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Google Pixel 9 Pro

store.google.com

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Re: Google Pixel 9 Pro

#311
post #267

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The win-win solution is to only buy Pixel phones that are several generations old. The kinks are ironed out, they're less than half the price, and for 95%+ of users, they're just as capable as the latest-and-greatest.

They don't get security patches though

Which ones?

According to https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/4457705?hl=en pixel 5a is getting eol this month, with the next security update dropping for pixel 6 starting in October 2026

"Last gen" pixel 8 is going to get android and security updates through October 2030

Re: Google Pixel 9 Pro

#313

I'm an iPhone guy, but - there _are_ other designs for phones, right? The squircle corners, the shiny metal band surrounding the matte back, the aqua-pill-shaped buttons, the colors - Google is a $2T company, there's gotta be an industrial designer somewhere in the building or some process for phone design that doesn't take place in Cupertino, right?

Rounded corners is a mechanical design thing, mostly.

Re: Google Pixel 9 Pro

#314

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I absolutely refuse to pay for a phone; call me old-school, but I am still stuck in the memory of the days when they came 'free' with service contracts. Me? I will happily take a slightly outdated phone with a new provider/contract where I don't pay anything on top of the expected monthly fee. I have 8 months left on my iPhone13 mini (128GB) w/VZW and will happily change to one of the other Big Threes to make it happ…

A regular Verizon plan with tethering that supports the "free" phones costs the same in three months for what I pay for a year of service on Mint. But sure, the phone was "free". $2,880 for a Verizon plan with a "free" phone (3 year commitment after all), $720 for three years of my current Mint plan. I could spend $2k on a phone over those three years and I'd still have spent less money.

Based on the Mint website, it appears to be $360 up-front + $360 or $720 for their 'unlimited' annual which I don't know if it includes tethering. I pay ~$684 for VZW for the year, for unlimited w/tethering and HBO Max + Netflix.

Re: Google Pixel 9 Pro

#315
post #183

I'm kind of sad that the world seems to have given up on the smaller phones. The marketing of the masculine hand holding the larger phone is amusing to me, and I can understand wanting to have a larger screen. I do not like the amount of space these things take in my pocket, though.

I broke my iPhone 12 mini and part of me died that day. A tired dad moment – set the phone on the trunk lid when getting my kid in the car and then later opened the trunk. It slid down and crunched in the hinge. I could replace it with another mini but have been holding out hope for another updated version. I love the small form factor, even at the expense of battery life and camera quality. I just want a reasonable…

Didn't they basically confirm that they're discontinuing the mini series? The 15 is still your best bet.

Re: Google Pixel 9 Pro

#316

Pixel 9 also says satellite emergency support ("Satellite SOS"). Search for info gets you to https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/15254448?hl=en&... It looks like it's coming "later this year". Lots of chatter about it, see a few details at https://www.androidauthority.com/pixel-9-satellite-sos-34676... * apparently coming with android 15, but they are shipping android 14 * turning on satellite sos later, but…

How much is the subscription for the Garmin device? I'm curious because I bought my parents a personal locator beacon, since they are retired and hike constantly. It costs more up front but has no subscription, and I didn't want to gift something with a high recurring cost. There's no communication option, it's all or nothing - if it's activated they send the helicopters. On the plus side, it has a fixed 7 year batte…

It's not cheap, about $12/month is cheapest plan, https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/837461. Pay 0.10c for tracking points, you have 10 text messages a month.

If you use it a lot, you'll start to increase your fees, I'm on the next higher plan which I think is $35/m. I should revisit that, it's a lot over a year ;-)

They have the basic devices (connect with phone, or emergency button), I have the one with maps built in. That one is awesome, it has worldwide city and trail maps. Maps works without a subscription, but I do use it for trips where there is no phone service more to get text messages.

Re: Google Pixel 9 Pro

#317
Lack of proper dual sim (with two nano sims) is what made me not buy the previous gen and I guess this as well gets skipped.

It such a small feature that 200$ Xiaomi phones have and Google's flagship do not, because people in their silicon valley bubble can't understand there's many carries in the world that don't support esims properly or the issues that people that live in two countries need to face.

Re: Google Pixel 9 Pro

#318
post #158

One of the big problems with Pixel phones is their lack of thorough testing. You upgrade and suddenly you encounter strange Bluetooth issues, call problems, or other features that were working fine before but suddenly stop functioning. Tons of people will be complaining about this in forums, and you won't receive any updates to fix them for months. IMHO all Pixel phones are just developer devices and you can't seriou…

So who does make good phones?

Apple.

Re: Google Pixel 9 Pro

#319
post #158

One of the big problems with Pixel phones is their lack of thorough testing. You upgrade and suddenly you encounter strange Bluetooth issues, call problems, or other features that were working fine before but suddenly stop functioning. Tons of people will be complaining about this in forums, and you won't receive any updates to fix them for months. IMHO all Pixel phones are just developer devices and you can't seriou…

Yeah that. Pixel 6A and 7A. Unreliable as hell. Went straight back to iOS. Edit to clarify: constant problems with payments, bluetooth, eSIMs.

Weird. My 7A runs fine. I do swap out a lot of apps though, like keyboard and application selector.

Re: Google Pixel 9 Pro

#320

Lack of proper dual sim (with two nano sims) is what made me not buy the previous gen and I guess this as well gets skipped. It such a small feature that 200$ Xiaomi phones have and Google's flagship do not, because people in their silicon valley bubble can't understand there's many carries in the world that don't support esims properly or the issues that people that live in two countries need to face.

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