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

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  • useruser Registered User regular
    Oh I didn't know the Pixel 3 was gonna be deprecated this fall. Dang, that sucks, since it's still a perfectly serviceable phone.

    Unfortunately the only phone that really grabs me this gen is the Oppo X3 Finder, and it's not even gonna be coming to the US.

    I really wanted to skip this generation of 5G phones, just how risky is it to keep coasting on an unsupported phone for another year?

  • wunderbarwunderbar What Have I Done? Registered User regular
    I don't think there's a penalty to getting a phone that has 5G support now. at worst you can force it to run at 4G only. The Snapdragon's of the 2021 year/generation all have integrated modems again so there's not really a power penalty to 5G phones now.

    5G isn't built out yet but in a year or two it'll probably be worth having, and if you keep phones for 3 years like you're planning to on the Pixel 3, I think it's worth it.

    In terms of running a pixel without it getting updates, that mostly depends on how much you value the security patches right at the beginning of every month. The Pixel 3 will/should get Android 12, so in terms of major Android versions, you'll be current until August of 2022, but you won't get the monthly security patches.

    That being said outside of Pixel and Samsung, no manufacturer is even really promising monthly, even oneplus is saying bi-monthly on the OnePlus 9 series.

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  • emp123emp123 Registered User regular
    I kept reading Pixel 3 and thinking that sucks, glad I have the Pixel 3 XL and then it dawned on me that they're the same generation and software updates are probably ending at the same time. Bit of a shame really, my 3XL still feels new even though I've had it for just over 2 years.

    Glad it'll still be getting major OS updates until 8/22, that'll probably be about when I'm ready to replace it anyway.

  • wunderbarwunderbar What Have I Done? Registered User regular
    emp123 wrote: »
    I kept reading Pixel 3 and thinking that sucks, glad I have the Pixel 3 XL and then it dawned on me that they're the same generation and software updates are probably ending at the same time. Bit of a shame really, my 3XL still feels new even though I've had it for just over 2 years.

    Glad it'll still be getting major OS updates until 8/22, that'll probably be about when I'm ready to replace it anyway.

    Well, it'll stop getting major OS updates in October. When I say you're good until 8/22 that's becuase it's likely when Android 13 will release.

    If for some reason Google changes up their update cadence again and there's say, an Android 12.1 that hits in January, The Pixel 3 won't see it.

    Pixel 3 also will stop getting those quarterly Pixel feature drops after October, for what its worth.

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  • useruser Registered User regular
    Honestly I would keep a phone right up until it stops feeling snappy. But the Pixel 3 hasn't shown any signs of that as far as I'm concerned. So here's hoping for 5 years.

  • MugsleyMugsley DelawareRegistered User regular
    Mine is still snappy but the battery is complete shit now.

    Fwiw I've only seen "monthly" security updates every 2-3 months since roughly early 2020

  • urahonkyurahonky Registered User regular
    Has anyone recently began to have issues with group texts? I've been in one for almost 6 years now and on Monday whenever I send a message to the group like 2 of the 7 people won't see it in the group but they'll get a direct text from me with the message. Really hurts some of the jokes I've been setting up.

    I'm on pixel 4a.

  • MugsleyMugsley DelawareRegistered User regular
    I know Gboard was giving me weird texting issues for a while (and I moved to Swiftkey then) but it was fixed with the most recent Android update (security or system; I don't remember)

  • MugsleyMugsley DelawareRegistered User regular
    Friends in North America: does it strike any of you that Visible's current promotion is nearly a pyramid scheme? Or is it just good marketing on their part because the deal statistically kills itself off very quickly?

  • ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
    I think it's probably just marketing. Visible is owned by Verizon and they're trying to push into the Cricket market.

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  • JazzJazz Registered User regular
    Cricket is still a thing? Blimey.

  • ZiggymonZiggymon Registered User regular
    So LG have announced they are out of the Smartphone business. 6 years of losses amounting to $4.5bn. Its a shame but not surprising given how volatile the market is.

  • ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
    Not surprising, but kinda sad. I almost feel like they're the only ones trying some wild shit. The Wing was a cool concept!

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  • JazzJazz Registered User regular
    Pouring one out. We had a good run, LG.

    I really liked how they did so many things and every so often I'll run into something, even just a minor detail, on my Note 10+ that I find myself thinking LG's equivalent was more elegant. People bitched about their software but I never got that, I liked their approach. And they did bring in some cool innovations and leftfield ideas. Extra noticeable when everyone else feels so damn stagnant.

    I was eyeing up a Wing briefly but it would've cost me almost twice what my Note 10+ did.

    I feels weird to say I've only had two LG phones (G4 and V30), it feels like more (in a good way), and very often people would ask about them or comment on them, not disparagingly but out of genuine curiosity.

    Sad day.

  • Ear3nd1lEar3nd1l Eärendil the Mariner, father of Elrond Registered User regular
    I had a G5 for a while and although I liked it, I ended up getting rid of it because it ran ridiculously hot and ate the battery.

  • LD50LD50 Registered User regular
    I think a big failure mode of phone manufacturers is making too many different product lines, and updating them too frequently. It seems like LG was making a thousand different models, each different enough from each other that it required fresh engineering. You end up competing with yourself when you do that. You also lose out on a lot of brand identity when you keep cycling product lines.

    I think companies like Samsung are more successful due to having a very predictable product release cycle "this is our high end phone, here is the 'note', here is the lower end phone" with all 3 built on the same platform each cycle. They can then use consistent branding across the 3 lines.

  • wunderbarwunderbar What Have I Done? Registered User regular
    LG did a lot of things wrong. Their software made touchwiz look good back in the day, and they had even worse update practices than Samsung.

    Samsung was able to compensate for their shittiness in the Galaxy S-S5 days by spending all the money on marketing to get samsung phones into people's minds, LG did not.


    Also, this isn't super well known but LG is still the 3rd largest OEM in terms of sales/units in the USA. The problem is those are all the zero margin $150 phones that are free on contract you see in carrier stores or pay as you go kiosks. there's actually going to be a huge hole in that super low budget segment in the US now.

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  • ZiggymonZiggymon Registered User regular
    When you have a major hit on your hands, the first thing you do is try to diversify your lineup, try to expand into new markets with products trying to chase the successes of previous releases. Samsung have done this for years and they are the biggest success story in smartphones with how the S2 was a mega success to be followed up by introducing the Note line. This also gives you a fallback if your mainline product release falls under expectations.

    Sony did this with its Compact line for a while, and its Z phones which for a couple of years ended up being a moderate success but again are following a very similar path (side note Sony, great job releasing your more interesting and desirable phone in years but restricting its market, removing it from access to the UK and generally making it extremely difficult to purchase).

    If you are struggling with product launches, you generally either look at streamlining the portfolio of products in future, release fewer but more competitive products to try and eat into a rivals marketshare in that area of products. You can also look at other market areas to focus on, mid range, budget using brand recognition to carve out a niche area.

    LG failed on both accounts to really do anything after the initial success of the G line of phones (which only lasted about 3 years). They attempted to go for the more experimental high end devices we have the G flex (curved display, self healing body) the Optimus 3D both highly niche devices that totally failed to do anything in the market but generate headlines. They also tried to flood the market with the budget Optimus line of phones that were quite frankly dogshit products that started to gain a reputation for being poor quality just as the rivals on Android were starting to think of the mid range/ budget as more than an afterthought.

    By that point the G series of phones got hit by the release of a real dog of a device (The G5) that attempted the modular route but failed in every aspect (Why sell an add on device that gives better audio output at the cost of extra battery life, when you could just put in a better audio chip?). For general consumers this was the start of the end. If you look at the failings of HTC, it really only takes a single dog of a product launch to really hurt these companies.

