2y ago

How does everyone feel about Google Pixel phones?

Previously on Lemmy:

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Sorry for the delay for the weekly. Server's not that stable right now, maybe we should start the thread on Sundays instead.

I always like to switch things up once in a while because it's fun. So, let's get back to the brand discussion this week for the Google Pixel. We'll do a discussion on repairability next week. Again, ideas are always welcome here.

I've never used a Pixel, but people around here should know that I've been very critical of Google's product decisions over the years, and the Pixel is no exception. In my point of view, discontinuing the Nexus series, buying out the talents from the remains of HTC and starting an official "made by Google" phone is the equivalent of reddit buying out Alien Blue to make the official reddit app. I think it's the event that scared big Android manufacturers like Samsung enough to start making their own ecosystem away from Google, as they are concerned that Google may start locking software features to their own phones instead of improving Android overall (rightfully so, I might add).

It really makes no business sense at all to turn your manufacturing partners into your competitors, but then again, it's Google.

With that being said, the first years of the Pixels has been marred with growing pains. Whereas the Nexus line has always been barebones, no frills development devices, it seemed to me that the people who made Pixels don't even use Android and are insistent on turning Pixel into iPhones, removing the headphone jack on the Pixel 2 despite the antagonistic ad from the original Pixel, Pixel exclusive software features like Google camera that necessitating the need of rom mods, as well as the quality issues that seems to be inherited from the Nexus days just really soured me from considering Pixels, as I think it's against the spirit of openness that made Android great.

But it seems like in recent years, they finally figured out that a large percentage of people who bought Androids not because they can't afford iPhones, but because they like Android, and I see the introduction of the "a" series as progress. The recent Pixel ad campaign also made me think that they finally figuring it out: people want different things, trying to turn Android into worse versions of iPhones was not going to work, so they should be trying to make the best Android for Android users instead.

(It's also the reason I think all the previous reddit clones failed, but Lemmy will be the one that finally succeeds.)

182 comments

I've had Pixels 2, 3, 4, 5a, and 7. I really like them and haven't had a serious problem. Sure do hate Google but goodness sakes can they make a phone, and I run custom ROMs anyway.
- Any particular feature stands out to you?
  
  I like that they're updated fast and long, and the Tensor chip capabilities are used for useful little functionalities
  
  Google Camera is superior. I don't want it to be so, but it is. Also like the other commenter said, it updates forever and they get the updates first.
- GrapheneOS?

I really liked the Nexus Line of Google phones and from what I've seen the Pixels are great phones, but the price puts them outside of what I want to pay.
The 3a, and the 6a might be the only ones I considered, but the rest are just "Flagship priced phones" and yeah they may have the hardware to back them up, but paying 600+ dollars for a phone is ridiculous. With them reaching for a thousand dollars is a hard no.
You basically hit on it. They're trying to make them into iPhones... people are on Android specifically because they don't want Apple prices, or that type of enviroment.
- It's not only the price. I simply don't want to have iOS devices. I like their technology and the iOS implementation, don't misunderstand me. But I won't accept a walled garden in my pocket. I have so much software installed from different sources and I like to write apps by myself, too.
  Many people are only happy with unlimited possibilities. If you are restricted and not trusted as a power user, your phone is not worth to be called "smart".
  
  When I used iOS it turned out that it was f-droid and the dead simple availability of Foss apps that was actually the killer apps for me than whatever polished app version iOS might. Something I didn't appreciate fully until I entered the nightmare of trying to find no subscription and non ad filled apps.
- I personally like the diversity and freedom of Android. Sometimes I do wish I like iPhones better though.

Quite happy user of Pixel 6a. The only few annoying things are:
Under-the-screen fingerprint sensor works less than half of the time. At night and in bed, it blinds me.
Battery, despite adaptive battery, still feels surprisingly draining fast from time to time. The battery merely just hold for the day whereas I don't even have that much screen time or background running apps.
- Under-the-screen fingerprint sensor works less than half of the time. At night and in bed, it blinds me.
  This is my biggest complaint. The "old" style of fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone worked so well, but they replaced it with this shitty one.
  
  My fingers usually work with the pixel 7 combined with a matte screen protector.
- I've managed to get in the habit of pointing the screen away from my eye sockets in bed when it's dark. 60% of the time, it works every time
- At night and in bed, it blinds me. You can add a setting to the quick settings drop down, that makes the screen go even dimmer.
  
