Database Info

Is it just me or are the phone manufacturers getting out of control?

I feel like Android phone manufacturers are making so many new phones no one can even keep up anymore. (Unless you have thousands of dollars to invest into phones). I just bought a droid Charge in August 2011 and pretty much there are 3-4 phones out or that will be out that are better in the next 2 weeks.
Personally I think they are making to many phones to fast and they are not giving the older phones the updates they need. This could turn in to a major fail. Just wanted to hear some other peoples thoughts on this issue.

Riddlin said:
I feel like Android phone manufacturers are making so many new phones no one can even keep up anymore. (Unless you have thousands of dollars to invest into phones). I just bought a droid Charge in August 2011 and pretty much there are 3-4 phones out or that will be out that are better in the next 2 weeks.
Personally I think they are making to many phones to fast and they are not giving the older phones the updates they need. This could turn in to a major fail. Just wanted to hear some other peoples thoughts on this issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
get used to it br0. It's the cycle of technology. You can NEVER keep up. Just love what you have.

I do love what I had. That is why I just sold it on ebay. LOL I want the latest and greatest, but this is getting ridiculous. Who in the heck wants to hang with their old droid when there are 20 better phones out there within a year. Either Apple is on something or they are on to something. 1 new phone ever 6 months to a year and people go nutz for the fricking thing.

My advice evaluate the phone technology and its likelihood to be supported. These are the 2 most critical items to consider.
I have had a Galaxy phone since its release and I waited for it for 5 months before getting it............ because I knew it was going to have tech that would endure for a while. Now, we have the dual cores everywhere. Beware, just because it is dual core does not make it a great phone. Make sure to check everything out, and make sure it will be supported. Finally, As soon as you get a dual core in ........2012 there will be quad cores..........and so it goes...........

illuminarias said:
get used to it br0. It's the cycle of technology. You can NEVER keep up. Just love what you have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
exactly the same goes for PCs

Riddlin said:
I do love what I had. That is why I just sold it on ebay. LOL I want the latest and greatest, but this is getting ridiculous. Who in the heck wants to hang with their old droid when there are 20 better phones out there within a year. Either Apple is on something or they are on to something. 1 new phone ever 6 months to a year and people go nutz for the fricking thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, yeah. Then commercial groups offering spaceship travels for big money definietly shouldn't do it, but wait until everyone can afford it.
If only having the best phone makes you feel the best I feel sorry for you. : (

Riddlin said:
I want the latest and greatest
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then the problem is clearly you and not the manufacturers. Ask yourself why you always want the latest and greatest. What significant and meaningful difference does it make in your day-to-day life.

Riddlin said:
I feel like Android phone manufacturers are making so many new phones no one can even keep up anymore. (Unless you have thousands of dollars to invest into phones). I just bought a droid Charge in August 2011 and pretty much there are 3-4 phones out or that will be out that are better in the next 2 weeks.
Personally I think they are making to many phones to fast and they are not giving the older phones the updates they need. This could turn in to a major fail. Just wanted to hear some other peoples thoughts on this issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The carriers will never update their phones as quickly as we would like, but we have CM7, Miui and other distributions to fix that.

Do you upgrade a laptop every 3-4 months? Likely not.
'phones' are becoming similar.
Also, Android being a powerful free OS allows many phone makers to get in on making a smartphone quite quickly. This is a good thing, not a bad one.
I dont go to the food store and complain there are too many different types of bread. Choice is a luxury.
/firstworldproblems

There is a problem.
The problem isnt choice or speed of new handsets. Its the fact these handset makers seem to be going out of there way to hold back features just to create more options.
Nearly every choice you make you sacrifice something that shouldnt be. This last year Samsung was incredibly guilty of that.
We shouldnt have to pick between the phone with the best camera or the best screen 3g or 4g when theyre released with identical specs within a few weeks/months of each other.
You end up with a situation where IMO since 3GS/NexusOne were both available at same time theres basically no best handset to get. They all have some glaring downside that often seems intentional. Nexus Galaxy having weak gpu/pentile screen/5mp camera for a flasgship phone is the calling card of this awful trend.
Hopefully Google buying Moto means a true flagship android phone will be out in the future. HTCs lousy digitizer selection , and Samsungs half assed approach really are getting on my nerves.
Win7 just needs more options PERIOD.

Actually I'm happy I'm a reviewer and I get all the newest models for a week only. I never have to regret my choice and invest in next generations and upgrades.
That's why I chose a mid-tier device - If review phones must be wiped, I can still keep my data on my Ace and customize how I want.
It's good that technology is moving so fast. You buy a thing, but there are many others that haven't bought this thing. If they were iPhoners, they would have to wait until June (or October in 4s case) till the next model.
But Androiders and WP7ists just go in the store and buy tech that is up to date, because it is released just weeks ago and so specs are always at its zenith.

