I’m starting to feel the itch of trying android again. My last Pixel was the 7 Pro, and I returned it due to overheating and battery life issues. I heard the 8 series uses a new chip that (mostly) fixes these issues, so I’m tempted to get back into the fold. By the time the iPhone is paid off, we’ll likely be in the 9 series though.
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Phones Google Pixel 8/8 Pro
- Thread starter BMox81
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I loved my Barely Blue Pixel 4a but I got a killer offer from Google that gave me 85% of its original value so it was sent off to Google for my Pixel 7 Pro. I missed that almost white-blueberry color. It was unmistakable and a very Googley color.
Well I might have duplicated it but wih another color. Meet Barely Purple for my Pixel 8 which I just received and yes that crappy Pixel camera managed to show lint on the back of the case. 🥳
Well I might have duplicated it but wih another color. Meet Barely Purple for my Pixel 8 which I just received and yes that crappy Pixel camera managed to show lint on the back of the case. 🥳
Go for it, the P8 Pro has exceeded my expectations so far, also mostly use iPhone. Granted, Beeper has made the switch virtually painless with iMessage integration. I switched cold turkey, my iPhone is in a drawer with no SIM. Even got the Sony XM5 earbuds on sale so I can ditch AirPods during the transition.
I never last more than 4 months on Android, but the Pixel 8 Pro despite its faults is the best Pixel Google has made, imo. I never got the Pro before due to curved screens, so this time feels much different.
When my call screen is talking to the caller, I can't hear it. Not sure how to do that.Apparently it is here now, beta I think. There are features that we don't get tho, like summarise. I'm not sure if that will be coming at a later date. The same with Bard, is that just a US feature too?
"As for the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, you only get the latest, AI-enhanced version of the Call Screen feature (which includes a more natural sounding voice and better spam call prevention) if you’re in the US (and have your phone’s language set to English). This similarly is a major feature of the Pixel 8 line."
Outside the US? Then you’ll be getting worse versions of the Google Pixel 8 and iPhone 15
An unequal approachwww.techradar.com
I have my set to medium security so not sure what Bard is either.
I am really frustrated with the PW2 and how it interacts with a PW. So I managed to get the PW2 setup with my P8P. I received my P8 the other day. You would think at least I did, that it would be pretty seamless. Heck no, it's another visit to the bowels of technological hell, thanks to Google.
I had the Pixel Watch app installed and I tried to pair it like I did the last time thru the app. The process looks like everything is going well, it pairs to the PW2, the message appears on the PW2, "continue on the phone". I'm ask to accept all the legal mumbo jumbo, confirm account, it takes me thru the tutorial, it opens Fitbit. Fitbit asks if I want to replace the PW2 app, I say yes. Fitbit opens and ask me what I want to monitor. I select the groups, I respond to the Fitbit prompts, I decline Fitbit premium, then the next screen is the PW app which automatically appears.
The PW2 still displays "continue on phone". I have done several restarts and a full PW2 reset and none of that works. My last resort is to reset the phone and the watch to start all over, yikes. 😖
The biggest frustration is that the setup rules aren't consistent. What worked the first time, may not work the next time.
I had the Pixel Watch app installed and I tried to pair it like I did the last time thru the app. The process looks like everything is going well, it pairs to the PW2, the message appears on the PW2, "continue on the phone". I'm ask to accept all the legal mumbo jumbo, confirm account, it takes me thru the tutorial, it opens Fitbit. Fitbit asks if I want to replace the PW2 app, I say yes. Fitbit opens and ask me what I want to monitor. I select the groups, I respond to the Fitbit prompts, I decline Fitbit premium, then the next screen is the PW app which automatically appears.
The PW2 still displays "continue on phone". I have done several restarts and a full PW2 reset and none of that works. My last resort is to reset the phone and the watch to start all over, yikes. 😖
The biggest frustration is that the setup rules aren't consistent. What worked the first time, may not work the next time.
Believe me, I would if I could. I checked out some reviews to make sure I was up to date with everything, and I’m pretty much sold on it. But I have a long way to go until this iPhone is paid off.
Not much of a birding camera but the lil flighty woodpecker stuck around long enough for me to try to get an image... Still a large zoom in and hefty crop.
I ended up trading in my iPhone 14PM for a 15PM and switched back to the iPhone as my daily. I still have the P8P and now just use it at the house as a miniature tablet.
The main thing that ruined the Pixel for me was the horrible modem. Signal wasn't nearly as good as the iPhone or the S24U I used to have. For example, across the street from me is a tower that all the carriers use, and on the iPhone I have full signal always, but on the P8P, it would be full sometimes, and I even caught it going down the half, then slowly going to nothing then back up to full. Initially I was thinking it could be AT&T load balancing my signal among various towers, but my iPhone doesn't do that. Also, when out and about, I know coverage in my local area, and the Pixel isn't nearly as good as the iPhone. Now I know a lot of people say they have good experience with the Pixel modem, but these are just my own experiences.
Also, I use Wireless Android Auto and it would drop connection a lot. It would come back on by itself a few minutes later, but Apple CarPlay doesn't drop. This I am chalking up to software glitches with Android Auto though, and don't really think it's a phone issue.
I really like the P8P, and would have stayed on it for my daily, but I just don't want to mess with a flaky modem. One thing also to keep in mind is that flaky modems which have signal issues can increase battery usage trying to maintain signal.
