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Pixel 6/Pixel 6 Pro

Got tired of waiting for the OTA update so I just sideloaded it. My P6P feels faster overall but I don't really notice a difference with the fingerprint reader; although I didn't have any issues on the previous release. Hopefully when the December monthly updates release I won't have to sideload, but at least if I have to I know how to do it now.

After about 2 weeks of owning the P6P it is now my main device and my 13 mini is now my back up device. Only real issue that I have with it is the adaptive brightness is really bad. It does seem like it may be better with the update but I need more time to test. Overall I'm very happy and I intend to keep this as my main device for at least a year as I'd like to see what Apple releases next year with iOS 16 and iPhone 14. If it's more of the same then I'll most likely stay with the P6P as my main device for longer.
 
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840quadra said:
This is a great platform and the hardware feels as good as my beloved iPhone XS Max phone. No curved screen, but the curved edges are nice on the hand, and the phone is weighted in such a way that it feels well balanced.

Pixel doesn’t have as high spec of a screen, but the ability to super compress text size makes the phone feel much bigger and give me much more usable screen space than my iPhones. I love compacting things down to fit more on a browser page, or productivity app.



I am wondering for your iOS needs, if the new iPad Mini would bother your eyes? I love mine, it is really fast, and apps load great on it. Not sure if the jelly scroll would bother you, I do lots of visual work, and haven’t been impacted by it anymore than I am on my M1 MacBook Pro (Jelly scroll exists when you go side to side like most consumer laptops around the world).

I am not sure how long I will keep the Pixel, but the intent is to do 2-5 years, unless there is something super compelling on the next one, and I can find a good buyer ;) .




I have had mixed results with various appliances over the years, as well as my 1st generation Apple Watch aging it’s battery prematurely. Since I tend to hold onto devices for ages I just don’t want to add to battery degradation of my devices.

Part of my issue is I deal with Datacenters (day job) and Lithium ion batteries for various systems are the bane of my existence. Really hoping we start to make further leaps in bounds in this technology as we have in mobile processors.
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Our whole family is getting ipad minis for Christmas, so I guess I'll find out if jellyscroll will be a problem. I've seen it in action at the store. It looked goofy but not especially problematic, but I can't tell until I've owned it awhile, unfortunately.
 
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GrumpyMom said:
Our whole family is getting ipad minis for Christmas, so I guess I'll find out if jellyscroll will be a problem. I've seen it in action at the store. It looked goofy but not especially problematic, but I can't tell until I've owned it awhile, unfortunately.
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Speaking of iPad Mini. I bought one and really like it. Even with it's pretty rubbish screen (IMO).
But since having a 6 Pro, I'm not picking my iPad up for anything other than work calls and using my electronic planner.

All of my social and media browsing stuff is being done on the Pro, which I guess is down to the large screen.
May end up even selling my Mini on if I don't start using it a little more.

In other news, my Pixel battery has been really solid lately. So impressed with it. It's not a 2 day phone or anything like that for me, but I charge nightly anyway so that's no biggie. But I have no issues getting through a day with it.
 
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GrumpyMom said:
Our whole family is getting ipad minis for Christmas, so I guess I'll find out if jellyscroll will be a problem. I've seen it in action at the store. It looked goofy but not especially problematic, but I can't tell until I've owned it awhile, unfortunately.
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All of my tablets have some level of wavy screen (jelly scrolling) including a 6th and 9th gen iPads. The worst was my Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7” which I purchased 4 yrs ago. In portrait mode it’s really noticeable but in landscape mode it clears up just like the new iPad mini.

Samsung had a killer BF deal. They gave me $350 trade in for my Galaxy Tab S2 that I purchased from Amazon for $249. I‘ve always liked BIG tablets so I purchased the 256GB Galaxy Tab S7 Plus 12.4”. Samsung also threw in the new Galaxy Buds 2 for free. So the entire deal cost me $409 tax included. Savings was around $750.

I’m really looking forward to the Galaxy Tab S7 plus because all the reviews rave about the Super AMOLED display.
 
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Supersonicc said:
I agree with everything @aggie99 said on the 6 Pro.

So I have been using the 6 Pro as my current daily driver since Google sent it, I am using mine for everything from work to gaming to general like YouTube, movies. I've been really positive about the 6 Pro from the start, but I think after owning for a while I'm ready to balance that out to provide a few of the negatives and bug-bears that I have found in my user experience.

Hardware is overall great with caveats - I love the form factor of the 6 Pro coming from a 13 Pro Max, both similar in size but 6 Pro easier to hold. Matt sides are great, official cases work well and new camera bump I love too. However, the curved screen has noticeable colour difference off axis - so if not looking directly on screen the colours look darker on the curves. Also I don't really like the curve, I thought I would forget about it but they do frustrate me despite making for easier swiping back & forth. I just wish they were not there. Every-time I pick up the iPhone the flat screen is much better to use.

