels compared with the wide variety of roms, kernels and tweaks that were available for the earlier Nexus devices. The Pixel is a headache to flash on, root and develop for. There is no official version of Magisk for the Pixel and according to the dev there may never be. Custom kernels for the Pixel are missing the most basic modification that custom kernels usually provide --the ability to change the governor. The Pixel XL is an excellent phone if you want to run stock Android but anyone who claims it's a great phone for development and flashing is either lying, stupid or completely delusional.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But still I don't see the S8 being in a better place with knox when it comes to custom ROMs and kernels. On the contrary I would say it is worse in that section.
Funny. I just sold my galaxy s8+ for a regular pixel .... Yes 5" pixel. I really wanted an xl but finding a use 128gb google version pixel for $100 was a no brainer. Here is my little story and why i say PIXEL ALL THE WAY.
i bought this pixel has a spare since is was.such a great price. I had my galaxy s8+ since launch. amazing phone until i used the pixel for a few minutes. There i learned how laggy and stuttery the sg8 is. I couldnt even use it anymore since i already experience how smooth the pixel was. I sold my gs8+ 2 days after and kept the pixel. The gs8 is a great phone and has all this feature. But software which is my main purpose i purchase the phone doesnt cut it. I want a smooth OS experience and not the lag hell like touchwiz even with its 835 chipset. Things are much more laggy than this.
By the way. I got the pixel for $100 but in black. I was tired of black phones and took mine to ubreakifix. They charged me $250 to do an entire very blue conversion. Looks brand new out of the box white face screen and blue housing. One of the few with a very blue 128gb version.
jimmmysil said:
But still I don't see the S8 being in a better place with knox when it comes to custom ROMs and kernels. On the contrary I would say it is worse in that section.
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Click to collapse
That might be true but I still don't think you can recommend a Pixel based on independent development and custom Roms and flashing. There is much more independent development for the One Plus phones if that is a big reason you want to own an Android phone. I've tried a number of custom Roms on the Pixel XL, more out of long standing habit than anything else. None ran better than stock and the only one I found that ran without a single issue was Dirty Unicorn. All of the other Roms I tried would either have bugs or would lag over time, which doesn't happen with stock on the Pixel. The only reason to run a custom rom on the Pixel is either that you can't live without Substratum theming or the custom rom has some feature that is vitally important to you--but it's almost guaranteed that you will be sacrificing some performance and stability on a custom rom because the Pixel was made to run stock Android and does so remarkably well. That's just an opinion of course and I'm sure people on the Pixel love their custom roms. The only thing I miss (I went back to stock) is using a dark theme. I think if Google actually allowed theming natively like the OnePlus and some Sony phones do the Pixel would be close to perfect. The only obvious problem is the Pixel speakers which are unforgivavly bad for such an expensive phone. I swear to God that I'm not exaggerating --my friend got a 20 or 30 dollar phone from the Cricket Store and it has better speakers than the Pixel does. Google never should have released this phone with such terrible speakers. Otherwise as long as you want to run stock Android the Pixel is great.
There are actually people, normal users, who purchase a phone based off on development? Yes OnePlus and all them inferior devices have much more development, but you are gonna buy that thing over a Pixel because it has more development? I mean what the heck is wrong with people? A heavily modified OnePlus will still not perform as good as a bare stock Pixel at first place!
Take the developers out of the picture obviously, they can buy a OnePlus just for development's sake, but I am saying about us normal users.
TouchWiz is realy ugly, so I recommend a Pixel XL
ithehappy said:
There are actually people, normal users, who purchase a phone based off on development? Yes OnePlus and all them inferior devices have much more development, but you are gonna buy that thing over a Pixel because it has more development? I mean what the heck is wrong with people? A heavily modified OnePlus will still not perform as good as a bare stock Pixel at first place!
Take the developers out of the picture obviously, they can buy a OnePlus just for development's sake, but I am saying about us normal users.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well one plus has a lot worse camera but unfortunately breasts pixel in speed and battery life by far...
I have seen ppl owning one plus 5 having over that 12 hours of sot with custom rom and kernel...
I am a pixel user myself and I would love to see Google boosting so much our battery life. It is too bad that Google gets beaten in its own operating system in performance and battery life by a a smaller company and a bunch of developers...
I would definitely wait 2 month and get the xl 2.
