My older Pixel got the UI updates and I hate them. The look is inelegant, even childish, and like Apple they've decided to hide things under extra button presses.
The insistence on adding AI just makes startup slower. I have not had a single use for AI on my phone ever, though I'm a big fan of it for software dev.
The AI tax is crazy, Pixels now reserve 3.5GB of RAM to keep Googles local models permanently loaded regardless of how much you use them, or whether you use them at all. The base Pixel 10 has 12GB of RAM so that's nearly a third set aside for something you may never use!
Last year they had the relative sense to only enable that "feature" on the higher end SKUs with 16GB of RAM, while the lower end SKUs with 12GB would load the models on-demand, but starting with the Pixel 10 series it now applies across the board.
I've used nova launcher on my pixel phones for maybe 6 years now. I specifically switched to it because I didn't like UI updates that moved things around -- I like to customize my UI and have it stay there after an update.
I used to be all about nova launcher on my android phones. But they got purchased by a mobile data analytics company a while back. I don't trust them anymore and I don't recommend them anymore. Good thing there are loads of quality alternatives available.
Yeah, just got them too and I also dislike them. Everything got really big and ugly and I couldn't figure out how to do what seemed like obvious things.
I don't get what they are trying to do with it; previous updates were mostly fine, but really don't like this one.
Is this the one that very cleverly removed the full contact list from the Phone 'app', changed the Take/Deny call orientation, and made everything 200% bigger? Because I [expletive] hate it and don't see how in any way it's better.
Now I have to open up the contact list, a completely seperate 'app' to call someone if i can't quite remember who they are, so can't use the Phone's search functionality. So dumb. Well, it's trying to be smart, but I want it to stay dumb.
I wish we could preview these things and decide if we want them or not, rather than waking up to find the phone's decided to wear a new change of clothes and we have to tickle it differently to get it to do what we need (not want, NEED).
Google is really losing the plot lately, like worse than ever before. The changes to sideloading android apps is perhaps the biggest red flag they've ever thrown. But the new UI updates look largely silly and unhelpful, but maybe I'm being unfair.
Not OP, but to add to your sentiment: It was called installing when I was a child. I would download software—from CNET just casually browsing, or whatever from a warez forum—and open the package to reveal an installer (I was fond of InstallShield-based installers, I do not know why). I could customize the directory which the application would install to, stare endlessly at the verbose “advanced” or “custom” mode, and listen to my HDD spin a little faster.
I’m not a fan of most AI implementations to date, but I will say Google is clearly making a bold statement by trying to make the Pixel product lineup hardware to run AI front and center.
I wonder if the general public will care - they can be pretty unpredictable. People generally like party tricks and having an AI assistant to talk to may go farther than we nerds think.
The thing that annoys me the most about this device, if true, is their handling of the Pixel 10 battery. They keep cutting corners. After my 4a and 6a batteries got nerfed, you would think Google might have learned something.
I'm still "clinging" to my Pixel 6 Pro. I have an unboxed pixel 8 pro from 2 years ago. My corporate contract subsidizes a new phone every two years from the time of contract renewal.
I really think the phone update cycle needs to be lengthened, and that updates are so slightly incremental.
I would like to dip my toes into the fold phone pond, but that seems excessive. In November, Vodafone will call me and ask me which phone I want. It all seems ridiculous. I haven't noticed a difference in photo quality nor performance for years now have I felt the need to upgrade to the two-generations-later sitting in a drawer just meters way from me.
The only comment/complaint I have about newer software updates is the f*king voice which kicked in while taking a photo. "One pet cropped, move phone slightly down".
Why in the world I would buy a phone (any not just Google) that costs north of $800 is beyond me unless I want to signal my purchasing power. If utility is my metric and not outward signalling and flex, I find this worst deployment of my funds.
So called "budget" phones these days have OLED screens some even come with 120Hz displays (beyond me why someone would want that) and plenty of compute and memory.
You want camera, buy a camera.
