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[Android] Thread v. 2018: Pixel 6 is out. Google might be bad at phones.

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  • Options
    BlazeFireBlazeFire Registered User regular
    FYI, when I put in my order for a 64gb Pixel 3 at google.com they included a stand for free.

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    WACriminalWACriminal Dying Is Easy, Young Man Living Is HarderRegistered User regular
    BlazeFire wrote: »
    FYI, when I put in my order for a 64gb Pixel 3 at google.com they included a stand for free.

    Wait, what? How?

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    ChaosHatChaosHat Hop, hop, hop, HA! Trick of the lightRegistered User regular
    TNTrooper wrote: »
    So does the pixel 3 xl have any significant upgrades when compared to the pixel 2 xl? Or is it just the notch and wireless charging if you fork over an extra $80 for the stand?

    Camera improvements, a lot of the software features are 3 exclusive as well. Also the screens are supposed to be much better.

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    MugsleyMugsley DelawareRegistered User regular
    edited October 2018
    emp123 wrote: »
    These will show up in stores right? My 5x is on its way out and I'd like a larger phone anyway. I'm not sure if the 5.5 will be big enough; I preferred the width of the old Notes but I'm pretty sure that form factor is never coming back so I'd like to try and type on one of the 3s before I pull the trigger.

    Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe the OG Pixels or Pixel 2s were in many stores; if at all.

    You may need to try what @wunderbar (I think?) did for his.....Nexus 6P? and build a cardboard mock-up

    Mugsley on
  • Options
    ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
    Mugsley wrote: »
    emp123 wrote: »
    These will show up in stores right? My 5x is on its way out and I'd like a larger phone anyway. I'm not sure if the 5.5 will be big enough; I preferred the width of the old Notes but I'm pretty sure that form factor is never coming back so I'd like to try and type on one of the 3s before I pull the trigger.

    Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe the OG Pixels or Pixel 2s were in many stores; if at all.

    You may need to try what wunderbar (I think?) did for his.....Nexus 6P? and build a cardboard mock-up

    Best Buy carried the Pixel phones, but early on they were hard to get.

    WiiU: Windrunner ; Guild Wars 2: Shadowfire.3940 ; PSN: Bradcopter
  • Options
    ChaosHatChaosHat Hop, hop, hop, HA! Trick of the lightRegistered User regular
    Shadowfire wrote: »
    Mugsley wrote: »
    emp123 wrote: »
    These will show up in stores right? My 5x is on its way out and I'd like a larger phone anyway. I'm not sure if the 5.5 will be big enough; I preferred the width of the old Notes but I'm pretty sure that form factor is never coming back so I'd like to try and type on one of the 3s before I pull the trigger.

    Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe the OG Pixels or Pixel 2s were in many stores; if at all.

    You may need to try what wunderbar (I think?) did for his.....Nexus 6P? and build a cardboard mock-up

    Best Buy carried the Pixel phones, but early on they were hard to get.

    Were they the Verizon ones or unlocked?

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    BlazeFireBlazeFire Registered User regular
    WACriminal wrote: »
    BlazeFire wrote: »
    FYI, when I put in my order for a 64gb Pixel 3 at google.com they included a stand for free.

    Wait, what? How?

    I have no idea. When I was adding the phone to my cart it said "Here, have a stand on us" and when I checked out it credited the transaction for the price of the stand.

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    ChaosHatChaosHat Hop, hop, hop, HA! Trick of the lightRegistered User regular
    This is some crap I paid for that stand.

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    BlazeFireBlazeFire Registered User regular
    edited October 2018
    ChaosHat wrote: »
    This is some crap I paid for that stand.

    Maybe it is a Canada-only offer? This is what I see at the following link.

    https://store.google.com/ca/collection/offers
    xlpwsxof96e0.png

    BlazeFire on
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    SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    Jesus, the Google Assistant functions that come with that must be life-changing because $110 for a Qi charging stand--especially one that looks like that frankly--is theft.

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    ChaosHatChaosHat Hop, hop, hop, HA! Trick of the lightRegistered User regular
    $110 Canadian funbux mind you.

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    SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    So, $85 US.

    Still, that better be one amazing stand. I take it the Google Assistant functions don't work on other Qi charging stands?

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    ChaosHatChaosHat Hop, hop, hop, HA! Trick of the lightRegistered User regular
    No it has special magic chips in it that activate the full power.

    Really it is overpriced but assuming google doesn't fuck me like it did with the Nexus -> Pixel transition where they dropped wireless charging I assume/hope it will be useful for a long time on a variety of future Pixels.

