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  • Stochastic - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    The software features are intriguing, but there are a lot of compromises (limited battery capacity, no fingerprint sensor, mediocre audio, lack of wideangle lens, middle-of-the-road specs) given the premium price point. Personally, I feel it should be $100 cheaper.
  • yacoub35 - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    The tiny battery is really disappointing.

    OnePlus 7T offers the same SoC, a third camera (wide angle), 8GB instead of 6GB, 3800mAh battery instead of 2800mAh, 128GB storage instead of 64GB, and for $599 instead of $799. The only downside, if you can call it that, is it's a 6.5" screen/device instead of a 5.7", and likely supports ALL of the 4G LTE bands

    Time for Anandtech to review and compare the 7T?
  • id4andrei - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    Obviously Google's selling point is AI. Is that worth 200$ over more RAM and storage, depends on the user.
  • Flunk - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    Don't those AI features just come with Android 10?
  • skavi - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    Not the fancy chip. That can't be cheap, especially since Pixel isn't exactly a huge seller.
  • notashill - Thursday, October 17, 2019 - link

    It's a 42mm^2 28nm chip that has remained unchanged for 3 generations now, it can't be *that* expensive.
  • Cliff34 - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    I don't think it is part of Android 10 since they want a reason for people to buy the Pixel phone.
  • shabby - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    Lol ai, please...
  • blzd - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    Unfortunately OP only make big and heavy devices. They would have no offering to compare the non-XL model.
  • tuxRoller - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    Also doesn't come with something similar to the new npu. How much that costs is anyone's guess.
  • id4andrei - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    Unfortunately Google is releasing its flagship after Apple and since it depends on Qualcomm, with a SoC designed to compete with last year's iphone.
  • peevee - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    It can barely compete with 2 y/o iPhone (not even quite in real-life tasks).
  • id4andrei - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    That's ridiculous. It competes very well with the iphone xr and the iphone 8.
  • timecop1818 - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    I stopped caring about google phones after they decided to stop subsidizing back in nexus3 or whatever days. Now it is simply not worth it, for around $500 you can get Huawei P30 which is infinitely better than any of these google solutions. I would be interested in Pixel (any version) as a secondary/junk phone if they started at around $150 or so (with current specs), otherwise for $350 you can get Xiaomi 9 with SD855, 6GB ram and 64GB flash, why would anyone want to pay $800+ for current gen pixels?
  • Alim345 - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    Xiaomi ‘s software is just bad and updates are not timely. Also anything beyond soc, display resolution, storage is usually doesn’t get any attention from manufacturer.
  • Death666Angel - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    The good thing about those cheap, powerful phones is the huge XDA support for them, so software is a non-issue. And what else is there to the user experience besides those three things, really? The camera might not be the best, but it is well regarded nonetheless. Design is the same across every smartphone, you have a brick and some more or less rounded edges. Ports are the same, fingerprint sensors are the same. Sure, you don't feel superior by having a 1000 USD piece of technology in your pocket.... :D
  • Akmid - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    How I hear is that it comes down to personal preference. I am talking about everyone. Like for me I don't want to depend on third party for help with software o want it timely from manufacturer that way should cause less proplems. I didn't think I was a person that cared about software until I have owned the Asus rog phone.
  • Retycint - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    Updates are not timely... really? As far as I know, many Xiaomi devices (especially flagships) get stable updates once a month, and are often supported past the 2 years that most Android manufacturers follow. For instance the Mi MIX and Mi 5s are still scheduled to receive the next major version of MIUI, despite being released in 2016.

    I think it's about time to stop parroting the same old "slow updates" whenever Chinese manufacturers are concerned
  • jabber - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    I've been getting the updates on my Mate 10 Pro about every 5-6 weeks no issues. A lot better than the effort LG made in keeping my G4 up to date.
  • peevee - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    I bet these are just security updates, not the major OS updates every year.

