this post was submitted on 27 Jun 2024
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So to name a few issues:
pixel 1: headphone jack issue so bad they needed to issue a recall, audio would just FULLY stop working, loud speaker as well.
pixels 2, 3 (and theorized 4 and 5): using cheap ram that literally just died within 3 years. They refused to issue a recall claiming that was "fine for the expected life span of the phone"
Pixels 1-4: if you let them discharge long enough, they don't charge anymore, ever!
Pixel 4/a and 5/a: lemon units. Bad ram, bad flash storage, things like that. Some would be very slow and others would be fine. My pixel 5a died in 7 months.
During this period of time from the 4 though 6 lines they were notorious for trying to deny your warranty replacement any way they could. It took me 5 months to get a new pixel 5a.
Pixel 6: buzzing coming from loud speakers (not sure if recall issued)
Pixel 6 and 7: first 2 tensor chips, known for draining battery too quickly and overheating.
Pixel 8: OLED issues, I think random lines showing up on the display. They have issued a recall tho.
So in sum:
In the older pixels there were some shitty cost cutting measures they used in order to recoup cost of development of the phones.
their warranty service around this time was also piss poor
QC issues with just about every pixel phone released.
Where we stand today:
their warranty replacements are much better I've heard.
There are significantly less glaring issue with the pixels, and they're still reasonably priced
So, back in the day, if you got lucky you got a decent phone for a good price, if you got unlucky you got a shit phone and they probably wouldn't replace it. Now, you'll probably get a good phone, with some semi useful AI features and a decent warranty.
I'm sorry but you could easily find facts like this about every phone company from the past as of now they are great phones but cannot comment on the AI tools because I remove those
The shitty ram thing is especially egregious and was not the industry standard at the time, especially for your flagship phone.
The weird audio issues on multiple devices is also out of the norm.
Current pixel phones are pretty good! But it's clear that for at least the first 4 gens they had some QC and quality of parts issues.
Edit: also to add, it's a basic thing that if your phone is dead dead then you should use wall power to power the circuit to charge the battery. But if you let it sit for a few months, your older pixels will not charge again unless you put in a new battery with some charge, that is definitely out of the norm and is also something that should have been rectified sooner.
Na I have a 2XL that I let sit for two years and it still charged fine.
Must be nice, I have a pixel 1, straight up won't turn on, I have a bunch of stuff that wasn't backed up on there. The flash chip is fine I just can't turn it on
As much as like to shit on Apple for many other reasons, they've had fairly few mishaps with their phones. Even counting bending phones, "you're holding it wrong" etc., their track record is still decent compared to the competition.
Yeah but they've got their own issues. They're so anti right to repair and their OS is so much more restrictive. That's how it is under capitalism, kind of just have to pick your poison :/
I like that Google supplies repair parts straight to iFixit back to the Pixel 2. It would be nice if it didn't require melting glue to get to half of the components, but hey, baby steps. And the latest models out finally have a decently long support period for security updates.
This and grapheneos were the two big reasons I got a pixel 8 after I broke my 5 on a small drop. The third was I got it for basically perfect condition for $350 on ebay which is so baller.
Yes exactly my point, there are other reasons to sit on Apple, but their phones hardware is pretty good quality. I'll throw in long software support as well.
You got the Fairphone as an option though, also within the capitalistic system.
The ai tools are thankfully just an app. I could easily remove it. Unlike google assistant your phone had to be unlocked to do anything basic like pausing music.
Skill issue
You have a visualizer, use your imagination for once come on
My 5a just shut off while I was using it and wouldn't turn back on one month after warranty period. Google was going to deny a replacement until I bitched that each previous pixel I had had died or became unusable and I was going to move to iphone. They gave me a "one time exception" and sent me a replacement. I traded it for a 7 but if this one dies I'm done.
I can't speak from experience outside my own issues with my 5a but supposedly they're better about that stuff now. One reason I'm interested in the 8 is the unlocked bootloader and their smallish form factor. I have a Zenfone 9 RN and I went to put lineageOS only to find out they locked the bootloader down six months after release 😭
Can you not unlock it yourself easily?
I don't think so, unless I'm missing something
Never heard of a single one of these, got some links to back up any of these? Recalls will be easy to prove.
Two pixels, and never seen these before either.