I purchased the S8, HTC U11 and Sony XZ Premium. Nothing is as smooth as Google Pixel XL. Returned all of them and kept my Pixel XL.
Sent from my Pixel XL using XDA-Developers Legacy app
LOL no one gonna tell you to get an s8 on a google forum buddy.
I have both.
if you want faster update and some noticeable speed. get pixel xl
if you want gorgeous phone, with latest hardware, more features , SD card, wireless charging, water proof. get S8
TheUndertaker21 said:
LOL no one gonna tell you to get an s8 on a google forum buddy.
I have both.
if you want faster update and some noticeable speed. get pixel xl
if you want gorgeous phone, with latest hardware, more features , SD card, wireless charging, water proof. get S8
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
does anyone know why samsung phones always lag so horribly? can it be fixed on a users end or is it something that samsung would have to change as a company? ive noticed its had lagging issues every since the galaxy s5 but i didnt know if it was something that had to do with the cache or something slowing it down i remember on my galaxy s5 it would build up like a gb of cache within a day or two and soon as i cleared it out it would work extremely well again for a few minutes then itd be really crappy again.
You are going to get a lot of people say they owned a billion devices and they sold them all for the Pixel. You are also going to get people say that the pixel is great because it doesn't lag.
I guess you could say that a Galaxy S8 might lag, but you have to keep in mind, that it does ALOT more than a Pixel. Literally all the pixel has software wise over the S8 is that it is fast. That's it. The Galaxy S8 software features blow the Pixel out of the water. It can do so much, and has so many features built in right out of the box. Also keep in mind that S8 currently has full theme support which the Pixel cannot do (incase you get board of the layout/appearance etc). Something to also consider, is that the Pixel XL is wider and could be considered harder to hold than the S8+. Personally I find them both too big, but the S8+ is easier to hold, especially in portrait. Also that the S8 and the s8+ have bigger screens and better battery life in general than both Pixels.
In the end I think it's just software based. If you like to pay for extra apps, and get varied user experiences over UI's created by different developers, and put up with the Google issues they have with their own devices and how many updates and bug fixes they get, and you value speed over software features then Pixel is the best choice.
If you think aesthetics, software features, hardware features (water resist, better speaker, bigger screen, bigger battery etc) then S8+ is the best choice.
I'm sick of the issues with this Pixel XL and I am going to preorder the Note 8 as soon as it's available. Really wanted this Pixel to work but too many issues, mostly bluetooth but there are feature on the Note line that I actually used and never realized how much until I didn't have one.
I managed to pick up a Pixel 2 XL about a week ago. Initially I was very impressed and excited about it. 48 hours later I was "meh". The camera is great, assistant awesome at interpreting requests and to me - nothing beats the stock android experience.
Frankly I'm a bit disappointed at Google for allowing Verizon to sell this phone (and Google selling it) with the bootloader locked.
History:
I've owned every Nexus/Pixel since Google and HTC released the very first device.
Before the Pixel I used the S8. I preferred it's size to the S8+.
I think my dream device would be the Pixel experience in the S8 form factor or the Pixel XL's minimal bezel design in a smaller form factor. (angrily staring at the design team behind the Pixel 2)
After the 5T launch today - I'm toying with the idea of just buying one of those and selling this XL
What are your thoughts?
taifuller said:
I managed to pick up a Pixel 2 XL about a week ago. Initially I was very impressed and excited about it. 48 hours later I was "meh". The camera is great, assistant awesome at interpreting requests and to me - nothing beats the stock android experience.
Frankly I'm a bit disappointed at Google for allowing Verizon to sell this phone (and Google selling it) with the bootloader locked.
History:
I've owned every Nexus/Pixel since Google and HTC released the very first device.
Before the Pixel I used the S8. I preferred it's size to the S8+.
I think my dream device would be the Pixel experience in the S8 form factor or the Pixel XL's minimal bezel design in a smaller form factor. (angrily staring at the design team behind the Pixel 2)
After the 5T launch today - I'm toying with the idea of just buying one of those and selling this XL
What are your thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One Plus is trash. Keep the XL.
dhaugru said:
One Plus is trash. Keep the XL.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's that based on? Have you had a chance to handle the 5T? (Not trying to be funny, just curious)
I'm aware of the differences in specs. Looking at value, pocketing a couple hundred bucks while having a very similar experience is appealing.