You want gaming, buy a console or gaming machine.
It's like buying a hammer with only one head and saying to use a crowbar if you want to remove a nail. You can get both in one. Overwhelming majority of people don't need or want to carry around a DSLR or know how to use it. They also don't want to lug around a PS5 and monitor. Believe it or not you can actually get all that in one device for cheaper.
Budget phones tend to come with very short support windows so you'll be buying multiple budget phones while someone with a flagship keeps the same phone for many more years. You could use plastic silverware for every meal or you could spend more on metal silverware and clean it. You'll save more in the long run and it works much better.
The summary is perfect. I had the first Pixel phone and at the time is was sooo nice compared to everything else. No bloat! Now it's just a hot mess with weird functionality and UI choices. It's like there are multiple teams working on it and they don't talk to each other.
I'm using the Pixel Fold at the moment, and it's the best phone I've used to date. It's something I didn't know I want until I have it.
Quick review:
- The phone construction feels good on hand and in the pocket. The screen is beautiful.
- When folded, functionality-wise it's like previous Pixel (beside looking better with the metal edge). I spent about 75% of my phone time in this mode. Also no notch!
- When unfolded, you have access to much more screen real estate. I didn't realize how this dramatically improve reading documents / browsing the web. Things that were unusable (like opening Google Sheet) is now much more comfortable. You can also do split screen, where you keep 2 apps on at the same time (todo list + message)
- The weight feels solid. The fold mechanism is solid. Battery ~50% per day with no battery saving. Camera is good as usual.
Software:
- I've mentioned before on HN, the Spam Screening feature singlehanded keeps me in the Pixel ecosystem. No spam call at all.
- Android Auto is solid
- Gemini is a gentle surprise, especially with how it's easy to interact with the "current phone screen".
Review caveats:
- I don't game on the phone or any CPU intensive tasks. It's plenty fast for me so far.
- I don't use the speaker (only use bluetooth headphones)
Coming from a Pixel 7 Pro the single biggest upgrade is the fingerprint sensor. Dramatic improvement. I turned it off before; it actually works now.
Magnetic charging is nice. The first party charger stand is just OK. I find it slightly less comfortable to hold because of the more squared sides, though I appreciate the flat front glass and the fact that it sits on tables without wobbling.
I have a pixel 7 pro and never really had issues with the fingerprint sensor :shrug:. Regardless, never buying Google again because of their decision to lock down apk installs.
It is the Android I wanted to switch away from iPhone. But Google have decided to not make it available in Hong Kong for whatever reason. And this was before AI being restricted. ( But M$ and Grok continues to operate in HK just fine so I don't think that is an argument either )
Isn't HK under PRC control? The GFW might not be there right now, but who knows what happens over the seven years during which new Pixels are supported.
I upgraded from a Pixel 4a (running Calyxos) to a 8a, only because at some point Whatsapp videos broke on the 4a and friends got videos with some green encoding. Otherwise, I had no reason to upgrade.
I hate my new phone. I could use the 4a with one hand comfortably, but that is not the case with the 8a. My thumb does not reach the top of the screen like before. I have to hold it in diagonal position just to be able to do the gestures Android -by design- expects.
The fingerprint sensor moved from the back to the front. That design helped having the phone in the right direction when taking it out of my pocket. Now it comes half of the time upside down. The fingerprint sensor is bad. Half of the time does not work and I have to use the pin. On the 4a was flawless.
Agree with you on everything. Moving the fingerprint sensor to underneath the screen is unbelievably stupid, even dumber than the Touch Bar.
The Pixel leadership favored shipping something that looks cool to a few idiots to (I assume?) drive sales, over shipping something that works well and is ergonomic.
And even the idiots realize 0 seconds into using the new fingerprint sensor that it's a massive downgrade.
I fantasize about Apple releasing a phone with a fingerprint reader on the back just to teach the Pixel folks a lesson and force them to move the reader back to the back.
