free means costs nothing, period IMHO, them providers do NOT give free things, or they would be out of business, unless one references YOU are going to pay extra for the privilege over an extended period of time to pay MORE then it actually is worth.
Loss leaders are great business tools, them $0 phones are 99.9% of the time (IMO from what i have seen with most everything to this point in my life) anything but $0.
like them free spin casino Ah ha ha, free, yeh ^.^
so unless the Pixel 4A is free on a $45 per month 2 year and better than the S9, it is a worse deal and there's no value, the way the actual cellphone market works
Is $45 per month supposed to be cheap? It certainly doesn't sound like it, have you looked into potentially cheaper contracts that offer essentially the same data?
In case you don't already realize, the monthly contract has the cost of the phone factored in, and possible a bit more as well. Do you really think carriers are stupid enough to give away phones for free? You're actually just paying for the phone in installments with your monthly plan
some folks have short memories, or weren't there at all. for the first decade or so carriers 'bundled' phones into the monthly bill. then they stopped, whether because regulators got mad or not, that I don't recall. in any case, this is just a return to the olde ways.
But the S9 won't get 3 years of stock android updates. The 4a is camera+128GB/6GB+updates, and for $350, that is plenty of value if you don't care about 5G too much. If you do, the 4a 5G should offer similar value to the Nord trading a 90Hz screen for the camera+updates.
Samsung camera is asia-fied in terms of processing, makes your face/skin looks smoother and yellower/brighter. Same goes for many other phones, but not for Google, they keep to the reality of things, and I like that, I do not want to look like a doll.
Android updates do have plenty of useful new features. Switching to Lineage if you're so inclined is definitely a plus on S9, but for those who can't get Lineage and still want security+bugfix updates and full OS updates, it's more than worth it to stick to Pixel phones that have the best Android update cycles.
Name me a few features from Android 10 that you use regularly? Because I honestly can't. I have an S8+ running on a custom Android 10 ROM as well as an older backup phone running Android 6, and have no issues using both. They are functionally identical to me, given my usage scenario of web browsing, social media, light gaming etc.
And I imagine this to be the case for many consumers as well. Updates just don't matter in the current day, where Android is already super polished and feature rich out of the box
If nobody cared about Android updates, I'd still be using my Nexus 5. Updates definitely matter, how much is debatable, though not really if talking about a 3+ year period. Getting Lineage is a great way to get updates since OEMs aren't always up to the task, but not everyone can do this by themselves just because you can. If you're spending $250+ on a phone, getting updates is basically future-proofing to the average person. I think most people have figured this out by now. I have some Android One phones (Similar cost/specs) from other countries, and they have gotten more updates than Moto phones in the US!
I have regularly used most of these features, other than maybe gestures: https://www.android.com/android-10/ and I would definitely notice some of the little things and privacy features if they were missing.
Like Scoped bullshit storage ? or the blocked APIs for basic stuff like Wifiman ? Android is copying Apple more than any company. That idiotic sandboxed filesystem is 100% clone of Apple. They also ruined the multi tasking interface and navigation by copying Apple again.
Android apps are the main ones not the garbage OS, Pixel HW is utter trash when it comes to the pure features. It's only the Software but when the Software is also becoming garbage what's the use ? Android apps get udpated on even Android version 5-6-7-8. That's where Google's Android strength comes from but the higher ups at Google are using iPhones everyday and are brainwashed to Apple and want to remove that as well slowly.
The same gets perforated on Android esp with Android 9+ copying damn navigation, multitasking and every single thing to even removing jack / pricing etc. Pixel is a bust in total share in U.S / N.A market. They are less than 5%, that means the Pixel is a sinking ship. Atop the politically correct trash heap at Google this ship is going to sink soon.
Pixel's top brass, like Engineers in Image Processing one guy alr left. Marc Levoy, with Apple catching up to Pricing / SW / Camera this Pixel is going to wrap up, I didn't even mention the utterly horrible QC of the SW & HW, and horrible Custom ROM support with the bs filesystem restrictions by read only etc.
lol, complaining about Android 'horrible Custom ROM support' when iOS has nothing similar. I get Google/Android app updates all the time, far more often than Android updates. Apple is the company that slowed down phones, has horrible thermal problems in laptops, and couldn't get a keyboard right. Nothing they do is open source, so I'll stick to open source Android thanks.
Generally 2, from what I've found. After two years Samsungs are unusable. They slow down to the point they are basically useless and you shouldn't even think about getting software updates from them. I switched from several Galaxy phones, the 3,5, and 7 (and watching my wife with the 4, 7 and 10) to a Pixel 2 XL and couldn't be happier. Android updates? First, Monthly security and bug fixes, one of the best cameras in a smart phone, the best personal assistant baked in and integrated, the ability to change my launcher, and last, but not least, great performance even 2 1/2 years after I bought the phone. I'm very happy with my Pixel and glad I left Samsung.
Only idiots think Google updates are actually real updates. My 10 years old car computer hasn’t needed any update since it was built and definitely won’t need any until the day it dies. Why the f**k everyone’s so hung up on updates? You can’t wait to try new useless buggy features? Or somehow new update makes your device becomes newer?
Google is the biggest and baddest thief. They refine or add more spywares to every new update. A 7 years old Android 4.4 KitKat run much faster than Android 10 which probably had over 100 of updates since. Any IT Admin would know about Google. Take Chrome, you can not disable its auto update regardless of regedit, gpedit, startup, msconfig... its update processes keep running in the background scanning your device and UAC keeps bugging every time you open or close Chrome. Companies with confidential info should be aware of crooks like Google.
Great job looking only the pain points of updates! Not every feature is going to be useful to you but might be to others, it just comes with the territory. The bugs come with the territory too, though I've never come across a show stopper while using Android. You can install F-droid and disable any and all Google apps in minutes on any Android phone, or just install a ROM. F-droid and ROMs will both provide updates.
In general, bugfixes, privacy/security and all sorts of small and big thoughtful updates definitely happen over each Android update making it more than worth the trouble, and Google has worked towards using the mainline Linux kernel with each one too, if you care about that.
I dunno. My 7 year old car has had updates because I take it to the dealership for service. The last one was last year and it was related to the automatic transmission algorithms.
You are too poor and matter too little to the world to be pwnd by a MMS that takes control of your phone. Those of us who aren't might prefer the peace of mind offered by consistent security updates.
Yep. I did the same, got a V30S at discount and using it, has all features I want and even has an SD slot with HiFi DAC + Bootloader unlock. Same battery capacity though, old phone. But for new buyers, as you said any Samsung phone or even LG to those who want audio will destroy this garbage to oblivion.
What "performance"? Are you doing folding-at-home or computing trajectories of ballistic missiles on your phone? I am on Pixel XL, with Q821, runs absolutely fine, I even play Real Racing 3 without any problems.
The CPU may be enough but the GPU on these mid range Snapdragons are notorious for being crippled. In fact, the GPU in the 3 years old SD835 is 1.8x more powerful than the GPU in the SD730 (comparing the GFX 3.1 benchmarks).
So while the CPU might be overkill for years to come, the GPU is going to bottleneck this system in 2-3 years, possibly causing dropped frames and stuttering
"possibly causing dropped frames and stuttering" I'm just to copy paste this here from my earlier comment, since you can't read. UI/app fluidity is definitely affected by the GPU, and it is naive to think that a weak GPU will be able to maintain constant 60fps for the next 3-4 years.
In fact, even the GPU in your 4 year old SD821 is more powerful that the GPU in the SD730. That tells all you need to know about how shit the SD730 GPU is
Qualcomm are greedy bastards. There's no need for the second-tier GPU to be this bad, but they set a standard of only having a top-tier GPU and a junk-tier GPU a long time before they started doing this "premium mid-range" chipsets. They clearly decided it wasn't worth the effort to develop a third option when they could use that feeble GPU to push people into buying their top-end products.
In the sense that it has twice as many computational units running at the same clock speed with access to double the memory bandwidth.
They'd have had to really crank up the efficiency from the 500 series GPUs to the 600 series to make up for that. Benchmarks indicate that they did, but not enough to bridge the gap.
Fading and transition effects are the first thing that gets turned off on my phones. Just don't need all that delay when trying to close or switch apps. Just drop all the frames - it makes the phone feel so much faster.
Top mounted ports are ideal if you like to set your phone down while using it.
(1) If you place your phone in portrait mode flat on the back surface, then all wires point away from you making for a nice ergonomic experience.
(2) If you prop up place your phone in portrait mode at an angle (such as if it is propped up at an angle so you can see it from afar like when cooking) then bottom ports make this nearly impossible to accomplish.
(3) If you need to set your phone on your lap/stomach/similar when on a plane, car, or other cramped situation, then bottom ports make this nearly impossible.
I really wish for ergonomic purposes that all my phone ports were on top.
