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Google Pixel 10 series review

arstechnica.com

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Re: Google Pixel 10 series review

#31

Post by thanhhaimai »

Disclaimer: opinions are my own.

I'm using the Pixel Fold at the moment, and it's the best phone I've used to date. It's something I didn't know I want until I have it.

Quick review:

- The phone construction feels good on hand and in the pocket. The screen is beautiful.

- When folded, functionality-wise it's like previous Pixel (beside looking better with the metal edge). I spent about 75% of my phone time in this mode. Also no notch!

- When unfolded, you have access to much more screen real estate. I didn't realize how this dramatically improve reading documents / browsing the web. Things that were unusable (like opening Google Sheet) is now much more comfortable. You can also do split screen, where you keep 2 apps on at the same time (todo list + message)

- The weight feels solid. The fold mechanism is solid. Battery ~50% per day with no battery saving. Camera is good as usual.

Software:

- I've mentioned before on HN, the Spam Screening feature singlehanded keeps me in the Pixel ecosystem. No spam call at all.

- Android Auto is solid

- Gemini is a gentle surprise, especially with how it's easy to interact with the "current phone screen".

Review caveats:

- I don't game on the phone or any CPU intensive tasks. It's plenty fast for me so far.

- I don't use the speaker (only use bluetooth headphones)

Re: Google Pixel 10 series review

#32

Post by theamk »

wg0 wrote: post #20

Why in the world I would buy a phone (any not just Google) that costs north of $800 is beyond me unless I want to signal my purchasing power. If utility is my metric and not outward signalling and flex, I find this worst deployment of my funds. So called "budget" phones these days have OLED screens some even come with 120Hz displays (beyond me why someone would want that) and plenty of compute and memory. You want ca…

What if I want:

(1) a camera with zoom and night shot capability comparable to my 2010 Sony Cybershot camera.

(2) An internet terminal with enough CPU/RAM to browse modern websites.

(3) A music player with a space for 150-300 GB of MP3's and nice-ish UI

(4) Online and offline map

(5) wireless charging (because I keep destroying charging ports in my devices)

(6) all of this should fit in my pocket. I've spent >5 years of my life carrying a separate camera on the belt, I am not doing this again.

All functional requirements, no "outward signalling or flex". What should I get?

(Genuine question, I've spent few days researching this recently and high-end smartphone aeems to be the only match. Weirdly, it's good camera and wireless charging that raises the price, not CPU)

Re: Google Pixel 10 series review

#33

Post by pkaye »

gausswho wrote: post #15
jsheard wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The AI tax is crazy, Pixels now reserve 3.5GB of RAM to keep Googles local models permanently loaded regardless of how much you use them, or whether you use them at all. The base Pixel 10 has 12GB of RAM so that's nearly a third set aside for something you may never use! Last year they had the relative sense to only enable that "feature" on the higher end SKUs with 16GB of RAM, while the lower end SKUs with 12GB woul…

That is wild. And so disrespectful of apps that may need that extra memory. I wonder if GrapheneOS will also suffer this memory overhead, once they do support this newest Android. Or possibly allow disabling it.

I've read people say that there is a setting to disable it.

Re: Google Pixel 10 series review

#34

Post by modeless »

Coming from a Pixel 7 Pro the single biggest upgrade is the fingerprint sensor. Dramatic improvement. I turned it off before; it actually works now.

Magnetic charging is nice. The first party charger stand is just OK. I find it slightly less comfortable to hold because of the more squared sides, though I appreciate the flat front glass and the fact that it sits on tables without wobbling.

Re: Google Pixel 10 series review

#35

Post by pessimizer »

AuthorizedCust wrote: post #14
dzogchen wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you are calling 'installing an app on your own phone without involvement of the vendor' 'sideloading' then you are complicit.

Semantic wars are unhelpful distractions. Focus on the issues.

Yes they are. Unhelpful distractions that are workshopped and focus grouped. Stop adopting the bizarre terminology of the enemy, and their goofy neologisms, and just talk about the issue in straightforward English.

We didn't need a different word for not being able to install an application on your phone without the permission of the company that made it. We needed a different word for the thing that was new, which is the company that makes the thing that you own refusing you permission to use it as you see fit.

Re: Google Pixel 10 series review

#36

Post by nilamo »

modeless wrote: post #34

Coming from a Pixel 7 Pro the single biggest upgrade is the fingerprint sensor. Dramatic improvement. I turned it off before; it actually works now. Magnetic charging is nice. The first party charger stand is just OK. I find it slightly less comfortable to hold because of the more squared sides, though I appreciate the flat front glass and the fact that it sits on tables without wobbling.

Security hygiene involves disabling biometrics. At least in the us: what you know has stronger protections than what you have.

Re: Google Pixel 10 series review

#37

Post by raincole »

xnx wrote: post #29
wg0 wrote: post #20

Why in the world I would buy a phone (any not just Google) that costs north of $800 is beyond me unless I want to signal my purchasing power. If utility is my metric and not outward signalling and flex, I find this worst deployment of my funds. So called "budget" phones these days have OLED screens some even come with 120Hz displays (beyond me why someone would want that) and plenty of compute and memory. You want ca…

$800 sounds like a lot, but is very reasonable for a device someone might use 3+ hours a day for 2 years. At the end of those years, it can likely be sold for at least $400. That works out to something like $0.36/hour.

It's an extremely weird way to look at price. My family use the same dining table for more than two decades. So it's about 5,000 ~ 10,000 hours. But it doesn't make it somehow worth a few thousands of bucks.

Re: Google Pixel 10 series review

#38

Post by [deleted] »

modeless wrote: post #34

Coming from a Pixel 7 Pro the single biggest upgrade is the fingerprint sensor. Dramatic improvement. I turned it off before; it actually works now. Magnetic charging is nice. The first party charger stand is just OK. I find it slightly less comfortable to hold because of the more squared sides, though I appreciate the flat front glass and the fact that it sits on tables without wobbling.

[deleted]

Re: Google Pixel 10 series review

#39

Post by modeless »

nilamo wrote: post #36
modeless wrote: post #34

Coming from a Pixel 7 Pro the single biggest upgrade is the fingerprint sensor. Dramatic improvement. I turned it off before; it actually works now. Magnetic charging is nice. The first party charger stand is just OK. I find it slightly less comfortable to hold because of the more squared sides, though I appreciate the flat front glass and the fact that it sits on tables without wobbling.

Security hygiene involves disabling biometrics. At least in the us: what you know has stronger protections than what you have.

That's what lockdown mode is for.

Re: Google Pixel 10 series review

#40

Post by jauntywundrkind »

modeless wrote: post #34

Coming from a Pixel 7 Pro the single biggest upgrade is the fingerprint sensor. Dramatic improvement. I turned it off before; it actually works now. Magnetic charging is nice. The first party charger stand is just OK. I find it slightly less comfortable to hold because of the more squared sides, though I appreciate the flat front glass and the fact that it sits on tables without wobbling.

The convenience of fingerprint sensors is clear, but I can't imagine ever using one in the US. Police being able to compel your fingerprints means it's just not an option. Its never been an issue for me, there really wouldn't be much harm in it, but this idea that the state can break into my castle because it's only my fingerprint protecting it and not a passphrase is so weird, so unfortunate.
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