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    The Dude With HerpesThe Dude With Herpes Lehi, UTRegistered User regular
    Someone mentioned looking into the xl2 instead of the xl3;. By all accounts the screen for the xl3 is miles better (potentially a Samsung screen instead of an LG I guess), but my understanding is that the xl2 screen was and is hot garbage.

    So something to consider.

    I ordered the fabric case for the xl3 because silicone cases tend to gunk up the phone back over time it seems. I mean I've been happy with the protection my Nexus 6 has had, I just don't like that the whole back is worn down despite having a case since day one.

    I'm on the fence about the pixel stand. As it stands (olol) I don't think any of the features are something I'd use, or don't have the other parts for (door cam), and I've had enough phones get burn in from docks back in the day that I'd like to avoid that as much as possible and I'm not convinced that there is still any combination of modern screen and software workarounds that can avoid it.

    I just need to figure out if the quality of the $40 glass protector from Google is demonstrably better than the $8 ones on Amazon.

    Steam: Galedrid - XBL: Galedrid - PSN: Galedrid
    Origin: Galedrid - Nintendo: Galedrid/3222-6858-1045
    Blizzard: Galedrid#1367 - FFXIV: Galedrid Kingshand

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    wunderbarwunderbar What Have I Done? Registered User regular
    Mugsley wrote: »
    emp123 wrote: »
    These will show up in stores right? My 5x is on its way out and I'd like a larger phone anyway. I'm not sure if the 5.5 will be big enough; I preferred the width of the old Notes but I'm pretty sure that form factor is never coming back so I'd like to try and type on one of the 3s before I pull the trigger.

    Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe the OG Pixels or Pixel 2s were in many stores; if at all.

    You may need to try what @wunderbar (I think?) did for his.....Nexus 6P? and build a cardboard mock-up

    'twas not I who did that.

    In the US the Pixels are sold through Verizon, so you'll probably be able to find them in Verizon stores at launch.

    Based on physical size though, you can bet that the Pixel 3 will be about the same size, I think just a tad smaller, than the Galaxy S8/9, and the Pixel 3 XL will be roughly the same size as the Galaxy S8/9/Note 8/9.

    XBL: thewunderbar PSN: thewunderbar NNID: thewunderbar Steam: wunderbar87 Twitter: wunderbar
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    ChaosHatChaosHat Hop, hop, hop, HA! Trick of the lightRegistered User regular
    edited October 2018
    On Phone Arena the 3s look nearly identical in size to the 2s.

    2 to 3.

    2XL to 3XL.

    3XL to Note 9 to iPhone XS Max.

    So actually I guess they're very close to iPhone sizing.

    ChaosHat on
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    SirToastySirToasty Registered User regular
    SirToasty wrote: »
    ChaosHat wrote: »
    Synthesis wrote: »
    Looking at phones the past few months, I've concluded that I don't care about the notch. I have to be completely honest and say that a particular reaction I see to notches (that it somehow reduces screen space) bugs me so much that it probably made me want to be ok with it even more. Maybe I would have maintained ambivalence to it otherwise, but when I repeatedly see something that is demonstrably incorrect, about something, it causes me to look at it even closer.

    I can't speak for anyone else, I don't dislike the notch because it reduces screen space (mathematically, at least, it literally does not). I dislike it because I find it to be a solution to something I didn't think was a problem, and a bad one at that. I want the top edge to be symmetrical with the bottom, to allow for as many (or as few) system icons as I'd prefer. I know some people hate the word "bezel", but on a phone, it has a practical purpose for me: I want to be able to hold the phone comfortably without obscuring screen elements. Laptop screens don't have a chunk cut out of them to make room for the webcam/facial ID sensor/speaker either.

    But that's just me. I prefer fingerprint unlocking to facial ID anyway, especially since unlike on a Surface Pro, the fingerprint scanner is always immediately accessible on the phone.

    If windows laptops organized the system tray, time, etc at the top then they could do a notch. There's not really a reason to notch them as is. There is a reason to notch phones because you can shove the notifications, clock, signal strength, etc to the ears and free up more space for your apps.

    Spigen makes a good case, I've also enjoyed the google fabric and live cases in the past.

    Or you can make the same screen size without a notch and have a better screen and a bezel a couple of mm's thick on the top and bottom.

    The notch is a technological compromise that if it were to debut on any other phone would get laughed out of the market... but since it released on an Apple product we're stuck with it's stupid little ass for a few more years.

    So where are you putting the front camera?

    In the thin bezel up top, where I won't notice it as this huge chunk of missing screen, a monument to compromise?