For my uses, my phone is either on my hand or on my pocket. Rarely use it while plugged in for charging. I holster my phones/music players on my pocket upside-down, which to me is the ergonomic way so if you draw out your device it's already in the right orientation. Having it on top causes strain to plugs (even right angled ones) and sometimes get yanked off with some pants. I've experience a lot of other niggles, but I don't want to list them all out.
I guess it's an oddly specific problem that's only relevant to me. I mean, no normal person has more than two dozen ear/headphones.
Point (1) only makes sense if your phone is plugged into something other than headphones. If you're using headphones, then the cable goes away from you, then has to do a u-turn to come back to you - across your working space.
(2) and (3) make more sense, but having headphones with a right-angle connector helps with that.
You can just spin your phone 180 degrees in your hand when you take it out of your pocket, but you can't spin your screen 180 degrees in relation to where the port is on the body of the phone because they are fixed in space relative to each other. Besides, some people like to put their phone into their pocket top-down and some prefer it top-up, depends on how you grasp your phone when you take it out of your pocket. Having the headphone jack on the bottom makes it impossible to use it when the phone is sitting on something in portrait mode though, no matter what you do, so top ports just give you an extra option.
Hey, at least a jack is still there. Cheaper device generally means more ports, obviously an industry wide scam but unfortunately most people are fine with being conned that way.
I can second this, as I absolutely hate that positioning. I don't want to have to flip my phone around robocop-style before it goes back in my pocket, and I hate having my headphone cable flopping out from the top of my phone while I use it.
While it's too small for my liking, a Snapdragon 730 SoC has all the performance required. My Nokia 8.1 has a 710 and there is no lag whatsoever. None.
I think it's easy to mix up the cause of performance issues in budget phones. In my experience with budget, not so budget and downright expensive hardware, it's usually the time spent on optimising the little things that counts. Yeh, sure if you start with a cheapo chip that can't do what you want it to do, you're done before you started. But if you get an adequate one and spend the time optimising it properly, it can perform as well in normal use as a high end one.
I've found it's entirely possible for manufacturers to shove in an expensive chip (replace with "engine" or many other core components in consumer products) and use brute force to mask a lack of optimisation. It's focusing only on the nipples and ignoring the rest of the breast.
If Google have really worked on the niggling things like scheduler optimisation that can make or break a phone, keeping the price down and having a basic, but solid camera will really stand out against these £1000+ monsters which are just verging on pointless. Promise simple and solid and then DELIVER. Samsung have been promising silly high and then failing (100X zoom = No. Just, no). It's one of the worst thing you can do.
The 3.5mm jack is going to be very tempting.
I've just got me an S20+ (total cost to change from my SIM only contract was £410, so not too bad) but really, I'd not recommend it to anyone but tech nerds who have four apps running at once and really want 5G. If Google hadn't screwed up the battery life on their last pixel, I'd have had it.
Also apart from epeen reasons, does anyone care about 5G? With current 4G I can stream 1080p anywhere from city centre to hilltop; just why is 5G necessary?
I just upgraded. For me 5G was a feature I wanted if I was getting an expensive phone to keep for more than 2 years. 5G is actively being rolled out in my city and where I work has already got 5G. I do occasionally, currently, come up against contention issues and throttling on 4G. 4G turned into an access point is usually enough to facilitate both me and the missus streaming / working online when there are hardline Internet issues. Certainly right now, 5G is not a must-have.
If I was getting a cheaper phone, I would have gone for 4G quite happily. I doubt there will be any serious 5G coverage for at least a year and I seriously debated getting a "cheap" but decent 4G phone.
I could keep this for 3 or more years, so it seemed sensible to go for 5G.
Something amusing is that, in London, it has been known (colloquially) for the 4G service to be so congested, you get better Internet performance by forcing the phone onto 3G. Whether that's true or not, or even due to congestion, I dunno.
For me, there is no immediate benefit to 5G and, even if I was keeping the phone for 2 years, I might be happy holding off. I'm thinking this phone will last 3-4 years and I'm going to experiment with flashing my old phone, so when this one slows down I can put something slim line on it with ease.
Certainly if someone was asking me for advice and they didn't want to nerd out, I'd say to avoid paying the premium for 5G if there was something else which would be cheaper and serve their needs.
for making phone calls?? you remember them, right?? moreover, 99.999% of '5G' is just Sub-6, which is non-identifiable as more than LTE. at least in the Third World of USofA.
I don't get the last part, sub-6 is almost certain not to surpass LTE by a notable margin, and that stands everywhere, as a matter of physics 5G and LTE with multiple CA can both saturate the mid/low bands, what makes the difference in practice is carrier throttling, so if you go for the economic contracts it'll be slow all the same(assuming the exact same speed, which is unlikely, the 5G contract should still be more expensive given the inefficiencies of the technology...and that carriers are probably counting on the name to sell itself), if you go for the daylight robbery contracts it'll be faster on either technology.
It's not, it's largely political, bothered more with symbolism than practicalities, yet with all the hype very few people step back and see the whole picture.
The Pixel 5 will likely have the 765g. Out of genuine curiosity, what workload on your phone do you need that requires a faster SoC? Most of the time when a smartphone has performance issues, it can be traced down to a specific cause and the issue is almost never the lack of CPU resources or RAM.
the only reason I would upgrade my Pixel XL is battery degradation. I do not even care about software updates and so called security updates, my phone is working just fine as it is. The 821 QUalcomm platform in it is perfectly fine, I have no stuttering etc. I watch videos, take photos, play a racing game, it copes perfectly fine and does not get hot like some of these CPU monsters. People upgrade mostly for upgrade's sake, nothing to do with hardware inside. Afterwards they invent reasons why they could not live without 865 or 120Hz or 12GB Ram etc.
The CPU portion of the SoC is indeed more than sufficient, but they cheap out in other areas that do indeed affect user experience. The Snapdragon 821 has double the memory channels and double the GPU shader resources of the 730. Even accounting for efficiency improvements, the 730 still comes in at a deficit. You have to go back to 2015 to find a high-end Qualcomm SoC that has inferior GPU performance to the 730, and you will probably notice the effects of that on UI performance before the end of the phone's service life.
Get tired of seeing the reference to the OnePlus Nord. The only place in the world it can be had for $399 is pretty much India. Everywhere else its considerably more expensive.
Not to mention we cannot get it in the United States. So talking about it as a competitor is not accurate.
October 1st for us in the UK? They're joking right, this thing has been delayed and delayed then when it's announced you can't have one for 2 months! I've been waiting for this to come out and now yet more delays, seriously thinking about the Nord now.
Nice try... but the MEPs just rubber-stamp the law that's been proposed by the Commission. They don't make law from scratch, and they aren't the bureaucrats running the EU: that's the Commission, who ARE unelected. They are the unelected Socialists that were being referred to.
And equally, the Queen does not MAKE law, she officially approves whatever has been passed by the House, and neither do the Lords. Lords' amendments can be blocked by the House. So you're wrong on every count if you're trying to suggest that there's a democratic deficit in the UK. It was indeed the democratic deficit at the very top of the EU that Brexit was about.
the lords can block a law democratically voted by the house isn't it? And the queen could still, in theory, refuse to sign it. Also, she'll be paid forever without having to find a real job. In a democracy, all citizens should be equal.
Oh goodness, Brexit hasn't got anything to do with the delayed release of this phone, it's clearly a corporate / manufacturing decision <rolls eyes>. Also, Brexit was a democratic choice of the British people, that the information they were given in the lead up to the vote was sketchy at best and downright lies at worst doesn't help that in the long run it could well be a bad choice is something we'll have to see.
so was Hitler, and under similar circumstances. Britain is a small country with few resources. you can look it up: most of the 'local aid' to localities in Britain came from Brussels, not London.
Reminder: Hitler LOST the election and was given the chancellorship in an effort to iron over relations. Brexit won by vote.
Also, have you ever red his book? Hitler did not scream about "DA JUDE" in the early days, he only publicly started pushing such policy once in power. Germany before this has been one of the most jewish friendly countries in europe, and most germans did not agree with the nazi's positions. They voted in hitler on his political promises: the rebuilding of the economy that had been devastated and the end of the degeneracy prevalent throughout the government of the Wiemar republic.
It's just a fun reminder: Hitler was not outwardly crazy when elected. He was at all appearances a normal politician.
"Hitler LOST the election and was given the chancellorship in an effort to iron over relations. Brexit won by vote."
there wasn't a direct election, a la USofA, more like Britain (and others, still today) where the party with the most seats in legislature decides the Prime Minister, or whatever. Hitler, ditto.
