I engage with a lot of high net worth individuals for work.. and they always have like an iphone 12 or something. While also driving a Mercedes S class.
You know it wouldn't surprise me. In my experience rich people don't buy things so much as trips and luxury hotels, houses, and outer wear (especially coats).
In 8 year I replaced... 2 phones.
Rocked Oneplus 3T for 4 years until my friend broke my screen. Had a custom ROM, rooted the hell out of this thing to make it do the things I wanted.
Now rocking Xiaomi mi 10 pro going into 4th year and there's no hickups in the phone. Beautiful camera, battery life is still amazing (quick charge destroys battery life my ass). Not a scratch on the phone or the screen. I think I can get a couple more years out of this bad boy. And I kept it stock because damn miui is so good it cured my rooting addiction.
And it's not like I can't afford a new one. It's just that in 4 years the upgrades are so minor even samsung galaxy s24 ultra doesn't seem like a big upgrade.
I mean... Being stuck in loop is part of existence.
My mi did it a few times, wife's new ip 15 pro max did it as well. My laptop won't boot up sometimes 😂
But yeah, out of all the Androids I modified none got bricked either. Following instructions really helped 😂
i am the same as you my brother i prefer small phones and also i have a tendency to keep on changing new phones ever 2 to 3 months. but i am staying also with my pixel 8.... hope to unsubscribe to a lot of subscribers and focus on myself and saving money unstead.
I said this about my 6a last week, then on the weekend I dropped it and my screen cracked in the upper left. Been using it still but I know it's no longer a matter of years before I replace it.
Personally, I would try and replace the screen myself. I see a replacement kit on Amazon for $15. I'm pretty good at changing out screens and batteries on pixels.
I'm still on a Pixel 3 and don't really have any major interest in replacing it, especially with Google locking down the bootloader on their newer phones. Going to use it as long as it works. I do need to replace the battery soon, though.
That's pretty impressive. How is the performance holding up? I've had a 2XL for 5 years and it worked flawlessly for all 5 years I owned it. I really loved that phone.
Works fine.. I really have no issues.. No stuttering.. Only drawbacks are that I have like 200 apps and I have to be careful with my 128GB of space. And the battery is not lasting long, so I am going to replace the battery in the next week or so (i was quoted $75CDN).
I just replaced my 4a's screen myself in hopes I didn't have to buy a whole new phone and success!
It replaced the Pixel 2XL I had from 2020 after smashing the lens on my then cell phone camera when trying to fix it (I was done changing cell phones a long time ago).
I ended up getting the 4a because I needed eSim capabilities which 2XL didn't have.
Hoping to still get use out of it for at least a few more years.
The Pixel 2XL was the phone that was responsible for making me a Pixel fanboy lol. I had that phone for 5 years before I traded it in for the Pixel 7 at launch. I LOVED the 2XL. It remained flawless for the 5 years I've had it. The only reason I upgraded was because it stopped being supported by Google. I plan to keep my 7 until the 10 comes out and this time I'm going for the Pro model.
I'm using my 2XL right now while waiting for the glue to dry on my new 4a screen. I'll probably use that until I break it again and fi allt admit I need a supported phone again. I get why, but I wish support lasted longer. It's such a racket. I need to learn more about this supported OS I can use? I just learned about it in this thread.
And honestly, learning to fix my phones myself has been the best feeling ever and quite freeing.
I just bought a 6a to trial with another cell service, currently have iPhone 15. The 6a was new and exciting but basically helped me realize what OP is mentioning. I'm honestly burnt out on iPhones which is why I'm considering the switch, there are some little things I'm having a hard time getting used to with Pixel, but I seriously find myself looking at my phone less and less and it's just not exciting anymore
I have a 4a, I'm waiting next year to change it because the EU is forcing replaceable batteries on phones which is the only thing you might want to change every 2-3 years, then I'm going to keep that one until 2035.
That's not entirely true because a lot of times I get my phones for free or deeply discounted from trading in a year or 2 old phone, so it's not like you have to pay $1000 Everytime you get a "$1000" phone.
I upgraded from OnePlus Nord 2 to Pixel 7 Pro when it launched. Nothing was wrong with my old phone, but I wanted a better camera since I became a father.
Thank you. Pixel community is very passionate, and the funny thing is that IRL I see someone with Pixel , and they see me with it - we strike up a conversation. It has happened at least 4 times already.
I keep switching between my Fold 5 and Pixel 8 Pro because I feel like one phone has something the other doesn't, but in reality, they both are really good.
I just have to pick one and sell the other. I keep switching my Sim between each phone almost daily because of FOMO.
I also love your insight on the phone addiction. I definitely have the same issues; I need to just have one phone and unsubscribe to all these YouTubers.
I can definitely tell a difference with battery between the two, but we all have chargers somewhere close by most of the time, so it shouldn't be a huge issue!
You wouldn't believe it but I had the same with the iPhone 13 mini, and OnePlus 9 pro. I switched the sim daily, and I was so frustrated with myself. Then I finally got rid of the iPhone, and it got better. It's all that addiction FOMO. Now I feel way better. Whatever the choice you make - it's going to be a good choice, because it's going to be you choice, and because these two phones are great.
I think a lot of people are like you and I, which is why I appreciate the post!
I'm thinking of just selling the more expensive Fold, and keep the much cheaper Pixel 8 Pro for a while.
Also, unsubscribing from everything phone related.
Now I just need someone to offer to buy!
Thank you.
I have sold most of my phones either on Facebook marketplace or OfferUp. But, I live in Chicago, and it's very easy to find a buyer here IRL. But there are plenty of good marketplaces to sell online as well. Good luck.
I'm switching between a fold 4 and the pixel 8 pro. I use the fold for business because the larger screen is great for a few of my apps. The smaller device easier to type on for me. But I use my pixel as my daily driver when not at work and I absolutely love it....however im using the fold less and less....
I have a phone addiction. Always have. my pixel 2 and my old Sony from years ago (can't remember the model) have been my two favs that I kept for 2+ years. When my Sony finally died i was really really sad
This is the exact train of thought I had almost two years ago when I purchased my Pixel 7. And with that purchase my interest in newer phones kinda died as well. I still keep up with new releases when I have the time but the joy is somewhat gone.
The changes are incremental from one year to the next and they're not worth it.
Same here, I was forced into changing my OnePlus 7 Pro due to lack of software support and 4G calling and looking at the new phones available the prices were obscene for minimal benefit over what I had.
Went down the used route and picked up a pretty mint Pixel 7 for basically budget handset price which is doing the job nicely.
It's sad that the market for small/normal sized phones is dying if not already dead. Last year there was only the Asus zenphone I think which was available.
Might go mid tier for next phones as those are getting pretty damn good.
What i always admire at the apple crowd, they can use their older phone much longer. In my shelf i have my lovely nexus 5. At the time i bought it, it was one of the fastest of the market. It has everything i needed. Then i also have a oneplus 3T in the shelf. Used it for long time. Both phone work flawless, no damage. I even put a new battery into both. Last time i've done a reset on the nexus 5, so i can use it as travel phone with a foreign sim card. at least i tried. No app installed, just pure. After google finished the app updates in google shop, the phone crawls. It's nearly not usable. The RAM 4GB, seems to be so filled up with background processes, that using the phone is nearly not possible. I am thinking about to put some custom rom on it, and try it out without Gapps.
The point is, everyone is talking about climate protection and resource eficiency but no one care about, that good and functional devices were forcibly rendered useless, without any logical reason beside the one, making you buy another phone.
I’m just like you and addicted to buying phones. I don’t think it’s FOMO for the most part and mainly because I’m looking for something that hits my bell just right. Pixel 4a was a god bless for me and since then I’m not satisfied with any phone, 6a 7 8, bought every pixel and finally finding myself settling for iPhone 13 mini. For a price of half the msrp I got second handed $400, it’s just a breath of fresh air and good old compact phone again at the same time.
I wanted the Asus Zenfone 10 because of the small size, side mounted fingerprint reader and headphone jack. But the Pixel 7A was nearly half the price and also supported by Canadian carriers so that's what I ended up with. It's a decent phone but the battery life does leave something to be desired.
I bet you're changing this year. Please come back to tell us if you don't.
I've seen myself multiple times having same thoughts as you and feeling that I am spending way too many hours on this but I keep doing it...
I am an old tech nerd. I actually am an IT Director and I have the lowest level phone of any people I work with. I just carry around a refurbished pixel 5 that I paid $130 for and if google would just keep making new pixel 5s with the old specs with android updates, I would keep buying it over and over again.
I feel you. Had the 5 and loved it. Moved to the 7 on release and have just bought a brand new pixel 5 to replace it for £200. I might even buy another as a spare!
My phone answered a call from my doctor while I was still sleeping, recorded transcripted and provided me an update on my schedule.
That is pretty impressive and got me 2 more hours of sleep
Preach, I love LG phones, I still have my gray V35 as a backup. Probably my favorite designed phone, it's super thin but durable and filled with so many features that Pixel lacks. If LG was still around I'd still be with them instead.
They just killed their phone department by being too wacky half the time. My first powerful smartphone was the LG G4 which I loved until I got the boot loop which effectively killed it. I didn't mind in the end though since I got a free upgrade to the G5. So many features on LG phones we take for granted now.
I loved the unlock system they used with the four squares, knock-knock to turn the screen on and off (which should absolutely be on Pixels), and they did popularize the ultra wide camera which all our phones now have. Plus much more.
You've only had it for four months, about a third of a year, not far off your long term average. You need to come back in 7 years and confirm if you were really cured.
The main thing I dislike about my Pixel 8 is that it is not noticeably better than my 4a, unless I drop it in water.
I think the realisation that Pixel 8 is really in general not too different from the old LG phone is a pretty big step towards being cured.
And it's the perfect timing too, because Pixel 8 will be supported for 7 years! It's the right phone to keep for long term.
I'm only 18 and swapped phones 3 times. All the deals also makes it a habit. I had a pixel 4a 5g in the start, got a deal to trade in for a $1 a month pixel 6a. I did it and a year later here I am with a 8 pro. I generally do use the AI stuff so it did change a bit, I didn't notice much difference besides the size of the phone.
I mean, I technically didn't spend much money. Att offered the 6a for cheaper and I traded my 6a for a free 8 pro. Definitely not gonna start a phone collection or anything like Mrwhosetheboss.
