Bring back Nexus
Spoiler alert: Google's would-be iPhone killer Pixel 3 – so many leaks
The launch of the Google's Pixel 3 has become the leakiest since an Apple employee left a prototype iPhone 4 in a bar. After a batch of Pixel 3 test units were stolen and went on sale on the black market, the trickle of photos and benchmark scores over the summer became a flood. The latest revelation leaves Google with little …
COMMENTS
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Friday 28th September 2018 12:21 GMT Google
Perhapds their stance on user privacy?
"OnePlus is tracking users actions without anonymizing data" - https://tech.slashdot.org/story/17/10/10/227207/oxygenos-telemetry-lets-oneplus-tie-phones-to-individual-users
"a new report says that there's still a OnePlus app that can grab data from the phone and send it to servers in China without a user's knowledge or express consent. " -
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/18/01/27/0013220/oneplus-is-again-sending-user-data-to-a-chinese-company-without-user-consent
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Sunday 30th September 2018 08:42 GMT Chronos
You're on Android. Complaining about an OEM slurping your personal data is like complaining about damp patches from under a capsized boat.
OEM Android, perhaps. Since the Orange San Fran, no OEM firmware has survived the unboxing here at Chronos Towers, although that has presented its own unique set of purchase research issues.
Of course anyone buying into the Pixel range is going to get rogered sans lube but, then, the Pixel isn't aimed at us. Far better to go with the BQ¹ mentioned by another commentard or something similar that can be freed from the data fetishists. It's a 'phone, not a fashion statement.
By the way, "glass back" is a derogative meaning lazy bastard over here. Devices with glass backs do not inspire confidence.
¹ These folks are a pretty geeky company. They also make 3D printers and consumables - and they're very good.
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This post has been deleted by its author
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Saturday 22nd June 2019 00:53 GMT Sorry that handle is already taken.
I originally posted this eight months ago but then deleted it when it turned out that none of the EMUI 8-dependent OpenKirin ROMs could operate the goofy dual camera setup without crashing. Quite the fatal flaw. This was corrected following the recent release of EMUI 9, allowing me to finally use the phone, and I haven't had any noteworthy issues since. With the benefit of hindsight, I might have gone for a Nokia 8 instead.
The Nexus 5 was almost perfect IMO. No nonsense, powerful at the time and reasonably priced. It should have had more storage and the speaker and camera could have been better but what are you going to do.
Mine was really showing its age so I gave up and went down the alternative route of buying a cheap(-ish) 2017 model Huawei and putting an OpenKirin custom ROM on it. It was a bit of a faff (edit: which turned into an eight month long wait for one that worked properly...) and involved paying for an unlock code, but now I've got a 128GB (+µSD) ~5" phone with a reasonably modern 8 core big.LITTLE SoC, 50% more battery capacity and yes, a headphone socket for less than the Nexus 5 cost originally. And, importantly, vanilla Android rather than Huawei's EMUI nonsense.
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Friday 28th September 2018 11:47 GMT K
"Pixel sales have been unimpressive"
Its simple really, Google's success with devices was down to us Nexus Fanbois / Geeks, and we were used to paying mid-range prices, in return we were happy to be guinea pigs for the new versions of Android..
By dropping the Nexus brand, they alienated their loyal users, and are having to rebuild their user bases from scratch - but news flash, most people don't want to spend £600-800 on a handset!
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This post has been deleted by its author
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Friday 28th September 2018 12:24 GMT Anonymous Coward
"Oh and it will be far too expensive, I leave that sort of thing to iTards who have no idea about value for money."
Considering the prices that second-hand iGear fetches and the general longevity of said devices (notably in software terms), especially in a 'hand-me-down' environment, I'd say the 'iTards' have a pretty good grip on the concept of 'value'.
Without resorting to Google or other Internet lookups, someone name me off the top of their head a 'droid phone that has the same longevity - in both hardware and software terms - as the average iPhone? There may be one, or even several, but it's a pretty tough call, and definitely not a mass-market answer.