    So you want all the screen space, but you also want a small bezel, which reduces screen space?

  • Options
    ChaosHatChaosHat Hop, hop, hop, HA! Trick of the lightRegistered User regular
    Why is a monument to compromise so bad? We should compromise more. You can't always get what you want! Maybe if we were more willing to compromise on shit we wouldn't have Donald Trump! We need more monuments to revere compromise so everyone knows "this is a thing worth doing!"

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    Doctor DetroitDoctor Detroit Registered User regular
    Not even in the face of Armageddon.

    Never compromise.
    :P

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    a5ehrena5ehren AtlantaRegistered User regular
    edited October 2018
    1) Notches are fine in the general sense. The P3XL notch is awful. No one asked for dual front cameras, and nothing in that presentation remotely justifies it.

    2) No headphone jack sucks. Google has no fucking idea how to make bluetooth work well. I got some BT neckbuds to use while doing yardwork/exercise and they literally do not work when the phone is in my pocket. And these are supposed to be good ones. I can pair them with my iPad and use them two rooms away. My N6P and P1XL have also both been awful with multiple cars' BT systems.

    3) Glass back sucks. It sucked on the Nexus 4, too.

    4) LOL $800 for the base P3. Are you fucking joking?

    a5ehren on
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    ChaosHatChaosHat Hop, hop, hop, HA! Trick of the lightRegistered User regular
    I envision two people shaking hands with kind of neutral looks on their faces and carved into the pedestal at the bottom it will say "This is fine I guess."

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    LD50LD50 Registered User regular
    I hate bluetooth headphones. They all suck, and 90% of them are earbuds and they hurt my ears. Just give me my fucking headphone jack back.

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    SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    I actually don't mind the glass back on my LG G6+. I mean, as far as glass backed phones go, it's probably as good as it gets.

    It's also harder to grip, and retains fingerprints like it's a forensic investigation tool, but that's true about all glass backed phones. My Lumia 830 had a cheap but elegant-enough charcoal plastic backing that was grip-able as all hell, but it was plastic. On the bright side, it was really easy to take off and access the battery.

    I'm not a huge fan of brushed metal backings though. Sometimes they handle fingerprints better, but they have similar grip problems, they're the worst possible option if your phone ever gets hot (and it's not like Android phones ever heat up or anything), and they eliminate the possibility of Qi charging. Also, some of them are terrible regarding scratches and nicks. With so much work going in researching hard screen glass anyway, I can see why making glass backed phones became a thing, even if it seems counterintuitive at first.

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    KyanilisKyanilis Bellevue, WARegistered User regular
    a5ehren wrote: »
    1) Notches are fine in the general sense. The P3XL notch is awful. No one asked for dual front cameras, and nothing in that presentation remotely justifies it.

    I don't think the P3XL notch is any worse than other phones, it looks stupidly deep in pictures but pretty much everyone who has had hands on now is like "eh, in practice it's not bad at all." Keep in mind that it's about as deep as the bezel was on the P2XL, which wasn't that thick really.
    2) No headphone jack sucks. Google has no fucking idea how to make bluetooth work well. I got some BT neckbuds to use while doing yardwork/exercise and they literally do not work when the phone is in my pocket. And these are supposed to be good ones. I can pair them with my iPad and use them two rooms away. My N6P and P1XL have also both been awful with multiple cars' BT systems.

    are you still using a P1XL? I had some BT problems with my P1XL, including it having problems connecting to my car. I've had 0 problems with my P2XL, so for whatever it's worth, they're getting that figured out.

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    SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    How hard could it be to implement BT properly? All of my Lumia Nokias, my Blackberry PRIV, and my LG G6+ all worked flawlessly with my car's BT system.

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    DarkewolfeDarkewolfe Registered User regular
    I have a Pixel 1 and went to buy a 3. The lack of a headphone jack is the thing that finally noped me out on it. I hate bluetooth headphones, I have a shit ton of analog headphones, and I can just buy a $10 pair of analog headphones whenever I want if I need them.

    What is this I don't even.
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    autono-wally, erotibot300autono-wally, erotibot300 love machine Registered User regular
    Synthesis wrote: »
    How hard could it be to implement BT properly? All of my Lumia Nokias, my Blackberry PRIV, and my LG G6+ all worked flawlessly with my car's BT system.