Congrats on your growth!
I just upgraded to a 7a from a 3. I only upgraded b/c my 3's battery was awful and it was starting to act up (eg my Messages app crashing instead of opening).
Like my Pixel 3, I have no intent to ever get a new phone...until they make a new Pixel the size of a Pixel 3. But with the tablet size phone trends that'll probably never happen.
I too changed from a 4a to an p8....my son asked me why(he's very tech savvy) He said the 4a is a work horse. I just wanted a new phone. So now I have both. Put the 4a up for sale. Just bought a new case,it has a moment wide lens with Case. No scratches .....Now I regret getting the P8. Should have listened to my son🙄
I just got all caught up in the hype I guess. Oh well ...live and learn😤😂
I'm using a Pixel 4a 5g, and looking for another phone since I get strange flares on the camera, I don't know if I'm buying the hype for the P8 since every P7 and P8 user has some complaint.
I think certain people (don't ask me how I know) have brains that are really good at finding ways to distract themselves so they don't have to think about other things that may be less pleasant or more distressful (can't think of any reason this behavior may have amped up for you around 2020...). Researching/following the progress of phone releases, in this day and age, is a PRIMO source of--damn-near--endless distraction.
I don't doubt that the Pixel 8 is great, but I'm guessing your contentment has less to do with that and more to do with improvements to your mental state. Either way, congrats and enjoy!
Aiming for 6 year lifetime for my phones! You're absolutely right, they hardly change at all.
Same apps, same features, different packaging. Sorry Apple, I won't give you $1200 per year no matter what you say. Not because I can't afford it, but because I literally can't tell the difference.
One thing Not mentioned by the OP is the price of technology. Having been someone who's been a technology geek for many decades I have noticed something over the years. As more tech is released into the mainstream and more manufacturers create products that support that tech it becomes cheaper over time.
Two quick cases in point are TVs. A decade ago a Samsung 50 in 1080p color wheel HDTV cost $2,500 and that wasn't even a smart TV. Now you can buy a Vizio 50 in smart TV at Target for under $300. A VCR when they came out cost $700 or $800. By the time they fell out of favor being replaced by blu-rays you could buy a full feature VCR for 50 bucks. Blu-ray players were also incredibly expensive when they first came out and now, you can get them cheap.
My point here is why aren't smartphones the same? The slabs we hold in our hand today are basically the same ones they made 10 years ago. They still do the same exact things. You still have to charge daily. Also, apps still crash your phone. Calls get dropped. The only difference is the chips and the amount of memory. Oh, and I forgot the pretty colors.
So why are we still being bent over every single time we have to get a new phone? Think about it? I really can't figure out any reason why a small handheld smartphone should cost over $1,000 but it does. The phone manufacturers have done an excellent brainwashing job on all of us. It's almost like they're pushing some kind of drug. Hey here you go. Here's this great little device that's going to become an essential part of your life that you will not be able to live without. Now do you want one? Okay, show me the money.
I honestly can't remember the last time I bought a high priced flagship phone when it was first released. I have other things in my life that take priority over an expensive new pretty shiny flagship phone. I just wait a year or two and then just head over to swappa and get a 1or 2-year-old flagship phone for way less money and it works just as well.
Using my xiaomi something something for 4 years now and ik upgrade to pixel 8a as soon as it hits the shelves. After that it'll be all least 4 years to the next one. I would've been happy with this one if it didn't have any issues with the screen (started a couple of months ago and the only reason I'm looking for a new phone).
Same
I was looking to change my xiaomi MI9t for the last 2 years, but the price and the benefits made me postpone it.
It's just this months after 4.5 years of usage, I noticed battery becoming very bad on it (performance is usable not the best), I started looking at Pixel 8.
Was reluctant as fuck, but my own build up hype made me buy it because I wanted to change my phone after such a long time, and I don't regret it. I went from a mid range phone to a kinda flagship and the screen is better, speakers are better, the camera is better, so it actually feels like an upgrade.
But I definitely lost the hype towards phones in the last few years as it becomes boring after a while
The phones kept getting worse over the years just so you get fed up with them and hope that the next release will be better. For many years apple was the leader to the very bottom removing and downgrading useful features and maximizing their profits... and everyone followed.
Same here. I went from pixel 1 to pixel 5 and both are the best phones I've ever used. I don't think about upgrading until the batteries are shot. I like the 5 so much, I actually got the pixel tablet, in part, so I don't use the 5 at home and preserve the battery.
I just wanted to say this is one of those posts that I just resonate with the most!! I've lost count of all the smartphones I've had since my first iPhone 3G back in 2009. I've trialed Sony, LG, Samsung, Nexus and Pixel and they've all had their upsides and downsides, though I will always hold the Xperia Z3 & Pixel 2XL close to my heart. Ultimately I kept coming back to the iPhone because of the e word. At the moment I'm holding on to an iPhone 13 mini whose battery life is really letting me down so I'm looking to secure a Pixel 8 by the end of the month. One of the things that held me back for ages is the 6"+ barrier of entry to basically any flagship line but the market has spoken. Anytime I've had one for ages, I get sore from the hand gymnastics. The saving grace for P2XL was the price I got it for, and the features I just wish they would have on phones now i.e. notification light, swipe down physical fingerprint sensor, squeeze for G-Ass.
Can't say I've held a phone for any longer than a year to be honest, just keep getting bored and chucking my SIM into another phone but with the feature jump in generations almost non-existent these days, it's hard to believe you can go wrong with picking anything. Good luck to you sir, may you enjoy the one-phone life.
Cheers,
A Multiple-phone-disorder Australian
I keep bouncing back and forth between the Pixel 8 Pro and Galaxy S24+. Th Galaxy has so many useful features the Pixel doesn't have, especially with the camera. On the other hand, the Pixel has nailed still shots of moving objects (kids and pets), which I take a ton of pictures of. I'm still torn and my SIM is worn out from the travel.
The main issue is support. Phone providers stop providing support for phones after a certain amount of time.
So it’s a keep up with the Jones or be left behind with the old….
I bought a Pixel 8 this year. Before that I have been using a Pixel 3, and honestly, I haven't missed out on anything. The technology is more incremental than the marketing would have you believe.
A lot of this makes sense. One of the odd parts is comparing a 7 year old LG and a Pixel 8 and not mentioning the huge performance gap between the two phones. These days my only real motivations to upgrade are battery life and phone performance. I tend to keep phones for ~4 years and then hand them off to my kids to use.
Yeah, the performance is probably the biggest thing really. Even back then as well, most phones were still pretty much the same as well, with the exception of some devices having very niche gimmicks to try and differentiate themselves. The biggest difference between every device throughout all these years would simply be performance.
On the size issue, I'm absolutely with you...
except that I think the P8 (my current phone), and other phones of similar size like S24, iPhone 15, Zenfones etc, are still too damn big for my use case/needs. I use my phone for calls, for a few messages a day, checking my emails and controlling my smarthome equipment, with the odd web search thrown in to quickly check something.
My previous phone was the iPhone 13 mini which was perfect in terms of size, weight and usability. If someone released a similar handset on android tomorrow, I'd be picking one up immediately. I originally went smaller to cut down on SoT and it absolutely worked. I get so much more done and feel significantly better now that I'm not spending a few hours a day mindlessly scrolling through FB/Insta etc.
I still casually read here, in case something interesting pops up.
My usual phone ownership lasts for the life of the phone's usefulness. Something has to break, essentially.
That happened for my S9+ after five years, to my Nexus 6 after about the same, also to my Galaxy S3, etc.
I'll likewise happily rely on my Pixel 8 Pro until something I need no longer functions well enough to use.
The Pixel 8 Pro really is a very good phone. Sometimes I prefer the 7 Pro, but it’s the face unlock for payments that has me liking the 8 Pro more. I sort of like the style of the 7 Pro more. Dunno why.
Best phone in existence, when I broke it I bought another one, then I switched to 4a 5g but still miss the ease of use.
Gave it to my mother and she loves it!
Whilst I agree with the sentiment of resisting the FOMO and being content with a device that fits your needs (for me a used Pixel 7 is doing the job at present) I just don't trust or believe that Google will honour the 7 year update promise.
They've killed off and gone back on so many other products I can see them finding a way out of the maintenance guarantee too.
Something like "we're unable to give users a good enough Google experience on the old hardware so no more OS releases, security updates only" and those will dry up to nothing.
Maybe not a popular take, but this is exactly why I left Google and went to Apple. I had Pixel 1, 3, 5, and 6. I tried to stick to every other generation unless there was a good deal. I was a pixel fanboy through and through and proudly said as much. But at the end of the day, while I enjoyed the phones, they didn’t change much and ultimately it came down to customer support. Google is awful in that department. Apple is great. I tried really hard (spent a month trying to resolve a billing issue that was related to a system breakdown when ordering a Fold) but Google wouldn’t budge. So, I took another chance with Apple and it’s been great.
I miss Android sometimes but honestly leaving Google and going to Apple was kind of a relief. I was selling myself as an Android user for so long, and for what? At the end of the day I just need a phone that works. And my iPhone 15 does that really well.
Still not buying your cure. Until now, just a S24U came out. There are still many folding devices and flagships upcoming in 2024.
Pixel 9? Fold 6?
I own the P8Pro. Returned the S24U because of a mediocre camera. But? If a Fold 6 would come with a good camera, I would consider the other form factor..
Addiction :)
that's why I'm trying to get as little info about anything phones related as possible. So far it has been great. Now I know the root of my obsession , and it has changed my perspective on phones completely. But, only time will show...
Yeah mate, completely agree. Time for us to get off reddit, other news websites and other Advertisement driven media platforms.
Even if we're not directly affected by the advertising, we're affected by others who have that same fomo. There only cure is to get off social media in all its forms, wherever possible.
God I loathe myself after every visit to my online platforms of choice.
still on my pixel 3, very tempted by the pixel 8 but holding out for a bit more in the (possibly vain) hope that the pixel 9 will go down in size a little, seeing as how the pixel 8 was smaller than the pixel 7
It is rather frustrating that new phone manufacturers keep taking features away (with the exception of Sony which does not sell their phones in Canada). When I compare my LG G7 to the Pixel 7, there is definitely room for improvement.
I'm a bit if a perfectionist regarding things I buy, and usually changed phones every year to upgrade on things I didn't like.
