Pixel 6a launched

I love my Pixel 3 and 4a. Extremely happy with them apart from the atrocious battery life which i knew was crap anyway.
The other issue is that there is zero service support in India or repair or accessories anywhere.
The first is not a big deal as the 4a was purchased abroad and the 3a was purchased as refurb. But it sucks knowing that getting a screen or a hardware part replaced is almost impossible. My wife's poco m3, is so easy to fix.

As much as i love them, not sure if I'll buy another. Might buy a poco/mi and try pixel experience on it now that the new pixels are big too
 
alekhkhanna said:
Well, for most 99% of the people using Android, Google IS Android. The geeks who tinker with ROMs and kernels are extremely limited. I used it to do it when I was a student and a bachelor. Job, responsibilities, children etc just wants you to use something which works.
Nexus was what Google wanted to show the world what can be done with Android. It used to a cheap phone, great for the price, but with major issues.
Pixel lineup is supposed to be Google's answer to iPhone. You can see the continuous iterations throughout the years.
They provided ample incentives for early adopters to switch - no bloatware, unlimited OG quality photo backup, then 3 years OG quality backup etc.
As phones like Mi, Realme, Vivo ballooned (including earlier versions of TouchWiz), there was a gap in the market for barebones devices - and while Android One' program had a few takers, eventually I'm guessing the OEMs lost interest (and incentive).
I still have great memories of Nexus 6P - one of the first phones with (for that time) insane low light performance. You couldn't get that with ANY phone camera. It was magical. Of course, Huawei had build issues. Pixel 1 was weird with HTC manufacturing it, again lots of issues.
P2/XL was more refined, with LG's help. My only reason for not continuing it was limited RAM, which caused a lot of slowdowns in today's time. Else I absolutely love the phone.
4a (for it's price), to me, is love. The matte screen, excellent one handed ergonomics, useful AI powered Pixel launcher, the tried and tested camera - do remember Google really did a lot, LOOOOOOOT of enhancements for computational photography under Marc Levoy. And much of it has been released for free.
Who can forget the absolute insane night mode launched overnight by Google, or the bonkers astrophotography mode !? And again, it tells something when a 6 year old sensor holds its place with many flagships just because of how damn optimised it is with Google's software.
I think the recent phones are a small step for Google to really get into controlled hardware - they're doing chips with Samsung, and maybe it's just a start (or maybe they'll abandon it like many of their projects).
But all in all, there's no doubt the the Nexuses and Android Ones and Pixels have played a major part in shaping the smartphone market we know now.

Edit: Also, from what I think, Google really does not see most other phones as competitors. It's just competing with iPhone SE via A lineup, and we clearly know how much of a mess SE is. I wish the Pro models were better priced - US clearly gets tons of incentives when purchasing through Google or carriers. For RoW, it's bad pricing.
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chetansha said:
Google wants to be apple of android phones.
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Problem is Google is using Pixel as a technology demonstrator, like Surface for Microsoft. They are really not competing with Apple which is laser focused on the market and its growth.
 
greenhorn said:
The other issue is that there is zero service support in India or repair or accessories anywhere.
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For India bought versions, their service is above average. Sucks that they don't provide international warranty, but for the price, cant complain.
t3chg33k said:
Problem is Google is using Pixel as a technology demonstrator, like Surface for Microsoft. They are really not competing with Apple which is laser focused on the market and its growth.
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Both are entirely different companies. Hardware is Apple's bread and butter. For Google, it's software, not even Pixel software, but ads, AI, military stuff etc.
 
gourav said:
This reminded me, my Pixel 4a can't remain connected to 5 GHz Wi-fi if I'm too far from my router (I live in a 1 BHK, so far is like 15 feet). Other phones/laptops have no issue remaining connected at the same spot. I finally just switched to using 2.4 GHz on my phone for a more stable connection.

And also, the body had cracks in the corners within 6 months despite there being a cover on it from the very beginning and never having dropped the phone. Reminded me of the time when Micromax was big every other Micromax phone I saw had a cracked screen.
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What router do you use? How thick are your walls? Distance to the router matters less than walls, how thick and how many.