I don't know why people are soo obsessed over their phones. I moved from a Pixel 5 (which was perfectly serviceable until it died) to a Pixel 9 and the overall feeling was ... so? Apart from the cameras improving, there isn't really anything that feels amazing.
The main use of Pixel phones is that you can put GrapheneOS on them and regain full ownership of your hardware in a completely painless way. Plus adding a huge device security bonus on top.
You can have a profile completely de-googled and another one with Google Services for apps that need compatibility but remains off most of the time. You can uninstall Google too.
Owning your devices is a superpower that 99.9% of people don't have, but you can have it. The irony is that it's thanks to Google devices. Let's see how long it lasts.
Google Pixel line is nice in theory over past several generations, but unfortunately in some regions of the world their pricing makes no sense. For example one of the EU countries:
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL 256Gb - 1560 USD (converted to USD for easier comparison)
Samsung S25 Plus 256Gb - 1095 USD (lowest price in reputable shop, there are even lower listing at grey market ones)
Samsung S25 Ultra 256Gb - 1370 USD
Apple 16 Pro Max 256Gb - 1500 USD
Oneplus 13 256Gb - 1015 USD
Prices shown are lowest ones in the big retail shops only, for better comparison.
In no universe Pixel would win against those. Apple is more advanced and more perceived "prestige". Samsung is a staple top of the line and respectable in reputation, definitely on par with features. Chinese phones are not far off in features too (and in some areas are ages ahead, BBK's corporation 100W fast charging beats all western competitions fair and square).
I decided on a foolish whim to upgrade from a 9 pro to a 10 pro, and so far I'm nothing but disappointed - it does nothing better than my old phone and the battery life is worse despite the newer CPU and larger battery , presumably due to all the background AI processing that I don't want. (The hope for increased battery life is the reason I upgraded.)
(I will say, though, that the 9pro was an amazing phone if you want a good camera to take annoying numbers of pictures of your kids.)
I’m going to take wild guess (though I’m sure it’s still true) and say that even after 10 iterations an Android device simply can’t even perform backups in any comprehensive and cohesive way, comparable to an iPhone.
Somehow the indoctrinated will claim that this is a feature.
43 comments
[ 2.6 ms ] story [ 65.5 ms ] threadThe insistence on adding AI just makes startup slower. I have not had a single use for AI on my phone ever, though I'm a big fan of it for software dev.
It literally takes a half a second to tap "speaker" during the dialer after the update, which it didn't before.
Disappointing.
For those struggling with impairments it must be hard to continue to adapt to your phone shape shifting with each update.
Last year they had the relative sense to only enable that "feature" on the higher end SKUs with 16GB of RAM, while the lower end SKUs with 12GB would load the models on-demand, but starting with the Pixel 10 series it now applies across the board.
I don't get what they are trying to do with it; previous updates were mostly fine, but really don't like this one.
Now I have to open up the contact list, a completely seperate 'app' to call someone if i can't quite remember who they are, so can't use the Phone's search functionality. So dumb. Well, it's trying to be smart, but I want it to stay dumb.
I wish we could preview these things and decide if we want them or not, rather than waking up to find the phone's decided to wear a new change of clothes and we have to tickle it differently to get it to do what we need (not want, NEED).
I wonder if the general public will care - they can be pretty unpredictable. People generally like party tricks and having an AI assistant to talk to may go farther than we nerds think.
sigh
Seriously considering Mobian. But my banking app.
https://www.androidauthority.com/google-pixel-10-battery-hea...
I like the swipe at "post truth cameras" and would prefer AI be limited to suggestions, etc, not so baked into the processing pipeline.
I really think the phone update cycle needs to be lengthened, and that updates are so slightly incremental.
I would like to dip my toes into the fold phone pond, but that seems excessive. In November, Vodafone will call me and ask me which phone I want. It all seems ridiculous. I haven't noticed a difference in photo quality nor performance for years now have I felt the need to upgrade to the two-generations-later sitting in a drawer just meters way from me.