  I think he is talking about the fingerprint sensor. It blinds me at night too

I like it because it's quick and doesn't have any bloatware.
- Literally every Google app in existence is preinstalled

I've got a 4a (bought on release) and it has been my favorite phone. Not a huge power user so it's a good small device that has the features I want (fingerprint, 3.5 Jack). My biggest gripe is something I think Google changed sometime before the 4a, and that's their is no HDMI over USB possible with Pixel devices. From what I can tell the only reason they did this was to sell Chromecasts. The main issue is I watch horror movies on a projector with some friends while camping(no Wi-Fi or data so Chromecast doesn't work). The software on the projector has poor support for different codecs so ideally I'd use VLC on my phone and have no issue, but I cant. Pretty niche scenario there but I think it's a sign of how modern phones have slowly been taking away useful features for seemingly no reason. Makes me not want to get a Google phone again.

I have one with grapheneos for privacy, and it's good.
- Same. No better alternative with a balance of features and privacy/security. So pretty much locked into Pixels. Progression for me was nexus (stock) to 1+ (close to stock) to pixel (graphene).
  
  I've had a couple Samsungs but I think my next phone will be a Pixel for exactly this reason. Installing GrapheneOS is exactly what I need

The only phones that ever made me warm and fuzzy inside were Google made phones (Nexus 5 was brilliant) and it's unlikely I'll try a different phone anytime soon.
iPhones stress me out due to the height of the walled garden and other android phones are usually a cluttered mess.
Anyway, I recommend pixel phones and most of my family have pixel phones these days.
- I just pretend to be tech illiterate sometimes to get out of doing tech support.

Initially i bought nexus/pixel phones for clean android experience and no bloat.
Staying with pixel mainly for camera quality and free storage on Google Photos.
Its not ideal, but I'm used to it. They never try to do something too gimmicky and it feels like phone made by Google will work best with the os made by google so my experience will be most consistent, but i haven't tried other phones in a while.

After a decade of Samsung and other third party phones, I'm super keen on the Pixel 7 pro. Even with Samsung boosting huge MP counts for their phones, they always come across either blurry or low quality to me (especially selfies where it feels like they've cheaped out)
In comparison the software processing on the Pixel is amazing, things seems to always be in focus and correctly lit.
- I felt like Google use good processing software to compensate for mediocre at best camera hardware, which is why GCam ports have been so popular on other phones with better camera sensors.
  
  The pixel 7 line had pretty good cameras, didn't they? Iirc it was 64MP

Using pixel 6 pro. It's fine. I'm happy not to have all the bloated janky apps that come on other phones.
- Same here.
  Bonus is I can root it and replace the firmware if I want to without blowing an eFuse and it useless work work or pay if I flash it back
- Also on a P6P. Only complaint is the sluggish fingerprint reader, but I'm used to it by now.
  Really hope that Google will eventually start offering more than 2yrs of updates though. Otherwise, happy with the phone.
  
  I've got a Pixel 4a, which is definitely older than two years, and I still get security- and feature-updates.
  
  In the first winter, the shipped camera app crashed the phone. That was fun. Also, battery life is still... Only okayish. Would buy again though, awesome otherwise.

I got a Pixel 6 Pro second hand from the US recently for GrapheneOS.
Here's what I like:
Fingerprint sensor is fast and reliable
Phone is buttery smooth, no weird slowdowns, I've been very satisfied
Excellent hardware: beautiful, premium, unqiue. It feels heavy but in a well - balanced, premium way .The curved back, screen and sides makes it so comfortable to hold. And I love the camera bar which because the phone doesn't rock back and forth on the table.
No parallel for customization, well maintained custom ROMs (I came from a Xiaomi, I swear Google Pixels are way better in this regard.), GrapheneOS is awesome.
What I don't like:
Phone gets hot on cellular, probably an inefficient Exynos modem
Battery is just okay. Charging is not an issue, takes about an hour to reach 80%, which is what I usually keep my phone at anyway for better battery health.
Screen not quite bright enough on brutal summer days.
So yeah overall I'm a happy camper. When this one loses support for GrapheneOS, I'll be upgrading to another Pixel.

I use a 5a with GrapheneOS and I'm very happy with it
- Yeah. I can't comment on Pixel running whatever Google puts on it, because I installed GrapheneOS within ten minutes of buying mine.
  That said, I think it's a fantastic phone.

