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Pixel vs HTC10

Anyone have any experience coming from an HTC 10 to a Pixel? I've got both on order and am looking for opinion.
My htc will never run sense and I'll always run whatever stable AOSP ROMs that are available out there.
I feel that I will miss external sd on the pixel and I have a hard time justifying the extra $400 that the pixel will end up costing me.
Not trying to start a flame war here, I'm a lover. Just looking for opinions....
Sent from my HTC One M9 using XDA-Developers mobile app

bacon612 said:
Anyone have any experience coming from an HTC 10 to a Pixel? I've got both on order and am looking for opinion.
My htc will never run sense and I'll always run whatever stable AOSP ROMs that are available out there.
I feel that I will miss external sd on the pixel and I have a hard time justifying the extra $400 that the pixel will end up costing me.
Not trying to start a flame war here, I'm a lover. Just looking for opinions....
Sent from my HTC One M9 using XDA-Developers mobile app
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Hi
Did you get both phones yet to compare?

bsbuggs said:
Hi
Did you get both phones yet to compare?
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Click to collapse
For what it's worth, I have both phones.
TL;DR:
I bought my wife and I the unlocked HTC 10 at the $500 price to use on Verizon. The next day I became aware of Best Buy's Pixel 32 GB deal for straight $9.99 a month (or $240 buyout like I and others did), and I ordered two. My main reason was because I was coming from a VS985 LG G3 with a Micro SIM and I didn't want to step into a Verizon store to talk them into giving me Nano SIMs to use with my unofficial configuration of using an unlocked HTC 10 on Verizon's network, plus to have to have said Nano SIMs activated via phone since in that case I wouldn't have had an actual Verizon device that was capable of activating the SIMs.
I activated the SIMs in the Pixels and then put them in the HTC 10 and purchased the SunShine license for both phones and jumped through the firmware/ROM hoops I need to in order to have it work right.
First, I'm not on an unlimited data account so to me, using the Pixel with only 32 GB is relatively unrealistic to me. In it's favor, Google Photos only on the Pixel provides free unlimited full resolution not-further-compressed picture and video backups, and also has the feature to automatically clear space on the storage when it's needed by removing backed up photos. This is an amazing feature and would use it even if I had a 128 GB Pixel.
Second, my wife just went without a working smartphone for more than a month, so I sold one of the Pixels and kept the other to play with and to keep as a backup in case one of our HTCs has an unexpected problem anytime over the next couple of years. So far I have only a) unlocked the bootloader with Depixel8 (which might not work now if a Pixel has received the December update before using it) and b) I put the complete 7.1.1 stock ROM image on there.
I likely will not root the phone so that I can take OTAs painlessly. If I were using the Pixel as my daily phone I wouldn't be able to stand it without root and modifications. I'm assuming that most modifications I would want don't even exist yet, and I know that others I currently use don't exist for Nougat yet, like Xposed.
Although I prefer not to have to jump through ANY hoops to use the 10 on Verizon, the fact that there are still little nit-picky preference things that cause me to want to use a stock-based custom ROM over completely stock makes the point moot since I still won't receive OTAs except as provided by the particular ROM(s) I use.
The phone is still a lot easier to deal with than the LG G3 regarding hoops needing to jump through when new OTAs come out, and mix/match firmware caveats/bricks/etc. I could handle the Pixel's 5" screen if I was using it daily but I prefer larger. I really wouldn't want to go smaller than the 10's 5.2" screen.
Both phones feel very well built, the 10 even more so than the Pixel. The Pixel is very...compact. I mean, it's heavy for it's size, but not overly so, and it is solid.
I don't think you'll go wrong overall with either, depending on what your usage will be, what your Verizon plan is like and what your expectations are. I have pretty high requirements as far as convenience so that puts the Pixel out in several ways, but it'll make a great backup phone for my wife and I.

thanks for the insight.. helps alot

I had the HTC 10 briefly before trading for a note 7 which I sent back to Samsung and now I own the pixel.
I really enjoyed my time with the HTC 10 especially the extra screen real estate and the capacitive buttons. The development is pretty solid if your into custom roms, kernels, etc. The max screen brightness is something lacking but the LCD is not a bad looking panel and it's QHD. I'm a huge fan of the capacitive buttons and dedicated home button on front. I use a car mount every day and if I want to wake up my phone without having to remove it to access the fingerprint scanner or reach for power button and put in a pin. Same applies to when phone is on my nightstand and I just want to open a notification/ check time it's convenient on the front plus you get to use all of your screen with capacitive buttons vs on screen. I'm don't take a lot of pictures but the camera seemed sufficient. Also the speakers sounded pretty good for YouTube and the little bit of music I listened to on it. Only con I really had with the 10 was the screen brightness.
I've only owed the pixel for about 5 days so I'll just say what I like and don't like as of now. The stock Android and frequent updates already make me wonder how I ever survived using AT&T Samsung phones for so long. I've got 2 updates since I've purchased the phone and the development is sure to be good into the future. The fingerprint scanner is the fastest I've ever used as well as all the software. I'm still struggling getting used to the 5in display coming from a long line of Samsung products. I still wish I would've held out for the Xl but the small display doesn't disappoint. The AMOLED is still my favorite type of panel and even at 1080p lookes better than the HTC imo.
Overall I'm happy and excited about owning the pixel and would pick it over the HTC again of money wasn't an object. I was lucky enough that Samsung paid me full retail for my Note 7 that I traded an HTC 10 for during the 2nd recall scare, so I had a little to burn. My 128gb quite black came in at $856 at Verizon with tax. You can pick up the 10 with 32gb and grab an SD card for around $550 or less I'm sure. I wouldn't mind going back to my 10 at all.
Things to consider is how long to you plan on owning, if your going to keep the phone for 2+ yrs I would lean twords the Pixel. That's why I went with it at least, I've been getting a new phone annually or sooner for past 3-4yrs and it needs to stop lol. I plan on keeping the pixel at least 18-24 months and I'm garenteed software updates for that long plus some.
Any questions about either ask and I'll try to answer.

AndroiderM said:
I had the HTC 10 briefly before trading for a note 7 which I sent back to Samsung and now I own the pixel.
I really enjoyed my time with the HTC 10 especially the extra screen real estate and the capacitive buttons. The development is pretty solid if your into custom roms, kernels, etc. The max screen brightness is something lacking but the LCD is not a bad looking panel and it's QHD. I'm a huge fan of the capacitive buttons and dedicated home button on front. I use a car mount every day and if I want to wake up my phone without having to remove it to access the fingerprint scanner or reach for power button and put in a pin. Same applies to when phone is on my nightstand and I just want to open a notification/ check time it's convenient on the front plus you get to use all of your screen with capacitive buttons vs on screen. I'm don't take a lot of pictures but the camera seemed sufficient. Also the speakers sounded pretty good for YouTube and the little bit of music I listened to on it. Only con I really had with the 10 was the screen brightness.
I've only owed the pixel for about 5 days so I'll just say what I like and don't like as of now. The stock Android and frequent updates already make me wonder how I ever survived using AT&T Samsung phones for so long. I've got 2 updates since I've purchased the phone and the development is sure to be good into the future. The fingerprint scanner is the fastest I've ever used as well as all the software. I'm still struggling getting used to the 5in display coming from a long line of Samsung products. I still wish I would've held out for the Xl but the small display doesn't disappoint. The AMOLED is still my favorite type of panel and even at 1080p lookes better than the HTC imo.
Overall I'm happy and excited about owning the pixel and would pick it over the HTC again of money wasn't an object. I was lucky enough that Samsung paid me full retail for my Note 7 that I traded an HTC 10 for during the 2nd recall scare, so I had a little to burn. My 128gb quite black came in at $856 at Verizon with tax. You can pick up the 10 with 32gb and grab an SD card for around $550 or less I'm sure. I wouldn't mind going back to my 10 at all.
Things to consider is how long to plan on owning if your going to keep the phone for 2+ yrs I would lean twords the Pixel. That's why I went with it at least, I've been getting a new phone annually or sooner for past 3-4yrs and it needs to stop lol. I plan on keeping the pixel at least 18-24 months and I'm garenteed software updates for that long plus some.
Any questions about either ask and I'll try to answer.
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Appreciate the comparison.. that really my dilemma.. I can GET a good deal on swappa for an HTC 10 for like 350...OR i see a guy locally selling his verizon Pixel for 450... so there is my struggle...

bsbuggs said:
Appreciate the comparison.. that really my dilemma.. I can GET a good deal on swappa for an HTC 10 for like 350...OR i see a guy locally selling his verizon Pixel for 450... so there is my struggle...
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For a $100 difference I'd take the Pixel only of 128gb if not I'd go with HTC. That's just me, even though I do stream alot of media I also have around 30gb of music I have collected over the years. I also use my phone for torrents and then otg to an external drive that plugs Into tv. The extra storage is more important to me than a SD821 and amoled.

bsbuggs said:
Hi
Did you get both phones yet to compare?
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Hey there. I agree with pretty much what everyone else that has had both phones says. I'm sending my Pixel back tomorrow. Here are my personal pros and cons on the pixel. I got my HTC 10 from HTC direct for $550 tax and 2 day shipping included. Pixel was about $950 for the 128 model plus Pixel care or whatever its called.
Pros
I think the screen is marginally nicer even though its only 1080p
Using the same spigen cases, it felt better in my hands.
The camera is much faster and takes better pictures with no fuss
It felt faster but i think much of it has to do with Nougat and not 820 vs. 821 (My HTC 10 runs cm13 now. Looking like we are really close to cm14.1 now though)
Cons
No external SD. This crushes me. My biggest fear is that if your phone gets damaged, you loose everything thats not backed up rather than just removing the microsd card and moving on. (Nandroids, Pictures etc...)
Its too early for development to be great. There's only one rom so far. I feel that the price of the pixel is keeping developers away too. I couldn't get the pixel to do what I wanted it to in a few ways due to lack of roms + xposed etc... The thing is, this phone will likely have excellent rom support in the future, it will just take time. Might as well wait until it gets cheaper and supports the customization you want.
While my Pros outweigh my cons, there is no way I can justify spending another $400 for any two missing pros. This is how I arrived at my decision to return the Pixel. I might mention that I wouldn't keep either phone more than a year or so as I like to try and upgrade annually. Ordering from HTC direct gets you one year of replacement protection free stateside. Google charges $100 for two years. There was also value in the HTC over the Pixel for this reason. Something to consider as well.
Hope this helps. Having to decide between the two over the last few weeks offset a fair amount of anxiety. (First world problems, i know). I feel pretty good about my decision and am looking past the pixel to see what Snapdragon 835 devices have to offer. Its right around the corner.

