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Google Pixel 3 (XL) bricking out of nothing

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Re: Google Pixel 3 (XL) bricking out of nothing

#111

Post by disgruntledphd2 »

zerocrates wrote: post #53
13of40 wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a terrible experience with the Pixel 3a XL: Within a couple of months the daughter board with the main microphone on it died, so I could only make calls in speaker phone mode or on Bluetooth. Then the USB-C socket degraded to the point where it wouldn't charge or the plug would just fall out. Sometimes it would half connect to the charger and vibrate every five seconds or so until it eventually died. It seemed…

Did you get either problem fixed? Surely the first one at least should have been covered under the warranty. On the USB-C, not saying this was your issue but really every USB-C phone I've had I've eventually needed to use a needle or pin and clear junk out of the bottom of the port to keep a good, solid connection. I don't know if that says more about the amount of lint in my pockets or the design of the USB-C port.

> On the USB-C, not saying this was your issue but really every USB-C phone I've had I've eventually needed to use a needle or pin and clear junk out of the bottom of the port to keep a good, solid connection. I don't know if that says more about the amount of lint in my pockets or the design of the USB-C port.

Me too, but as my only phone with USB-C is my Pixel 3, I assumed it was the fault of the model.

Re: Google Pixel 3 (XL) bricking out of nothing

#112

Post by chrisjc »

schmichael wrote: post #14
usui wrote: post #8

Especially with the Pixel lineup, there is a historical quality control issue with Google's phones that I'm worried hasn't been solved yet. I owned: - Pixel 3: Past few months, volume buttons and power buttons gradually stopped working. USB port works for charging, but when connected to a computer, port connects and disconnects in an infinite loop. Bluetooth connection with car always skips/stutters during Maps usage…

This is what got me to switch to iPhone. Ewaste is a big problem with Google phones. My wife has always bought iPhones and has gone through half as many phones as me.

Agreed. I was going to post the same thing but I would have expanded beyond phones to all Google and Google related hardware. The amount of ewaste I've generated over the years of buying Google hardware or hardware running Google OSes is appalling. Phones, tablets, media devices, etc... all in the landfill (actually to ewaste facilities).

A few years ago, I finally had enough and switched over to the iphone and haven't looked back. I've had the same phone for the last 3 years and it's still running strong getting the latest updates, performing as well as the day I bought it.

And even if I got rid of it to buy the latest and greatest new version, I would rest easy knowing that it would end up in the hands of someone that would continue to get a lot of use out of it. And even after that, it'll probably end up being used for its parts.

The churn of Google hardware weighs heavier on my conscious than on my wallet, and it hasn't been an inexpensive experience.

Re: Google Pixel 3 (XL) bricking out of nothing

#113

Post by BugsJustFindMe »

the-rc wrote: post #62
BugsJustFindMe wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> - Nexus 4: No hardware issues More like "Nexus 4: glass back shatters on contact with barely cold countertops".

I have two or three of those in that state in a box somewhere... plus the glass back was so slippery that it would slide across most surfaces that were not perfectly flat! The same could happen with the front, too: https://youtu.be/-OQVn8xwjkI It's true that this tends to happen on any new phone without a case that hasn't been smudged much yet, but the N4 was in a class of its own.

> plus the glass back was so slippery that it would slide across most surfaces that were not perfectly flat!

Yes! This happened to me. Ugh, what an obviously terrible hardware design. I recall that they eventually made a rev2 that had tiny rubber feet on the back. ( https://www.starkinsider.com/2013/03/nexus-4-now-less-like-a... )

Re: Google Pixel 3 (XL) bricking out of nothing

#114

Post by shp0ngle »

mekster wrote: post #91
sundvor wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Samsung Internet is actually surprisingly good. Highly performant, and a plethora built in adblockers (sadly not Origin). Night mode works across all sites, it clearly was written by a team enthusiastic about their jobs.

Galaxy somehow makes owning phones actually fun. Pixel makes me feel I got a bare bone phone except I like the camera better than Galaxy's which feels a bit too vivid. Kudos to the Galaxy team.

I don't understand what's fun having two versions of everything. Two browsers, two stores, two photo apps.

