Diehard Nexus/Pixel user goes 12 Pro Max

[Tig Bitties]

Obviously I still have my 12 Pro max for now, and using it like a tablet in the house. One thing I will admit this phone excels in, is actually in the apps experience, using Reddit, or Twitter, or Discord, with the nice Black AMOLED setting, the apps look beautiful, and have more settings options and feel a bit more polished than the same apps on Android.

And Safari, surfing thew web, and reading stuff online, really looks great on this big high quality screen.

I will give Apple credit on that, this phone is great for media and app consumption

 

[Oohara]

Obviously I still have my 12 Pro max for now, and using it like a tablet in the house. One thing I will admit this phone excels in, is actually in the apps experience, using Reddit, or Twitter, or Discord, with the nice Black AMOLED setting, the apps look beautiful, and have more settings options and feel a bit more polished than the same apps on Android.

And Safari, surfing thew web, and reading stuff online, really looks great on this big high quality screen.

I will give Apple credit on that, this phone is great for media and app consumption

Definitely agree with this. I'll add my favourite thing on iOS which is the Safari reading mode. Gorgeous on the black setting with this AMOLED screen. Makes cluttered sites full of cookie options and whatnot just become a tidy black page with text on it. Also from for example the Google apps using the share icon. This is something I really miss on Android, I worked very hard to set up a good alternative with my last Android phone but I could never quite achieve it.

 

[Tig Bitties]

Screen shots of my iPhone 12 Pro max and Pixel 5a;

 

[drinkingtea]

Screen shots of my iPhone 12 Pro max and Pixel 5a;

Nice. Love the look of stock Android. Stock > Launcher.

 

[Tig Bitties]

I have a timer going for dinner, and it shows up on the homescreen and lockscreen

 

[The_Interloper]

That’s a good side-by-side. The Pixel looks far cleaner, though, IMO. That grid of apps just stuck at the top, 4 across, seems so dated now.

 

[Tig Bitties]

I put my SIM back in the iPhone 12 PM yesterday and today. But I've pretty much had enough already of iOS 15. It's just too dated and the UI navigation sucks. Plus as much as I love the big beautiful 6.7" display on the 12 Pro Max, this phone with a case is a brick to hold, just a huge heavy phone. And the 13 Pro Max will be 240grams

Playing with this Pixel 5a with it's budget hardware still feels easier to use the UI and get around the OS better. Yeah the 5a isn't perfect by no means, nope. It's a slight bit laggy or hiccups just here and there rarely

Can't imagine what a Pixel 6 or 6 Pro will feel like? Much better hardware specs than this 5a, those new phones will feel warp speed fast and buttery smooth, having all the bells and whistles.

And the 12 Pro Max design actually kind of sucks in regards to the squared sharp edge design. It's very uncomfortable to hold with no case. The flat sharp edges is not good, the 11 Pro Max with the rounded shape is vastly superior and way more comfortable to hold. Seriously the iPhone 12 and now iPhone 13 suck with this industrial design. It may look cool just laying on the table, but actually using it blows. I have the Pixel 4 XL and Pixel 5a, and both with the rounded frame feel so good in the hand, actually nice feel to hold.

And sorry but the notch still sucks. The 5a with a tiny hole in the upper left corner isn't even noticeable, but the flat straight across the top is, and it looks the best with no notch

Anyways. Pixel 6 Pro all day long and twice on Sunday over the iPhone 13 Pro Max.

 

[Heat_Fan89]

Playing with this Pixel 5a with it's budget hardware still feels easier to use the UI and get around the OS better. Yeah the 5a isn't perfect by no means, nope. It's a slight bit laggy or hiccups just here and there rarely

One thing I discovered with both the 4a and 4a 5G is that the UI and apps somehow smooth out when you go back to the "three button navigation". I don't know if the gestures navigation is taking away some resources but I found both phones got real smooth once I went back to the 3 button Nav UI

 

[Tig Bitties]

Thing is, my Pixel 4 XL is super smooth. It's also running Android 12 beta 5

 

[Oohara]

I put my SIM back in the iPhone 12 PM yesterday and today. But I've pretty much had enough already of iOS 15. It's just too dated and the UI navigation sucks. Plus as much as I love the big beautiful 6.7" display on the 12 Pro Max, this phone with a case is a brick to hold, just a huge heavy phone. And the 13 Pro Max will be 240grams

Playing with this Pixel 5a with it's budget hardware still feels easier to use the UI and get around the OS better. Yeah the 5a isn't perfect by no means, nope. It's a slight bit laggy or hiccups just here and there rarely

Can't imagine what a Pixel 6 or 6 Pro will feel like? Much better hardware specs than this 5a, those new phones will feel warp speed fast and buttery smooth, having all the bells and whistles.