    I bought Essential PH-1 with Android 7, and went through 8.1, 9 and it got 10 the same day as Pixel 3s. THAT is how it is done.
  • NXTwoThou - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    Not to mention xiaomi.eu that cleans up the beta versions so you can get weekly updates if you really want. I have a Mi 9(8/256 transparent, paid $640 in April, regret paying the extra for transparent to just slap in a case). Installed Launcher10 to get me past the culture shock coming from a Lumia 950. Jumped to xiaomi.eu rom two weeks later when it got unlocked. The weekly builds moved to Android 10 back in August. Have had nothing but pleasant experiences with it. Really don't understand the hate. Looking forward to new builds of GCam now that the Pixel 4 is out. Want Pixel's computational photography? Install GCam.
  • Speedfriend - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    timecop

    I currently have a Huawei P30Pro, and although the hardware is great in terms of battery life and the camera, the software is awful at times. Sometimes I am unable to end phone calls, it randomly switches my wifi off, the NFC sometimes just doesn't work, web pages sometimes freeze and need to be reloaded, the on phone search function is soooo slow. Before this I had a Pixel 2 XL and the software was fantastic, with none of those issues. I will happily move back to Pixel if the battery life is good.
  • peevee - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    "why would anyone want to pay $800+ for current gen pixels"

    Google is trying to become Goocci, and failing even at that. Pichai is pathetic.
  • Akmid - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    Not to far off but, that is more Apple I believe they even stated they wanted to be known as a luxury brand.
  • peevee - Thursday, October 17, 2019 - link

    Apple IS a luxury brand for ~10 years now.

    Goocci is just pathetic brand losing its value every day.
  • bigboxes - Friday, October 18, 2019 - link

    0/10
  • SydneyBlue120d - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    Is the memory UFS 2.1 or 3.0?
    Thanks a lot.
  • mooninite - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    UFS 2.1
  • Akmid - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    Want to know this to but, seems no one knows or not willing to talk about it.
  • cuex - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    What it has over ROG2 since it's MORE EXPENSIVE?
  • satai - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    Updates. Radar. Not ugly.
  • s.yu - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    Very trivial advantages over some crippling shortcomings.
  • satai - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    Call "updates" a trivial advantage once more!
  • s.yu - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    Trivial ;)
    Really the way I see it an update these days may fix something but may also break something, since there's no control over what part of the system to update, and when things generally work without any critical bug I prefer to stay away from updates.
  • jabber - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    The whole Android update thing is just something Tech journos use on a slow news day.

    How many times have we read "Latest Android Bug Update Apocalypse Incoming!"

    And it never happens. Crickets chirping...

    Updates are nice but in my experience do not really affect much day to day. Overblown.
  • Oliseo - Thursday, October 17, 2019 - link

    Ah yes, complacency. Who cares about security. Not I, I here you cry. I've never been killed and I never wear my seatbelt. Pfft, that's for mugs.
  • Akmid - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    Well, I thought I didn't care about updates ether when I got the first Asus rog. But, now I regret my purchase. Still Oreo.
  • Akmid - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    Rog2 is nice don't get me wrong. But, I take better software support and camera over a rog phone now. I say this because I have a rog 1 now.
  • Alistair - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    I wish Google would make what people want, and do it so well, they don't have to rely on gimmicks. 1080p 90hz OLED, perfect, that was a relief. Trying to bring back the silly motion controls from Korean phones 10 years ago that nobody wants? Bizarre.

