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I was looking at buying a nexus 5 for $200, and was wondering about the following...
1. General performance for gaming, social media apps, chrome ,and the UI.
2. Battery life.( Screen on time, standby etc.)
3. Anything else I should know before buying.
Thanks guys
1. its good enough for gaming, the sd800 is no slouch.
2. 3 hours is what i get, also depends how intensive your use is.
3. you should easily find it for under 200
For general usage (like gaming, browsing, texting, etc), the phone runs absolutely well. It has some great multitasking capability, most of the time you won't feel stuttering at all.
Battery life is not good nor great, it's poor to be precise. Average screen on time you'll get is 2.5 hours to 3.5 hours. The standby, however, with Android 6.0 is absurdly amazing (personal opinion), you can get some days on standby without charging (again, this is a personal result).
You might want to give your hope for camera if you actually use it, it's not bad but it's not decent too. The HDR+ (from Google Camera) helps a lot, tho.
Also, the built-in microphone is bad, it's just bad. There's some tweak around to fix or improve it.
- This is all I can write, most of these are personal result and some user might experience a different result. -
The N5 is still a great little powerhouse. The only knocks on it that I can attest to are: screen is slightly washed out compared to a lot of phones, battery life is average at best, and 2 of the 3 N5's I've owned have just died for no known reason. (but that's more of a personal experience and not saying you will too) Camera is average, but not bad, and the speaker could be a little louder. But performance wise, it still kicks butt. It can still keep pace with the most recent phones punch for punch.
Now it's time for you to decide.
Everything sounds good!! How would you say the N5 screen compares to the 3rd gen moto g?(I'm talking colors contrast etc, I know the nexus kills it when it comes to pixel density) because moto g's screen looked excellent to me to minus the resolution.
If you like a warm color / screen, it's not that bad actually. I actually prefer a warmer screen because they are less harsh when turned on at night. Since I've never saw the third gen Moto G, I can't really say. What I can say is, the screen has a significant (at least on my N5) yellowish tint (hence the warmness), it might irritate you but you'll get used to it after using it for some time.
I can't help but feel a little bit jealous after having used the Galaxy s8 , that phone it's barely taller than the pixel but the screen feels considerably bigger , yes I know it's a 2:1 screen and not a 16:9 like the pixel 2 but still the bezels are almost 4 times smaller than the ones on the pixel , Google's excuse for the humongous bezels is the front facing speak , but do you really care ? Don't you listen to music through headphones ? I'm really curious , why do you need such speakers , if you care about quality you wouldn't use phone or laptop speakers , are you one of those incredible rude people who listen to music on the train thought their phone's speakers ? I'm not even saying get rid of the speakers , just use speakers like the ones on the u11+ or the iPhone x , how do you guys feel ?
Front facing speakers ftw!!! Once experienced, it overshadows bezelless designs.
I notice that after 5 minutes of use with a device I don't notice if it does or doesn't have bezels.
When not using front firing speakers, I'm reminded every time during media consumption for having to cup my hands around speaker.
I'd prefer the front facing speakers with the Pixel 2 XL's bezels on the smaller package of the Pixel 2.
I prefer to have the bezels if the pixel 2. Give me more places to hold onto my phone without dropping it out inadvertently touching the display.
I am completely fine with the bezels on the Pixel 2. Like @Tidbits mentioned, it gives the phone a good size to hold on to. I had front facing stereo speakers on my Moto X and going back to a device without them would be hard to do now. I do a good amount of mobile gaming, mostly first person shooters, the stereo speakers on the front are very handy for this.
Kinda wish for both like pixel 2 xl. I can confirm the s8 is about the same size. My old case s8 Fits almost perfectly
---------- Post added at 08:25 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:25 AM ----------
Obviously because cuts outs are different wouldn't be practical
Once I had a Nexus 6p with stereo frontal speakers it would be hard to accept not having them, one reason I was pretty blasé about the first gen Pixels. I was glad then to see them make a comeback on the Pixel 2 XL and managed to get one about 2 weeks ago. I think the Pixel 2 XL strikes a really good balance in terms of the bezels and speakers so I'm very happy with it -- in that regard at least.
I'd prefer bigger bezels with front facing speakers hands down. And have the others Have said, place to put my thumbs.
Now, take away the speakers; the bezels would bug me a bit.
