Nexus-N/Pixel XL ( 2016 )

[coleblk]

Overall is a really great phone but the thing that bothered me over two different Pixel XL units has been screen uniformity. The first unit had a very ugly gradient from extremely yellow at the bottom to pinkish at the top. This new unit is definitely better, but it is more brighter pink the right side of the screen and more dull yellow on the left but quite subtle I would say and only display junkies will pick it up. Otherwise it's a great phone and I do feel that I'll get used to the panel after a while. Returning the 128 GB with the bad screen for the 32 GB both in very silver. The performance is excellent and definitely rivals the iPhone experience in my opinion. For now I'll keep the iPhone 7 of as my daily driver but I'm very impressed with the pixel in a in many different ways. Also, the camera is probably one of the best I've experienced on an Android phone to date.

 

[Fried_Gold]

Guessing this is a Black Friday deal.. for the UK crowd!

Carphone Warehouse currently have reductions on the 32GB Pixel (£529.99) and 32GB Pixel XL (£649.99).

That is £70 off each RRP - available online and in store!

I am semi tempted.. but need to get rid of my 32GB Nexus 5X first! Argh!

KKH

I jumped on this deal yesterday and have my Google Pixel in hand right now, I love it!

 

[JaySoul]

I jumped on this deal yesterday and have my Google Pixel in hand right now, I love it!

I'm considering this too!!

Posted this in S7 thread but no replies:

Kinda Urgent Question...

So Carphone Warehouse are offering me good value to trade-in my S7e for a Google Pixel. Money wise it works for me.

But I can't have both phones at the same time - I need to wipe and give in my Samsung before they will validate the purchase of the Pixel!

How can I get transfer my stuff across to the Pixel after the S& Edge has gone?

 

[cjlee]

I'm considering this too!!

Posted this in S7 thread but no replies:

Kinda Urgent Question...

So Carphone Warehouse are offering me good value to trade-in my S7e for a Google Pixel. Money wise it works for me.

But I can't have both phones at the same time - I need to wipe and give in my Samsung before they will validate the purchase of the Pixel!

How can I get transfer my stuff across to the Pixel after the S& Edge has gone?

Backup your contacts to google and Google photos. Make sure you're calendar is synced to your Gmail. Move your notes into Google keep and you're done

 

[Kiezpirat80]

Since yesterday I have also This wondeful phone. I thought the difference to my s7 edge is not worth it, but it's a so much better experience.
Bought it new for 620 Euro instead of the 899 Google wants in Germany.

Stock Android is such a Joy, everything is so fast and Fluid. The Display is on Pair with my s7 edge and the white point is even better.
The Speaker is better than on my s7 .
Phone feels great in the hands.
Battery life seems great, I have not charged This phone and I am on my second day now.
So glad I tried This phone out.

 

[MRU]

Since yesterday I have also This wondeful phone. I thought the difference to my s7 edge is not worth it, but it's a so much better experience.
Bought it new for 620 Euro instead of the 899 Google wants in Germany.

Stock Android is such a Joy, everything is so fast and Fluid. The Display is on Pair with my s7 edge and the white point is even better.
The Speaker is better than on my s7 .
Phone feels great in the hands.
Battery life seems great, I have not charged This phone and I am on my second day now.
So glad I tried This phone out.

I assume you got the XL ? Yeah I'm still loving mine. It's no frills, but when everything is as smooth as it is and no problems doing anything I want to do, that overrides any extra bells or whistles that I would normally disable in first instance.

For me, my Android phones of the year so far

1. Google Pixel (way ahead)

Followed by these and in close succession to each other ...

2. S7
3. HTC 10
4. S7e. (Knocked down a few spots simply because of the false touches and cumbersome ergonomics).
5. Honor 8


Biggest disappointment Android phone wise this year sadly has to be the Note 7. A potentially truly fantastic phone had it worked without the serious design flaw it had. As well as disappointing it never actually launched here, the fact many of us invested in cases and screen protectors and accessories prior to its launch only to be left without a phone and a gaping hole in the wallet from now redundant accessories we can neither use or sell on.

Second disappointment LG-G5 followed by Moto Z. Modular and v.expensive needs to go as a concept ...


