Pixel 3 Personal Concerns

I’ve been trying to keep up with some of the Pixel 3 rumors and leaks that have been coming out. My Nexus 5X just took a turn for the worst. After 2 years and 1 month of use, it suddenly slowed and then started bootlooping ¹. And, no, I was not made aware of the class-action lawsuit. I had bought an extended damage protection plan, but that expired just a month before.

So, I’m the market for a new phone. We’re likely 2 months away from the next Google phone, the Pixel 3, but there are some things that really bother me about this potential option.

• No 3.5mm headphone jack. A major negative for a constant audio enthusiast.
• Obscenely large notch. I’m paying for a very nice, high-density screen. I really dislike the idea of it being defiled by a notch.
• Potentially smaller battery compared to Pixel 2. Not as big a deal as the other two, but would be disappointing to get the next biggest thing and have reduced specs in a very important area.

But here’s what’s really annoying to me. The competition, from what I’ve found so far, has a lot more negatives. The biggest name seems to be Samsung.

Samsung just released it’s Galaxy S9. But, oh look, camera under-performs in low-light conditions, battery life is inconclusive, and well… Bixby ². Also it looks like it’s got the trending notch.

Not to mention all the garbage-ware that you can’t get rid of. I have a Samsung Tab 4 which has its own calendar, contacts, and calculator; all of which are terrible in comparison to others on the Play app store. But nope, you can’t remove them. And, in the case of calendar and contacts, both the Samsung version and the Google version sync data from my Google account. So both produce notifications and suck up data, without some tweaking. I haven’t used Samsung since, so maybe they fixed this.

Oh, and the Galaxy S9 is more expensive than the Pixel 2.

Oh, and I’ll get Android updates much less frequently than if I had a Pixel 3.

The hardware on some phones from OnePlus, LG, and Huawei looked interesting. However, I have a bad taste in my mouth from LG’s Nexus 5X since it bootlooped on me. The U.S. Government highly recommends not getting a Huawei phone due to spying concerns ³. OnePlus and Xiaumi are also China-based companies.

Data-mining for advertisement purposes is distasteful to me, but if there was super compelling hardware, I might not care. However, security is a concern. And in the world of Android, from what I’ve read, most people agree that you need a Google phone for faster updates.

So what am I to do? These slabs of silicon are not cheap. So if I’m going to drop that kind of money, I feel like I should be really happy with what I get.

Pixel 3 Pros:

• Better security (faster updates)

• Less bloatware. I want the Google apps anyway.

• Better camera than most competition, if it’s as good or better than Pixel 2.

• Because it’s the new flagship, should be built for the new Android Pie, and phone will be supported for a while (longer than Pixel 2, I would imagine). My Nexus 5X was going to lose support here in September 2018 I believe; just over 2 yrs after buying it.

• If price is comparable to the Pixel 2’s $625 starting price, then it comes in a little cheaper than some of the Samsung flagship stuff I’ve read about.

Pixel 3 Cons:

• No headphone jack. I don’t want to charge any d**n bluetooth headphones either.

• Can’t charge phone and listen to music with wired headphones unless maybe it has wireless charging.

• Stupidly obnoxious notch. Pay a premium to get little bits of pixels to throw away?!? Err, no. I’d rather have a fully-utilized, clean, rectagular display.

What would my ideal phone be?

• Gets updates fast. As in, same time as Pixel phones.

• Headphone jack

• No notch

• Battery lasts all day

• Solid 12+ MP camera with good low-light performance and HDR

• Don’t care about GPUs much since I don’t game. Just a few YouTube videos here and there.

• SIM card.

• Supports CDMA and GSM networks, so I can choose either with TracFone, like I did with my Nexus 5X

• Fingerprint sensor

• 5.1” - 5.2” display – I dislike large phones that won’t fit in my pockets

• 4-6GB RAM

• 32GB storage

I guess I’m peeved because I don’t think my ideal specs are too hard to ask for. I really actually don’t wany anything complicated. I want a good solid camera because it’s the only one I cary with me and if I see something cool, it’s important for me to have a tool to capture that moment clearly.

I enjoy my music all the time. At work and at home, both being places where I often charge my phone as well. I want to charge the phone and play music at the same time. That wasn’t so hard to ask for in the past; I really don’t see why I should have to let that go now. And I dislike the idea of having a second battery (the wireless headphones) to charge.

I’ve read some complaints about how this new version of Android, Android Pie, is a pain to use ⁴. But if this really is going to be the future of Android, then I’d rather be running this on a Pixel 3, than on something else from a 3rd party who may or may not be designing the hardware to match upcoming software.

I’m desperate for a new phone, so maybe I will just have to get a Pixel 3, because it’s the best I can do. I really did not want to settle for “good enough” when it comes to anything over $300. I’ll keep looking for other options until October, when the Pixel 3 is expected to be released, and see if I can find something that fits my needs better.

In the mean time, it’s not looking great.

Regards,

- an android user