I have both the HTC 10 and the Pixel.
Aesthetically, I prefer the HTC 10. I've had more people ask me about what phone I was using when I was using the 10 as my daily driver than any other phone I've ever owned. The chamfered edges have a way of catching light that just draws people's eyes to it. That's not to say that I don't like the Pixel, but the HTC 10 just seems like it's in a world of its own in terms of build design. The only person who commented on my Pixel said to me, "That's the weirdest looking phone I've ever seen. It looks like a weird iPhone."
I also preferred the sound coming out of the headphone jack and dual (top and bottom) firing speakers on the HTC 10 over the Pixel's setup. Blocking the sound coming out of the Pixel's single bottom firing speaker is just insanely easy, and I find myself contorting my hands awkwardly in order not to block it when I'm watching media or playing games.
I also liked the HTC 10's fingerprint scanner location and the off screen buttons better than the Pixel's setup. That's just a personal preference though.
If you're worried about receiving timely updates on either phone, it's a non-issue. The amount of OTA updates on the HTC 10 has also been seriously fantastic. I've never had any phone that has consistently gotten as many updates as the HTC 10. It honestly makes most brands look like a joke, and I'm still waiting for my first update for my 10 while my HTC 10 just received Nougat.
With that said, there are a few things that are far superior on the Pixel.
I prefer the AMOLED screen on the Pixel for outdoor viewing. The higher contrast ratio seems to make viewing and reading a lot easier, and it also feels a bit brighter than HTC's LCD screen, which could be extremely difficult to read in direct bright California sunlight. The Pixel is not the brightest screen I've ever used, but it's certainly a lot brighter than the HTC 10. This always bothered me about the HTC 10 since I spend a few hours a day walking to work or in direct sunlight.
The camera on the Pixel is just amazingly consistent for the most part. The HTC 10 has this weird lense flare issue where if the camera lens is even slightly smudged, it creates the most insane lens flares I've seen, and whatever material is used on lens of the HTC 10 is just absurdly prone to fingerprint smudges. It's also really difficult to wipe it off entirely. I'm not sure if this issue has been remedied with the Nougat update, but there are some posts floating around on the HTC 10 forum indicating that the lens flare has been significantly improved. The Pixel, even without taking into consideration of the HTC 10's lens flare issue, just seems to be an overall better camera.
It's also significantly faster at snapping shots than the HTC 10.
I also generally find my wireless connection better on the Pixel. Battery life on the Pixel also seems slightly better to me.
I bought the 128GB Pixel so storage has been a non issue with me, but thinking back at it, the only time storage might've become an issue on my 32GB HTC 10 would've been when I went to Europe and loaded my phone with media for that 11 hour flight. Otherwise, 32GB with non-expandable storage would still probably be fine for me. I only bought the 128GB since 64GB wasn't available for the Pixel.

I had HTC 10 and actually 2 of them (Unlocked and T-Mobile variant). HTC 10 is a pretty good phone especially at the lower price. My unlocked unit received Android 7 on Nov 25th , so there were no complaints and software was faster than any Samsung phone I had. The build quality was also good, as was the audio experience. Unfortunately I had to return the devices because this phone had/has an issue with mic not working in some situations during normal phone calls. I did many test and found out something interesting. The transition from Band 4 to Band 12 where the signal of Band 12 drops to -101 dBm or more, then people on the other side couldn't hear me. I would be completely satisfied with HTC 10 and wouldn't buy a Pixel(didn't receive it yet, but should get it next week). I am personally kind of concerned about the issue I have described here because Pixel was made by HTC. Does anyone know if there are mic issues(or experienced this) that I have outlined here?

I sold my HTC 10 after using the 5" Pixel for two - weeks hands down smoother and better device. Camera rocks and the wight is hands down a seller. I actually bought a back up Pixel as well.

thanks for the thought.. im still deciding, and swappa has lime 55 of them fopr sale.. just trying to get someone to drop a little more.

I like the screen on the pixel better, and it seems faster (more responsive ui). However the 10's speaker was way better.

Galaxy or Pixel?

I am currently running a Pixel 3 XL. So far, I have been very underwhelmed by this phone. Even with the most recent updates, I still get the occasional lag. Several times, I would restart my phone only to have it get stuck on a black screen. Most importantly, my data connection is really bad. My 4g would occasionally turn off and on. Today, all of my data failed to work. I had to call ATT to see if there was anything wrong with their towers.
So are these software issues or hardware issues? Is Samsung Galaxy known to have better radios and internal hardware? I don't want to switch over to a different brand only to find out it was a problem with PIE, which Galaxy will soon have.

Honestly, that sounds like you have a bad phone and need a replacement.
I have a Pixel 3 XL, and although I am not as in love with it as I want to be, I do not have those problems.
To wrap my feelings up about the phone in general... if you want the best phone RIGHT NOW, then I would return and get a Galaxy Note 9 (or figure out a way to get Huawai's latest).
I came from the Note 9, and mostly regret that decision; Except for the camera - if camera is important to you then stay pixel. Unless you are a big camera nut then I am sure you can get just as good with a note 9 or Huawai - but if you want just to pull out the phone and take a nice shot without having to worry about anything, pixel is the way to go.
But I'm sure my excitement will return when android Q is coming around, and pixel is first to get. ..

garyHal said:
I am currently running a Pixel 3 XL. So far, I have been very underwhelmed by this phone. Even with the most recent updates, I still get the occasional lag. Several times, I would restart my phone only to have it get stuck on a black screen. Most importantly, my data connection is really bad. My 4g would occasionally turn off and on. Today, all of my data failed to work. I had to call ATT to see if there was anything wrong with their towers.
So are these software issues or hardware issues? Is Samsung Galaxy known to have better radios and internal hardware? I don't want to switch over to a different brand only to find out it was a problem with PIE, which Galaxy will soon have.
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I have been a samsung user forever - in fact I have the Galaxy note 9 which is an awesome phone. I also bought the pixle and I have to be honest, since getting the pixel xl 3, it has been my daily drive and i hardly even miss my Samsung Note 9. (hardly - sometimes I use it for the camera - and a few other things but overall - the Pixel has been a better, more reliable phone
I am using the BOOTLEGGER ROM which is awesome by the way - and the Proton Kernel - (V10 - waiting for V11 to be released) FOr what it's worth, Benchmark Scores are very strong - almost 299,000 on my last test (that was using Perfance settings in the Kernel Manager) but when I use the Proton Kernel normal settings - my scores run around 292,000 - very respectable.
No Lag at all - lightning fast - the Pixel 3 XL is in my opinion, amazing. Simply amazing.

Well, let's see. Android Pie was released back in August 6 of 2018. Almost 1/2 a year later, almost all Galaxy 9/9+ and Note 9 owners are still waiting to received it. They have only received Beta versions good for testing it out as part of Beta program. I think I read Germany started receiving a few days ago the actual update. If your don't care about receiving timely new features and updates and new yearly OS updates (which sometimes come a year plus later for older Samsung models), then go with the Samsung. They have great hardware but horrible record of updates. They also have a closed and locked bootloader (unless you get the international version which won't be 100% compatible with all features in your carrier). Don't expect root ever on a carrier version. It's very unlikely to happen. On the other hand, you could go for a Pixel 3XL phone. The amazing software will more than make up for the hardware shortcomings. You'll get monthly security updates directly from Google and be among the first to ever get the new OS upgrades. I had always been a Samsung Note and Galaxy user until last year's locked down of the Note 8 bootloader completely turned meet off. At over $1000 per phone, I expect to be updated quickly not a year later. I tried the Pixel 3Xl and will NEVER consider another Samsung phones regardless of hardware. I have come to learn that software can more than make up for it. I can freely unlock my bootloader as I see fit, root my phone at will and get customs ROMs from the XDA community. Rooting an international Samsung phone will void warrantee and also forever void Samsung pay. No need to worry about this on the Pixel 3Xl. I guess my point is, it all depends on your priorities XYZ wants and needs. The Pixel 3Xl in my experience is far superior to every other Samsung phone I have owned by farrrrrrrr.
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app
---------- Post added at 05:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:25 PM ----------
BTW in my opinion, Pixel phones also hold their value much better than Samsung phones. So, if resale value is important to you, go with the Pixel 3Xl. Just look at last year's models in Craigslist or any other page. You'll see what I'm talking about.
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app

garyHal said:
I am currently running a Pixel 3 XL. So far, I have been very underwhelmed by this phone. Even with the most recent updates, I still get the occasional lag. Several times, I would restart my phone only to have it get stuck on a black screen. Most importantly, my data connection is really bad. My 4g would occasionally turn off and on. Today, all of my data failed to work. I had to call ATT to see if there was anything wrong with their towers.
So are these software issues or hardware issues? Is Samsung Galaxy known to have better radios and internal hardware? I don't want to switch over to a different brand only to find out it was a problem with PIE, which Galaxy will soon have.
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Call and get a replacement. You clearly have a bad phone. I haven't heard of anyone else having these issues, and mine works perfectly. Never any lag at all. Also, the camera is amazing. Three tech sites I believe (think Gizmodo and such) plus dxomark rated it the best of 2018. Plus all of the new or pixel only features plus day one updates all make this phone even more awesome.
I had a Samsung S7 Edge, and, I loved it at first, but, never again will I own a Samsung phone. Right around the time the S8 was being release, I got an update and the phone was waaay slower. A couple more updates and the phone was nearly useless. Got a new replacement, same thing. They've been reported to do that. Soooo, unless you don't care about anything I mentioned above, and plan on getting a new Samsung every year, then get one. Otherwise, stick with a pixel.

I probably do have a bad phone since everyone else has a better experience.
I have been using Nexus / Pixel for the last 4 years and enjoyed it. This year's model was an exception.

