PSA: Do Not Buy The Verizon Pixel

[DroidModderX]

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Yes do buy the Pixel, just don't buy it from Verizon if you can help it. The reason i say this is that it has been confirmed that Verizon will be handling their own system updates for Pixel and Pixel XL devices they have sold. Google will handle their own system updates for unlocked versions. Google will push out security updates to all Pixel and Pixel XL devices. This was a big issue for the Galaxy Nexus. The Verizon version got its updates long after the unlocked version. Obviously Verizon will want to patch any root methods, and add their own bloatware to each update and tweak updates to their network. Maybe Verizon will surprise us with faster updates, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

It is really unnecessary to buy your Pixel from Verizon now that Google offers their own 0% financing on these devices. One of the main reasons to own a Pixel device would be the ability to unlock the bootloader and run custom roms and other mods. The unlocked model also works on Verizon. This has been your official warning. For the best Pixel experience purchase the unlocked version directly from Google!

 

[Mustang02]

I wouldn't buy any phones from VZW. Especially a Nex...Pixie dust phone.

 

[Raverrevolution]

How about, do not buy the Pixel entirely and just go with a number of other Android phones that look better, have better specs, and are cheaper. Send a message to Google with your money.

 

[CaptainSS]

Buying a Pixel/Google phone from vzw.....Would be like scoring a date with a topless Christina Hendricks and showing up wearing kitchen mits on both hands. Why would anyone do that?

 

[Beardface]

How about, do not buy the Pixel entirely and just go with a number of other Android phones that look better, have better specs, and are cheaper. Send a message to Google with your money.

Oh good grief....

Love this site... without fail there's always someone trying to crap on a device as soon as its announced.

 

[gadgetrants]

Oh good grief....

Love this site... without fail there's always someone trying to crap on a device as soon as its announced.

I tend to agree. Given pricing strategy on most phones, I'd expect to see a $100+ price drop on both models before the end of the year. Yeah...that's *still* too expensive for the Pixels (and maybe we'll see even more aggressive pricing 2017 Q1) but the point is these are preorder/early adopter prices.

It's a shame that Google set aside the well-regarded Nexus pricing approach and went high, but I'm sure the market will help fix that.

-Matt

 

[Mustang02]

How about, do not buy the Pixel entirely and just go with a number of other Android phones that look better, have better specs, and are cheaper. Send a message to Google with your money.

Don't like it, don't buy it. Others like it and will.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[Jonny Kansas]

Don't like it, don't buy it. Others like it and will.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

Ta-da!

 

[Beardface]

I tend to agree. Given pricing strategy on most phones, I'd expect to see a $100+ price drop on both models before the end of the year. Yeah...that's *still* too expensive for the Pixels (and maybe we'll see even more aggressive pricing 2017 Q1) but the point is these are preorder/early adopter prices.

It's a shame that Google set aside the well-regarded Nexus pricing approach and went high, but I'm sure the market will help fix that.

-Matt

Ok, I'll bite.

Yes, there are cheaper devices with possibly some better specs here and there, but they all sacrifice in some way to get to that price point. Right now, the best device out there that I see outside the Pixel is the 6P. Sure, you can go for the 6P, but the hardware they have on that device is not set up to get the same performance you will get on the Pixel, and Google has already said they won't be bringing a lot of the major features from the Pixel to it. So sure, stick with the 6P, but by doing so you're already sacrificing whatever potential is down the line by doing so in sticking with an already outdated device.

The Pixel is priced to compete and go head to head with the Note 7 and the iPhone7. At this point, I don't care what the specs of the device is, the Note 7 is essentially completely out of the equation because of the well documented issues it has with overheating and igniting. Even if the replacements work, I'm not buying one because my trust in that device is completely and utterly shot. Period.

So its down to the iPhone and the Pixel. Price points between the two are exactly the same for the same size and storage, and neither has an expandable SD slot. The cameras between the two are negligible, as you have pros and cons with each that, at the end of the day you're splitting hairs on which is better. The Pixel has a headphone jack, but I couldn't care less about that. I'm reading complaints about the bezel on the device, but I really don't care about that at all, and if that's your biggest complaint, you're just looking for a reason to be pissed. What sets the two apart for me is the memory. 3GB of RAM for the iPhone, 4GB of RAM for the Pixel, and that alone should help the Pixel be relevant for a longer time because even with updates it shouldn't gut performance. Get me a phone with 128GB of internal memory and 4GB of ram with a blazing fast processor and a camera that is one of the top 2 on the market in a phone right now, and I'll be happy for a long while.

 

[Jonny Kansas]

Ok, I'll bite.

Yes, there are cheaper devices with possibly some better specs here and there, but they all sacrifice in some way to get to that price point. Right now, the best device out there that I see outside the Pixel is the 6P. Sure, you can go for the 6P, but the hardware they have on that device is not set up to get the same performance you will get on the Pixel, and Google has already said they won't be bringing a lot of the major features from the Pixel to it. So sure, stick with the 6P, but by doing so you're already sacrificing whatever potential is down the line by doing so in sticking with an already outdated device.