Re: Google Pixel 3 (XL) bricking out of nothing

#115

Post by rtkwe »

breput wrote: post #49
13of40 wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a terrible experience with the Pixel 3a XL: Within a couple of months the daughter board with the main microphone on it died, so I could only make calls in speaker phone mode or on Bluetooth. Then the USB-C socket degraded to the point where it wouldn't charge or the plug would just fall out. Sometimes it would half connect to the charger and vibrate every five seconds or so until it eventually died. It seemed…

I believe you - I have an original Pixel 1 non-XL that I handed down to my kid with a USB-C port that barely works with any cables and even then if you blink at it wrong it disconnects. FWIW, my 3a XL is working great. I'm might upgrade to a 5a eventually, but only for the water resistance.

My old Pixel runs ok except the camera has completely crapped out randomly while it was in storage. Every time I open the Camera app it immediately crashes and I can’t even turn on the flashlight flash.

Re: Google Pixel 3 (XL) bricking out of nothing

#116

Post by shp0ngle »

vorpalhex wrote: post #60
shp0ngle wrote: post #42

Crap. I’m now considering buying a new Pixel phone - I need to switch from iPhone to Android for certain reasons, and I hate pre-installed crap of Samsung. (Samsung Internet? Really?) But I also don’t want to deal with HW issues and my family never had any HW problems with Samsung… so I guess Samsung it is?

If you don't need the latest and greatest, Nokia ships relatively vanilla android phones that are durable as hell.

They don't do vanilla android anymore and the new models have some shovelware stuff.

Re: Google Pixel 3 (XL) bricking out of nothing

#117

Post by derefr »

c0d3z3r0 wrote: post #106
derefr wrote: post #80

Googling EDL mode, apparently one way to enable it is to "short the test points on your device’s mainboard." Maybe Pixel 3s are getting these test points bridged by something inside the case, possibly due to e.g. thermal battery expansion pushing something against the mainboard?

Definitely not possible, since the board is not located under the battery but more like "around" it. (I know, because I had opened multiple Pixel 3 in the past) Also, the probability of just shorting exactly the right two pins is reeeeeeeaaaaaaally low

> Also, the probability of just shorting exactly the right two pins is reeeeeeeaaaaaaally low

Ah, I was assuming that the "test points" were pads, not test pins. (You've opened these: are they pins?) JTAG is usually pads on most motherboards; it allows factory QA automation to prod the pads with pogo pins, while introducing a bit of setup friction in the way of doing an Evil Maid attack in the field, since there are no self-aligning pins or ports to quickly plug a cable onto.

Pads are pretty easy to bridge if whatever surface the board is facing is has electrically-conductive elements; especially if the pads don't have much separation. (Often in ruggedized embedded devices you'll see the JTAG pads specifically have been kapton'ed over by the integrator, presumably because of an anxiety about something exactly like this happening due to e.g. metal shavings getting in.)

Re: Google Pixel 3 (XL) bricking out of nothing

#118

Post by lmns »

mnahkies wrote: post #98
zerocrates wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you get either problem fixed? Surely the first one at least should have been covered under the warranty. On the USB-C, not saying this was your issue but really every USB-C phone I've had I've eventually needed to use a needle or pin and clear junk out of the bottom of the port to keep a good, solid connection. I don't know if that says more about the amount of lint in my pockets or the design of the USB-C port.

I've found a can of clean compressed air to work pretty well for this, with less risk of damaging the contacts than with a sharp object

A toothpick also works fine.

Re: Google Pixel 3 (XL) bricking out of nothing

#119

Post by Dylan16807 »

c0d3z3r0 wrote: post #108
Dylan16807 wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which doesn't explain why you can't even wipe+unlock.

Read again. It does. The boot ROM fails to verify the bootloaders (XBL) signature for some reason.

Read what again?

If the flash bootloader is failing to verify, I should be able to send a new one over the USB port, even if that requires wiping the device for security purposes. Defending against an evil maid attack doesn't explain why I can't do that.

Re: Google Pixel 3 (XL) bricking out of nothing

#120

Post by c0d3z3r0 »

derefr wrote: post #117
c0d3z3r0 wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Definitely not possible, since the board is not located under the battery but more like "around" it. (I know, because I had opened multiple Pixel 3 in the past) Also, the probability of just shorting exactly the right two pins is reeeeeeeaaaaaaally low

> Also, the probability of just shorting exactly the right two pins is reeeeeeeaaaaaaally low Ah, I was assuming that the "test points" were pads , not test pins . (You've opened these: are they pins?) JTAG is usually pads on most motherboards; it allows factory QA automation to prod the pads with pogo pins, while introducing a bit of setup friction in the way of doing an Evil Maid attack in the field, since there ar…

Sorry, actually I meant pads. However, there's nothing there that could bridge them.

Btw. there were several reports of signature validation errors right before the phone finally "died".

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