I've had the Google Pixel 8 Pro for over a month. Is it still one of the year's best Android phones? Have software bugs ruined it? Here's what I've learned.
www.digitaltrends.com
I love when I read an article by someone who is a "professional" reviewer and writer and they say something like the stainless steel frame on the Pixel 8 Pro is prone to scratches. I just kind of lose faith in the competence of them when they get basic facts wrong and have been using the device for a month??
The review was overall positive but the end was odd. I also had the Pixel 7 Pro since launch and it didn't have major software bugs at all. The Tensor G2 was not great but it wasn't awful either. It did run hot and have poor battery life but day to day performance was fine. Never had any major issues with the phone.
I love the design and feel of the Pixel 8 Pro. It has one of the best screens I have used in a while. I still think the color temperature or balance on the Pixel 7 Pro was perfect but mostly flat screen and rounded corners and edges just make you want to hold the phone.
When you consider what is most important in interacting with a phone a lot of times ergonomics is not considered? I think Google did an amazing job with the industrial design and ergonomic design of the Pixel 8 Pro further solidifying the unique Pixel design language.
On top of that the screen is one of the most important things on a smartphone. One thing I give Apple props for is always having good quality screens and always using a flat screen. Even Apple LCD screens on the iPhone 11 in HD look amazing.
Google gave the Pixel 8 Pro one of the best screens in the industry. Speakers are significantly better as well.
The Aluminum frame would have looked better in a deep blasted finish that has a bit of texture or a brushed finish to match the blasted glass. I know a lot of people consider polished with premium but any polished surface will scratch easily vs a brushed finish which can hide scratches and a blasted finish can wear better as well although it can scratch and show a shiny surface underneath.
Samsung has the best solution with Aluminum armor which is a hardened coating. Stainless steel looks better and is a harder metal but it adds a ton of unnecessary weight. Titanium looks great on paper and is all the rage but from a material engineering standpoint it is not a good choice as a frame for a phone. The problem with Ti is that it is an ultra rigid metal with little give. It is incredibly strong and rigid without breaking which is extremely useful in certain situations. In the example of a phone frame where the frame actually has to absorb impact or it will transfer all of the kinetic energy to other parts of the phone. If Apple has used a Ti frame without the aluminum base it would be even more rigid than it is. Only a 1mm thick piece of Ti is wrapped around the iPhone and it is bonded to Aluminum which holds all the internal parts. That flat aluminum base will absorb some impact but if the entire frame was Ti when the phone drops and hits a hard surface the damage to the screen and back glass and internal boards and wiring could all get damaged worse than stainless steel or all aluminum because those metals absorb some of the impact of a drop where the Ti will transfer all of it.
Ti is also naturally soft and will scratch as easily as aluminum if not hardened or treated.
Sorry, not on topic but I kind of get annoyed by all the people who now want Titanium on everything. I love Titanium but not in a phone. At five times the cost and no benefit to the end user it is just not a smart choice for phones. Aluminum is actually one of the best choices for a phone frame. It is strong, light, malleable under stress, resists corrosion.
Another option would be a carbon fiber frame as it would have the same attributes as aluminum but be non conductive which could be really useful in a phone. A recycled ocean plastic glasstic back with gorilla glass victus front. That would be a extremely light and strong phone with great reception. This is what I want to see, not Titanium.....
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