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AustinIllini

macrumors G5
Oct 20, 2011
12,699
10,567
Austin, TX
@GrumpyMom I've found my battery has gotten better over time. I've had the phone a bit over 2 months now and it's definitely better than those first couple weeks.
I thought the adaptive battery settings were kind of nonsense but I agree with you. I don't use my phone a ton, but my battery never gets below 70% in a day's use.
 

Harthag

macrumors 68020
Jun 20, 2009
2,015
2,567
U.S.
Apparently all OLED phones exhibit the smearing on that twitter discussion including iPhones.
Maybe smearing was the wrong word for me to have used. Yeah, smearing happens on most OLED phones that I've seen as well. Blotchiness is a better word for it. It is by far the worst on Pixel phones. In many dark content scenes along with the black crush images are just very blocky, like moving blobs if you will. It has to do with white point and gamma which sadly can't be truly adjusted unless you try a custom kernel. Even then I'm not sure it would work.
 
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tbayrgs

macrumors 604
Jul 5, 2009
7,467
5,097
So I’ve been casually keeping an eye on Google Fi for a while now as an option for an alternate family line. We use quite a bit of cellular data so it wasn’t until I saw mentioned that Google stops charging after 6 GB of data usage that it really grabbed my attention. Being able to grab a data sim to use in another device is also attractive. Figured now's a good time to give Fi a test drive.

Now a reasonable person who already owns a Pixel 2 (backup and general 'phone to mess around with' ;)) would just activate it and get going. However, if you're a gadget geek with no self control...


...you head over to the Google Store and grab a white Pixel 3 XL instead. :p

<Sigh> I have a problem. At least it was on sale.
 

slitherjef

macrumors 65816
Feb 8, 2012
1,402
1,189
Earth
So I’ve been casually keeping an eye on Google Fi for a while now as an option for an alternate family line. We use quite a bit of cellular data so it wasn’t until I saw mentioned that Google stops charging after 6 GB of data usage that it really grabbed my attention. Being able to grab a data sim to use in another device is also attractive. Figured now's a good time to give Fi a test drive.

Now a reasonable person who already owns a Pixel 2 (backup and general 'phone to mess around with' ;)) would just activate it and get going. However, if you're a gadget geek with no self control...


...you head over to the Google Store and grab a white Pixel 3 XL instead. :p

<Sigh> I have a problem. At least it was on sale.

Or if you soft brick your XL 2 by using an untested and relatively new to you Linux operating system to tinker... o_O:(:confused:
 

5105973

Cancelled
Sep 11, 2014
12,132
19,733
My trade in box for my Pixel 2 arrived. :(. I'm sad to see it go, but the trade ins bring new phone prices down to our comfort levels.

The 3XL is a keeper. It isn't a Snowball though until the current Snowball is fully decommissioned and boxed up.
 

SapperMike

macrumors member
May 22, 2017
83
26
Bow
I am really liking nova launcher on my pixel 3. I installed it yesterday and it brings an added touch of customization while keeping the smooth pure android experience at the same time. What’s even better, is some of the apps that did not work with notification.on the regular launcher, like words with friends, now work with notification dots with nova launcher.
 

tbayrgs

macrumors 604
Jul 5, 2009
7,467
5,097
My trade in box for my Pixel 2 arrived. :(. I'm sad to see it go, but the trade ins bring new phone prices down to our comfort levels.

The 3XL is a keeper. It isn't a Snowball though until the current Snowball is fully decommissioned and boxed up.

Just got notified that my ‘snowball’ has shipped. :D And she’s (are phones girls like ships??) already got a fog Pixel case waiting for her at home. :p
 
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AustinIllini

macrumors G5
Oct 20, 2011
12,699
10,567
Austin, TX
My trade in box for my Pixel 2 arrived. :(. I'm sad to see it go, but the trade ins bring new phone prices down to our comfort levels.

The 3XL is a keeper. It isn't a Snowball though until the current Snowball is fully decommissioned and boxed up.
Is it the "not pink" model?

I can think of one or two nicknames for it
"Sand dune"
"Sandcastle"
"Simba"
"Nala"

It's kind of an off white though, right?
 

slitherjef

macrumors 65816
Feb 8, 2012
1,402
1,189
Earth
I am really liking nova launcher on my pixel 3. I installed it yesterday and it brings an added touch of customization while keeping the smooth pure android experience at the same time. What’s even better, is some of the apps that did not work with notification.on the regular launcher, like words with friends, now work with notification dots with nova launcher.

I thought you needed to do some adb UI tweaking to get rid of the gesture based navigation to allow Nova to run?!
 

5105973

Cancelled
Sep 11, 2014
12,132
19,733
Is it the "not pink" model?

I can think of one or two nicknames for it
"Sand dune"
"Sandcastle"
"Simba"
"Nala"

It's kind of an off white though, right?
No, this one is snowy white. I don't usually name phones but last year Snowball arrived ice cold and I had to wait for it to heat up to room temperature to start it. My husband said the 3XL also was ice cold when he signed for it while I was picking the kids up from school. It was warm by the time I got home, though.