7 pro is my favorite phone ove ever owned, finally unseating the v30 which was criminally underrated at the time. I wish there was something better that wasn't made by Google, but I have always been disappointed with my Samsung devices (Galaxy Note OG, Galaxy s7edge, S9). I felt trapped by them and they always had SO MUCH BLOAT. The s7 was the best of the bunch. I've had about as many pixels (2pro, 3pro, 6, 7 pro). They've all gotten better with each iteration, but I saw no reason to even consider a pixel 4 or 5. 6 was a huge step up but had some build quality issues. Overall I liked the design choices. I would still have my six but I was having a battery issue that couldn't be fixed so they let me trade it in and shaved $100 off the 7pro for me in lieu of doing an RMA that late into the life cycle. 7 pro is excellent. I won't be getting a new phone until this one is dead.
- If you haven't tried any of the newer Samsung, you should!
  I hated the bloat on my S5 (only tolerated it because of the awesome IR blaster on that phone), but the S10 was miles better. There were maybe 2 apps I had to disable, the rest could be uninstalled.
  No bloat is still better than some bloat, of course, but Samsung phones are still one of the few with a triple camera setup in a small form factor. That, and the new android quick toggles are so ugly - who thought it was a good idea to hide wifi/data behind a second layer of toggles, and then make each toggle hideously big?!

Still on a pixel 2, it's really starting to show it's age. It's been a solid phone. I think I will upgrade to the Pixel 8 this fall... But I will miss the rear finger print scanner.

Google Pixels are the absolute best phones for custom roms and ones I feel best about when it comes to software support outlasting the hardware because of that. All the other phones might have better internals, but it's the growing animosity towards unlocking bootloaders and rise in prices of phones hitting laptop prices without the long term software support to match that makes it seem less appealing than pixels to me.
- This is my view, too. I still have my 2XL with fully updated LineageOS with MicroG, and it still feels "fast enough". I got the P6 because the camera stopped working after 4 years and the battery and USB charging port got flakey.
  However, after I went with a custom ROM, the USB/battery problems went away. I still use it.
  If I can't flash, I won't buy.
- I thought my Pixel 2 would be perfect for a custom rom. But then I found Google locked the bootloader for refurbished phones. I couldn't find a way around that so now it's a paperweight.

Been using Pixel phones since the Pixel 2XL.
It simply comes down to simplicity and updates.
It always seems like with other manufacturers (especially Samsung) they try to throw everything they can at you to see what people might use. Whether that be 3 different apps for taking notes or 19 camera modes depending on what kind of food I'm taking a picture of.
When it comes to updates, I know manufacturers have definitely stepped up their game, but I'm still burned out on updates from before I had a Pixel. I used Moto phones before then and would often wait a year after a major version release to get the update.
Getting day 1 updates and being able to participate in betas is a big plus for me

In the process of deGoogling, but the phone is something that I'm saving for another year or three. My 6 Pro is doing just fine.
- You could always install GrapheneOS on it, they only support Pixels.

Get the a series. Almost half the price for not many features missing. Same camera.

I've been using a Pixel 3 for about 5 years and I love it. I actually got a pixel 7 for work earlier this year and honestly prefer the pixel 3 lol. I've had some charging issues because lint gets stuck in the charge port, but I've been able to mostly solve those by cleaning out the port with a toothpick.

After a long line of Samsung phones, I decided to try a pixel at my last change, so got the 6. I've been really happy with it. Performance is good, camera and camera software are great, features are nice. The Samsungs were getting pretty bloated in comparison.

I've been with Pixel since it started, Nexus before that, and a Palm Pre before that.
There is ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS some random hardware bug with Pixels that most people seem to not have but if you have it, it absolutely sucks. The speaker buzz. The display gap. The fingerprint sensor. The camera glass shattering for no reason at all. I've had them all and I finally went to Sammy with an S22, which I hate.
I wish Google had never bought HTC and brought hardware in house. I think they would be much better able to strongarm hardware partners if they weren't competing against them with their own hardware.