Phone manufacturers are really going out of control. They produce phones with specs that are missing, then include them in their next offerings. but then they produce phones which are pretty much the same as the ones before except for 1 or 2 upgrades to increase sales.
They like to make their products 'diverse' but if you look on the bird's eye view of it. It becomes clear that they are just going for quantity without quality products.
Why don't they just drop down a killer phone whose specs will stay for at most 2 years?
Better buy a product which suits you for the next year or two

I think it's great, actually. People only THINK they need the latest and greatest device, when they don't. I rather have 5 new phones come out in a 2 week period than having to wait for something for a year or so. With android, there's little chance of you not finding the PERFECT phone for you. (Mines is the SK4G, I can care less about any other phone now)
The only problem I see with rapid phone releases is updates. I highly doubt the Sidekick 4G, even with it coming out earlier this year, will see ICS... let alone Gingerbread, because they're forgotten about/ not important enough.
Honestly, if you have a rooted GB device, and it runs how you like it, do you need to worry about the newer phones?

yujin_11 said:
Why don't they just drop down a killer phone whose specs will stay for at most 2 years?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because, short of Apple and their ability as a small company producing both hardware and software,there is not profit in that. Companies are out to make money, it is not their fault that the wealthy people of the world have decided that they must have the latest phone no matter what, that's on the consumer.

I bought a Nexus One in April 2010 and I've not felt tempted to replace it before now because it runs Gingerbread and newer phones didn't seem to offer that much more.
However, the release of the Galaxy Note with the stylus for accurate screen pointing and screen large enough and with sufficient resolution to display entire Web page makes an upgrade now worthwhile to me. Zooming and panning a small phone screen across a Web page to find specific points of interest is a pain and I look forward to leaving that experience behind.

zerocool79346 said:
Because, short of Apple and their ability as a small company producing both hardware and software,there is not profit in that. Companies are out to make money, it is not their fault that the wealthy people of the world have decided that they must have the latest phone no matter what, that's on the consumer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
^What he said

yujin_11 said:
Phone manufacturers are really going out of control. They produce phones with specs that are missing, then include them in their next offerings. but then they produce phones which are pretty much the same as the ones before except for 1 or 2 upgrades to increase sales.
They like to make their products 'diverse' but if you look on the bird's eye view of it. It becomes clear that they are just going for quantity without quality products.
Why don't they just drop down a killer phone whose specs will stay for at most 2 years?
Better buy a product which suits you for the next year or two
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because if they play apple's game, they will lose horribly. Apple is apple, and apple is the standard whether you like it or not. When a average person compares a phone, what does he compare it to? The iPhone of course. So a manufacturer will not survive if they only release a oh so powerful phone every year or two, simply because they do not have nearly as much of a fan base apple has.

it's really awesome imo
always something to be excited about
I love waiting for a phone I've been wanting to drop in price, and while I wait, an even better phone gets released lmao

http://www.facebook.com/motorola?sk=wall&filter=1 click the link people like it and comment on it.
I have seen first hand proof of this working. I had an evo 3d. Htc decided all futre devices would have locked bootliaders well that made alot of people angry. Someone posted a thread on xda suggesting we let htc know that is not gna fly. So it turnd out thousands of people got on there facebook wall and twitter. Guess what the next day htc released a statement saying that they wanted too keep there coustamers happy and that the bootloader would be unlocked. They were. Id like to be able too have a device and not have too get a new one juzt because moto or htc or sammy wants too put them out constantly get people too buy them and then ditch them and out out another. The atrix is 100 percent capable of runing ics and theres no excuae for it l not too recieve it just because moto wants people too buy new devices every couple months. I know many many people feel the same way well as i said we have the power too change that if people would stop bickering and take it seriously. And also if moto started supporting devices longer not just bug fixes but the new android flavors. Id definately make my next device a moto it would do nothing but benefit them

Kailkti said:
Because if they play apple's game, they will lose horribly. Apple is apple, and apple is the standard whether you like it or not. When a average person compares a phone, what does he compare it to? The iPhone of course. So a manufacturer will not survive if they only release a oh so powerful phone every year or two, simply because they do not have nearly as much of a fan base apple has.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it is this statement that sums it all up. Very well said.

I actually WANT to pay more for my phones, and here is why?