"By November 1932, the Nazi Party had the most seats in the German Reichstag but did not have a majority. As a result, no party was able to form a majority parliamentary coalition in support of a candidate for chancellor. Former chancellor Franz von Papen and other conservative leaders persuaded President Paul von Hindenburg to appoint Hitler as chancellor on 30 January 1933." [the wiki]
Speaking of cryptofascists, behold @TheinsanegamerN, who appears to be under the illusion that referring to civil rights protesters as "rioters" doesn't instantly mark him out as a racist authoritarian. The fact that you have a problem with white supremacists being correctly labelled as such is a bit of a giveaway as to where your own sympathies lie.
That tripe about Hitler being "at all appearances a normal politician" is especially amusing in light of him having been imprisoned for attempting a fascist coup. He was popular because his party piggybacked on existing social divisions and used Jewish people as a universal scapegoat that transcended class boundaries. A sufficient proportion of ordinary Germans were okay with that.
You can see the current equivalent in Trump's approval ratings: he uses white supremacist rhetoric, white supremacists openly support him, and at least 35% of your voting population is fine with that. Getting mad at people using accurate language to describe that is a sad little cope.
Brexit was about getting idiots who think they love freedom to line up behind a fascist endeavour by puffing them up with reams of empty rhetoric.
We're losing unfettered access to our largest market, desperately needed human rights oversight, and a whole bunch of other benefits besides. We are gaining *nothing*. Meanwhile our own unelected House of Lords is being pumped full of grifters, cronies and crypto-fascists, and the freedumb fanatics aren't doing a damned thing about it.
Funny, but I don't believe most people would view Kate Hoey and Ken Clarke as "crypto-fascists". And the human rights oversight - is that the same law that was used to enable a corrupt lawyer to pay Iraqis to make false allegations against UK troops to defraud the UK taxpayer and discredit OK forces, who are probably one of the most humanitarian worldwide? There are good reasons we don't want to be subject to bad law made in a different jurisdiction - how many other sovereign countries would accept that?
You're trolling of course. Or a remoaner who desperately needs to take his meds. Screaming about Brexit being a "fascist endeavour" is laughable. You've been watching too much Channel 4 News...
@asmian Classic Brexiter. Cherry-pick a few bits of misrepresented evidence as part of a gish-gallop, then go straight to the ad-hominem attacks and furious projection. Nobody was screaming here, but if you want to talk laughable, you expect us to take you seriously despite proclaiming that anybody opposed to the monumental self-harm of Brexit "needs to take his meds". I don't think I've ever watched Channel 4 news in my life 🤣
Nobody is taking your hysterical tirade seriously. Better to cherry-pick some inconvenient truths to pull apart the utter nonsense in your unsubstantiatable claim that the motivation behind Brexit was fascistic, or that people were hoodwinked by fascists into voting for it. I thought people were afraid that it was the Russians who interfered to create Brexit, not fascists!
Just because you don't like the result does not give you the right to broad-brush the motivations (or intelligence) of voters who didn't agree with your assessment of our EU situation and the likely outcome (insignificance on the world stage as an ever less democratic vassal of a Franco-German hegemony) going forward. Ultimately, the EU has always been a club run by the French and Germans in the national interest of the French (agriculture) and Germans (industry). James Dyson has confirmed that much EU law about product specifications is specifically made to favour German manufacturers at the expense of others - so much for "no state aid"! And as for democracy *within* the EU, you just have to look at the way the Commission and Central Bank treated the democratic decisions of the Greek people during their financial crisis to realise that they have no respect for that. Who would want to be part of a club that treats its members that way?
Very arguably we are in a better democratic state than we were before, with our own judges now the highest authority interpreting the laws we are subject to, and our own MPs able to pass new British law that isn't just rubber-stamping decisions of the EU that may not be in British interests. If the new law isn't to our liking, then we will have the opportunity to vote out the government and replace it with one that promises to make better law, where we cannot do that with the EU commission. That's democracy - the antithesis of fascism.
However unpalatable the wider economic ramifications of Brexit may turn out to be in your personal assessment, assuming a worst-case scenario in on-going negotiations that the EU has no good faith in concluding fairly, it is at core the very *opposite* of a "fascistic endeavour"! You have to be rather blinkered in your fanaticism not to see that.
Guys, WTF.... the Nexus 4 and 5 had wireless charging 5-6 years ago. Cars are coming with built in wireless charging built in.... What the hell are you doing?
It's new Google, copy Apple is what they know. Remove features, make their devices look like shite. Run same SW restrictions like hardcore destruction of Android starting with Filesystem (Scoped Storage) and worst HW pricing with trash QC and worse nightmare for Custom ROMs, with 2 they had A/B slotting ruined TWRP and etc.. 3 had dynamic fused partitions, 4 has Read only. What a shit show Google has become.
And add Politically Correct nonsense they brag on about. This Pixel division is going to shut down soon. They are losing money, that's why the devices are barely keeping up in price / hw ratio vs alternatives, esp in non US markets. In US Pixels has less marketshare than Huawei subsidiary, under 5%.
The old era of Nexus is gone, not coming back. Very unfortunate.
Wireless charging is not about speed, and never has been - it's about convenience.
You put down your phone and bingo, it's charging - no need to faff about fishing out a cable and plugging it in (yay it's now reversible so 50% less annoying than before!)
I mostly charge overnight so it doesn't matter to me if it wireless charges in 15 seconds, or 2 hours - I only need to put the phone down on the pad next to my bed, and it will be fully charged when I wake up the next morning.
And with wireless charging, there's no risk of forgetting the phone is anchored to a cable when I'm woken by a call at 2am only for the phone to be ripped out of my hand once the full extent of the USB cable is reached (this has happened to me - several times).
I can also have a charging pad at my work desk to keep my phone topped up during the day, all I need to do is remember to put the phone on the pad and boom, it's charging!
A phone doesn't need a huge battery, or even a battery that can be charged in seconds, if wireless charging is a part of the users daily workflow. Granted, wireless charging is not for everyone but for those that have used it and like it, it's generally a must have.
The power efficiency of wireless charging is grotesquely low, though. If you're charging your phone on a wireless pad overnight then you're burning more than twice the energy necessary to actually charge it.
> The power efficiency of wireless charging is grotesquely low, though.
I think you're conflating close contact wireless charging (Qi etc., distances up to a few centimetres but typically millimetres) with wireless charging over a distance (distances of several metres). The latter can definitely be horribly inefficient, but close contact wireless charging is certainly nowhere near as bad as you suggest.
Typical wired (USB) charging is about 85% efficient (due to cable and power conversion losses etc.), while close-contact wireless charging is between 75-80% the efficiency of wired charging (so 75-80% of 85%). OK, so not brilliant but also not "grotesquely low", and you are able to mitigate the overall inefficiency somewhat by being able to charge multiple devices using a single pad (so that the 15% due to cable and power conversion loss is a single hit and not once for your phone, again for your watch, yet again for headphone buds etc. etc.).
Looks like I was just working with outdated knowledge about wireless charging efficiency - I thought it was still around 60-70% efficient before factoring in conversion and cable losses up to the charging pad itself, but it looks like it's around 75% efficient overall, which is certainly not as bad as I thought. Thanks for the heads-up.
It's possible that wireless charging was a fad that is on its way out. It sounds useful but hasn't kept up with the new generation of USB-C fast (high voltage) chargers in terms of performance, and likely never will.
> It's possible that wireless charging was a fad that is on its way out.
I remember having similar conversations in 1999 with VCR owners when I would tell them about TiVo. They would say "why do I need a TiVo? I can just change the tape!".
Just replace "VCR" with "USB cable", and "TiVo" (or any DVR these days) with "wireless charging", and it's the same conversation! If you don't currently "get it", then I guess either you never will, or you'll forget we ever had this conversation once you've used wireless charging and can't live without it (in a few more years - DVRs, much like wireless charging, were a slow burn...)
> It sounds useful but hasn't kept up with the new generation of USB-C fast (high voltage) chargers in terms of performance, and likely never will.
Wireless charging is not about speed of charging (although that may have it's place, for some users). It's really about convenience. Include it in your daily workflow (a pad at home, office, car) and it's almost impossible to run out of juice - no more "battery anxiety", no need for a big honking battery, no need for a fast charge.
Haven't done any research on how robust USB-C is, but I have had several phones die due to my heavy handedness USB Micro connectors plugging chargers into the phones, where the connector in the phone comes loose, becomes damaged, etc. While I suppose I could be more careful, I like that when I get up in the morning, the phone is fully charged via wireless, and there's little chance of damage. I like USB-C in general, just not sure if it's more rugged than -micro.
The single camera here seems like pretty much a dealbreaker, even if Google's software tends to be excellent. I've probably used the telephoto camera on my Moto One Zoom more than the regular one (and use of the ultrawide is likely 1/50th of the regular wide-angle again). Telephoto lenses have so many use cases, and digital zoom simply doesn't cut it.
"however wireless charging was one of the features on the chopping block in order to achieve the lower price-point."
Do you honestly believe that, or is that something you were told by Google?