    Huawei also has pretty damn good Bluetooth since at least the mate 8

    kFJhXwE.jpgkFJhXwE.jpg
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    NaphtaliNaphtali Hazy + Flow SeaRegistered User regular
    Darkewolfe wrote: »
    I have a Pixel 1 and went to buy a 3. The lack of a headphone jack is the thing that finally noped me out on it. I hate bluetooth headphones, I have a shit ton of analog headphones, and I can just buy a $10 pair of analog headphones whenever I want if I need them.

    they come with the usb-c to rca dongle as well as usb-c headphones, afaik. I ended up buying about 2 extra dongles with my pixel 2 and I'm covered wherever I'm at (home, work, travel). it sucks but it isn't the end of the world. though if you're an audiophile, I can't help there.

    Steam | Nintendo ID: Naphtali | Wish List
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    jungleroomxjungleroomx It's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovels Registered User regular
    SirToasty wrote: »
    SirToasty wrote: »
    ChaosHat wrote: »
    Synthesis wrote: »
    Looking at phones the past few months, I've concluded that I don't care about the notch. I have to be completely honest and say that a particular reaction I see to notches (that it somehow reduces screen space) bugs me so much that it probably made me want to be ok with it even more. Maybe I would have maintained ambivalence to it otherwise, but when I repeatedly see something that is demonstrably incorrect, about something, it causes me to look at it even closer.

    I can't speak for anyone else, I don't dislike the notch because it reduces screen space (mathematically, at least, it literally does not). I dislike it because I find it to be a solution to something I didn't think was a problem, and a bad one at that. I want the top edge to be symmetrical with the bottom, to allow for as many (or as few) system icons as I'd prefer. I know some people hate the word "bezel", but on a phone, it has a practical purpose for me: I want to be able to hold the phone comfortably without obscuring screen elements. Laptop screens don't have a chunk cut out of them to make room for the webcam/facial ID sensor/speaker either.

    But that's just me. I prefer fingerprint unlocking to facial ID anyway, especially since unlike on a Surface Pro, the fingerprint scanner is always immediately accessible on the phone.

    If windows laptops organized the system tray, time, etc at the top then they could do a notch. There's not really a reason to notch them as is. There is a reason to notch phones because you can shove the notifications, clock, signal strength, etc to the ears and free up more space for your apps.

    Spigen makes a good case, I've also enjoyed the google fabric and live cases in the past.

    Or you can make the same screen size without a notch and have a better screen and a bezel a couple of mm's thick on the top and bottom.

    The notch is a technological compromise that if it were to debut on any other phone would get laughed out of the market... but since it released on an Apple product we're stuck with it's stupid little ass for a few more years.

    So where are you putting the front camera?

    In the thin bezel up top, where I won't notice it as this huge chunk of missing screen, a monument to compromise?

    So you want all the screen space, but you also want a small bezel, which reduces screen space?

    How does a bezel reduce screen space?

    Unless the goal is 100% screen on the front and well that's not really anything I care about, and from a usability standpoint is probably not good.

    Is this the new Thinnenlite craze because it feels like it.

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    finnithfinnith ... TorontoRegistered User regular
    My launch Nexus 6P has a battery life of all of 15 minutes, so I decided to go with (paying out the ear for) the Pixel 3.

    I really hate not having a headphone jack but I don't see it as a huge issue if it comes with a dongle. I see myself losing it at some point so I might have to buy an extra one and keep it at work or something.

    Honestly I don't see how people can stand 6 inch phones. I have hands big enough for the Duke but I was never able to use the 6P easily one-handed.

    Also, don't they make plenty of good quality over-the-hear BT headphones?

    Bnet: CavilatRest#1874
    Steam: CavilatRest
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    wunderbarwunderbar What Have I Done? Registered User regular
    edited October 2018
    finnith wrote: »
    My launch Nexus 6P has a battery life of all of 15 minutes, so I decided to go with (paying out the ear for) the Pixel 3.

    I really hate not having a headphone jack but I don't see it as a huge issue if it comes with a dongle. I see myself losing it at some point so I might have to buy an extra one and keep it at work or something.

    Honestly I don't see how people can stand 6 inch phones. I have hands big enough for the Duke but I was never able to use the 6P easily one-handed.

    Also, don't they make plenty of good quality over-the-hear BT headphones?

    The dongle always sounds like it'll be ok, except when you try to listen to wired headphones and charge the phone at the same time.

    Personally, I mostly use bluetooth headphones now, but you can still pry the analog audio jack out of my cold, dead hands. It still sees enough use that I won't go without.

    On comparing the Nexus 6P at 5.7" to a modern 6"+ phone, you can't. the change in screen aspect ratio's has meant that comparing screen size on a 19:9 phone to an 18:9 phone is not useful.