Software, I love Material You and Android 12 smashes it for me as the best iteration to date. On the 6 Pro, Face Unlock should have been brought over from the Pixel 4XL, this was a mistake by Google in my view not to have it on the 6 Pro. So I'm definitely missing face unlock and, whilst I'm ok with the optical FPS, Google should not have skimped on an ultra-sonic version as per Samsung. The FPS speed is ok but wish it was a bit quicker.

Video is another Pixel issue for me, I've been spoilt with the 13 Pro Max video and the difference is significant in terms of quality and what you can do with video. I use professional video cameras for proper videography so no issue for me but to the very small majority that prefer video over cameras, I would recommend the iPhone over the Pixel. Google have vastly improved since the below-par 5 video quality but they need keep investing in video development like Apple do to keep up with the competition.

Next, battery - I am struggling to make it through a full day without a charge. I am a power user so that is the reason but for a large 5003mAh the 6 Pro should be as good as the iPhone. My iPhone easily lasts longer. Google will optimise the software so the battery will last longer but batter life really should be better for a flagship.

It is fair to say we all expected a bit more from the performance of the Tensor chip, even on its first rendition and especially after Google spent months shouting about it. Is is just not on par with Apple and Samsung in certain areas when the chip is under load & stress, gaming in particular as a highlight.

The gaming is nowhere near as fluid or fast as the iPhone, I know Apple have spent time customising the software with their own SOC. I've experienced throttling & frame rate drops too, has to be the heat. Compared to my 13 Pro Max and mates Galaxies, the 6 Pro is not on par - but I would say this is not noticeable for most users unless power gamers.

With the modem, again like the FPS, this is classic Google trying to cost-cut to save money - the older 2020 Samsung modem in the 6 Pro is just not on par with the performance Qualcomm x60 modem or 2021 Samsung modem - the gap is significant. Again, probably wouldn't bother most users though.

Also have to mentioned the emotion factor of the way the 6 Pro makes you feel in use. In one way, I love how the 6 Pro feels - great to use all the time and, overall, I definitely prefer to pick it up and use over my iPhone. However, with the new form factor, whilst the software is Pixel, the 6 Pro feels like a previous Samsung S series instead of a Pixel. I do prefer the 4XL to the 6 Pro in this area. This is where the standard Pixel 6 comes into own where it actually looks and feels like a Pixel should with software & hardware. Kudos to Google for trying to pushing the boat out to separate the 6 and 6 Pro but I do think they should have made the 6 Pro more 'Pixel'.

That noted, I understand why majority of reviewers are saying go for the 6 over the 6 Pro but lets also be clear on this - the Pro definitely has a lot more features to make it a true Pixel flagship vs the 6. A lot of users will be more than happy with the 6 (especially with the monetary saving) but anyone looking at an iPhone 13 Pro or 13 Pro Max will want to look at the 6 Pro as a proper competitor, not the 6.

Overall I do think all the positives greatly outweigh the negatives - I stand by the 6 Pro as the best phone of the year for the majority of Android users who do want an Android alternative to Samsung etc. 100% the Pixel is the best phone for iPhone users looking to switch to Android. For anyone still on the fence about buying a Pixel, just stop and pick one up!

What I've realised though is that I have become increasingly more of a power user again over the last year and I do really require a phone that can do more in terms of versatility and performance. I used to love using the Nokia Communicator back in the day instead of a usual mobile phone! So next for me, I am going to try and find an X Fold 3 in a Black Friday deal and dual that with my 6 Pro. As always, I'll use both back to back. I was holding out for the Pixel Fold but as that has been axed for the foreseeable future, Samsung is the only viable option right now until Huawei can bring Google back into their 'fold'.
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If battery life is an issue for you, you are not going to enjoy the galaxy fold 3. Battery life was my biggest issue with that phone. The pixel 6 Pro has much greater battery life than the Fold 3.
 
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Since I trust our Pixel family so much - talk me out of upgrading my early 2015 MacBook Air to a 14 or 16" MacBook Pro with the M1 Pro. Also note that this upgrade would almost definitely also replace my late 2015 27" Retina 5K iMac. I hate the thought of giving up my iMac... love the big screen. But since the pandemic, I really haven't used it that much because I have a MBP for work and I use the air siting on my couch.

Tongue in cheek of course. But if someone has one of the MBPs with the M1 Pro and HATES it or wants to recommend something else in the mac laptop line - shout!
 
samcraig said:
Since I trust our Pixel family so much - talk me out of upgrading my early 2015 MacBook Air to a 14 or 16" MacBook Pro with the M1 Pro. Also note that this upgrade would almost definitely also replace my late 2015 27" Retina 5K iMac. I hate the thought of giving up my iMac... love the big screen. But since the pandemic, I really haven't used it that much because I have a MBP for work and I use the air siting on my couch.