Best surprise, how good the Pixel is even with its 'generic' bordering on f'ugly looks (rear). Second to that the rise of the mid range to be near as close to flagship killers as they promised. The OnePlus 3, 3T, Honor 8 and such proving that at just over half the price of the flagships this year you got a hell of a lot of great handset for your money.


All in all, a pretty decent year for Android.

 

[Kiezpirat80]

I assume you got the XL ?

Yes it's the XL in Quite Black.

Only things i will miss from my s7 edge are wireless charging and water resistance but these are minor things and worth the change for me.

P.S. For me this is the first android phone with iphone like standby time, i love it.

 

[widgeteer]

So I was out last night and wanted to get a couple of pics of our downtown area decorated for Christmas. It was raining, had my IP7+ with me. Didn't think about it once, just took it out and began taking pics. It dawned on me if I had my Pixel XL with me, I probably would have opted against. I guess the water resistance stuff is more useful than I first gave it credit for being.

 

[epicrayban]

So I was out last night and wanted to get a couple of pics of our downtown area decorated for Christmas. It was raining, had my IP7+ with me. Didn't think about it once, just took it out and began taking pics. It dawned on me if I had my Pixel XL with me, I probably would have opted against. I guess the water resistance stuff is more useful than I first gave it credit for being.

Precisely why a 2016 premium flagship should not be missing this feature.

Even if the phone remained in say your pocket, if your pants were to get soaked -- as my shorts did on my recent travels where a typhoon had just passed through -- a waterproof device is safe. The Pixel is not.

 

[Tig Bitties]

So I was out last night and wanted to get a couple of pics of our downtown area decorated for Christmas. It was raining, had my IP7+ with me. Didn't think about it once, just took it out and began taking pics. It dawned on me if I had my Pixel XL with me, I probably would have opted against. I guess the water resistance stuff is more useful than I first gave it credit for being.

Totally agree, waterproof or water resistance is a better feature than people may realize. This Summer at my local pool, there were families with the Galaxy S7 Edge in the pool and by the waterfalls taking photos of their kids, and no worries whatsoever with that phone.

Wireless charging, that's not a gimmick, but actually pretty cool, if you've used before.

Steror speakers, a Nexus hallmark for a few years now, and an HTC selling point for years, so for 2016 the new Nexus built by HTC gets no stereo speakers anymore WTF? Who woulda thunk HTC would stop doing stereo speakers, and that a new Google phone would just stop the stereo speaker thing all of a sudden. And with those HUGE iPhone type bezels, they still couldn't find a way to squeeze in speakers on the top and bottom ?

Listen, I still think the Pixel XL is the best Android phone of 2016, no question, mainly because it's the only high end phone running stock Android, and all other UI's like Touchwiz and Sense, etc...just suck in comparison, and not even needed anymore. But this phone should be more in the $599 price range, and the tiny size Pixel should be like $449 or so.

Now what phone would be worthy of the $800+ price ? A Galaxy Note 7 GPE ( obviously if that phone didn't have the burning issues and not discontinued ) and if Google still allowed manufactures to make a Google Phone Edition of their flagship phone. Imagine a Galaxy Note 7 running stock Android Nougat officially supported by Google and Samsung = BEST PHONE EVER IMO

 

[jamezr]

So I was out last night and wanted to get a couple of pics of our downtown area decorated for Christmas. It was raining, had my IP7+ with me. Didn't think about it once, just took it out and began taking pics. It dawned on me if I had my Pixel XL with me, I probably would have opted against. I guess the water resistance stuff is more useful than I first gave it credit for being.

I agree with you. Waterproofing is more useful than people think it is....
[doublepost=1480267673][/doublepost]

Totally agree, waterproof or water resistance is a better feature than people may realize. This Summer at my local pool, there were families with the Galaxy S7 Edge in the pool and by the waterfalls taking photos of their kids, and no worries whatsoever with that phone.

Wireless charging, that's not a gimmick, but actually pretty cool, if you've used before.