Eudeferrer said:
Well, let's see. Android Pie was released back in August 6 of 2018. Almost 1/2 a year later, almost all Galaxy 9/9+ and Note 9 owners are still waiting to received it. They have only received Beta versions good for testing it out as part of Beta program. I think I read Germany started receiving a few days ago the actual update. If your don't care about receiving timely new features and updates and new yearly OS updates (which sometimes come a year plus later for older Samsung models), then go with the Samsung. They have great hardware but horrible record of updates. They also have a closed and locked bootloader (unless you get the international version which won't be 100% compatible with all features in your carrier). Don't expect root ever on a carrier version. It's very unlikely to happen. On the other hand, you could go for a Pixel 3XL phone. The amazing software will more than make up for the hardware shortcomings. You'll get monthly security updates directly from Google and be among the first to ever get the new OS upgrades. I had always been a Samsung Note and Galaxy user until last year's locked down of the Note 8 bootloader completely turned meet off. At over $1000 per phone, I expect to be updated quickly not a year later. I tried the Pixel 3Xl and will NEVER consider another Samsung phones regardless of hardware. I have come to learn that software can more than make up for it. I can freely unlock my bootloader as I see fit, root my phone at will and get customs ROMs from the XDA community. Rooting an international Samsung phone will void warrantee and also forever void Samsung pay. No need to worry about this on the Pixel 3Xl. I guess my point is, it all depends on your priorities XYZ wants and needs. The Pixel 3Xl in my experience is far superior to every other Samsung phone I have owned by farrrrrrrr.
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app
---------- Post added at 05:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:25 PM ----------
BTW in my opinion, Pixel phones also hold their value much better than Samsung phones. So, if resale value is important to you, go with the Pixel 3Xl. Just look at last year's models in Craigslist or any other page. You'll see what I'm talking about.
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I know it's all about preference and what you like but you're wrong on so many points and are trying really hard to justify your $900 purchase.
I'll start with the easiest one and that's resale value. No Google does not hold their value better nor will you find a buyer faster. Google phones are only popular on YouTube and xda. In the real world no one wants to buy a pixel and def not a used one anywhere near regular price. Even new on Verizon the pixels are constantly $200-$400 off.
As for the locked bootloader that's invalid again cause the same thing goes with the pixel. You have to buy the unlocked variant to do that otherwise their carries version can't be unlocked.
Also newest Android version doesn't always mean new features. Stock Android is just starting to implement features that Samsung has had for awhile. Unless seeing a 9.0 instead of a 8.1 on your "about phone" is that important there is nothing the pixel really offers you that Samsung a don't.
The monthly security patches are again useless considering Samsung's Knox system is arguably the most secure thing on Android regardless of your Android version.
Lastly the software on the pixel 3 is anything but amazing. Apps refreshing Everytime you have 4+ open. Constant hiccup here and there. The restrictions that Google have put on the phone in terms of only fast charging on their wireless charger and etc is against what Android is.
The pixel is a great camera and ok smartphone.
The note is an amazing phone in every other category.
I own both phones and Samsung being on a later software makes absolutely no difference whatsoever. I feel like I'm not missing out on anything .
On the pixel I'm missing out on my SD card. My headphones jack. My ability to wirelessly fast charge everywhere and the confidence that my battery will last the whole day.
I know this is a pixel forum but let's be real and take off our Google glasses. The note 9 is the best phone out right now period. The 3 xl is a great phone with many disapointments

flavioa said:
I know it's all about preference and what you like but you're wrong on so many points and are trying really hard to justify your $900 purchase.
I'll start with the easiest one and that's resale value. No Google does not hold their value better nor will you find a buyer faster. Google phones are only popular on YouTube and xda. In the real world no one wants to buy a pixel and def not a used one anywhere near regular price. Even new on Verizon the pixels are constantly $200-$400 off.
As for the locked bootloader that's invalid again cause the same thing goes with the pixel. You have to buy the unlocked variant to do that otherwise their carries version can't be unlocked.
Also newest Android version doesn't always mean new features. Stock Android is just starting to implement features that Samsung has had for awhile. Unless seeing a 9.0 instead of a 8.1 on your "about phone" is that important there is nothing the pixel really offers you that Samsung a don't.
The monthly security patches are again useless considering Samsung's Knox system is arguably the most secure thing on Android regardless of your Android version.
Lastly the software on the pixel 3 is anything but amazing. Apps refreshing Everytime you have 4+ open. Constant hiccup here and there. The restrictions that Google have put on the phone in terms of only fast charging on their wireless charger and etc is against what Android is.
The pixel is a great camera and ok smartphone.
The note is an amazing phone in every other category.
I own both phones and Samsung being on a later software makes absolutely no difference whatsoever. I feel like I'm not missing out on anything .
On the pixel I'm missing out on my SD card. My headphones jack. My ability to wirelessly fast charge everywhere and the confidence that my battery will last the whole day.
I know this is a pixel forum but let's be real and take off our Google glasses. The note 9 is the best phone out right now period. The 3 xl is a great phone with many disapointments
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Perhaps it is you that it is trying to justify the sad $1300+ price after taxes of the Note 9. While I do not argue that Note phones are generally great phones for some people, You are wrong on many levels and clearly do not have a clue about Andorid systems. While it's true that Verizon phones go on sale all the time at a discounted price, the reason for this is because they lock you in on 2 year contracts. At the end of the day you are paying more for your phone. While Amazon shows today the price of the brand new unlocked Note 9 at $725 you would be hard pressed to find the unlocked version of the 128 GB Pixel for less than its original price anywhere. While it's true that the Pixel may be $200-$400 off, If you look at the Note 9 carrier versions, they have even had BOGO offers on multiple occasions. Last year's Note 8 is on sale on Craigslist for roughly $400+ in my area. Simply because nobody wants it. At the same time, the Pixel 2 XL is usually no less than $500 used (even considering the price was originally less than the Note 8).
On another note, about new OS updates not having new features, you are wrong on multiple levels. Here is a brief list of new features introduced under Android Pie which are still NOT available to 99 % of Samsung users: Adaptive settings for battery life, screen brightness, app suggestions, etc..., Cut-out support, HEIC support which has better image compression support, New gesture navigations, New Google material Theme, An official dark theme, 157 new emojis, Night site (for Pixel phones), and so many more! To suggest that there are no new features in a new OS release shows your well-rounded ignorance about the topic. You may feel like you are not missing out on anything, but I think a great majority of smart phone owners would appreciate having the latest OS and security upgrades.
As far as headphone jacks, yes, I agree they are useful, but in my case, I had already upgraded to wireless anyways and so has most of the world from I-phones, to countless other Android phone manufacturers. It's just a matter of time before Samsung jumps on the bandwagon as well. And as far as wireless charging, if it's true what you claim that you have a Pixel 3 then you would know that it DOES come with fast wireless charging as well. So, they are even on that front. As far as battery lasting all day, my Pixel 3XL still has about 20% battery at the end of the day under heavy use, so not an issue for me, either.
I don't take away from the Samsung Note 9's appeal when it comes to screen quality, battery life and overall look and design. Remember I have a Note 8 and have used Samsung for years. But to claim that the features of the Pixel 3 OS are useless or not important shows your bitterness towards not having access to Pie yet. Good luck with your non-rootable, overpriced and over 6-month-outdated OS Note 9. MY prediction is that in the next few months you will see the price tumble to half it's value as Samsung struggles to sell its backed up inventory that nobody wants. By the time Android Pie reaches most Samsung phones, we will be a couple of months away from Android Q which will be out with a new set of features and according to you, useless and unimportant upgrades.

My Galaxy S8 blows this phone away, battery life, screen size, sound. I haven't noticed anything new with Pie. I'm no camera buff my S8 took great pictures. I'm trying to like this phone but it is hard to do.

13druber said:
My Galaxy S8 blows this phone away, battery life, screen size, sound. I haven't noticed anything new with Pie. I'm no camera buff my S8 took great pictures. I'm trying to like this phone but it is hard to do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From my personal experience, my Galaxy S8 constantly freezes and has worse battery life than my Pixel 3Xl. I understand user results and experiences are different for everyone. While some people claim to have had issues with apps closing on the background on Pixel 3 Xl, I never had this issue. Read up on Android Pie features. There are plenty of new worthwhile feature upgrades. Probably the most important one is adaptive battery. I think it makes a huge difference in the battery life of any phone. My Pixel 3Xl battery lasts all day. On my Galaxy 8 phone, midday I was more than halfway through the battery, same apps, and same time used. I used to constantly have to plug in my phone for juice. I rarely have to plug it in now except at night or extreme heavy use. As far as the screen size/quality, IMO, they are very similar but the sound on my stereo front speakers on the Pixel 3Xl is far superior to my S8's.
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app

Eudeferrer said:
From my personal experience, my Galaxy S8 constantly freezes and has worse battery life than my Pixel 3Xl. I understand user results and experiences are different for everyone. While some people claim to have had issues with apps closing on the background on Pixel 3 Xl, I never had this issue. Read up on Android Pie features. There are plenty of new worthwhile feature upgrades. Probably the most important one is adaptive battery. I think it makes a huge difference in the battery life of any phone. My Pixel 3Xl battery lasts all day. On my Galaxy 8 phone, midday I was more than halfway through the battery, same apps, and same time used. I used to constantly have to plug in my phone for juice. I rarely have to plug it in now except at night or extreme heavy use. As far as the screen size/quality, IMO, they are very similar but the sound on my stereo front speakers on the Pixel 3Xl is far superior to my S8's.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm talking audio thru BT. Headphones and my BT speaker. It is all treble. My battery life is horrible on this and no expanded memory. I'm just trying to get used to this phone, I had a Nexus 5 I loved it. I just need time to adjust. I don't have any performance issues, seems pretty fast. I'll check out the Pie features, thanks.

I own both, honestly find the note to be the better all round phone and always feel limited by the max128gb storage, yes it is enough but does not leave much wiggle room. Older OS or not the Note feels more polished.
The software experience is better on the 3xl but there are bugs still (gboard 1 handed mode [emoji2357]) and some missing features (ability to schedule AOD) The camera though is just better especially in low light.
If the pixel had a 256gb option I'd probably not have the note though. Having said that if the OP6t or mate 20 had a (proper) always on display I'd likely have one of them instead!
Sent from my SM-N960F using Tapatalk

13druber said:
I'm talking audio thru BT. Headphones and my BT speaker. It is all treble. My battery life is horrible on this and no expanded memory. I'm just trying to get used to this phone, I had a Nexus 5 I loved it. I just need time to adjust. I don't have any performance issues, seems pretty fast. I'll check out the Pie features, thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Perhaps you should install Viper if you are rooted in your Pixel. It's very easy to use and easily corrects any issues with sounds quality you may have. You can truly customize the sound to your personal preference. You could also have a defective phone because my $25 Bluetooth wireless headphones from Amazon sound amazing on my Pixel. As far as expanded memory, I bought a 256 gb USB-c type drive from Amazon for $52 that I connect directly to my Pixel and I save all my backups and important files there. It's as easy as connecting it to your phone on the USB port and it will show up internally as a drive. I save Twrp backups, Titanium backups, pics, downloaded files and a ton of things. No need to miss your expanded memory card slot.
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app