    90hz OLED, all screen front, fingerprint on the back, headphone jack, small and fast, one camera, $499. That would be interesting. This is just a hodgepodge of stuff at a high price.
  • phoenix_rizzen - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    Here's hoping there's a Pixel 4a that will be basically what you describe in the last paragraph.
  • peevee - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    It will not have a decent SoC.
  • bigboxes - Friday, October 18, 2019 - link

    derp
  • Death666Angel - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    No small for me and I want the front fingerprint scanner to activate my phone when it's flat. Otherwise, I agree.
  • Alistair - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    I mean "small" in terms of no notches, or light weight more than anything. Was pleasantly suprised the smaller model doesn't weigh a ton, my main gripe about the iPhone 11. IT'S HEAVY, way too heavy, imo.
  • Death666Angel - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    Ah, gotcha. I don't mind more substantial smartphones in terms of weight. I've had a Nexus 6 with 184g (iPhone 11 is 194g), but I don't care either way. The display needs to be at least as large as a Galaxy S10 with not that much wasted space on the front. So there we agree, I think. :D One thing I would add is that it can be a bit thicker if it means another 500 or 1000 mAh battery size. I'd take that trade-off, personally. :)
  • peevee - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    "light weight more than anything"

    If you get tired lifting a phone, time to hit a gym. :)
  • bigboxes - Friday, October 18, 2019 - link

    derp
  • Great_Scott - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    The good news here is that the optical zoom is way more useful than SUPER-ULTRA-WIDE-MODE.

    I mean, there are niche cases where you want panorama shots, but the default phone camera is so damn fisheyed that I can't use it for most snapshots, and that's not even with an official wide-angle lens.
  • Akmid - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    Not everyone wants the same thing. So shouldn't speak for them.
  • yacoub35 - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    #1 dislike for my current phone is the battery doesn't last a full day of use anymore. No way I'd get another phone with a tiny battery. Designed obsolescence at its worst.
  • Alistair - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    #1 thing I dislike about my LG G7. Combined with Android's poor standby time, and I think I get half the battery life of an iPhone 11, which is sad. That's one of my biggest fears for Google's phone also. You can't swap batteries easily anymore, so we need ones that are much larger from the get go.
  • RSAUser - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    Android has poor standby time? My stock Nokia 7 plus could probably last a week if I wasn't using it, lose around 5% of battery if I don't use it the entire day.

    My brother's Samsung on the other hand has abysmal standby time, exynos variant though, so not sure if that's a contributing factor.
  • GlossGhost - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    I got an Exynos one and the battery life isn't great.
  • Sttm - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    It looks like a test mule, not a final product.
  • parmand - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    wtb 3.5mm headphone jack.
  • hlpta19 - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    In the Specs shown under "Cellular", it should state read (5xCA 4x4 MIMO), not 2x2. WiFi is 2x2 MIMO, that's what Google's own specs indicate.
  • s.yu - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    Really does MIMO make any difference IRL or not? If anybody beyond the carriers (probably secretively) is keeping track it should be Anandtech.
  • mooninite - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    This Pixel is also the first to no longer offer unlimited *original* quality photo storage in Google Photos. As a Pixel 3 owner there is no reason for me to "upgrade" to the 4. I'll be waiting for the 5 and hoping for a better product.
  • cfenton - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    Do you have a link confirming this? That would be really bad if true. Having unlimited photo storage is one of the only reasons 64GB of storage would be acceptable. Everyone gets unlimited reduced quality photos, so the Pixel would lose a big advantage.
  • name99 - Thursday, October 17, 2019 - link

    Glad to see that it's not only iPhone users who announce in a huff that they won't upgrade over last year's model!
    As if anyone anywhere (including Apple or Google HQ) expects anyone to engage in annual phone upgrades...

    Do car people behave this way? Complain noisily that this year's BMW is only a minor improvement over last year's so, "no thanks, BMW management, but I will be not be buying the new model"?
  • JKJK - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    The 855 HAS wifi6 support.
    Why the hell don't they use it?
    Is it a certification issue, so it will be added via SW later? Like HTC did with quick charge a couple of times?
  • Andrei Frumusanu - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    The 855 SoC has no WiFi at all. QCs WiFI 6 chipset was not ready till recently.
  • blzd - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    Little bit surprised by the weight of these devices at nearly 200g for the XL. I guess those extra camera sensors and radar chips add a good 10-15g.
  • Quantumz0d - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    Completely junk device. DOA in emerging and high profit markets.