And the 12 Pro Max design actually kind of sucks in regards to the squared sharp edge design. It's very uncomfortable to hold with no case. The flat sharp edges is not good, the 11 Pro Max with the rounded shape is vastly superior and way more comfortable to hold. Seriously the iPhone 12 and now iPhone 13 suck with this industrial design. It may look cool just laying on the table, but actually using it blows. I have the Pixel 4 XL and Pixel 5a, and both with the rounded frame feel so good in the hand, actually nice feel to hold.

And sorry but the notch still sucks. The 5a with a tiny hole in the upper left corner isn't even noticeable, but the flat straight across the top is, and it looks the best with no notch

Anyways. Pixel 6 Pro all day long and twice on Sunday over the iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Punch hole in the corner is the most elegant solution of all right now, I definitely agree there. It’s by far the least visible intrusion and almost disappears when you watch videos with it in the lower corner.

Recent iPhones industrial design is more subjective imo, the 12 Pro Max is the most comfy phone to hold ever for me, the 11 Pro was like a wet soap and made me tense my hands far more. And the flat steel sides just look gorgeous to me. The weight is a clear minus though.

 

[Oohara]

Man all this talking is actually getting me so tempted to test a Pixel right now. There’s a mint condition 4XL for sale at €300 for another 6 hours here…that’s a pretty good price right? I’ve just watched two serious reviews of this phone in 2021 and they were both glowing + seemed to prefer this one over the 5 models.

The scenario I want to test is Pixel as phone, Apple Watch 6 LTE using my old iPhone 7 Plus for syncing/updates etc at home, and a new iPad Mini LTE for on the go access to all my iCloud stuff. I’m thinking if the Pixel 4XL works well I’d sell my 12 Pro Max to cover both it and the new iPad. If not so well I’ll just resell the Pixel.

Pixel users what say you? Better to look for a cheap 5? Thing is I do prefer the larger screen of the XL. Pixel 6 would be too expensive for my experiment and it’d take me a good while to get one on import too.

 

[Tig Bitties]

I still have my Pixel 4 XL as a backup phone, but use at home as a fun device.

It's great. Love the size, to me the 4 XL is the perfect size for a smartphone. And the rounded shape with smooth edges make it very comfortable to hold.

I have the white back, just looks so clean and pretty. But that orange / salmon color is great too.

The 4 XL vs my 5a, yeah the 4 XL is smoother and more fluid faster. But the 5a has incredible battery life and the 4 XL battery is just ok. And the display is brighter with deeper blacks on the 5a over the 4 XL. But at least the 4 XL has wireless charging the 5a does not.

Also the 4 XL has FaceID and it works really well and unlocks the phone straight to your home screen, no need to swipe up first.

I say go for it, and then install Android 12 beta on it right away.

 

[drinkingtea]

New 4 XLs are $799 on Amazon. Any idea what that price will drop down to once the 6 is announced?

 

[Tig Bitties]

My only beefs with the 4 XL

- Battery life is mediocre. Not terrible but nowhere near iPhone Pro Max battery.

- Display is a bit washed out and doesn't get super bright. The iPhone 12 Pro Max has deeper blacks and puncher colors.

Other than that the Pixel 4 XL is a damn fine phone.

 

[Oohara]

My only beefs with the 4 XL

- Battery life is mediocre. Not terrible but nowhere near iPhone Pro Max battery.

- Display is a bit washed out and doesn't get super bright. The iPhone 12 Pro Max has deeper blacks and puncher colors.

Other than that the Pixel 4 XL is a damn fine phone.

So I ended up chickening out at the last second on that one particular used 4XL, I literally sat watching the seconds counting down haha...

What put me off after my initial enthusiasm was when I found out its display is so dim, like you mention, about 1/3 of my 12PM display which I in fact to my surprise found a bit difficult to see this summer. Also the unit for sale turned out to be a 64gb version.