Not sure how your getting bad battery life. I'm getting over 8 hours of screen on time with about 2 days worth of life. As far as being bogged down, again, no issues here. Pixel doesn't need 8gb of ram because it doesn't have 2 app stores, 2 text apps, 2 note apps, 2 browsers, 2 file manegers......see where I'm going?
Samsung has MASSIVE amounts of bloat. Root? Maybe, but with knox, Samsung's are for people who don't know how to take advantage of the unlocked bootloader. The UI is atrocious as well. I kind of like how you can download mods and filters for the camera, but The pixel is still better.
As great as expandable memory is, the read write speed are dirt slow compared to writing to the system. The Pixel having super speed USB type c, makes otg a great option for extra storage.
Me personally, being a Verizon chump, the Nexus 6p was my first Google phone. Which made my S4 the VERY LAST non Google phone with the exception of maybe a One+ device.
Fire Hound 8.1

Eudeferrer said:
Perhaps you should install Viper if you are rooted in your Pixel. It's very easy to use and easily corrects any issues with sounds quality you may have. You can truly customize the sound to your personal preference. You could also have a defective phone because my $25 Bluetooth wireless headphones from Amazon sound amazing on my Pixel. As far as expanded memory, I bought a 256 gb USB-c type drive from Amazon for $52 that I connect directly to my Pixel and I save all my backups and important files there. It's as easy as connecting it to your phone on the USB port and it will show up internally as a drive. I save Twrp backups, Titanium backups, pics, downloaded files and a ton of things. No need to miss your expanded memory card slot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My bootloader is locked. I have always used viper, too bad it doesn't come on this phone

13druber said:
My bootloader is locked. I have always used viper, too bad it doesn't come on this phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm assuming then, you are on the Verizon version because that's the only one you can't unlock bootloader. If you are not on Verizon version, it's easy to unlock. There are many tutorials on how to do it and It takes only a few minutes. I was tempted to get the Verizon version because they had great deals on it but I moved away from Samsung because of that same reason. I wanted to root my phone . A locked bootloader on this phone means I might ss well have bought a Samsung phone again. I did not want to be in the same boat with this phone. Hey, at least you can still get timely updates and support for 3 years, something Samsung will never do.
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app

Shaftamle said:
Not sure how your getting bad battery life. I'm getting over 8 hours of screen on time with about 2 days worth of life. As far as being bogged down, again, no issues here. Pixel doesn't need 8gb of ram because it doesn't have 2 app stores, 2 text apps, 2 note apps, 2 browsers, 2 file manegers......see where I'm going?
Samsung has MASSIVE amounts of bloat. Root? Maybe, but with knox, Samsung's are for people who don't know how to take advantage of the unlocked bootloader. The UI is atrocious as well. I kind of like how you can download mods and filters for the camera, but The pixel is still better.
As great as expandable memory is, the read write speed are dirt slow compared to writing to the system. The Pixel having super speed USB type c, makes otg a great option for extra storage.
Me personally, being a Verizon chump, the Nexus 6p was my first Google phone. Which made my S4 the VERY LAST non Google phone with the exception of maybe a One+ device.
Fire Hound 8.1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a big thread in the s9 forum about "debloating" the phone. It requires you to manually disable the unwanted apps though.

Eudeferrer said:
I'm assuming then, you are on the Verizon version because that's the only one you can't unlock bootloader. If you are not on Verizon version, it's easy to unlock. There are many tutorials on how to do it and It takes only a few minutes. I was tempted to get the Verizon version because they had great deals on it but I moved away from Samsung because of that same reason. I wanted to root my phone . A locked bootloader on this phone means I might ss well have bought a Samsung phone again. I did not want to be in the same boat with this phone. Hey, at least you can still get timely updates and support for 3 years, something Samsung will never do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, Verizon ?

Shaftamle said:
Not sure how your getting bad battery life. I'm getting over 8 hours of screen on time with about 2 days worth of life. As far as being bogged down, again, no issues here. Pixel doesn't need 8gb of ram because it doesn't have 2 app stores, 2 text apps, 2 note apps, 2 browsers, 2 file manegers......see where I'm going?
Samsung has MASSIVE amounts of bloat. Root? Maybe, but with knox, Samsung's are for people who don't know how to take advantage of the unlocked bootloader. The UI is atrocious as well. I kind of like how you can download mods and filters for the camera, but The pixel is still better.
As great as expandable memory is, the read write speed are dirt slow compared to writing to the system. The Pixel having super speed USB type c, makes otg a great option for extra storage.
Me personally, being a Verizon chump, the Nexus 6p was my first Google phone. Which made my S4 the VERY LAST non Google phone with the exception of maybe a One+ device.
Fire Hound 8.1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When u said the s4 was your last Samsung phone I knew why everything you were saying about Samsung is so outdated. They are not what they used to be. Since the s8 their ui and bloat has been a lot better and they let you disable almost everything now.
Like mentioned in my previous post it's all about preference and what's more important to you when it comes to which phone the individual prefers but looking at it spec for spec, performance for performance, value for money and etc the note is the best phone on the market.
To people like me and you who love stock Android most other things dont matter and we would still buy a pixel 10 out of 10 times . I'm just talking about overall
Also IDK how you're getting sot of 8 hours. I get 5 at best and there are numerous amounts of battery drain threads on this forum so it's not just me dealing with bad battery life. And almost every YouTube battery test have the pixels near the bottom

flavioa said:
When u said the s4 was your last Samsung phone I knew why everything you were saying about Samsung is so outdated. They are not what they used to be. Since the s8 their ui and bloat has been a lot better and they let you disable almost everything now.
Like mentioned in my previous post it's all about preference and what's more important to you when it comes to which phone the individual prefers but looking at it spec for spec, performance for performance, value for money and etc the note is the best phone on the market.
To people like me and you who love stock Android most other things dont matter and we would still buy a pixel 10 out of 10 times . I'm just talking about overall
Also IDK how you're getting sot of 8 hours. I get 5 at best and there are numerous amounts of battery drain threads on this forum so it's not just me dealing with bad battery life. And almost every YouTube battery test have the pixels near the bottom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I definitely know things have been cleaned up a little I have an s8 for work. Like you said it's definitely personal preference. But the reason my last Samsung was the S4 is because that was the last one without Knox. I'm not a fan of locked bootloaders. Hardware and performance the note may have a slight edge.the dollar for dollar I'd still go with the pixel. It's a $200 price difference if you bought the pixel at release. If you waited a month it was 600. In my opinion there's no way the note is $400 better. But that's my opinion.
I guess I'm just stuck back in the day when Android was actually a phone that you could make your own. I just don't like how Samsung tries to push their garbage on you with every handset that you buy. But hey to each is own.
As far as battery goes, 8 hours with my tops but I'm definitely getting 7 plus since I got the phone.
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Fire Hound 8.1

Would you still buy a Pixel 3 today?

The reason I'm asking is that I'm looking to replace my Pixel 2, but it is not urgent. Right now, Google is offering $200 off a Pixel 3, which sounds like a good deal. However, they slyly have the sale ending on May 6, and on May 7 they will be announcing something new, which is of course rumored to be the Pixel 3a. So what to do?
I like all the features that the Pixel 3 has -- similar to my Pixel 2 actually -- but realistically I don't need or use a lot of them. For instance, nothing that I do requires the fastest processor out there; I don't really care what the case is made of since I put a bumper case on it right away; I use the camera mainly when traveling, but take fewer pictures than I used to; and I've taken about a half dozen selfies in my life!
So should I get a discounted 3 knowing that the 3a (IF that's what it is) might have something even better (like a bigger battery), or just forget it all and wait for the Pixel 4? What would you do?

So, I got a free upgrade to the pixel 3 from the pixel 2 in January and honestly, if its not urgent I wouldn't recommend doing it.
Yes the pixel 3 camera is better, but the 2's camera still takes pictures comparable to any flagship, and I can't personally see a difference in the pictures I take day to day.
In terms of UI, I'd actually say the pixel 2 provided a smoother experience, though I've never seen the devices side by side so can't say so for sure. (other people have also suggested this is true)
Major thing for me is that I've experienced worse battery performance, especially when on standby mode, which I think is due to pie, as when upgrading from oreo to pie on my pixel 2 I saw similar results.
And its likely that the pixel 3 will see a price drop once the next gen pixel line is out anyway, so if price is a concern, I don't see why you shouldn't just wait it out either way

rochrunner said:
The reason I'm asking is that I'm looking to replace my Pixel 2, but it is not urgent. Right now, Google is offering $200 off a Pixel 3, which sounds like a good deal....What would you do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Forget it. Wait until the Pixel 4. The P3 has a lot of problems with the display and for $650 with tax it's simply not worth it.

Thanks all for the intelligent, reasonable advice (hard to come by online these days!). I've decided to wait until the P4 is out since I can always fall back to whatever the May 7 product is, or a reduced P3. Price is not really a factor from an absolute standpoint, but I don't want to pay more for something that what it's worth to me. In any case, Fall is a much better time for me to get a new device since I'll be curtailing my summer activities by then and will be looking for something to occupy my time for a while.

No. I mostly love the phone but the lack of proper 60fps on the camera needing me to use 3rd party apps to get usable video kills it for me.

What I would do is buy a pixel 3 @ eBay with large discount and keep it for 4 years ?

I found these sealed, brand new in box Pixel 2 on eBay for incredibly cheap - just £275, claims to have extended 2 years warranty too (item number 293056131709). Want to buy Pixel 2 for my sister's birthday, but listing smells fishy - claims to post from Essex UK, but posting takes 14 days, so clearly the phones are not UK models and come from somewhere else. Previously I had 3 different Sony Z3c and last one wasn't UK model - very, very different quality product...

For my opinion just wait for pixel 4 im using pixel 3 now but so far i like smsung it just everything it better samsung s10 i had so many issue from pixel 3 camera bokeh not copletly good some reason doesn't perfect for 1 camera and software and some photos by google canot be open it was dispointing when you gonna uplod picture to intagram and the picture canot be open how do feel?
Speker does good but when you play music in half volume you will feel vibrant in back and your hand
Pixel 3 its small some time typo for me
Some issue in the screen greeny but mine still look ok but when you open color dark grey yiu will see thats green color show up
If i have change im gonna sell or switch this phone to samsung s10

I replaced a Nexus 6 with a Pixel 3. The wife has an original Pixel, and sees no reason up update to the 3. If I HAD to buy a phone today, I would still get the P3, but I sure would not upgrade from a P2 at this time. I don't think the 3a is going to have anything to offer you - I might look at getting my son one because the Moto X4 is getting long in the tooth, but would only consider it if in the $300 range.