Steror speakers, a Nexus hallmark for a few years now, and an HTC selling point for years, so for 2016 the new Nexus built by HTC gets no stereo speakers anymore WTF? Who woulda thunk HTC would stop doing stereo speakers, and that a new Google phone would just stop the stereo speaker thing all of a sudden. And with those HUGE iPhone type bezels, they still couldn't find a way to squeeze in speakers on the top and bottom ?

Listen, I still think the Pixel XL is the best Android phone of 2016, no question, mainly because it's the only high end phone running stock Android, and all other UI's like Touchwiz and Sense, etc...just suck in comparison, and not even needed anymore. But this phone should be more in the $599 price range, and the tiny size Pixel should be like $449 or so.

Now what phone would be worthy of the $800+ price ? A Galaxy Note 7 GPE ( obviously if that phone didn't have the burning issues and not discontinued ) and if Google still allowed manufactures to make a Google Phone Edition of their flagship phone. Imagine a Galaxy Note 7 running stock Android Nougat officially supported by Google and Samsung = BEST PHONE EVER IMO

wait so now you like Samsung phones? I've heard you rail against them in the past so much.
I can't think of one Nexus phone that has ever had waterproofing. The Pixel is IP53 certified but would love to see it go to IP68 next year....

 

[Tig Bitties]

I agree with you. Waterproofing is more useful than people think it is....
[doublepost=1480267673][/doublepost]
wait so now you like Samsung phones? I've heard you rail against them in the past so much.
I can't think of one Nexus phone that has ever had waterproofing. The Pixel is IP53 certified but would love to see it go to IP68 next year....

I do not like Samsung phones, but was making the point how useful waterproofing can be in the real world. And the top high end phones in 2016 like the iPhone 7, and Galaxy 7 line have that feature, whereas the Google flagship does not, and I think the price on the Pixel should be knocked down a rung because it's missing a crucial feature that the other big $$ 2016 phones have. As also missing stereo speakers, and wireless charging.

I think the Pixel XL should be in that special price point area. More than good budget phones like the OnePlus 3T which is $440, but should not be in that S7 Edge / iPhone 7 Plus $750+ spot. I think the Pixel XL would fit logically in that $599 starting point, and the small Pixel in that $499 spot.

 

[jamezr]

I do not like Samsung phones, but was making the point how useful waterproofing can be in the real world. And the top high end phones in 2016 like the iPhone 7, and Galaxy 7 line have that feature, whereas the Google flagship does not, and I think the price on the Pixel should be knocked down a rung because it's missing a crucial feature that the other big $$ 2016 phones have. As also missing stereo speakers, and wireless charging.

Those are good points TB

 

[kkh786]

I jumped on this deal yesterday and have my Google Pixel in hand right now, I love it!

I sold my Nexus 5X for £160 on Friday and have been offered a sealed Galaxy S7 for £370! In a dilemma if I should go for the Pixel at £530 or the Galaxy S7 at £370 considering I will also keep my iPhone 7! Argh! Decisions decisions!

 

[Fried_Gold]

I sold my Nexus 5X for £160 on Friday and have been offered a sealed Galaxy S7 for £370! In a dilemma if I should go for the Pixel at £530 or the Galaxy S7 at £370 considering I will also keep my iPhone 7! Argh! Decisions decisions!

I had the S7 which was a very nice phone but I'm not big on TouchWiz.

I sold it and bought an iPhone 7 which I did like but got bored of very quickly so I sold it and bought a Pixel which so far I prefer to the S7 and iPhone 7, I dunno if that helps your decision at all.

 

[spriter]

I do not like Samsung phones, but was making the point how useful waterproofing can be in the real world. And the top high end phones in 2016 like the iPhone 7, and Galaxy 7 line have that feature, whereas the Google flagship does not, and I think the price on the Pixel should be knocked down a rung because it's missing a crucial feature that the other big $$ 2016 phones have. As also missing stereo speakers, and wireless charging.

I think the Pixel XL should be in that special price point area. More than good budget phones like the OnePlus 3T which is $440, but should not be in that S7 Edge / iPhone 7 Plus $750+ spot. I think the Pixel XL would fit logically in that $599 starting point, and the small Pixel in that $499 spot.