I also had concerns from the other end of my plan to use the 4XL as phone and new iPad Mini along with it. As I clicked through the buying options for the Mini I realised I'd forgot about Apple's €200 premium just to go from base model to LTE version... And that the base model is again 64gb. Argh. One tick up in storage and it's ANOTHER €200 on top. Those are the moments when I feel so fed up with Apple.

So, with all this + being reluctant to go through the hassle of selling my 12PM right now, as I have a lot of stuff to deal with at the moment, I chose to hold on. Still keen on making the experiment though, and I see the same 4XL is still on sale as the ad got restarted...so might still go for it.

I'd love to have the best of both worlds scenario with using one iOS + one Android device side by side in such a way that they complement each other, so I'm gonna keep looking for a way. Simplest of all would be if someone just made a 8" Android tablet, but I guess historically those just haven't sold enough. Which saddens me as I LOVED my Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4. Before it really became obsolete...7 years old at this point!! Maybe the new iPad Mini causes ripples and prods Samsung to make one. A gadget nerd can dream

By the way thanks for making this thread! Great to read a perspective on "the other side" from someone coming mainly from Android rather than the beaten to death horse of iOS users who "try" Android...for all of one week before declaring it crap and giving up. Love all the updates, very informative and helps me put things in perspective as one who is interested in all touch screen devices regardless of OS.

 

[flybub]

So I ended up chickening out at the last second on that one particular used 4XL, I literally sat watching the seconds counting down haha...

What put me off after my initial enthusiasm was when I found out its display is so dim, like you mention, about 1/3 of my 12PM display which I in fact to my surprise found a bit difficult to see this summer. Also the unit for sale turned out to be a 64gb version.

I also had concerns from the other end of my plan to use the 4XL as phone and new iPad Mini along with it. As I clicked through the buying options for the Mini I realised I'd forgot about Apple's €200 premium just to go from base model to LTE version... And that the base model is again 64gb. Argh. One tick up in storage and it's ANOTHER €200 on top. Those are the moments when I feel so fed up with Apple.

So, with all this + being reluctant to go through the hassle of selling my 12PM right now, as I have a lot of stuff to deal with at the moment, I chose to hold on. Still keen on making the experiment though, and I see the same 4XL is still on sale as the ad got restarted...so might still go for it.

I'd love to have the best of both worlds scenario with using one iOS + one Android device side by side in such a way that they complement each other, so I'm gonna keep looking for a way. Simplest of all would be if someone just made a 8" Android tablet, but I guess historically those just haven't sold enough. Which saddens me as I LOVED my Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4. Before it really became obsolete...7 years old at this point!! Maybe the new iPad Mini causes ripples and prods Samsung to make one. A gadget nerd can dream

By the way thanks for making this thread! Great to read a perspective on "the other side" from someone coming mainly from Android rather than the beaten to death horse of iOS users who "try" Android...for all of one week before declaring it crap and giving up. Love all the updates, very informative and helps me put things in perspective as one who is interested in all touch screen devices regardless of OS.

Essentially app support for Android tablets is a dead market hence why there are not many tablets out there. I know a few people in your same situation wanting one device from each camp and they ended up with Android phone and an iPad. Their reasoning was iPad was really the only choice when it came to apps on a tablet, and android phone to allow the freedom of customization, side loading apps, split screen, etc. I haven't used a Samsung tablet in quite a few years, but I have an iPad Mini 4 that still trucks along and does all I need it to.

 

[Tig Bitties]

You're welcome, I'm happy create this thread and give my honest thoughts from more a Nexus / Pixel guy.

So I have my SIM card in the 12 Pro Max again last few days. And I do still like this phone for a few specific reasons;

- Safari. Surfing the web on this web browser and this phone looks so nice. The adjustment to don't size is easy and everything looks so clear and clean. Zero ads ever show up. I like Safari way more than Chrome or Brave on Android.

- Apps. Certain apps just look and perform better and have more option settings on iOS. Twitter. Reddit. Discord. YouTube. Telegram.

- I love this huge display, it's beautiful. But on the flip side I have to say my Pixel 5a gets brighter outdoors and has deeper blacks and more vibrant colors than this iPhone 12 Pro Max. I hope the 13 Pro is brighter and has more inky blacks?

- Again the build quality, this 12 Pro Max feels so solid and we'll crafted.

- But some bad. I think the camera sucks on this 12 PM compared to both my Pixel 4 XL and 5a. Night shots are way too blurry. Portrait shots suck. Overall this iPhone camera shoots like some crappy OnePlus camera, I'm not a fan.