I have a pixel 7 running CalyxOS, which has been great. Custom ROMs have come so far since I was first getting interested in them in 2017. Installing Calyx on the pixel 7 was totally seamless, compared to multiple days of frustration installing LineageOS back in the day

I love Pixels, they're easily my favorite option. I'm currently on a Pixel Fold (yes I'm an idiot, but that's beside the point), and I also enjoy my Pixel Watch and Buds Pro and A series.
I carried an iPhone for work for 3 years and just don't care for iOS in a personal daily carry capacity. It's fine for a work phone though, but I also enjoy the way that Android handles work profiles. I do own an iPad though, and that's fine. I would consider replacing it with a Pixel tablet someday when it's time though, especially if there's a 120hz display option by then.
I'm not a big fan of Samsung's design choices or bloatware tendencies. The kitchen sink approach isn't for me when the majority of it is stuff that I won't use, and it feels sloppy to me switching between apps and one uses Samsung's design language, and then the other uses Material You. I like the consistency you get on a Pixel.
I use my camera a ton, so Pixel is an obvious choice there. Software features like call screening are indispensable for me too. I have been seeing daily spam calls again recently, and watching my phone silently discard them is always enjoyable. I also enjoy getting updates as soon as they are released, which is something that always bothered me with other manufacturers. I have made quite a few people happy by recommending the A-series to them. Wonderful budget-midrange value options.
Where would I go if Pixel went away? Tough question. The Nothing phone seems alright, I could see that working. The Zenphone 10 looks nice as well. I think I would explore one of those options before considering Samsung or Apple again.
- I have a 165hz monitor for gaming but in a mobile device I don't see the point. Low latency and accurate colors seems more important. High hz phone displays just seem like a waste of battery (and probably build cost) for the sake of needlessly pumping numbers.
  
  You are correct that it isn't really an essential feature, but it gives a nice boost in fluidity that I really enjoy, and directly ties into latency, which you mentioned as being important, which I agree with. Color accuracy still seems to be very good on modern flagships regardless of HZ, according to those who test those things.
  The battery impact isn't as bad as you probably expect actually, most newer high hz phone displays are LTPO, which allows them to scale down to I believe as low as 10hz, such as when you are reading or the AOD is on. I believe it will also scale down to match the frame rate of a full screen video too, which can also help.
  As far as cost, I'm sure it's not "free", but now that OEMs like Apple, Samsung, and Google are all ordering them in bulk, I imagine it's kind of just built into the category of display spec that they are ordering. For what it's worth, the $300 Galaxy A23 features a 120hz display. Of course, Samsung makes the display, but that cost still has to be accounted for somewhere, especially as their profits are currently down 95%.
  But yeah, overall I just enjoy a high refresh rate. My monitor, TV, iPad, and phone all support it, so I enjoy the consistency. I recommend trying a high HZ phone in person sometime if you haven't. I find that it adds a lot to the fluidity of the UI both visually, and in terms of feel, as it feels like it follows my finger more closely when scrolling, for example. Of course, you can always turn it off and cap it at 60hz as well.

I'm on my first non Google phone, starting with the Nexus 5. I currently have the Z Fold 3, bought used for about half MSRP. It has so many good things that Google failed to do, while also missing a lot of things I loved about the Google phones. The Pixel folder may bring me back if it gets cheap enough.

Loved my Pixel 5, but they've gotten too big from there.
- My pixel 5 has the screen separate from the body. I went ahead and got a 7 pro as an upgrade. I've had the original pixel, the pixel 3 and the 5. I seem to be skipping the even ones.

I like them but even the A series is slowly getting too expensive.

I used the 2 and currently use the 4a (coming up to 3 years this Oct) but I think that's the end of the line for me on pixels cause they're just getting too big for someone with really small hands.
My three wants (in order or priority) for phones are: 1) reasonably small enough (pixel 4a just about fits into this criteria); 2) fingerprint scanner; 3) headphone jack
I've got a tiny jelly star from unihertz coming and if that doesn't work out I'll probably have to go zenphone cause they're just about the size of the 4a.
Pity as I do like the pixel line