    In terms of physical dimensions, just as an example, the Nexus 6P and the Galaxy S8+ are almost exactly identical in size on the height and width, but the screen sizes are 5.7" and 6.3"

    wunderbar on
    XBL: thewunderbar PSN: thewunderbar NNID: thewunderbar Steam: wunderbar87 Twitter: wunderbar
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    ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
    ChaosHat wrote: »
    Shadowfire wrote: »
    Mugsley wrote: »
    emp123 wrote: »
    These will show up in stores right? My 5x is on its way out and I'd like a larger phone anyway. I'm not sure if the 5.5 will be big enough; I preferred the width of the old Notes but I'm pretty sure that form factor is never coming back so I'd like to try and type on one of the 3s before I pull the trigger.

    Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe the OG Pixels or Pixel 2s were in many stores; if at all.

    You may need to try what wunderbar (I think?) did for his.....Nexus 6P? and build a cardboard mock-up

    Best Buy carried the Pixel phones, but early on they were hard to get.

    Were they the Verizon ones or unlocked?

    Sorry yeah, they were the Verizon ones.

    WiiU: Windrunner ; Guild Wars 2: Shadowfire.3940 ; PSN: Bradcopter
  • Options
    KPCKPC Registered User regular
    SirToasty wrote: »
    SirToasty wrote: »
    ChaosHat wrote: »
    Synthesis wrote: »
    Looking at phones the past few months, I've concluded that I don't care about the notch. I have to be completely honest and say that a particular reaction I see to notches (that it somehow reduces screen space) bugs me so much that it probably made me want to be ok with it even more. Maybe I would have maintained ambivalence to it otherwise, but when I repeatedly see something that is demonstrably incorrect, about something, it causes me to look at it even closer.

    I can't speak for anyone else, I don't dislike the notch because it reduces screen space (mathematically, at least, it literally does not). I dislike it because I find it to be a solution to something I didn't think was a problem, and a bad one at that. I want the top edge to be symmetrical with the bottom, to allow for as many (or as few) system icons as I'd prefer. I know some people hate the word "bezel", but on a phone, it has a practical purpose for me: I want to be able to hold the phone comfortably without obscuring screen elements. Laptop screens don't have a chunk cut out of them to make room for the webcam/facial ID sensor/speaker either.

    But that's just me. I prefer fingerprint unlocking to facial ID anyway, especially since unlike on a Surface Pro, the fingerprint scanner is always immediately accessible on the phone.

    If windows laptops organized the system tray, time, etc at the top then they could do a notch. There's not really a reason to notch them as is. There is a reason to notch phones because you can shove the notifications, clock, signal strength, etc to the ears and free up more space for your apps.

    Spigen makes a good case, I've also enjoyed the google fabric and live cases in the past.

    Or you can make the same screen size without a notch and have a better screen and a bezel a couple of mm's thick on the top and bottom.

    The notch is a technological compromise that if it were to debut on any other phone would get laughed out of the market... but since it released on an Apple product we're stuck with it's stupid little ass for a few more years.

    So where are you putting the front camera?

    In the thin bezel up top, where I won't notice it as this huge chunk of missing screen, a monument to compromise?

    So you want all the screen space, but you also want a small bezel, which reduces screen space?

    How does a bezel reduce screen space?

    Unless the goal is 100% screen on the front and well that's not really anything I care about, and from a usability standpoint is probably not good.

    Is this the new Thinnenlite craze because it feels like it.

    I just think it's interesting that the notch is the natural progression of the whole "omg bezels" movement that Android fans started. I recall having to read pages of comments on tech blog articles about how much wasted space there was above and below the display on iPhones 6 through 8. There was also many YouTube videos.

    Welp, y'all did it to yourselves.

  • Options
    ASimPersonASimPerson Cold... and hard.Registered User regular
    edited October 2018
    Kyanilis wrote: »
    a5ehren wrote: »
    1) Notches are fine in the general sense. The P3XL notch is awful. No one asked for dual front cameras, and nothing in that presentation remotely justifies it.

    I don't think the P3XL notch is any worse than other phones, it looks stupidly deep in pictures but pretty much everyone who has had hands on now is like "eh, in practice it's not bad at all." Keep in mind that it's about as deep as the bezel was on the P2XL, which wasn't that thick really.
    2) No headphone jack sucks. Google has no fucking idea how to make bluetooth work well. I got some BT neckbuds to use while doing yardwork/exercise and they literally do not work when the phone is in my pocket. And these are supposed to be good ones. I can pair them with my iPad and use them two rooms away. My N6P and P1XL have also both been awful with multiple cars' BT systems.

    are you still using a P1XL? I had some BT problems with my P1XL, including it having problems connecting to my car. I've had 0 problems with my P2XL, so for whatever it's worth, they're getting that figured out.