- iOS UI navigation vs. Stock Android UI and gesture navigation. No comparison Android wins by a mile.

- No AoD ( Always on Display ) I'm upset Apple isn't giving this great feature to the iPhone any time soon. Total bummer. And no I won't wear an Apple Watch

- Overall I much prefer stock Android over iOS.

- But I don't hate this iPhone like I thought I would. I keep coming back to it with my SIM card.

 

[Awesomesince86]

You're welcome, I'm happy create this thread and give my honest thoughts from more a Nexus / Pixel guy.

So I have my SIM card in the 12 Pro Max again last few days. And I do still like this phone for a few specific reasons;

- Safari. Surfing the web on this web browser and this phone looks so nice. The adjustment to don't size is easy and everything looks so clear and clean. Zero ads ever show up. I like Safari way more than Chrome or Brave on Android.

- Apps. Certain apps just look and perform better and have more option settings on iOS. Twitter. Reddit. Discord. YouTube. Telegram.

- I love this huge display, it's beautiful. But on the flip side I have to say my Pixel 5a gets brighter outdoors and has deeper blacks and more vibrant colors than this iPhone 12 Pro Max. I hope the 13 Pro is brighter and has more inky blacks?

- Again the build quality, this 12 Pro Max feels so solid and we'll crafted.

- But some bad. I think the camera sucks on this 12 PM compared to both my Pixel 4 XL and 5a. Night shots are way too blurry. Portrait shots suck. Overall this iPhone camera shoots like some crappy OnePlus camera, I'm not a fan.

- iOS UI navigation vs. Stock Android UI and gesture navigation. No comparison Android wins by a mile.

- No AoD ( Always on Display ) I'm upset Apple isn't giving this great feature to the iPhone any time soon. Total bummer. And no I won't wear an Apple Watch

- Overall I much prefer stock Android over iOS.

- But I don't hate this iPhone like I thought I would. I keep coming back to it with my SIM card.

You should try sasmungs browser. It's so much better than Chrome or Brave on Android. Built in support for ad blockers, scrolling is smoother, and it's the only browser I've found that handles dark mode correctly.

 

[eltoslightfoot]

You should try sasmungs browser. It's so much better than Chrome or Brave on Android. Built in support for ad blockers, scrolling is smoother, and it's the only browser I've found that handles dark mode correctly.

Weird, because I use firefox on my pixel 5a and it has been just fine?

 

[Heat_Fan89]

OT, but did Google remove the auto download of offline speech recognition data? I remember I would get periodic language downloads (English) unless I disabled it in my Google app. In Android 11 it's nowhere to be found.

 

[mi7chy]

OT, but did Google remove the auto download of offline speech recognition data? I remember I would get periodic language downloads (English) unless I disabled it in my Google app. In Android 11 it's nowhere to be found.

Isn't it a silent auto update over WIFI by default? My offline English language pack is version 3006 so if yours say the same then we probably have the latest.

 

[Heat_Fan89]

Isn't it a silent auto update over WIFI by default? My offline English language pack is version 3006 so if yours say the same then we probably have the latest.

I don't even know where to find it tbh. It used to be in Settings --> Google --> Search --Voice --> Offline Language packs. I opened the Google App in settings and everywhere I tried, I could not find it.

 

[mi7chy]

I don't even know where to find it tbh. It used to be in Settings --> Google --> Search --Voice --> Offline Language packs. I opened the Google App in settings and everywhere I tried, I could not find it.

On mine, open Google app, click on your profile in upper right corner, settings, voice, offline speech recognition, touch on English (US) and it'll show the version.

 

[Heat_Fan89]

On mine, open Google app, click on your profile in upper right corner, settings, voice, offline speech recognition, touch on English (US) and it'll show the version.

View attachment 1839389

View attachment 1839391

Thank you sir, you get the Gold Star for the day. I never selected the Google App. On my Pixel 4a I always went to settings first then I selected Google.

 

[Tig Bitties]

On mine, open Google app, click on your profile in upper right corner, settings, voice, offline speech recognition, touch on English (US) and it'll show the version.

View attachment 1839389

View attachment 1839391

Can't seem to find these settings on my iPhone 12 Pro Max ?

Voice to text blows on this phone compared to my Pixel phones.

The iPhone is terrible with voice assistant stuff and the iOS keyboard is pure garbage compared to Gboard.