Considering ditching the S10e for a Pixel 3a again - Google Pixel 3a Questions & Answers

I seriously considering ditching my Samung S10e & picking up a cheap Pixel 3a again.
The only reason i got the S10e is because i lost my Pixel 3a while on holiday & at the time in August last year, the S10e was on a very good offer under £500 & the Wife's work discount brought it close to £400 hence why i ended up getting the S10e over another Pixel 3a which after a good few months with the S10e I've now come to regret that decision.
Reason being.
Signal on the S10e is terrible where i live dropped calls continuously, never had a problem on my Pixel 3a.
Battery life is also terrible being exynos it suffers badly from 4G drain, again no problems on the Pixel 3a could easily get a day out of it even though battery on both are around the same capacity.
Support tbh Samsung has upped their game when it comes to supporting their devices, but Android 11 will be it's last major update & will only show up sometime in early 2021, the Pixel 3a on the other hand will get Android 11 around September time & also will get Android 12.
Camera while it's ok in good light on the S10e the pixel 3a blew it out of the water when it comes to image quality more so in low light shot's, i even go far as to say that the pixel 3a camera still better than the S20 lineup, i can cope losing the wide angle camera for better image quality again, & i don't care for 4K 60fps as it wasn't stabilised on the S10 range & the video quality on the pixel 3a was more than upto the job.
Also i don't care that the Pixel 3a only has 4GB of Ram, Snapdragon 670 & only 64GB of storage as I don't game on my phones & i don't do any multi tasking & i don't use that many apps.
The other option is to hang on for the Pixel 4a later this month or early next month which looks very much like the S10e, but that will cost £400 starting price and i can get a brand new retail Pixel 3a close to £250, that should easily last me until the Pixel 5a next year.

ixon2001 said:
I seriously considering ditching my Samung S10e & picking up a cheap Pixel 3a again.
The only reason i got the S10e is because i lost my Pixel 3a while on holiday & at the time in August last year, the S10e was on a very good offer under £500 & the Wife's work discount brought it close to £400 hence why i ended up getting the S10e over another Pixel 3a which after a good few months with the S10e I've now come to regret that decision.
Reason being.
Signal on the S10e is terrible where i live dropped calls continuously, never had a problem on my Pixel 3a.
Battery life is also terrible being exynos it suffers badly from 4G drain, again no problems on the Pixel 3a could easily get a day out of it even though battery on both are around the same capacity.
Support tbh Samsung has upped their game when it comes to supporting their devices, but Android 11 will be it's last major update & will only show up sometime in early 2021, the Pixel 3a on the other hand will get Android 11 around September time & also will get Android 12.
Camera while it's ok in good light on the S10e the pixel 3a blew it out of the water when it comes to image quality more so in low light shot's, i even go far as to say that the pixel 3a camera still better than the S20 lineup, i can cope losing the wide angle camera for better image quality again, & i don't care for 4K 60fps as it wasn't stabilised on the S10 range & the video quality on the pixel 3a was more than upto the job.
Also i don't care that the Pixel 3a only has 4GB of Ram, Snapdragon 670 & only 64GB of storage as I don't game on my phones & i don't do any multi tasking & i don't use that many apps.
The other option is to hang on for the Pixel 4a later this month or early next month which looks very much like the S10e, but that will cost £400 starting price and i can get a brand new retail Pixel 3a close to £250, that should easily last me until the Pixel 5a next year.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes waiting for 4a is a good option and if you can wait even more the pixel 5 is gonna be a midranger this year but i guess no-one can wait for that long to buy a phone .So if you can, pixel 4a will be the best option as it will have larger battery more efficient processor etc.

Decided go for another Pixel 3a rather than the 4a & save myself around £150.
Also if the Pixel 5 is a mid range phone with a starting price of around 500 & 5G as standard, then getting that later on in the year or early next year when the deals are on will be a better option than going for the Pixel 4a next month.

I'll trade you my week old 3a for an S10e lol

Related

Should I swap the P20 Pro for Pixel 2 XL?