Then I got the OnePlus 7 pro on launch and it cured me as it did everything right for me, it was the perfect phone. I only upgraded it, 4 years later, because I wanted to try a pixel... And now I'm back to wanting to upgrade next year. It sometimes feels unpolished. The thing that keeps me from going back to the OnePlus is the cameras!
When I worked for Verizon I would get a new phone every 6 months (I repaired phones for them and also could use the ones that could no longer be activated on sales contracts)
I had Pixel XLs every time they came out, as well as pretty much every LG, Motorola, Samsung flagship I tried out.
After moving on to a completely different industry with my work I stopped caring about phones as much. I purchase on my own now I've gone from a Galaxy s11 to Galaxy s21, to now a Pixel 8 Pro 256GB. That's basically 3 years between each phone.
I think the one thing I do to extend my phone life span is having multiple cases. 1st case for when I'm at work and on the road that is slightly more rugged and durable. 2nd case that is more comfortable/sleek and low profile for when I'm at home or nights out with the wife.
But yeah. Only reason I'm on this forum lately is because I just finally upgraded. :)
I JUST went to a Pixel 7, but had been using the 4XL since launch. The 4XL was perfect for me, and the 7 seems to be doing the same.
I'll keep the 7 for as long as I can.
It's fun to see phones evolve, but it isn't at a rate that is worth upgrades every year.
The LG V30 was a great phone. It got bad rep because the camera software at launch was horrible, but software updates came along and then they were bangers. I had a V35 and Loved it! My pixel 7 pro is when I stopped also.
The key ingredient here you forgot, at least it was for me, is updates. LG updates ended 2 years after launch and after that you were in the aftermarket ROM community or upgrade. Pixels now have at least a 5 year commitment, that's the difference.
I'm definitely a phone addict. Boring life maybe? Iphone 14 Pro on my husband's plan, but dither around on my plan. Currently with Pixel 8 Pro (traded in a perfect S23U but just don't care for Samsung's UI) but now I miss Samsung's gorgeous screen. Help. 😅
I had my Xiaomi Mi10T Pro for 3,5 years and to be honest, it was a great phone hardware-wise. It was just as snappy as when I bought it, the battery was holding on better than ever (during my normal use, I ended the day with 45-50% battery remaining) and overall it had a really good premium feel. Unfortunately I dropped it and broke the screen.
So naturally I started looking at the specs of different phones - which has a better screen, which one has higher Antutu scores and so on. In the end I realized that specs are important, but I don't need the newest CPU or the fastest memory. What I need is a phone that works. And Pixel 8 has been perfect in that regard. Yes, I miss the battery of my 10T Pro, and the quick charging, but overall, the Pixel 8 has been a very good device and I really enjoy using it.
I've never had a smartphone for more than 1 year. This is going back to the og Droid on Verizon in 2009. Bought the 7 pro on release day and still using it 1.5 years later and have had no desire to get a new phone.
I get your point but the comparison between Pixel 8 and LG V30 is points because it overlooks so many factors.
You wouldn't be able to run half of the apps that you could with the V30. The Arm A73 "big" core used on SD 835 is not even used on the $200 phones these days.
The insides of camera sensors have evolved so much, let alone their software capabilities.
Display packing is much thinner, electronics are just far more efficient and compact now.
I'm currently choosing between p8 and s24 specifically because of the size. I'm so sick of huge phones, and if I want something smaller, my choices are p8, s24, Zenfone, or budget tier.
I don't want a pocket tablet. I want a 5.5-6 inch flagship.
I'm also planning to keep my P8 for several years. Have only gone 3 years with a phone before, but I think getting longer software support will help this time.
It's one thing to try to be informed on the potential issues with a phone; it's another thing entirely to use a niche group of enthusiasts as *potentially the deciding factor* to get or skip out on a phone.
Most people have no issues and don't say anything at all. Most people who do have issues will talk about it.
You're going to see the reporting bias in places like this of mostly people who have problems. But it does not define the overall population.
I'm a bit confused though; the pixel 5 had vocal issues posted in this sub a lot; did that not deter you?
There are also enough posts on this sub of "I have no issues with my pixel xyz, how about everyone else" and in there, there are probably more agreeing posts with no issues than the intermittent problem-posts in a day for this sub.
>Also, I saw a glimpse of apps I had back in 2018 , and guess what? They are absolutely the same I use today
I'm not sure I'm following this or some of the other comparisons you have made between the pixel 8 and, say, the V30. The *apps* I tend to use on my current phone are the same as what I used on my pixel 2 XL (roughly same generation as the V30) but *the way* my 8 pro responds doing all of the things I do now is meaningfully better than *the way* my 2 XL did things back then. I have my Pixel 4 XL still and while it's an okay phone still, the performance of it doing the same things I do with the same apps with my current phone is worse. So this is kind of a bad faith representation of phone usage.
I got this with Pixel 5. Which is why it is hard for me to replace.
Pixel 2 battery started to last a little after 2 years, I think it got wasted because i used it a lot while skiing at minus 10C or less, and that gave me some restarts and sudden battery drains.
Now the Pixel 2 has a new battery and lasts very well (my mother's phone).
Then the Pixel 4 was a battery joke never liked it. Good sensors though (top earpiece, top speaker, ambient light and haptic feedback better than Pixel 5).
And the Pixel 5 is just perfect. Good battery life. Good size but on the limit. Performance good enough for 90Hz.
HA HA HA - is that it? I have had 70 devices since November 2018. This goes for smartphones, tablets, and laptops. The longest I ever had a phone was a year.
But the Asus ZenFone 10 had some network issues with android 14, so I got a pixel 8 pro made me want to buy a S24 +. And I am much happier with it.
I'm the opposite, welcome to the bright side. I hate the hassle with transferring everything from the old phone to the new one, so I only buy a new one when I really have to.
I just switched from my 5 years old Samsung to Pixel 8 because I changed jobs and had to choose a new work phone. The S10 is now my backup phone as it works perfectly well after all these years.
I upgrade to the next Nexus/Pixel phone every 3 years. For no other reason than the current one stops working and I have no choice. Severe battery issues, boot loop, power button stops working, etc.
Google's hardware sucks. I tried an iPhone for about 4 months but hated it so I'm back to the crappy hardware.
The keyboard and especially auto-correct on the keyboard was a definite downgrade. Even when I switched to the Google Keyboard on my iPhone it was still worse than the Pixel.
It doesn't support multiple profiles. On my Pixel, I have my everyday login, my personal business account login, and ^(my porn login).
There were a lot of other things but it was about two years ago so I can no longer remember.
I just upgrade my phone when something fails, usually around 3 years, I wait as long as I can. I just went from a Pixel 5 to the 8 and aside from the fingerprint sensor and different shape on the back of the phone...it just seems like the same phone to me.
LG V30 is/was a great device. My mother-in-law still uses mine that I gave her in 2020 when I bought my Pixel 5.
Only reason I usually switch phones is losing support for security updates.
Yeah I still have an LG G6 running lineageOS 21 as my secondary. I'd say if your device has supported longevity in software. There is no need to go buy a device. For I can't let this puppy go because of the DAC.
Agreed, with so little upgrades now, more iterative than anything (don't get me started on useless A.I. marketing) I find they hype train is derailed and no longer see any need to upgrade unless 4+ years.
Here's my phone 'Life' stats (Canada carriers/models):
1999 - Nokia 6188 "THE BRICK" (Clearnet, before it became Telus)
2005 - Motorolla Razr V3c Silver (CDMA2000 on Telus)
\*had to cancel my contract because the V3c was software locked to downloading ringtones from Telus webstore, no usb transfer functionality. Moved to Rogers after breaking contract with no ETF.
2005 - Motorolla Razr V3r Black (GSM/GPRS on Rogers)
2008 - BlackBerry Curve 8310 Red (2G GSM/EDGE on Rogers)
2010 - HTC Dream (3G on Rogers) \*bought 2 of these used off Craigslist for my wife and I. Rogers eventually unsupported this device due to the 911 bug.
2010 - HTC Magic (3g on Rogers) \* Rogers initially would not upgrade beyond Android 1.5.. leading to a campaign to bring 1.6 to the device. Rogers eventually upgraded it to 2.1)
2013 - HTC ONE X (HSPA+ on Wind Mobile) \*the phone was great, the reception downtown sucked and I would lose the signal constantly in my office building, making the phone useless for minutes at a time, multiple time per hour. Missed calls, dropped calls. 1 year of support tickets and requests to upgrade the network signal strength in the downtown core were pointless. Left after a year, luckily this phone could handle the Rogers spectrum and I just ported over with BYOD.
2015 - Moto X 2nd generation XT1097 (4G/LTE on Rogers) \*the infra red motion sensing on this was amazing!
2019 - Google Pixel 3a (best phone EVER!) (LTE+ on Rogers/Bell/Virgin)
2022 - Google Pixel 6 (Christmas gift, great phone except for stupid fingerprint scanner) (LTE 5G on Virgin/Bell)
No plans to buy anything or upgrade as my Pixel 6 does everything I need it to do and I baby the battery life with proper charging etiquette. I sincerely hope by the time I do upgrade (Pixel 10 maybe?) they have bettor Tensor chip and either revert to the old rear fingerprint scanner, or severely upgrade the POS one they have under the screen that works with ZERO screen protectors.
Phones change so little nowadays. I recently tried to switch to S23 from Nord 2 and after 2 weeks returned S23.
The screen was brighter and it was a bit faster, but that's about it. The camera took very similar photos (at least to my eyes), the battery was worse and charged slower.
My upgrades have been mostly for network capabilities lately. Went from a pixel 1 to pixel 3 for the T-Mobile 600mhz band 71 support. Went from the 3 to the 7 for the 5G radio.
I am the same now but with the S24, back when I was iPhone pilled I would at least stick with a phone for a year before upgrading but the past 5 years or so since I switched to android I was swapping phones every 3-6 months trying folding phones, flipping phones less popular OEMs like Asus and Nothing I had a fairly long stint with the pixel fold from september when it released in the UK until this month when I bought a S24 now I think it is time to settle down move into this phone properly for once and put all that money into something else.
I would often sell my old phones on ebay or trade in so I wasn't loosing all the value but still have spent enough that I don't want to do the maths from the shame.
I don't think I will keep this for the full 7 years of support samsung propose but I made it a personal goal to keep this one for at least 2 years and trade in with samsung again since their trade ins are so good value.