Tongue in cheek of course. But if someone has one of the MBPs with the M1 Pro and HATES it or wants to recommend something else in the mac laptop line - shout!
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I for one would not give up my iMac now especially because I'm working from home and I use two screens. But even if I wasn't working from home, I just love sitting behind the desk and looking at a big screen just overall sitting at the desk instead of on my couch. I'm still using a 2011 MacBook Pro which I can't update anymore and I had to do a little maneuvering with it to get it to stay on boot and not fail on me. Thank you YouTube lol..

The new MacBook Pro does look nice though..
 
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aggie99 said:
Also, the modem performance is not up par with the Qualcomm x60 modem. When side by side with my devices with the Qualcomm modem I've noticed lower speeds. Also, being used on AT&T, it seems to have connectivity issues at times.
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Yep, I’ve had quite a few disconnection issues on P6P unlocked on Verizon. For me, it’s been one of the biggest issues.
 
Tig Bitties said:
www.xda-developers.com

Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro Display Review: Questionable value OLED tech

The Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are the latest flagships known for their cameras. But how well does their display perform? Check it out!
www.xda-developers.com www.xda-developers.com

6 Pro display clearly higher quality and the better display
Click to expand...

I'm on the pro now and the display is great. But, I don't see a huge difference and thought that regular 6's display was great. Brightness on the regular 6 was a little less, but plenty bright.
 
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I definitely noticed colour shift on my regular 6 when I had it. The Pro never had it, but the 6 would rainbow effect on angles. No big deal really as I only ever look at my phone front on, but I did pick up on it.

By and large though, still a good panel I think.

I went for a dog walk today and tried to snap some pics with my Pro. I missed a few as I struggled to get the phone out of my pocket and then trying to do it all one handed was really difficult. I still dislike how big this phone is in certain scenarios. I am using a case too, which adds bulk, but you can bet if I hadn't had a case on I'd have ended up dropping it whilst fumbling about. ?
 
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Is anyone aware of any plans to bring material you to Android Auto? I'm not a big fan of the current user interface and miss Apple carplay.
 
nospleen said:
Is anyone aware of any plans to bring material you to Android Auto? I'm not a big fan of the current user interface and miss Apple carplay.
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TBH they're both just meh to me ...as long I can run Waze and music I don't pay much attention..it would be nice to see a refresh
 
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Aneres11 said:
I definitely noticed colour shift on my regular 6 when I had it. The Pro never had it, but the 6 would rainbow effect on angles. No big deal really as I only ever look at my phone front on, but I did pick up on it.

By and large though, still a good panel I think.

I went for a dog walk today and tried to snap some pics with my Pro. I missed a few as I struggled to get the phone out of my pocket and then trying to do it all one handed was really difficult. I still dislike how big this phone is in certain scenarios. I am using a case too, which adds bulk, but you can bet if I hadn't had a case on I'd have ended up dropping it whilst fumbling about.
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I think we need to get you a case with a lanyard for these occasions lol ..I hear ya though ..
 
nospleen said:
I'm on the pro now and the display is great. But, I don't see a huge difference and thought that regular 6's display was great. Brightness on the regular 6 was a little less, but plenty bright.
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Brightness is what I noticed mostly..but If I was using it daily I'd have no issues ..
 
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samcraig said:
Since I trust our Pixel family so much - talk me out of upgrading my early 2015 MacBook Air to a 14 or 16" MacBook Pro with the M1 Pro. Also note that this upgrade would almost definitely also replace my late 2015 27" Retina 5K iMac. I hate the thought of giving up my iMac... love the big screen. But since the pandemic, I really haven't used it that much because I have a MBP for work and I use the air siting on my couch.

Tongue in cheek of course. But if someone has one of the MBPs with the M1 Pro and HATES it or wants to recommend something else in the mac laptop line - shout!
Click to expand...
I have a new 16” MBP and it’s a pretty amazing device—and I have absolutely nothing in my daily workflow that takes advantage of its capabilities. ? That being said, performance is amazing, the screen is gorgeous and battery life lives up to the hype. It’s nobody’s dedicated machine in my household yet but I chose it over the MBA because my son has been doing work with CAD software for engineering and the extra oomph can help. I also had $1500 of unused older intel Mac laptops so it wasn’t much to upgrade (have an Apple employee in the family so had a discount ;)).

So, all that being said, if I was in your shoes I’d just get a new M1 MBA. It’s a little power house with a really nice display and ridiculous battery life—and it’s dead quiet since it has no fans. If you’re just using it as a secondary device, it’ll be way more than enough. Hell, Apple has refurb units (basically brand new, same warranty support) for only $849. I’ve picked up 4-5 over the years, including my wife’s work computer and never had any issues. Save the extra $1200-$1500 you’d spend on a MBP and put that towards a new iMac Pro (or whatever it’s called) when it’s likely updated later this year.
 
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They gotta drop an update with face unlock. This scanner is just too inefficient. It's still slow and still needs perfect conditions to work right.
 
My simple homescreen and lockscreen;
 

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