Hi guys,
I've had the phone for a couple of days. What bothers me are the fact that as a latest fragship, it cheaps out on bluetooth chip(4.2). Other devices like pixel 2 from last year already start using 5.0. Not that I really need the bluetooth 5.0. I just don't like being cheaped out to. Also no gorilla glass? I'd admit these are very minor "issues". Maybe I'm a bit of a brand whore. I just can't seem to enjoy looking at the ugly logo of the brand inside and out. The phone is from a contract with the carrier and therefore my choices are limited to what they have at this time. LG 7, V30, Pixel 2 XL to name a few. I'm not interested in anything with storage space less than 128GB (I don't like using sd cards, sorry but I think they are inferior), which brings me down pretty much to Pixel 2 XL. Now I notice there are people here who are coming from Pixel 2 to P20 Pro. I'd really like to hear their thought on comparing these two phones from all aspects before making the decision. I'm also open to other suggestions. Would really appreciate the input!
Neil
w2830 said:
Hi guys,
I've had the phone for a couple of days. What bothers me are the fact that as a latest fragship, it cheaps out on bluetooth chip(4.2). Other devices like pixel 2 from last year already start using 5.0. Not that I really need the bluetooth 5.0. I just don't like being cheaped out to. Also no gorilla glass? I'd admit these are very minor "issues". Maybe I'm a bit of a brand whore. I just can't seem to enjoy looking at the ugly logo of the brand inside and out. The phone is from a contract with the carrier and therefore my choices are limited to what they have at this time. LG 7, V30, Pixel 2 XL to name a few. I'm not interested in anything with storage space less than 128GB (I don't like using sd cards, sorry but I think they are inferior), which brings me down pretty much to Pixel 2 XL. Now I notice there are people here who are coming from Pixel 2 to P20 Pro. I'd really like to hear their thought on comparing these two phones from all aspects before making the decision. I'm also open to other suggestions. Would really appreciate the input!
Neil
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would suggest waiting for Pixel 3 which is due out in October/November as it would be pointless buying it now.
You have described that you require Bluetooth 5.0 (do you have any devices that specifically require it). Bluetooth 4.2 can still be pretty decent as it has low power consumption
P20 Pro does come with gorilla glass
mulkman said:
I would suggest waiting for Pixel 3 which is due out in October/November as it would be pointless buying it now.
You have described that you require Bluetooth 5.0 (do you have any devices that specifically require it). Bluetooth 4.2 can still be pretty decent as it has low power consumption
P20 Pro does come with gorilla glass
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't really need the added benefit of the Bluetooth 5.0. I just don't like the fact that they have cheaped out on this comparing samsung has started using 5.0 since s8 and lots of others. It doesn't offer any confidence in this phone when knowing this. Waiting for Pixel 3 is probably is a good idea. Thanks for the suggestion anyway.
The phone costs less though so you gotta expect some compromises.
Hell no, from my experience the XL2 runs fast BUT very unstable. Apps especially Google Map can quit while you're driving, or whole system can reboot anytime.
My answer is no, if you want to go down pixel line wait until 3 comes out.
I've owned the nexus range and the pixel xl and was going to get a pixel 2 xl, but they are overpriced for what they are (just like apple) and they are full of bugs just like the XL
Pixel line of phones have long lost there edge compared to the Nexus line.
One plus in my opinion make the best "stock" android phones. Anyway back onto topic.
Gorilla glass Vs the tempered glass on the p20 Pro. Both scartch at a level 6 on the Moe's scale of hardness. So I wouldn't be to concerned
Bluetooth 4.2 Vs 5 can't really see much of a argument in a real life setting to why anyone would need 5 compared to 4.2.
If you can't get a one plus 6 and you have to make the choice like now then it feels your online option is the pixel.
There is no way I'd swap my phone for the px2
Or the XL.
The 3 ? Maybe but I'd have to see it
w2830 said:
Hi guys,
I've had the phone for a couple of days. What bothers me are the fact that as a latest fragship, it cheaps out on bluetooth chip(4.2). Other devices like pixel 2 from last year already start using 5.0. Not that I really need the bluetooth 5.0. I just don't like being cheaped out to. Also no gorilla glass? I'd admit these are very minor "issues". Maybe I'm a bit of a brand whore. I just can't seem to enjoy looking at the ugly logo of the brand inside and out. The phone is from a contract with the carrier and therefore my choices are limited to what they have at this time. LG 7, V30, Pixel 2 XL to name a few. I'm not interested in anything with storage space less than 128GB (I don't like using sd cards, sorry but I think they are inferior), which brings me down pretty much to Pixel 2 XL. Now I notice there are people here who are coming from Pixel 2 to P20 Pro. I'd really like to hear their thought on comparing these two phones from all aspects before making the decision. I'm also open to other suggestions. Would really appreciate the input!
Neil
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
am personally let go my pixel 2 xl after having p20 pro.
camera is more versatile. smoothness is comparable. screen color is better for doing graphic works (at least IMO), and this one might surprise you, my apps crash less on this phone than on my pixel 2 xl, and 6GB of ram wont hurt either (disable zRAM to feel the true smoothness of this phone)
now am using p20 pro as main driver and redmi note 5 Ai as secondary phone. saving 400++ bucks by doing so. cant be happier
If I could go back in time, I would keep my Pixel 2 XL. That is not without issues though.
On the Pixel 2 XL, Touchscreen is a bit iffy. Battery life is worse (7 hours SOT over a day as opposed to 9 on the Huawei). Display is a little dark, not enough brightness in sunshine. But, if I could go back, I would keep it.
The Pixel is smoother and faster in apps, scrolling is much quicker, graphics power on the Pixel 2 XL is better, the P20 is quite stuttery and laggy.
But I would stick with the P20 for now.
Pros of switching to Pixel 2 XL:
1. Faster, fluid and cleaner software stock android experience. I used Pixel 2 as a work phone and love the Google experience. People buy Pixel for software and camera
2. Faster update to Android P
3. Snapdragon 835 is faster than Kirin 970, especially GPU
4. Google's camera is much simpler than P20 Pro's
5. Pixel 2 has better Stereo speakers
6. Pixel 2 has Bluetooth 5
Reasons for sticking with P20 Pro:
1. P20 Pro has a much better screen to body ratio, more content on a smaller screen
2. P20 Pro's camera hardware is future proof; amazing night mode, the best in market; P20 Pro is basically a camera phone
3. P20 Pro has a bigger battery and well optimized, resulting in much better battery life
4. P20 Pro's face unlock is more convenient than Pixel 2's rear mounted fingerprint reader
5. Pixel 2 XL's screen quality is inferior to P20 Pro's, which has fantastic AMOLED display
6. P20 Pro is future proof because of 6 GB ram, although Pixel 2 XL works equally well with 4GB ram.
Long story short, P20 Pro has a better hardware, but poor software experience in my opinion. Pixel 2 XL's Google experience is a class of its own. Never got such a fluid experience on any phone ever (Not even on One plus series).
I hope it helps
gautam.malik said:
Pros of switching to Pixel 2 XL:
1. Faster, fluid and cleaner software stock android experience. I used Pixel 2 as a work phone and love the Google experience. People buy Pixel for software and camera
2. Faster update to Android P
3. Snapdragon 835 is faster than Kirin 970, especially GPU
4. Google's camera is much simpler than P20 Pro's
5. Pixel 2 has better Stereo speakers
6. Pixel 2 has Bluetooth 5
Reasons for sticking with P20 Pro:
1. P20 Pro has a much better screen to body ratio, more content on a smaller screen
2. P20 Pro's camera hardware is future proof; amazing night mode, the best in market; P20 Pro is basically a camera phone
3. P20 Pro has a bigger battery and well optimized, resulting in much better battery life
4. P20 Pro's face unlock is more convenient than Pixel 2's rear mounted fingerprint reader
5. Pixel 2 XL's screen quality is inferior to P20 Pro's, which has fantastic AMOLED display
6. P20 Pro is future proof because of 6 GB ram, although Pixel 2 XL works equally well with 4GB ram.
Long story short, P20 Pro has a better hardware, but poor software experience in my opinion. Pixel 2 XL's Google experience is a class of its own. Never got such a fluid experience on any phone ever (Not even on One plus series).
I hope it helps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But software can always be improved, and / or we have Roms.
Slash8915 said:
But software can always be improved, and / or we have Roms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Development hasn't been looking good so far, but i do hope we get some more going eventually. Also, yeah i hope stop EMUI gets improved as well.
If P2XL didn't have the issues with screen I would have probably got it as liked the Pixel XL, but I had the initial issues with the halo when taking photos, I couldn't automatically connect to Bluetooth devices and had to manually switch over. It never 6with wifi calling when switched network as that feature was locked to EE and it same on the Pixel 2.
I have a Huawei Watch and switching over phones lost my data as couldn't be backed up on Pixel phones and Google Fit is more than useless with not keeping GPS data and not showing correctly across devices. Apple, Fitbit, Sony and even Garmin apps better.
Even Huawei Health provides better data than Google Fit just shame it can only be backed up and restored on Huawei devices otherwise u lose all data.
I'm still debating which device to get next and may depend on Watch compatibility.
Sent from my Huawei P20 Pro using XDA Labs
Thread from the dead: which phone should I keep?
So I found myself having my P2XL 128gb replaced by Google due to screen burn and a new (refurb) one arrives tomorrow.
In the meantime I had been rolling with a Huawei P20 Pro and it's not bad... Camera IS LOVELY and battery life amazing but I run Rootless Pixel Launcher as I can't stand whatever Huawei call their interface.
So, I can get £300 for my pixel 2 on popular recycling sites or £353 for the Huawei. My buy out on contract is £267.50 so either way I'm quids in.
Now, which one do I keep? It's worth noting my work phone is rolling a P3XL and, to some degree, I need to be in Android Beta Programmes (Q next?) as I'm a dev PM. The P3XL answers this need.
Heart says keep the pixel and flog the Huawei. Head says Huawei mobile the newer model (though not newer handset as, if you remember, just getting a replacement from The Big G).
The pixel FEELS better to me but, as this is my social phone, I'm more concerned with the camera than anything else. Does the P20 Pro triple camera make it worth getting rid of the P2XL? The snail pace of updates to the P20 annoys but thata just me wanting latest and greatest all the time.
Oh, decisions decisions. Either way ONE phone must go tomorrow in the post as I've locked in the prices for both with recyclers.
What would *you* do? Snapper or Pixel?
devynel said:
So I found myself having my P2XL 128gb replaced by Google due to screen burn and a new (refurb) one arrives tomorrow.
In the meantime I had been rolling with a Huawei P20 Pro and it's not bad... Camera IS LOVELY and battery life amazing but I run Rootless Pixel Launcher as I can't stand whatever Huawei call their interface.
So, I can get £300 for my pixel 2 on popular recycling sites or £353 for the Huawei. My buy out on contract is £267.50 so either way I'm quids in.
Now, which one do I keep? It's worth noting my work phone is rolling a P3XL and, to some degree, I need to be in Android Beta Programmes (Q next?) as I'm a dev PM. The P3XL answers this need.
Heart says keep the pixel and flog the Huawei. Head says Huawei mobile the newer model (though not newer handset as, if you remember, just getting a replacement from The Big G).
The pixel FEELS better to me but, as this is my social phone, I'm more concerned with the camera than anything else. Does the P20 Pro triple camera make it worth getting rid of the P2XL? The snail pace of updates to the P20 annoys but thata just me wanting latest and greatest all the time.
Oh, decisions decisions. Either way ONE phone must go tomorrow in the post as I've locked in the prices for both with recyclers.
What would *you* do? Snapper or Pixel?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do not get rid of the P2xl because of the triple camera on the P20 Pro. The pixel is still the better all round camera regardless, and with its own new night sight mode, it just got even better.
Keep the pixel
Is it though, Patchy? I took an awesome shot on holiday where you could see Saturn and the P20 picked it out.
Ugh. I'm so conflicted!
devynel said:
Is it though, Patchy? I took an awesome shot on holiday where you could see Saturn and the P20 picked it out.
Ugh. I'm so conflicted!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have both phones. It comes to preference, but yeah I find the Pixel always takes nicer photos. Way more consistent. Your call man.
i traded my pixel 2 xl because i was bored with stock android and the ram management was crap . portrait mode was better on pixel 2 xl. But i love the p20 pro for when zooming in pics the pics are still amazingly sharp