Samsung wireless receiver coils could be purchased individually 5+ years ago for under $2 a piece - these days, receiver coil prices to an OEM would be pennies, $1 tops! The difference wireless charging support makes to the BOM is absolutely minimal - the only reason to cut this kind of feature is to avoid cannibalising the higher end sales.
A device without wireless charging is a lost sale from me, and I'm also not going to pay hundreds of dollars more for an alternative high-end device that does have it, so my purchase instead goes to a different manufacturer that isn't looking to gouge me.
Hopefully Google will lose enough 4a sales to make a dent in the $10m due to the missing features costing pennies that are present as standard on other mid-range devices.
Once you've become used to the convenience of wireless charging it's such a backward step to use a charging cable again. If Google really needed to save a $1, they could even leave out the USB cable and 18w wall wart as you won't need them with wireless charging (and most buyers already have a drawer full of spares!)
Personally I'm loving the device and that they're offering UFS storage which was lacking in the Pixel 3A for $50 less. I've always been on the lookout for a compact phone, this fits the bill perfectly as an lateral upgrade from my Galaxy S7, but man, that battery size is beginning to bother me now.
agreed, the battery size is as usual at Google just on the limit. IT will last a day with light use, but that's it. I am not sure why Google insists on putting smallish batteries in, that is disappointing.
I was on the lookout specifically for compact phones. Samsung sells a Galaxy M01 for a third of this price with an LCD 5.81", 12nm CPU and basic camera... But it has a 4000mAh battery. Even smaller is the M01 Core for about 60% of that price but it has a 28nm CPU and 3000mAh battery coupled with a 5.4" display. Cute but a bad idea there.
Oh yeah definitely only for India, the West simply doesn't have the volumes to justify all the legal paperwork I guess. And it's a third of the price. My main focus was on device size above everything else given how large devices have become. Sony left India so no Xperia for us :-(
Beyond the device lacking appeal from my perspective, this is a very poorly written article. Not sure if it was over or under-edited, but syntactically challenged. Oh, I love my Pixel 4 XL!
<everyone in the US rushes out for this fantastic mid-range deal>
<everyone outside the US where brands like OnePlus and Xiaomi are a thing laughs their heads off and goes back to their $299 devices with better screens, optical zoom, wireless charging, no plastic, IR blasters, and up to date SoC, while at the same time feeling a bit guilty about the Pixels superior computational photography>
I am not worried about data going back to China. I am worried about the high probability of US sanctions against Chinese companies making both Xiaomi and OnePlus unacceptably high risk. If Trump is re-elected expect more sanctions; if Biden gets in expect the same because he will have to show he is tough on China.
Definitely a solid value for a $350 Pixel-experience (if you need a new Android phone) for those of us that prefer not to pay flagship prices and/or need to finance and/or contract our phone purchases. $500 for the 5G version? No, not so much.
It's an improvement, but still dissapointing. Sure it has a 700 series instead of a 600 series and 6GB of RAM, but it still only has a 3100 MaH battery, while the $100 cheaper moto g power has a 5000 mah battery and previous gen flagships with 4000 mah batteries can be had for the same proce as the 4a.
Seriously, google, this isnt that hard. BIG BATTERY.
I'd argue you could potentially overlook the small battery if Google had included wireless charging, as topping up becomes so much easier/likely. But combine a small battery with no wireless charging, and you have to wonder what Google were thinking. There are much better options out there than the 4a, at a similar or lower price.
I find it funny that everyone praises the Oneplus Nord when you can't even buy it in North America. The Pixel 4a is automatically better because you can actually buy it!
AFAIK the Pixel 4 has a dual camera setup so with its single camera, the Pixel 4a does *not* "house the very same module that is found on the Pixel 4" (unfortunately).
3mm too wide for my giant 6'4" ass to comfortably hold... seriously who TF are these modern phablets made for?! I WANNA USE ONE HAND MOTHERFUCKERS! I am getting so incredibly SICK of this. I love everything about my LG V30 except that it requires two hands! WHY!?! I've heard no technical explanation for this EVER!? WHY?! PLEASE STOP!? PLEASE!!!!
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yeeeeman - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
What "value"?philehidiot - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
I think it's a play on the last major phone review, entitled "a solid overall value".nathanddrews - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
If it was the Pixel 4 for $350, I would see the value.peevee - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
Yeah, a weak CPU, not a single A77 core = instantly outdated. Bad value.Google has been evil for years now.
Fulljack - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
that's because Qualcomm doesn't release any mid-range using A77 CPU, and I don't think any of you keen to have Mediatek SoC either.SyukriLajin - Friday, August 14, 2020 - link
i would love to see a mediatek pixel device. maybe when google is directly involved, they will be improve their FOSS policies.rocketman122 - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
"What "value"?"exactly. just get an older flagship like a note 9. will destroy that on every spec you can imagine. and im not a samsung fan at all.
Alistair - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
they are basically giving away the S9 brand new for free at my carrier, $0 per monthDragonstongue - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
free means costs nothing, period IMHO, them providers do NOT give free things, or they would be out of business, unless one references YOU are going to pay extra for the privilege over an extended period of time to pay MORE then it actually is worth.Loss leaders are great business tools, them $0 phones are 99.9% of the time (IMO from what i have seen with most everything to this point in my life) anything but $0.
like them free spin casino Ah ha ha, free, yeh ^.^
Alistair - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
don't be dumb, you know what it meanssign any $45 per month contract and get the phone for free (cancellation fee = prorated remaining value of the phone)
Alistair - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
so unless the Pixel 4A is free on a $45 per month 2 year and better than the S9, it is a worse deal and there's no value, the way the actual cellphone market workss.yu - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
Is $45 per month supposed to be cheap? It certainly doesn't sound like it, have you looked into potentially cheaper contracts that offer essentially the same data?Alistair - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
$45 CAD which is $33.60 USD, you get a Galaxy S9 for free and 9GB Data.TeHHHPogGeiris - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
Which carrier in Canada is offering 9GB data and $0 S9 for $45 CAD a Month? Link it.Retycint - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
In case you don't already realize, the monthly contract has the cost of the phone factored in, and possible a bit more as well. Do you really think carriers are stupid enough to give away phones for free? You're actually just paying for the phone in installments with your monthly planPeskarik - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
That is clear, but S9 is not something new, carriers probably want to unload these phones and give good deals.sonny73n - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
How do you define “old” and “new”?The S9 sealed in box never been used isn’t considered new? But the Pixel 4a with 1.5 years old soc is?
FunBunny2 - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
"them providers do NOT give free things"some folks have short memories, or weren't there at all. for the first decade or so carriers 'bundled' phones into the monthly bill. then they stopped, whether because regulators got mad or not, that I don't recall. in any case, this is just a return to the olde ways.
ichaya - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
But the S9 won't get 3 years of stock android updates. The 4a is camera+128GB/6GB+updates, and for $350, that is plenty of value if you don't care about 5G too much. If you do, the 4a 5G should offer similar value to the Nord trading a 90Hz screen for the camera+updates.Alistair - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
You don't need Android updates, you need bug fixes. Not the same thing.Alistair - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
The S9 will be fine for years.Peskarik - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
Samsung camera is asia-fied in terms of processing, makes your face/skin looks smoother and yellower/brighter. Same goes for many other phones, but not for Google, they keep to the reality of things, and I like that, I do not want to look like a doll.ichaya - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
Android updates do have plenty of useful new features. Switching to Lineage if you're so inclined is definitely a plus on S9, but for those who can't get Lineage and still want security+bugfix updates and full OS updates, it's more than worth it to stick to Pixel phones that have the best Android update cycles.Retycint - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
Name me a few features from Android 10 that you use regularly? Because I honestly can't. I have an S8+ running on a custom Android 10 ROM as well as an older backup phone running Android 6, and have no issues using both. They are functionally identical to me, given my usage scenario of web browsing, social media, light gaming etc.And I imagine this to be the case for many consumers as well. Updates just don't matter in the current day, where Android is already super polished and feature rich out of the box
ichaya - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
If nobody cared about Android updates, I'd still be using my Nexus 5. Updates definitely matter, how much is debatable, though not really if talking about a 3+ year period. Getting Lineage is a great way to get updates since OEMs aren't always up to the task, but not everyone can do this by themselves just because you can. If you're spending $250+ on a phone, getting updates is basically future-proofing to the average person. I think most people have figured this out by now. I have some Android One phones (Similar cost/specs) from other countries, and they have gotten more updates than Moto phones in the US!I have regularly used most of these features, other than maybe gestures: https://www.android.com/android-10/ and I would definitely notice some of the little things and privacy features if they were missing.
ichaya - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
* I do use my Nexus 5 as a backup, though perhaps I'd still be using my Nexus 4 too if I didn't care about updates and it's battery wasn't out.teldar - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
So your Samsung software is so great, you had to replace its operating system? And you're running Android 10, but don't see any features you use?Quantumz0d - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
Like Scoped bullshit storage ? or the blocked APIs for basic stuff like Wifiman ? Android is copying Apple more than any company. That idiotic sandboxed filesystem is 100% clone of Apple. They also ruined the multi tasking interface and navigation by copying Apple again.Android apps are the main ones not the garbage OS, Pixel HW is utter trash when it comes to the pure features. It's only the Software but when the Software is also becoming garbage what's the use ? Android apps get udpated on even Android version 5-6-7-8. That's where Google's Android strength comes from but the higher ups at Google are using iPhones everyday and are brainwashed to Apple and want to remove that as well slowly.