Try it hands on style and report back. Good luck
taifuller said:
What's that based on? Have you had a chance to handle the 5T? (Not trying to be funny, just curious)
I'm aware of the differences in specs. Looking at value, pocketing a couple hundred bucks while having a very similar experience is appealing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It feels like I see something weekly about them stealing user data. No thanks. Also 1080 screen, no water resistance, some new BS camera that will under perform....nah. Happy with my Note 8 and 2 XL.
No, I haven't touched the 5T and have no desire to.
taifuller said:
I managed to pick up a Pixel 2 XL about a week ago. Initially I was very impressed and excited about it. 48 hours later I was "meh". The camera is great, assistant awesome at interpreting requests and to me - nothing beats the stock android experience.
Frankly I'm a bit disappointed at Google for allowing Verizon to sell this phone (and Google selling it) with the bootloader locked.
History:
I've owned every Nexus/Pixel since Google and HTC released the very first device.
Before the Pixel I used the S8. I preferred it's size to the S8+.
I think my dream device would be the Pixel experience in the S8 form factor or the Pixel XL's minimal bezel design in a smaller form factor. (angrily staring at the design team behind the Pixel 2)
After the 5T launch today - I'm toying with the idea of just buying one of those and selling this XL
What are your thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do what you want, bro.
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using XDA-Developers Legacy app
dhaugru said:
One Plus is trash. Keep the XL.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not completely true. I just came from the 3T. It was great except the camera. It actually took over as my favorite phone (that I've owned) from the S3. I also have a OnePlus One and bought the 5 but didn't like it so I kept my 3T until I got the 2 XL.
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using XDA Labs
MrMeeseeks said:
Not completely true. I just came from the 3T. It was great except the camera. It actually took over as my favorite phone (that I've owned) from the S3. I also have a OnePlus One and bought the 5 but didn't like it so I kept my 3T until I got the 2 XL.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See my previous comment to give you context to back up my opinion.
I agree, I have the note 8 and 2 xl currently. Thinking hard about returning 2 xl and buying the 5t. I got a locked bootloader also, this phone isnt as fun as a unlocked. Ill never buy from verizon again. I got lucky last year and was able to use depixel8 before the patch, not so lucky this time around.
the only advantage oneplus has over pixel is the price but if you can afford pixel, pixel is better choice.
Oneplus wont update the phone beyond 2 updates, that means you'll have to depend on custom roms after android P.
Also this my personal point of view that they are drifting away from the stock android slowly, their useless apps like clock, calculator, dialer doesnt make sense.
releasing a phone every 6 months is another thing i dont like.
pixel has faster updates, longer support, better camera.
I'm an ex oneplus 3 and oneplus 3t user btw.
but ultimately things do come to your personal preference and point of view.
taifuller said:
nothing beats the stock android experience...Frankly I'm a bit disappointed at Google for allowing Verizon to sell this phone (and Google selling it) with the bootloader locked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm confused. The phone is awesome, but because you apparently chose to buy the Verizon version and the bootloader is locked, you don't like it.
First of all, you do realize that 99.9% of the population has no F-ing clue what a bootloader is, nor will they ever in a million years care to find out.
But according to you, Google is somehow at fault for allowing a carrier to sell a phone with an insignificant modification none of its mainstream customers will care about. And somehow this is a "problem"?
If you are so outraged about the bootloader, why didn't you buy the device directly from Google?
Second of all, since when does the Pixel 2 XL run stock Android? Stock Android is the latest AOSP build. At this point Google has a thinly skinned Android variant that can only be described as "Google's Android".
And if you're so into "stock" Android, why does it matter if the bootloader is locked? So you can put a custom rom onto the device and thereby not use "stock" Android?
Apologies but your post seems to have no purpose than to bash the Pixel 2 XL and suggest that buying another device is a good idea. Why do we need to tell you what to do? If you don't like it, get rid of it. End of story.
I had the OnePlus 5, awesome phone considering the price.
But the camera sucks, no waterproofing, and slow updates.
Plus the updated launcher sucks.
TokyoGuy said:
I'm confused. The phone is awesome, but because you apparently chose to buy the Verizon version and the bootloader is locked, you don't like it.