Considering buying a Pixel 2 XL - Pros and Cons? Anyone compared it to P20 Pro?

Hi,
I am a Nexus 6P owner and had been holding out for the P3, but the prices for it are too expensive for me.
As such my two options at the moment are the Huawei P20 Pro or the Pixel 2XL.
My main gripes with the Nexus 6P were:
Battery issues - I had the early shutdown problem at 30%. it got fixed by Huawei, but 5 months later I can see evidence it's happening again.
Bluetooth in Car - My car stereo (Alpine CDE-133BT) used to be able to control the phone to skip tracks but doesn't any more, not sure if this was after the update to Oreo.
Lag - I had to turn off animations in an attempt to speed things up.
Camera - Despite able to take some great quality shots, it became quite laggy opening the camera up to take a photo, missed a few shots because of it.
Ive noticed a few forums discussing recent lag, and battery issues after upgrading to Pie, which is concerning for me if I'm soon to buy.
Camera quality and speed of shots is important to me, as well as battery life.
Would the Pixel 2 XL still be a good buy for me? Would be interested to hear from those who have had experience with the P20 Pro too, on how it compares as a phone.
Thanks
if camera quality and speed of shots is important to you then you will hate the p20 pro. i tried to switching from my pixel 2 to the p20 pro and i just couldnt do it. the 20 is capable of taking some amazing photos but it is horribly inconsistent....at least thats my opinion..
I think I will make the same decision between this two. I am currently using iPhone 6 and it is time for change. Pixel 3, iPhone X’s this are too expensive phones for me. Camera quality is important to me. My only issue with pixel is 4gb ram. I am afraid of this phone to become laggy in few months.
Szymanow said:
I think I will make the same decision between this two. I am currently using iPhone 6 and it is time for change. Pixel 3, iPhone X’s this are too expensive phones for me. Camera quality is important to me. My only issue with pixel is 4gb ram. I am afraid of this phone to become laggy in few months.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had the Pixel 2 since April with no noticeable change of speed
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app
I've bought pixel 2XL and had really bad experience with it's screen. I ended up exchanging XL for the smaller brother and have no regrets! I have black Pixel 2 128gb. An amazing phone it is!!!
I have a ZTE Axon 7 (Nexus 5 before that) .. and it is time to change ... but I am put off a bit by the high Pixel 3 pricepoint - whereas the Pixel 2 has seen a pretty good discount in many markets .... can see it in Google Store (UK) for 479 pounds or a few (non-Google) sites in France for around 520 Euros.
As a number of reviews seem to say that the difference between the 2 and 3 is not worth to upgrade ... would I be happy with a Pixel 2 ?
Everything I read is that it is a great device ...

has anyone traded their pixel XL3 for the 7 pro?

I have a pixel XL3 from Verizon, I'm wondering if anybody has traded their xl 3 And if they have what are their thoughts.
I had been using the pixel 3xl and the S10 plus and just got my 7 pro 256gb 12 ram today and I love it, only thing I miss is the wifi calling on ATT, but I do have VoLTE, pictures are not as nice as the pixel 3 XL, but they look pretty good to me. So I'm happy with my purchase.
2003vstrom said:
I had been using the pixel 3xl and the S10 plus and just got my 7 pro 256gb 12 ram today and I love it, only thing I miss is the wifi calling on ATT, but I do have VoLTE, pictures are not as nice as the pixel 3 XL, but they look pretty good to me. So I'm happy with my purchase.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They'll give me $430 as a trade-in for my pixel XL3 I thought about getting the 8 gig. Do you really think it's worth the trade in? What are the pros? Can you give me a little bit more information of why you think it's a better trade-in?
I know Google gives the quickest updates for 3 years and I really like that but the ram management blows
I traded my pixel 2 xl for the op7 pro if that matters I skipped the pixel 3 xl because it didnt feel much different and i hated that notch and the big chins.
Me Me Me! I actually still use my P3XL as my work phone (yes, I carry two phones). My thoughts
I LOVE BIG SCREENS, so I wanted the awesome large no notch display
I perfer the OP7P in every aspect, don't regret the switch at all.....except for two things:
1. Being able to screen calls.....man I miss that! At least I can still do it on my work phone
2. P3XL Camera is still better. I got used to being able to take an awesome photo every single time. YOu can get good photos from the OP7P, but it takes more work. I feel the OP7P photo quality is on par with the OG Pixel.
But, the majority of what I do on my phone is, well, I'm on my phone. That screen size and no notch.......AWESOME.
Traded 3XL, Pixel had the lag issues.
1. I miss call screen
2. Camera was better on 3
No regrets, converted TMO to INT OP7P
traded my 3XL because i couldnt stand the lag issue, at times the OP7Pro has better details than my 3XL but @ indoor shots the pixel wins
Funny enough, I did. In a round about kind of way. Got a Pixel 3, traded it for an S10 then traded that for a OP7P. Very happy. If I could root the S10, I may have stuck with that. But I'm happy with this OP7P. Especially since I also have the gcam to step in when the nightscape shots don't perform well enough.
Came from pixel 3 and am much happier. The pixel 3 had bad lag issues. Yes the camera is not as good as pixel but is serviceable at this time. I am on TMobile variant so no camera updates yet for me. The size change from pixel 3 to op7 pro has been fine. I don't have large hands but the size still isn't an issue.
azfxstb said:
Traded 3XL, Pixel had the lag issues.
1. I miss call screen
2. Camera was better on 3
No regrets, converted TMO to INT OP7P
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm on T-Mobile and I'm considering the switch to INT version. I still have my Pixel 3 XL and the OP7P cannot see the Pixel in camera quality. With that being said, I also have not received any of the latest updates due to me being carrier locked. After you converted, and installed the updates, did you notice a difference in the OP7P camera quality?
If you have young children, you will miss a lot of indoor and fast moving shots on the One Plus 7 Pro. I have it sitting here next to the Pixel 3 XL on 9.5.7. 12GB Nebula Blue, it's going back today. I love everything else, but the camera and lack of wireless charging are deal breakers for me at this time. I WANTED to love this phone.
Didn't trade my 3XL in, just ended up returning it to Google as I was dissatisfied within the return window.
Had issues with the bottom speaker sounding distorted at low volume.
The notch was just as ugly in person (users said you get used to it but I didn't). Turned off the notch in developer settings but that resulted in the screen size being the same as my previously owned Pixel 2 XL. Felt like I was wasting money by not taking advantage of the extra screen that is lost by hiding the notch.
Dealt with extremely poor RAM management.
Had issues with system UI lag. It almost felt like there was an extremely heavy skin on top of Android, when in reality it's stock.
Also had issues with the earpiece making a strange buzzing noise while on calls.
The device cost me nearly $1500 CAD. For a phone that price, I definitely don't expect to have as many issues as I did.
Switched to the 6T and now on the 7 Pro and I am very satisfied. The only issue I have is ghost scrolling but at least it's one issue rather than the handful I had on the 3XL.
One point I'll give to the 3XL is camera. The 7 Pro is definitely not as good but still a decent photo taker nonetheless.
I also skipped the outdated 3XL annual release. Traded my 2XL for a Note9 which I sold for the S10+. But then sold the S10+ and now my OnePlus 7Pro is my favorite overall daily driver!