I dunno, by that logic the iPhone 7 should be also reduced in price given the lack of fast charging (and wireless). And you could arguably add QHD in there as well. I might also mention a certain headphone jack...

Samsung's would naturally be the most expensive then given they tend to have everything and the kitchen sink in there. I'd subtract points for the absence of timely OS updates and OK-but-not-iOS-or-Pixel-smooth UI, though. And customer service?

Which kinds makes them all brilliant yet compromised in some way depending on user needs. Pick your poison, accept a few non-essential concessions, and enjoy your phone.

 

[widgeteer]

I assume you got the XL ? Yeah I'm still loving mine. It's no frills, but when everything is as smooth as it is and no problems doing anything I want to do, that overrides any extra bells or whistles that I would normally disable in first instance.

For me, my Android phones of the year so far

1. Google Pixel (way ahead)

Followed by these and in close succession to each other ...

2. S7
3. HTC 10
4. S7e. (Knocked down a few spots simply because of the false touches and cumbersome ergonomics).
5. Honor 8


Biggest disappointment Android phone wise this year sadly has to be the Note 7. A potentially truly fantastic phone had it worked without the serious design flaw it had. As well as disappointing it never actually launched here, the fact many of us invested in cases and screen protectors and accessories prior to its launch only to be left without a phone and a gaping hole in the wallet from now redundant accessories we can neither use or sell on.

Second disappointment LG-G5 followed by Moto Z. Modular and v.expensive needs to go as a concept ...


Best surprise, how good the Pixel is even with its 'generic' bordering on f'ugly looks (rear). Second to that the rise of the mid range to be near as close to flagship killers as they promised. The OnePlus 3, 3T, Honor 8 and such proving that at just over half the price of the flagships this year you got a hell of a lot of great handset for your money.


All in all, a pretty decent year for Android.

Why would you consider the Moto Z a disappointment? Phone worked great and it's version of mods is brilliantly implemented. It didn't catch on which is disappointing but not shocking. It's very tough for Android OEM's other than Sammy to make a dent with the public.

 

[AOMG]

So far, loving my google pixel. Since this is my first android, is it normal for the phone to drain from 100 to 70% over night?

 

[Tig Bitties]

I dunno, by that logic the iPhone 7 should be also reduced in price given the lack of fast charging (and wireless). And you could arguably add QHD in there as well. I might also mention a certain headphone jack...

Samsung's would naturally be the most expensive then given they tend to have everything and the kitchen sink in there. I'd subtract points for the absence of timely OS updates and OK-but-not-iOS-or-Pixel-smooth UI, though. And customer service?

Which kinds makes them all brilliant yet compromised in some way depending on user needs. Pick your poison, accept a few non-essential concessions, and enjoy your phone.

Bottom line there is NO perfect phone. To me that would be a perfectly fine working Galaxy Note 7 running stock Android directly supported by Google. And then I woke up

 

[JaySoul]

So far, loving my google pixel. Since this is my first android, is it normal for the phone to drain from 100 to 70% over night?

No, that's not normal.

It should drop maybe 1% per hour, at a max 2% per hour. Unless something is going on.

 

[widgeteer]

Bottom line there is NO perfect phone. To me that would be a perfectly fine working Galaxy Note 7 running stock Android directly supported by Google. And then I woke up

Personally, I think the iPhone 7+ is close to perfect. For something that was going to be a blah upgrade, the phone is pretty much a beast. Its killing it for me in virtually every department. Maybe I've been lucky, but nary a single bug or hiccup. Ive had mine since launch.

Note: this isn't about iOS over Android. Just pure phone performance. In fact, I'm writing this post on my Pixel XL. I'm platform agnostic.

 

[Tig Bitties]

Personally, I think the iPhone 7+ is close to perfect. For something that was going to be a blah upgrade, the phone is pretty much a beast. Its killing it for me in virtually every department. Maybe I've been lucky, but nary a single bug or hiccup. Ive had mine since launch.

Note: this isn't about iOS over Android. Just pure phone performance. In fact, I'm writing this post on my Pixel XL. I'm platform agnostic.

I currently have the Nexus 6P, running a 7.1 ROM, and I am loving it. But I can get a great deal from my carrier to pick up a iPhone 7 Plus next month, and think I will, just to play around with it. Of course I would still keep the 6P.