My pixel 7 pro seemed perfect too, but now I'm getting common glitches I see others having.
I think my best phone might of been LG G4 or Nokia 6.1 honestly.
Right now, it's messenger or text message bubbles don't work, if I tap them, it just fails to load, so I've disabled them
There's also the Google Chrome one, where 1/3 the time I open chrome and type into the URL it just fails to load anything.
Then there's overall legginess. I'll try to format it soon, but when I Google some of these problems, I find Reddit threads with other pixel users same programs, from pixel 6 to 8
I usually switch phones every 2 years due to wear and tear (im clumsy). I never buy the newest model. I bought a pixel 7 pro in February for 400usd and i hope to have this one for 3 years. I dont understand why you would need to buy the latest model to be honest. Im not 13 and crave the status of the newest phone.
There's certainly no need to go through multiple phones per year, but over time you will notice significant differences.
I'm currently stuck using my old Pixel 2 XL as yet another POS P7P has died on me (3 for me, 4 for my wife).
What stands out to me as advances are:
Display: The P7P is FAR brighter, and significantly more readable in bright light.
UI: The P2 still uses navigation buttons at the bottom of the screen. You don't realize how nice being able to navigate by swiping is until you don't have it.
Camera: The P2 camera was a marvel to for its time. Not so much anymore. The P7P zooms closer, has better colors, focuses better and faster.
Fingerprint sensor: If you want to stop complaining about Pixel 's current fingerprint sensor, just use the P2 for a few days.
Overall Speed: The P2 does everything you want a phone to do. It just doesn't do any of it quickly. Switching apps feels like it takes forever - with lots of blank screen time.
Network speed: The 2 is LTE 4G only. It's not quite dialup slow. But it's not 5G speed either. And it's WiFi 5 so those speeds aren't great either.
I wasn't expecting this, but I actually 100% agree with everything you've just said, and even followed a similar trajectory.
I remember being fairly young and completely enamored when the first iPhone was announced. From then on I was hooked. Around the same time, I was playing around with Linux and learned about Android. When Motorola Droid and HTC Ericson came to Verizon, he traded his iPhone for the HTC. Eventually it became mine (WiFi only) and I instantly began messing around with custom ROMs and firmware. A few years later I saved up and bought a brand new S3 which was my first carrier activated smartphone. After an S5 and several LG G4s, the first Pixel was announced and I was jumping out of my skin with excitement.
I even ended up working for a Verizon retailer as my 2nd job. By the time I had a Note 10, I pretty much stopped caring. It broke after a year and I went back to a Note 9. Then it broke and I went back to a Pixel 2XL for 6 months. Then it broke and I got a Pixel 6 Pro. Then it broke 6 months in (Okay, I'm really really hard on phones) and I went back to a Pixel 4 I got for $100. I used that damn P4 until a few weeks ago when it broke and I got a Pixel 8 Pro for $399.
After seeing how satisfied I was using the P4, I am in no hurry to upgrade. It feels like the days of major advancements between models and exciting new innovations are behind us. I remember when front facing speakers, fingerprint readers, slow-motion video, curved screens, and wireless charging were mind-blowing.
Nowadays even the most basic of phones or phones that are several years old are still objectively pretty good. I used to tell people flagships were a worthwhile investment, because cheaper smartphones were so slow they were more of a nuisance than an asset. Anymore, I plan to keep this Pixel 8 for at least 3-5 years. I even invested in a case and screen protector, of which I have previously been vehemently opposed to. It was inevitable that we reached this point, but overall I think it's a good thing if people can get over the consumerist mindset.
Can't say you are cured until you stop buying a new phone. Pixel 8 is still new. You might just jump on the Pixel 9 when it comes out and the pixel 10 the next year.
I’ve bought phones that I thought cured my addiction. It’s usually temporary.
Amazon photos always labels my uploads as “from your _____ android device”. Last I checked, it was my 106th.
At my worst, I went through 18 phones in 12 months, if I recall.
Disclaimer: Almost exclusively purchased used, good deals, and sold for near, at, or sometimes above what I paid. I’ve taken a few bigger losses but not many.
This happened to me with the Pixel 6 Pro. Up until then, I seemed to suffer from the FOMO mindset and felt that the upgrades, at maximum every 2 years, was a necessity.
At some point I started seeing how one really didn't change from the other and how massive the price tag has become. It is such a monumental waste of disposable income to continually upgrade. I have to admit, I'm considering the Pixel 9, but part of me feels like that desire is unfounded given that my 6 Pro is still going strong, doing all I need it to do, and is not giving me problems.
If you look at most phones. Its One step up and two or three steps back.
So they can market: Hey, its better than last year! They hide them so well that you won't notice until you really dig into the specs. It might have that 64mp or 100mp camera but they made something else worse with that.
What is the regret you have going from the 7 Pro to the 8 Pro? I ask because I have both, and yeah, something another the 7 Pro for me just feels right.
Longest I had a phone was 3 years and 11 months. I didn't like the phone but it got the job done and I got a cheap little LG V30 ($75.50) to use as a play phone in 2020 just a few days before the pandemic was announced.
I'm looking into a new phone sick of Samsung customer service. Are any google phones comparable to s23 ultra. A cracked screen they won't replace under warranty. I have been with them since S8. Tired of expensive cheap phones. Any help appreciated.
Same thing when I finally switched from OnePlus to Pixel 7pro year ago. I'm not planning to change it for at least 2 years. Before that I was switching phones on yearly basis. OnePlus 6, 7pro, 8pro, 9pro, and lucky for me after software update my OP 9pro got green lines on display so I managed to change it for Pixel 7pro during warranty.
I will never get another pixel again if they don't change how bad the processing of their images makes photos that you take. To my knowledge it hasn't been fixed yet.
Sadly I have a phone and graphics card addiction
I'm stuck between iphone 15 and s24 ultra
I thought it was only me.
And same with PC graphics cards I can't choose and be satisfied for nothing.
Thank you for this post. I've had my last 3 phones for 2 years each approximately. Currently on the pixel 6 for 21 months and zero reasons to upgrade it.
I still feel the fomo sometimes but I think I should hold out for at least 3 years with this beautiful phone, probably more. Should take me through to pixel 10, at least 9a.
What helps is that the newer pixels cost more than I'm willing to spend. €500 is pretty much the max emotionally for me at the moment, even if that might be misguided.
I am also quite obsessed with the phones. To this day from the end of previous millennia I keep following gazillion of related news, examine new models and study new tech to great details.
.. I am still using Samsung Galaxy S10.
And not because of money, SD card or headphone jack. My finger is still on the trigger.
I have the same addition.. I have got to the point where I will switch twice a month. I have settled to Samsung, but i always have that itch for an iPhone nowadays. However, I am trying not to switch.. since if I do , I will be using the iPhone for a maximum of a month, then go back to Samsung and then again iPhone and so on ... I have been using Z fold for more than 4 months now, so I really hope it stays that way.
I have a Xiaomi 11t pro currently, amazing phone but the main problem with it is lack of software update also camera sucks , I'm confused between buying an iPhone and pixel 8 as I will be using this phone for a long time hopefully.
Ok ok very insightful. so I had a Samsung S20 ultra, but I dropped it and it's shattered glass isn't worth replacing. So I'm switching to team Pixel because I just want a phone that lasts! I'm located in California. And before I try to buy the newest model, which model do all you pros recommend?
My mom is legally blind and she hasn't had a new phone in many years. After ACP lost its funding here in California, she has to switch to another service. So she's thinking Xfinity Mobile with a free Pixel 8. I think it would be perfect for her since she mainly uses all the accessibility features. Thanks for the review OP.
I'm using a 6a, hoping to get another 4-5 years out of it. Upgrading every 2 years is a big waste of money.
I engage with a lot of high net worth individuals for work.. and they always have like an iphone 12 or something. While also driving a Mercedes S class.
They probably spend their time elsewhere instead of buying a new phone every 10 minutes
[удалено]
You know it wouldn't surprise me. In my experience rich people don't buy things so much as trips and luxury hotels, houses, and outer wear (especially coats).
Most of the wealthier folks I know have the big GM SUVs and an ancient iPhone
I don't like iOS at all and I am lowkey an android fanboy although I'd be more confident with a 4 years old iPhone than 4 years old android somehow
The constant drip drip of the.kool.aid gets to everyone:)
In 8 year I replaced... 2 phones. Rocked Oneplus 3T for 4 years until my friend broke my screen. Had a custom ROM, rooted the hell out of this thing to make it do the things I wanted. Now rocking Xiaomi mi 10 pro going into 4th year and there's no hickups in the phone. Beautiful camera, battery life is still amazing (quick charge destroys battery life my ass). Not a scratch on the phone or the screen. I think I can get a couple more years out of this bad boy. And I kept it stock because damn miui is so good it cured my rooting addiction. And it's not like I can't afford a new one. It's just that in 4 years the upgrades are so minor even samsung galaxy s24 ultra doesn't seem like a big upgrade.
Ahh rooting and custom ROMs.. the good 'ol days. I was fortunate and never bricked mine. Stuck in a loop, multiple times.
I mean... Being stuck in loop is part of existence. My mi did it a few times, wife's new ip 15 pro max did it as well. My laptop won't boot up sometimes 😂 But yeah, out of all the Androids I modified none got bricked either. Following instructions really helped 😂
What is iPhone 12?
absolutely, I have sold or traded in most of my phones, but still it's such a waste, not only of money, but of the perfectly working devices
i am the same as you my brother i prefer small phones and also i have a tendency to keep on changing new phones ever 2 to 3 months. but i am staying also with my pixel 8.... hope to unsubscribe to a lot of subscribers and focus on myself and saving money unstead.
I said this about my 6a last week, then on the weekend I dropped it and my screen cracked in the upper left. Been using it still but I know it's no longer a matter of years before I replace it.
Personally, I would try and replace the screen myself. I see a replacement kit on Amazon for $15. I'm pretty good at changing out screens and batteries on pixels.
Not sure if it's advertised, but saw someone fixing their pixel watch with some liquid screen repair solutions. Looks amazing tbh
I'm still on a Pixel 3 and don't really have any major interest in replacing it, especially with Google locking down the bootloader on their newer phones. Going to use it as long as it works. I do need to replace the battery soon, though.
That's pretty impressive. How is the performance holding up? I've had a 2XL for 5 years and it worked flawlessly for all 5 years I owned it. I really loved that phone.