I've had a Pixel 4a and now have a Pixel 7. I also had a Nexus 5 a long time ago, and a OnePlus 5T for a while after the Nexus 5's camera broke.
Pixel 4a was great aside from the lack of waterproofing. I loved the size of it, it was fast enough, the camera was good enough, and I didn't think I'd need another phone until I went hiking in the rain with it and couldn't be bothered to go 100m back to the car to get a ziplock bag at the start of the hike :/
Pixel 7 is good, but I preferred the smaller size of the 4a, and some of the 7's features just feel unnecessary to me, such as the higher refresh screen, as I don't care about gaming on it. The in-screen fingerprint reader is definitely waaaaay worse than the one on the 4a (and especially the OnePlus 5T), and I have to enter my code a lot, but it's not as bad as when I first got the phone. The insanely bright glow of the fingerprint reader when you use it at night is a bit annoying, as others have mentioned.
It also seems to get very hot sometimes, the official case isn't quite as nice as that of the 4a, despite being more expensive, and the battery life is meh. Lack of a headphone jack is also less than ideal, but I guess I should just buy some bluetooth earphones. Actually, I got it at launch and used the Google Store points to buy Google Buds Pro and the case, but then I sold the buds to effectively get a nice discount instead.
The camera on both phones has been great, with the 7 being quite a bit better than the 4a, though honestly the 4a was good already and I didn't really care about any camera upgrades aside from the wide angle lens, which is awesome.
Software wise, I like stock Android, but I miss the long screenshot function of OnePlus' Oxygen OS. Other than that, it's nice. Google apps are mostly awesome, though I think you can get the same features such such as voice assistant, navigation etc. on other Android phones just by installing the Google apps.

I'm on my 3rd Pixel (2,3A XL, 6). They're good phones. Updates are pretty regular and support is fairly long lived. The cameras are fantastic. The software and interface is barebones. No bloat.
The only downside I would put out there is that they sometimes run hot. Like hotter than any other phone I've ever had. Suddenly and uncomfortably hot in your pocket.
I have zero interest in a foldable screen and it's going to be years before I'd ever trust one.

After staying loyal to Samsung for about a decade, always with flagship models, I had a terrible experience with the Fold3. It was so bad that, when I finally pushed hard enough for Samsung Support to admit I'd been sold a lemon, I was ready to give up.
I sold the replacement Fold4 they sent me and got a Pixel 7. Honestlty, I now wish I hadn't waited this long to make the jump.
Things I like the most:
The speed with which updates are released, directly: I'm accustomed to having to wait for my provider to release Samsung updates
The way the updates are applied: no more 30 minute reboots waiting for the Samsung firmware to install
The lack of bloatware: 'nuff said
The speed of the device itself: see above point
I guess the thing that nags at me the most is I still dislike Google as a company.
I haven't explored custom ROMs yet - still unsure where that leaves me with access to my company's resources (we have very stringent security policies, actively enforced), plus I need to do a heap of research to understand what (if any) features of the stock Pixel I'd lose. There may or may not be some deal breakers in that list.

Had a Pixel 3 where the screen died exactly two days after the warranty ends.
Loved the picture it took (even compared to my S23 now) and the fluidity.
Hate the Google quality control. Seeing pixel 6 modem issues and pixel 7 camera glasses, it never improves.

Good but overhyped.

I have a 6a and have been emulating games with it and playing remote play with my backbone. Super enjoying it

Stock Android missing so many apps because Google killed them for no reason
Google gets to shove gapps directly into your throat making you forget what android used to be
Partially responsible for ruining the android market and causing companies like HTC to drop out
Partially responsible for getting rid of android version names
Early models kinda sucked
Pretty much summed up all of my core issues already in your post lol.
Modern android sucks because of google
- What apps do you miss in stock android?
  
  Compass, old file explorer, music app, dictionary, builtin PDF viewer, Mail,
  I think dictionary and PDF might have been removed very early on or was not part of stock, but the rest definitely used to be there.
  Many were replaced by a google equivalent like Google Music which is now dead, or Gmail which used to be alongside Mail.
- Well, again, Google directly caused the Android fragmentation issues by de-GNUing Linux, so the bad parts of Android was because of Google from the beginning.
  
  What fragmentation issues are you referring to? And what does it mean when you say they "de-GNU'd" android

I recently bought a pixel 6 pro (went from an LG G7). Its a nice upgrade. I'm slowly replacing (and deactivating) the google apps with open source ones. I may install a custom ROM at some point.

