Google Pixel 4/Pixel 4 XL

[mjschabow]

Maybe in your experience but not in mine. I've found Android apps equally as good. And from what I can remember, pretty sure I prefer Twitter on Android.

Since you mention Twitter, I think that’s where the true difference comes in. Twitter is a major app, and I’d guess has a good app development team in place. In my recent experience, those apps are in good shape. But where the difference is more apparent is that next tier of apps. I was very surprised by how buggy the Yahoo Fantasy app was on Android, and other apps, like my local news app, even the official Green Bay Packers app had too many minor annoyances that you simply don’t see on iOS. I will say that the difference isn’t quite as bad as it used to be, but it’s still definitely present.

 

[drinkingtea]

Well thanks for taking one for the team. I was really tempted to just try one out, but what you described are the exact things that would cause me to send it back too.

And you’re absolutely correct about the apps. iOS just works better and anyone that says differently is inaccurate. For example, when I had the Note 10+ (which is an amazing phone and I still miss sometimes), following my fantasy football team on the yahoo app was frustrating beyond belief. I literally had to kill the app anytime I wanted to refresh the scores. It’s little thinks like this that you rarely see on iOS.

Just looking at the difference between the Instapaper app on iOS and the one on Android speaks volumes about the app quality between the two. The Spark iOS email app looks so much better than its Android counterpart. Heck, even Google’s own apps are better on iOS. You won’t find beautiful top-notch apps like Bear, Things, Castro, etc. on Android, and nothing comes close to their quality in the Play Store.

What will it take for devs to take Android seriously? I don’t think they ever will, sadly. Apple did an amazing job at convincing the masses that Android is inferior. Their strategy will be studied for decades.

I love my XS, but, damn, is it heavy. I love the feel and weight of the Pixel. I think I would have been happy with the P4XL. Hopefully the Pixel 6 will be a suitable contender when I’m ready to upgrade.

 

[michael9891]

Since you mention Twitter, I think that’s where the true difference comes in. Twitter is a major app, and I’d guess has a good app development team in place. In my recent experience, those apps are in good shape. But where the difference is more apparent is that next tier of apps. I was very surprised by how buggy the Yahoo Fantasy app was on Android, and other apps, like my local news app, even the official Green Bay Packers app had too many minor annoyances that you simply don’t see on iOS. I will say that the difference isn’t quite as bad as it used to be, but it’s still definitely present.

Maybe that's why I don't notice it. I can't really think of any apps I use that aren't major ones. Aside from the odd photo app that's not available on iOS.

The one app I do find worse on Android is Sky Bet. The logging in is a bit of a pain, found that on Pixels & Samsungs.

 

[noobinator]

I much prefer iOS apps. It’s sad that some actual google apps are better on iOS than Android.

 

[Aneres11]

Put my sim back in my Pixel 4 today and took it with me to a doggy hydrotherapy pool (our lab has some leg problems which the swimming helps with).
Wanted to take some pics - which the Pixel was really great for, but the battery just ran faster than Usain Bolt.

Still tempted to move to XL, but in all honesty I prefer my iPhone anyway so wouldn't make sense and I'd be out of pocket switching.

 

[Awesomesince86]

Maybe in your experience but not in mine. I've found Android apps equally as good. And from what I can remember, pretty sure I prefer Twitter on Android.

It's not major differences, but there are small things I noticed over time. Outlook not syncing contact pics on Android. Yahoo Fantasy Sports constantly locking up and needing a force close on Android and not being able to tap on a players score and see a breakdown of points. Plus iOS still has some apps that don't exist on Android.

 

[Harthag]

Was able to switch my Best Buy in store pick up to a different store while on Thanksgiving vacation and picked up the 4 XL last night. Screen is flawless and no defects that I can see. I still have my SIM in my iPhone but did my usual phone set up.

For those who care about facial unlock and passwords, LastPass works perfectly. I have no authentication issues at all with any app or website. That was my main concern. The phone is so slippery, definitely need to use a case or bumper.

 

[Awesomesince86]

Was able to switch my Best Buy in store pick up to a different store while on Thanksgiving vacation and picked up the 4 XL last night. Screen is flawless and no defects that I can see. I still have my SIM in my iPhone but did my usual phone set up.

For those who care about facial unlock and passwords, LastPass works perfectly. I have no authentication issues at all with any app or website. That was my main concern. The phone is so slippery, definitely need to use a case or bumper.