First of all, you do realize that 99.9% of the population has no F-ing clue what a bootloader is, nor will they ever in a million years care to find out.
But according to you, Google is somehow at fault for allowing a carrier to sell a phone with an insignificant modification none of its mainstream customers will care about. And somehow this is a "problem"?
If you are so outraged about the bootloader, why didn't you buy the device directly from Google?
Second of all, since when does the Pixel 2 XL run stock Android? Stock Android is the latest AOSP build. At this point Google has a thinly skinned Android variant that can only be described as "Google's Android".
And if you're so into "stock" Android, why does it matter if the bootloader is locked? So you can put a custom rom onto the device and thereby not use "stock" Android?
Apologies but your post seems to have no purpose than to bash the Pixel 2 XL and suggest that buying another device is a good idea. Why do we need to tell you what to do? If you don't like it, get rid of it. End of story.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, thanks for your point of view. Certainly wasn't my intent to upset you or anyone else who enjoys the phone.
I never cited the bootloader lock as an issue for not liking the phone. I do LIKE the phone. Obviously I do not think it's a deal breaker because I DID knowing purchase a bootloader locked edition of the phone. My point is times are changing and I either need to change with them or find a better value. I said was disappointed in Google for allowing the change.
I'm stating from a value standpoint there may be other options that offer a similar experience. Of course value is perceived by everyone differently.
Thinking back to the Nexus 5, in my opinion one of the best phones released under Google's hand, was awesome because of the value. Yes, I'm aware that when the Nexus 6 came out we left value land for premium land.
What I meant by bringing up the 5T is - I can purchase very similar hardware for less and run the same applications at no additional costs. The trade off is a sacrifice in screen quality and camera quality??
Thank you on your clarification of what the true stock android experience is. To clarify, I prefer "Google's Android" to other manufacturer's implementation of Android. Is that better?
I got great feedback from others that I reminded me of the non-tangible benefits of owning the Pixel over a different device.
dhaugru said:
One Plus is trash. Keep the XL.
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more like, OnePlus is amazing for the price, but Pixel 2 XL is better in nearly every way (except charging speed)
Source: own/ed OnePlus One, OnePlus 3, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Pixel XL, Pixel 2 XL
2x4 said:
more like, OnePlus is amazing for the price, but Pixel 2 XL is better in nearly every way (except charging speed)
Source: own/ed OnePlus One, OnePlus 3, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Pixel XL, Pixel 2 XL
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I bought the OPO and OP2 from them. The OPO, great...the OP2....terrible. I have also been active on their forum for years and that has told me all I need to know about them.
They will not see anymore of my money.
dhaugru said:
I bought the OPO and OP2 from them. The OPO, great...the OP2....terrible. I have also been active on their forum for years and that has told me all I need to know about them.
They will not see anymore of my money.
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i didn't get the OP2 since I read terrible reviews about it, but I did get the OP3 and it has been amazing to be honest in my experience (except for the GPS lock bug that was present a few months, which has since been resolved). I am both impressed by the fluidity, speed, and frequency of updates on their software and disappointed by their decision to only provide major feature updates on the OP3/T for such a short time (not to mention launch the OP5T without Oreo)
I got the Pixel XL 2 since I wanted a better camera and so my SO could use my OP3 with 2 SIM cards (for more data), but I could have easily kept it and kept using it past the SW timeline via custom ROMs - even the camera is pretty amazing once you sideload the GCAM mod that lets you use Google's algorithm (SIGNIFICANTLY better post-processing than the stock camera)
2x4 said:
i didn't get the OP2 since I read terrible reviews about it, but I did get the OP3 and it has been amazing to be honest in my experience (except for the GPS lock bug that was present a few months, which has since been resolved). I am both impressed by the fluidity, speed, and frequency of updates on their software and disappointed by their decision to only provide major feature updates on the OP3/T for such a short time (not to mention launch the OP5T without Oreo)
I got the Pixel XL 2 since I wanted a better camera and so my SO could use my OP3 with 2 SIM cards (for more data), but I could have easily kept it and kept using it past the SW timeline via custom ROMs - even the camera is pretty amazing once you sideload the GCAM mod that lets you use Google's algorithm (SIGNIFICANTLY better post-processing than the stock camera)
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Yeah see that's the thing for me....I don't want to have to d*ck with custom ROMs or sideloading anything. My communication is way too important to me to take chances modding my device.
