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Google announces Pixel 5, Pixel 4A 5G, and Pixel 4A

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Re: Google announces Pixel 5, Pixel 4A 5G, and Pixel 4A

#541

Post by drawfloat »

I loved my 3A when I got it. Great camera, decent specs, not a gamer (still not convinced anyone is a heavy phone gamer) so it was just an absolute steal.

But a year and a bit later, the software is already starting to slow down even with a reset (switching to video from photo incurs a good 5-10 second delay, opening the camera itself takes a few seconds), and the volume rocker on the side snapped when I was just turning down Spotify.

The "it's a bargain!" selling point is less of a thing in Europe, where they do some currency conversion fiddling. And the poor sales means aftercare is awful - my screen cracked a few weeks ago and I have to go to a third party, looking at 180euro.

Coupled with Google's terrible implementation of work accounts (want to just join a Meet on your work email? Wait while we set up an entire work profile, download the requirements etc. Oh but, by the way, the calendar app doesn't have any way to view your work profile events) and I'm less enthusiastic this time around, sadly.

Re: Google announces Pixel 5, Pixel 4A 5G, and Pixel 4A

#542

Post by sciurus »

drawfloat wrote: post #541

I loved my 3A when I got it. Great camera, decent specs, not a gamer (still not convinced anyone is a heavy phone gamer) so it was just an absolute steal. But a year and a bit later, the software is already starting to slow down even with a reset (switching to video from photo incurs a good 5-10 second delay, opening the camera itself takes a few seconds), and the volume rocker on the side snapped when I was just tur…

> But a year and a bit later, the software is already starting to slow down even with a reset (switching to video from photo incurs a good 5-10 second delay, opening the camera itself takes a few seconds)

FWIW that's really not normal. Sounds like I got my pixel 3a around the same time as you, and I haven't had any problems like that. I wonder if you have a hardware defect of some sort.

> Coupled with Google's terrible implementation of work accounts

What's special about work accounts? I added both my personal and work Google accounts without any issues and can see events from both in my calendar, switch between them in google drive, etc.

Re: Google announces Pixel 5, Pixel 4A 5G, and Pixel 4A

#543

Post by fomine3 »

ss3000 wrote: post #240
droidno9 wrote: post #68

This is an awesome phone at $350. I currently have the Pixel 4, but if this was available when I was making my purchase decision, I'd probably have gone with it. That said, the Pixel line of phones isn't known for having long lasting battery. A feature that I've found to be indispensable is wireless charging. I just rest my Pixel 4 on a vertical charging base throughout the day. Otherwise, I'd have to have to constan…

I'm not a huge Apple fanboy by any measure, but one thing I do appreciate is that they consider wireless charging to be a table stakes feature, and include it even in their "budget" phones. They clearly understand how dramatically it elevates the user experience. Compare that to every Android manufacturer who either don't offer wireless charging at all or gate it to flagships, it's a really sad state of affairs for s…

Now I have higher-end phone (AQUOS zero2) but it doesn't feature Qi to make it lighter, and I love the decision. Previously I had Galaxy S8 that features Qi but I don't use it much because it gets hotter while charging so not seems good for battery health.

Adopting Qi has another side effect: it prevents using metal to back surface, so most high-end phones choose to use glass rather than resin so phones are much getting heavier.

Re: Google announces Pixel 5, Pixel 4A 5G, and Pixel 4A

#544

Post by fomine3 »

jpeeler wrote: post #461
paultopia wrote: post #446

Can someone explain to me what the user benefit of 5G is? Is there anything that people typically do on their phones/with tethering right now that LTE is insufficient bandwidth for? Or is this just a plan by the carriers to encourage more really expensive usage, like convincing people to stream on their phones/tether all the time?

Forgive me, but this sounds like the same perspective of the famous quote "640K is more memory than anyone will ever need on a computer" (no idea if Gates actually said it). People will always fill the bandwidth with something (just like memory), perhaps with something we don't even use today at all. Though note that the new usage pattern will only emerge after usage is ubiquitous, which is usually due to decent pric…

Finally 5G must be worth but whether buying 5G phone in 2020 is different question. Separat modem/SoC is not good for battery life. (yes I know iPhone does that ever but they do efficient things in different way)

Re: Google announces Pixel 5, Pixel 4A 5G, and Pixel 4A

#545

Post by dungdang »

chrismcb wrote: post #500
dungdang wrote: post #464

Earlier quoted context omitted.

well, clearly you believe on a car, the part of the spec that says 'axles: 2' is a feature. along with everything else in the spec.

Yes, and it is a good feature. I don't really want a car with 1 axles. And tires are expensive enough, so I don't want one with three axles. Just because it is not an awesome, whiz bang feature, doesn't mean it isn't a feature

fair point. you redefined feature and expect people to use your definition.

feature definition: a distinctive attribute or aspect of something. "safety features like dual air bags"

so when you see a description 'single airbag' it is a feature. you wouldn't want a car with no airbag after all.

see, single airbag used to be a feature. now it's not. wheels on a car are a feature too i guess. don't want a car to come without wheels, or 1 wheel.