    By this point LG decided to focus on good all round devices but each time just made no traction. The course correction also felt so mis managed and full of confusing marketing messages that just looked dated compared to its rivals. There was also the failure to streamline devices and instead keep introducing new relaunch lines of products, by the end you have several diffterent flagship lines (V line, Velvet line, G line, even as recent as last month they were introducing a pro line to its W series) that all had no real identity to differentiate from each other to the mass market. This was before the introduction of the Wing and its promise to keep making experimental design phones.

  • SniperGuySniperGuy SniperGuyGaming Registered User regular
    Hey android thread. I've got a Pixel XL which is really starting to show its age. I'm on Google Fi and was looking at some options. Seems like battery life is better on the 4a 5g and maybe there's a better camera than on the 4a? But it's also a lot more expensive. And the Pixel 5 is even more expensive and doesn't seem really worth it for my purposes. Given what I'm upgrading from, any recommendations? And should I wait for a 5a or a sale or something? I haven't looked at phones in a while so I'm kind of out of the loop.

  • Inquisitor77Inquisitor77 2 x Penny Arcade Fight Club Champion A fixed point in space and timeRegistered User regular
    I chose a 4a (no 5G) and don't regret the decision. 5G is still not widely supported so no real reason to get the 4a variant. Plus, how often do you really need to stream 4k video on your phone? The Pixel 5 itself is not twice as good as the Pixel 4a, and yet is twice the cost, if not more.

    The nice thing about the 4a is that if you find you want an upgrade a year or two from now, the money you've saved can go towards a better phone next time around, likely one in a generation where 5G is now standard and widely supported without having to pay the premium.

  • Local H JayLocal H Jay Registered User regular
    Fwiw I really like my 4a too, the camera is still really nice on it.
    Some shots I took with mine:
    https://imgur.com/a/uxI2XSl

  • wunderbarwunderbar What Have I Done? Registered User regular
    One thing I'd caution is that if you're coming from a Pixel XL, it is likely that you're someone who keeps your phone longer than average, which may actually mean that 5G could have a meaningful impact on your life before the end of life of the phone.

    Also, if you're used to the XL size of the phone the 4a is going to be a smaller device, while the 4a 5G will be a device closer in size to the Pixel XL.

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  • SniperGuySniperGuy SniperGuyGaming Registered User regular
    wunderbar wrote: »
    One thing I'd caution is that if you're coming from a Pixel XL, it is likely that you're someone who keeps your phone longer than average, which may actually mean that 5G could have a meaningful impact on your life before the end of life of the phone.

    Also, if you're used to the XL size of the phone the 4a is going to be a smaller device, while the 4a 5G will be a device closer in size to the Pixel XL.

    The 4a actually has a slightly bigger display than the XL I believe. Smaller bezel though, so maybe ultimately smaller?

    The 4a 5g is supposed to have a slightly better camera and battery, but for 150 dollars more that doesn't necessarily seem worth it. And yeah, 5g in the future does sound nice but I'm on wifi a massive amount of the time anyway so I don't know if that would affect me much anyway.

    There's also a "15 dollars a month for phone and device protection plan" thing for 2 years which ends up saving you 130~ bucks, but that locks me into google fi in case I ever want to switch, so I'll probably just stick with the regular phone and not that plan.

  • SirToastySirToasty Registered User regular
    The 4a is significantly smaller than the XL. Bigger screen though, as you said.

  • NaphtaliNaphtali Hazy + Flow SeaRegistered User regular
    Display sizes:
    • Pixel 5: 6-inch, OLED, 90Hz
    • Pixel 4a 5G: 6.2-inch, OLED, 60Hz
    • Pixel 4a: 5.81-inch, OLED, 60Hz

    Wait, why the heck is the 4a 5G bigger than the 5?

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  • BlazeFireBlazeFire Registered User regular
    As a big fan of my Pixel 3 and Pixel before that, "lol google hardware" is the answer.