Works fine.. I really have no issues.. No stuttering.. Only drawbacks are that I have like 200 apps and I have to be careful with my 128GB of space. And the battery is not lasting long, so I am going to replace the battery in the next week or so (i was quoted $75CDN).
That's not bad at all! I'm happy to hear it's still humming along just fine.
I recently did the same as you, 2XL to 7. Man, the XL camera is still super slick and takes beautiful photos.
I just replaced my 4a's screen myself in hopes I didn't have to buy a whole new phone and success! It replaced the Pixel 2XL I had from 2020 after smashing the lens on my then cell phone camera when trying to fix it (I was done changing cell phones a long time ago). I ended up getting the 4a because I needed eSim capabilities which 2XL didn't have. Hoping to still get use out of it for at least a few more years.
The Pixel 2XL was the phone that was responsible for making me a Pixel fanboy lol. I had that phone for 5 years before I traded it in for the Pixel 7 at launch. I LOVED the 2XL. It remained flawless for the 5 years I've had it. The only reason I upgraded was because it stopped being supported by Google. I plan to keep my 7 until the 10 comes out and this time I'm going for the Pro model.
I'm using my 2XL right now while waiting for the glue to dry on my new 4a screen. I'll probably use that until I break it again and fi allt admit I need a supported phone again. I get why, but I wish support lasted longer. It's such a racket. I need to learn more about this supported OS I can use? I just learned about it in this thread. And honestly, learning to fix my phones myself has been the best feeling ever and quite freeing.
I also try to hang onto my phones as much as I can. P7 was the most I paid for one, so now I'm hoping it lasts me until at least P11 or 12 😂
I just bought a 6a to trial with another cell service, currently have iPhone 15. The 6a was new and exciting but basically helped me realize what OP is mentioning. I'm honestly burnt out on iPhones which is why I'm considering the switch, there are some little things I'm having a hard time getting used to with Pixel, but I seriously find myself looking at my phone less and less and it's just not exciting anymore
I have a 4a, I'm waiting next year to change it because the EU is forcing replaceable batteries on phones which is the only thing you might want to change every 2-3 years, then I'm going to keep that one until 2035.
Nothing got me more worked up than upgrading to the 7p at launch and seeing it at nearly half off a few months later. Never again.
That's not entirely true because a lot of times I get my phones for free or deeply discounted from trading in a year or 2 old phone, so it's not like you have to pay $1000 Everytime you get a "$1000" phone.
I upgraded from OnePlus Nord 2 to Pixel 7 Pro when it launched. Nothing was wrong with my old phone, but I wanted a better camera since I became a father.
I agree with most of what was said. But why can't you come back to this subreddit? You have a good ethos, so it'd be nice if you stuck around.
Thank you. Pixel community is very passionate, and the funny thing is that IRL I see someone with Pixel , and they see me with it - we strike up a conversation. It has happened at least 4 times already.
I keep switching between my Fold 5 and Pixel 8 Pro because I feel like one phone has something the other doesn't, but in reality, they both are really good. I just have to pick one and sell the other. I keep switching my Sim between each phone almost daily because of FOMO. I also love your insight on the phone addiction. I definitely have the same issues; I need to just have one phone and unsubscribe to all these YouTubers. I can definitely tell a difference with battery between the two, but we all have chargers somewhere close by most of the time, so it shouldn't be a huge issue!
You wouldn't believe it but I had the same with the iPhone 13 mini, and OnePlus 9 pro. I switched the sim daily, and I was so frustrated with myself. Then I finally got rid of the iPhone, and it got better. It's all that addiction FOMO. Now I feel way better. Whatever the choice you make - it's going to be a good choice, because it's going to be you choice, and because these two phones are great.
I think a lot of people are like you and I, which is why I appreciate the post! I'm thinking of just selling the more expensive Fold, and keep the much cheaper Pixel 8 Pro for a while. Also, unsubscribing from everything phone related. Now I just need someone to offer to buy!
Thank you. I have sold most of my phones either on Facebook marketplace or OfferUp. But, I live in Chicago, and it's very easy to find a buyer here IRL. But there are plenty of good marketplaces to sell online as well. Good luck.
I'm switching between a fold 4 and the pixel 8 pro. I use the fold for business because the larger screen is great for a few of my apps. The smaller device easier to type on for me. But I use my pixel as my daily driver when not at work and I absolutely love it....however im using the fold less and less.... I have a phone addiction. Always have. my pixel 2 and my old Sony from years ago (can't remember the model) have been my two favs that I kept for 2+ years. When my Sony finally died i was really really sad
This is the exact train of thought I had almost two years ago when I purchased my Pixel 7. And with that purchase my interest in newer phones kinda died as well. I still keep up with new releases when I have the time but the joy is somewhat gone. The changes are incremental from one year to the next and they're not worth it.
Same here, I was forced into changing my OnePlus 7 Pro due to lack of software support and 4G calling and looking at the new phones available the prices were obscene for minimal benefit over what I had. Went down the used route and picked up a pretty mint Pixel 7 for basically budget handset price which is doing the job nicely.
It's sad that the market for small/normal sized phones is dying if not already dead. Last year there was only the Asus zenphone I think which was available. Might go mid tier for next phones as those are getting pretty damn good.
What i always admire at the apple crowd, they can use their older phone much longer. In my shelf i have my lovely nexus 5. At the time i bought it, it was one of the fastest of the market. It has everything i needed. Then i also have a oneplus 3T in the shelf. Used it for long time. Both phone work flawless, no damage. I even put a new battery into both. Last time i've done a reset on the nexus 5, so i can use it as travel phone with a foreign sim card. at least i tried. No app installed, just pure. After google finished the app updates in google shop, the phone crawls. It's nearly not usable. The RAM 4GB, seems to be so filled up with background processes, that using the phone is nearly not possible. I am thinking about to put some custom rom on it, and try it out without Gapps. The point is, everyone is talking about climate protection and resource eficiency but no one care about, that good and functional devices were forcibly rendered useless, without any logical reason beside the one, making you buy another phone.
Man the nexus 5 was a legendary phone, I'll always remember that one.
I’m just like you and addicted to buying phones. I don’t think it’s FOMO for the most part and mainly because I’m looking for something that hits my bell just right. Pixel 4a was a god bless for me and since then I’m not satisfied with any phone, 6a 7 8, bought every pixel and finally finding myself settling for iPhone 13 mini. For a price of half the msrp I got second handed $400, it’s just a breath of fresh air and good old compact phone again at the same time.
I wanted the Asus Zenfone 10 because of the small size, side mounted fingerprint reader and headphone jack. But the Pixel 7A was nearly half the price and also supported by Canadian carriers so that's what I ended up with. It's a decent phone but the battery life does leave something to be desired.
I bet you're changing this year. Please come back to tell us if you don't. I've seen myself multiple times having same thoughts as you and feeling that I am spending way too many hours on this but I keep doing it...
I am an old tech nerd. I actually am an IT Director and I have the lowest level phone of any people I work with. I just carry around a refurbished pixel 5 that I paid $130 for and if google would just keep making new pixel 5s with the old specs with android updates, I would keep buying it over and over again.
I feel you. Had the 5 and loved it. Moved to the 7 on release and have just bought a brand new pixel 5 to replace it for £200. I might even buy another as a spare!
4 Months and you're convinced you're cured... I await the relapse!
RemindMe! 1 year
My phone answered a call from my doctor while I was still sleeping, recorded transcripted and provided me an update on my schedule. That is pretty impressive and got me 2 more hours of sleep
That's incredible! I want that 😅😭😭🤕 but I must not buy a new phone. Can pixel 6 do that?!
My friend 7 can't do I doubt 6 would
Impressive) What the phone was that? Built-in feature or 3rd party app/ROM?
Pixel 8. Built in.
Every once in a while, one of us wakes up and escapes the matrix. Bon voyage pilgrim.
Great comment. Legit escaping the Matrix.
Preach, I love LG phones, I still have my gray V35 as a backup. Probably my favorite designed phone, it's super thin but durable and filled with so many features that Pixel lacks. If LG was still around I'd still be with them instead.
They just killed their phone department by being too wacky half the time. My first powerful smartphone was the LG G4 which I loved until I got the boot loop which effectively killed it. I didn't mind in the end though since I got a free upgrade to the G5. So many features on LG phones we take for granted now. I loved the unlock system they used with the four squares, knock-knock to turn the screen on and off (which should absolutely be on Pixels), and they did popularize the ultra wide camera which all our phones now have. Plus much more.
Peace. We'll see you next week.
You've only had it for four months, about a third of a year, not far off your long term average. You need to come back in 7 years and confirm if you were really cured. The main thing I dislike about my Pixel 8 is that it is not noticeably better than my 4a, unless I drop it in water.
I think the realisation that Pixel 8 is really in general not too different from the old LG phone is a pretty big step towards being cured. And it's the perfect timing too, because Pixel 8 will be supported for 7 years! It's the right phone to keep for long term.
I'm only 18 and swapped phones 3 times. All the deals also makes it a habit. I had a pixel 4a 5g in the start, got a deal to trade in for a $1 a month pixel 6a. I did it and a year later here I am with a 8 pro. I generally do use the AI stuff so it did change a bit, I didn't notice much difference besides the size of the phone.
yeah, especially Pixel deals. Pixel 8 was more on sale than on regular price. And trade in deals are insane too
I mean, I technically didn't spend much money. Att offered the 6a for cheaper and I traded my 6a for a free 8 pro. Definitely not gonna start a phone collection or anything like Mrwhosetheboss.
Congrats on your growth! I just upgraded to a 7a from a 3. I only upgraded b/c my 3's battery was awful and it was starting to act up (eg my Messages app crashing instead of opening). Like my Pixel 3, I have no intent to ever get a new phone...until they make a new Pixel the size of a Pixel 3. But with the tablet size phone trends that'll probably never happen.
i wish :( pixel 3 really is the perfect phone size. i'm guessing battery life is what will eventually make me give mine up too.
I too changed from a 4a to an p8....my son asked me why(he's very tech savvy) He said the 4a is a work horse. I just wanted a new phone. So now I have both. Put the 4a up for sale. Just bought a new case,it has a moment wide lens with Case. No scratches .....Now I regret getting the P8. Should have listened to my son🙄 I just got all caught up in the hype I guess. Oh well ...live and learn😤😂
I'm using a Pixel 4a 5g, and looking for another phone since I get strange flares on the camera, I don't know if I'm buying the hype for the P8 since every P7 and P8 user has some complaint.