With iPhones beginning to show its age, and Android phones coming out with faster processors, more PPI, and more premium materials, I think Android is in a prime position to take the crown here. But with this fierce competition, I'm starting to notice more and more quality control issues, weird design decisions, and what seems to be less-than-thorough testing before release.
Take the HTC One and Galaxy S4 for example. Both are getting high praises from reviewers, and people are generally happy with these devices. But looking at the forums here, the problems that people have about these phone are glaring and very noticeable but at the same time not necessary/innate, meaning that it could have been easily avoided by both manufactures with just a bit more attention to detail, better testing, and better quality control. The shear number of people who have dead pixels on their HTC One is mind boggling for example, where they have to go through exchange after exchange in order to get one without dead pixels. Looking at one of the poles, 60% reported at least one defective pixel! The lack of a menu button, or an out-of-the box option to long press for menu baffles me even more. Yes, you can root/unlock and mod the phone (and maybe lose your warranty or brick it), but how about that person who is switching from an iPhone to an HTC One who has no desire to modify their phone? Are they not going to be turned off by that ugly black box taking up an appreciable portion of their screen real estate? Then there are many people who are turned off by the gaps in HTC claimed "zero" gap design. Again doing exchange, after exchange in order to get a "good one".
Same story with the S4 with its lags, screen smearing, the always-on red pixels.....and now they are trying to fix these issues with firmware updates. These are problems that are apparent straight out of the box. Its not like HTC or Samsung could not have noticed them during testing. Someone didn't complain to HTC about that black box during testing? HTC couldn't require that a majority of its LCDs be free of pixel defect? Samsung didn't notice the ugly smearing in their menus, or the burgundy tinted blacks before release? None of the testers reported to Samsung about their god-awful Dialer app? (I'm talking about the ATT version, not sure about the international version here). No one noticed the glaring lag in at least some of the tested devices?
I mean, why shoot yourself in the foot with these easily avoidable problems? These phones are close to perfection, and in a strange way, it makes these kind of problems even harder to swallow. Why have all this great hardware under the hood, and then handicap it in the worst way with some stupid design decision, QC problems, or an obvious lack of usability testing prior to release?
Part of the problem might be that we are demanding more for our money. The 1080p LCD/AMOLED isn't cheap, machining a piece of aluminum isnt cheap, the Snapdraon 600 isn't cheap, Gorilla Glass 3 isnt cheap...so maybe Samsung/ HTC skimp on testing prior to release or demanding less from quality control. But is that what we want going forward? We all love new toys, but the joy and excitement of having a new gadget fades away quickly after you take it out of the box. Having to wait for firmware updates, or holding off to buy in hopes of a new stock, just makes the novelty fade away even quicker.
I for one would like cellphone manufacturers to take more of my money but give me a better product out of the box. Charge me more, but don't knowingly skimp somewhere. The more I think about it, the more I realize how cheap cellphones really are considering all the bells whistle they come with. I rarely use my laptop anymore unless I need to type up a paper or to do photo/video editing. I'm a gadget junky, through and through. Like many of you, I spend a good amount of my hard earned cash on newer and better TVs, cameras, game consoles, PC components, laptops, etc etc. But I must say, none of those have required more exchanges, more returns, and more DOH!s than cellphones.
My question to tech junkies and laymans alike is, where do you stand? would be willing to pay more than that ubiquitous $200 for a high-tiered subsidized phone, if you knew it was "Muaaaaaaaaaa" *kisses fingertips* out-of-the box and not have to wait for a firmware update? Would you pay more If you knew you wouldn't have to exchange it countless times in order to get a "good one"? How much more? .....or you could just say "Sam, you are an ass for typing all this"

$200?! What?!
The S4 is 649 euro's....
And you're asking if I'd be willing to pay even more?! What the hell do you expect us to pay, 1200 euros?!
Send From My Samsung Galaxy S3 Using Tapatalk 2

Pat. said:
Ass
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In response to your unedited post....the whole point is to not have to wait for these glaring bugs and QC issues to be fixed. By that time newer phones will be out.

ShadowLea said:
$200?! What?!
The S4 is 649 euro's....
And you're asking if I'd be willing to pay even more?! What the hell do you expect us to pay, 1200 euros?!
Send From My Samsung Galaxy S3 Using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL No, no i wasnt suggesting anything that drastic. Maybe a 50 dollars/euros increase.
PC compenent manufacturers do something similar with their "binned" versions of hardware; where they cherry pick chips/ram/vrm/controllers and sell the finished product at a slightly higher price. im not saying we should necessarily have a "binned" and regular versions of phones, but what Im hoping for is for phone manufacturers to do better inspection, better testing, and hold higher standards for what they release out in the market, even if the price goes slightly above what the consumers are use to be paying

: D
yea fair enough, I just thought "Ass" was funnier.
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda app-developers app

I'm with you, except I disagree with paying more. If these companies want to lead the market, they HAVE to test them thoroughly before they sell them. I will say that I think Google's level of testing is very high. For that reason, I think I'm only going to get Nexus phones until they give me a reason not to.