Bit of both: I like the speakers, and prefer the on-screen buttons not too close to the bottom of the device, so a truly minimal bottom bezel isn't ideal. But I could handle them being a few mm smaller than the current ones.
I loved what Moto did with the Nexus 6. Although a giant phone bezels are really small. Considering it's about the same foot print of the iPhone +, it has a significantly larger screen.
WhaleTuba said:
Why not both? Small minimal bezels with speakers on them.
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In order to have really minimal bezels you need to get rid of the bottom speaker and move it next to the charging port, and thats make them not front facing anymore
Front Facing speakers 100% After owning the Nexus 6P, I don't ever want to own another mono-speaker phone. It was one of the primary reasons I got rid of my OnePlus 5 for the Pixel 2.
I don't understand the slim bezels craze. It's form over function.
WhaleTuba said:
Well you gotta admit that the bezels on the Pixel 2 (non-XL) are really big, much bigger than they need to be. I'm okay having noticeable bezels for the speakers, but the ones on the Pixel 2 are unnecessarily big for 2017 in my opinion. I'm all for function over form, but I want a phone that looks decent at least.
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I dont have to admit anything! I totally support what you say! the bezels on the pixel 2 are ridiculous I cant help but get mad at google everytime I see the iphone x, its almost the sam size as the pixel 2! its even shorter!!! :crying:
I always wanted front facing speakers and I'm even more impressed with them now that I have them. Perhaps also it's the fact that it's HTC who made these speakers, who after all invented the whole idea to begin with, and who tends to have the best audio in these types of speaker. (I've seen a number of people say the speakers on the Pixel 2 XL are good, but not like on the Pixel 2.)
I listen all the time to podcasts on my phone at home and the experience with the Pixel 2 is so far beyond any phone I've ever heard. It makes it seem like a normal audio experience. It's also the first phone I've ever used where speakerphone calls sound good and don't seem like a compromise. And having the speakers actually pointed at me makes far more sense than having them point downward and other oddball directions. Of course, watching video and getting a read stereo effect is also so much more immersive than with any other kind of phone.
So I'm very happy with the front facing speakers and don't mind the bezels. Sure, I could have a slightly taller screen, but I've played with the Galaxy S8 and Essential Phone, and it really doesn't make much of a functional difference with what I do with my phone. I'm only aware of the difference when the phones are side by side with the Pixel 2. But the front facing speakers I'm constantly aware of how far they are beyond anything else I've ever heard in a phone. If the bigger bezels are the price of having the superior HTC speakers, over the not as good LG speakers in the Pixel 2 XL, then I'm fine with that.
*
I also think the super tall 18:9 screens that have become a sudden fad are ridiculous and not very functional. Everyone is obsessed with getting "full screen" mode for video on their Galaxy S8, iPhone X, Essential Phone, etc., and aren't aware that this is only accomplished either by either stretching the image (i.e. distorting it) or cropping the top and bottom off of the image. For a screen that's supposed to somehow enhance the video experience it is beyond dumb that it's actually distorting and/or cropping the original image, which by any reasonable definition is an inferior experience.
Further, super tall screens aren't that useable for maps or web pages. What I really miss is the 5:3 screen that my old Nexus 4 had. Few people took note of that, but it was a smart move by Google. A more square aspect ratio is much more useable for most web based, text based, and map based things one does on a phone. (Why do people think iPad's have even less wide 4:3 screens?) Also, the 5:3 screen in the Nexus 4 actually had more density independent pixels (what is actually what affects how much information a screen can display) than the 16:9 technically larger and higher resolution screen on the Nexus 5. But few people understand these things and fall for what are often gimmicks passed off as larger (but really only taller) screens.
Also, on a 5:3 screen you only have to very slightly letter box video (at top and bottom) to display 16:9 video without any of the distortions or croping done on 18:9 screens, but you still basically get a full screen effect.
So that's what I'd really like to see on a phone like the Pixel 2. 5:3 screen, 5", dual front facing speakers of the quality that HTC delivers.
The stereo front-facing speakers, without a doubt. I am on my fourth Google phone (after the Nexus 5, Nexus 5X, and the Pixel), and I didn't know what I was missing before.
So I finally switched, after more than 2 years with the Moto X Pure. I had the Pixel 2 XL for about a week, here is my comparison.
Speed: No doubt the Pixel is far quicker, snappier, but anyone would have expected that.