The main thing that ruined the Pixel for me was the horrible modem. Signal wasn't nearly as good as the iPhone or the S24U I used to have. For example, across the street from me is a tower that all the carriers use, and on the iPhone I have full signal always, but on the P8P, it would be full sometimes, and I even caught it going down the half, then slowly going to nothing then back up to full. Initially I was thinking it could be AT&T load balancing my signal among various towers, but my iPhone doesn't do that. Also, when out and about, I know coverage in my local area, and the Pixel isn't nearly as good as the iPhone. Now I know a lot of people say they have good experience with the Pixel modem, but these are just my own experiences.
Also, I use Wireless Android Auto and it would drop connection a lot. It would come back on by itself a few minutes later, but Apple CarPlay doesn't drop. This I am chalking up to software glitches with Android Auto though, and don't really think it's a phone issue.
I really like the P8P, and would have stayed on it for my daily, but I just don't want to mess with a flaky modem. One thing also to keep in mind is that flaky modems which have signal issues can increase battery usage trying to maintain signal.
I live in the UK, in a small town where coverage can be a problem, I don't have an issue with my iPhone 14 Pro Max when it comes to signal or even 4G coverage (5G isn't fully available here yet).
I've had no issues with signal or modem yet compared to my iPhone. Ran a few speed tests and network speed is the same on the Pixel. I also have used wireless Android Auto daily since last weekend and have not experienced any drop outs.
Many variables at play obviously, stinks that it's been a headache for you thus far.
Sick, is all I can say about these official Pixel cases. I ordered the coral color for my porcelain 8 Pro. The cool thing is the buttons are chrome and match the color of the camera visor.
I was hesitant on Google cases after the Pixel 6 cases warping and discoloring real bad or at least that's what I read. Prior to that I bought a several Google cases for my 4a and 4a 5G phones. I loved those fabric cases they sold. So I wasn't sure how these would turn out. I love the new P8P cases and i've purchased the bay, mint and coral colors for my 8 Pro. All of them were discounted so that made it even better.
That's a great looking case 
it would be nice if they had them with Magsafe
it would be nice if they had them with Magsafe
So I am mad at Google right now. I had a complete backup of my P8P on Google Drive. Checked it to make sure it was current. Factory reset my P8P and tried to restore it from my back up. Found out the back up is gone. I Google it and apparently Google deleted the back up because i the factory reset. So now it is setting up as new all again.
Wow, I would be mad too. What's the point of a backup if you can't reload it after a factory reset? In fact don't they ask you during the initial setup if you want to restore from a backup?
They ask if you want to restore from anther device using a cable. It even sees my S23U backup on G drive.
Weird. I looked it up and it is an issue. But you can restore old device to new device really easily.
This is definitely one of the things that made me cringe about using Google One backup. I used to make CLI-based local backups on my Mac when I had Pixel and OnePlus phones.
These days I'm using Samsung's Smart Switch app to make full local backups of my S23+ on a USB-C attached SD-Card.
That sux man! That's the next thing Google needs to address and that is backup and restore to a Google device. They addressed the support for their phones by doing 7 yrs for both the hardware and software. Now it's time for them to implement something Apple has been doing for years. You setup a device as new, they'll ask you if you want to copy or restore. When I have used the restore option on my iPad's in the past, it restored everything to the way it ways, including the wallpaper and apps I was using and the way the icons were arranged.
My thoughts too. I mean Google is (imho) one of most if not the most advanced technology companies in the world.
But restoring data from and old device over the cloud is a gap in their service offerings.
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Yesterday I finally saw the new Pixels at a store and had a chance to play around with them. My first impressions weren't great.
They are comfortable in the hand and do feel premium. However, the bezels around the screen were bigger than I thought and I didn't like the feel of the power and volume buttons.
Might sound weird, but I also didn't like the OS animations. They felt slower than on my S23+, for example when pulling down the notification panel with a gesture in the home screen. I also think the design of the OS needs more pop. It's very plain and boring.
Screen seemed slightly brighter than my S23+. Camera app very simple and same speed as Samsung when taking pictures.
One thing I liked is that I saw an option for the screen to turn on when notifications arrive, just like with iOS. Does it work the same? For me this would be awesome, as it is something I really miss from my iPhone 12.
I also tried the Pixel 7a. My god. It might be cheap but I wouldn't be able to use that phone with those huge bezels. Companies need to stop associating cheap phones with big bezels. Nowadays it's not that expensive to have small bezels.
I will try more the phone another day. Just had a few minutes with them.
They are comfortable in the hand and do feel premium. However, the bezels around the screen were bigger than I thought and I didn't like the feel of the power and volume buttons.
Might sound weird, but I also didn't like the OS animations. They felt slower than on my S23+, for example when pulling down the notification panel with a gesture in the home screen. I also think the design of the OS needs more pop. It's very plain and boring.
Screen seemed slightly brighter than my S23+. Camera app very simple and same speed as Samsung when taking pictures.
One thing I liked is that I saw an option for the screen to turn on when notifications arrive, just like with iOS. Does it work the same? For me this would be awesome, as it is something I really miss from my iPhone 12.
I also tried the Pixel 7a. My god. It might be cheap but I wouldn't be able to use that phone with those huge bezels. Companies need to stop associating cheap phones with big bezels. Nowadays it's not that expensive to have small bezels.
I will try more the phone another day. Just had a few minutes with them.
I have never got caught up in all of that. It just doesn't bother me the least. For me it's all about the Google core apps such as Goggle's call screener, Gmaps, Gmail, etc. If you are considering a Pixel phone based on aesthetics, you will be disappointed as Google prioritizes software features and AI over everything else and they are way ahead of everyone else when it comes to their AI and magic software. I recently purchased my very first iPhone and it's turned off 99% of the time. It's not that there's anything wrong with the iPhone it's just that I can't function without Google's core apps, especially their call screener.