I would pay more for a phone if everything worked and was good quality. i mostly do development with my phones and the phone i have right now has always had gps issues with none of the fixes ive ever found to help. quality damnit!

Ecksera said:
I would pay more for a phone if everything worked and was good quality. i mostly do development with my phones and the phone i have right now has always had gps issues with none of the fixes ive ever found to help. quality damnit!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm with you! You can change software but not quality hardware

LOL
:laugh:
very long article. i would like to pay more only if i found it is worth , for example the hardwarequality , antishock , and more

I think the biggest problem is not in the price pressure, but in the time pressure. We want more and more quickly. The time it takes for device development (both hardware and software) is getting shorter. This means that engineers have less time to polish the device and hence the initial releases can be at most considered early beta releases.
Of course you can try to leverage that by employing more engineers, but this won't buy you much time.
So instead of offering more money for a phone I'd rather suggest giving the manufacturers more time to thoroughly develop and test their toys before launching them.

Mitt Romney jr, is that you?

KrissN said:
I think the biggest problem is not in the price pressure, but in the time pressure. We want more and more quickly. The time it takes for device development (both hardware and software) is getting shorter. This means that engineers have less time to polish the device and hence the initial releases can be at most considered early beta releases.
Of course you can try to leverage that by employing more engineers, but this won't buy you much time.
So instead of offering more money for a phone I'd rather suggest giving the manufacturers more time to thoroughly develop and test their toys before launching them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. I think the manufacturers know how to make good hardware and software they are just rushed to release a new phone before their competitor releases theirs. Maybe phones could be released like cars. Then we could all wonder what the "2014's will look like".
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium

JustLiveIt said:
I agree. I think the manufacturers know how to make good hardware and software they are just rushed to release a new phone before their competitor releases theirs. Maybe phones could be released like cars. Then we could all wonder what the "2014's will look like".
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think we're reaching that point now, actually, or not far from it. This new x phone that leaked it a great example. Last year's hardware, but the idea is probably going to be more about good battery life or something like that.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

lol if someone if switching from Apple, it tends to be for better reason than never-modding or some stock FW aesthetic.
Honestly, ~$600-850 for new phones that are marginally better than last quarter's is already asking quite a bit, so even more and I'll just go back to old brick phones for all the right reasons.
Also our US carriers butchering hardware for god knows what purpose into clunky excuses for what originals were supposed to be.
I'm not really all that happy with the whole smartphone boom over the past 4 years. I quite enjoyed when these toys required proper owners who even knew of their existence.

I DO NOT want to pay more for a phone.
Why ?
Because the $600 or $700 tag already is several hundred dollars over material cost. Yes, they need to account for labour, shipping, and profit but take a look at Google and the Nexus line. Is it because Google can afford to take a loss on the hardware knowing that by using it you'll drive their revenue ? I don't think they would sell at a loss, but I'm open to being moderately surprised if that is the case. I'd guess they're breaking even.
There's no point in paying more for things that could be improved at the same price-point and still drive profit.
What WOULD help ?
Stop signing contracts that screw you for a subsidized phone. They have no incentive to make those phones as perfect as they can - they need some reason for you to keep re-signing that contract two years from now - they WANT you to be wanting to get rid of that phone. Why would they keep updating the firmware when they don't even want you to be using it two years from now ? Why not just have you keep paying them high monthly fees so you can get a "newer and better" phone for cheap (a cost they'll recover from you and then some) ?
What would help is people moving to buying their phones outright and demanding more for what they are paying - driving the market by where they're willing to spend money.
I don't think the components of a smartphone are "not cheap". They kind of are since the material cost is only $2-300. That's less than a decent desktop PC. Yes, it's a decent chunk of change but we're talking smartphones here, they're nice to have but still a luxury good (although I'd agree that a regular cell phone is not a luxury in this day and age). Many people pay more than $300 for a pair of shoes - a pair of Allen Edmonds is $350 ffs and that's $350 on some leather and stitching that people get romantic about - not an electronic device that can pinpoint your location by GPS, holy your music library, and play Netflix. A smartphone is a tiny computer, I would expect it to be priced as such.
So, no, please don't "charge me more" when there is no reason to. Please just have some quality control, although I don't really think it's a big deal because I'm not picky I guess. O well.