    My Pixel 2 has all the same issues with my car that my Nexus 5XL did. At least once per day this happens:
    1) The car and phone say they're connected and audio starts playing, but I hear nothing
    2) I double-check the volume on the car and my phone, it's usually fine
    3) I change to the AUX input and then back to bluetooth and it works

    About once every other month I have to delete the bluetooth profiles on each side and re-add it.

    I'm willing to grant that some of this may be due to my car being from 2011, but the problems seem to be widespread enough that I suspect it's not just me.

    ASimPerson on
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    MugsleyMugsley DelawareRegistered User regular
    There was some sort of incremental update pushed for Pie that seems to have fixed some of my "charging rapidly" issues on my OG Pixel XL.

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    jungleroomxjungleroomx It's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovels Registered User regular
    KPC wrote: »
    SirToasty wrote: »
    SirToasty wrote: »
    ChaosHat wrote: »
    Synthesis wrote: »
    Looking at phones the past few months, I've concluded that I don't care about the notch. I have to be completely honest and say that a particular reaction I see to notches (that it somehow reduces screen space) bugs me so much that it probably made me want to be ok with it even more. Maybe I would have maintained ambivalence to it otherwise, but when I repeatedly see something that is demonstrably incorrect, about something, it causes me to look at it even closer.

    I can't speak for anyone else, I don't dislike the notch because it reduces screen space (mathematically, at least, it literally does not). I dislike it because I find it to be a solution to something I didn't think was a problem, and a bad one at that. I want the top edge to be symmetrical with the bottom, to allow for as many (or as few) system icons as I'd prefer. I know some people hate the word "bezel", but on a phone, it has a practical purpose for me: I want to be able to hold the phone comfortably without obscuring screen elements. Laptop screens don't have a chunk cut out of them to make room for the webcam/facial ID sensor/speaker either.

    But that's just me. I prefer fingerprint unlocking to facial ID anyway, especially since unlike on a Surface Pro, the fingerprint scanner is always immediately accessible on the phone.

    If windows laptops organized the system tray, time, etc at the top then they could do a notch. There's not really a reason to notch them as is. There is a reason to notch phones because you can shove the notifications, clock, signal strength, etc to the ears and free up more space for your apps.

    Spigen makes a good case, I've also enjoyed the google fabric and live cases in the past.

    Or you can make the same screen size without a notch and have a better screen and a bezel a couple of mm's thick on the top and bottom.

    The notch is a technological compromise that if it were to debut on any other phone would get laughed out of the market... but since it released on an Apple product we're stuck with it's stupid little ass for a few more years.

    So where are you putting the front camera?

    In the thin bezel up top, where I won't notice it as this huge chunk of missing screen, a monument to compromise?

    So you want all the screen space, but you also want a small bezel, which reduces screen space?

    How does a bezel reduce screen space?

    Unless the goal is 100% screen on the front and well that's not really anything I care about, and from a usability standpoint is probably not good.

    Is this the new Thinnenlite craze because it feels like it.

    I just think it's interesting that the notch is the natural progression of the whole "omg bezels" movement that Android fans started. I recall having to read pages of comments on tech blog articles about how much wasted space there was above and below the display on iPhones 6 through 8. There was also many YouTube videos.

    Welp, y'all did it to yourselves.

    Like anything else, going whole hog in one direction or the other usually results in something with usability issues.

    Yes, the iPhone6 had lolhuge bezels, and yeah you can use up more of the front space for screen, but if you're going to cut out a section of the screen for a camera/sensor to make up for it then I kind of sounds like compensating. It kind of violates the design language of displays across the entire spectrum.

    And while I'd like to think Android Fanboys have total control over how Apple designs their phones, I gotta say chatter on messageboards and reviews probably means exactly nothing to Apple.

  • Options
    a nu starta nu start Registered User regular
    In a year of having the Pixel 2, I've been "screwed" by the lack of headphone jack exactly twice. Once was when I drove somewhere but took the train home. Couldn't listen to my music on the ride home. The other was when I couldn't get the rental car bluetooth working and wanted to use the aux jack. Had to listen to the normal radio.

    Neither of those I'd say were anything more than an inconveniece for me. Granted, everyone's usage is different, but I can personally say I'm not missing much by not having a headphone jack.