And rumor says once Apple official releases 10.2, a new Jailbreak is supposed to be released.

 

[lowendlinux]

So far, loving my google pixel. Since this is my first android, is it normal for the phone to drain from 100 to 70% over night?

My N6 drops .98% per hour my Pixel drops less but I can't monitor it

 

[MRU]

Why would you consider the Moto Z a disappointment? Phone worked great and it's version of mods is brilliantly implemented. It didn't catch on which is disappointing but not shocking. It's very tough for Android OEM's other than Sammy to make a dent with the public.

It's design was all over the place. It sacrificed so much to offer 'mods' to enhance it - which defeats the purpose and it strayed so far from what made the revised 'moto' line successful that it had an identity crisis.

Square fingerprint sensors, placed on uneven bezels/chin, angular sides, round protruding camera lens, it's design cues were all over the place. It was akin to someone using every font on a page 'just because' ...

The Z for me was a triumph of bad design and form (with expensive added functionality) over essentially other devices which offer everything in one package and with better aesthetic design.

Those essential add-on's such as a hasselbad camera back for €250 which essentially only licenced the Name as the lens was manufacturered by Sony and still produced poorer photos than the S7/S7e ?

Whilst the implementation (how you apply the mod) was better than how LG implemented theirs, it was still an answer to a problem that nobody had asked for. When, for the ability to add a "flush battery module" to a phone, need to make your phone so thin it has to therefore sacrifice the onboard battery capacity and headphone jack, then it stands as nothing more than a poor design contradiction.

The Z on so many levels was for me, one of the biggest disappointments in mobile period. Because as someone who loved the X 2013 onwards - it eschewed every good design choice those devices had for something which was essentially an expensive gimmick.

And if sales are anything to go by, the majority agreed ...

Moto now look set to abandon modules altogether meaning the promise of future compatibility with that €350 projector died,and left a massive burn in the pockets of those daft enough to spend €350 to look 'cool' in the first place ...

 

[widgeteer]

It's design was all over the place. It sacrificed so much to offer 'mods' to enhance it - which defeats the purpose and it strayed so far from what made the revised 'moto' line successful that it had an identity crisis.

Square fingerprint sensors, placed on uneven bezels/chin, angular sides, round protruding camera lens, it's design cues were all over the place. It was akin to someone using every font on a page 'just because' ...

The Z for me was a triumph of bad design and form (with expensive added functionality) over essentially other devices which offer everything in one package and with better aesthetic design.

Those essential add-on's such as a hasselbad camera back for €250 which essentially only licenced the Name as the lens was manufacturered by Sony and still produced poorer photos than the S7/S7e ?

Whilst the implementation (how you apply the mod) was better than how LG implemented theirs, it was still an answer to a problem that nobody had asked for. When, for the ability to add a "flush battery module" to a phone, need to make your phone so thin it has to therefore sacrifice the onboard battery capacity and headphone jack, then it stands as nothing more than a poor design contradiction.

The Z on so many levels was for me, one of the biggest disappointments in mobile period. Because as someone who loved the X 2013 onwards - it eschewed every good design choice those devices had for something which was essentially an expensive gimmick.

And if sales are anything to go by, the majority agreed ...

Moto now look set to abandon modules altogether meaning the promise of future compatibility with that €350 projector died,and left a massive burn in the pockets of those daft enough to spend €350 to look 'cool' in the first place ...

We disagree on the design. The camera bump was there for the mod to cling to. Square fingerprint reader doesn't register one way or the other. I don't think the mod idea is a gimmick, it just had no support which is always the danger lesser OEMs face when launching something that will need developer embracing. The phone's performance is top notch. I don't think people not buying the phone is necessarily a sign they agreed with you. HTC 10 also suffered, for example. That's a phone that is pretty universally well liked in tech circles. I think the issue is when it comes to android it's very difficult to cut through the noise in a store.

I do agree that I preferred the X line though. Then again, I also thought LG was on the right track until the G5. But again, this underlines how hard it is to make a dent for OEMs with Android against Sammy and Apple. They're constantly changing flagships to try to draw attention.