IMO the 50% off deal from Fi last week (making the phone $399) was worth it, but I wouldn't do it for $200 off. The phone is under powered/slow. The 3a is going make a slow phone even slower, so definitely would avoid that like the plague.

mdmogren said:
IMO the 50% off deal from Fi last week (making the phone $399) was worth it, but I wouldn't do it for $200 off. The phone is under powered/slow. The 3a is going make a slow phone even slower, so definitely would avoid that like the plague.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got my Pixel 3 during that sale. For $429(tax included) this phone is so worth it at that price.

yes definitely.. can't see around another pretty compact phone as good as p3

Nope. Not at the current price. Average hardware and average form factor, regional software enhancements(call screen, etc great I'd you're n.america but ****.outaide of that), tons of continuing bugs and issues.
I'd wait and get the oneplus 7 where you're at least gonna get more bang for the buck

Xdevillived666 said:
Nope. Not at the current price. Average hardware and average form factor, regional software enhancements(call screen, etc great I'd you're n.america but ****.outaide of that), tons of continuing bugs and issues.
I'd wait and get the oneplus 7 where you're at least gonna get more bang for the buck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
op7 with edged screen? no thanks lol
I'm literally having 0 issues or problems with my p3, but that's maybe due to the fact I'm running custom...? ( i got rid of stock since day 1) dunno..

FcukBloat said:
op7 with edged screen? no thanks lol
I'm literally having 0 issues or problems with my p3, but that's maybe due to the fact I'm running custom...? ( i got rid of stock since day 1) dunno..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Neither am I so far but lots of users are. It's not very good for Googles rep/the consumer to have as many issues as these phones have been having at such a high price point. They wanna be premium they need to offer it by doing better than what I previously mentioned.

For a good deal yes! I bought the p3 when it was half off. Phone has been very snappy despite having 3x less ram than my previous OnePlus 6t McLaren. But for full retail not worth it for me

Just traded my OP6 8/128 for a Pixel 3. Half the RAM Is the only thing that sometimes bother me on certain situations. But overall is really snappy, and the touch latency Is the best I've ever had on an android device... Camera is spectacular. But, if you have the Pixel 2 i wouldn't bother and wait for the P4.

Compare to S10/S10 Plus, I would say its good deal. So... Why not?

The 3a looks promising as well, maybe that's the more adequate purchase

luckana said:
The 3a looks promising as well, maybe that's the more adequate purchase
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
only problem is the front cam.. in regular p3 it is simply wonderful, in 3a it is a clear downgrade.. but if you don't use it that much no problem..

Considering moving on from the S9 (G960U1)

I have a Samsung S9 960U1 on AT&T. I purchased it on eBay a few years ago. Its been good for me. I wouldn't be thinking of another phone but I dropped my S9 in a parking lot a few weeks ago and the screen has a chip and crack in it. First time I've broken a screen since I've owned a cell phone, including all the smartphones I've owned since the Motorola i1 I bought in 2010. I used to root every phone I had and would like to again.
My requirements for a new phone are:
1) Memory Card Slot
Would like support for at least 128GB. Higher support is acceptable.
2) 3.5mm audio jack
I like the option of a physical connection with having to use any other adapters.
3) Rootable with ROM support
I have experience with one-click, TWRP, Cyanogen, etc., been rooting since my Epic 4G Touch. Before that, it was setting bits and bytes on Motorola flip-phones like the Razor V3.
4) 64GB or greater device storage
5) Device performance at least on par or similar to the S9 I have now. I don't need a screaming fast phone.
6) Would prefer something with less than or close to a 6" screen but bigger is acceptable to me since everyone else seems to want a tablet for a phone and that's where the market went.
7) Must be compatible with AT&T.
I've been perusing the OnePlus Nord offerings. They're not powerhouses but I like the price. I recently saw a BLU phone at Best Buy. I've looked at Nokia and Motorola phones also. I also know there are some Samsung phones that can be rooted and have ROM available. The other option is to repair my S9, of course. So what phones should I be looking at? Thank you for any advice.

No 3.5mm jack*, no variable rate display or 5G** but the Note 10+ N975U is a proven work horse with maybe the best display for color rendering even today. Excellent form factor, and good SOT (11-12 hours). It will need a good case.
New ones running on Android 10 can be had for $700, used for half that. Problem with used ones are they will be loaded with 11 or 12. This will slow it down ie scoped storage. Supports up to 1tb of expandable storage, a V30 rated Sandisk extreme runs well in them.
After the N10+ Samsung's flagship offerings are more flawed and less well balanced. Android 9 was Android's zenith so far, 10 is ok, 11 is screwed up, 12 is a mess and 13 is fubar... in my opinion.
*use Buds+ (SSC codec) or a LDAC bt set. Wired is a mess to deal with on this device.
**these tradeoffs net you better SOT, and a more accurately calibrated and trouble free display.

I can definitely do without the best display and 5G. I'll turn off 5G for the time being anyway. The Note 10+ is huge! I remember going from the S4 Active to the LG V10. The V10 was nice but just too big for me to keep. About six months later I got the S7 G930U. It was bigger than the S4 by a little bit. It worked fine and then a time zone OTA messed up the radios and I got the S9. The S9 is bigger still but useable for me.
I'd be okay with Android 10 but have no experience with anything after. It brought some features that I like. Another reason I was.looking at root was to completely forego OTAs and to be able choose my own software and ROMs.

josiahg52 said:
I can definitely do without the best display and 5G. I'll turn off 5G for the time being anyway. The Note 10+ is huge! I remember going from the S4 Active to the LG V10. The V10 was nice but just too big for me to keep. About six months later I got the S7 G930U. It was bigger than the S4 by a little bit. It worked fine and then a time zone OTA messed up the radios and I got the S9. The S9 is bigger still but useable for me.
I'd be okay with Android 10 but have no experience with anything after. It brought some features that I like. Another reason I was.looking at root was to completely forego OTAs and to be able choose my own software and ROMs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've written a lot about the N10+, I have two them.
I saw where Samsung and Android were going and decided to give both a long time out when I bought the second new one 9 months ago.
The N10+'s display is sublime. Almost no bezel and square corners. The spen (which you will use) is on the right side, where it belongs. You absolutely need a good case like the Zizo Bolt or this corner hitting, face plant happy phone will be damaged. It's a 2 hand phone, no doubt about it.
I use my bdu cargo pants pocket to stash it, perfect. Pretty much a dual drive PC that's handheld. With 12gb of ram it just keeps going. It's cool running too.
If you insist on rooting there's the SM-N975F/DS variant. I recommend against it in favor of the Snapdragon; better chipset and cooling. The N10+ will run well stock if optimized. A package disabler or adb edits are needed. The current load on my Pie variant is over 2 years old, still fast and stable with minimal maintenance. It will be 3 yo in October, 1 replacement battery is the only repair. It looks and runs like new, no display degradation is observable, buttons still crisp and the c port jack has no wiggle.
That's what these devices are capable of. I'm not even close to be tired of this Note, it's just fun to use and easy to trick out the stock build.
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I would stay on Android 10 if possible. OTA updates is the first thing I disable This phone hasn't had any malware breach it* in over 2 years, it's reasonably secure if set up right and if you don't do stupid things.
*one scripted jpeg I downloaded damaged some files in the download folder, no big deal, deleted. A trojan preloader made it past the Samsung browser but got deleted from the download folder before it got its payload/opened. Both were prior to my current load. This device is heavily used.

Best bang for your buck(no Memory Card Slot though): Redmi Note 11T Pro for under $400. SoC D8100, very bright(easily usable under sunlight) 144Hz LCD. SHOULD be compatible with AT&T(check yourself for band support). Officially unlockable BL(so easily rootable). Maybe not easily get a warranty though if you are in NA.

blackhawk said:
I've written a lot about the N10+, I have two them.
I saw where Samsung and Android were going and decided to give both a long time out when I bought the second new one 9 months ago.
The N10+'s display is sublime. Almost no bezel and square corners. The spen (which you will use) is on the right side, where it belongs. You absolutely need a good case like the Zizo Bolt or this corner hitting, face plant happy phone will be damaged. It's a 2 hand phone, no doubt about it.
I use my bdu cargo pants pocket to stash it, perfect. Pretty much a dual drive PC that's handheld. With 12gb of ram it just keeps going. It's cool running too.
If you insist on rooting there's the SM-N975F/DS variant. I recommend against it in favor of the Snapdragon; better chipset and cooling. The N10+ will run well stock if optimized. A package disabler or adb edits are needed. The current load on my Pie variant is over 2 years old, still fast and stable with minimal maintenance. It will be 3 yo in October, 1 replacement battery is the only repair. It looks and runs like new, no display degradation is observable, buttons still crisp and the c port jack has no wiggle.
That's what these devices are capable of. I'm not even close to be tired of this Note, it's just fun to use and easy to trick out the stock build.
View attachment 5672395View attachment 5672393
I would stay on Android 10 if possible. OTA updates is the first thing I disable This phone hasn't had any malware breach it* in over 2 years, it's reasonably secure if set up right and if you don't do stupid things.
*one scripted jpeg I downloaded damaged some files in the download folder, no big deal, deleted. A trojan preloader made it past the Samsung browser but got deleted from the download folder before it got its payload/opened. Both were prior to my current load. This device is heavily used.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On my S9, you can choose to not install an OTA as soon as it's available but I think I waited and eventually it downloaded and installed it over one night. I didn't see a way to turn off updates completely.
I have every desire to stay with Android 10. Having learned that a lot of the things I like about a rooted phone can be done without root and with a package disabler and adb edits is certainly new to me and definitely opens up choices. Are you using an antivirus app on your Note?

iMoc said:
Best bang for your buck(no Memory Card Slot though): Redmi Note 11T Pro for under $400. SoC D8100, very bright(easily usable under sunlight) 144Hz LCD. SHOULD be compatible with AT&T(check yourself for band support). Officially unlockable BL(so easily rootable). Maybe not easily get a warranty though if you are in NA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll consult the official AT&T phone compatibility list before I purchase anything.

josiahg52 said:
On my S9, you can choose to not install an OTA as soon as it's available but I think I waited and eventually it downloaded and installed it over one night. I didn't see a way to turn off updates completely.
View attachment 5672459
I have every desire to stay with Android 10. Having learned that a lot of the things I like about a rooted phone can be done without root and with a package disabler and adb edits is certainly new to me and definitely opens up choices. Are you using an antivirus app on your Note?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can disable with Package Disabler or a adb edit. AT&T can also disable it on their end but I don't trust that!
These two:
Either of the Snapdragon variants are plug and play with AT&T. Put my old N10+ sim card into the new one (N975U1) and everything came straight up on AT&T. No worries.

