back to article Is Google's Pixel getting better, or just more expensive?

Google might make the best camera phone in the world – but that doesn't mean much if it can't take pictures. Pixel 3 owners have been dogged by a bug that causes the phone to crash when invoked from third-party applications ranging from social media apps like Instagram or SnapChat, to e-commerce, payment and security apps. 2FA …

  1. Topperfalkon

    Funny, I've not had any issues so far

    1. Tigra 07

      RE: Topperfalkon

      You must be lucky. I stopped buying Nexus devices (Had a few 5s, 6ps, 9s) because of the issues with build quality. Since then Google has upped the price, removed features, and renamed them "Pixel".

      1. Patrician

        Re: RE: Topperfalkon

        Had a 6P that gave great service for three and a half years with no issues whatsoever.

        1. Richard Wharram

          Re: RE: Topperfalkon

          Replaced my 6P with a Pixel 2 XL last year and whilst the Pixel is a better phone, being 2 years newer, it felt significantly more buggy and required more reboots than the Nexus did.

          I still keep the 6P charged with no SIM in in case I ever need it or just want to feel its metallic goodness.

          1. pogul

            Re: RE: Topperfalkon

            > whilst the Pixel is a better phone, being 2 years newer, it felt significantly more buggy and required more reboots than the Nexus did

            Can't help wondering what your definition of "better" is?!

            1. Richard Wharram

              @Pogul

              "Can't help wondering what your definition of "better" is?!"

              Better screen

              More responsive

              Better camera

          2. JohnFen

            Re: RE: Topperfalkon

            "whilst the Pixel is a better phone, being 2 years newer"

            Huh? This implies that the reason that you consider the Pixel a better phone is because it's newer -- but that makes no sense. "Newer" does not, all by itself, mean or even imply "better". It only means newer.

          3. Roopee Bronze badge

            Re: RE: Topperfalkon

            "required more reboots" - ?? You have to reboot your phone? What's all that about? I can't recall ever having to reboot my HTC One S.

            Mind you I have had to reboot my fancy Siemens desk phone a few times over the past 5 years and every time feels like one too many - I'd never buy another Siemens phone regardless of the excellent sound quality. Phones should just work, every day, all day. You know, like they used to!

            1. A. Coatsworth Silver badge

              Re: RE: Topperfalkon

              >>"required more reboots" - ?? You have to reboot your phone? What's all that about?

              I reboot my Nokia 6 about once a month, because it downloads a big fat security and/or OS update about once a month, and has been doing so almost without fail for a year now.

              I can't say I complain about that!

            2. CrazyOldCatMan Silver badge

              Re: RE: Topperfalkon

              I can't recall ever having to reboot my HTC One

              I didn't either - it spontaneously rebooted itself at random intervals. I suspect a hardware issue since putting on a custom ROM didn't cure it.

          4. Nate Amsden

            Re: RE: Topperfalkon

            Curious how many reboots is a lot these days? My primary phone is a note 3 for 5+ years and it last was rebooted 112 days ago. I think that reboot was me pulling the battery out to get to the SD card to copy about 45gb of files over to it directly before a 2 week trip (instead of through the phone which is a lot slower).

      2. goldcd

        I like my Pixel XL

        and I've had various Googley phones since my original Nexus one.

        The reason I like it is simply that it has 'nothing annoying' - Didn't like it costing more than a Nexus, but after suffering with random phones over the years.. I'll pay for the thing 'just working'.. not rooted it, haven't installed an alternate OS, haven't installed some convoluted framework to intercept API calls blah

        I then realized the reason I like it is for all the reasons I've disparaged Apple over the years.

        I'd happily upgrade, but there's nothing out there tempting me on the subsequent upgrades. I'd like OIS, Stereo speakers, Qi charging - but then I'd be losing the headphone jack, muttering about wtf it's only got 4Gb of RAM and it's the best part of a grand.

        "I'm fine" - and I think this is a more general problem for the industry.