The theory behind what you're saying makes sense, but in reality at least here in Canada the prices have already increased a lot the past 3 years.
HTC desire came out almost 3 years ago here in Canada and it was the flagship phone. Full price no contract was $449.99. Then the HTC desire HD came out as its predecessor and it was $499. The desire z was also 499 launching around that time too.
The HTC one s was I think $550 and the one x $599 but dont quote me on that.
Now the HTC one is $650 and others from Samsung are $700. Iphones have always been more but I'm pretty sure they have been increasing steadily as well. So really how much do you want them to increase it? I take it you're very wealthy. Lol
Sent from my Desire HD using xda app-developers app

You're paying for the brand most of the time.. not actual quality

KrissN said:
I think the biggest problem is not in the price pressure, but in the time pressure. We want more and more quickly. The time it takes for device development (both hardware and software) is getting shorter. This means that engineers have less time to polish the device and hence the initial releases can be at most considered early beta releases.
Of course you can try to leverage that by employing more engineers, but this won't buy you much time.
So instead of offering more money for a phone I'd rather suggest giving the manufacturers more time to thoroughly develop and test their toys before launching them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd agree with that.. I honestly don't see it as as price issue. The life cycles of new phones currently is ridiculous. It seem like by the time one concept is finalized they move on to "the next big thing" and try to mass produce as many of the currently "new" product before next version is released, sometimes in less than a year.

I' m good with mine...
To be completely honest, I got my phone for.99 cents and have never been happier...I don't need multi window nonsense on it and with dev ROMs on here I am fixing to get 4.2.2. So for that price who cares if it burns up but my first and only one is bug free and fast after the OC kernel soooo....
sent from my SGH-I577/Slimbean/1.5oc LZ kernel

I'm not sure how much benefit a manufacturer has to gain from creating a premium smartphone.
Such a project will cost untold amounts of resources with no real promise of consumer acceptance.
Apple pretty much set the precedent for competitive pricing with the $200 subsidized price tag. It has become the main reference point when consumers consider their purchases. New Android phone, specs x, y, and z for $300. Well, the immediate thought is going to be... "so what makes this so great that it is $100 above the iPhone's price tag?"
That is why I think the smartphone market does not have room for a "high end", because the $200 range is already a high end.

Get the pixel or not

I like this phone but I don't know if i like it enough to have it for 2 years. With the iphone 8 and the Samsung s8 or note 8 coming next year makes me want to wait. I don't like how it doesn't have wireless charging and it doesn't have the camera stabilizer for taking pics, also no water protection. So with the people that have this phone please tell me what you think of it. Thabks all.

Wait. You are setting yourself up for a disappointment with all that you see wrong with the device before even buying it. And the price will drive you nuts with those shortcomings you find objectionable.

racer0018 said:
I like this phone but I don't know if i like it enough to have it for 2 years. With the iphone 8 and the Samsung s8 or note 8 coming next year makes me want to wait. I don't like how it doesn't have wireless charging and it doesn't have the camera stabilizer for taking pics, also no water protection. So with the people that have this phone please tell me what you think of it. Thabks all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's a suggestion - make up your own mind instead of relying on other people. Not everyone has to like the same things for the same reasons.

Come on guys, I think you're being unfair. All of us who have bought the phone ought to write a review every time somebody is thinking about buying one and can't be bothered to read the comments and reviews already posted here and on youtube.

Realistically every phone is going to have certain shortcomings, and to me the Pixel looks like first-generation hardware with a top-tier asking price. After seeing the Pixel, I decided to buy the iPhone 7. That's when I found out Apple doesn't provide anything like an LED or ambient display to indicate waiting notifications. That one issue is worth the cost of a return for me, but apparently it's also acceptable to the people that bought the billion previous iPhones. The Pixel checks a lot of items off my interest list, and it misses some. Like other phones available today and in the future, there are areas where the Pixel does and does not compare favorably with other options. Ultimately I think it cost me $35 to find out that an LED notification is more personally important than waterproofing, image stabilization, or wireless charging.

I've been with Android since the HTC Droid Eris. Things are advancing so rapidly now, it is worse that trying to buy an up to date PC back in the day...by the time you got home someone had the specs of your brand new toy beat. It seems even worse now with smartphones. I find myself getting ever closer to a phone that tick all my wants. However, when that starts happening, everybody will keep the phone they have for two years instead of getting a new one every year. That won't help the sales plateau smartphones seem to be in. Today you have to be prepared for the phone you buy today to be one tier behind in a very short time. Just the way it is.
I have to say my new Pixel is the best smartphone I have ever used and it is not even close. I retired an LG V10. The V10 is about as far behind the Pixel as the Galaxy S4 was behind the V10. No it is not perfect, but no other top tier phone today is perfect either. If the Pixel is judged to be too expensive, then so are the rest of the top tier brands.
I'd say get it. Be careful with it and return it if you have some issue.