blackhawk said:
You can disable with Package Disabler or a adb edit. AT&T can also disable it on their end but I don't trust that!
These two:
View attachment 5672483
Either of the Snapdragon variants are plug and play with AT&T. Put my old N10+ sim card into the new one (N975U1) and everything came straight up on AT&T. No worries.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you and for the screenshot showing the app you use along with the two services to disable. I guess what I'll do is go to Best Buy or somewhere and look at the S22 in person as it's similarly sized to the Note10.

josiahg52 said:
Thank you and for the screenshot showing the app you use along with the two services to disable. I guess what I'll do is go to Best Buy or somewhere and look at the S22 in person as it's similarly sized to the Note10.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're welcome.
S22; no expandable storage, rounded display corners which I hate so much. Only 8gb of ram.
Android 12 in all its hugeness... and inefficiency.
The N10+ has much better SOT.

blackhawk said:
You're welcome.
S22; no expandable storage, rounded display corners which I hate so much. Only 8gb of ram.
Android 12 in all its hugeness... and inefficiency.
The N10+ has much better SOT.
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Click to collapse
I'm only using the S22 to judge the size of the Note10+. I'll give it's fair chance, size notwithstanding, but without a 3.5mm jack, I don't know if it's for me. I don't need the best screen, best SOT, or even best performance. I don't use my phone enough or for enough exotic purposes to warrant that. That's why I was even looking at budget phones like those from OnePlus but the S9 still is pretty good having been a flagship back in the day. It's only now I feel I'm seeing a decline in battery performance where I used to routinely go two days without charging, now I'm usually around 55% at the end of the day. I hate the notches and holes and would prefer a screen with a frame but those are exceedingly rare now.

josiahg52 said:
I'm only using the S22 to judge the size of the Note10+. I'll give it's fair chance, size notwithstanding, but without a 3.5mm jack, I don't know if it's for me. I don't need the best screen, best SOT, or even best performance. I don't use my phone enough or for enough exotic purposes to warrant that. That's why I was even looking at budget phones like those from OnePlus but the S9 still is pretty good having been a flagship back in the day. It's only now I feel I'm seeing a decline in battery performance where I used to routinely go two days without charging, now I'm usually around 55% at the end of the day. I hate the notches and holes and would prefer a screen with a frame but those are exceedingly rare now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah it was silly to remove the 3.5mm jack but not near as inept as removing expandable storage. That cam also has larger file sizes... and no extra storage

To be clear, I don't want the S22. At all. After the S9, nothing appealed to me. Like I said, I'll look into the Note10+ because it seems like a neat device but the size might be its undoing.

josiahg52 said:
To be clear, I don't want the S22. At all. After the S9, nothing appealed to me. Like I said, I'll look into the Note10+ because it seems like a neat device but the size might be its undoing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not that big. It's only 9mm thick and 30 gms lighter than the S22U. The larger display makes working with it easier and great for vids and pictures. It color calibration is excellent and the gamma correction falls right in line because of that. The N10+'s bezel ratio is smaller than the S22U... just one big gorgeous display.
The Note 9 is noticeably slower than the N10+, however when opening apps and games the difference between the N10+ and the S22U is slight. Short of high intensity games it holds it own well and even then does good. The 8gb version of the S22's does not do well against the N10+. Once the S22's ram gets filled the N10+ ripps it to shreds even opening apps. It's very apparent.
There are a lot of choices, I don't envy your task.
I got lucky Samsung had their act together with the N10+ and bought it early. Had it been the N9 or the N20U I would have been not as pleased.
Such is Samsung...

Finally got into Best Buy which might be the last place they still let you pick up the phones. I looked at the S22 Ultra 5G which is a 6.8" screen device. I admit I chuckled a bit when I picked it up. It's huge. Not as big as I expected, probably due to the smaller frame. I could or would almost live with it but it lacks a headphone jack.
I know that's an old feature that most consider ancient technology but I use it four or five times a week for seven or more hours. Bluetooth headphones don't last both in the battery department and also physically. After four sets, I'm occasionally using a set of not very expensive JBLs that have at least lasted close to a year but battery life sucks worst than they did new. I know there are USB C to 3.5mm adapters but they suck and it's another thing to carry around when I wouldn't if the phone has a 3.5mm jack. There's not really anything out there in the S9 or Note10+ class with a 3.5mm jack.

josiahg52 said:
Finally got into Best Buy which might be the last place they still let you pick up the phones. I looked at the S22 Ultra 5G which is a 6.8" screen device. I admit I chuckled a bit when I picked it up. It's huge. Not as big as I expected, probably due to the smaller frame. I could or would almost live with it but it lacks a headphone jack.
I know that's an old feature that most consider ancient technology but I use it four or five times a week for seven or more hours. Bluetooth headphones don't last both in the battery department and also physically. After four sets, I'm occasionally using a set of not very expensive JBLs that have at least lasted close to a year but battery life sucks worst than they did new. I know there are USB C to 3.5mm adapters but they suck and it's another thing to carry around when I wouldn't if the phone has a 3.5mm jack. There's not really anything out there in the S9 or Note10+ class with a 3.5mm jack.
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Click to collapse
Nothing in the Samsung flagship class. Oddly the 3.5mm jack is present on some of the midrange priced models of that era.
I have a pair of Buds(2.5+ yo) and Buds+(1 yo). Both case charge fast (2 charges per case charge). Both continue to work well.
The Buds+ easily last 8+ hours. It's rare I run them out...
The S9 generation is noticeably slower than the N10+. The N10+'s 12gb of ram (vs 4gb) makes a huge performance difference. The larger ram size impacts battery life very little. The N10+ is a large, powerful device that's design is well balanced... It's just fun to use.

blackhawk said:
Nothing in the Samsung flagship class. Oddly the 3.5mm jack is present on some of the midrange priced models of that era.
I have a pair of Buds(2.5+ yo) and Buds+(1 yo). Both case charge fast (2 charges per case charge). Both continue to work well.
The Buds+ easily last 8+ hours. It's rare I run them out...
The S9 generation is noticeably slower than the N10+. The N10+'s 12gb of ram (vs 4gb) makes a huge performance difference. The larger ram size impacts battery life very little. The N10+ is a large, powerful device that's design is well balanced... It's just fun to use.
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Click to collapse
Yeah, I should have said flagship class, as the S9 was years ago. Of course, the Note10+ demolishes the S9. You still have me considering the Note. You've done well making a case for it. There's just nothing close with its hardware.
Stepping down, there is the A71 or A52. I still like the OnePlus Nord N10. All of those are a decided step beneath the S9 on paper and of course, not worth comparing to the Note10+.
I'll look at the Buds.

josiahg52 said:
Yeah, I should have said flagship class, as the S9 was years ago. Of course, the Note10+ demolishes the S9. You still have me considering the Note. You've done well making a case for it. There's just nothing close with its hardware.
Stepping down, there is the A71 or A52. I still like the OnePlus Nord N10. All of those are a decided step beneath the S9 on paper and of course, not worth comparing to the Note10+.
I'll look at the Buds.
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Click to collapse
It's a beast, I never run out of ram or storage.
You also have the LDAC option for bt. Sony and Panasonic have a few choices. LDAC may be better than SSC. The pricier Sony ones are probably better for music.
Get the Buds+, the regular Buds aren't as nice but work well for calls. I would recommend using Poweramp as a Player. It's graphic equalizer is how I dial the Buds+ in. My whole 240gb wav file music collection is on the SD card.
I use the spen mostly for Smart Capture (a very useful tool), screen shot writing, as a bt remote shutter release, and magnifier comes in handy at times. I use it once a day sometimes more. That's a sometimes under appreciated Note feature. Lol, for the first couple months I didn't use it

All right, you've convinced me! So where should I buy one from? Best Buy has some available from $450. Say "refurbished" whatever that means to them. Can pick that up locally. I've had decent success on eBay. More recently, I had to return two S8 de-camera'd work phone) and an S9 for not being what they were supposed to be - wrong model numbers - but I returned them successfully. I'm always suspect of eBay "condition" also.

Question Worth trading in my 4a for a 6a?

Hello!
I noticed there's a trade-in program at the Google Store for the 6a. I currently have a Pixel 4a. It's working fine, a bit slow and stuttery sometimes (but maybe that's because I'm using a ROM with an overwhelming amount of features), but otherwise it's okay.
I could trade it in for €275 if it was in perfect condition. I have accidentally dropped it once, so there's a tiny crack in the plastic on the top left of the phone. The screen isn't cracked or anything, it's purely aesthetic. Worst case scenario, I can trade it in for €199, which would mean I could buy a 6a for at most €260.
I've heard a lot of bad stuff about the 6a, so I'm very hesitant about this upgrade. Paying 260 euros for a new Pixel sounds like an amazing deal to me.
Is the fingerprint reader really that slow? Is the display truly choppy? Does the phone really constantly overheat even after the first few days of setting it up? Are the connectivity issues a thing for real?
Should I just stick to my 4a for another year or two, and then look at what's on the market?

I've had a great experience with the 6a. A lot of the issues that were out there have been fixed for the most part imo. Hot phone, etc. - have been fixed with the upgrade to 13, and even better with the Quarterly update if you are a beta tester. At this point most people out there say, like me, the experience is pretty damn great - even better if you get the trade in money. I upgraded from the 3a - same story - I had it rom'd out and it ran fine enough, but with the $300 trade in it was a no brainer. For me - taxes, shipping, case and screen protector - I'm out of pocket 189 for a phone that really is worth 450...can't beat that.
I've also rooted, added the MVK kernel - this can't be more snappier. Also keep in mind that development has just started so more options are on the way. GL

Take pictures or video of your old phone from all angles. Google/3rd party WILL try to rip you off any way they can. They will try to say your battery exploded or your perfectly funcioning LCD screen has major LCD damage. Crap like that. So protect yourself beforehand.

My perspective having 2 4a's trading one for a 6a and trading a OnePlus 7t for another 6a.
I have a 6 which is my backup/backup just for camera, it's a little bit larger than I like.
I kept a 4a as emergency backup. Positive stuff; faster, bigger screen will have a long support for updates. Bargain pricing.
You mentioned a different kernel / ROM so let's use the history of 4a vs 4... 4a was not supported by developers in same numbers as 4. Currently the existing resources on 6a vs 6 it looks the same, as you can see. I am hoping that just the sheer numbers of 6a being pushed into market that will change... likely depends on October new phone releases? If you need 5g well it's not a question then.
If you don't need 5g, the biggest disappointment will be battery life...No way will a 6a will compete with a 4a on absolute longevity on one charge cycle. I would guess in my use it's HALF, yes seems impossible but that's after daily use of both in same locations and usage.