I've had a Pixel 5a and currently have a Pixel 7. Have enjoyed them greatly. The 5a was a bit mediocre overall, camera performance wasn't that great & it got a bit slow over time. That being said, the clean OS experience and integration was always nice and it was perfectly suitable for my needs at a good price.
Now that I'm using my Pixel 7 as a daily, the Pixel 5a is holding up pretty well with GrapheneOS as a backup phone / media player.
Pixel 7 has been really nice to me. Interface is smooth, camera is nice, everything just works essentially. And getting the latest Android pretty quickly is a nice feeling. My only gripe is that Google's SoC is still a bit lacking and battery life isn't the best, but I hear the current Android beta has some promising battery life improvements.
Overall I've been having a good time with them. Still kinda miss my Nexus 5x tho, that thing was sweet...
- How has grapheneOS been for you? Would you main it? I'm on a Note 9 that's had it's battery life reduced to pretty much having to charge it constantly or I'm out before the end of the day. Considering Pixels mostly because of Graphene, which Louis Rossman says great things about (except for the ex lead dev). I don't know if I'd be sacrificing any of the features in a pixel phone, though...
  
  Personally I don't think I'd use it on my main phone as of now. While it does work well and the granular options for sandboxing/security are awesome, I'd worry about compatibility with banking apps and other more locked down software that, from what I've heard, will refuse to run under GrapheneOS. Also, yeah you'd be missing out on some of the exclusive Pixel features that are part of Google's stock ROM. But overall it works well and handles Play Store backend stuff pretty seamlessly while still keeping the security tight.
  From what I understand camera quality and other features may be less performant than stock as well, though in the case of my Pixel 5a the camera experience wasn't that great before anyways so it didn't matter to me.
  For now on my main phone I'm just gonna keep using stock and dipping into Android betas to mess with the new stuff coming to Pixel phones. Maybe once my desire to be part of that ecosystem is lessened I'd just go for Graphene on my Pixel 7.

I've got the 6 Pro. I cracked the screen which sucked, but for the price they should probably come with a cover.
The fingerprint scanner on the screen works less than half the time. The only thing I've really been impressed with is the camera, other than that I'd go any other phone.
I used to have a Xiaomi Rednote 9 Pro and loved it. Not sure how secure Xiaomi stuff is but was very happy with it, plus the fingerprint scanner was on the side and worked much better.

I currently use a Pixel 6. Before that, I had the 4XL, 3, and 1XL.
I like:
The camera and camera software, having the option of using Beta versions of Android before they are fully released, being able to unlock the bootloader, and relatively quick security and OS updates.
I don't like:
How the camera section of the back of the phone protrudes. Makes holding the phone unpleasant ergonomically. I also don't like how Google isn't including Android version updates and only security patch updates near the end of life of the phone. They should do both.

I sold my Pixel 6 pro to get a Samsung S23. Unfortunately the main issues I had with the pixel were hardware-related and recurring, and while samsung isn't ideal, most of their issues could be solved with a one-time fix.
Main issues I had with the Pixel:
Fingerprint sensor doesn't work with privacy screens. Period. It's not a question of buying cheap privacy screens, the Pixel fingerprint reader is optical and is just not compatible with privacy screens. Samsung uses an ultrasonic reader which is compatible with privacy screens.
The 6 Pro was unwieldy and ridiculously large, the smaller 6 doesn't have the triple camera setup. Samsung is one of the few that doesn't sacrifice phototaking ability in a smaller form factor.
That godawful new quick toggles UI is horrible. The quick toggles are ridiculously large, and who decided it would be a good idea to merge the wifi and internet toggles?! I managed to use adb commands to split the toggles in 12, but that broke with 13.
Issues I had with the Samsung:
Bloat - this was mainly in the form of some preinstalled software, but unlike in the early days of Samsung, I could uninstall most of the bloat easily without resorting to root, adb, etc. No bloat (pixel) is still better than bloat that can be uninstalled (samsung), but this problem was permanently solved after about 10 minutes.
Some Samsung native apps have horrible permission settings - eg Samsung Pay requires access to your contacts, and if you deny it any one permission, the app just force closes. I got around this by uninstalling the offending apps and using alternatives (e.g. google pay) - again, a one-time issue. fuck the intrusive permissions.

I had Nexus and Pixel phones.and absolutely adored them through my Pixel 4a. Then one day, I was using my 4a, the screen turned off and never turned on again, ever. It just stopped working on its own suddenly, for no reason. Reached out to Google Support and had zero recourse because I had had it for a bit over a year. Now I'm never trusting Google devices again.
- Quality control issues Is what Google has always struggled with.