To be balanced: my honest opinion is that if you're a techie and/or want a phone that can bend entirely to your will, get a 'droid, preferably a mid-range priced one. If you're a non-techie and/or need to rely on a phone that 'just works' (relative to most 'droids) and can't be arsed to keep twiddling with it then get an iPhone, preferably a mid-range priced one. Leave the £1000 handsets of either type to those with money to waste.
SB
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Friday 28th September 2018 12:33 GMT cambsukguy
There isn't a mid-range priced iPhone - although there is a mid-iPhone-range priced iPhone.
My phone is 4 years old, gets updates monthly, works better than when I got it and has a removable battery (replaced for £9 for an original part), very good camera, even by today's standards, hi-res screen, even by today's standards, huge SD card capability, even by today's standards, Qi charging (today's standard).
The list goes on, it cost £330 at the time and would sell for maybe £75 at best, like that will happen.
It therefore represents much better value than even a mid-range iPhone, whilst actually giving me the features I require (see above list). A removable battery and an SD card are not techie requirements really.
There are features that I would like (e.g. IP68), but I am not paying the premium asked for something that 'nice-to-have'.
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Saturday 29th September 2018 23:34 GMT Martin an gof
iamanidiot
Now I'm curious what phone you are using Cambsukguy. Most 4 year old phones I know don't get updates anymore. Let alone monthly ones.
Rainer
Which vendor still supports Android on a four year old phone?
Here's a clue. My nearly five-year-old Moto G (the original one) still gets regular updates via LineageOS. There's a new build out every Wednesday and I tend to install them monthly.
It could do with a better camera, but in all other respects it suits me well (though I still hate on-screen keyboards). Even the non-removable battery hasn't been a problem yet. With careful management it will last me six or seven days, though I could squeeze as many as ten when it was new.
M.
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Sunday 30th September 2018 08:58 GMT Chronos
Here's a clue. My nearly five-year-old Moto G (the original one) still gets regular updates via LineageOS. There's a new build out every Wednesday and I tend to install them monthly.
*Applause*
Moto Gs less than or equal to v4 are built like brick outhouses, reliable, fast enough for anything but gaming and have more accessories than you can shake a stick at. Mrs Chronos has a Moto E. It's not as fast as a G but it still runs Nougat, gets an update a few days after AOSP vulnerability day and doesn't spy on her.
Even replacing the "built-in" battery for a G is a doddle.
I made the mistake of buying into the Wileyfox hype with the Storm (which just got Oreo from Lineage - not bad for an obsolete model that, before they went TITSUP¹, they disavowed ever producing) when I really should have bought a Moto. Lesson learnt.
¹ Total Inability To Secure Useful Profits, mainly due to titting about on Twatter and Farcebook instead of dealing with issues. And no, the bloody magnetometer still doesn't work and the LEDs behind the softkeys winked out one by one, never to return.
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Monday 1st October 2018 10:53 GMT Cuddles
"If you're not paying, you're probably the product, not the customer"
You have the incorrect tense. Assuming the person you're replying to is not a criminal, they did in fact pay for their phone. It's not a question of who is making money; someone already made money. That is how buying things works.
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Friday 28th September 2018 14:54 GMT Anonymous Coward
>"value for money" is entirely subjective.
It's entirely objective and people recognised that centuries ago with things like opportunity cost.
A £2 bag is equally capable of carrying potatoes as a £50,0000 Louis Vuitton handbag and possibly more durable. One is value for money and the other vanity, the £2 bag also has a substantially lower opportunity cost with £49,998 change available to be knocked off a mortgage or some other useful purpose.
I'm afraid you've failed the interview as my financial advisor.
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Friday 28th September 2018 14:35 GMT MogKupo
Where's my PADD
Heh
I change my phone once every 3-4 years and get a good but not too expensive one each time
last 3 have been SGS Note 2, LG G3 and currently the Huawei P10 (though that's the first and last phone I'll buy from them after they've treated us so shabbily re unlock codes etc. I got my unlock code from them when they were legitimately supplying them and do not appreciate threats of a bricked phone on update if it's rooted)
I really can't see why anyone would buy an iPhone given they have eye watering 4 figure prices now, or for that matter a pixel for the same reason. Did have a Nexus tablet once, excellent device but that's all.