Pixel 3 or Pixel 3a.... I need your help.

Not sure if this is the correct place to post, apologies in advance.
I was initially interested in getting the Pixel 3a. However, I see that now the Pixel 3 has a 250$ off, bringing the cost of the device down to.
In Canada, the Pixel 3 is now: $750 (this includes the $250 discount), and the Pixel 3a is $550.
I don't play games on my phone. I just can't get myself to do so when I have a Switch and PC at home.
Storage space of 64GB is actually plenty for me. I don't even close to 32GB on my current phone, due to having a NAS at home which pictures are transferred there, and the use of cloud storage. A good rear camera is the most important feature on a phone, hence why I am looking at the Pixel 3 series phone. Beside that I think I am a light user.
I really don't care about the front camera, however wireless charging seems nice to have (although I was looking into getting this, if I where to get the Pixel 3a: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Qi-...Mode-Wireless-QC3-0/33025054236.html?spm=2114 Of course, I prefer it to be integrated into the device, but is a workaround I am willing to do for the lower price (that said that will cost me ~$23.50 Canadian with shipping, bringing the cost of both device closer)
However, I heard that the Pixel 3 has performance issues that the 3a doesn't have, not sure if this was solved or not, or affected some special case? Are these performance issues (assuming not fixed) are they resolved by doing a phone reboot?
Is the gain in performance, build quality, waterproof (not sure I actually care) worth the premium?
Thanks
I was leaning towards the Pixel 3a myself before it had been officially announced, but when I saw the Pixel 3 was on sale at 50% off through Google Fi back in April I decided to pull the trigger on the Pixel 3. The Pixel 3 was just not worth it to me without a significant discount. My biggest complaint with my Pixel 3 is battery life. Also wish it had a headphone jack. I haven't noticed any performance issues while I've had it. I am happy with the phone and am glad I have 128GB of storage instead of 64GB. 64GB was not going to be enough for me.
I think in your case the Pixel 3a would be a better option. You don't need more than the 64GB of storage and the other features aren't really needed or really desired. Wireless charging isn't that big of a deal for me and you have like two options for wireless chargers that support 10w charging for the Pixel 3 due to Google using some proprietary way of wirelessly charging the Pixel 3. The processor in the Pixel 3a should be more than adequate (I think any Snapdragon 600 series of processor should provide decent performance).
I have both phones at home. Never once experienced any performance issues with the Pixel 3, and it's an absolutely great phone. All I can say about which one to choose is:
Do you need any of this:
- Wireless Charging
- Wideangle selfie camera
- Glass housing
- Slight performance increase
If you say yes to any of the points above, get the Pixel 3. Otherwise, get the 3a. The 3a has the same awesome stock Android experience, the same amazing back camera, a sort-of premium feel (they have done a great job with the plastic housing), great battery life, and according to Google, half a year longer support.

