Google Pixel 9 Pro • Hacker News Board

Re: Google Pixel 9 Pro

#371

Post by dns_snek » Tue, Aug 13, 2024, 7:43 PM UTC

Atotalnoob wrote: post #303

notfed wrote: post #227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've had a dozens od Bluetooth devices (of both computers and headsets), and have never not had Bluetooth issues. I would not isolate "Bluetooth issues" to Android.

Bluetooth on android is quite terrible. Especially BLE, a startup I worked at had a device that broadcast every 500ms for 375ms. We tested over 100 android devices and the best phone had a 40% chance of detecting the device within 5 seconds…

Any interesting observations with respect to different brands? What does the overall distribution look like and how does it compare against other devices you tested, e.g. iPhones, laptops?

Re: Google Pixel 9 Pro

#372

Post by dgacmu » Tue, Aug 13, 2024, 7:44 PM UTC

NotSammyHagar wrote: post #316

thedman9052 wrote: post #290

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.…

They also charge you for time spent with service suspended. We finally canceled ours when my wife got an iphone with satellite SOS - it was pretty expensive for something we would typically use (activate, not actually use - we've never had to SOS) one or two months per year.

Re: Google Pixel 9 Pro

#373

Post by fidotron » Tue, Aug 13, 2024, 7:44 PM UTC

I don’t know how anyone could possibly trust a premium product from Google, regardless of how good the specs are. Their entire approach to QA and privacy is anti-premium.

When Google bought HTC the idea was the best of Google software and the best of HTC hardware, but we have Google level hardware and HTC level software. The glory days of the HTC One were a decade ago.

Re: Google Pixel 9 Pro

#374

Post by seattle_spring » Tue, Aug 13, 2024, 7:44 PM UTC

jeffbee wrote: post #336

itsoktocry wrote: post #263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> IMHO all Pixel phones are just developer devices and you can't seriously use them as daily drivers. I've had Pixel 3XL, Pixel 5, Pixel 8, and Pixel Tablet all without issue. I realize that can't be everyone's experience, but the idea that you can't "seriously use" these devices is untrue.

Really? The Pixel 8, my first Pixel, shipped without working USB webcam support, which was one of the advertised launch features. To actually get that feature you had to switch to the beta release track, which of course broke lots of the other things on the phone. Notable things that have been broken for a month or more on the beta track since I owned a Pixel 8 include tap to pay and the unlock screen.

I'm sure we could also find anecdotes of some iPhone users having features necessary for them blocked or non-functional. It does not mean that the vast majority of people cannot still use the device without incident as a "daily driver."

Re: Google Pixel 9 Pro

#375

Post by dbspin » Tue, Aug 13, 2024, 7:46 PM UTC

ravenstine wrote: post #278

nblgbg wrote: 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…

> IMHO all Pixel phones are just developer devices and you can't seriously use them as daily drivers. While there's a lot you said that I agree with, I find this statement quite an exaggeration. I've owned Pixel phones for the last 7 years, both with stock and custom ROMS, and as much as Pixel seems to always have weird quirks, it's been reliable enough for me that I don't see why it couldn't be a daily driver. That…

>I've been legit hacked, but I don't have enough fingers to count all the times ?>that software bugs did things like get me stranded, cut me off from my finances, >almost get me killed on the road, and so forth.

I hesitate to defend apple on Hackernews but I have never experienced anything like these issues with any iPhone. Major problem is battery life, other than that I can say the core features of every iPhone I've owned have 'just worked' pretty consistently.

Re: Google Pixel 9 Pro

#376

Post by VirusNewbie » Tue, Aug 13, 2024, 7:46 PM UTC

georgeecollins wrote: post #126

It blows me away that people will spend $1k for a phone when there are good options for $500 or less. I will grant that Google's phone is probably the best. But in my experience the difference in quality does not correlate to the difference in price. Apple has a monopoly and they set price expectations. Also, I think buyers think if you have a cheaper phone strangers may think you are poor. Personally I want people t…

Some of it is a status symbol. I don't know any well to do tech friends that buy expensive watches or jewelry, but are happy to drop 1k+ on a new phone every year.

Re: Google Pixel 9 Pro

#377

Post by kokada » Tue, Aug 13, 2024, 7:47 PM UTC

cogman10 wrote: post #265

kokada wrote: post #234

I may switch this time since they're finally offering trade-in offers here in Ireland. I like my Pixel 6, but wanted a better camera for a while (to be clear, the Pixel 6 camera is really good, especially considering the price the phone was, but I still miss things like e.g. better optical zoom), so I may get a Pixel 9 Pro. BTW, for those talking about issues: I bought my Pixel 6 at release, and yes, I had some stran…

I'm currently on the 6 and one issue it has is a pretty bad battery drain. Every so often it gets into superheating mode where the CPU is doing... something... and the phone gets wicked hot. I've even replaced the battery and the problem persists. I don't care much about photos so the 9 really just doesn't have anything that would make me want to buy it. I'll probably be holding on to my 6 until it reaches the end of…

For me, when I am using the phone during roaming or in situations when the signal is bad, I can see increased battery drain and the phone itself sometimes gets hot. I assume this is the bad Exynos modem, but I heard the new modem for Pixel 9 will be focused in efficiency for the first time (still Exynos though), so I am hopeful that the situation is better because this is the only time the hardware from my Pixel 6 bothers me.

Re: Google Pixel 9 Pro

#378

Post by Sebguer » Tue, Aug 13, 2024, 7:49 PM UTC

appel wrote: post #71

jsheard wrote: post #29

There's also the obligatory non-Pro model, and a refresh of the Pixel Fold: https://store.google.com/us/product/pixel_9 https://store.google.com/us/product/pixel_9_pro_fold Usually the Pro is bigger than the non-Pro but this time they're exactly the same size, and they've added a bigger Pro XL variant. https://www.phonearena.com/phones/size/Google-Pixel-9,Google... The Pro and Pro XL appear to have identical specs as…

I'm glad they finally went this route. I can't be the only one who usually wants the specs of the Pro but always opts for the smallest phone (p1, p3, p5 & now p8).

The funny thing is the Fold is actually the smallest phone by height, and the thickness change isn't as big as you'd think...

Re: Google Pixel 9 Pro

#379

Post by underlogic » Tue, Aug 13, 2024, 7:49 PM UTC

Wouldn't accept it as a gift after having several generations of Pixel phone. Half baked software. Also Apple has hammered Google on privacy and rightfully so. There's a 0 chance I'll use android handsets again regardless of the hardware.

Re: Google Pixel 9 Pro

#380

Post by Latty » Tue, Aug 13, 2024, 7:49 PM UTC

nogridbag wrote: post #207

burkaman wrote: post #106

I've never seen a temperature sensor on a phone before, I thought that was kind of cool. Sounds like it doesn't really work though: https://www.androidcentral.com/phones/google-pixel-8-pro-the...

The "human body measurement" test in that article seems flawed. When you launch the Thermometer app, there's only two buttons: Object temperature and Body temperature. So I'm not sure why the author tried to measure body temperature by using "Object temperature" mode with "default" setting and measuring the temperature under the tongue. The Body Temperature test has always been accurate for me and matches my higher e…

Could be the article is written by someone outside the US. If you aren't in the US (I gather—at least in the UK I can speak to personally), the app just doesn't offer body temperature at all because they haven't bothered to get it certified for medical use.

(You can work around this by spoofing your location, but it's not obvious to do.)