Sigh... now I need to figure out what to do next. At the moment the AT&T Sim is out of the 3XL and in my S9+ . I'm trying to get the Pie update on the S9+ and put a Sim into it just in case AT&T is being persnickety. My husband's S9+ got the update and mine didn't. Poo!

I really want to move the Sim from my iPhone to my 3XL. I'm wanting to run the Pixel as my main phone. But that number is tied to my Apple watch. It may just be easier to give my contacts my secondary number. A lot of them have multiple numbers, too, so they wouldn't care.

I don't yet know if my favoritism of Android is going to last. A lot depends on what iOS 13 ends up offering. And if Apple keeps making OLED displays that make me sick and reserving all the best features for those OLED models. Also what's going on with Apple and modems and antennas? My Xr is good, but my XS Max and my husband's were :confused:.

Right now if the watch weren't involved I would run my 3XL and S9+ with Sims and the Xr just on WiFi. I'd take a little break from iOS. Just a little one. I want to do a head to head intense daily life comparison between Samsung and Google.
 

slitherjef

macrumors 65816
Feb 8, 2012
1,402
1,189
Earth
Installed Nova launcher on my XL 3 and, well, it installed right on top of the gesture based Google launcher :eek: not instead of o_O

So, looks like some adb tweaking is still required to get rid of the gesture navigation :rolleyes:
 

5105973

Cancelled
Sep 11, 2014
12,132
19,733
Awww, @GrumpyMom's Pixel 3XL AKA Frosty :)

I love love love the quality of Apple hardware overall. This Pixelbook is close (the keyboard is way way better) but I miss macOS. Not missing iOS at the moment.
Frosty is a great name! I was going to just name the new phone Snowball 2 or 3XL but this suits the new phone better to get its own name.

My husband outlined everything I’d need to do to switch the main sim into Frosty. It’s going to be a royal pain in the butt so I’m not going to do it yet. I do use my iPhone XR daily.

I have a weird love-hate thing going on with the XR. I love the design and the looks and the overall function. It works well as a phone and is pretty much the only iPhone I’ve ever owned that I can say that about.

But atypical of Xr’s in general it tends to overheat a lot when I least expect it and the battery drains fast and it has sucky standby, too. It performs weird on this forum, with cutting and pasting only working some of the time.

It didn’t start out like that but somewhere along with the line it went wonky. Same exact thing happened to my 7 Plus. It had a strong start, received an iOS update and never ran as well ever again and just got worse with the overheating and battery drain and odd behavior.

I was thinking I got myself one that’s a little bit “snakebit” as my dad calls appliances or cars or gadgets that are not quite lemons’ level of dysfunctional, but there’s just something a little bit “off” about them that is hard to catch on a typical diagnostic and causes just enough mischief to attract your notice but is not so bad you feel justified getting rid of it.

Like you know the moment you take it in to the fixit place it’s going to function perfectly, but the minute you walk out of there with the staff thinking you’re crazy, it’s going to do all the usual wonky things it does to drive you nuts. Basically you’re being gaslighted by an inanimate object. :rolleyes: Well anyway that’s what I’ve got going on with my Xr. I had a Galaxy S7 that was like that, too.
 

Roadstar

macrumors 68000
Sep 24, 2006
1,723
2,190
Vantaa, Finland
Right now if the watch weren't involved I would run my 3XL and S9+ with Sims and the Xr just on WiFi. I'd take a little break from iOS. Just a little one. I want to do a head to head intense daily life comparison between Samsung and Google.

I can relate to that. If it weren’t for the watch, my main SIM most likely wouldn’t have returned to the iPhone 8. It’ll be interesting to see if something good comes out of the watch tech Google purchased from Fossil for $40M. The current WearOS watches don’t look that enticing especially with Qualcomm being slow with their wearables chips while Apple’s team is killing it with annual iterations to theirs. Of course it would also help if the Apple Watch worked with Android too, but we all know how unlikely that is to happen.
 
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tbayrgs

macrumors 604
Jul 5, 2009
7,467
5,097
Right now if the watch weren't involved I would run my 3XL and S9+ with Sims and the Xr just on WiFi. I'd take a little break from iOS. Just a little one. I want to do a head to head intense daily life comparison between Samsung and Google.

Similar situation for me. The Apple Watch is the least replaceable piece of everyday tech I own and it’s why I’m going to add my new Pixel 3 XL to Google Fi and keep as a second line. If I find myself happy enough with the daily user experience, I think I’m going to sell my XS Max and pick up and older (7 or 8) or less expensive (XR) iPhone model to keep paired with the Apple Watch, which I’ll keep on my cellular plan and continue to wear daily.

I love my Max—trying a Pixel again has nothing to do with any dissatisfaction with that phone but moreso some personal frustration with Apple’s business practices lately and pricing trends. The $ I’d recoup selling the Max and replacing with an XR (I have access to a Friends and Family discount at Apple too ;)) nearly covers the cost of the 3 XL after trading in my Pixel 2. That alone exemplifies the pricing problem at Apple right now.