The same gets perforated on Android esp with Android 9+ copying damn navigation, multitasking and every single thing to even removing jack / pricing etc. Pixel is a bust in total share in U.S / N.A market. They are less than 5%, that means the Pixel is a sinking ship. Atop the politically correct trash heap at Google this ship is going to sink soon.
Pixel's top brass, like Engineers in Image Processing one guy alr left. Marc Levoy, with Apple catching up to Pricing / SW / Camera this Pixel is going to wrap up, I didn't even mention the utterly horrible QC of the SW & HW, and horrible Custom ROM support with the bs filesystem restrictions by read only etc.
ichaya - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
lol, complaining about Android 'horrible Custom ROM support' when iOS has nothing similar. I get Google/Android app updates all the time, far more often than Android updates. Apple is the company that slowed down phones, has horrible thermal problems in laptops, and couldn't get a keyboard right. Nothing they do is open source, so I'll stick to open source Android thanks.teldar - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
Generally 2, from what I've found. After two years Samsungs are unusable. They slow down to the point they are basically useless and you shouldn't even think about getting software updates from them. I switched from several Galaxy phones, the 3,5, and 7 (and watching my wife with the 4, 7 and 10) to a Pixel 2 XL and couldn't be happier. Android updates? First, Monthly security and bug fixes, one of the best cameras in a smart phone, the best personal assistant baked in and integrated, the ability to change my launcher, and last, but not least, great performance even 2 1/2 years after I bought the phone. I'm very happy with my Pixel and glad I left Samsung.sonny73n - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
Only idiots think Google updates are actually real updates. My 10 years old car computer hasn’t needed any update since it was built and definitely won’t need any until the day it dies. Why the f**k everyone’s so hung up on updates? You can’t wait to try new useless buggy features? Or somehow new update makes your device becomes newer?Google is the biggest and baddest thief. They refine or add more spywares to every new update. A 7 years old Android 4.4 KitKat run much faster than Android 10 which probably had over 100 of updates since. Any IT Admin would know about Google. Take Chrome, you can not disable its auto update regardless of regedit, gpedit, startup, msconfig... its update processes keep running in the background scanning your device and UAC keeps bugging every time you open or close Chrome. Companies with confidential info should be aware of crooks like Google.
ichaya - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
Great job looking only the pain points of updates! Not every feature is going to be useful to you but might be to others, it just comes with the territory. The bugs come with the territory too, though I've never come across a show stopper while using Android. You can install F-droid and disable any and all Google apps in minutes on any Android phone, or just install a ROM. F-droid and ROMs will both provide updates.In general, bugfixes, privacy/security and all sorts of small and big thoughtful updates definitely happen over each Android update making it more than worth the trouble, and Google has worked towards using the mainline Linux kernel with each one too, if you care about that.
nucc1 - Thursday, August 6, 2020 - link
I dunno. My 7 year old car has had updates because I take it to the dealership for service. The last one was last year and it was related to the automatic transmission algorithms.rabidpeach - Thursday, August 6, 2020 - link
You are too poor and matter too little to the world to be pwnd by a MMS that takes control of your phone. Those of us who aren't might prefer the peace of mind offered by consistent security updates.Ironchef3500 - Friday, August 7, 2020 - link
+1Samus - Tuesday, November 24, 2020 - link
I agree with ichaya, I'm not sure how Samsung justifies selling $1000 phones when the 4a offers virtually the same experience for 1/3rd the price.Quantumz0d - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
Yep. I did the same, got a V30S at discount and using it, has all features I want and even has an SD slot with HiFi DAC + Bootloader unlock. Same battery capacity though, old phone. But for new buyers, as you said any Samsung phone or even LG to those who want audio will destroy this garbage to oblivion.Samus - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
It's a good price for a phone with that kind of screen...that SoC though...zeeBomb - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
The camera speaks to me. But the performance...i don't know about that value, chief.Peskarik - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
What "performance"? Are you doing folding-at-home or computing trajectories of ballistic missiles on your phone? I am on Pixel XL, with Q821, runs absolutely fine, I even play Real Racing 3 without any problems.Retycint - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
The CPU may be enough but the GPU on these mid range Snapdragons are notorious for being crippled. In fact, the GPU in the 3 years old SD835 is 1.8x more powerful than the GPU in the SD730 (comparing the GFX 3.1 benchmarks).So while the CPU might be overkill for years to come, the GPU is going to bottleneck this system in 2-3 years, possibly causing dropped frames and stuttering
Peskarik - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
for what do you need GPU, bitcoin mining? Like I said, I have 821 with whatever GPU and I run my RR3 game (the only game I play) just fine.Retycint - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
"possibly causing dropped frames and stuttering" I'm just to copy paste this here from my earlier comment, since you can't read. UI/app fluidity is definitely affected by the GPU, and it is naive to think that a weak GPU will be able to maintain constant 60fps for the next 3-4 years.In fact, even the GPU in your 4 year old SD821 is more powerful that the GPU in the SD730. That tells all you need to know about how shit the SD730 GPU is
Spunjji - Wednesday, August 5, 2020 - link
Qualcomm are greedy bastards. There's no need for the second-tier GPU to be this bad, but they set a standard of only having a top-tier GPU and a junk-tier GPU a long time before they started doing this "premium mid-range" chipsets. They clearly decided it wasn't worth the effort to develop a third option when they could use that feeble GPU to push people into buying their top-end products.Peskarik - Wednesday, August 5, 2020 - link
In which sense is GPU in SD821 is more powerful than GPU in SD730?Spunjji - Friday, August 7, 2020 - link
In the sense that it has twice as many computational units running at the same clock speed with access to double the memory bandwidth.They'd have had to really crank up the efficiency from the 500 series GPUs to the 600 series to make up for that. Benchmarks indicate that they did, but not enough to bridge the gap.
voicequal - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
Fading and transition effects are the first thing that gets turned off on my phones. Just don't need all that delay when trying to close or switch apps. Just drop all the frames - it makes the phone feel so much faster.Spectrophobic - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
A top-mounted headphone jack is a specific phone design that I absolute abhor. Ah, but who cares about ergonomics anyway?dullard - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
Top mounted ports are ideal if you like to set your phone down while using it.(1) If you place your phone in portrait mode flat on the back surface, then all wires point away from you making for a nice ergonomic experience.
(2) If you prop up place your phone in portrait mode at an angle (such as if it is propped up at an angle so you can see it from afar like when cooking) then bottom ports make this nearly impossible to accomplish.
(3) If you need to set your phone on your lap/stomach/similar when on a plane, car, or other cramped situation, then bottom ports make this nearly impossible.
I really wish for ergonomic purposes that all my phone ports were on top.
Spectrophobic - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
For my uses, my phone is either on my hand or on my pocket. Rarely use it while plugged in for charging.I holster my phones/music players on my pocket upside-down, which to me is the ergonomic way so if you draw out your device it's already in the right orientation. Having it on top causes strain to plugs (even right angled ones) and sometimes get yanked off with some pants. I've experience a lot of other niggles, but I don't want to list them all out.
I guess it's an oddly specific problem that's only relevant to me. I mean, no normal person has more than two dozen ear/headphones.
