Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Google Pixel 5 and Pixel 5 XL
- Thread starter jamezr
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Unless you truly crave Stock Android, i'd take the S20 FE. Samsung just builds better hardware.
Depends. FE will have a clear hardware lead. It all depends on how much you value Pixel software and camera ability.
Definitely not grippy. Actually sorta slippery. Had I kept mine I would have definitely put a silicon type case on it for gripping purposes.
Maybe I’m off base. But when I think of Pixel software... I think of smoothness. Wouldn’t the FE 120hz close the gap versus Pixel software? I understand Pixel post processing is invaluable, but I don’t know. I think in terms of software it could appear close.
And looking at the front camera specs.. I know megapixels isn’t everything, but I didn’t even know Samsung put a 32mp in the front camera. That’s solid.
I believe the point may have been, if you value pure Android over Samsung's skinned version.
Which will never make up for the skin smoothing effect Samsung apply on all their phones.
I'm not saying One UI is less smooth or anything. Pixel software is very incredibly cohesive and aesthetically tied together. Plus the added features are all useful which I can't say the same for everything Samsung throws in.
No squeeze assistant is really a bummer. I liked that feature. But ‘Now Playing’ is still cool as ever.
I need to grab one. I picked up a Pixel 5 tonight. Loving it so far.
The feel of the material reminds me of my Pixel 2 XL.
It boggles my mind sometimes.... Samsung can be praised for adding features then shunned the next. I get it though.. One UI isn't for everyone.
Dont do it lol, Spigen screwed up their cases for the pixel 5, they all have cutouts for a top speaker that doesn't exist, lots of dust find their way there :/
Last edited:
I'm not "shunning" Samsung. I'm saying that all of the Pixel specific features are very well thought out and integrated into the OS really well. Samsung has some of that too. But they also have features that are worse duplicates of already existing android features and some that are just not useful. They definitely take the mindset to give them everything rather than not enough and that's fine.
Sigh. I’m not surprised. I never cease to marvel over what Google manages to do with software for their phones. But I find myself smh over their lax attitude toward hardware and overall quality.That gap on the screen which a few Pixel 5 users have reported, well Google says it's normal and part of the design.
Google says Pixel 5 screen and body gap is 'normal part of the design'
As customers started receiving the Pixel 5 in mid-October, some noticed a small gap between the display and frame. Google Pixel 5 gap...9to5google.com
It’s frustrating because you know if they put as much effort into the hardware as they do for the software, the Pixels would be unbeatable. But instead we get this sort of thing. Oh well, that’s another year I sit them out. I hope I’m not watching the death of the Pixels, only a “pandemic pause”.
In more aimless personal news you can freely skip:
I am going through my old phones and wiping them clear. It was a blast from the past to see my HTC 10 running as I left it during the last presidential election! I’d meant to keep using it as a music player (superb DAC on that one) and I eventually will set it up that way again. But I have to go through and cull all my non essential phones of their access to my secured accounts. Even my Pixel 2, Snowball is going to get wiped and gently stored away. That one is going to be painful. I sure did get my money’s worth out of that phone, though.
I’m going back to one iPhone 12, and my Samsung S20, both with AT&T sims in them. I wanted my second line to be Verizon, for the times AT&T gets service issues here, but I haven’t been able to talk my husband into that. Especially not during a pandemic.
Pixel 3XL isn’t getting much use, I find the screen very twitchy to type on and navigate, but it’s a solid tertiary backup. For my second in command, though, I trust my Samsung hardware to always come through for me. There have even been times iCloud messed up my iPhones and my Samsungs saved the day. They’re the reason I don’t go back to just one phone.
I’m thinking of taking a break from upgrading the Samsung s20 to another S phone in 2021, though. I’m thinking I’ll go back to the Note later in the year. Or see what they’re doing with the foldables. I have some frustrations with my S20 but I want to keep it longer than I’ve been known to keep my Samsungs. 😆
This seems much better than your previous post. But I think most people have it in the back of their mind... "oh.. here's another gimmick from Samsung," it's been this ongoing dig with critics. You mention features.. some Android features get taken from Samsung. And I understand that in the past, they'll add a feature.. that seemed half thought out. But, I tend to think.. that Samsung has toned down a bit.
If you search previous posts, youll see I'm a big fan of Samsung, especially have much they've improved One UI. But I would be lying if I didn't look at some of the features and think...who would ever use this or why is this needed when Google already have a better version of this app.
Wait a min... I'm not attacking you. Far from that... when I first replied to your comment I should have targeted what I was unsure of which was questioning how you generalized "all" features are useful in regards to Pixel software. And I've used Samsung in the past.. I'm fully aware that sometimes they go overboard with features. I totally agree with you that some features are not needed. But in that same token, some features of Pixel go unused.. because it might not be useful to that particular individual.
I would rather have a feature than not have one...I can always disable what I don 't want or use....
I think Samsung has gotten a bad rep in the past for adding too many features. But the last few years they have toned it down a lot.