I had a 4a (stock with Android 13) and I did the trade-in for a 6a. The trade-in went smoothly for me, and I got the value I was expecting for the 4a ($300). Since I have owned the 6a (stock android 13 w/Sept. update), It has improved. The fingerprint sensor under the screen has gotten better. It still misses every so often. It still isn't quite as good as the rear fingerprint sensor of the 4a. The battery life has improved a lot for me. As of typing this it is 3:34 PM and I am at 80%. I unplugged it at 6:40 AM. It is on Wi-Fi most of the day and it's fairly light usage. The camera processing is loads faster than on the 4a. It is also nice to have a wide-angle lens. The software touches with the 6a are nice, magic eraser is especially fun. The speech to text is especially good and fast. The phone itself feels a lot higher quality especially compared to the 4a. The more and longer I use the 6a, the more I like it.

mmead1143 said:
I've had a great experience with the 6a. A lot of the issues that were out there have been fixed for the most part imo. Hot phone, etc. - have been fixed with the upgrade to 13, and even better with the Quarterly update if you are a beta tester. At this point most people out there say, like me, the experience is pretty damn great - even better if you get the trade in money. I upgraded from the 3a - same story - I had it rom'd out and it ran fine enough, but with the $300 trade in it was a no brainer. For me - taxes, shipping, case and screen protector - I'm out of pocket 189 for a phone that really is worth 450...can't beat that.
I've also rooted, added the MVK kernel - this can't be more snappier. Also keep in mind that development has just started so more options are on the way. GL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
kkjb said:
If you don't need 5g, the biggest disappointment will be battery life...No way will a 6a will compete with a 4a on absolute longevity on one charge cycle. I would guess in my use it's HALF, yes seems impossible but that's after daily use of both in same locations and usage.
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Click to collapse
aaronzimm75 said:
The battery life has improved a lot for me.
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Click to collapse
How's the battery life for you guys? I guess I get about 2-4 hours of SOT with my 4a. That of course depends on a lot of things. I travel quite frequently nowadays (usually about 2 - 2.5 hours by train/bus), so I usually listen to Spotify or watch some videos on YouTube. I guess the crappy connectivity while traveling by train + music streaming isn't always easy on the battery. Also, I use YouTube Vanced, and it does this weird thing where while watching some certain videos, the phone gets crazy hot (and obviously drains the battery quickly), watching other videos is just fine.
I use ACC, so I only charge the battery to 75%. I was at home this weekend, barely used my phone at all, it drained to like 45%, so standby time is okay, but I really have no idea what my usual daily battery usage (for the lack of a better term) is.
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smokejumper76 said:
Take pictures or video of your old phone from all angles. Google/3rd party WILL try to rip you off any way they can. They will try to say your battery exploded or your perfectly funcioning LCD screen has major LCD damage. Crap like that. So protect yourself beforehand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried to trade your device in with Google before? Can you tell us a bit more about your experience with them?
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aaronzimm75 said:
The fingerprint sensor under the screen has gotten better. It still misses every so often. It still isn't quite as good as the rear fingerprint sensor of the 4a.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How unreliable is it? The 4a's fingerprint reader has never failed on me. Luckily not even when I was out and needed to access something on my phone instantly.
Just by looking up some recent(-ish) videos on YouTube, it seems like the phone needs anywhere from about half a second to a full second to unlock. I guess it's not so much about how long it takes, but how accurate it actually is. Could you guys give me an estimate (of course it doesn't have to be an exact measurement, more just how consistent it feels to you) of how many times the phone fails to correctly read your finger so you have to re-place it on the reader?
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kkjb said:
You mentioned a different kernel / ROM so let's use the history of 4a vs 4... 4a was not supported by developers in same numbers as 4. Currently the existing resources on 6a vs 6 it looks the same, as you can see. I am hoping that just the sheer numbers of 6a being pushed into market that will change... likely depends on October new phone releases?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Before my 4a I had a OnePlus 3T, rooted it on day one and soon got really fond of ResurrectionRemix. When I switched to the 4a (almost two years ago, damn, time flies fast), I hadn't tinkered with it for over a year I think. Even now, there are barely any regularly maintained custom ROMs for it. From what I can tell, the modding community is ever-so-slowly dying off. I guess it doesn't help that Google and other OEMs make it more difficult for us to tinker with out devices every year.
That being said, I'm not considering a 6a because of many custom things there are for it. Honestly, if there was a way to limit charging speed, and set a maximum charge level, I probably wouldn't even root. I have gotten to a point in my life where reliability is much more of a priority than endless customization
---
One thing I forgot to add to my original post is another reason why I'm hesitant with this upgrade:
Surely, the trade-in option helps a lot, I could essentially get a brand new phone for half its price, which is virtually unbeatable. But if I look past that, and I was about to actually need to buy a new phone, thus look at what my options are, I'm not 100% sure my choice would land on a Pixel. Definitely going to have to look into it (and do it quickly, since the trade-in is only until the 24th).

I traded my 4a in for $300 off and a free pair of Pixel Buds a too during the pre-launch sale, so 'all in' my 6a was only $50 so it'd take a LOT to make me regret the 6a. As stated already, yeah it had it's teething period at first like most new phones. Most have been sorted out tho. I don't mind the FP scanner taking a slightly 'paused' touch/release to unlock...I got used to it pretty quick thus it stopped buggin' me as well. Too help w/batt life and tweaking, I rooted and added my favs plus a batt mod or 2. Above all, besides the $300 + Buds...it knowing I have the same CPU under the hood as the P6 Pro...for less than HALF the price and even less out-of-pocket. My only wish is a 6" 90Hz screen vs. the 6.1" @ 60Hz. Here's to hoping the 90Hz o/c tweak makes it's way into the custom kernel releases sooner than later!

Lada333 said:
How's the battery life for you guys? I guess I get about 2-4 hours of SOT with my 4a. That of course depends on a lot of things. I travel quite frequently nowadays (usually about 2 - 2.5 hours by train/bus), so I usually listen to Spotify or watch some videos on YouTube. I guess the crappy connectivity while traveling by train + music streaming isn't always easy on the battery. Also, I use YouTube Vanced, and it does this weird thing where while watching some certain videos, the phone gets crazy hot (and obviously drains the battery quickly), watching other videos is just fine.
I use ACC, so I only charge the battery to 75%. I was at home this weekend, barely used my phone at all, it drained to like 45%, so standby time is okay, but I really have no idea what my usual daily battery usage (for the lack of a better term) is.
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Have you tried to trade your device in with Google before? Can you tell us a bit more about your experience with them?
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How unreliable is it? The 4a's fingerprint reader has never failed on me. Luckily not even when I was out and needed to access something on my phone instantly.
Just by looking up some recent(-ish) videos on YouTube, it seems like the phone needs anywhere from about half a second to a full second to unlock. I guess it's not so much about how long it takes, but how accurate it actually is. Could you guys give me an estimate (of course it doesn't have to be an exact measurement, more just how consistent it feels to you) of how many times the phone fails to correctly read your finger so you have to re-place it on the reader?
---
Before my 4a I had a OnePlus 3T, rooted it on day one and soon got really fond of ResurrectionRemix. When I switched to the 4a (almost two years ago, damn, time flies fast), I hadn't tinkered with it for over a year I think. Even now, there are barely any regularly maintained custom ROMs for it. From what I can tell, the modding community is ever-so-slowly dying off. I guess it doesn't help that Google and other OEMs make it more difficult for us to tinker with out devices every year.
That being said, I'm not considering a 6a because of many custom things there are for it. Honestly, if there was a way to limit charging speed, and set a maximum charge level, I probably wouldn't even root. I have gotten to a point in my life where reliability is much more of a priority than endless customization
---
One thing I forgot to add to my original post is another reason why I'm hesitant with this upgrade:
Surely, the trade-in option helps a lot, I could essentially get a brand new phone for half its price, which is virtually unbeatable. But if I look past that, and I was about to actually need to buy a new phone, thus look at what my options are, I'm not 100% sure my choice would land on a Pixel. Definitely going to have to look into it (and do it quickly, since the trade-in is only until the 24th).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Battery life - obviously super specific to each individual's usage, preferences etc. So I'll give you a comparison. On my 3a, a 100% full charge beginning most day's, up at 530a, workout - work etc. I'd come home at 5p at about 35-40% left on the battery. Light usage and I have wifi at the office. With the 6a, the same day I come home at about 45-50%. So it's a tich better. I notice NO performance difference with battery saver mode on (not the extreme version) and for fun, I run the phone with the same daily schedule above - I come home at like 70% battery left and honestly, I see no difference in performance. - Keep in mind I'm also rooted and running MVK.
Trade in - was slick as snot for me. I got the full $300 about 10 days after the 6a arrived. I know some people video tape the trade in phone etc - I did none of that and had no issues.
Fingerprint is working 100% with the 13 upgrade. I was on the 13 standards, then went with the Beta 13 - no issues since both upgrades. It is a tich different feel an the 3a. On the 3a the back sensor was automatic. With the 6a, you kind of "press into" the screen. But it works everytime - perfect now. It's very reliable now for me.
Customization - I'm about the same. Stock Android is pretty great these days and there's not much of a reason to rom like there was 10 years ago. I have root simply to update the kernel. I've had MVK running and the phone can't be any more snappy than it is to be honest. Other than that I'm 100% stock and have no complaints.
GL

Zaxx32 said:
I traded my 4a in for $300 off and a free pair of Pixel Buds a too during the pre-launch sale, so 'all in' my 6a was only $50 so it'd take a LOT to make me regret the 6a. As stated already, yeah it had it's teething period at first like most new phones. Most have been sorted out tho. I don't mind the FP scanner taking a slightly 'paused' touch/release to unlock...I got used to it pretty quick thus it stopped buggin' me as well. Too help w/batt life and tweaking, I rooted and added my favs plus a batt mod or 2. Above all, besides the $300 + Buds...it knowing I have the same CPU under the hood as the P6 Pro...for less than HALF the price and even less out-of-pocket. My only wish is a 6" 90Hz screen vs. the 6.1" @ 60Hz. Here's to hoping the 90Hz o/c tweak makes it's way into the custom kernel releases sooner than later!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a high refresh rate monitor at home + I've used phones that have a high refresh rate display. As much as I love them, it's not a dealbreaker for me, luckily. Sure, the animations and scrolling looks a lot smoother, but at the end of the day, it makes no difference when watching videos or reading articles/browsing Reddit.

mmead1143 said:
Battery life - obviously super specific to each individual's usage, preferences etc. So I'll give you a comparison. On my 3a, a 100% full charge beginning most day's, up at 530a, workout - work etc. I'd come home at 5p at about 35-40% left on the battery. Light usage and I have wifi at the office. With the 6a, the same day I come home at about 45-50%. So it's a tich better. I notice NO performance difference with battery saver mode on (not the extreme version) and for fun, I run the phone with the same daily schedule above - I come home at like 70% battery left and honestly, I see no difference in performance. - Keep in mind I'm also rooted and running MVK.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Notice any difference between Snapdragon and Tensor SOC? IIRC Tensor is basically just a customized Exynos from Samsung, so both performance and root-wise it should be very similar to Snapdragon, right?
mmead1143 said:
Trade in - was slick as snot for me. I got the full $300 about 10 days after the 6a arrived. I know some people video tape the trade in phone etc - I did none of that and had no issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Making photos and recording a video beforehand didn't cross my mind before smokejumper's comment in this thread. I wouldn't assume Google would want to "rip me off," but I guess it never hurts to record some proof - just in case.