Spunjji - Wednesday, August 5, 2020 - link
Point (1) only makes sense if your phone is plugged into something other than headphones. If you're using headphones, then the cable goes away from you, then has to do a u-turn to come back to you - across your working space.(2) and (3) make more sense, but having headphones with a right-angle connector helps with that.
rscsr90 - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
I hate bottom headphone jacks.Peskarik - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
Put your phone in your pants head down, you whiner.Spectrophobic - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
Do you mean upside-down? I already do that, hence my problem with top jacks.0siris - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
You can just spin your phone 180 degrees in your hand when you take it out of your pocket, but you can't spin your screen 180 degrees in relation to where the port is on the body of the phone because they are fixed in space relative to each other. Besides, some people like to put their phone into their pocket top-down and some prefer it top-up, depends on how you grasp your phone when you take it out of your pocket. Having the headphone jack on the bottom makes it impossible to use it when the phone is sitting on something in portrait mode though, no matter what you do, so top ports just give you an extra option.Meteor2 - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
Weird threadSpunjji - Wednesday, August 5, 2020 - link
On that last point - I manage that all the time, with right-angle connected headphones. YMMV.s.yu - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
Hey, at least a jack is still there. Cheaper device generally means more ports, obviously an industry wide scam but unfortunately most people are fine with being conned that way.voicequal - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
I'm just thankful for the headphone jack, period.Spunjji - Wednesday, August 5, 2020 - link
I can second this, as I absolutely hate that positioning. I don't want to have to flip my phone around robocop-style before it goes back in my pocket, and I hate having my headphone cable flopping out from the top of my phone while I use it.Meteor2 - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
That will sell by the bucket load.While it's too small for my liking, a Snapdragon 730 SoC has all the performance required. My Nokia 8.1 has a 710 and there is no lag whatsoever. None.
philehidiot - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
I think it's easy to mix up the cause of performance issues in budget phones. In my experience with budget, not so budget and downright expensive hardware, it's usually the time spent on optimising the little things that counts. Yeh, sure if you start with a cheapo chip that can't do what you want it to do, you're done before you started. But if you get an adequate one and spend the time optimising it properly, it can perform as well in normal use as a high end one.I've found it's entirely possible for manufacturers to shove in an expensive chip (replace with "engine" or many other core components in consumer products) and use brute force to mask a lack of optimisation. It's focusing only on the nipples and ignoring the rest of the breast.
If Google have really worked on the niggling things like scheduler optimisation that can make or break a phone, keeping the price down and having a basic, but solid camera will really stand out against these £1000+ monsters which are just verging on pointless. Promise simple and solid and then DELIVER. Samsung have been promising silly high and then failing (100X zoom = No. Just, no). It's one of the worst thing you can do.
The 3.5mm jack is going to be very tempting.
I've just got me an S20+ (total cost to change from my SIM only contract was £410, so not too bad) but really, I'd not recommend it to anyone but tech nerds who have four apps running at once and really want 5G. If Google hadn't screwed up the battery life on their last pixel, I'd have had it.
TheinsanegamerN - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
Optimization means so much more. My moto z play's 625 still feels perfectly fine, no reason to upgrade yet.Meteor2 - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
Also apart from epeen reasons, does anyone care about 5G? With current 4G I can stream 1080p anywhere from city centre to hilltop; just why is 5G necessary?philehidiot - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
I just upgraded. For me 5G was a feature I wanted if I was getting an expensive phone to keep for more than 2 years. 5G is actively being rolled out in my city and where I work has already got 5G. I do occasionally, currently, come up against contention issues and throttling on 4G. 4G turned into an access point is usually enough to facilitate both me and the missus streaming / working online when there are hardline Internet issues. Certainly right now, 5G is not a must-have.If I was getting a cheaper phone, I would have gone for 4G quite happily. I doubt there will be any serious 5G coverage for at least a year and I seriously debated getting a "cheap" but decent 4G phone.
I could keep this for 3 or more years, so it seemed sensible to go for 5G.
Something amusing is that, in London, it has been known (colloquially) for the 4G service to be so congested, you get better Internet performance by forcing the phone onto 3G. Whether that's true or not, or even due to congestion, I dunno.
For me, there is no immediate benefit to 5G and, even if I was keeping the phone for 2 years, I might be happy holding off. I'm thinking this phone will last 3-4 years and I'm going to experiment with flashing my old phone, so when this one slows down I can put something slim line on it with ease.
Certainly if someone was asking me for advice and they didn't want to nerd out, I'd say to avoid paying the premium for 5G if there was something else which would be cheaper and serve their needs.
FunBunny2 - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
"just why is 5G necessary"for making phone calls?? you remember them, right?? moreover, 99.999% of '5G' is just Sub-6, which is non-identifiable as more than LTE. at least in the Third World of USofA.
s.yu - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
I don't get the last part, sub-6 is almost certain not to surpass LTE by a notable margin, and that stands everywhere, as a matter of physics 5G and LTE with multiple CA can both saturate the mid/low bands, what makes the difference in practice is carrier throttling, so if you go for the economic contracts it'll be slow all the same(assuming the exact same speed, which is unlikely, the 5G contract should still be more expensive given the inefficiencies of the technology...and that carriers are probably counting on the name to sell itself), if you go for the daylight robbery contracts it'll be faster on either technology.FunBunny2 - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
"sub-6 is almost certain not to surpass LTE by a notable margin"what I said. carriers really, really shouldn't be allowed to advert sub-6 as '5G'. call it LTE+ or whatever. nah, they won't.
TheinsanegamerN - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
You know that you can make phone calls over 4g right? That 5g isnt required for VoLTE?Perhaps instead of labeling the USA third world you should read up on how VoLTE works.
s.yu - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
It's not, it's largely political, bothered more with symbolism than practicalities, yet with all the hype very few people step back and see the whole picture.Alistair - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
biggest problem is non-US pricing (we'll see carrier support later) and the free LG G7's and Galaxy S9's on contract out there$479 in Canada
Flunk - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
Disappointing this doesn't have a Snapdraogn 765. This is essentially already a phone from mid last year.eek2121 - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
The Pixel 5 will likely have the 765g. Out of genuine curiosity, what workload on your phone do you need that requires a faster SoC? Most of the time when a smartphone has performance issues, it can be traced down to a specific cause and the issue is almost never the lack of CPU resources or RAM.Peskarik - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
probably protein folding running 24/7, or bitcoin mining.FunBunny2 - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
"bitcoin mining""Is that your sword or are you just glad to see me?"
Alistair - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
slow CPU means you need to upgrade sooner, the entire reason I'm interested in this phone is my sister's old phone is too slow (LG G4)Peskarik - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
the only reason I would upgrade my Pixel XL is battery degradation. I do not even care about software updates and so called security updates, my phone is working just fine as it is. The 821 QUalcomm platform in it is perfectly fine, I have no stuttering etc. I watch videos, take photos, play a racing game, it copes perfectly fine and does not get hot like some of these CPU monsters. People upgrade mostly for upgrade's sake, nothing to do with hardware inside. Afterwards they invent reasons why they could not live without 865 or 120Hz or 12GB Ram etc.Spunjji - Wednesday, August 5, 2020 - link
The CPU portion of the SoC is indeed more than sufficient, but they cheap out in other areas that do indeed affect user experience. The Snapdragon 821 has double the memory channels and double the GPU shader resources of the 730. Even accounting for efficiency improvements, the 730 still comes in at a deficit. You have to go back to 2015 to find a high-end Qualcomm SoC that has inferior GPU performance to the 730, and you will probably notice the effects of that on UI performance before the end of the phone's service life.Peskarik - Wednesday, August 5, 2020 - link
Thanks for the info!cknobman - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
Get tired of seeing the reference to the OnePlus Nord.The only place in the world it can be had for $399 is pretty much India. Everywhere else its considerably more expensive.
Not to mention we cannot get it in the United States. So talking about it as a competitor is not accurate.
Andrei Frumusanu - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
The phone's 399€ (Incl VAT) in Europe, I don't see how that's more expensive than $399 (excl. taxes).And I already mentioned that the 4a is a better choice in the US due to the lack of viable alternatives. I don't just write for US readers.
Holliday75 - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
Well I guess to appease everyone you will need to write and article from their point of view so it matches their market landscape. Good luck!Spunjji - Wednesday, August 5, 2020 - link
Username checks outKoenig168 - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
The small size and decent camera are selling points. I've been looking for a replacement for my OnePlus X for quite a while.nitram_tpr - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
October 1st for us in the UK? They're joking right, this thing has been delayed and delayed then when it's announced you can't have one for 2 months! I've been waiting for this to come out and now yet more delays, seriously thinking about the Nord now.danbob999 - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
You get it late, and you get it for a higher price. Google must not like the UK.imaheadcase - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
Blame UK regulations more like it.danbob999 - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
I thought the Brexit was about having less regulations.Peskarik - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
Brexit was about not being run by a bunch of unknown and unelected bunch of failed socialists who just love to practice monetary transfer-union.Phiro69 - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
Let's be clear; Brexit is about white christian supremacy.Peskarik - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
go stand on the knees, you idiotdanbob999 - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
The unelected are in your house of lords, or in Buckingham palace. MEP are elected, at least.asmian - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
Nice try... but the MEPs just rubber-stamp the law that's been proposed by the Commission. They don't make law from scratch, and they aren't the bureaucrats running the EU: that's the Commission, who ARE unelected. They are the unelected Socialists that were being referred to.And equally, the Queen does not MAKE law, she officially approves whatever has been passed by the House, and neither do the Lords. Lords' amendments can be blocked by the House. So you're wrong on every count if you're trying to suggest that there's a democratic deficit in the UK. It was indeed the democratic deficit at the very top of the EU that Brexit was about.
danbob999 - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
the lords can block a law democratically voted by the house isn't it?And the queen could still, in theory, refuse to sign it. Also, she'll be paid forever without having to find a real job. In a democracy, all citizens should be equal.