Have you owned any google phones before the 4A or was that your first ?
alekhkhanna said:
People with issues will always be the vocal majority online vs those without issues. It's a simple fact seen with almost every popular gadget.
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I find this applies to the internet as a whole. Vocal minorities can appear larger than life or than they really are.
alekhkhanna said:
And my experience with B2X has been great. I've had to send my P2XL twice, and they gave me a loaner Nexus (this was the year 2XL was released) for the week it took for them to return the device in tip top shape.
Needed a battery change the next time, and again, quick and fast service. You gotta hand over the phone to the guy who comes to pick it up from B2X's side.
Everything else is tracked online.
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Getting a loaner is enterprise-level support.
chetansha said:
Google wants to be apple of android phones.
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I think samsung is well on its way to that and Mi is an imitator.
greenhorn said:
I love my Pixel 3 and 4a. Extremely happy with them apart from the atrocious battery life which i knew was crap anyway.
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What about rooting or roms that allow for cpu limting ? that will increase your battery standby as well as run time noticeably

You should not be complaining about battery on a google phone.

greenhorn said:
The other issue is that there is zero service support in India or repair or accessories anywhere.
The first is not a big deal as the 4a was purchased abroad and the 3a was purchased as refurb. But it sucks knowing that getting a screen or a hardware part replaced is almost impossible. My wife's poco m3, is so easy to fix.
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A good case and screen protector means you never need it. Course any hardware issues that crop up is a different matter.
ibose said:
I think he "implied" this -
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Where do you see android and pixel in there?
 
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ibose said:
The Google other 10.88%
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So android and phones only make up 11% for Google.

For Samsung, mobile counts for a third of total revenue, and it shows in the quality of their products. Hardware as well as software.

www.statista.com

Samsung revenue by segment 2021 | Statista

As of the second quarter of 2021, Samsung Electronics’ mobile communications segment was its biggest revenue generator, bringing in approximately 19.26 billion U.S. dollars.
www.statista.com www.statista.com

However, consumer electronics only accounts for 5%. People see the phones and assume their consumer electronics is in the same league. I don't think so :)
 
Utter shit of a disappointment.
I was desperately hoping for:
1. Dual-SIM + dedicated microSD slot.
and/or
2. 256GB storage.

But no! 128GB storage no microSD slot no headphone jack for freaking 44k wtf guys.

I have an S10+ and while I'm somewhat satisfied with the phone (decent performance, very good camera) the hybrid SIM/microSD really hurts me now especially when I'm in a rural area and there's no one good network. Heck I need a 3 SIM slotted phone lmao.

Anyway I was eagerly waiting for the 6A hoping I can upgrade it but damn...
What other option do I have? Flagship tier model is not an option. 50k+ for a phone is crazy for me. It's not like I make lacs every month. >____>
 
iPwnz said:
Utter shit of a disappointment.
I was desperately hoping for:
1. Dual-SIM + dedicated microSD slot.
and/or
2. 256GB storage.

But no! 128GB storage no microSD slot no headphone jack for freaking 44k wtf guys.

I have an S10+ and while I'm somewhat satisfied with the phone (decent performance, very good camera) the hybrid SIM/microSD really hurts me now especially when I'm in a rural area and there's no one good network. Heck I need a 3 SIM slotted phone lmao.

Anyway I was eagerly waiting for the 6A hoping I can upgrade it but damn...
What other option do I have? Flagship tier model is not an option. 50k+ for a phone is crazy for me. It's not like I make lacs every month. >____>
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Eh !? The only google phone that came with a MicroSD slot was the google 1 back in 2010

American mobile companies think MicroSD is NOT a good thing to have and is a reason I've avoided them since their inception.

What is sad is these days even Chinese companies are moving away from dual sim+microsd. I've no idea why. Phones are big enough to host them. My LG v20 does.

Moto g 'Play' variants known for their good battery used to offer non-hybrid slots in the past.

Don't know if that is still the case with moto phones these days.