        Most people seem "quite happy with their phone"

    2. ThomH

      I've a Nexus 5x that has yet to encounter a boot loop, and have previously had 2013 Nexus 7 on which the screen remained firmly bonded, an iPhone 4 that never dropped a call, and an iPhone 6 that didn't bend.

      Either I'm the luckiest consumer in the world, or these issues become newsworthy as soon as they affect a decent number of customers rather than every customer.

      1. CrazyOldCatMan Silver badge

        2013 Nexus 7 on which the screen remained firmly bonded

        I had one of those too. It did, however, suffer from the flash degradation slowdown that seems to have bedeviled the N7-2013.

    3. hennahairgel

      I'm on my second; the screen started to flash white

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      So what?

      I don't have AIDS - does that mean nobody does?

      1. Stryker007

        Re: So what?

        At least you don't think you do lolz

    5. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      That's because back in the land of reality....

      ..things are fine.

      This article is littered with so many factual errors that can't be accidental. This is a deliberate smear post.

      Let's pick a few of them:

      "The Pixel 2 suffered from display issues, audio problems"

      FALSE, that only affected early batch of Pixel2XL. It never affected Pixel 2 devices.

      ”pixel 3 owners have been dogged by a bug"

      FALSE. as mentioned, it's a small subset of users.

      "Google's own bug-tracker lists "many" issues (i.e. too many to enumerate)"

      MISLEADING. It's not possible to log bugs for anything other than Google devices on Google bug tracker, and no other manufacturer has a world readable bug tracker for scumbag press to spend all day sifting through to create clickbait.

      1. CrazyOldCatMan Silver badge

        Re: That's because back in the land of reality....

        Hmm.. So, how much notice do we take of someone who is A/C yet so vehement in supporting Google?

    6. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Perfect here. Went for the notchless Pixel3 and it's superb. By far the best phone I have ever had. The camera is jaw droppingly good. Screen looks amazing, stock Android had come on so much that I don't want anything else. I can install only the apps I want. Zero bloatware.

      I really don't know what the hidden agenda is with this "news". I suspect the Pixel 3 is so good, a competitor is REALLY worried and trying to nip things in the bud with a unhealthy sprinkling of viral spew on the AstroTurf..

      1. CrazyOldCatMan Silver badge

        unhealthy sprinkling of viral spew on the AstroTurf

        Oh - the irony. A fawning review of a problematic device done by an A/C who then accuses naysayers of astroturfing..

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          I tried look up 3 hrs "CrazyOldCatMan" in the phone book, and guess what, he is also A/C

          #idiot

  2. Ol'Peculier
    Thumb Up

    So far, touch wood, I've not had any issues with my Pixel 3, admittedly I've only had it a week so there is time, but it's a fast little beast compared to the original Pixel.

  3. fishman

    Pixel 2

    I've had a Pixel 2 for a year, and have had zero problems. My wife got one at the same time, and she has had zero problems. Even though she tends to drop her phone.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Pixel 2

      So what? Does that mean nobody else has problems, or the problem doesn't exist?

      1. LochNessMonster

        Re: Pixel 2

        "So what? Does that mean nobody else has problems, or the problem doesn't exist?"

        Oh do grow up. It simply means that some [i]actual[/i] owners haven't experienced the issues that the article implied are widespread i.e.

        "The Pixel 2 suffered from display issues, audio problems and then, after a few months, developed an infuriating narcoleptic display which required the owner to reboot the phone after a phone call. That took six months to fix."

        That may well be true, but I took delivery of my own 2XL on launch day and haven't encountered any of the above either. The suggestion is merely that the issues aren't as endemic as implied; not every Pixel 2 suffers them.

        1. howieb2001

          Re: Pixel 2

          Interested to read your comment. I've owned all three iterations of the Pixel and the only reported problem I've had is the blue shift on the Pixel 2 XL (not really a bother for me as I seldom have a need to load a white screen and look at it whilst tilting the phone away from me). I've often wondered whether there really are multiple devices with faults or is it a case that anything wrong with a Google or Apple device is a good headline.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Pixel 2

        No, what it means is whilst the "news" implies is ALL users, that statement is untrue, it affects an unknown subset of users, that may be a single user or may be thousands.