The watch is really the obstacle. And before anyone else chimes in, no, Samsung’s offerings are not adequate replacements for my use. I love my Apple Watch and it’s not going anywhere. :D
 
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5105973

Cancelled
Sep 11, 2014
12,132
19,733
My husband seems to have shelved his Apple Watch altogether. But he was never a fan of it the way I am. Fortunately when either of us decides to part with Apple products, we have lots of family members happy to take them. Though we've gifted them enough new things that lately we just trade our phones and watches back in.

I am toying with the idea of not getting the new iPad mini when it comes out and replacing it with the Note 10 or that huge azz S10 super plus sized monstrosity. Whichever is largest. I could run it off WiFi.

Samsung is starting to make its phones almost as large as the small Nexus tablet my husband and I shared several years ago. I really liked that tablet but wasn't a fan of the old version of Android that was on it.

The problem is I still want the little S10 e or lite. That leaves zero room for an iPhone. And the sad thing is I only care because of my Apple Watch. The phone itself is no longer the most compelling part of the ecosystem. I certainly don't hate it. But it just isn't keeping up with providing the little extras that make the little slab of glass more compelling. The camera for videos may be the best but photos are now only just as good, not leaps and bounds better.

Face ID is certainly advanced but it just unlocks the phone and makes animoji. Even AR that Tim Cook talks so much about, I rarely use it on iOS but hardly a week goes by I don't use it on a Pixel in Playgrounds.

The call screening thing on Pixels, well I've seen callers get around it, but it's still really nice to have and I want it on my main number. I want the 3XL as my main phone.

And the sad thing for me is that even if and when Apple does produce the most compelling phone again, if they don't undo whatever it is they did to OLED specifications that can leave me looking and functioning like I had a stroke, I will be stuck on the outside looking in at its top of the line models. A forum member was in close communication with Apple about that but they're just not very forthcoming about whether or not they are attempting to address it.
 
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kazmac

macrumors G4
Mar 24, 2010
10,103
8,658
Any place but here or there....
Frosty is a great name! I was going to just name the new phone Snowball 2 or 3XL but this suits the new phone better to get its own name.

My husband outlined everything I’d need to do to switch the main sim into Frosty. It’s going to be a royal pain in the butt so I’m not going to do it yet. I do use my iPhone XR daily.

I have a weird love-hate thing going on with the XR. I love the design and the looks and the overall function. It works well as a phone and is pretty much the only iPhone I’ve ever owned that I can say that about.

But atypical of Xr’s in general it tends to overheat a lot when I least expect it and the battery drains fast and it has sucky standby, too. It performs weird on this forum, with cutting and pasting only working some of the time.

It didn’t start out like that but somewhere along with the line it went wonky. Same exact thing happened to my 7 Plus. It had a strong start, received an iOS update and never ran as well ever again and just got worse with the overheating and battery drain and odd behavior.

I was thinking I got myself one that’s a little bit “snakebit” as my dad calls appliances or cars or gadgets that are not quite lemons’ level of dysfunctional, but there’s just something a little bit “off” about them that is hard to catch on a typical diagnostic and causes just enough mischief to attract your notice but is not so bad you feel justified getting rid of it.

Like you know the moment you take it in to the fixit place it’s going to function perfectly, but the minute you walk out of there with the staff thinking you’re crazy, it’s going to do all the usual wonky things it does to drive you nuts. Basically you’re being gaslighted by an inanimate object. :rolleyes: Well anyway that’s what I’ve got going on with my Xr. I had a Galaxy S7 that was like that, too.


If it were me, I’d exchange that Xr. My first 7+ acted like that and I returned within two days.

Waited over 4 months to get a replacement (I tried Android in the meantime and was not keen on it).

I am waiting on Android phones, so I can try again and ditch this 8+.

Flat screen, no PWM, or other vision issues, and a good trade in offer for this 8+, and I am gone.

Just want to try something else and see how things have changed software-wise.
 
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5105973

Cancelled
Sep 11, 2014
12,132
19,733
If it were me, I’d exchange that Xr. My first 7+ acted like that and I returned within two days.

Waited over 4 months to get a replacement (I tried Android in the meantime and was not keen on it).

I am waiting on Android phones, so I can try again and ditch this 8+.

Flat screen, no PWM, or other vision issues, and a good trade in offer for this 8+, and I am gone.

Just want to try something else and see how things have changed software-wise.
I'm way past any return or exchange period so I will have to deal with the genius bar to resolve it at some point when I can summon the time and patience.

We are up to our ears in elder care stuff which is why playing around with phones is the only "hobby" I have energy for.

I used to do a lot more with my time but dropping everything and picking back up over and over...after awhile you just throw your hands in the air and resign yourself to your smartphone being your best amusement. It really is amazing the variety of entertainment and assistance and utility these little slabs of glass and metal can provide. When viewed that way, I suppose they are worth a lot.
 
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