I have read tons or reviews but here is the thing, those reviews are a lot of the time done by people that wrote for a living and not the average person that is going to use this phone. Most of the time they write these reviews because they get all new phones shipped to them for free and not the average person that gets a new phone once every 2 years. I guess in all, I know what the reviews say and the YouTube videos look like but I wanted to know what the average person says about the phone. Not the expert says about the phone. Thabks.

racer0018 said:
I like this phone but I don't know if i like it enough to have it for 2 years. With the iphone 8 and the Samsung s8 or note 8 coming next year makes me want to wait. I don't like how it doesn't have wireless charging and it doesn't have the camera stabilizer for taking pics, also no water protection. So with the people that have this phone please tell me what you think of it. Thabks all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Youre gonna wait every 6 months... Pixel 2 next year..
Personally I hold out until the next phone I buy has significant upgrades..
I went from Nexus 4 to Nexus 6 to LG G4 to LG v10 (I fell for the 2nd screen gimmick, but it wasnt anything more over the G4), skipped LG G5, skipped Nexus 6p, considered One plus 3, but Pixel Xl filled a few of the most important boxes for me.
Hype, bandwagon, fantastic screen that turns iPhone/samsung owner's heads, accessories, accessories, super active community, fast, fast loading camera ready to take a picture, unlimited cloud, build quality, looks and balance.
I'm hoping assistant, gps and navigation will work well as I use them a lot and most phones have worked ok, but fail..
Im still waiting on my preorder....

I am happy with T-Mobile giving a 325 dollar credit for this phone, so it's totally worth it for me.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA-Developers mobile app

Yup it is missing those, but if these bother you then don't buy it because it is an expensive phone and if you are not 100% satisfied with what it is offering then yep wait for the next big thing.
For me currently this is the best phone out there satisfying all my needs and desires, and also it was time to replace my aging Nexus 5. Loving the pixel

I'm in a boat whether to buy this phone or not.. Between pixel, oneplus 3 or xiaomi mi note 2. Not sure how roms will be for the pixel, so will wait and see how that pans out and reviews for the MI note 2

LPHS said:
Yup it is missing those, but if these bother you then don't buy it because it is an expensive phone and if you are not 100% satisfied with what it is offering then yep wait for the next big thing.
For me currently this is the best phone out there satisfying all my needs and desires, and also it was time to replace my aging Nexus 5. Loving the pixel
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See that is a worthwhile upgrade. I went to an n5x so the pixel is not worth the cost. It just depends on where you're coming from.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using XDA-Developers mobile app

chrisinsocalif said:
I am happy with T-Mobile giving a 325 dollar credit for this phone, so it's totally worth it for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here! I was going to pass on the Pixel because of the price but with that promo, I ordered two for me and the missus. A Pixel for $325 is an amazing deal!

bobby janow said:
See that is a worthwhile upgrade. I went to an n5x so the pixel is not worth the cost. It just depends on where you're coming from.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using XDA-Developers mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly what I thought, I almost purchased a 5x but decided to wait for the next nexus, didn't know that time that it was going to be a pixel, but yeah for me it is worth the upgrade. If i had purchased the 5x then I am pretty sure I would be in the same boat as you, lol for me even the freakin fingerprint scanner is an upgrade

To the op and others undecided. I think some have already covered it but I'll put in my $.02
I'm different than most that posted here. I like to buy/sell when new devices come out. There is no perfect phone for anyone. I also am not biased towards android or apple.
I have recently used moto x, moto x 2nd gen, htc m9, sony z3 compact, oneplus3, iphones 5s,6,6s,&7/7+
I'm currently using the oneplus 3, iphone 7, and just got the pixel yesterday.
All these phones have there advantages/disadvantages as previously mentioned.
There will always be something better around the corner. If you keep waiting, you'll be waiting forever. If you need a phone right now, best options in my opinion are the pixel, oneplus3, iphone 6s or 7, but that depends on your needs too. If you don't need a phone right now wait it out till you do.
Phones are somewhat similar to pcs right now. They are not really getting any faster for typical use, just better cameras typically and a few different options in the os.
The oneplus 3 imo is the best 5.5" android phone for the money. It's almost perfect for my needs but comes with some minor bugs and not the best speakers for music. $400, can't be beat by any phone and is the fastest android phone out i believe. It is faster than the pixel.
Pixel is a great phone. Fingerprint sensor location takes some getting used to. Android 7 and pixel launcher are nice but come with some bugs and lack of options. Phone can be laggy at times during normal use. Great deal if you get in on the t-mobile promo. I don't like the big top/bottom bezels but i can live with it. With future updates, this could be my new close to perfect phone.
IPhone 7 is nice but overhyped. Iphone 6s is just as good. Iphone 7 speakers and camera slightly better, maybe slightly faster but nothing like Apple claims.
You need to decide what you really want then pick the phone that best fits for the price you want yo pay.
If you want a cheap avg android phone, go with the oneplus 3. It's a great price and competes with the high end phones extremely well. Otherwise pony up. There are limited choices for a decent priced phone anymore and definitely typically come with drawbacks that I'm not willing to sacrifice.
Best of luck