Glad you like the 2 XL. I am happy with it as well. Currently flipping back and forth between the 2 XL and Note 8. Can't decide which one I like more...depends on the day. :laugh:
dhaugru said:
Yeah see that's the thing for me....I don't want to have to d*ck with custom ROMs or sideloading anything. My communication is way too important to me to take chances modding my device.
Glad you like the 2 XL. I am happy with it as well. Currently flipping back and forth between the 2 XL and Note 8. Can't decide which one I like more...depends on the day. :laugh:
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What makes you pick the N8 somedays besides the screen? Curious not bashing.
taifuller said:
I managed to pick up a Pixel 2 XL about a week ago. Initially I was very impressed and excited about it. 48 hours later I was "meh". The camera is great, assistant awesome at interpreting requests and to me - nothing beats the stock android experience.
Frankly I'm a bit disappointed at Google for allowing Verizon to sell this phone (and Google selling it) with the bootloader locked.
History:
I've owned every Nexus/Pixel since Google and HTC released the very first device.
Before the Pixel I used the S8. I preferred it's size to the S8+.
I think my dream device would be the Pixel experience in the S8 form factor or the Pixel XL's minimal bezel design in a smaller form factor. (angrily staring at the design team behind the Pixel 2)
After the 5T launch today - I'm toying with the idea of just buying one of those and selling this XL
What are your thoughts?
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No need to look angry at the design team mate. Can't make a small phone with small bezels without severely reducing the battery size. Which in turn will make battery life suck.
Gilley said:
What makes you pick the N8 somedays besides the screen? Curious not bashing.
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I like the procision of the S-Pen. I am also in sales and it's handy to quickly jot a quick note when working with customers to gain contact info or to highlight important points within the conversation.
I also use it as my in-flight media library with the expanded storage. The headphone jack is nice too!
Was considering the leap. I had the Moto X Pure prior to the S8+ and I miss the front facing speakers....not sure if it's worth the trouble though....
Any thoughts?
I've been able to play with the S8+ a lot, my ex-had it. In my personal opinion, I'd take the Pixel 2 XL over that phone any day. It's just my two cents.
Been there, done that! The Pixel XL 2 is the best device I've had going into 2018!
i couple of people at work work have the s8+ - and let's just say I'm glad I have my penguin
I miss flashing too. I had a ton of freedom on the Moto X Pure. Moving to the S8+ and all of it's restrictions has been tough. I think the S8+ is a beautiful phone but too locked down for this flashaholic. I'm assuming the whole "screen" issue with the Pixel 2 is negligible?
I had the S8+ before. The quality of the device was more premium but the software on the S8+ sucked. I just hated Bixby, the half baked iris scanner and the bloated software in general. I never used any of the Samsung-specific apps like calendar, health, music...For me they are just redundant apps. Glad to have a pure Android again.
While it's not the S8+, prior to owning my 2XL I had an S8 for about 4 months.
- The S8 (and S8+) screen is considerably more crisp, with better clarity and better colors.
- Wireless charging with the S8 is something I miss every single day.
- Touchwiz has become surprisingly great. Over my 4 months of usage, the phone never lagged/stuttered once.
But...
- The front facing speakers on the 2XL are fantastic.
- The fingerprint reader on the 2XL is placed in a MUCH better spot.
- The 2XL camera is notably better in every day usage.
While I do miss some things from the S8, I have no regrets about switching to the 2XL. Especially because even though Touchwiz is perfectly snappy these days, you still can't beat the smoothness and overall feel of pure Android on the 2XL.
Man, I REALLY appreciate the feedback so far. This is def making my decision easier. My S8+ is Mint condition so it shouldn't be much of an investment switching. I'm a HUGE fan of Swappa. It's been years since I've bought a "brand new" phone. I was originally leaning towards the V30 but that idea totally faded. Rumors are around that the S9 will have dual speakers, BUT...... obviously still too locked down.
My S8+ just got shipped out today to it's new owner. I couldn't be happier. I wouldn't say the Samsung has "better" colors. It's just more saturated and I'm sure we all appreciate that in Samsung devices. But this phone amazing. I said it in another thread. My S8+ was like a Ferrari with a bad tune. Make it look pretty and go fast, and put all these Bells and whistles on it. But the tune is bad your milage is going to tank and it leads to lag. This phone may not be the most aesthetically pleasing. But its got the same internals. I never used to understand why people complained about lag in Samsung phones until I tried my pixel. I'm not sure if I'll go back lol.