First Post

Well seems I'll be posting the first post here. Planning to get the P4A at release to upgrade my pixel 2xl.
Debating whether to get the 4 or the 4a, but the better battery life, dual SIM support are better for me than the soli radar crap.
Following, in the same boat, Pixel 2xl camera crashed and unusable for a month now. Phone becoming so slow.
frontier02 said:
Following, in the same boat, Pixel 2xl camera crashed and unusable for a month now. Phone becoming so slow.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sucks to hear about your camera crashing man. Roll back to Android 9 and it should work, at least that's what I read about that issue. Seems that some hardware drivers got messed up while upgrading from 9 to 10, which is whats causing the crash for the camera in ur case and various other hardware issues with other users. I don't know if it would fix it, worth the shot. Make sure u flash the full factory image, and to make it brand new don't take out the -w and wipe ur device completely clean.
If it does work try to upgrade to 10 by flashing the full factory image.
Will008 said:
sucks to hear about your camera crashing man. Roll back to Android 9 and it should work, at least that's what I read about that issue. Seems that some hardware drivers got messed up while upgrading from 9 to 10, which is whats causing the crash for the camera in ur case and various other hardware issues with other users. I don't know if it would fix it, worth the shot. Make sure u flash the full factory image, and to make it brand new don't take out the -w and wipe ur device completely clean.
If it does work try to upgrade to 10 by flashing the full factory image.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would try that but then I would be locked out of my work computer. Have to have camera to scan code. But definitely will try that after I decide on which phone to upgrade to. Twice after this post my phone quit responding to touches and had to reboot it to work.
Will008 said:
Well seems I'll be posting the first post here. Planning to get the P4A at release to upgrade my pixel 2xl.
Debating whether to get the 4 or the 4a, but the better battery life, dual SIM support are better for me than the soli radar crap.
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Click to collapse
In the same boat here. I have the 2XL and though I'd love to keep this phone forever, it's starting to experience its fair share of issues. I'm waiting for the 4A. A few of my friends have the 4 and from their experience, Soli hasn't been worth it. Lots of complaints about missing the fingerprint scanner. Besides, not many Android apps support Face ID.
Unlikely the 4A will have an IP68 (or any) rating but that seems like the only downfall of the device. I'm excited to keep my fingerprint reader, dual SIM, and regain a headphone jack.
astro_stark said:
In the same boat here. I have the 2XL and though I'd love to keep this phone forever, it's starting to experience its fair share of issues. I'm waiting for the 4A. A few of my friends have the 4 and from their experience, Soli hasn't been worth it. Lots of complaints about missing the fingerprint scanner. Besides, not many Android apps support Face ID.
Unlikely the 4A will have an IP68 (or any) rating but that seems like the only downfall of the device. I'm excited to keep my fingerprint reader, dual SIM, and regain a headphone jack.
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Click to collapse
There is not much price difference with the current discounts that's why I'm torn.
Pixel 4xl
Pros: better soc, better screen, marginally better camera, IP68
Cons: battery life
Pixel 4a
Pros: battery life, dual SIM
Cons: mid-range SOC, marginally worse camera, smaller screen, no IP rating.
As far as the SOC goes, the 730 soc processor should be the same performance as the pixel 3XL in apps which is fine, but will be like the 2xl in games due to the much worse GPU. Should be a whole lot more efficient on battery though. I don't play much games but I hate stutters and lags. Carrying more than 1 phone is also a pain in my a**. I really hope it performs well with no stutters.
Will008 said:
There is not much price difference with the current discounts that's why I'm torn.
Pixel 4xl
Pros: better soc, better screen, marginally better camera, IP68
Cons: battery life
Pixel 4a
Pros: battery life, dual SIM
Cons: mid-range SOC, marginally worse camera, smaller screen, no IP rating.
As far as the SOC goes, the 730 soc processor should be the same performance as the pixel 3XL in apps which is fine, but will be like the 2xl in games due to the much worse GPU. Should be a whole lot more efficient on battery though. I don't play much games but I hate stutters and lags. Carrying more than 1 phone is also a pain in my a**. I really hope it performs well with no stutters.
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Click to collapse
I recently upgraded to the 3a xl from the 2 xl. I love it. My wife had the original pixel xl so it was time to upggrade again. I was going to wait for the 4axl since i love the 3a so much. But as was said with the price drop I decided to get the 4xl. The main reason being I had my 3a for 3 days and accidently dropped it in water now I had flagship phones for a long time so i wasnt worried till i realized this phone is not ip rated. so i had to warrenty exchange it after only 3 days. So now my wife has 3a and I have 4. I have to say despite all the reviews the battery life on the 4xl is great. It is certianly on par with all the other pixel xl models I have had. And the only one i did not have was the 3xl. Now the 3axl is a different story that phone has legendary battery life because of its upper mid range processer. But My advice is if you need ip rated phone go for the 4xl. The smaller 4 is where the batttery really becomes an issue from what I have read and I read alot as you can see I am a big google fan had every phone starting with the n6p. oh and back in the day I had a galaxy nexus because I was a samsung fan before that.
mojorisin7178 said:
I recently upgraded to the 3a xl from the 2 xl. I love it. My wife had the original pixel xl so it was time to upggrade again. I was going to wait for the 4axl since i love the 3a so much. But as was said with the price drop I decided to get the 4xl. The main reason being I had my 3a for 3 days and accidently dropped it in water now I had flagship phones for a long time so i wasnt worried till i realized this phone is not ip rated. so i had to warrenty exchange it after only 3 days. So now my wife has 3a and I have 4. I have to say despite all the reviews the battery life on the 4xl is great. It is certianly on par with all the other pixel xl models I have had. And the only one i did not have was the 3xl. Now the 3axl is a different story that phone has legendary battery life because of its upper mid range processer. But My advice is if you need ip rated phone go for the 4xl. The smaller 4 is where the batttery really becomes an issue from what I have read and I read alot as you can see I am a big google fan had every phone starting with the n6p. oh and back in the day I had a galaxy nexus because I was a samsung fan before that.
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Click to collapse
That's is my issue, I want the IP rating but I also want the power efficient processor and the dual SIM. I guess I'll decide when it's fully revealed. Glad to see a Google fan, I still own and use every Nexus device from the Galaxy Nexus onward. The Nexus 6p is my all time favorite phone. I would still use it as a main phone if it's processor can be upgraded and get the battery replaced. Cheers buddy.