Ciadelens - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
socialists? the eu parliament is controlled, and has been controlled by, the conservatives for decades nowPeskarik - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
yeah, sure, conservatives :-Dnitram_tpr - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
Oh goodness, Brexit hasn't got anything to do with the delayed release of this phone, it's clearly a corporate / manufacturing decision <rolls eyes>.Also, Brexit was a democratic choice of the British people, that the information they were given in the lead up to the vote was sketchy at best and downright lies at worst doesn't help that in the long run it could well be a bad choice is something we'll have to see.
FunBunny2 - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
"Brexit was a democratic choice "so was Hitler, and under similar circumstances. Britain is a small country with few resources. you can look it up: most of the 'local aid' to localities in Britain came from Brussels, not London.
TheinsanegamerN - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
Reminder: Hitler LOST the election and was given the chancellorship in an effort to iron over relations. Brexit won by vote.Also, have you ever red his book? Hitler did not scream about "DA JUDE" in the early days, he only publicly started pushing such policy once in power. Germany before this has been one of the most jewish friendly countries in europe, and most germans did not agree with the nazi's positions. They voted in hitler on his political promises: the rebuilding of the economy that had been devastated and the end of the degeneracy prevalent throughout the government of the Wiemar republic.
It's just a fun reminder: Hitler was not outwardly crazy when elected. He was at all appearances a normal politician.
FunBunny2 - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
"Hitler LOST the election and was given the chancellorship in an effort to iron over relations. Brexit won by vote."there wasn't a direct election, a la USofA, more like Britain (and others, still today) where the party with the most seats in legislature decides the Prime Minister, or whatever. Hitler, ditto.
"By November 1932, the Nazi Party had the most seats in the German Reichstag but did not have a majority. As a result, no party was able to form a majority parliamentary coalition in support of a candidate for chancellor. Former chancellor Franz von Papen and other conservative leaders persuaded President Paul von Hindenburg to appoint Hitler as chancellor on 30 January 1933."
[the wiki]
TheinsanegamerN - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
Conservatives, give me a break. You euros use "conservatives" as an insult like the rioters in the US use "white supremacist"Spunjji - Wednesday, August 5, 2020 - link
Speaking of cryptofascists, behold @TheinsanegamerN, who appears to be under the illusion that referring to civil rights protesters as "rioters" doesn't instantly mark him out as a racist authoritarian. The fact that you have a problem with white supremacists being correctly labelled as such is a bit of a giveaway as to where your own sympathies lie.That tripe about Hitler being "at all appearances a normal politician" is especially amusing in light of him having been imprisoned for attempting a fascist coup. He was popular because his party piggybacked on existing social divisions and used Jewish people as a universal scapegoat that transcended class boundaries. A sufficient proportion of ordinary Germans were okay with that.
You can see the current equivalent in Trump's approval ratings: he uses white supremacist rhetoric, white supremacists openly support him, and at least 35% of your voting population is fine with that. Getting mad at people using accurate language to describe that is a sad little cope.
Spunjji - Wednesday, August 5, 2020 - link
Brexit was about getting idiots who think they love freedom to line up behind a fascist endeavour by puffing them up with reams of empty rhetoric.We're losing unfettered access to our largest market, desperately needed human rights oversight, and a whole bunch of other benefits besides. We are gaining *nothing*. Meanwhile our own unelected House of Lords is being pumped full of grifters, cronies and crypto-fascists, and the freedumb fanatics aren't doing a damned thing about it.
asmian - Wednesday, August 5, 2020 - link
Funny, but I don't believe most people would view Kate Hoey and Ken Clarke as "crypto-fascists". And the human rights oversight - is that the same law that was used to enable a corrupt lawyer to pay Iraqis to make false allegations against UK troops to defraud the UK taxpayer and discredit OK forces, who are probably one of the most humanitarian worldwide? There are good reasons we don't want to be subject to bad law made in a different jurisdiction - how many other sovereign countries would accept that?You're trolling of course. Or a remoaner who desperately needs to take his meds. Screaming about Brexit being a "fascist endeavour" is laughable. You've been watching too much Channel 4 News...
Spunjji - Friday, August 7, 2020 - link
@asmian Classic Brexiter. Cherry-pick a few bits of misrepresented evidence as part of a gish-gallop, then go straight to the ad-hominem attacks and furious projection. Nobody was screaming here, but if you want to talk laughable, you expect us to take you seriously despite proclaiming that anybody opposed to the monumental self-harm of Brexit "needs to take his meds". I don't think I've ever watched Channel 4 news in my life 🤣asmian - Friday, August 7, 2020 - link
Nobody is taking your hysterical tirade seriously. Better to cherry-pick some inconvenient truths to pull apart the utter nonsense in your unsubstantiatable claim that the motivation behind Brexit was fascistic, or that people were hoodwinked by fascists into voting for it. I thought people were afraid that it was the Russians who interfered to create Brexit, not fascists!Just because you don't like the result does not give you the right to broad-brush the motivations (or intelligence) of voters who didn't agree with your assessment of our EU situation and the likely outcome (insignificance on the world stage as an ever less democratic vassal of a Franco-German hegemony) going forward. Ultimately, the EU has always been a club run by the French and Germans in the national interest of the French (agriculture) and Germans (industry). James Dyson has confirmed that much EU law about product specifications is specifically made to favour German manufacturers at the expense of others - so much for "no state aid"! And as for democracy *within* the EU, you just have to look at the way the Commission and Central Bank treated the democratic decisions of the Greek people during their financial crisis to realise that they have no respect for that. Who would want to be part of a club that treats its members that way?
Very arguably we are in a better democratic state than we were before, with our own judges now the highest authority interpreting the laws we are subject to, and our own MPs able to pass new British law that isn't just rubber-stamping decisions of the EU that may not be in British interests. If the new law isn't to our liking, then we will have the opportunity to vote out the government and replace it with one that promises to make better law, where we cannot do that with the EU commission. That's democracy - the antithesis of fascism.
However unpalatable the wider economic ramifications of Brexit may turn out to be in your personal assessment, assuming a worst-case scenario in on-going negotiations that the EU has no good faith in concluding fairly, it is at core the very *opposite* of a "fascistic endeavour"! You have to be rather blinkered in your fanaticism not to see that.
Operandi - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
Guys, WTF.... the Nexus 4 and 5 had wireless charging 5-6 years ago. Cars are coming with built in wireless charging built in.... What the hell are you doing?stanleyipkiss - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
Exactly. I will now purchase the Nord.No wireless charging -- no sale.
drexnx - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
...the Nord doesn't have wireless charging either?Quantumz0d - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
It's new Google, copy Apple is what they know. Remove features, make their devices look like shite. Run same SW restrictions like hardcore destruction of Android starting with Filesystem (Scoped Storage) and worst HW pricing with trash QC and worse nightmare for Custom ROMs, with 2 they had A/B slotting ruined TWRP and etc.. 3 had dynamic fused partitions, 4 has Read only. What a shit show Google has become.And add Politically Correct nonsense they brag on about. This Pixel division is going to shut down soon. They are losing money, that's why the devices are barely keeping up in price / hw ratio vs alternatives, esp in non US markets. In US Pixels has less marketshare than Huawei subsidiary, under 5%.
The old era of Nexus is gone, not coming back. Very unfortunate.
Spunjji - Wednesday, August 5, 2020 - link
"Politically Correct nonsense"Are you talking about them cowtowing to China and humouring Trump? If not, then you're not using that term correctly.
Meteor2 - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
The USB-C port and fast charging made wireless charging redundant.CityBlue - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
Wireless charging is not about speed, and never has been - it's about convenience.You put down your phone and bingo, it's charging - no need to faff about fishing out a cable and plugging it in (yay it's now reversible so 50% less annoying than before!)
I mostly charge overnight so it doesn't matter to me if it wireless charges in 15 seconds, or 2 hours - I only need to put the phone down on the pad next to my bed, and it will be fully charged when I wake up the next morning.
And with wireless charging, there's no risk of forgetting the phone is anchored to a cable when I'm woken by a call at 2am only for the phone to be ripped out of my hand once the full extent of the USB cable is reached (this has happened to me - several times).
I can also have a charging pad at my work desk to keep my phone topped up during the day, all I need to do is remember to put the phone on the pad and boom, it's charging!
A phone doesn't need a huge battery, or even a battery that can be charged in seconds, if wireless charging is a part of the users daily workflow. Granted, wireless charging is not for everyone but for those that have used it and like it, it's generally a must have.
Spunjji - Wednesday, August 5, 2020 - link
The power efficiency of wireless charging is grotesquely low, though. If you're charging your phone on a wireless pad overnight then you're burning more than twice the energy necessary to actually charge it.CityBlue - Wednesday, August 5, 2020 - link
> The power efficiency of wireless charging is grotesquely low, though.I think you're conflating close contact wireless charging (Qi etc., distances up to a few centimetres but typically millimetres) with wireless charging over a distance (distances of several metres). The latter can definitely be horribly inefficient, but close contact wireless charging is certainly nowhere near as bad as you suggest.