MacTheRipperr said:
My S8+ just got shipped out today to it's new owner. I couldn't be happier. I wouldn't say the Samsung has "better" colors. It's just more saturated and I'm sure we all appreciate that in Samsung devices. But this phone amazing. I said it in another thread. My S8+ was like a Ferrari with a bad tune. Make it look pretty and go fast, and put all these Bells and whistles on it. But the tune is bad your milage is going to tank and it leads to lag. This phone may not be the most aesthetically pleasing. But its got the same internals. I never used to understand why people complained about lag in Samsung phones until I tried my pixel. I'm not sure if I'll go back lol.
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Welcome to the Dark Side young Obiwan!??
Yeah hands down this is the best phone i've owned. The "problems" everyone is talking about I would guess 75% of the people who talk about them would have never noticed them or made a big deal if they didnt read reviews on it
djcrystals said:
I was originally leaning towards the V30 but that idea totally faded. Rumors are around that the S9 will have dual speakers, BUT...... obviously still too locked down.
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I had a V30 for 3 weeks when it was first released on T-Mobile. Sadly, thanks to LGs meddling in Android's smooth and simple user experience, the phone is garbage.
The hardware is great, it has wireless charging, and the phone has excellent 'in hand' feel. But the UI ruins the whole experience. No matter how much myself, and many others in the V30 sub forum, tried to de-bloat the phone, it still lagged and stuttered constantly in normal usage.
The amount of unnecessary, redundant background services that LG added into the OS on the V30 is mind boggling. Also, the camera is just "OK" compared to my S8 and 2 XL. And there is no unlocking/rooting the carrier locked versions of the V30. So custom AOSP ROMs are out of the question for that phone.
It's such a shame because the phone had such great potential and I'd even argue that if that V30 just had simple, untouched, pure Android it would be just as good as the 2XL, substituting wireless charging for the best in class camera and dual front facing speakers for better in hand feel.
That is sad to hear about the V30. I was super pumped reading about it prior to its release. Thanks for the info @sn0warmy. I make a habit of checking past and possibly future phones and their dedicated threads here on XDA. It is fun to see where all the action is. There are most def some dedicated people working on the Snapdragon S8+/S8 forums but you can sense some frustration when it comes to the limitations being imposed by the carriers. What REALLY sucks is you are intertwined with the international version folks whom have the ability to unlock and use custom recovery. Of course, that's the case with many of the phones nowadays. Anyhew, I am def excited to be jumping ship here and switching units. You guys have def help increased my excitement level.
I have the note 8 & pixel 2 XL. Both have pros & cons.
Pixel camera is better
Pixel Battery is better
Pixel speakers are better
Note has wireless charging
Note has spen
Note screen is better
They are close I feel but pixel is my daily driver for the time being
This threads Pixel XL 2 pro's are music to my ears!
While the S8+ was an absolute fantastic phone, I gave it to my fiancee and bought the Pixel 2XL and haven't looked back. Either phone is fantastic tho. Happier with my P2XL.
Pulled the trigger today and ordered one. Thanks again for the feedback. It made my decision to switch quite simple.
djcrystals said:
Pulled the trigger today and ordered one. Thanks again for the feedback. It made my decision to switch quite simple.
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Awesome! What color did you get?? You'll have to let us know what you think when it comes in!
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
oneandroidnut said:
Awesome! What color did you get?? You'll have to let us know what you think when it comes in!
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
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I got black. I had a really hard time trying to explain to my wife why it is I'm switching since we just bought the S8+s...... she's always been a die-hard Sammy fan though. I haven't been dedicated to any brand. I just prefer there to be some freedom when it comes to hackability. So, I'll be around, permanently, next week.
djcrystals said:
I got black. I had a really hard time trying to explain to my wife why it is I'm switching since we just bought the S8+s...... she's always been a die-hard Sammy fan though. I haven't been dedicated to any brand. I just prefer there to be some freedom when it comes to hackability. So, I'll be around, permanently, next week.
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yeah Samsung doesn't allow for that anymore! I remember the days of the developer note boy was it amazing!