    I'm even okay with that notch, too.

    Number One Tricky
  • Options
    SirToastySirToasty Registered User regular
    SirToasty wrote: »
    SirToasty wrote: »
    ChaosHat wrote: »
    Synthesis wrote: »
    Looking at phones the past few months, I've concluded that I don't care about the notch. I have to be completely honest and say that a particular reaction I see to notches (that it somehow reduces screen space) bugs me so much that it probably made me want to be ok with it even more. Maybe I would have maintained ambivalence to it otherwise, but when I repeatedly see something that is demonstrably incorrect, about something, it causes me to look at it even closer.

    I can't speak for anyone else, I don't dislike the notch because it reduces screen space (mathematically, at least, it literally does not). I dislike it because I find it to be a solution to something I didn't think was a problem, and a bad one at that. I want the top edge to be symmetrical with the bottom, to allow for as many (or as few) system icons as I'd prefer. I know some people hate the word "bezel", but on a phone, it has a practical purpose for me: I want to be able to hold the phone comfortably without obscuring screen elements. Laptop screens don't have a chunk cut out of them to make room for the webcam/facial ID sensor/speaker either.

    But that's just me. I prefer fingerprint unlocking to facial ID anyway, especially since unlike on a Surface Pro, the fingerprint scanner is always immediately accessible on the phone.

    If windows laptops organized the system tray, time, etc at the top then they could do a notch. There's not really a reason to notch them as is. There is a reason to notch phones because you can shove the notifications, clock, signal strength, etc to the ears and free up more space for your apps.

    Spigen makes a good case, I've also enjoyed the google fabric and live cases in the past.

    Or you can make the same screen size without a notch and have a better screen and a bezel a couple of mm's thick on the top and bottom.

    The notch is a technological compromise that if it were to debut on any other phone would get laughed out of the market... but since it released on an Apple product we're stuck with it's stupid little ass for a few more years.

    So where are you putting the front camera?

    In the thin bezel up top, where I won't notice it as this huge chunk of missing screen, a monument to compromise?

    So you want all the screen space, but you also want a small bezel, which reduces screen space?

    How does a bezel reduce screen space?

    Unless the goal is 100% screen on the front and well that's not really anything I care about, and from a usability standpoint is probably not good.

    Is this the new Thinnenlite craze because it feels like it.

    It reduces screen size by literally taking up space. The notch gives you space for the system tray. The notch is the same height as the bezel on the Pixel 2XL. It's not a chunk taken out of the screen. It's added space. You can even turn it off in the settings so that it simulates a full bezel if you want to lose that space.

    If you don't like the notch because you think it's ugly, that's fine. But if we're arguing that it somehow makes things less usable, that just doesn't make sense.

  • Options
    jungleroomxjungleroomx It's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovels Registered User regular
    edited October 2018
    SirToasty wrote: »
    SirToasty wrote: »
    SirToasty wrote: »
    ChaosHat wrote: »
    Synthesis wrote: »
    Looking at phones the past few months, I've concluded that I don't care about the notch. I have to be completely honest and say that a particular reaction I see to notches (that it somehow reduces screen space) bugs me so much that it probably made me want to be ok with it even more. Maybe I would have maintained ambivalence to it otherwise, but when I repeatedly see something that is demonstrably incorrect, about something, it causes me to look at it even closer.

    I can't speak for anyone else, I don't dislike the notch because it reduces screen space (mathematically, at least, it literally does not). I dislike it because I find it to be a solution to something I didn't think was a problem, and a bad one at that. I want the top edge to be symmetrical with the bottom, to allow for as many (or as few) system icons as I'd prefer. I know some people hate the word "bezel", but on a phone, it has a practical purpose for me: I want to be able to hold the phone comfortably without obscuring screen elements. Laptop screens don't have a chunk cut out of them to make room for the webcam/facial ID sensor/speaker either.

    But that's just me. I prefer fingerprint unlocking to facial ID anyway, especially since unlike on a Surface Pro, the fingerprint scanner is always immediately accessible on the phone.

    If windows laptops organized the system tray, time, etc at the top then they could do a notch. There's not really a reason to notch them as is. There is a reason to notch phones because you can shove the notifications, clock, signal strength, etc to the ears and free up more space for your apps.

    Spigen makes a good case, I've also enjoyed the google fabric and live cases in the past.

    Or you can make the same screen size without a notch and have a better screen and a bezel a couple of mm's thick on the top and bottom.