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Friday 28th September 2018 12:06 GMT Anonymous Coward
Confused...
I used Android for years, loved that I could bend them to do what ever I pleased. The Nexus line was the pinacle for me. Yes, every Android firmware update I ever got fixed one thing and broke another. WiFi bug fixed > battery life killed, battery fixed > cell reception killed etc etc. Worth it because my Nexus 5x was a decent phone at a great price.
However, I still recommended iPhones to everyone else (non techies) as they just worked and the overall experience was worth the silly pricing.
But paying Apple prices for the Android 'experience'? Paying Apple prices to be tracked 24/7 by Google? Paying Apple prices to a company who went from ‘Don't be evil' to 'fsck it, give us your money'? Really??
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Friday 28th September 2018 12:19 GMT Anonymous Coward
Mistaken
"iPhone killer Pixel 3"
I think that idea is wrong in that it assumes that there is a significant crossover between Android and iPhone owners and buyers. The market looks to me far more rigidly segmented.
Android users make the choice between keeping their existing phone, upgrading to the makers newer offering, or changing to a different Android maker's product
iPhone users choose between keeping their existing iPhone or buying a newer iPhone.
I doubt many existing users change between platforms and new users are influenced by peer pressure, family, and gender.
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Sunday 30th September 2018 14:12 GMT CheesyTheClown
Re: Mistaken
I agree. Though this past year, I have started purchasing or renting films from Google Play and Windows Store. This is because Apple makes it difficult for me to even understand which account I’m paying from. Sometimes I buy a film on iTunes and it pulls from my PayPal... other times it pulls from my credit card. Google and Microsoft are easier to manage.
I buy iPhone because Apple makes one or two models a year and updates seem to come for years after they stop selling the model. That makes me feel as though there is a return on investment. Or it did. But since around the time Jobs kicked off, the iPhone has become progressively worse. In addition, my entire phone seems hellbent on trying to sell me shit. I mean seriously,
I’ve bought most of the songs I like already. I have about 2000-3000 tracks in my iTunes catalog. If I were to pay for Apple Music, I would need to listen to an average of about 15 new songs a month... every month for it to be profitable. That means I’d have to listen to 180 new songs a year to make it cheaper than buying the songs I like outright. I’m not that guy. Most of what I listen to is old. I don’t even turn the stereo in my car on. I have no interest in listening to music to simply hear noise. I don’t want Apple Music. I will never want Apple Music. Why the fuck can’t I open my music player and not be constantly attacked about buying Apple Music?
Then there’s the headphone jack. I have two laptops, an iPhone and a TV at home. Bluetooth sucks for that. Why would I ever want to spend my whole life pairing my headphones. It’s easier to just plug and unplug. Also, I depend on corded headphones to make sure that I never leave my headphones or telephone behind.
Apple is sooooooooo far from what I came to love about them. But what does it matter if I’m just someone who used to spend $7,000 a year with Apple. Now I have a Surface Book 2 and am willing to switch to Android if Google releases a high end phone with a headphone jack. I’m willing to pay $1200 for a Google branded phone (won’t buy knock offs made by companies who don’t write the OS). It should be small enough to fit in my pocket but large enough to read. It should have edges so I don’t have to move my fingers to read text... none of this curving off the edge shit. It should also be easy enough to unlock that I don’t need to look at it or pick it up to see if I want to pick it up. Thumb print is fine.
Basically, I want an iPhone 6S Plus but with Android. I have a top spec iPhone X sitting on the coffee table collecting dust. I’m back on my 6S Plus... the last good phone Apple made... but Apple apparently doesn’t run unit tests on the 6S Plus anymore.
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Friday 28th September 2018 23:26 GMT Phil Kingston
Re: Notches
Sharp had a notched display that beat Essential to market by a few days. Not that it matters.