I was using the Spigen Ultra Hybrid case. Keeps the Pixel design and offers some protection. Pretty cheap on Amazon.

I found the face unlock to on LastPass works fine, but the password manager integration in android 10 still lacks behind iOS. A lot of time I had to use the quick tile to get it to bring up the password prompt. In iOS, it always knows when I’m in a password field.

 

[Harthag]

I was using the Spigen Ultra Hybrid case. Keeps the Pixel design and offers some protection. Pretty cheap on Amazon.

I found the face unlock to on LastPass works fine, but the password manager integration in android 10 still lacks behind iOS. A lot of time I had to use the quick tile to get it to bring up the password prompt. In iOS, it always knows when I’m in a password field.

Yeah, iOS is definitely better in this regard. It doesn’t really bother me yet.

 

[Awesomesince86]

I will say, I'm gonna give the 4 XL the full 2 weeks to see if it grows on me or if the battery gets better before I make my judgement. But early impressions are the battery just isn't good enough for a 2019 flagship which is what I was worried about.

 

[mjschabow]

I will say, I'm gonna give the 4 XL the full 2 weeks to see if it grows on me or if the battery gets better before I make my judgement. But early impressions are the battery just isn't good enough for a 2019 flagship which is what I was worried about.

Makes me wonder if you would have liked the Note 10+ more.

 

[Awesomesince86]

Makes me wonder if you would have liked the Note 10+ more.

I'm sure I would have. But I didn't qualify for any of the big discounts so it wasn't an option.

 

[JaySoul]

I do find the narrative around the Pixel 4 vs iPhone 11 Pro interesting.

The funny thing is last year's iPhone Xs really wasn't very good. OK, this year Apple have been fixing a lot of obvious problems (something they strangely rarely do) but it's literally 2019 being the first year for them to do so.

Apple have suddenly received a free pass for all their absolutely bone-headed decisions (e.g. subpar camera, battery life, even other things like Butterfly keyboard etc).

Yet everyone rides Google for their Pixel issues. I know it's not a direct comparison but it's fascinating how quickly people forget.

 

[mjschabow]

I do find the narrative around the Pixel 4 vs iPhone 11 Pro interesting.

The funny thing is last year's iPhone Xs really wasn't very good. OK, this year Apple have been fixing a lot of obvious problems (something they strangely rarely do) but it's literally 2019 being the first year for them to do so.

Apple have suddenly received a free pass for all their absolutely bone-headed decisions (e.g. subpar camera, battery life, even other things like Butterfly keyboard etc).

Yet everyone rides Google for their Pixel issues. I know it's not a direct comparison but it's fascinating how quickly people forget.

I wouldn’t say Apple is receiving a fair pass at all. They just made a much better device (hardware) than the Pixel this year.

 

[jamezr]

I do find the narrative around the Pixel 4 vs iPhone 11 Pro interesting.

The funny thing is last year's iPhone Xs really wasn't very good. OK, this year Apple have been fixing a lot of obvious problems (something they strangely rarely do) but it's literally 2019 being the first year for them to do so.

Apple have suddenly received a free pass for all their absolutely bone-headed decisions (e.g. subpar camera, battery life, even other things like Butterfly keyboard etc).

Yet everyone rides Google for their Pixel issues. I know it's not a direct comparison but it's fascinating how quickly people forget.

I agree with you. It is amazing to watch how many routinely dump on the Pixel yet give Apple a pass on the their bone headed mistakes.
This year Apple included a bigger battery on the iPhone and the 11 pro max has great battery life. But last year and the year before...not so much yet no one really cared. Apple will set the battery percentage meter so it barely moves during the first 10% of usage so it gives the false impression of better battery life than actually exists. yet no one cares.

I guess it really comes down to the fact that we are on an Apple site and most here have Apple products and are Apple fans to some degree. Their deep down brand favorite is still Apple.....

Make no mistake...if it weren't for Samsung and the Pixel and other Android phone makers....
The iPhone would not have wireless charging...night sight....more ram and bigger batteries and larger displays and phenomenal cameras. Apple would give you what they want you to have....no more. They would slowly dribble features and charge and a hefty price.

agree with everyone...the battery on the Pixel 4 should have been bigger. I have said so many times.
But even so it provides a great user experience.

 

[mjschabow]

I don’t see anyone dismissing mistakes Apple has made in the past. They just made a hell of a device this year. Most, if not all of us wouldn’t be hanging out in the “Alternates” forum if we hadn’t become frustrated with iPhones or iOS at some point.