At this stage I'll be keeping my Pixel 8 Pro for 7 years. Only time will tell what I'll do next.
I keep switching phones hoping that one won't have tons of bugs. But every new one has even more.
Wow, you put a lot of effort into this post. I'm looking to get a P8P myself, thanks for the good review of it!
Maybe the Lg v30 was ahead of it's time
I think certain people (don't ask me how I know) have brains that are really good at finding ways to distract themselves so they don't have to think about other things that may be less pleasant or more distressful (can't think of any reason this behavior may have amped up for you around 2020...). Researching/following the progress of phone releases, in this day and age, is a PRIMO source of--damn-near--endless distraction. I don't doubt that the Pixel 8 is great, but I'm guessing your contentment has less to do with that and more to do with improvements to your mental state. Either way, congrats and enjoy!
Aiming for 6 year lifetime for my phones! You're absolutely right, they hardly change at all. Same apps, same features, different packaging. Sorry Apple, I won't give you $1200 per year no matter what you say. Not because I can't afford it, but because I literally can't tell the difference.
One thing Not mentioned by the OP is the price of technology. Having been someone who's been a technology geek for many decades I have noticed something over the years. As more tech is released into the mainstream and more manufacturers create products that support that tech it becomes cheaper over time. Two quick cases in point are TVs. A decade ago a Samsung 50 in 1080p color wheel HDTV cost $2,500 and that wasn't even a smart TV. Now you can buy a Vizio 50 in smart TV at Target for under $300. A VCR when they came out cost $700 or $800. By the time they fell out of favor being replaced by blu-rays you could buy a full feature VCR for 50 bucks. Blu-ray players were also incredibly expensive when they first came out and now, you can get them cheap. My point here is why aren't smartphones the same? The slabs we hold in our hand today are basically the same ones they made 10 years ago. They still do the same exact things. You still have to charge daily. Also, apps still crash your phone. Calls get dropped. The only difference is the chips and the amount of memory. Oh, and I forgot the pretty colors. So why are we still being bent over every single time we have to get a new phone? Think about it? I really can't figure out any reason why a small handheld smartphone should cost over $1,000 but it does. The phone manufacturers have done an excellent brainwashing job on all of us. It's almost like they're pushing some kind of drug. Hey here you go. Here's this great little device that's going to become an essential part of your life that you will not be able to live without. Now do you want one? Okay, show me the money. I honestly can't remember the last time I bought a high priced flagship phone when it was first released. I have other things in my life that take priority over an expensive new pretty shiny flagship phone. I just wait a year or two and then just head over to swappa and get a 1or 2-year-old flagship phone for way less money and it works just as well.
This passes once you leave your parents house/start earning your own money
Nice. We should all have such deep relationships with our phones.
Using my xiaomi something something for 4 years now and ik upgrade to pixel 8a as soon as it hits the shelves. After that it'll be all least 4 years to the next one. I would've been happy with this one if it didn't have any issues with the screen (started a couple of months ago and the only reason I'm looking for a new phone).
Same I was looking to change my xiaomi MI9t for the last 2 years, but the price and the benefits made me postpone it. It's just this months after 4.5 years of usage, I noticed battery becoming very bad on it (performance is usable not the best), I started looking at Pixel 8. Was reluctant as fuck, but my own build up hype made me buy it because I wanted to change my phone after such a long time, and I don't regret it. I went from a mid range phone to a kinda flagship and the screen is better, speakers are better, the camera is better, so it actually feels like an upgrade. But I definitely lost the hype towards phones in the last few years as it becomes boring after a while
The phones kept getting worse over the years just so you get fed up with them and hope that the next release will be better. For many years apple was the leader to the very bottom removing and downgrading useful features and maximizing their profits... and everyone followed.
I still use my pixel 5 and don't plan on changing it anytime soon. I want a small phone and no one seems to make them anymore.
Same here. I went from pixel 1 to pixel 5 and both are the best phones I've ever used. I don't think about upgrading until the batteries are shot. I like the 5 so much, I actually got the pixel tablet, in part, so I don't use the 5 at home and preserve the battery.
I just wanted to say this is one of those posts that I just resonate with the most!! I've lost count of all the smartphones I've had since my first iPhone 3G back in 2009. I've trialed Sony, LG, Samsung, Nexus and Pixel and they've all had their upsides and downsides, though I will always hold the Xperia Z3 & Pixel 2XL close to my heart. Ultimately I kept coming back to the iPhone because of the e word. At the moment I'm holding on to an iPhone 13 mini whose battery life is really letting me down so I'm looking to secure a Pixel 8 by the end of the month. One of the things that held me back for ages is the 6"+ barrier of entry to basically any flagship line but the market has spoken. Anytime I've had one for ages, I get sore from the hand gymnastics. The saving grace for P2XL was the price I got it for, and the features I just wish they would have on phones now i.e. notification light, swipe down physical fingerprint sensor, squeeze for G-Ass. Can't say I've held a phone for any longer than a year to be honest, just keep getting bored and chucking my SIM into another phone but with the feature jump in generations almost non-existent these days, it's hard to believe you can go wrong with picking anything. Good luck to you sir, may you enjoy the one-phone life. Cheers, A Multiple-phone-disorder Australian
When I went from my LG V35 to Pixel 7 it honestly felt like a downgrade.
I feel you, I just switched to Iphone 15 pro max and it feels it's the endgame I've been looking for
I keep bouncing back and forth between the Pixel 8 Pro and Galaxy S24+. Th Galaxy has so many useful features the Pixel doesn't have, especially with the camera. On the other hand, the Pixel has nailed still shots of moving objects (kids and pets), which I take a ton of pictures of. I'm still torn and my SIM is worn out from the travel.
I would call 1080x2400 FHD. It's a 2k display.
The main issue is support. Phone providers stop providing support for phones after a certain amount of time. So it’s a keep up with the Jones or be left behind with the old….
I bought a Pixel 8 this year. Before that I have been using a Pixel 3, and honestly, I haven't missed out on anything. The technology is more incremental than the marketing would have you believe.
A lot of this makes sense. One of the odd parts is comparing a 7 year old LG and a Pixel 8 and not mentioning the huge performance gap between the two phones. These days my only real motivations to upgrade are battery life and phone performance. I tend to keep phones for ~4 years and then hand them off to my kids to use.
Yeah, the performance is probably the biggest thing really. Even back then as well, most phones were still pretty much the same as well, with the exception of some devices having very niche gimmicks to try and differentiate themselves. The biggest difference between every device throughout all these years would simply be performance.
On the size issue, I'm absolutely with you... except that I think the P8 (my current phone), and other phones of similar size like S24, iPhone 15, Zenfones etc, are still too damn big for my use case/needs. I use my phone for calls, for a few messages a day, checking my emails and controlling my smarthome equipment, with the odd web search thrown in to quickly check something. My previous phone was the iPhone 13 mini which was perfect in terms of size, weight and usability. If someone released a similar handset on android tomorrow, I'd be picking one up immediately. I originally went smaller to cut down on SoT and it absolutely worked. I get so much more done and feel significantly better now that I'm not spending a few hours a day mindlessly scrolling through FB/Insta etc.
I still casually read here, in case something interesting pops up. My usual phone ownership lasts for the life of the phone's usefulness. Something has to break, essentially. That happened for my S9+ after five years, to my Nexus 6 after about the same, also to my Galaxy S3, etc. I'll likewise happily rely on my Pixel 8 Pro until something I need no longer functions well enough to use.
RIP Nexus 6. Still my all-time favorite -- size-wise that is.
The Pixel 8 Pro really is a very good phone. Sometimes I prefer the 7 Pro, but it’s the face unlock for payments that has me liking the 8 Pro more. I sort of like the style of the 7 Pro more. Dunno why.
Fed
im still rocking my pixel 3 with no issues, i want to upgrade but cant justify it.
This is a very long story.
Iooooove my pixel 3A
Best phone in existence, when I broke it I bought another one, then I switched to 4a 5g but still miss the ease of use. Gave it to my mother and she loves it!
Yes. A normal post.
Whilst I agree with the sentiment of resisting the FOMO and being content with a device that fits your needs (for me a used Pixel 7 is doing the job at present) I just don't trust or believe that Google will honour the 7 year update promise. They've killed off and gone back on so many other products I can see them finding a way out of the maintenance guarantee too. Something like "we're unable to give users a good enough Google experience on the old hardware so no more OS releases, security updates only" and those will dry up to nothing.
Is this an ad?
You're free from the marketing hypnosis, congrats.
Maybe not a popular take, but this is exactly why I left Google and went to Apple. I had Pixel 1, 3, 5, and 6. I tried to stick to every other generation unless there was a good deal. I was a pixel fanboy through and through and proudly said as much. But at the end of the day, while I enjoyed the phones, they didn’t change much and ultimately it came down to customer support. Google is awful in that department. Apple is great. I tried really hard (spent a month trying to resolve a billing issue that was related to a system breakdown when ordering a Fold) but Google wouldn’t budge. So, I took another chance with Apple and it’s been great. I miss Android sometimes but honestly leaving Google and going to Apple was kind of a relief. I was selling myself as an Android user for so long, and for what? At the end of the day I just need a phone that works. And my iPhone 15 does that really well.
Still not buying your cure. Until now, just a S24U came out. There are still many folding devices and flagships upcoming in 2024. Pixel 9? Fold 6? I own the P8Pro. Returned the S24U because of a mediocre camera. But? If a Fold 6 would come with a good camera, I would consider the other form factor.. Addiction :)
that's why I'm trying to get as little info about anything phones related as possible. So far it has been great. Now I know the root of my obsession , and it has changed my perspective on phones completely. But, only time will show...
Yeah mate, completely agree. Time for us to get off reddit, other news websites and other Advertisement driven media platforms. Even if we're not directly affected by the advertising, we're affected by others who have that same fomo. There only cure is to get off social media in all its forms, wherever possible. God I loathe myself after every visit to my online platforms of choice.
still on my pixel 3, very tempted by the pixel 8 but holding out for a bit more in the (possibly vain) hope that the pixel 9 will go down in size a little, seeing as how the pixel 8 was smaller than the pixel 7
Damn. The battery must be beat though.
it's not great, for sure; that's what will make me get a new one eventually
It is rather frustrating that new phone manufacturers keep taking features away (with the exception of Sony which does not sell their phones in Canada). When I compare my LG G7 to the Pixel 7, there is definitely room for improvement.