    Nubia Redmagic -- 855+ and AKM powered 3.5mm jack and 5000MaH battery,
    Zenfone 6 -- 8GB RAM/128GB/256GB for $600 max at 5000MaH battery, SD slot.
    ROG II -- 855+ with zero lag 120Hz OLED, 6000MaH battery and UFS 3.0.
    Realme -- 855, 90Hz, 4000MaH battery, 12GB RAM/256GB @ $500 + Wide Angle and Zoom lens.
    OP7 Pro -- 855, 90Hz QHD, 4000MaH, 12GB/256GB for $699 with Wide Angle lens.
    Samsung S10 series -- the jack of all trades, 3.5mm jack, SD slot, Triple cameras, Big battery can be had less than this during sales and most of the times with ease and has in box earphones like LG, while the LG G8/V50 (both are cheap, V50 even has 4000Mah battery) even has a QuadDAC to boot with a good stereo as well, and Stereo HiFi recording, Sony also has Stereo recording, Apple did in 2018, Samsung also has while this POS has mono crap still and all these have SD Slots, pop SD out if any emergency or can keep it encrypted can shoot 4K with UHS 3 SanDisk Extreme cards and price is much less.

    Soli is not available in all regions, 90Hz but that brightness of display at 400Nits is laughable no Dolby Vision or HDR10+

    This phone is built for idiots to be honest. All sites everywhere the users are expressing the feedback and it's all bad. So blind Google only following Apple nothing else, copying the FaceID, copied the stupid pricing but much less support, copied the damn $179 for their junk buds pricing as well without any AptX and has stupid battery and not even available.

    The FaceID can't make it to underdisplay sensor technology it's way too complex so it'll be axed once that tech is out with robust Fingerprint scanning like Ultrasonic or Optical.

    Total Junk and BS of a device coming from a company who was supposed to be putting a flagship Android device which fails to beat budget phones from Chinese OEMs.
  • Quantumz0d - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    *S10 series, OP7Pro both also have UFS 3.0
  • s.yu - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    ...Yup.
  • Reflex - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    To be fair, often the Nexus/Pixel line is literally the only supported devices in corporate environments due to being the only devices to receive routine day one security updates. At my previous company the list of supported Android devices was very slim for security reasons (and as someone who has worked in that space myself, they are absolutely correct to restrict access on this basis).

    For people who work at BYOD companies, these are great options even if they aren't quite as spec-heavy as some of the competing options.
  • SanX - Thursday, October 17, 2019 - link

    Quantumz0d : "This phone is built for idiots to be honest."
    Hahaha. This post is what i was searching for.
  • nathanddrews - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    Google Pixel 3.1.
  • Lavkesh - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    I am struggling to justify the price of this phone and who is it for? For about the same cost as an iPhone 11 Pro, this has worse screen, no Wifi 6, no wide angle camera, no dual stereo speakers, no HDR video recording, a really small battery and many more. The base storage is the same for both iPhone and Pixel but while google charges $100 to go from 64 to 128gb, Apple charges $150 to go from 64 to 256gb or $100 for 64Gb of extra storage for Pixel or $150 for 192GB of extra storage for iPhone. And that is for Apple's extremely fast flash storage.

    Forgetting the specs themselves, this is a really ugly looking phone in the age of very low bezel or no bezel phones. The front is especially horrendous with appalling lack of symmetry. It almost as if Google hasnt tried to design this at all. There is cleat lack of effort here and I am not sure who in his right mind would go for this phone over some very competitive phones from OnePlus or make someone a convert from Apple to Google.
  • Alistair - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    It doesn't have a worse screen. I want it $100 less, and with a 20 percent larger battery. Then I think it is half decent. Just it is one of those phones where you think, why are they adding these features I don't want, and taking away what I want?
  • Lavkesh - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    Well it depends on how you look at it. Whether 90hz is more important to you, mostly while scrolling, or higher resolution + much higher brightness + HDR + accurate colors.