I spent quite a while in the Nexus/Pixel line, mostly on the "a" series once they started with those, and I was always very happy with them. I didn't encounter any significant issues over the years, so I can't speak to any of the troubles others have had; if I hadn't decided to try a foldable when the Galaxy Fold 4 came out, I'd probably still be on the Pixel train.

The camera in the 7 Pro was unmatched but the battery life is just shit in my opinion. Everything else worked fine, not the most powerful device though, didn't run games very well.

I absolutely loved the Nexus line, but I'm on my third Pixel and they've been mostly excellent aside from a couple of nitpicks. I had the 2XL, 4a5g & 6 Pro so far. I will likely get the Pixel 8 Pro after that's released. Aside from the name (why!?!?!!?), the 4a5g was just about perfect.
My 6 Pro has been mostly great, but a little sensitive to overheating in direct sunlight and it chews through battery on 5g. Hopefully the 8 improves on those two things. And has a flat screen, as is rumored.

Since LG left making phones, I'm buying Pixels since I really don't like what Samsung is doing and I don't trust my Google account to the different Chinese companies.
I've got a Pixel 7 Pro and it is ok, but battery issues are worse than other phones and I've had issues with overheating that I've never had with other phones.
- Try deleting and adding your fingerprint again

I've always been a Stock Android fanboy, so I loved the Pixel phones. However, for reasons, I got myself a Galaxy Fold 4 last year, which I fell in love with. I can't see myself going back to a regular phone now, and for me to get a Pixel Fold, Google would really have to improve Android's multitasking capabilities. On my Galaxy Fold for instance, I can have three tiled windows in a split-screen layout, or can have several floating windows of regular apps, which can be minimized into floating chatheads. With these floating windows, I can freely resize them, hide the header and even change their transparency levels. Which is great if you want to keep an eye out on some chat or Uber Eats or something whilst you are reading a book in full-screen. Having gotten used to these multitasking features, I can't see myself going back to stock Android, until these are implemented.

I have a pixel 6 and generally like it. Googles stock rom is where my issues with the pixel come up. Generally its not spookier than any other googled android phone. The rom looks good when the device is knew but from what I've seen online it tends to get slower after 2 years. This is nor an issue for me however since I moved over the graphineOS.
- There's no technical reason the phone should slow down after 2 years unless newer OS versions are more straining, or all those years of gummed up apps are taking their toll. I'm on a 6 pro, which is now nearly 2 years old, not slow in the slightest.

I have a P7P. I really like it, my only issue is the SoC being a little slow! But for most usage you don't really notice.

Bootloader unlocked, while persevering access to hardware security features by 3rd party operating systems like GrapheneOS.
They also provide 5 years of security updates for new devices.
Nothing else competes.

I've had my 4a 5g for 2 years now and have no issues with it. Uninstalled some of the G stuff I don't need, and with Greenify it lasts two full days with moderate usage. Would probably be even better with a custom ROM, but I go the other way and keep it stock android 11 with updates turned off. Rock stable with no frustrating unexpected changes, I went like 180 days without needing a reboot
Has a headphone jack and a decent camera, which are must-haves for me. I'm probably going to be keeping it for another 2-4 years like I did my last phone (LG G5) until it starts falling apart or becoming unreliable

Still using the 3A and it's still OK. I'm a fan of Pixel phones (used Nexus phones before that), and I usually use them until they stop working, then I buy the latest model. I think I still have a year with this one.

I love my Pixel 6 Pro! I run a De-Googled ROM (CalyxOS) on mine, but even with that, basically every Pixel feature still works as expected. Google Camera is fantastic (doubly so on CalyxOS since I can firewall it from the internet), the AI features in the photos app works exactly as expected (and firewalled too), the camera itself is fantastic as well. Beautiful screen, great speakers, absolutely wonderful and beautiful form factor for a phone.
Only real complaint is battery life isn't the best it could be, compared to the top-tier iphones or Samsung Galaxy devices, but it's hardly "terrible" either, as some have made it out to seem. It does seem like running a De-Googled ROM may help that some (and I've had fewer bug issues than it seems stock Pixel Android users have dealt with, which is weird given CalyxOS is built on AOSP).
Overall though, I love my Pixel 6 Pro and absolutely intend to stick with it well into the future, and likely consider another Pixel when the time comes.

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