I currently have the Samsung s7. I'm on Verizon. I ordered a pixel from Google because with the financing you can pay it off early. On Verizon Device payment plan you have to pay monthly or just pay the entire phone off at once.
I've been reading reviews and got impatient and ordered the phone from Verizon. I saw were you could get 20% off with the Save20 code but it didn't work for me because of my corporate discount. However, Verizon is giving trade in value for any phone. If I traded in my S7 I could get $300 but I want to keep it in case I don't like the pixel.
What I did was buy an iPhone 4 from ebay for $30. Verizon gave me a $200 credit for that phone and I ordered the 128gb pixel. So I got that phone for 750-200+30=$580. I think I paid $650 for my Nexus 6P 64gb last year.
Options that Verizon and tmobile offer make it a no brainer to get this phone. I think if Google had released this phone to all carriers or when they do you will have many people buying and loving this phone. That is the problem. Not what the phone is missing it's because people don't want to pull the trigger because of the price.
Sent from my SM-G930V using XDA-Developers mobile app

andyfoster said:
Come on guys, I think you're being unfair. All of us who have bought the phone ought to write a review every time somebody is thinking about buying one and can't be bothered to read the comments and reviews already posted here and on youtube.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL. Thanks mate, you made my day!

I'm am average user but love pure android and had nearly all the Nexus phones and coming from the 6p to the pixel, have to say love it. Great camera, faster better in low light, phone is bonkers quick with excellent battery life and very crisp clear screen. Also easier to handle than my 6p. Very expensive but worth it? Just about.
Sent from my Pixel using XDA-Developers mobile app

The elephant in the room, or should I say will the notch happen?

Lots of threads with discussion about the notch itself, please continue to post your love or hate for notches on those threads. This thread is strictly for addressing the hoax theory and why you think it's either true or false.
My own opinion is a straight up not sure, I cant deny it seems unlikely Google pulled it off but on the other side of the coin there is a lot of material that makes me go, "hmmmm." I think the largest thing that comes to mind is in regards to the lost phones. It's hard to believe any outfit could be so inept and their response seems to be incredibly lackadaisical considering the corporate secrets/strategy/ intellectual property involved. I expect a response much more like what you will all recall came from the Fruit company when their phone was left in a restaurant but that absolutely didn't happen.

It would be great if there were a different phone than the one we've seen on stage for the reveal but I don't think that will happen. The leaks were pretty phony but I don't think their purpose was a giant prank. That would be very cool, but unlikely. I think I'm getting more accepting as I get older. I'm not crazy about that notch but it's not a deal breaker for me. There are too many things I like about the Pixel phones to let that ruin it. I'm glad the new forums are up. Part of the fun of a new Pixel is the conversation here. I hope it isn't just a bash the notch fest. Maybe a designated thread for that would work. Unless there is no notch...

It is a deal breaker for me

Gents, please, your love/hate of the notch already has many a thread for you to express your opinions. This one is for the alleged possibility of Google pulling one over on the leak machine or not if that be the case. Thanks for your forbearance.

krabman said:
Gents, please, your love/hate of the notch already has many a thread for you to express your opinions. This one is for the alleged possibility of Google pulling one over on the leak machine or not if that be the case. Thanks for your forbearance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right, the last thing I'd want to do is fuel the notch discussion. If Google pulled that off it would be great. The fact that there is even speculation about it is quite an accomplishment on their part.

I love to beat on Google as much as the next guy but there is no way I'm not throwing them some cred if they really did get one over on all of us. It would change the leak factory over night to one of much greater uncertainty. Right now I feel likei know what a phone is before the reveal almost every time.