I prefer to see the display as having two extra areas rather than having something taken away. Glass half full.
My this year's handset has ears. The remainder of the screen is 2:1 and the presence of the ears really had zero sway on my decision to buy it. I genuinely don't see why people are upset about it.
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Friday 28th September 2018 12:52 GMT IHateWearingATie
Just bought a Pixel 2 for £440 (Currys clearing down their inventory I suspect) to replace my wife's borked S6.
I use a Pixel 2 as a work phone and its really good (i.e. it does all that I need to and doesn't do anything that annoys me) so I thought I would get her one to match.
Much as I loved samsung phones in the past, not very happy paying £6-700 for a phone.
Pixel 3? Don't see any reason to wait for it.
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Friday 28th September 2018 13:14 GMT imanidiot
Fscking notch...
I don't WANT a notch. It's ugly and it doesn't add anything. Even the slim bezels are not that much of a plus. It just means the glass is closer to the edge so it's more likely to crack if you hit it wrong. I've got a nice big crack running across my screen from dropping it about 3 inches in the wrong place, hitting it just so on the corner of something hard. That never happened on my older phone that had a bit of a bezel.
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Friday 28th September 2018 13:18 GMT Gene Cash
> Google killed off the audio port last year
I just bought a not-top-of-the-range Moto G6 because the "higher" models didn't have a jack.
And I'm also surprised to see almost all of Motorola's range have SD cards, and some even have removable batteries.
However, my G6 is SLOW AF. Holy cow, it crawls, compared to my Nexus 6P.
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Saturday 29th September 2018 07:55 GMT TheGreatCabbage
Unfortunately the Moto G lineup doesn't seem as good value as it used to be. I do remember my Moto G4 being pretty good, but wasn't impressed with the G5's launch because I think they actually downgraded the SoC.
I was shocked to find that the Poco F1 is only £300 with the best SoC available (Snapdragon 845), 6GB RAM, 64GB storage minimum, dual cameras, dual SIM or micro-SD support, a headphone jack, and a good fingerprint sensor. It puts the pricier Moto G6 models to shame.
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Friday 28th September 2018 17:26 GMT Jamie Jones
I have a great design idea...
I have a great design idea: Create a phone where the screen is slightly smaller than the casing, so creating a border around it.
Not only will this alleviate the need for a weird screen shape to account for the "notch", but it also makes the device more comfortable to hold, without fingers obscuring the screen, or causing annoying "mispresses"
As a triple bonus, the screen will be less susceptible to cracking around the edges.
A winning idea, no?
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Saturday 29th September 2018 13:59 GMT Dave Lawton
What to buy ?
I need a phone that's not too large, has a replaceable battery, SD card slot, headphone socket, preferably Dual Micro size SIM, current Android OS, not too expensive.
Did I find one: Yes, nearly all the above.
It's Nano SIM, trimming of existing SIM required (I opted for single SIM because I couldn't wait)
In the box, a USB charger, USB lead, and a set of ear-buds.
Price: a miserly 59 GBP delivered.
Happy Bunny is me.
Note: the Dual SIM version has 3 slots, and isn't 2nd SIM/SD like some.
What is it ?
Oh, a Nokia 1, that's what.
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Wednesday 3rd October 2018 22:44 GMT bengoey49
Re: What to buy ?
I agree with you, I bought one out of curiosity and for use when I travel and need a second Sim ( mainly for Asia ). You have to accept that it is slow if you are used to mid or top of the range phones but for the price I am ok with it. Reception is good but I wish it covers more LTE / 4G bands . Android GO is good. I don't need fancy Apps, WhatsApp, Telegram and Google Map ( not for Navigation ) are enough for me.
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Monday 1st October 2018 03:28 GMT Kevin McMurtrie
iPhoney
A real iPhone killer wouldn't be an iPhone copy. The iPhone is niche device - craploads of compute power but otherwise minimalist to a fault. Samsung's Galaxy S series is the opposite by having so many silly features that it's fragile and unreliable. I miss the old days when global phones had different features.