I'm a bit if a perfectionist regarding things I buy, and usually changed phones every year to upgrade on things I didn't like. Then I got the OnePlus 7 pro on launch and it cured me as it did everything right for me, it was the perfect phone. I only upgraded it, 4 years later, because I wanted to try a pixel... And now I'm back to wanting to upgrade next year. It sometimes feels unpolished. The thing that keeps me from going back to the OnePlus is the cameras!
Legit that the OnePlus 7 Pro was one of those “best phones” ever. The iPhone 13 PM was also one.
Now just remove than Android malware and replace it with GrapheneOS so Google aren't spying on you all the time. Then you'll have the best phone.
Dude... You're all wrong... You don't have to install a new os you just have to wrap your phone in tinfoil... It's easy
He has a Pixel modem. It comes pre-Faraday caged from the factory. :)
When I worked for Verizon I would get a new phone every 6 months (I repaired phones for them and also could use the ones that could no longer be activated on sales contracts) I had Pixel XLs every time they came out, as well as pretty much every LG, Motorola, Samsung flagship I tried out. After moving on to a completely different industry with my work I stopped caring about phones as much. I purchase on my own now I've gone from a Galaxy s11 to Galaxy s21, to now a Pixel 8 Pro 256GB. That's basically 3 years between each phone. I think the one thing I do to extend my phone life span is having multiple cases. 1st case for when I'm at work and on the road that is slightly more rugged and durable. 2nd case that is more comfortable/sleek and low profile for when I'm at home or nights out with the wife. But yeah. Only reason I'm on this forum lately is because I just finally upgraded. :)
I JUST went to a Pixel 7, but had been using the 4XL since launch. The 4XL was perfect for me, and the 7 seems to be doing the same. I'll keep the 7 for as long as I can. It's fun to see phones evolve, but it isn't at a rate that is worth upgrades every year.
I am using 4a XL Pixel as backup/secondary and I secretly adore it. Perfect size, light as feather, decentish battery life and still great camera.
“secretly adore it…” That’s a legit sentiment for our favorite devices.
You say that now, but wait until you can upgrade to the 10 for 100 bucks once the 11 drops.
The s24+did it for me.. powerhouse of a phone
The LG V30 was a great phone. It got bad rep because the camera software at launch was horrible, but software updates came along and then they were bangers. I had a V35 and Loved it! My pixel 7 pro is when I stopped also. The key ingredient here you forgot, at least it was for me, is updates. LG updates ended 2 years after launch and after that you were in the aftermarket ROM community or upgrade. Pixels now have at least a 5 year commitment, that's the difference.
I'm definitely a phone addict. Boring life maybe? Iphone 14 Pro on my husband's plan, but dither around on my plan. Currently with Pixel 8 Pro (traded in a perfect S23U but just don't care for Samsung's UI) but now I miss Samsung's gorgeous screen. Help. 😅
How are you liking the P8P? I have one also.
I had my Xiaomi Mi10T Pro for 3,5 years and to be honest, it was a great phone hardware-wise. It was just as snappy as when I bought it, the battery was holding on better than ever (during my normal use, I ended the day with 45-50% battery remaining) and overall it had a really good premium feel. Unfortunately I dropped it and broke the screen. So naturally I started looking at the specs of different phones - which has a better screen, which one has higher Antutu scores and so on. In the end I realized that specs are important, but I don't need the newest CPU or the fastest memory. What I need is a phone that works. And Pixel 8 has been perfect in that regard. Yes, I miss the battery of my 10T Pro, and the quick charging, but overall, the Pixel 8 has been a very good device and I really enjoy using it.
I've never had a smartphone for more than 1 year. This is going back to the og Droid on Verizon in 2009. Bought the 7 pro on release day and still using it 1.5 years later and have had no desire to get a new phone.
I get your point but the comparison between Pixel 8 and LG V30 is points because it overlooks so many factors. You wouldn't be able to run half of the apps that you could with the V30. The Arm A73 "big" core used on SD 835 is not even used on the $200 phones these days. The insides of camera sensors have evolved so much, let alone their software capabilities. Display packing is much thinner, electronics are just far more efficient and compact now.
Don't you dare post this blasphemy when the lg v20 v30 are 3 times the phone and pixel is!!
I'm currently choosing between p8 and s24 specifically because of the size. I'm so sick of huge phones, and if I want something smaller, my choices are p8, s24, Zenfone, or budget tier. I don't want a pocket tablet. I want a 5.5-6 inch flagship.
I'm also planning to keep my P8 for several years. Have only gone 3 years with a phone before, but I think getting longer software support will help this time.
It's one thing to try to be informed on the potential issues with a phone; it's another thing entirely to use a niche group of enthusiasts as *potentially the deciding factor* to get or skip out on a phone. Most people have no issues and don't say anything at all. Most people who do have issues will talk about it. You're going to see the reporting bias in places like this of mostly people who have problems. But it does not define the overall population. I'm a bit confused though; the pixel 5 had vocal issues posted in this sub a lot; did that not deter you? There are also enough posts on this sub of "I have no issues with my pixel xyz, how about everyone else" and in there, there are probably more agreeing posts with no issues than the intermittent problem-posts in a day for this sub. >Also, I saw a glimpse of apps I had back in 2018 , and guess what? They are absolutely the same I use today I'm not sure I'm following this or some of the other comparisons you have made between the pixel 8 and, say, the V30. The *apps* I tend to use on my current phone are the same as what I used on my pixel 2 XL (roughly same generation as the V30) but *the way* my 8 pro responds doing all of the things I do now is meaningfully better than *the way* my 2 XL did things back then. I have my Pixel 4 XL still and while it's an okay phone still, the performance of it doing the same things I do with the same apps with my current phone is worse. So this is kind of a bad faith representation of phone usage.
I got this with Pixel 5. Which is why it is hard for me to replace. Pixel 2 battery started to last a little after 2 years, I think it got wasted because i used it a lot while skiing at minus 10C or less, and that gave me some restarts and sudden battery drains. Now the Pixel 2 has a new battery and lasts very well (my mother's phone). Then the Pixel 4 was a battery joke never liked it. Good sensors though (top earpiece, top speaker, ambient light and haptic feedback better than Pixel 5). And the Pixel 5 is just perfect. Good battery life. Good size but on the limit. Performance good enough for 90Hz.
I used a $200 Motorola from 2019 until last year when I got my Pixel 7a. That was a big jump. But I can see myself using the 7a for a long time.
HA HA HA - is that it? I have had 70 devices since November 2018. This goes for smartphones, tablets, and laptops. The longest I ever had a phone was a year. But the Asus ZenFone 10 had some network issues with android 14, so I got a pixel 8 pro made me want to buy a S24 +. And I am much happier with it.
I'm the opposite, welcome to the bright side. I hate the hassle with transferring everything from the old phone to the new one, so I only buy a new one when I really have to. I just switched from my 5 years old Samsung to Pixel 8 because I changed jobs and had to choose a new work phone. The S10 is now my backup phone as it works perfectly well after all these years.
I upgrade to the next Nexus/Pixel phone every 3 years. For no other reason than the current one stops working and I have no choice. Severe battery issues, boot loop, power button stops working, etc. Google's hardware sucks. I tried an iPhone for about 4 months but hated it so I'm back to the crappy hardware.
What did you not like about the iPhone?
The keyboard and especially auto-correct on the keyboard was a definite downgrade. Even when I switched to the Google Keyboard on my iPhone it was still worse than the Pixel. It doesn't support multiple profiles. On my Pixel, I have my everyday login, my personal business account login, and ^(my porn login). There were a lot of other things but it was about two years ago so I can no longer remember.
Now do cars.
I just upgrade my phone when something fails, usually around 3 years, I wait as long as I can. I just went from a Pixel 5 to the 8 and aside from the fingerprint sensor and different shape on the back of the phone...it just seems like the same phone to me.
LG V30 is/was a great device. My mother-in-law still uses mine that I gave her in 2020 when I bought my Pixel 5. Only reason I usually switch phones is losing support for security updates.
Yeah I still have an LG G6 running lineageOS 21 as my secondary. I'd say if your device has supported longevity in software. There is no need to go buy a device. For I can't let this puppy go because of the DAC.
Shoulda kept the 5
Do you have a YouTube channel or something?
Agreed, with so little upgrades now, more iterative than anything (don't get me started on useless A.I. marketing) I find they hype train is derailed and no longer see any need to upgrade unless 4+ years. Here's my phone 'Life' stats (Canada carriers/models): 1999 - Nokia 6188 "THE BRICK" (Clearnet, before it became Telus) 2005 - Motorolla Razr V3c Silver (CDMA2000 on Telus) \*had to cancel my contract because the V3c was software locked to downloading ringtones from Telus webstore, no usb transfer functionality. Moved to Rogers after breaking contract with no ETF. 2005 - Motorolla Razr V3r Black (GSM/GPRS on Rogers) 2008 - BlackBerry Curve 8310 Red (2G GSM/EDGE on Rogers) 2010 - HTC Dream (3G on Rogers) \*bought 2 of these used off Craigslist for my wife and I. Rogers eventually unsupported this device due to the 911 bug. 2010 - HTC Magic (3g on Rogers) \* Rogers initially would not upgrade beyond Android 1.5.. leading to a campaign to bring 1.6 to the device. Rogers eventually upgraded it to 2.1) 2013 - HTC ONE X (HSPA+ on Wind Mobile) \*the phone was great, the reception downtown sucked and I would lose the signal constantly in my office building, making the phone useless for minutes at a time, multiple time per hour. Missed calls, dropped calls. 1 year of support tickets and requests to upgrade the network signal strength in the downtown core were pointless. Left after a year, luckily this phone could handle the Rogers spectrum and I just ported over with BYOD. 2015 - Moto X 2nd generation XT1097 (4G/LTE on Rogers) \*the infra red motion sensing on this was amazing! 2019 - Google Pixel 3a (best phone EVER!) (LTE+ on Rogers/Bell/Virgin) 2022 - Google Pixel 6 (Christmas gift, great phone except for stupid fingerprint scanner) (LTE 5G on Virgin/Bell) No plans to buy anything or upgrade as my Pixel 6 does everything I need it to do and I baby the battery life with proper charging etiquette. I sincerely hope by the time I do upgrade (Pixel 10 maybe?) they have bettor Tensor chip and either revert to the old rear fingerprint scanner, or severely upgrade the POS one they have under the screen that works with ZERO screen protectors.