 

[noobinator]

Apple took a ton of crap and continues to take crap on everything they release. They do not get a pass. Look at these forums around release? So many complaints and issues. But the fact is, they nailed it this year.

 

[jamezr]

Agree with both @mjschabow and @noobinator that Apple made a great device this year. they nailed it

My comments were do the same people who complain about the Pixel complain about iPhones in the same way in the iPhone forums? I don't see them doing that.
Please don't say there is nothing to complain about....

 

[mjschabow]

Agree with both @mjschabow and @noobinator that Apple made a great device this year. they nailed it

My comments were do the same people who complain about the Pixel complain about iPhones in the same way in the iPhone forums? I don't see them doing that.
Please don't say there is nothing to complain about....

I’ve definitely had a lot less to complain about this year. If anything, my complaints are more on the software side, and there are 2 glaring issues that still bother me:

- Just let me place my icons where I want for the love of god! Especially with bigger phones now, I’d rather just make 4 folders and place them at the bottom. OneUI has it right.

- This one is very nit picky, but I just received a live U2 album from their website. I can also download it from their website. But in order to get it to show in my Apple Music library, I need a personal computer. How great would it be if I could do that all from my phone?

 

[drinkingtea]

I’ve definitely had a lot less to complain about this year. If anything, my complaints are more on the software side, and there are 2 glaring issues that still bother me:

- Just let me place my icons where I want for the love of god! Especially with bigger phones now, I’d rather just make 4 folders and place them at the bottom. OneUI has it right.

- This one is very nit picky, but I just received a live U2 album from their website. I can also download it from their website. But in order to get it to show in my Apple Music library, I need a personal computer. How great would it be if I could do that all from my phone?

I use http://www.makeovr.io/ so that I can place my app icons anywhere on the screen. It isn’t a perfect solution, but it’s at least something.

It’s really annoying that Apple won’t allow us to at least place app icons where we want then. I’ve dropped my phone way too many times trying to reach an app icon.

Now that iOS has swipe typing, my only three requests for iOS are better notifications, ability to place our app icons anywhere on the screen, and a small phone call notification instead of the phone notification taking up the entire screen.

I’m pretty happy with iOS otherwise.

 

[Awesomesince86]

I've been really critical of Apple and iOS in the past but I have very few complaints with the latest iPhone and the ones I have are very nitpicky. For the Pro models, there wasn't enough to justify that name. They should've come with higher refresh screens similar to the iPad. Other than that my only complaints from a hardware standpoint is that they haven't moved to usb-c.

Softwarewise, I still have a lot of issues with iOS but they are getting smaller with each release. I still don't like how simplified the home screen layout is. I don't like that you can't set default apps. The notifications went from horrible to now just being bad, but still nowhere near how good they are on Android. I hate how restricted you are from a file explorer standpoint. You should be able to plug into a PC and move files like any other storage device. And there are a bunch of other small things like Siri being awful, apps being restricted from running in the background, lack of any customization, etc. But these are all things I knew going into getting an iPhone.

When it comes to pixel vs iPhone this year, I think it's no contest. Apple actually listened to their users and made the changes they wanted to see. Google decided they knew best and doubled down in areas where they were already good and ignored their weaknesses. What sad is that the Pixel 4 is still an excellent device despite Google getting a lot wrong. It makes me wonder how good it could've been if they included top of the line specs and a bigger battery.

 

[TopherMan12]

I agree with you. It is amazing to watch how many routinely dump on the Pixel yet give Apple a pass on the their bone headed mistakes.
This year Apple included a bigger battery on the iPhone and the 11 pro max has great battery life. But last year and the year before...not so much yet no one really cared. Apple will set the battery percentage meter so it barely moves during the first 10% of usage so it gives the false impression of better battery life than actually exists. yet no one cares.

I guess it really comes down to the fact that we are on an Apple site and most here have Apple products and are Apple fans to some degree. Their deep down brand favorite is still Apple.....

Make no mistake...if it weren't for Samsung and the Pixel and other Android phone makers....
The iPhone would not have wireless charging...night sight....more ram and bigger batteries and larger displays and phenomenal cameras. Apple would give you what they want you to have....no more. They would slowly dribble features and charge and a hefty price.

agree with everyone...the battery on the Pixel 4 should have been bigger. I have said so many times.
But even so it provides a great user experience.