The only comment/complaint I have about newer software updates is the f*king voice which kicked in while taking a photo. "One pet cropped, move phone slightly down".
</uselessRant>
So called "budget" phones these days have OLED screens some even come with 120Hz displays (beyond me why someone would want that) and plenty of compute and memory.
You want camera, buy a camera. You want gaming, buy a console or gaming machine.
Budget phones tend to come with very short support windows so you'll be buying multiple budget phones while someone with a flagship keeps the same phone for many more years. You could use plastic silverware for every meal or you could spend more on metal silverware and clean it. You'll save more in the long run and it works much better.
I'm using the Pixel Fold at the moment, and it's the best phone I've used to date. It's something I didn't know I want until I have it.
Quick review:
- The phone construction feels good on hand and in the pocket. The screen is beautiful.
- When folded, functionality-wise it's like previous Pixel (beside looking better with the metal edge). I spent about 75% of my phone time in this mode. Also no notch!
- When unfolded, you have access to much more screen real estate. I didn't realize how this dramatically improve reading documents / browsing the web. Things that were unusable (like opening Google Sheet) is now much more comfortable. You can also do split screen, where you keep 2 apps on at the same time (todo list + message)
- The weight feels solid. The fold mechanism is solid. Battery ~50% per day with no battery saving. Camera is good as usual.
Software:
- I've mentioned before on HN, the Spam Screening feature singlehanded keeps me in the Pixel ecosystem. No spam call at all.
- Android Auto is solid
- Gemini is a gentle surprise, especially with how it's easy to interact with the "current phone screen".
Review caveats:
- I don't game on the phone or any CPU intensive tasks. It's plenty fast for me so far.
- I don't use the speaker (only use bluetooth headphones)
Magnetic charging is nice. The first party charger stand is just OK. I find it slightly less comfortable to hold because of the more squared sides, though I appreciate the flat front glass and the fact that it sits on tables without wobbling.
I hate my new phone. I could use the 4a with one hand comfortably, but that is not the case with the 8a. My thumb does not reach the top of the screen like before. I have to hold it in diagonal position just to be able to do the gestures Android -by design- expects.
The fingerprint sensor moved from the back to the front. That design helped having the phone in the right direction when taking it out of my pocket. Now it comes half of the time upside down. The fingerprint sensor is bad. Half of the time does not work and I have to use the pin. On the 4a was flawless.
Camera is better. Yes.
And even the idiots realize 0 seconds into using the new fingerprint sensor that it's a massive downgrade.
I fantasize about Apple releasing a phone with a fingerprint reader on the back just to teach the Pixel folks a lesson and force them to move the reader back to the back.
By the way, is there a Moore’s law sort of thing that predicts the base phone size increase every year across OEMs?
You can have a profile completely de-googled and another one with Google Services for apps that need compatibility but remains off most of the time. You can uninstall Google too.
Owning your devices is a superpower that 99.9% of people don't have, but you can have it. The irony is that it's thanks to Google devices. Let's see how long it lasts.
I'm tired.
Google Pixel 10 Pro XL 256Gb - 1560 USD (converted to USD for easier comparison)
Samsung S25 Plus 256Gb - 1095 USD (lowest price in reputable shop, there are even lower listing at grey market ones)
Samsung S25 Ultra 256Gb - 1370 USD
Apple 16 Pro Max 256Gb - 1500 USD
Oneplus 13 256Gb - 1015 USD
Prices shown are lowest ones in the big retail shops only, for better comparison.
In no universe Pixel would win against those. Apple is more advanced and more perceived "prestige". Samsung is a staple top of the line and respectable in reputation, definitely on par with features. Chinese phones are not far off in features too (and in some areas are ages ahead, BBK's corporation 100W fast charging beats all western competitions fair and square).
(I will say, though, that the 9pro was an amazing phone if you want a good camera to take annoying numbers of pictures of your kids.)
Somehow the indoctrinated will claim that this is a feature.