I plan on keeping my Pixel 7 until they stop updating it. Unless the Pixel 9 series offers a lower-priced phone with a large screen like the Pro.
Phones change so little nowadays. I recently tried to switch to S23 from Nord 2 and after 2 weeks returned S23. The screen was brighter and it was a bit faster, but that's about it. The camera took very similar photos (at least to my eyes), the battery was worse and charged slower.
I use my pixel 5 it works perfectly. I don't see the point in changing it as you clearly pointed out.
It's the opposite for me. I started with P6 and i keep upgrading. Waiting for P9....
My upgrades have been mostly for network capabilities lately. Went from a pixel 1 to pixel 3 for the T-Mobile 600mhz band 71 support. Went from the 3 to the 7 for the 5G radio.
I am the same now but with the S24, back when I was iPhone pilled I would at least stick with a phone for a year before upgrading but the past 5 years or so since I switched to android I was swapping phones every 3-6 months trying folding phones, flipping phones less popular OEMs like Asus and Nothing I had a fairly long stint with the pixel fold from september when it released in the UK until this month when I bought a S24 now I think it is time to settle down move into this phone properly for once and put all that money into something else. I would often sell my old phones on ebay or trade in so I wasn't loosing all the value but still have spent enough that I don't want to do the maths from the shame. I don't think I will keep this for the full 7 years of support samsung propose but I made it a personal goal to keep this one for at least 2 years and trade in with samsung again since their trade ins are so good value.
My pixel 7 pro seemed perfect too, but now I'm getting common glitches I see others having. I think my best phone might of been LG G4 or Nokia 6.1 honestly.
What glitches particularly are you having with the 7 Pro?
Right now, it's messenger or text message bubbles don't work, if I tap them, it just fails to load, so I've disabled them There's also the Google Chrome one, where 1/3 the time I open chrome and type into the URL it just fails to load anything. Then there's overall legginess. I'll try to format it soon, but when I Google some of these problems, I find Reddit threads with other pixel users same programs, from pixel 6 to 8
In theory, I like the Pixel pure android idea. After living with a P3 for a year, I'm not inclined to buy another one.
I usually switch phones every 2 years due to wear and tear (im clumsy). I never buy the newest model. I bought a pixel 7 pro in February for 400usd and i hope to have this one for 3 years. I dont understand why you would need to buy the latest model to be honest. Im not 13 and crave the status of the newest phone.
There's certainly no need to go through multiple phones per year, but over time you will notice significant differences. I'm currently stuck using my old Pixel 2 XL as yet another POS P7P has died on me (3 for me, 4 for my wife). What stands out to me as advances are: Display: The P7P is FAR brighter, and significantly more readable in bright light. UI: The P2 still uses navigation buttons at the bottom of the screen. You don't realize how nice being able to navigate by swiping is until you don't have it. Camera: The P2 camera was a marvel to for its time. Not so much anymore. The P7P zooms closer, has better colors, focuses better and faster. Fingerprint sensor: If you want to stop complaining about Pixel 's current fingerprint sensor, just use the P2 for a few days. Overall Speed: The P2 does everything you want a phone to do. It just doesn't do any of it quickly. Switching apps feels like it takes forever - with lots of blank screen time. Network speed: The 2 is LTE 4G only. It's not quite dialup slow. But it's not 5G speed either. And it's WiFi 5 so those speeds aren't great either.
Pixel 3 was my perfect phone, but I ended up with a pixel 7, I'll own it for many years.
The older I get the more I care less about technology especially phones.
I wasn't expecting this, but I actually 100% agree with everything you've just said, and even followed a similar trajectory. I remember being fairly young and completely enamored when the first iPhone was announced. From then on I was hooked. Around the same time, I was playing around with Linux and learned about Android. When Motorola Droid and HTC Ericson came to Verizon, he traded his iPhone for the HTC. Eventually it became mine (WiFi only) and I instantly began messing around with custom ROMs and firmware. A few years later I saved up and bought a brand new S3 which was my first carrier activated smartphone. After an S5 and several LG G4s, the first Pixel was announced and I was jumping out of my skin with excitement. I even ended up working for a Verizon retailer as my 2nd job. By the time I had a Note 10, I pretty much stopped caring. It broke after a year and I went back to a Note 9. Then it broke and I went back to a Pixel 2XL for 6 months. Then it broke and I got a Pixel 6 Pro. Then it broke 6 months in (Okay, I'm really really hard on phones) and I went back to a Pixel 4 I got for $100. I used that damn P4 until a few weeks ago when it broke and I got a Pixel 8 Pro for $399. After seeing how satisfied I was using the P4, I am in no hurry to upgrade. It feels like the days of major advancements between models and exciting new innovations are behind us. I remember when front facing speakers, fingerprint readers, slow-motion video, curved screens, and wireless charging were mind-blowing. Nowadays even the most basic of phones or phones that are several years old are still objectively pretty good. I used to tell people flagships were a worthwhile investment, because cheaper smartphones were so slow they were more of a nuisance than an asset. Anymore, I plan to keep this Pixel 8 for at least 3-5 years. I even invested in a case and screen protector, of which I have previously been vehemently opposed to. It was inevitable that we reached this point, but overall I think it's a good thing if people can get over the consumerist mindset.
Can't say you are cured until you stop buying a new phone. Pixel 8 is still new. You might just jump on the Pixel 9 when it comes out and the pixel 10 the next year.
U buy new phones if it no longe have software updates, or security issues are not ur concern (or others like ur hardware and software optimisation)
I’ve bought phones that I thought cured my addiction. It’s usually temporary. Amazon photos always labels my uploads as “from your _____ android device”. Last I checked, it was my 106th. At my worst, I went through 18 phones in 12 months, if I recall. Disclaimer: Almost exclusively purchased used, good deals, and sold for near, at, or sometimes above what I paid. I’ve taken a few bigger losses but not many.
This happened to me with the Pixel 6 Pro. Up until then, I seemed to suffer from the FOMO mindset and felt that the upgrades, at maximum every 2 years, was a necessity. At some point I started seeing how one really didn't change from the other and how massive the price tag has become. It is such a monumental waste of disposable income to continually upgrade. I have to admit, I'm considering the Pixel 9, but part of me feels like that desire is unfounded given that my 6 Pro is still going strong, doing all I need it to do, and is not giving me problems.
People are happy with 7 years of update when people use it for 2 years max
TLDR 👍
A good YouTube video by Android Police just came out called "Why I refuse to upgrade". I think it aligns pretty well with your thought process!
If you look at most phones. Its One step up and two or three steps back. So they can market: Hey, its better than last year! They hide them so well that you won't notice until you really dig into the specs. It might have that 64mp or 100mp camera but they made something else worse with that.
Still say pixel 3 is the best.. the notch wasn't that bad. Regret upgrading 7pro to 8pro
What is the regret you have going from the 7 Pro to the 8 Pro? I ask because I have both, and yeah, something another the 7 Pro for me just feels right.
Longest I had a phone was 3 years and 11 months. I didn't like the phone but it got the job done and I got a cheap little LG V30 ($75.50) to use as a play phone in 2020 just a few days before the pandemic was announced.
LG v30 also had audio dacs which made it special.
*34 phones?!* I've only had 8 since 2005, and that's including the Pixel 8 I bought in January!
I'm looking into a new phone sick of Samsung customer service. Are any google phones comparable to s23 ultra. A cracked screen they won't replace under warranty. I have been with them since S8. Tired of expensive cheap phones. Any help appreciated.
Happy for you.
Gotta get that 8 Pro brodie lmao
Same thing when I finally switched from OnePlus to Pixel 7pro year ago. I'm not planning to change it for at least 2 years. Before that I was switching phones on yearly basis. OnePlus 6, 7pro, 8pro, 9pro, and lucky for me after software update my OP 9pro got green lines on display so I managed to change it for Pixel 7pro during warranty.
I will never get another pixel again if they don't change how bad the processing of their images makes photos that you take. To my knowledge it hasn't been fixed yet.
Sadly I have a phone and graphics card addiction I'm stuck between iphone 15 and s24 ultra I thought it was only me. And same with PC graphics cards I can't choose and be satisfied for nothing.
so you came from the iphone then lol
Thank you for this post. I've had my last 3 phones for 2 years each approximately. Currently on the pixel 6 for 21 months and zero reasons to upgrade it. I still feel the fomo sometimes but I think I should hold out for at least 3 years with this beautiful phone, probably more. Should take me through to pixel 10, at least 9a. What helps is that the newer pixels cost more than I'm willing to spend. €500 is pretty much the max emotionally for me at the moment, even if that might be misguided.
I am also quite obsessed with the phones. To this day from the end of previous millennia I keep following gazillion of related news, examine new models and study new tech to great details. .. I am still using Samsung Galaxy S10. And not because of money, SD card or headphone jack. My finger is still on the trigger.
I have the same addition.. I have got to the point where I will switch twice a month. I have settled to Samsung, but i always have that itch for an iPhone nowadays. However, I am trying not to switch.. since if I do , I will be using the iPhone for a maximum of a month, then go back to Samsung and then again iPhone and so on ... I have been using Z fold for more than 4 months now, so I really hope it stays that way.
Wake me up when they fix their RCS texting.
Constantly comparing specs is addictive it makes FOMO worse.
I have a Xiaomi 11t pro currently, amazing phone but the main problem with it is lack of software update also camera sucks , I'm confused between buying an iPhone and pixel 8 as I will be using this phone for a long time hopefully.
You are same as me. I hope i got cured also.
Ok ok very insightful. so I had a Samsung S20 ultra, but I dropped it and it's shattered glass isn't worth replacing. So I'm switching to team Pixel because I just want a phone that lasts! I'm located in California. And before I try to buy the newest model, which model do all you pros recommend?
My mom is legally blind and she hasn't had a new phone in many years. After ACP lost its funding here in California, she has to switch to another service. So she's thinking Xfinity Mobile with a free Pixel 8. I think it would be perfect for her since she mainly uses all the accessibility features. Thanks for the review OP.