  • SniperGuySniperGuy SniperGuyGaming Registered User regular
    Huh, it looks like the 4a 5g with its bigger screen actually ends up smaller than the Pixel XL. This thing does have a pretty sizeable bezel so imagine cutting that down helps a lot. Leaning towards the 4a 5g now. Seems like a little pricier but better processor and camera and bigger screen. And I do have this tax refund sitting here. Gonna do a little more reading first, but I appreciate the info everyone!

  • wunderbarwunderbar What Have I Done? Registered User regular
    yeah, the Pixel XL still had a 16x9 aspect ratio display, while modern phones are something along a 18:9, so the displays are the same width, but taller. Screen display size is not directly comparable between 18:9 and 16:9 aspect ratio displays.

    In terms of physical size, the Pixel 4a 5G will be closer in size to your Pixel XL, while the Pixel 4a would be closer to the size of the smaller Pixel 1 size of phone.

    If you're used to a big phone, the 4a is going to feel small. Whether that's a good thing or not is entirely up to you.

    Personally, if it was my money, and I was going to be keeping the phone for 3 years, I'd spend the extra money on the 4a 5G. The processor bump from the 730G to the 765G might actually be meaningful a couple years from now.

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  • SirToastySirToasty Registered User regular
    One nice thing about the 4a is that it is super light. I didn't realize how heavy my old XL was until I held my Dad's 4a. Not sure how the 4a 5G compared but I imagine it's a decent bit lighter due to the plastic body.

  • Inquisitor77Inquisitor77 2 x Penny Arcade Fight Club Champion A fixed point in space and timeRegistered User regular
    wunderbar wrote: »
    One thing I'd caution is that if you're coming from a Pixel XL, it is likely that you're someone who keeps your phone longer than average, which may actually mean that 5G could have a meaningful impact on your life before the end of life of the phone.

    Yeah, but I think if you save $250-$300 on this phone, I'd say you're entitled to just get an upgrade earlier than you normally would, assuming that's where you want to spend your budget.

    Once 5g becomes a thing in mid-2022 just buy another phone and ride that one out. It'll all roughly work out the same over the long term. There is never not a day where you don't have a phone that you're paying for, right?

  • MichaelLCMichaelLC In what furnace was thy brain? ChicagoRegistered User regular
    Does this look weird to anyone else?

    Like the right 4a 5G looks bigger than the left 3XL, right?

    8lne4hfna3xq.png

  • Inquisitor77Inquisitor77 2 x Penny Arcade Fight Club Champion A fixed point in space and timeRegistered User regular
    Not weird. Very typical.

  • BouwsTBouwsT Wanna come to a super soft birthday party? Registered User regular
    MichaelLC wrote: »
    Does this look weird to anyone else?

    Like the right 4a 5G looks bigger than the left 3XL, right?

    8lne4hfna3xq.png

    I mean, those photos are not scaled properly.

    If the XL on the left is 6.2" tall, and the 4a 5G on the right is 6.1" tall, then the RH photo should be slightly smaller in appearance side by side. Those pictures will be good for seeing the ratio of body to screen on each individual phone, but not for comparing size between the two.

    Between you and me, Peggy, I smoked this Juul and it did UNTHINKABLE things to my mind and body...
  • ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
    That is a fiery review. Ouch.

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  • urahonkyurahonky Registered User regular
    Man I am starting to think the 4a fingerprint reader is just buggy. I've never had to clean out my Pixel 2 reader but the Pixel 4a has to be blown (heh) at least 3 times a day for it to read my fingerprint. It's also not in my pocket all day, just sits on the desk next to me. I have to press it really hard and blow on it for it to actually read it. It's very frustrating.

  • SmokeStacksSmokeStacks Registered User regular
    Yesterday I got to teach my 73 year old neighbor how to change the keyboard on her Android phone. She was pretty excited that she was able to install one that was easier for her to read, and sized a little better. It was a cool moment.

  • JazzJazz Registered User regular
    Which one did you point her towards?

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