I guess the only hope is for dual e-sim now :sorry:
 
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alekhkhanna said:
I had this problem with Jio's router, so moved to a 1 router + 1 satellite mesh setup for better speeds everywhere.
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I have TP Link Archer C80 router
blr_p said:
What router do you use? How thick are your walls? Distance to the router matters less than walls, how thick and how many.
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I would ask all these questions if it was a wi-fi problem in general. As it happens, I can keep my old phone and Pixel 4a side by side, and old phone has no trouble staying connected, but the Pixel shows poor Wi-fi connection and keeps switching to mobile data every once in a while. Same with my laptop.
 
blr_p said:
However, consumer electronics only accounts for 5%. People see the phones and assume their consumer electronics is in the same league. I don't think so :)
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My $hitty samsung TV, laptop, fridge agree with that argument. And now, I'm seeing myself going for its washing machine.

the-mask-jim-carrey.gif
 
gourav said:
I have TP Link Archer C80 router
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It's a good 'budget' long range router. From memory whenever I see the word budget they cheap out on the 5Ghz part and deliver the 2.4Ghz to get the title.

I use 2.4 Ghz exclusively since I have 10 inch walls. 5Ghz does work across 2 walls with the Netgear R7000 I have though. But then I paid 11k for that router.
gourav said:
I would ask all these questions if it was a wi-fi problem in general. As it happens, I can keep my old phone and Pixel 4a side by side, and old phone has no trouble staying connected, but the Pixel shows poor Wi-fi connection and keeps switching to mobile data every once in a while. Same with my laptop.
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You're saying the laptop also works. I misunderstood that earlier.

lockhrt999 said:
My $hitty samsung TV, laptop, fridge agree with that argument. And now, I'm seeing myself going for its washing machine.

View attachment 140443
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I'd have thought TV might be the only exception. Many fans here for Samsung tv
 
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gourav said:
I have TP Link Archer C80 router

I would ask all these questions if it was a wi-fi problem in general. As it happens, I can keep my old phone and Pixel 4a side by side, and old phone has no trouble staying connected, but the Pixel shows poor Wi-fi connection and keeps switching to mobile data every once in a while. Same with my laptop.
Click to expand...

I know people are gonna be angry, but TP Link isn't a great brand. They appear to do good stuff at decent pricing, but I've heard a lot of horror stories from my colleagues - who used prosumer/enterprise stuff from TP Link and had piss poor experience.
Asus/Netgear/Ubi etc are the ones to go for. And as far as possible, get prosumer stuff, not consumer stuff. Lasts long, really long.

Common back to the thread:

 
I don't understand why people here are blaming the router when I have repeatedly said that other devices at my home face no issues. If all phones work and Pixel doesn't, then it's a phone issue, not a router issue.

Unless my router has a personal grudge against my phone. But I doubt they have enough feelings to hold a grudge.
 
alekhkhanna said:
I know people are gonna be angry, but TP Link isn't a great brand. They appear to do good stuff at decent pricing, but I've heard a lot of horror stories from my colleagues - who used prosumer/enterprise stuff from TP Link and had piss poor experience.
Asus/Netgear/Ubi etc are the ones to go for. And as far as possible, get prosumer stuff, not consumer stuff.
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Agreed

alekhkhanna said:
Lasts long, really long.
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Reminds me of Amaron ads :D
 
The Pixel 6a does have dual sim. Just that one is an esim. I'm using my Pixel 4a as a dual sim that way right now.
I'm hoping the tensor SoC proves to be a game changer, just like the original pixel camera. Even today people look at my phone when i say it takes great pics and asks, with just one camera? And then get blown away by the results.
 
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greenhorn said:
The Pixel 6a does have dual sim. Just that one is an esim. I'm using my Pixel 4a as a dual sim that way right now.
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The rant is about not having microSD card slot.
greenhorn said:
I'm hoping the tensor SoC proves to be a game changer, just like the original pixel camera. Even today people look at my phone when i say it takes great pics and asks, with just one camera? And then get blown away by the results.
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Tensor is just Exynos chip with an extra co-processor. It comes with the same problems that Exynos 2100 comes with (mainly related to modem which is kind of old and is not as good as the modem used by MediaTek and Qualcomm).
 
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