Re: Google announces Pixel 5, Pixel 4A 5G, and Pixel 4A

#546

Post by emn13 »

Xixi wrote: post #502
emn13 wrote: post #231

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Only anecdotally, but old iphones (more than 3 years old, such as in my case the original iphone SE) have poor enough battery life expectancy that I'm not sure I'd call longevity a big win for iOS.

There is an easy fix for that: it costs 49 USD to change the battery of an iPhone SE in an Apple Store. Whether it's cheap or expensive is of course a matter of perspective. But an iPhone SE with a new battery is certainly better than most phones you could buy for 49 USD...

That is a good point. I've always been a little hesitant with repairs like that because I'm unsure how much longer it'll let the phone last, but at least the SE is still getting iOS 14, so... a while?

Re: Google announces Pixel 5, Pixel 4A 5G, and Pixel 4A

#547

Post by emn13 »

SECProto wrote: post #269
emn13 wrote: post #225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm kind of curious why the headphone matters? I was mildly annoyed when phones dropped the jack, but you know... get a set of bluetooth headphones, what's the problem? Frankly, not having to bother with the wires is simply a plus.

Aux port is useful for much more than earbuds. I plug in an aux cable daily in my car (GPS + podcasts = need power and aux slot simultaneously, or a several hundred dollar head unit upgrade to have halfway decent bluetooth, or a dongle that does both and the hope i dont forget it if i use a rental car). Use with my existing headphones/aux cables around my house, same port as my desktop/laptop, same port as various de…

You're going to have to replace the equipment; dongles are a at best a limited workaround (basically you need to glue to dongle to the headphone or certainly never take it out of the respective device, otherwise it's too much hassle and risk of losing it). Dongles are OK for specific legacy devices, no more.

But the real advantage of aux sounds like the standardization to you - and that's mostly a question of simply making the jump. Yes, you need to spend a little money (but much less than your other devices like phones/laptops/etc, so it's not a crazy step), perhaps even hundreds. But once you do - bluetooth support is about as pervasive as aux, and becoming more so. Quite a few devices no longer have aux ports, but do have bluetooth. Even today, you'll be able to use your bluetooth headphones with essentially all phones and laptops regardless of brand (assuming they're not ancient, and maybe some extremely low end stuff is missing bluetooth). If your desktop doesn't support bluetooth, a desktop dongle is just a few dollars and you can leave it in permanently.

Switching standards is annoying, but it's going to happen sometime; and at this point bluetooth is pervasive enough that it's pretty usable.

Re: Google announces Pixel 5, Pixel 4A 5G, and Pixel 4A

#548

Post by distances »

tialaramex wrote: post #497
jpeeler wrote: post #461

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Forgive me, but this sounds like the same perspective of the famous quote "640K is more memory than anyone will ever need on a computer" (no idea if Gates actually said it). People will always fill the bandwidth with something (just like memory), perhaps with something we don't even use today at all. Though note that the new usage pattern will only emerge after usage is ubiquitous, which is usually due to decent pric…

FWIW Gates never said that. There's no documentary evidence anywhere, it just shows up with no source as a claimed Gates quote years after the last point it could plausibly have been said. And the supposed ubiquity argument for more network bandwidth is stale. People have been making this argument for decades at this point, it's roughly the same age as "When everybody with a mobile phone gets cancer you'll see" argum…

> Always On makes a huge qualitative difference. Broadband not so much.

I agree. My steps were dialup ISDN 64kbps -> always-on DSL 256kbps -> campus 100Mbps.

Dialup to always-on was much, much bigger change than slow DSL to blazing fast campus speeds.

Re: Google announces Pixel 5, Pixel 4A 5G, and Pixel 4A

#549

Post by distances »

driverdan wrote: post #281
actuator wrote: post #242

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are not comparing apples to apples. Pixel 2 was a flagship $700 phone while Pixel 3a is a midrange phone half of that price.

Except the 3a was released about a year and a half after the 2. That's a lot of time for phone tech. It should have at least matched the 2.

I have owned both. I prefer 3a on every aspect except for photo processing speed. I've no idea how it compares on paper but it's better in practice.

Re: Google announces Pixel 5, Pixel 4A 5G, and Pixel 4A

#550

Post by nemacol »

thaumasiotes wrote: post #329
nemacol wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes! I have a 3a and it has kept me using pixels mainly for this reason. #2 reason is the Polycarbonate unibody. Happy to see they are keeping it in future iterations of the 'a' series.

I have a 3a and it's mostly fine. But an obvious problem is that the touchscreen is activated by my leg. I had to actually lock the lockscreen just to prevent the phone from constantly opening random apps and providing random input.

I have this issue as well. What do you mean "lock the lockscreen"
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