Pixel 1 recall and class action in 2019: https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/14/18623077/google-pixel-faulty-mic-issues-lawsuit-payout-hairline-fracture
Ram issue mentioned in user forum with listed official response from google: https://support.google.com/pixelphone/thread/113517096/pixel-3-xl-bricked-overnight-computer-recognizes-as-qusb-bulk-cid-likely-caused-by-security-update?hl=en
Some of these others are harder to pin down because there's no official response but I'll do my best
Here's some users experience charging issues: https://www.reddit.com/r/GooglePixel/comments/15lj11a/connected_not_charging_how_to_fix_this/
Pixel 8 lemon unit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/GooglePixel/comments/17sa4z9/got_a_lemon_should_i_try_again_or_go_different/
Pixel 4 lemon post: https://www.reddit.com/r/GooglePixel/comments/efhcvf/my_4_week_old_pixel_4_xl_died_yesterday/
Pixel 6 buzzing issue; https://support.google.com/pixelphone/thread/148605754/loud-buzzing-noise-from-speaker-during-call-on-my-pixel-6-pro?hl=en
Pixel 3 buzzing: https://www.reddit.com/r/GooglePixel/comments/9weskv/pixel_3_fix_for_buzzing_sound_from_speakers/
Pixel 2 buzzing: https://www.androidauthority.com/google-pixel-2-xl-buzzing-rattling-speakers-825307/
Article on tensor chips overheating: https://techissuestoday.com/google-pixel-phone-overheating/#:~:text=Tensor%20brings%20the%20heat%2C%20literally!&text=While%20all%20the%20AI%20advancements,some%20reason%20or%20the%20other.
Pixel 8 screen issues customer has bad expires with Google support: https://www.reddit.com/r/GooglePixel/comments/1c3gcnz/pixel_8_green_screen_and_recall_terrible_customer/ (thought they were doing better these days, guess not)
Pixel 8 screen issues warranty extension: https://www.zdnet.com/article/google-extends-warranty-for-pixel-8-display-issues-how-to-check-if-your-handset-is-covered/ (thought this was a recall, guess not)
Issue is, almost ever issue you've labeled here is a random (mostly reddit) post. I could pretty much name any series of any devices and build the same type of list. It doesn't help make your comment look more valid. In fact, it kind of hurt it.
5 of the 7 issues I list have news articles, official responses from Google, or recalls/warranty replacements, but ok
And most of them of them were a repeat of a few problems that were literally fixed with a OTA patch, even to the point it was mentioned in the article you posted. Half of your "facts" were someone even mentioning they got a lemon by their own admission, and when a company makes over a million of the same device, a few lemons happen (it's why there is a term for it).
And the few that don't match these were speculation articles. Again, this could be said of so many companies and/or devices.
Should I post a links to iPhones and their problems? https://www.gizchina.com/2021/11/21/apple-recalls-the-iphone-12-iphone-12-pro-due-to-sound-issues/ https://www.macworld.com/article/675797/iphone-11-recalled-for-touchscreen-issues-how-to-get-a-replacement.html https://support.apple.com/iphone-6s-6s-plus-no-power-issues-program/other-countries https://appleinsider.com/articles/18/11/09/apple-activates-iphone-x-display-module-replacement-program-for-touch-issues https://9to5mac.com/2019/05/15/iphone-7-no-service-program/ https://www.pocket-lint.com/phones/news/apple/139529-apple-iphone-6-plus-touch-disease-flaw-here-s-how-to-get-it-fixed/
I'm not even into a half dozen Reddit/speculation articles yet.
Didn't say iPhones were better, I didn't even mention them, this isn't a competition
And I didn't say this was limited to iPhones. I mentioned that this could be said of any company when they make devices in the millions. Would you prefer Samsung next? Sony?
When your entire "proof" of lack of quality is mostly speculative articles and random Reddit articles, then it shows you pretty much have no proof. Yes, there was one or two real things, but that isn't enough to paint an entire brand and series as bad. If this was all anything took to prove something lacks quality, then everything lacks quality, is a disaster, etc....
K
Guess I've been lucky 3 phones in a row. And any issues I did have they solved very quickly and easily. Ymmv
My wife's currently rocking a refurb 7 and the battery life is actually exceptionally good, easily lasting a full day of near constant usage. I'm guessing they've corrected some of this through software improvements
I have a refurbished pixel 7 as well, the battery is admittedly lower than on my other phone but isn't terrible.
That's good to hear, probably so
As I haven't noticed any of those problems with my 4 year old pixel 3a I feel lucky and even happier about it 😊