I've had all the Pixels, liked them all. I traded my P4XL in on an S20+. As before, I'm done with the Galaxy & ready to go back to my Pixel. The 4a looks good to me. A couple compromises but every phone has that. The price though. I've spent 2 and 3 times that for phones. This has to be the most popular Pixel ever. The only downside is the economic disaster at hand. Priorities have changed for a lot of people.
Will008 said:
That's is my issue, I want the IP rating but I also want the power efficient processor and the dual SIM. I guess I'll decide when it's fully revealed. Glad to see a Google fan, I still own and use every Nexus device from the Galaxy Nexus onward. The Nexus 6p is my all time favorite phone. I would still use it as a main phone if it's processor can be upgraded and get the battery replaced. Cheers buddy.
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Click to collapse
The battery life on my 4xl is still really good and you can turn off the motion sence and the 90hz screen if it really is an issue. And I only charge my phone to 80 only 100 if I am going to be away from a chargers for more than a day and how often does that happen. Also o don't know what carrier you have but I'm on fi and I use esim. I could be wrong but I think o could pop a physical sim in and have dual SIM 1 physical and one esim. And my Nexus 6p was my favorite phone for a long time I did not have any issues with it until the end right before I got my pixel XL. The battery started getting crappy. My poor wife always gets my hand me down phones and she was stuck with it for a while till I got my.pixel 2xl. I even put a new battery in it and it worked ok for.a while and died within 7 months. That phone hadaa great start in life and a hard fall from Grace.
dmb219 said:
I've had all the Pixels, liked them all. I traded my P4XL in on an S20+. As before, I'm done with the Galaxy & ready to go back to my Pixel. The 4a looks good to me. A couple compromises but every phone has that. The price though. I've spent 2 and 3 times that for phones. This has to be the most popular Pixel ever. The only downside is the economic disaster at hand. Priorities have changed for a lot of people.
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Click to collapse
The only thing about Samsung is their hardware is untouchable when it comes to quality. For example the wifi radio it 5 times better than in other phones of the same price. But that software man. I just cant do it. It is a shame the phone has 8 gigs of ram and 7 of it is taken up by system/bloatware. ( and yes 7 gigs is an exaggeration but you get the point) when my friend got the s10 i thought about it because they say the new ui is not like touchwiz but i ran some tests on his brand new s10 and compared them to my pixel 2xl and yeah the s10 had some great features that at the time you could not get with any pixel but I gotta say my 2xl was almost as snappy as his s10 and it all came down to memory management and system resources being used by the s10. Both stock phones no root or anything. Yeah the s10 was a bit faster but the 2xl held up with its 4 gigs of ram and 835 snapdragon against 8gigs of ram and snapdragon 855 in the s10. Its all about knowing the os and how to use it. And google is the undefeated master of both. and dont say well google made android that is only partially true I put this in another post google made android alongside the great devs here at xda its their commits that google uses for pixel features and google watches whats going on here and what people are doing with android and they incorporate it into aosp and then onto pixel. anyway if your like the rest of us and strapped for cash right now you cant go wrong with the 4a. 4xl is still on sale and for that price its a good deal i think I grabbed mine up before things got really rough. Either way you will have a good snappy phone that takes great pics and never bogs down. Stay safe my friends.
mojorisin7178 said:
The only thing about Samsung is their hardware is untouchable when it comes to quality. For example the wifi radio it 5 times better than in other phones of the same price. But that software man. I just cant do it. It is a shame the phone has 8 gigs of ram and 7 of it is taken up by system/bloatware. ( and yes 7 gigs is an exaggeration but you get the point) when my friend got the s10 i thought about it because they say the new ui is not like touchwiz but i ran some tests on his brand new s10 and compared them to my pixel 2xl and yeah the s10 had some great features that at the time you could not get with any pixel but I gotta say my 2xl was almost as snappy as his s10 and it all came down to memory management and system resources being used by the s10. Both stock phones no root or anything. Yeah the s10 was a bit faster but the 2xl held up with its 4 gigs of ram and 835 snapdragon against 8gigs of ram and snapdragon 855 in the s10. Its all about knowing the os and how to use it. And google is the undefeated master of both. and dont say well google made android that is only partially true I put this in another post google made android alongside the great devs here at xda its their commits that google uses for pixel features and google watches whats going on here and what people are doing with android and they incorporate it into aosp and then onto pixel. anyway if your like the rest of us and strapped for cash right now you cant go wrong with the 4a. 4xl is still on sale and for that price its a good deal i think I grabbed mine up before things got really rough. Either way you will have a good snappy phone that takes great pics and never bogs down. Stay safe my friends.
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Click to collapse
I can do with Samsung's crappy software compared to Google's stock Android, but the camera is awful man. Samsung's hardware quality is on par with iPhones but the camera still sucks even with their ultra phone.
Now that apple has got their **** together and I can say pictures are marginally better on iPhones now plus the iphone's video capabilities are untouchable.
Samsung has got to step up their camera game with software and drop the hardware approach on the matter.
Will008 said:
I can do with Samsung's crappy software compared to Google's stock Android, but the camera is awful man. Samsung's hardware quality is on par with iPhones but the camera still sucks even with their ultra phone.
Now that apple has got their **** together and I can say pictures are marginally better on iPhones now plus the iphone's video capabilities are untouchable.
Samsung has got to step up their camera game with software and drop the hardware approach on the matter.
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Click to collapse
I agree with the fact that Samsung needs to try a little harder. Maybe less one ui bull crap and a little more camera optimizations
Hi all, I want to take you my experience. My daily driver for the last 3 years is a OnePlus 5. I'm very satisfied about it's performance, but I really don't like the camera and the videos. And now OnePlus prices are so unaffordable to take a new one. So, I decided to switch to the P4A hoping battery and camera will me easily forget my OP5
mattoa said:
Hi all, I want to take you my experience. My daily driver for the last 3 years is a OnePlus 5. I'm very satisfied about it's performance, but I really don't like the camera and the videos. And now OnePlus prices are so unaffordable to take a new one. So, I decided to switch to the P4A hoping battery and camera will me easily forget my OP5
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Click to collapse
I almost got a OnePlus myself, have you tried the gcam mod for the OnePlus?
https://www.celsoazevedo.com/files/android/p/gcam-oneplus-5-5t/
Currently using Verizon Google Pixel 2 XL
Retired: Verizon Motorola Moto Z2 Play
Retired: Verizon LG G4, Model: LG-VS986
Retired: Motorola DROID RAZR HD, Model: XT926
Oh yes I tried, but it works better with rooted devices and I don't want to root mine now. If you have some version that works without root too I will download it immediately :laugh:
mattoa said:
Oh yes I tried, but it works better with rooted devices and I don't want to root mine now. If you have some version that works without root too I will download it immediately :laugh:
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Click to collapse
I had a oneplus 6 when it came out. Gcam was very buggy, couldn't depend on it much. Still using my pixel 2xl, best pixel phone the every made to date.
mattoa said:
Oh yes I tried, but it works better with rooted devices and I don't want to root mine now. If you have some version that works without root too I will download it immediately [emoji23]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can try this one, hopefully all goes smoothly after install.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-5t/themes/app-arnova8g2s-google-camera-port-t3731001
Currently using Verizon Google Pixel 2 XL
Retired: Verizon Motorola Moto Z2 Play
Retired: Verizon LG G4, Model: LG-VS986
Retired: Motorola DROID RAZR HD, Model: XT926
---------- Post added at 02:41 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:40 AM ----------
Will008 said:
I had a oneplus 6 when it came out. Gcam was very buggy, couldn't depend on it much. Still using my pixel 2xl, best pixel phone the every made to date.
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Click to collapse
No doubt about that, they say even better than the Pixel 3 and 3XL.
Currently using Verizon Google Pixel 2 XL
Retired: Verizon Motorola Moto Z2 Play
Retired: Verizon LG G4, Model: LG-VS986
Retired: Motorola DROID RAZR HD, Model: XT926
If someone can help me. With the leaks I think we pretty much now what to expect from the Pixel 4a.
I have a dilemma though. The Pixel 4A is expected to release at the €400 price in a few weeks. But I can also get the Poco F2 Pro for €450. The issue I have is that looking at the specs and videos available, the F2 PRO has a lot better specs on paper. Larger battery life, HDR10+, big screen Snapdragon 865 so its 5G enabled (in case I ever need it).
I've been running Lineage OS in my very old Oneplus One. And back in the day I had the Nexus One. I would love to get the latest Google updates and I'm missing out on the latest assistant of course.
So I know many of you have been running Pixel phones and are looking at the Pixel 4A.
My question is. Is it really worth it going for a lower specs phone like the Pixel 4A over a phone like the Poco F2 PRO? And if so. Why?
Couldn't II get the same Google experience on the Poco F2 PRO later on by installing a custom ROM?
Thans for your help.
Cometer said:
If someone can help me. With the leaks I think we pretty much now what to expect from the Pixel 4a.
I have a dilemma though. The Pixel 4A is expected to release at the €400 price in a few weeks. But I can also get the Poco F2 Pro for €450. The issue I have is that looking at the specs and videos available, the F2 PRO has a lot better specs on paper. Larger battery life, HDR10+, big screen Snapdragon 865 so its 5G enabled (in case I ever need it).
I've been running Lineage OS in my very old Oneplus One. And back in the day I had the Nexus One. I would love to get the latest Google updates and I'm missing out on the latest assistant of course.
So I know many of you have been running Pixel phones and are looking at the Pixel 4A.
My question is. Is it really worth it going for a lower specs phone like the Pixel 4A over a phone like the Poco F2 PRO? And if so. Why?
Couldn't II get the same Google experience on the Poco F2 PRO later on by installing a custom ROM?
Thans for your help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My 2 cents after using all the Nexus and pixel phones up to the 2xl. Haven't upgraded since cause the 3XL and 4XL have sub par battery performance, more on the 3XL than the 4XL though.
The only reason I can not bare to use another phone is the camera. I was spoiled with the photo quality of the Nexus 6p which is still better than a lot of 2020 flagship phones camera performance. I upgraded to the OnePlus 6 from the Nexus 6p which was an amazing phone at the time, but after two months I switch to the pixel 2xl solely because of the photo quality from the cameras. Google camera ports are never reliable, you should not buy a phone thinking you will use it full time cause u won't be able to.
Pixel phones lack support except in the US. Always plagued with hardware issues and it's a lottery if you get a device without the issues. Since I don't live in the US it's a pain in the ass to even get a case or a screen protector and I have to pay for international shipping. I couldn't even file the Nexus 6p class action lawsuit claim cause I don't live in the US. God forbid if I break the screen or anything happens, I'm completely on my own. Honestly I'm kind of fed up with Google and their crap. I'm one of their most loyal customers but they do not care about their customer base while they just want to grow pixel sales, which is contradictive.
Also there is the news of Marc Levoy leaving Google after he basically put them on the map, cause imo if the pixel phones had the same camera as other phones it wouldn't have sold more than a few hundred phones ever year. This news comes with a lot of concern, imo the camera quality didn't improve much in the last 4 years (Nexus 6p). Phones from the Nexus 6p are very comparable to photos from the pixel 3XL. Very slight improvements every year, while apple just closed the gap this year with the iPhone 11.
With the discounts of the 4XL only real difference is
1- get a mid range phone with good battery life and possibly no hardware issues cause they are not trying to reinvent the wheel with this one, like they do with the pixel line.
2- get the flagship pixel 4XL but gamble on screen quality and battery life. I have seen people on reddit saying that their pixel 4XL has worse screens than their pixel 2XL. The screen on the pixel 2xl is the worst thing on it! And was considered a con when it came out.
After realizing that both choices are bad, I'm starting to seriously consider jumping ship to apple with the upcoming iPhone 12pro. With apply I would certainly get what I pay for in terms of quality, still with a list of disadvantage. But I would get official support world wide, buying accessories won't be such a pain in my ass and most importantly camera quality is now debated to be on the same level as pixels if not better.
This got way longer than intended.
TL;DR: The only reason to get a pixel is to have one of the best cameras on a phone. Other than that it's all the same with android, more or less. Specially of you root get into custom roms.

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