Screen: I prefer the display of the Moto. Now you would think the size difference 6 vs 5.7 is huge, but when you play videos it seems like the width of the Moto gives you a bit more of the viewing experience. Theres is not a lot of difference with the quality of the display, the Pixel seemed to have a bit deeper blacks.
Camera: Pixels camera is just great, it almost consistently takes great pix. Love the night shots and the portrait mode. No comparison...
Speakers: I expected the Pixel speakers to be better, but after putting them side by side I found out that the Moto X Pure has speakers that are just a bit louder, just a tiny bit. Theres no audio quality difference
Build: Both phones are built well. Both feel heavy. The Moto X is thicker and the Pixel is lenghtier.
Forgot to mention the battery. The Pixel battery is amazing. I never had a phone last this long.
I think its a perfect upgrade.
Few things that would make the Pixel even better:
1. Additional wide angle lens like on the V30.
2. Minimize the height a bit
3. IP68
4. Chop chop for light
Don't forget about us here in the forums!
As long as you're happy with it, that's what matters. Personally, going from a reasonably attractive phone (like the Pure Edition) to a comparatively ugly phone with an Oled display (like the Pixel 2 XL) would be a bit of a letdown for me. However, if the advancements made in terms of camera and hardware performance are worth it to you, don't let that stand in the way of personal progress.
Since you mentioned the speakers. They were actually a big surprise for me, when I got the X-Style.. The main reason I bought the X-style, was that it was oddly cheap here, when considering some very decent stats.. The fact that it had stereo speakers was just a bonus.. But they are really good.
I was basically shocked the first time I put on the teaser trailer for Agony, and got a good blast of, surprisingly non-tinny, music in my face =)
Overall, with the P2-XL being about 4 times the price of the X-style, I would expect the P2-XL to be better.. But so far I have been very happy with my X-style.. The only thing I can think of, that would improve the X-style, would be an Amoled display.. Like the X-Force has.. But the X-force is an ugly block, with no developer community, So here I am on the X-style board
LCD makes the phone
timmtn said:
The only thing I can think of, that would improve the X-style, would be an Amoled display..
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Be careful what you wish for. The Moto X Pure Edition has one of the best displays in the business. A dingy old oled panel would've been a dealbreaker for me. If you want a Pure Edition-like phone with Oled, the Droid Turbo (or possibly the Nexus 6) is it. All of this phone's successors (the Moto Z series) have Oled panels, as do most of its predecessors.
Not a Pixel XL 2 only XL
AmelFl said:
So I finally switched, after more than 2 years with the Moto X Pure. I had the Pixel 2 XL for about a week, here is my comparison.
Speed: No doubt the Pixel is far quicker, snappier, but anyone would have expected that.
Screen: I prefer the display of the Moto. Now you would think the size difference 6 vs 5.7 is huge, but when you play videos it seems like the width of the Moto gives you a bit more of the viewing experience. Theres is not a lot of difference with the quality of the display, the Pixel seemed to have a bit deeper blacks.
Camera: Pixels camera is just great, it almost consistently takes great pix. Love the night shots and the portrait mode. No comparison...
Speakers: I expected the Pixel speakers to be better, but after putting them side by side I found out that the Moto X Pure has speakers that are just a bit louder, just a tiny bit. Theres no audio quality difference
Build: Both phones are built well. Both feel heavy. The Moto X is thicker and the Pixel is lenghtier.
Forgot to mention the battery. The Pixel battery is amazing. I never had a phone last this long.
I think its a perfect upgrade.
Few things that would make the Pixel even better:
1. Additional wide angle lens like on the V30.
2. Minimize the height a bit
3. IP68
4. Chop chop for light
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I found that like you that the sound wasnt as good but what i really noticed was the call and cell quality and strength were subpar to the MXPE. My XL is on its way back to google. I just couldnt justify the cost. Meanwhile my MXPE is still fine..