Hi, looking to switch up from my iPhone X to an android device been years since I was on android full time. The phone that has really got my attention has been the pixel 3a xl and wanted to ask in the uk an used s10e off eBay is the same price as an pixel 3a xl. Considering both are at the same price which one is better and why?
Thank you
firenation112 said:
Hi, looking to switch up from my iPhone X to an android device been years since I was on android full time. The phone that has really got my attention has been the pixel 3a xl and wanted to ask in the uk an used s10e off eBay is the same price as an pixel 3a xl. Considering both are at the same price which one is better and why?
Thank you
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In terms of raw power, S10e. Quality tends to be pretty great with Samsung these days. I, however, highly value a clean Android experience and can't stand ONE UI from Samsung (this is just me though, and I know taste differs, so it's pretty subjective). I do think there's a superior camera experience with the pixel as well, and software support is obviously better with pixel. Longevity can be an issue though, since many pixels have had performance issues over time, so it also depends on how long you're planning on holding onto your phone.
If you want a premium style device, S10e is hard to pass up. If you like the feel of their software, then even better. If you want a more vanilla feel for Android and best camera experience and are ok with the possibility of the phone being a tad slower for the sake of software support, pixel is your go to.
champ784 said:
In terms of raw power, S10e. Quality tends to be pretty great with Samsung these days. I, however, highly value a clean Android experience and can't stand ONE UI from Samsung (this is just me though, and I know taste differs, so it's pretty subjective). I do think there's a superior camera experience with the pixel as well, and software support is obviously better with pixel. Longevity can be an issue though, since many pixels have had performance issues over time, so it also depends on how long you're planning on holding onto your phone.
If you want a premium style device, S10e is hard to pass up. If you like the feel of their software, then even better. If you want a more vanilla feel for Android and best camera experience and are ok with the possibility of the phone being a tad slower for the sake of software support, pixel is your go to.
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Thanks for the advice and I wanted to ask would it be possible to root the s10e and make it similar to the android experience on a pixel? Thanks
firenation112 said:
Thanks for the advice and I wanted to ask would it be possible to root the s10e and make it similar to the android experience on a pixel? Thanks
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You could install a custom launcher to make it feel more like a pixel, and you can use a few apps and tweaks, but you will still see certain differences in the end, since these mostly apply to your home screen, but not certain UI elements. Samsung does lockdown some of their theming abilities to their own proprietary services. I would recommend finding a demo device or a device from someone you know the has Android 9 pie on a Samsung device and see how you like ONE UI. Like I said, if you don't mind it, the s10e is a pretty safe choice for you. I know a lot of people describe the pixel as more similar to an iPhone experience, so if that is important to you, the pixel will probably be a safer bet.
firenation112 said:
Thanks for the advice and I wanted to ask would it be possible to root the s10e and make it similar to the android experience on a pixel? Thanks
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Instead of doing this just get the Pixel.
If you wanna make it look and behave like the Pixel, then just get the Pixel. Makes much more sense, right?
I just switched from an XS Max to this Pixel 3a XL and I already enjoy the phone way better than that iPhone. I used an s8 + before and I like Samsung but the updates are slow in comparison and that matters a lot to me.
See what matters to you and get whichever one covers that. The first response to your question is excellent in differentiating the two. Cheers!
Sent from my Pixel 3a XL using Tapatalk
Combonary said:
Instead of doing this just get the Pixel.
If you wanna make it look and behave like the Pixel, then just get the Pixel. Makes much more sense, right?
I just switched from an XS Max to this Pixel 3a XL and I already enjoy the phone way better than that iPhone. I used an s8 + before and I like Samsung but the updates are slow in comparison and that matters a lot to me.
See what matters to you and get whichever one covers that. The first response to your question is excellent in differentiating the two. Cheers!
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I personally agree. I think pixel is the best way to go, and rooting Samsung devices can be a tedious and frustrating process since they have a flash counter
Thanks for all the useful replies by everyone, much appreciated.
Wait, where could you get an s10e for the same price???
carnivalrejectq said:
Wait, where could you get an s10e for the same price???
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A pixel 3a xl is brand new £470 and there are plenty of Samsung s10e going for around £450 on eBay in almost new like condition. Remember reading recently that Samsung phones have the highest depreciation percentage of smartphones so you can pick them up relatively cheap compared to its RRP.