    The notch is a technological compromise that if it were to debut on any other phone would get laughed out of the market... but since it released on an Apple product we're stuck with it's stupid little ass for a few more years.

    So where are you putting the front camera?

    In the thin bezel up top, where I won't notice it as this huge chunk of missing screen, a monument to compromise?

    So you want all the screen space, but you also want a small bezel, which reduces screen space?

    How does a bezel reduce screen space?

    Unless the goal is 100% screen on the front and well that's not really anything I care about, and from a usability standpoint is probably not good.

    Is this the new Thinnenlite craze because it feels like it.

    It reduces screen size by literally taking up space. The notch gives you space for the system tray. The notch is the same height as the bezel on the Pixel 2XL. It's not a chunk taken out of the screen. It's added space. You can even turn it off in the settings so that it simulates a full bezel if you want to lose that space.

    If you don't like the notch because you think it's ugly, that's fine. But if we're arguing that it somehow makes things less usable, that just doesn't make sense.

    I do think it's ugly. I never said it was problematic, I'm saying it looks stupid and has zero reason to exist.

    And it's never "extra" space. If you take 2 screens, one with a notch and one without a notch, and make them equal diagonally, then the notched screen always has a chunk taken out. Every single time.

    jungleroomx on
  • Options
    KyanilisKyanilis Bellevue, WARegistered User regular
    SirToasty wrote: »
    SirToasty wrote: »
    SirToasty wrote: »
    ChaosHat wrote: »
    Synthesis wrote: »
    Looking at phones the past few months, I've concluded that I don't care about the notch. I have to be completely honest and say that a particular reaction I see to notches (that it somehow reduces screen space) bugs me so much that it probably made me want to be ok with it even more. Maybe I would have maintained ambivalence to it otherwise, but when I repeatedly see something that is demonstrably incorrect, about something, it causes me to look at it even closer.

    I can't speak for anyone else, I don't dislike the notch because it reduces screen space (mathematically, at least, it literally does not). I dislike it because I find it to be a solution to something I didn't think was a problem, and a bad one at that. I want the top edge to be symmetrical with the bottom, to allow for as many (or as few) system icons as I'd prefer. I know some people hate the word "bezel", but on a phone, it has a practical purpose for me: I want to be able to hold the phone comfortably without obscuring screen elements. Laptop screens don't have a chunk cut out of them to make room for the webcam/facial ID sensor/speaker either.

    But that's just me. I prefer fingerprint unlocking to facial ID anyway, especially since unlike on a Surface Pro, the fingerprint scanner is always immediately accessible on the phone.

    If windows laptops organized the system tray, time, etc at the top then they could do a notch. There's not really a reason to notch them as is. There is a reason to notch phones because you can shove the notifications, clock, signal strength, etc to the ears and free up more space for your apps.

    Spigen makes a good case, I've also enjoyed the google fabric and live cases in the past.

    Or you can make the same screen size without a notch and have a better screen and a bezel a couple of mm's thick on the top and bottom.

    The notch is a technological compromise that if it were to debut on any other phone would get laughed out of the market... but since it released on an Apple product we're stuck with it's stupid little ass for a few more years.

    So where are you putting the front camera?

    In the thin bezel up top, where I won't notice it as this huge chunk of missing screen, a monument to compromise?

    So you want all the screen space, but you also want a small bezel, which reduces screen space?

    How does a bezel reduce screen space?

    Unless the goal is 100% screen on the front and well that's not really anything I care about, and from a usability standpoint is probably not good.

    Is this the new Thinnenlite craze because it feels like it.

    It reduces screen size by literally taking up space. The notch gives you space for the system tray. The notch is the same height as the bezel on the Pixel 2XL. It's not a chunk taken out of the screen. It's added space. You can even turn it off in the settings so that it simulates a full bezel if you want to lose that space.

    If you don't like the notch because you think it's ugly, that's fine. But if we're arguing that it somehow makes things less usable, that just doesn't make sense.

    I do think it's ugly. I never said it was problematic, I'm saying it looks stupid and has zero reason to exist.

    And it's never "extra" space. If you take 2 screens, one with a notch and one without a notch, and make them equal diagonally, then the notched screen always has a chunk taken out. Every single time.

    That's not the case though, the Pixel 3 XL has a larger screen diagonally because it doesn't have a top bezel. With the notch there you reclaim space that would otherwise have been taken up by the status bar. The Pixel 3 XL and Pixel 2 XL have the same physical dimensions but the Pixel 3 XL has more usable display precisely because it has a notch. Whether or not that relatively small bit of extra space makes a difference is up to you, but there absolutely is more space.

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