I just got my Pixel 2 XL a few days ago and I'm absolutely loving the Pixel. My Moto X Pure will still likely go down as my favorite device of all time due to it's specs, price, and performance. When it comes to the Pixel 2 XL, don't believe the hype on the screen issues. The screen is fantastic on the XL, the blue shift that people are complaining about is there, but it's waay over exaggerated. All oled screens have some sort of color shift. My buddy has the Samsung S8+ which is supposed to be one of the top rated screens on any phone and it has worse blue shift than the Pixel 2 XL along with an overall red tone to the screen. The curved glass is sooo cool and really makes using the phone a pleasure. I didn't realize how much I would enjoy the curved glass until owning the device. The big thing I was concerned about with going with the Pixel was the lack of an external SD slot, but I'm not really all that concerned about it now. I bought a really nice usb C adapter that holds a micro sd card in it and also has a usb A connection to hook up to a PC. When I do my Titanium/TWRP backups, I just click that in and do my backups. Nice and easy. The speakers on the XL sound pretty good, I notice little to no difference. They are phone speakers after all, but they are stereo, front firing and do their job. The signal strength on the Pixel is unmatched. I'm amazed at how strong the wifi and cell signals are compared to my MXP. The build of the phone is great, and feels like the dollar amount invested. The immediate updates are one of the biggest things I like along with firmware being posted almost immediately from Google. No more hunting down/capturing OTA's or full firmware zips. As much as I enjoyed Moto Display, the Pixels ambient display on 8.1 is top notch, has double tap to wake, and we get a notification light back (which I really missed while using the MXP).
Overall, I'm very happy with the Pixel 2 XL. Lenavo really ruined the MXP and it's unlikely I'll ever go back to them unless they go back to the way Motorola originally set up their phone's update schedules. Right now as I type this I'm wiping my MXP and setting it up as a dedicated music media player for my car to replace my current old LG-G3. My battery is still strong on the MXP and I expect to get several more years of service out of it.
As I posted in another thread earlier today, even though this Pixel 4XL is a huge disappointment in many ways to me, I still will consider buying it to replace my Nexus 6 - which is still doing decent job for me.
Google has never given us bright display, and this XDA article analyzing Pixel 4 displays explains it pretty well -
My question is - anybody with Pixel 4XL -> have you been able to get high-brightness mode for regular [while outdoors] display? Anyone can try?
To me, the state of pretty much every Google-branded phone and display is a step-behind the leaders. Here, we've got Pixel 4XL with a last-generation display that is dimmer and takes more power than Samsung's latest. And then, Google disables the high-brightness (high-battery-drain) mode - so you can't see the display in bright sunlight. So competitors using the same last-generation display have brighter phones (and better battery life). For me, if I can't see the damn display, it doesn't matter what the battery life is - the phone is unusable for lots of things if you can't see the display.
Recommend reading Dylan Raga's entire article, but here my highlight, and just so sad that Google is so bad in this area:
The Pixel devices have historically been unimpressive when it comes to display brightness. This year is no different. While every other major smartphone maker has made their OLEDs significantly brighter, Google has shown little-to-no progress. Google did manage to increase its newest phones’ brightness this year, from about 400 nits up to 450 nits, but it still leaves them as some of the dimmest flagship smartphones in recent years.
Lack of high brightness mode
The reason Google is so far behind is that they are refusing to incorporate a higher-power brightness state for their system brightness. Furthermore, Google is using last-generation display panels that cannot compete in power efficiency or in rated brightness with Samsung’s latest panels. What’s interesting is that Google has had a higher brightness mode within their phones, which they can tap into during HDR playback (or with root). But for reasons likely related to battery, Google does not allow their phones to use this extra brightness for normal use. Higher brightness modes do require significantly more power to drive — an 800-nit peak brightness state drains significantly more power than twice that of a 400-nit brightness state — but if the competition is able to support higher brightness levels and maintain better battery life than the Pixel devices, then Google is severely falling behind in both departments.
When enabling high brightness mode within the Pixel 4s’, their displays approach acceptable levels of brightness. At 600 nits, this ranks the Google Pixel 4 displays competitively with last years’ OLEDs in brightness. But in 2019, 600 nits is about the baseline for every major smartphone company, while the best are pushing 800 nits (100% APL). These are simply the limits of Google’s outdated panels, as the same panels found in the Huawei Mate 30 Pro and the OnePlus 7 Pro push the same brightness levels — except those phones actually push those brightness levels in normal use.
I'm not sure why it's such a huge disappointment for you, but why would you consider getting it if you dislike it so much?
airmaxx23 said:
I'm not sure why it's such a huge disappointment for you, but why would you consider getting it if you dislike it so much?
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Because there is no phone that has everything I want.
I will not get a phone I can't root - must have unlocked/unlockable bootloader.
I will not get a phone that won't have custom ROM/kernel devs.