Competition pushes the entire industry forward. Android users benefit from this competition just as much as iPhone users. Touch ID, Face ID, voice assistant, pay from your phone, etc. It is a great thing as we get to debate on what offerings these corporations are the best and then pick then one we like better in the end. I don't think you were trying to suggest all of Apple's products were based off the innovations of others, but I think it should be clarified.

As for Pixel 4, not every phone is going to be some revolutionary release. The Pixel 4 looks to me like a really good phone, but I think many were expecting a lot more.....maybe too much. That happens. I skipped the entire iPhone XS/XR line because it didn't feel like much of an upgrade from my iPhone X. Frankly, I'm starting to think I should have waited as Surface Duo looks incredible, but we will see.

People ultimately vote with their pocketbooks. If Pixel 4 fails then Google will need to rethink their strategy and be more observant of their customers wishes. If they do that then there could be one hell of a phone coming with Pixel 5. Either way, the competition is going to be even more fierce in the next two years.

 

[Harthag]

My new Mophie wireless fast charger that I recently bought doesn't "fast charge" my Pixel 4 XL. Bummer and not surprised. Otherwise, so far so good as daily driver. Will be able to give the battery life a good test this week. Already miss iMessage, but everything else is great. I like face unlock much more on the Pixel than iPhone. Why can't Apple just add a toggle in settings to go right to the home screen.

My AirPods Pro work perfectly with the Pixel. No software toggles, but I can turn noise cancelling on and off by pressing on the pods themselves. Phone immediately recognizes that they are AAC and switches to that mode in Bluetooth settings without me having to adjust anything / developer options, which is nice.

And of course it's nice to have my handy streaming apps on my phone again that you can't get on iOS.

I would never pay $900 for this phone, glad I got in at $500. Too good to pass up. I almost went with a Note 10+ but think I'm pretty happy with my decision to go Pixel. Of course my girlfriend said she likes the screen on the Note better, haha. The phone is just too large, I'll never use the S pen, and the Pixel is just more fun to use for my purposes.

 

[jamezr]

Competition pushes the entire industry forward. Android users benefit from this competition just as much as iPhone users. Touch ID, Face ID, voice assistant, pay from your phone, etc. It is a great thing as we get to debate on what offerings these corporations are the best and then pick then one we like better in the end. I don't think you were trying to suggest all of Apple's products were based off the innovations of others, but I think it should be clarified.

As for Pixel 4, not every phone is going to be some revolutionary release. The Pixel 4 looks to me like a really good phone, but I think many were expecting a lot more.....maybe too much. That happens. I skipped the entire iPhone XS/XR line because it didn't feel like much of an upgrade from my iPhone X. Frankly, I'm starting to think I should have waited as Surface Duo looks incredible, but we will see.

People ultimately vote with their pocketbooks. If Pixel 4 fails then Google will need to rethink their strategy and be more observant of their customers wishes. If they do that then there could be one hell of a phone coming with Pixel 5. Either way, the competition is going to be even more fierce in the next two years.

The Surface Duo is definitely on my radar as well!
I agree both platforms borrow from and copy from each other. Which is a very good thing as we all benefit from that

 

[Awesomesince86]

My new Mophie wireless fast charger that I recently bought doesn't "fast charge" my Pixel 4 XL. Bummer and not surprised. Otherwise, so far so good as daily driver. Will be able to give the battery life a good test this week. Already miss iMessage, but everything else is great. I like face unlock much more on the Pixel than iPhone. Why can't Apple just add a toggle in settings to go right to the home screen.

My AirPods Pro work perfectly with the Pixel. No software toggles, but I can turn noise cancelling on and off by pressing on the pods themselves. Phone immediately recognizes that they are AAC and switches to that mode in Bluetooth settings without me having to adjust anything / developer options, which is nice.

And of course it's nice to have my handy streaming apps on my phone again that you can't get on iOS.

I would never pay $900 for this phone, glad I got in at $500. Too good to pass up. I almost went with a Note 10+ but think I'm pretty happy with my decision to go Pixel. Of course my girlfriend said she likes the screen on the Note better, haha. The phone is just too large, I'll never use the S pen, and the Pixel is just more fun to use for my purposes.

At that price the Pixel is a steal. It really is a brilliant phone. The more I use it however, the more mad I get that Google used such a small battery. Make the phone slightly thicker and include a 4000 mah battery and this phone turns from pretty good to excellent with pretty much no tradeoff. It was such a dumb decision by them to ship this thing with a 3700 mah battery.