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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

#561

Post by ck425 »

Kiro wrote: post #527
greggman3 wrote: post #465

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Problems with wireless headphones over wired 1. batteries run out and can't use until recharged. Even if that only took 10 minutes I wanted to use my headphone now, not later. 2. batteries die and are not replaceable. Bad for both pocketbook and the environment 3. interference can make them unusable. Try walking through a crowded train station and you'll find you get about 2 seconds of audio for every 5 seconds of no…

Very weak arguments that you could say about anything with a battery. Never had any of the problems you describe. Even the most stubborn conservatives like yourself will give up sooner or later. You're already in minority. Wireless headphones are no different than any other technological advancements.

Well yeah, I think we'd agree that most non-battery based electronic devices are superior to any equivalent device that relies on a battery. You're not refuting anything with that statement.

The fact is performance wise wired headphones are still just better, as well as far cheaper for audio quality.

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

#562

Post by hocuspocus »

vinay427 wrote: post #521
hocuspocus wrote: post #282

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think there are several reasons: - The pricing for their flagship models made absolutely no sense given the specs, poor battery life and questionable QA. - Samsung and the big Chinese manufacturers advertise everywhere, you can get their phones at the shop around the corner. At least now in Germany you can find the Pixels at Saturn and Mediamarkt (and often at a discount). - Most people don't care about software up…

> They might notice the custom Samsung UI and be annoyed by pre-installed bloatware, but they won't know which version of Android the phone is running, let alone its latest security patch. Honestly, on newer devices within the last few years, I've found the Samsung modifications to be more helpful than not. I have way more options for random settings that I regularly find useful, as well as customization of how aspec…

I'm not saying the Samsung UI is better or worse, just that people notice.

Google is indeed also guilty of pre-installing apps that people do not want. But things like Samsung Pay or Bixby are a bit more annoying in my experience.

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

#563

Post by pjmlp »

ksec wrote: post #459
hocuspocus wrote: post #282

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think there are several reasons: - The pricing for their flagship models made absolutely no sense given the specs, poor battery life and questionable QA. - Samsung and the big Chinese manufacturers advertise everywhere, you can get their phones at the shop around the corner. At least now in Germany you can find the Pixels at Saturn and Mediamarkt (and often at a discount). - Most people don't care about software up…

But none of this has anything to do with poor distribution. They could have partnered with logistics and sold it themselves via Online. But even that is not done. They didn't bother partnering with Telecoms or Retail. Basically, judging purely from current evidence and outside perspective, Google is a company that 1. Doesn't know how to make partnership 2. Doesn't know anything other than selling ads. 3. Doesn't know…

They don't even know how to develop an SDK properly, the overall experience feels like no one on the Android team ever used iOS or UWP SDKs or their out of the box frameworks.

Even just watching WWDC sessions would do wonders to compare what they offer and what the competition provides, specially in what concerns native languages support, project templates, graphics, audio and SIMD frameworks.

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

#564

Post by ck425 »

emn13 wrote: post #225
SECProto wrote: post #205

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does the OnePlus Nord or 7T have a headphone jack? (No, they don't, and it's been a dealbreaker for me for several generations. That plus low price plus stock android is the attraction of the pixel 3a and 4a for me.) All that said, I'm happy using a Samsung phone - manufactured in Vietnam, has a headphone jack and sdcard slot, minimal bloatware, cheap.

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.

Getting BT headphones that are as good as my current setup would cost me £300+ and even then there would be latency and device switching issues.

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

#565

Post by csdreamer7 »

101008 wrote: post #218
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 bought a Pixel 3A a few months ago and my battery lasts 2 days without charging it. I use it for regular browsing, Instagram, twitter, and it is constantly using networks because I have Whatsapp always on on my computer.

Same, my little 3A is a battery life trooper. The only reason I am looking at the 4A is because one of my family members 3A phone screen was cracked by a coworker. That 3A still works and is mostly still usable, even if the screen perspective is a little off.

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

#567

Post by quoyn »

malkia wrote: post #27

Has Audio Jack! (Comparison with other Pixel 4's) - https://store.google.com/magazine/compare_pixel?toggler0=Pix...

Not sure if joking but to serious users this is really important - you can just plug in your headphones and it works - you don't need to worry about which device the phones are connected to this time (I pair my bt headphones with many devices) or signal noise (I still have this problem when using wifi and bluetooth at once). There are even Android devices dedicated for audophiles like new Sony Walkman!

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

#568

Post by distances »

tony wrote: post #210
csours wrote: post #30

I can only hope they will revisit face unlock in the era of face masks. I greatly prefered fingerprint unlock. I treat either of these as tamper resistance rather than actual security, but I find fingerprint unlock to be a much better experience.

For anyone wondering: Pixel 3 had a fingerprint sensor for unlocking the screen, but Pixel 4 removed it and replaced it with a face unlock. Regardless of whether face unlock works - sometimes it's inconvenient to position yourself for it (e.g. if you have bags in your hand, are driving, browsing/reading with phone on a surface, in bed, etc). Some skipped Pixel 4 due to removing it. They considered fingerprint reading…

Another downside: lots of apps don't implement face unlock. Many banking apps have fingerprint only, either because they develop slower or because so many Android phones have botched biometrics that it can't generally be used for apps requiring real security, and would need a whitelisting exception for Pixel 4.

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

#569

Post by distances »

ehsankia wrote: post #302
joncrane wrote: post #267

Earlier quoted context omitted.

my pixel 3a xl is also stellar. Where's the 4a xl?

They went for a single model, which is an in between. 3a was 5.6", 3a XL was 6", the 4a is 5.8" They also got rid of storage SKUs too, there's now only a single 128GB version. Even the color too, down to a single color instead of 3. Maybe it's due to COVID-19 and supply chain issues, but they're getting rid of all variations and focusing on delivering a single version.

Note that while screen is larger, 4a has smaller physical dimensions than 3a. Which is great, Pixel line is one of the very few high-specced medium size Android phones. I don't know of a single small Android device with good specs. They're all just phablets.

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

#570

Post by distances »

ryaan_anthony wrote: post #99
kvgr wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It was the best phone I ever had... until the boot loop.

i keep buying them new/old stock for $100 on ebay.. they last a year or more -- just a little slow sometimes. i have one more in my desk drawer and i might upgrade after that one.

Why wouldn't you just get the 3a? It's dirt cheap by now. Not $100 cheap, but a very modern device in comparison.
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