So, what's left after those 2 requirements?
I really wanted Asus rog 2 but it's nice not having to front the money pretty happy with the pixel 4xl but hate I have to be vigelent on background processes to keep the battery life
And the screen is a bit dim for direct sunlight but not an issue most of the time
Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk
relaxable said:
Because there is no phone that has everything I want.
I will not get a phone I can't root - must have unlocked/unlockable bootloader.
I will not get a phone that won't have custom ROM/kernel devs.
So, what's left after those 2 requirements?
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Realme x2 pro, xiaomi mi 9t pro, both are flagship phones with 855 and unlockable bootloader's and plenty of development
srimay said:
Realme x2 pro, xiaomi mi 9t pro, both are flagship phones with 855 and unlockable bootloader's and plenty of development
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Click to collapse
Thanks for that reply.
As I live in a location where Google does not charge re-stocking fee (!) I decided to purchase the deals on the Pixel 4XL.
Then, I decided to also purchase a Pixel 3a XL.
The 4XL has arrived and I have been using it for about 24hrs. There's a huge difference in performance compared to the Nexus 6 - and probably will prefer Android 10 over earlier versions, BUT, there are a lot of things I don't like. And quite a bit shocked at how easily the phone breaks! The JerryRig youtube review shows how easily the phone snaps and breaks in four different places :crying:- here's a writeup with the video embedded at bottom of the page.
(I really enjoyed the video - here's Youtube link this guy has such a calming voice and dry witty humor, and makes a lot of good points about how awful a job Google really did - hinting cannabis may have played a part in Google's decisions - but certainly not a piece that's going to make Pixel 4xl owners feel good...)
I took some photos last night and they turned out horrible. In fact it was so bad I thought there might be some protective shipping plastic on the camera hump. But no, not the case. I guess I need to dig a little more to learn how to take a photo with the included camera app....
I did root the phone, but really super disappointed that /system remains mostly untouchable. And more than a bit annoyed that, if you start initial setup with a SIM installed, a bunch of SYSTEM carrier-bloatware apps are installed during the first-time setup! So you get junk (MyVerizon and more in my case) apps that you can't remove even with root! (This is not unique to this phone - it's Android 10 limitation as best I can tell.) I think this can be avoided if you do the initial setup without a SIM, and then disable the system app the enables this forced stuffing of carrier apps on your phone.
So, since I know I wouldn't want to keep this 4XL for >5 years like I did with the Nexus 6, and since I'd probably want to replace it before next year's hopefully better (although Google has consistently disappointed me ever since Nexus 6) Pixel design, I'm hoping that either the Pixel 3a XL will be 'good enough' or perhaps another of the rootable/dev-supported phones....
That said - there are some things I like or am impressed with -> the sound is pretty good considering the tiny holes - when I saw the holes, I thought no way this phone can have decent audio for music, but it's a lot better than I expected.
The screen is brighter than I expected as well - but I haven't tried it yet in direct sunlight.....
Nice thing about Google is they don't care if you root or unlock and warranty is still in tact. That with the advanced replacement option should there by any warranty issues makes this a no brainer for me.
I told a Google rep on chat the other day I was having an issue with the "oem unlocking" switch greyed out and that should not be the case since I ordered directly from the Google store - I told him I got the phone specifically for rooting and he didn't blink an eye
I was so excited that my Pixel 4a arrived yesterday, been shopping for a new phone for quite some times. My old phone is HTC U11, which I still love a lot, but it's getting a bit unreliable, and the picture quality is a bit lacking compared with phones these days.
So, my first impressions:
1. It is so small, almost too small! It's good and bad. Screen size on paper is bigger than my U11, but Pixel 4a screen is narrower, so it's taking some times to get used to.
2. The screen color is a little warm (yellowish) to my taste... I hope there will be tweaks in the future to fix that. Also, the brightness of the screen is not as strong as my U11. I need to set it to around 75% even indoor...
3. The Android 10 gesture navigation needs some getting used to as well. I run an app called "All in One Gestures" on the U11, it allows me to launch 3 different apps of choice on both edges of the screen, swiping in at different directions. So, I don't want to use the Android 10 gestures which take up the side edges for "back" function. Anyway, "All in One Gestures" keep crashing on Pixel 4a, I think maybe it needs root access, or it just won't run on Android 10... I found another app that is similar in functionalities that seems to work ok for now, it can run 4 apps (2 on each side, depending on short vs long swipe). So, I still prefer the traditional 3 button navigation.