Typical wired (USB) charging is about 85% efficient (due to cable and power conversion losses etc.), while close-contact wireless charging is between 75-80% the efficiency of wired charging (so 75-80% of 85%). OK, so not brilliant but also not "grotesquely low", and you are able to mitigate the overall inefficiency somewhat by being able to charge multiple devices using a single pad (so that the 15% due to cable and power conversion loss is a single hit and not once for your phone, again for your watch, yet again for headphone buds etc. etc.).
https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/chargi...
Spunjji - Friday, August 7, 2020 - link
Looks like I was just working with outdated knowledge about wireless charging efficiency - I thought it was still around 60-70% efficient before factoring in conversion and cable losses up to the charging pad itself, but it looks like it's around 75% efficient overall, which is certainly not as bad as I thought. Thanks for the heads-up.voicequal - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
It's possible that wireless charging was a fad that is on its way out. It sounds useful but hasn't kept up with the new generation of USB-C fast (high voltage) chargers in terms of performance, and likely never will.CityBlue - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
> It's possible that wireless charging was a fad that is on its way out.I remember having similar conversations in 1999 with VCR owners when I would tell them about TiVo. They would say "why do I need a TiVo? I can just change the tape!".
Just replace "VCR" with "USB cable", and "TiVo" (or any DVR these days) with "wireless charging", and it's the same conversation! If you don't currently "get it", then I guess either you never will, or you'll forget we ever had this conversation once you've used wireless charging and can't live without it (in a few more years - DVRs, much like wireless charging, were a slow burn...)
> It sounds useful but hasn't kept up with the new generation of USB-C fast (high voltage) chargers in terms of performance, and likely never will.
Wireless charging is not about speed of charging (although that may have it's place, for some users). It's really about convenience. Include it in your daily workflow (a pad at home, office, car) and it's almost impossible to run out of juice - no more "battery anxiety", no need for a big honking battery, no need for a fast charge.
catavalon21 - Monday, September 28, 2020 - link
Haven't done any research on how robust USB-C is, but I have had several phones die due to my heavy handedness USB Micro connectors plugging chargers into the phones, where the connector in the phone comes loose, becomes damaged, etc. While I suppose I could be more careful, I like that when I get up in the morning, the phone is fully charged via wireless, and there's little chance of damage. I like USB-C in general, just not sure if it's more rugged than -micro.Valantar - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
The single camera here seems like pretty much a dealbreaker, even if Google's software tends to be excellent. I've probably used the telephoto camera on my Moto One Zoom more than the regular one (and use of the ultrawide is likely 1/50th of the regular wide-angle again). Telephoto lenses have so many use cases, and digital zoom simply doesn't cut it.CityBlue - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
"however wireless charging was one of the features on the chopping block in order to achieve the lower price-point."Do you honestly believe that, or is that something you were told by Google?
Samsung wireless receiver coils could be purchased individually 5+ years ago for under $2 a piece - these days, receiver coil prices to an OEM would be pennies, $1 tops! The difference wireless charging support makes to the BOM is absolutely minimal - the only reason to cut this kind of feature is to avoid cannibalising the higher end sales.
nicolaim - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
Yup!Peskarik - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
and? I am sure you always say the hard truth in your life every time and everywhere, never a little white lie, ever, right?Meteor2 - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
A $1 part is quite expensive after you've sold 10m units...CityBlue - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
A device without wireless charging is a lost sale from me, and I'm also not going to pay hundreds of dollars more for an alternative high-end device that does have it, so my purchase instead goes to a different manufacturer that isn't looking to gouge me.Hopefully Google will lose enough 4a sales to make a dent in the $10m due to the missing features costing pennies that are present as standard on other mid-range devices.
Once you've become used to the convenience of wireless charging it's such a backward step to use a charging cable again. If Google really needed to save a $1, they could even leave out the USB cable and 18w wall wart as you won't need them with wireless charging (and most buyers already have a drawer full of spares!)
Vinas - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
Add wireless charging and it's a smashing success. Without that simple feature this phone is quite dull. #alwayssettlePeskarik - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
what a dull commentads295 - Monday, August 3, 2020 - link
Personally I'm loving the device and that they're offering UFS storage which was lacking in the Pixel 3A for $50 less.I've always been on the lookout for a compact phone, this fits the bill perfectly as an lateral upgrade from my Galaxy S7, but man, that battery size is beginning to bother me now.
Peskarik - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
agreed, the battery size is as usual at Google just on the limit. IT will last a day with light use, but that's it. I am not sure why Google insists on putting smallish batteries in, that is disappointing.ads295 - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
I was on the lookout specifically for compact phones. Samsung sells a Galaxy M01 for a third of this price with an LCD 5.81", 12nm CPU and basic camera... But it has a 4000mAh battery. Even smaller is the M01 Core for about 60% of that price but it has a 28nm CPU and 3000mAh battery coupled with a 5.4" display. Cute but a bad idea there.akvadrako - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
Those M01 phones seem to only be available in India and they don't seem comparable in quality to a Pixel - like, they don't even have 802.11ac.ads295 - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
Oh yeah definitely only for India, the West simply doesn't have the volumes to justify all the legal paperwork I guess.And it's a third of the price. My main focus was on device size above everything else given how large devices have become. Sony left India so no Xperia for us :-(
occidental - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
Beyond the device lacking appeal from my perspective, this is a very poorly written article. Not sure if it was over or under-edited, but syntactically challenged. Oh, I love my Pixel 4 XL!FakThisShttyGame - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
They should copy iPhone SE recipe and put a SD865 in itJon Tseng - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
<everyone in the US rushes out for this fantastic mid-range deal><everyone outside the US where brands like OnePlus and Xiaomi are a thing laughs their heads off and goes back to their $299 devices with better screens, optical zoom, wireless charging, no plastic, IR blasters, and up to date SoC, while at the same time feeling a bit guilty about the Pixels superior computational photography>
Meteor2 - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
Tbh quite a lot of us prefer pure Android, security updates, and a low risk that the phone could be used to send data back to mother Chinakupfernigk - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
I am not worried about data going back to China. I am worried about the high probability of US sanctions against Chinese companies making both Xiaomi and OnePlus unacceptably high risk. If Trump is re-elected expect more sanctions; if Biden gets in expect the same because he will have to show he is tough on China.mrvco - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
Definitely a solid value for a $350 Pixel-experience (if you need a new Android phone) for those of us that prefer not to pay flagship prices and/or need to finance and/or contract our phone purchases. $500 for the 5G version? No, not so much.TheinsanegamerN - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
It's an improvement, but still dissapointing. Sure it has a 700 series instead of a 600 series and 6GB of RAM, but it still only has a 3100 MaH battery, while the $100 cheaper moto g power has a 5000 mah battery and previous gen flagships with 4000 mah batteries can be had for the same proce as the 4a.Seriously, google, this isnt that hard. BIG BATTERY.
CityBlue - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
I'd argue you could potentially overlook the small battery if Google had included wireless charging, as topping up becomes so much easier/likely. But combine a small battery with no wireless charging, and you have to wonder what Google were thinking. There are much better options out there than the 4a, at a similar or lower price.TheinsanegamerN - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
Charging of any kind is no replacement for proper battery capacity.rabidpeach - Thursday, August 6, 2020 - link
One handed use you baboon!TheinsanegamerN - Wednesday, August 12, 2020 - link
I one handed a droid 2, which was both heavier and MUCH thicker then current phones.TeHHHPogGeiris - Tuesday, August 4, 2020 - link
I find it funny that everyone praises the Oneplus Nord when you can't even buy it in North America. The Pixel 4a is automatically better because you can actually buy it!Spunjji - Wednesday, August 5, 2020 - link
Yeah, how funny that people outside North America aren't fussed by what North Americans can and cannot buy 🙄Hrel - Saturday, August 15, 2020 - link
Yeah the internet was better when America was the only country that had it, you're right :)Samuel Vimes - Wednesday, August 5, 2020 - link
AFAIK the Pixel 4 has a dual camera setup so with its single camera, the Pixel 4a does *not* "house the very same module that is found on the Pixel 4" (unfortunately).Arnav_B - Saturday, August 8, 2020 - link
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Hrel - Saturday, August 15, 2020 - link
3mm too wide for my giant 6'4" ass to comfortably hold... seriously who TF are these modern phablets made for?! I WANNA USE ONE HAND MOTHERFUCKERS! I am getting so incredibly SICK of this. I love everything about my LG V30 except that it requires two hands! WHY!?! I've heard no technical explanation for this EVER!? WHY?! PLEASE STOP!? PLEASE!!!!