Google Pixel and Pixel XL

FrankJH · 2 Nov 2016 at 11:29

Really interested in the OnePlus3 until I realised there was no mSD slot, and with there only being 64GB onboard its a non starter for me (I have a 50GB+ tidal profile given that I travel by tube twice a day, streaming is no use).

Really want to like the Pixel XL also, but think they should be much cheaper than they are given its Google's first phone, Im not willing to risk paying premium price for a brand new range /brand new hardware. Its not worth the risk for me.

Was really hoping EE would have some more G7+ "as good as new" by this weekend but looks like luck has run out (was looking forward to paying slightly less than I am now , but its going to be about £5 more a month) at least moving from Vodafone to EE I should get a lot better coverage / service

JamesM · 2 Nov 2016 at 12:03

Well ordered my mum a OnePlus 3 for Christmas.

Should arrive today so i'll get to compare it to my Pixel XL.

I've had one issue with the Pixel and that was at West Midlands Safari Park.

Whilst driving around I had my camera on pretty much permanently. After about 20 mins or so it warmed up nicely which didn't bother me but then the camera started to have issues. It would freeze, take longer to 'process HDR' for a picture and sometimes would crash completely. When re-loading the app it would say Camera not avaliable until I reset the phone.

I wonder if it struggles with heat...

Mr_Cool · 2 Nov 2016 at 14:27

Fallen god · 2 Nov 2016 at 16:02

I have the normal pixel 128gb for a few days now.

* Amazing screen, my last 2 phones were the 6p and the 6s it blows both them away, colours are on point, it feels so close too the glass, brightness is lovely. And idk exactly what it is but everything just seems to look better.
* Battery life has been seriously impressive. Right now I'm sat at 50% with 2.5h SOT, 2hours which was gaming. Both my 6p and iPhone 6s would be needing a charge now. So far I've never killed this phone, even when I had it awake for 100% of the time for a few days.
* Camera is amazing, again blows everything I've used away. Extremely fast, focus is very quick and I've not taken a photo out of focus yet. Images have a lot of detail, colours are very good, HDR+ has not had a miss step for me yet.
* Build is really nice, its not too slippery, it is also weird, it feels very light but at the same time it feels like it could take whatever damage I throw at it. Overall I'm pleased.
* Design, its a bit boring, I do like the 2.5D front, its not as curved as other phones I've had in the past. The glass on the back I find is odd, I'm very used too the 6P were the glasses ended after the camera and I'm expecting to feel metal but then its just more glass.

Honestly this phone I feel is worth the price, very happy I got.

lltfdaniel · 2 Nov 2016 at 16:10

kona786 said:
Wife's XL - A day and a half off charge, 1hr 8m screen on time. Still 66% left

What do you use to capture the screen like that?

Sp00n · 2 Nov 2016 at 16:20

lltfdaniel said:
What do you use to capture the screen like that?

Hold down power + volume down.

Standard android screenshot key combination

lltfdaniel · 2 Nov 2016 at 16:21

Thanks.

Sp00n · 2 Nov 2016 at 17:22

Low light performance doesn't look as good as I was expecting from that vid

kona786 · 2 Nov 2016 at 19:37

Found a bug - screen on time stuck still on 1hr 8 mins and its been an extra day

lltfdaniel · 2 Nov 2016 at 20:28

Mr_Cool · 2 Nov 2016 at 21:41

Sp00n said:
Low light performance doesn't look as good as I was expecting from that vid

Yeah.

Pixels magic is HDR+ but obviously that doesnt transfer to videos

Janesy B · 2 Nov 2016 at 21:48

Seems like that high DXO mark score was a load of rubbish.

AndyCr15 · 2 Nov 2016 at 21:58

Why would you say that?

The dark footage, walking along the bridge in Jerrys video is a lot worse than I've recorded in the dark I think. It shakes a lot more than I've seen from mine. That's the only point I would say the iPhone was better (zoom aside I guess).

The black night and less detail is a preference thing really.

Rimsy · 2 Nov 2016 at 22:35

Janesy B said:
Seems like that high DXO mark score was a load of rubbish.

What makes you say that?

lltfdaniel · 3 Nov 2016 at 08:58

I expect to go over 50gb+ a month at this rate hah.

More like 80-100gb a month..few gbs in a few hours.

O well unlimited data so far the download speed has stayed the same so no traffic shaping.

edit not entirely true

TrafficSense policy operates from 3pm to midnight

Three operates a traffic management policy to prevent network congestion at peak times. TrafficSense doesn’t constrain the amount of data you can use, but from 3pm to midnight, file sharing and tethering may be slowed down, while time-sensitive activities – such as video streaming – are prioritised.

edit again

lawz · 3 Nov 2016 at 14:35

Looking to upgrade from a HTC One M7, I'd been researching many different phones over the past couple of months, but something always seemed to put me off one or the other. After looking into the Pixel though, literally the only thing seems to be the price. So very very tempted!

One question if anyone knows though. I assume if I bought through Carphone Warehouse or EE, that i'd be dealing with their customer support if I needed to claim on warranty? Or could I go straight to Google? Is there any advantage ordering direct from Google rather than walking into a high street shop and buying it?

this_is_gav · 3 Nov 2016 at 14:47

lawz said:
One question if anyone knows though. I assume if I bought through Carphone Warehouse or EE, that i'd be dealing with their customer support if I needed to claim on warranty? Or could I go straight to Google? Is there any advantage ordering direct from Google rather than walking into a high street shop and buying it?

With my Nexus 6P when I tried going through Google first and the guy supporting me said I'd have to go though CPW for a hardware fault, but he was happy to talk me through some things to try first which solved it anyway.

Dirk Diggler · 3 Nov 2016 at 15:05

lawz said:
One question if anyone knows though. I assume if I bought through Carphone Warehouse or EE, that i'd be dealing with their customer support if I needed to claim on warranty? Or could I go straight to Google? Is there any advantage ordering direct from Google rather than walking into a high street shop and buying it?

I'm in the middle of an RMA process with Google direct, so I can share my experience in the next day or so when it should be complete and refund paid.

So far, I notified them within my 14 day period of having bought the phone that I wasn't happy with it, and they sent me RMA details with pre-paid postage for return. Phone is currently in Germany so I'll let you know how it goes.

AndyCr15 · 3 Nov 2016 at 18:02

Not as happy with it as I'd hoped, but my review is done -

I think as my notes were soooo long for the review, I rushed through some bits I would normally spend more time talking about. Mind you, 29 minutes long, maybe it's best I didn't?

Dirk Diggler · 3 Nov 2016 at 18:49

lawz said:
One question if anyone knows though. I assume if I bought through Carphone Warehouse or EE, that i'd be dealing with their customer support if I needed to claim on warranty? Or could I go straight to Google? Is there any advantage ordering direct from Google rather than walking into a high street shop and buying it?

Update on my earlier post:

RMA refund has been processed in full, no quibble. So, RMA request to refund turnaround was 4 working days. Return postage paid by Google via UPS, with the handset being posted back to Germany for inspection prior to refund.

I've no idea what the refund process would be with Carphone Warehouse or EE if you decided to return due to not being 100% happy with the handset, unable/unwilling to cite a particular fault. However, I certainly have no complaints with Google's customer service and if I do buy another Pixel it will be through the Play store again.