    The rest of the phone is a giant mess too given Snapdragon 865 will be out soon, the industrial design leaves a lot to be desired and even the bezels are giant given the day and age. Its not cheap either!
  • Lavkesh - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    And I also forgot, they do not have physical stores either and their aftersales support is full of many horror stories.
  • Reflex - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    I'd also add that with only 3 years of total support, and only 2 for new versions of Android, these seem way overpriced to me especially given how the hardware these days is more than powerful enough to be a daily driver for 5+ years.

    I'm not an Apple fan, but the lack of updates are what pushed me onto an iPhone XS six months ago. Still hate the UI, but at least I don't need to worry about a knew phone for the next half decade...
  • Peskarik - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    My Pixel XL updated to version 10, even though it was not supposed to.
  • Lau_Tech - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    Just when you thought they couldnt make it any worse, they did!!
  • SanX - Thursday, October 17, 2019 - link

    Hahahaha
  • ksec - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    >Other internal hardware changes aren't quite as attractive. Google, like many other vendors this year, wasn't able to integrate new WiFi 6 (802.11ax) into the phones this year, which is a pity.

    Do most Android phones not get WiFi 6? Since Apple, which tends to be one cycle slower in Wireless tech, gets WiFi 6 in both 11 and 11 Pro.
  • Andrei Frumusanu - Tuesday, October 15, 2019 - link

    Samsung with the S10 and Note10 to date have been the only phones supporting it. That's because they were using Broadcom, while everybody else is seemingly tied to Qualcomm which didn't have silicon ready.
  • s.yu - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    Well that's interesting, I don't think Huawei's still using Broadcom's modem while I don't believe they used Qualcomm in the first place, I mean to pair with the annual Kirin flagships.
  • Powered by AMD - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    I like the fact that it has some kind of radar inside, bringing new technology to the users is always a good thing! If it works better than the fingerprint sensor, why not?
    Just waiting for the reviews :)
  • s.yu - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    The 3.5mm jack sounds less gimmicky.
  • peevee - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    Also less present in this phone...
  • CraigIsSatoshiBsvIsBitcoin - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    Nexus 5 was the last good Google phone
  • SanX - Thursday, October 17, 2019 - link

    6
  • Peskarik - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    I have Pixel XL (bought it on big discount last year) and I like it. It has fingerprint sensor, it has pretty good camera, it has 3.5mm jack.
    Advantage of the Pixel - updates and the camera optimizations that do not automatically smooth out and "doll-ize" your face, which Asian phones often do (probably because their focus is on Asian market).
    Disappointed in Pixel 4/4XL. For one, FaceID without fingerprint sensor is for me a BIG turnoff. 2800mah in smaller model is the second disappointment.
    If Google continues like that then I will have to switch to Samsung, I guess.
  • s.yu - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    Go with LG or something, Samsung also mutilated the jack.
  • peevee - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    Snapdragon 855 is almost a year old now. Being late was explainable when Google produced reasonably-priced Nexus-branded devices. But starting at $800... with outdated specs... it is more like Goocci.

    Too bad some engineers still waste their lives with this evil company.
  • qwertymac93 - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    Outdated? Are there any phones with a snapdragon 860 or 865 on the market?

    If the pay is good it's not a waste.
  • peevee - Thursday, October 17, 2019 - link

    There are with the latest Kirin and A13. There are some with the 855+.
  • tuxRoller - Wednesday, October 16, 2019 - link

    Unless this ends up being a much different experience than this hands-on suggests, this year they really screwed up.
    Can't wait to hear the behind-the-scene story about the p4. I think there's no way the issue behind these decisions is price (iirc, the previous pixels had similar bom as competing devices).
  • peevee - Monday, October 21, 2019 - link

    Unfortunately, we don't get behind the scenes at all. Some investigative reporting with anonymous sources would be very nice. Especially for the blunders like this.
  • deepblue08 - Monday, October 21, 2019 - link

    With all the competition on the market, Google is trying to lean into their expertise. Software.
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