        I had 2x Pixel2 (I dropped my first one onto a hard surface from great height), and both have been totally perfect, not a single issue.

        There are two HUGE points not mentioned here:

        1. People never go on the internet to complain about working phones, which makes "faults" seem very unbalanced.

        2. No other manufacturer has a public issue tracker, which makes Pixel "faults" seem worse than Samsung or Apple "faults".

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: not every Pixel 2 suffers them.

          Yeah, because if that was the case they would imply it but not say it.

  4. JohnFen

    It depends

    If the features that the Pixel is focusing on are ones that are important to you, then it's getting better. For the rest of us, it's not only getting more expensive, but worse due to the removal of important features.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    EULA.....

    .....I'm sure buried in the small print somewhere it says, "Welcome to Google's user based testing program."

  6. ratfox
    Devil

    "We're so sorry third-party apps don't work with our hardware, you'll have to use our app"

    I'm surprised nobody seems to find this suspicious. If this was Apple, it would be the first reaction. Then again, Apple has a long history in this respect.

  7. Waseem Alkurdi

    I'm just hoping that

    Google is internally testing Fuschia on the Pixel.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Why would Google license their photo processing to Samsung?

    If they weren't going to sell their own hardware, wouldn't it make more sense to license it to any Android OEM who wants it as an optional extra-cost add-on?

    I've never understood the point of Google making their own phones. It is a niche product that sells only a few million, and it competes with their own licensees - which only encourages them to want to break away by doing their own assistant etc. I guess Google feels invulnerable since there isn't an alternative OS Android OEMs could license instead, though if anyone could fork Android and make a go of it on their own it would be Samsung.

  9. Aynon Yuser

    I dunno about you guys, but I've been experiencing glitchy spell check and typing/editing bugs with my Pixel. What an annoyance. Also my screen seems to be slowly losing it's color brilliance.

    I was planning on skipping the P2 due to bugs. I hope P3 would have spectacular specs and that they'd be more experienced at being ensuring quality software. Nope.

    I guess I'll wait for...P4 now?

    1. Waseem Alkurdi

      I also have the Pixel ... but what you describe is not a problem with the device, but rather a possible problem with Gboard (the keyboard). Try to wipe the app's data or at least reset the personal dictionary. If not fixed (and I doubt you'll need it), just replace it with AOSP's version without the AI/learning shit (albeit you'll miss swipe entry). That'll do it.

      About the screen brilliance thing, are you sure it isn't a software issue? Like you turned on sRGB Mode in Developer Options or played with the settings? If in doubt, unlock the bootloader (as you read El Reg, I think you already have), install or just fastboot boot TWRP, backup /data, wipe, and see if it fixes it.

      However, it could just be AMOLED artifacts (like burn-in, got that on mine too).

  10. Robert E A Harvey

    Not gone Pixel yet

    I am still using my Nexus, and see no reason to upgrade .

    I did tell Google that I thought they were overcharging compared to what I paid for my Nexus, and the human on the phone just laughed at me.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Apparently it's not so straightforward to produce a successful premium smartphone...

    Third gen and the Pixel is still not a patch on a certain manufacturer of a fruity persuasion's offerings.

    iPhone X £679

    Pixel 3 £699

    I know which I'd choose!

  12. techally

    I believe Google Pixel is over-priced although they keep on adding some fascinating features but if we compare it with other smartphones manufacturers then you would ultimately find it a bit over-priced. Another reason for that is. in smartphones industry Google phones does not have much fame when compared to other brands. Otherwise, Pixel is a good series with some great features and I like it personally.

  13. Steven Brown

    Google Pixel is really good smartphone but is still expensive smartphone from the other smartphone.

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