Pixel 3XL screen protectors. They are in stock... CLICK CLICK2

The notch does look a bit too big, not sure it would be a deal breaker for me. I recently just traded my note 8 for a pixel 2 XL i missed the pure android feel so i may wait until its in the store and i can see it in person to tell if it ridiculously too big or just something to get use to. As cool as it would be for google to have tricked us all and have a surprise big notch free device i highly doubt it even a possibility , but i guess we will see in a few weeks

Lol

what i am concerned about is that apple hasn't gone after anybody for notch designs. they weren't the first, though i am quite sure many of their fans think so, but this will probably be most high profile phone with a notch even though the sales won't be there to back it up. i'm sure the apple hate will grow even larger if the XL 3 does indeed have a notch and apple makes a lawsuit against google. i am still aggravated apple started suing OEMS, especially google, to inforce their patent for one press app openings when you have multiple apps to choose from. because of apple, we have to press twice. so petty, especially for a trillion dollar company that doesn't own any factories and has the power to make working conditions better for workers even though they don't those factories. let's not forget apple is also exempt from the tariff trade war. we shall see.

v2.2v said:
Lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the LOL mate...

Why didn't Google add more RAM for more ROM on this device knowing that they are going to charge so much for it? P.S. please bring the headphone jack back with an unlocked FM Radio chip.
Sent from my Motorola Nexus 6 using XDA Labs

It's wide open gents and you don't even need to search for duplicate threads because there are so few; you can post a thread about a wish list for the pixel 4, a thread to complain about any lack or omissions in the 3, or, a thread to discuss a lawsuit that wont happen because third doesn't get to complain about being copied. But that would be on those threads, not here. We're not even complaining about the notch here. This is just where we're discussing the possibility of Goog being involved in a subterfuge to mask exactly what they're going to deliver with the 18 Pixel devices.
At this point with Goog releasing official renders you have to figure the only trick left is if they actually have a 3rd device, the so called "Ultra". The thinking being something along the lines of Apple outing a phone which hadn't even seen the FCC to keep it secret and releasing after the leaked devices. I'm doubtful on the concept but that's the only remaining hope for those hoping to go big and notchless with Pixel this year.

Tech plateau since about 2018?

How does everyone here feel about phone tech becoming more and more stagnant without any major breakthroughs for probably half a decade now? 2010's were a pretty exciting times with so many valid and unique choices on the market, but lately everything is bland and pretty much the same in terms of features and aesthetics. Differences between major and minor brand flagships is literally just paying for that Crapple logo or not. That excitement of getting a new phone is just about fizzled out these days.

Yeap. All hype up with little to show, like 108mp cam sensors when even top of the line pro cams use under 21mp for their full frame sensors!
Android Google went to Apple hell too with scoped storage.
That's why I bought my second Note 10+ 5 months ago. The first one still looks, feels and runs like new... it's just plain fun to use. Still running on Pie like a bat out of hell.
Unfortunately for Samsung, so far, the N10+ marks their zenith. Try not to try so hard to drop the ball Sammy...
Samsung's new definition of a power user; someone that uses their phone as a right hand, hand warmer

Honestly advertising aside, Sammy wasn't a hot potato since like S5 which is when I dropped my interest in em. And god-awful blueberry aside, no one really bothered with a physical QWERTY that is catastrophically lacking today.
I will say that I am glad to have a slew of "mid-range" priced phones with top specs available like ZTE has been doing.

Skv012a said:
Honestly advertising aside, Sammy wasn't a hot potato since like S5 which is when I dropped my interest in em. And god-awful blueberry aside, no one really bothered with a physical QWERTY that is catastrophically lacking today.
I will say that I am glad to have a slew of "mid-range" priced phones with top specs available like ZTE has been doing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I lucked out with the N10+ which I bought near it's release date. I'm holding a dual drive, 1+tb PC with a near perfectly factory color calibrated display in my hand. Gene Roddenberry dreamed about having something like this.
Samsung's and Android's progression is not linear or consistent and now backsliding 2 steps with every step forward. They seem to think hype sells like a traveling hawker selling rot gut tonics. Hey it worked for the Covid flu... until the ugly truths started coming out.
Your only as good as your last phone sold, something they should understood by now... not.

blackhawk said:
I lucked out with the N10+ which I bought near it's release date. I'm holding a dual drive, 1+tb PC with a near perfectly factory color calibrated display in my hand. Gene Roddenberry dreamed about having something like this.
Samsung's and Android's progression is not linear or consistent and now backsliding 2 steps with every step forward. They seem to think hype sells like a traveling hawker selling rot gut tonics. Hey it worked for the Covid flu... until the ugly truths started coming out.
Your only as good as your last phone sold, something they should understood by now... not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha, right? And then of course, US is locked out of Huawei because best believe those phones would erase Samsung from the consumer dictionary in an instant here.

Skv012a said:
Haha, right? And then of course, US is locked out of Huawei because best believe those phones would erase Samsung from the consumer dictionary in an instant here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The CCP is pervasive and embedded throughout all Chinese manufacturing. This threat is completely underrated. You see the robo dogs with bullhorns that they have policing their locked down cities -now-? Trust them?