6a gets you security updates at least until July 2027. Your 4a, only until August 2023.
As far as trade-in, sounds like you still get a good deal - when I traded in a couple of 3as a month ago, trade-in credit was $300 ($295 with cracked display). Now it's $200/165 for both 3a and 4a, so it sounds like you currently get a better deal than in the US.

Lada333 said:
Notice any difference between Snapdragon and Tensor SOC? IIRC Tensor is basically just a customized Exynos from Samsung, so both performance and root-wise it should be very similar to Snapdragon, right?
Making photos and recording a video beforehand didn't cross my mind before smokejumper's comment in this thread. I wouldn't assume Google would want to "rip me off," but I guess it never hurts to record some proof - just in case.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't notice any differences in the differing CPUs but honestly - I'm the worst person to ask I don't have the technical know-how to see nuanced advances. So no clue on comparison - but this phone is fast as ****. That's my "professional" opinion haha!

Lada333 said:
---
Have you tried to trade your device in with Google before? Can you tell us a bit more about your experience with them?
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​
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It was a first time trade-in to Google for me. The phone I traded in did not boot up correctly (4a5g). It powered on. It factory reset (despite tunefs errors and able to flash it and lock/unlock bootloader) but it would bootloop to fastboot no valid slot to boot. The screen was free of cracks and scratches. It turned on. And factory reset. The back housing had peeling near the camera. The housing had no cracks or scratches. I mailed it off nearly a month ago. And 3.5 weeks or so I got email of stated value. Instead of $300 for a device with no cracks, powers on, and factory reset they gave me $260. They said Display Damage/Major LCD damage.
Now before all this I had read various threads regarding the pixel trade in on reddit and horror stories about other people's experiences. That's where I copied what many people on there had did which was to photograph/video record the phone and its condition prior to shipping it off. I was anticipating Google to screw me over the peeling back housing. But no. They decided to screw me over the Major LCD damage that doesn't exist with blatant video evidence to prove it. So I chatted and emailed them multiple times including pictures and video of the phone. And they come back with "we are unable to alter the amount". "Heres $40 google store credit". Which is useless to me. I'm waiting for another supervisor to get back to me to tell me the same thing and that they will not be able to convert that $40 store credit to back on my CC. Has been such a hassle. Such a scam. It's not the money. It's the principle of the thing. Especially when even Google's own office drones who have seen the video and pictures agreed, otherwise they would not have given me their useless store credit. Yeah I'm bitter.

Coming from a 3a myself, and because your 4a is slightly smaller even than my 3a, the size of the 6a might hit you like it did me. I didn't expect it to make much difference, but the 6a is a 25% weight increase over the 3a & 4a and wearing lighter-weight clothes it still feels like I've got a brick in my pocket. That said, its other features are an improvement. I'm using about 10% more battery per day on average compared to the 3a, but since the 6a's battery is 50% larger it makes a big difference in the time it takes to recharge in the morning (affects my morning routines ). The fingerprint sensor is behaving well now that I've learned how to best use it and I no longer miss the rear sensor.
Overall I'm pleased with it, especially since it cost me a net $150 after the $300 trade-in (which I have yet to see, but that's another thread!).

@smokejumper76 So just to be clear, you sent in a device that didn't boot (display damage possibly, loosely defined) and they gave you $260 for a phone that basically was a door stop. And you are bitter? Now think about the time spent on the phone with tech support and supervisors and email. Do you really think the bitterness is worth your time, principle or not?
And for you and everyone else in this thread having Google issues, next time bring it in to BB and they'll give you credit on the spot. Granted it was $250 not 3 bills but the phone was only $399 not $459. They didn't even charge me and then refund me, it just came right off the purchase price.

bobby janow said:
@smokejumper76 So just to be clear, you sent in a device that didn't boot (display damage possibly, loosely defined) and they gave you $260 for a phone that basically was a door stop. And you are bitter? Now think about the time spent on the phone with tech support and supervisors and email. Do you really think the bitterness is worth your time, principle or not?
And for you and everyone else in this thread having Google issues, next time bring it in to BB and they'll give you credit on the spot. Granted it was $250 not 3 bills but the phone was only $399 not $459. They didn't even charge me and then refund me, it just came right off the purchase price.
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A device not able to boot was not a condition they imposed. A bootable device is completely different from one that powers on. And they went through the trouble to clarify every other aspect of the device including but not limited to the condition of the back housing (no deep scratches or cracks.). They should have had me on the hook for that. Therefore they can't say anything about the housing. Major LCD would constitute something obvious on the display. They said major. Like huge discoloration, smudges, deal pixels,cracks, breaks, something along those lines. And yes it was completely contrary to the device I sent in. So yes, it is worth my time. The world may be damned on what it thinks are important issues (the environment, jobs, if vaginas are owned by the state,etc.), but if we cannot even have honest and fair transactions of the mundane--Russia's nukes are the least of our problems. What can I say. I'm old fashioned. I like to hold people and companies accountable. Even if I "lose" it's a reminder for me, to not trust anyone. What? Am I going to sue them? Of course not. I don't have that right. Maybe if I lauched a car in space or my ancestors owned slaves and I had an estate, maybe. And google knows that--so they can do whatever they F they want. Like most companies. Only if it gets a rich laywer's attention were $$ is involved would anything ever happen. Hell they [companies and banks] run the countries. That's how the world works. Always has. Always will--doesnt matter what color your flag is.
TLTR: It's the whole "catching them in a lie" kind of thing. And not being able to do a damned thing about it. Yeah I know: cry me a river boo hoo.

mike.s said:
6a gets you security updates at least until July 2027. Your 4a, only until August 2023.
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I'm not necessarily concerned about security updates. I'll likely flash a custom ROM waaay before OEM support ceases for the device

rochrunner said:
Coming from a 3a myself, and because your 4a is slightly smaller even than my 3a, the size of the 6a might hit you like it did me. I didn't expect it to make much difference, but the 6a is a 25% weight increase over the 3a & 4a and wearing lighter-weight clothes it still feels like I've got a brick in my pocket. That said, its other features are an improvement. I'm using about 10% more battery per day on average compared to the 3a, but since the 6a's battery is 50% larger it makes a big difference in the time it takes to recharge in the morning (affects my morning routines ). The fingerprint sensor is behaving well now that I've learned how to best use it and I no longer miss the rear sensor.
Overall I'm pleased with it, especially since it cost me a net $150 after the $300 trade-in (which I have yet to see, but that's another thread!).
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I honestly wouldn't mind the extra weight. The 4a is so light, I'm sometimes scared that the wind might blow it out of my hands.
I'm a bit sad to see that the actual device is bigger though. If I hold my 4a in my hand just the right way, I can just about reach across the screen. It truly is a shame that all budget and/or small phones are stupidly huge these days.
Happy to hear that the fingerprint sensor isn't a total flop. That was honestly one of my main concerns.

smokejumper76 said:
It's the whole "catching them in a lie" kind of thing. And not being able to do a damned thing about it.
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I do understand your frustration. I really do.
But would you be okay with receiving $260 instead of $300 if their reasoning for the deduction would've been "The back housing had peeling near the camera"? I assume you would be okay with that, right? It is physical damage. Sure, it is not a crack, by definition, but you can't blame them for not listing every possible means of physical damage that can happen to a phone, can you now?

Lada333 said:
I do understand your frustration. I really do.
But would you be okay with receiving $260 instead of $300 if their reasoning for the deduction would've been "The back housing had peeling near the camera"? I assume you would be okay with that, right? It is physical damage. Sure, it is not a crack, by definition, but you can't blame them for not listing every possible means of physical damage that can happen to a phone, can you now?
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Yes. I would have been ok with that. Granted a $40 reduction is a little harsh for a cheap plastic piece. But if they had actually straight up said that, I feel I would not really have much to say against it. But they did not. Major LCD damage is very broad. They are so specific on their trade-in details page, yet they fail to be specific when it comes to why/what failed the inspection on the traded in device.
Buy a Pixel phone & trade in your old phone for a credit - United States - Google Store Help
When you buy a new Pixel phone, you can get credit when you trade in your old phone through Google Store. Trade-in through Google Store is available in Canada, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and
support.google.com
And the fine print of the trade in makes no mention of anything other than LCD, housing, buttons, powers on, touchscreen, battery (edit see above link), hinges (if applies)...there is a bunch of things the trade in page tells you in detail that must pass inspection (note: nothing about ability to boot into OS is listed as a requirement to pass inspection merely that it powers on, factory reset, and no cracks and display works) and for them to put it under Major LCD damage when there is obviously none. Only air bubble under screen protector which I left on. My situation is exactly what others on various reddit threads about their google trade in experiences. And when I showed the video to google..I mean they would not have given me that store credit if I Iacked any credibility to my accusation. And yes I keep pressing because I know I'm right. And they admitted as such when they said something along lines of "As they found the issue from their end after the inspection"...and issues credit vs CC. And I'm like no. Put it on my card. I'm not buying overpriced/hyped earbuds. So yea. Complete waste of time but dammit I'm right. Otherwise say it was the backing or the LCD had (insert something specific) in the first place and be prepared to prove it. And the video I have which shows a blatent near pristine device (except backing..it had one of those sticky skins which peeled off a small section from back)..no. They are wrong. Does it matter?--No. Whatever right? I'm just laying this all out for others. Take pictures/video of it if you send it in, if you have to fight it out, if one even can.Good luck.
Edit: Technically one could trade in a bricked phone if it powers into rescue/download/EDL/9008 mode since technically it "powers on" and screen not "dark".