4. I wish they have in screen fingerprint sensor, or power button fingerprint sensor, I usually have my phone lay down on a table and I want to unlock it.
5. I miss the edge sense on U11 - squeeze to launch cam, squeeze again to take pictures. I am ok to work with double-tab power to launch camera, but then there is no convenient way to take picture (like squeeze), have to press the shutter on screen. (Edit: just found out can use power down button to take picture, seems quite convenient...)
So sounds like a lot of negatives, but after setting it up to my taste, I am starting to like it. Every good things you heard from the Internet are true. Night mode cameras are magic. I weighted camera as an important feature and so I am expecting that the good camera would greatly offset the other negatives I listed.
My only complaint is the screen brightness. Anything less than 80% and stuff just starts dissapearing on the screen. At the lower levels you can't even tell the screen is on. Just going to have to turn adaptive off and set it to 100% brightness full time.
hmm... Comin from a op7pro, the screen brightness to me seems totally fine out of the box really. maybe 10 or so percent higher than what I kept the 7pro on, ~60% instead of ~50% but don't need it maxed or anything crazy. High brightness is a bit less than HBM mode on 7pro but it works, I also like how they alter the screen colors to help visibility when in direct sunlight. The OP devices don't do that.
My 4a screen looks pretty well calibrated, doesn't look too warm or cold at all to me. No tint issues at low brightness.
Audio quality is actually pretty good, especially for such an inexpensive device, I was having flashbacks of nexus devices and no, this 4a is better than those.
Not seen any stutter or lag at all really, maybe 3 times for a split second during all of phone setup/installing ~80 apps.
Camera takes pics fast, no lag on snapping to seeing the pic. Haven't tried with HDR+ but regular HDR for sure is quicker than anything else but other pixels. The camera preview is indeed garbage, not so much in good lighting but especially in dark/night shots, the picture you get looks a million times better than what the preview showed before you took it.
I got my 4a on 20th, Aug.
I don't have enough time, I haven't tried much yet.
But it's very smooth and fast. Good for me.
I found a Bug(?), NFC cannot ON/OFF by pressing NFC icon in QS Panel.
(NFC can be turned ON/OFF by following the setting menu)
a few functions I've confirmed:
aptX music playback with Bluetooth Headset (w/ Shure RMCE-BT2)
LTE Carrier aggregation by "4G+" sign
VoLTE (call and receive)
I will try various things from now on.
First evening of using. I agree with points already mentioned. But the one thing bothering me most I'm noticing is the adaptive brightness constantly jumping around. Anyone else with adaptive brightness issues?
More thoughts after 1st full day of use (work from home due to COVID-19):
1. Battery barely lasted my full day at home. I think my phone usage is less while working from home compared to a"normal" day at work. So a little disappointed, probably need to charge mid day.
2. I love the call screen function, it's so useful, can read what the other party on the line has to say.
I think it's too early to decide/discuss battery life.
At this moment, as you say, it feels like "keep one day".
But I don't think it's right for now.
I think that Currently the "Screen On Time" is longer than in normal(usual) use.
my previous phone (Motorola Moto G5 Plus) was kept for about 3 days with one full charge.
I would like to expect the same for my 4a....
About "Adapitive Brightness"
no problems found. my pixel4a looks like working properly.
andyshinn said:
First evening of using. I agree with points already mentioned. But the one thing bothering me most I'm noticing is the adaptive brightness constantly jumping around. Anyone else with adaptive brightness issues?
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Yes! This has been driving me crazy. I can't always reproduce it but it seems to be the worst in a dimly lit room.
I am loving the phone so far. I was previously using a OnePlus 3T so this is my first new phone in 4 years. It's much snappier than the 3T (obviously) and I'm not having any problems with the apps I've migrated over. The only complaint I have is a lack of a pulsing notification light. I've seen a few alternatives that add a ring around the camera but would prefer to wait for an official app made specifically for the 4a.
Quick question,
I have the pixel 3a XL. I am looking for an overall smaller phone, and do not use the phone for gaming, etc. Am an average user at best, really use the phone more as a phone than a multimedia unit, etc.
on paper, the pixel 4a seems to meet my needs and is an upgrade in ram / memory, etc. I enjoy the simplicity of the pixel experience and appreciate the security update schedule.
