
The Pixel phone is exactly what we wanted, so of course we’re unhappy - iamben
http://www.theverge.com/2016/10/5/13171712/pixel-phone-by-google-specs-design-reaction
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the_trapper
So the Pixel phones have:

...an SD card slot for expandable storage?

...a high capacity removable battery?

...IP-something-decent water resistance?

...durable build materials?

...a VR solution that works well with established players in that space
instead of creating a whole new standard?

...and most important of all A REASONABLE PRICE?

If the answer to any of those is no, then it's not exactly what I (and I
suspect a lot of people) wanted. At least they kept the headphone jack. SMH

~~~
mancerayder
... a price that isn't a few hundred USD above its predecessor (comparing the
regular Pixel to the 5X)? ... a featurelist that doesn't start with the
'assistant' that most of us don't give a crap about?

I don't expect a removal battery anywhere anymore (although I held out til the
last possible moment with the Samsung S4 Active until I got the 5X). But I was
hoping for a higher-capacity battery, absolutely. But it charges quickly, they
say. Great, so I still have to carry an Anker around.

The lack of water resistance is infuriating. The S4 Active had it, the IPhone
has it. I guess the marketing research guys decided we didn't want that
feature.

Sigh.

~~~
pasbesoin
Friend who is perpetually on her Galaxy S6 was getting very frustrated with
battery drain. She found a case with integrated battery that made that go
away. Yeah, it's bulkier and heavier, but she doesn't complain. And when she's
not on it, and she's not at home, it's in her purse, anyway.

Another friend added such a case to her iPhone. Again, if/when it travels,
it's in a bag.

I've looked for a such a case for my Nexus 5x, but it's apparently much too
small a market to attract such a third-party product.

Maybe with the enhanced commercialization of the Pixel, it will get such
things. But, it's a risk you won't face with a Samsung S series nor an iPhone.

(Plus, the S7 takes a microSD card, once again.

Yeah, the headphone jack. But I think now most people are going to just start
making do with Bluetooth. The minority who care for the quality and features
Bluetooth lack, are just that, a minority these manufacturers can afford to
ignore.)

P.S. The quick charging is nice, though. My 5x can go from 40-ish percent or
maybe 50, to over 90 percent charge during a 20-30 minute car ride, using a
Pleson brand car charger that supports quick charging.

I used to let my phones drain more thoroughly, or at least drain steadily
through a full day, before recharging them. Trying to reduce charging cycle
count. Now, I've kind of given up on that and taken to her behavior (somewhat
or substantially erstwhile, now that she has the battery case), charging
several times a day, when I have the opportunity, and whether or not I have
time to let it reach full or near-full charge.

We'll see how long its battery stays in good shape.

------
mancerayder
"We asked and asked, for many years, to see Google get serious about building
and designing its own smartphones. The Pixel isn’t everything we wanted, but
it is definitely the device and strategy we’ve been demanding from Google for
so long. And just like the enigmatic Google Assistant, this new initiative of
Google acting as a hardware designer and builder is likely to only grow better
with more time and experience."

Ths is a weak, navel-gazing article that feels more like marketing than
analysis.

The article argues that what 'we' wanted all along is the magic of HTC
combined with long-term OS updates. It listed the killer features of various
manufacturers: Samsung's screen, HTC's design, blah blah, and wrote a few
paragraphs that suggest the author is paid per word.

But in the end the features that are objectively useful: build, water
resistance, battery life, and low price, are all not mentioned.

But the enigmatic new assistant is! Take that Siri!

Uh, no. Most of us aren't viewing the smartphone battle as a battle of AI
'assistants'. Maybe in 2030 I'll care about that. Right now my concern is
battery life, longevity and RAM of my 5X (it only has 2GB), and the _only_
reason to upgrade to this expensive device is so I get more RAM.

But I'm going to hold out. I hope it flops.

~~~
deskamess
I agree with your spec needs... I find my (cracked screen) Nexus 4 hits a
sweet spot.

> I hope it flops.

That, I don't get. Let it succeed. It could be the Nexus4/5X for someone else.

While I wont buy the Pixel at this price range, I actually like the idea of
the Assistant. So Google Home ($129) is probably something I will look into. I
see the TV as a valid visual endpoint for Google Home + Assistant
actions/interactions. I would like to consume content, replay trip photos, or
even plan trips using the TV as a first class endpoint.

~~~
mancerayder
_> I hope it flops.

That, I don't get. Let it succeed. It could be the Nexus4/5X for someone else.

While I wont buy the Pixel at this price range, I actually like the idea of
the Assistant. So Google Home ($129) is probably something I will look into. I
see the TV as a valid visual endpoint for Google Home + Assistant
actions/interactions. I would like to consume content, replay trip photos, or
even plan trips using the TV as a first class endpoint._

Admittedly, I was a bit harsh. Put differently: if this marketing strategy
succeeds, those of us who care about functional specs like battery life and
durability/water resistance, and especially price, lose out. If it flops
they'll question why.

As far as the Assistant - it's a software feature primarily, right? Why
wouldn't it work on previous hardware? The 5X can't handle it?

I don't use Google Now, I don't see myself using Assistant ("Google Assistant,
find me a cheap flight to London!" Uh, no.)

~~~
Grishnakh
>if this marketing strategy succeeds, those of us who care about functional
specs like battery life and durability/water resistance, and especially price,
lose out. If it flops they'll question why.

Exactly. Look what happened with the Galaxy S6: it basically flopped, because
it eliminated 3 killer features that its predecessor the S5 had: water
resistance, removable battery, and SDcard slot. The S7 added two of those back
in and it's doing much better in sales.

------
draw_down
How come they keep putting the fingerprint thing on the back? Seems awkward
that way.

~~~
jakebasile
Having used both iPhones and Nexus phones with fingerprint sensors the back
position is much better for me. My index finger rests there naturally when
holding the phone while the home button placement is awkward.

~~~
badlucklottery
I've found I can also maintain a better grip on the phone (3 fingers +
palm/thumb) while pressing it over the home button (sort of cradling it in
four fingers).

I have massive hands though so it might not be an issue for most.

~~~
khedoros1
I have comparatively small hands. On an iPhone 6, I usually unlock it with
most of my hand near the bottom of the phone to get my thumb in position
there. After it's unlocked, I shift my hand so that my thumb's coming from the
side of the screen, instead of the bottom.

In that latter "using the phone" position, my forefinger rests on the upper-
middle of the phone, right where the back-side fingerprint readers are located
on many (most?) phones. I feel like a reader in that position would make it
easier for me to pick up the phone and unlock it without needing to shift my
hands back and forth.