I did pre-order and still have two / three weeks before they start shipping in Canada so am tracking feedbacks and issues reported. My intention is not to cancel the order with Google, but.....
Based on first impressions - would anyone see an immediate reason to not go ahead with the purchase ?
thanks in advance,
Sent from my coral using Tapatalk
I gave the battery a good test today. Constant Spotify pass through to bluetooth + constant GPS program running and tracking movement for 7.25 hours. The screen was off for most of this time, though screen-on time was ~40 minutes. Battery was at 50% and 18W car charger then charged it at about 1%/minute. My previous phone, a OnePlus 5, with a slightly larger capacity and running at three-years old, exact same setup running A10 except for a custom kernel that underclocks the CPUs and GPU, was giving me about 35% remaining several weeks in a row under the same usage. So, Pixel 4A was draining at 7%/hr and the OP5 was draining at 9% with an underclocked kernel.
HolyAngel said:
hmm... Comin from a op7pro, the screen brightness to me seems totally fine out of the box really. maybe 10 or so percent higher than what I kept the 7pro on, ~60% instead of ~50% but don't need it maxed or anything crazy. High brightness is a bit less than HBM mode on 7pro but it works, I also like how they alter the screen colors to help visibility when in direct sunlight. The OP devices don't do that.
My 4a screen looks pretty well calibrated, doesn't look too warm or cold at all to me. No tint issues at low brightness.
Audio quality is actually pretty good, especially for such an inexpensive device, I was having flashbacks of nexus devices and no, this 4a is better than those.
Not seen any stutter or lag at all really, maybe 3 times for a split second during all of phone setup/installing ~80 apps.
Camera takes pics fast, no lag on snapping to seeing the pic. Haven't tried with HDR+ but regular HDR for sure is quicker than anything else but other pixels. The camera preview is indeed garbage, not so much in good lighting but especially in dark/night shots, the picture you get looks a million times better than what the preview showed before you took it.
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Click to collapse
I have the 7 pro and thought about getting a 4a. Does the 4a feel more like a side step or an actual upgrade? I can't imagine it's faster than the pro, but Google support would be nice.
This is def an upgrade from my Pixel 3a and I loved that phone! I kinda like the smaller form and the display seems as good as or better than previous iterations. For the price point you really cant beat this phone.
I recently bought a op 7t for 400$ on sale. I really like the specs, os, and performance but prefer the headphone jack an smaller size of the 4a. How do you both devices compare in terms of performance and experience overall? I'm worried that the 4a would lag or whatnot due to its processor. What do you guys think?
nickster1 said:
I have the 7 pro and thought about getting a 4a. Does the 4a feel more like a side step or an actual upgrade? I can't imagine it's faster than the pro, but Google support would be nice.
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Compared to the 7pro, the 4a is a downgrade in every way except for maybe the camera. And if the smaller size is a plus to you or not..
I made the switch for development as I'm tired of OP's crap sources and late af updates, in that regard, this phone is totally fine. But in no way does it feel like a side-grade much less an upgrade. It's a downgrade for sure, but you'll be on latest OS updates.. The phone is definitely worth it for the money though, no argument here.
I got a mi9t but it is too heavy and too big for me. Do you think performance and autonomy will be better with the 4a ? I got 8 hours sot with lineage actually..
andyshinn said:
First evening of using. I agree with points already mentioned. But the one thing bothering me most I'm noticing is the adaptive brightness constantly jumping around. Anyone else with adaptive brightness issues?
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i'm having the same issue. adaptive brightness seems to be wonky. hopefully they will have a fix for this.
btw, don't use blokada app! it tracks your data and it borks the keyboard (it bugs out the keyboard)
overall i like it. i'm using this as an extra 'just in case' phone if needed for certain trips or need a better phone than the xs max.
comparing xs max and 4a side by side, clearly the display is better on the xs max (less blue tint, more natural colors), and brighter.
photos are much better on the 4a obviously. i like the smaller form factor. its a no frills phone so i'm content with what it can do and okay with the limitations.
Front camera is a big negative on this phone,the selfies are very very soft even with outstretched arm over 16 inches as said by Google experts,don't know why no one is highlighting this issue,this has been going on from pixel 3a ,the lens is set to infinity focus and it's so wide that face will never be in proper focus unless you use a selfie stick to hold it way further
Delete, please