The Pixel is priced to compete and go head to head with the Note 7 and the iPhone7. At this point, I don't care what the specs of the device is, the Note 7 is essentially completely out of the equation because of the well documented issues it has with overheating and igniting. Even if the replacements work, I'm not buying one because my trust in that device is completely and utterly shot. Period.

So its down to the iPhone and the Pixel. Price points between the two are exactly the same for the same size and storage, and neither has an expandable SD slot. The cameras between the two are negligible, as you have pros and cons with each that, at the end of the day you're splitting hairs on which is better. The Pixel has a headphone jack, but I couldn't care less about that. I'm reading complaints about the bezel on the device, but I really don't care about that at all, and if that's your biggest complaint, you're just looking for a reason to be pissed. What sets the two apart for me is the memory. 3GB of RAM for the iPhone, 4GB of RAM for the Pixel, and that alone should help the Pixel be relevant for a longer time because even with updates it shouldn't gut performance. Get me a phone with 128GB of internal memory and 4GB of ram with a blazing fast processor and a camera that is one of the top 2 on the market in a phone right now, and I'll be happy for a long while.

While I'm in agreement with pretty much everything you said, I feel like I have to point out that you can't directly compare specs like RAM between iPhone & android devices. The OSes alone have different requirements. Android has historically needed more horsepower to be as smooth as iOS is with less.

To me, that choice boils down to where your loyalty lies or what devices your friends & family have if you haven't chosen sides in the OS war. Haha

Great points though.

Sent from my Moto Z

 

[gadgetrants]

Ok, I'll bite.

Yes, there are cheaper devices with possibly some better specs here and there, but they all sacrifice in some way to get to that price point. Right now, the best device out there that I see outside the Pixel is the 6P. Sure, you can go for the 6P, but the hardware they have on that device is not set up to get the same performance you will get on the Pixel, and Google has already said they won't be bringing a lot of the major features from the Pixel to it. So sure, stick with the 6P, but by doing so you're already sacrificing whatever potential is down the line by doing so in sticking with an already outdated device.

The Pixel is priced to compete and go head to head with the Note 7 and the iPhone7. At this point, I don't care what the specs of the device is, the Note 7 is essentially completely out of the equation because of the well documented issues it has with overheating and igniting. Even if the replacements work, I'm not buying one because my trust in that device is completely and utterly shot. Period.

So its down to the iPhone and the Pixel. Price points between the two are exactly the same for the same size and storage, and neither has an expandable SD slot. The cameras between the two are negligible, as you have pros and cons with each that, at the end of the day you're splitting hairs on which is better. The Pixel has a headphone jack, but I couldn't care less about that. I'm reading complaints about the bezel on the device, but I really don't care about that at all, and if that's your biggest complaint, you're just looking for a reason to be pissed. What sets the two apart for me is the memory. 3GB of RAM for the iPhone, 4GB of RAM for the Pixel, and that alone should help the Pixel be relevant for a longer time because even with updates it shouldn't gut performance. Get me a phone with 128GB of internal memory and 4GB of ram with a blazing fast processor and a camera that is one of the top 2 on the market in a phone right now, and I'll be happy for a long while.

Fantastic response, thanks!

Your comment follows on the heels of a text a friend just sent, basically saying that he's headed back to the iPhone after owning the Nexus 6 and 6P. That you're also comparing the two and willing to switch is equally fascinating to me...TBH it never even occurred to me. I guess "phone owners come in all stripes" and I sit in that corner where once you've bought an Android, that's your home turf. (Disclaimer: I might be a little bitter about owners who "threaten" to buy an iPhone every time they're unhappy about Android news/announcements, but that's less common these days since the two platforms are increasingly similar.) Maybe it's time for me to pull my head out of the sand and reassess my unwavering comittment to the Android ecosystem....

-Matt

 

[rampyodm]

I have a reason for buying it on VZW. I'm on an old unlimited plan and still get subsidized phones to keep locked into a contract so that I don't have to pay an additional $20/month for unlimited. I transfer upgrades to my wife's phone, do the upgrade, then put her old phone back on her line. In order to not get the Verizon version of this phone, I will have to upgrade to any phone through Verizon, sell it, then use that money to buy the unlocked Pixel. In the process of selling it I will lose a cut of the money to Paypal/swappa/ebay.

 

[gadgetrants]

Oh...I should probably add...

FWIW I've been eagerly following news of the Pixel since the rumor mill started, and I was in 100%. Built by HTC? Fine. Kinda iPhone clonish? Fine. A big and a small model? Also fine. Great, in fact! I picked up the Nexus 5x -- mainly due to size and price preferences -- and never once did I regret not getting the 6P instead. (OK, that's not true -- every time I hold a 6P I sigh sadly but let's not talk about that.)

I think your (@Beardface's) point was: both Pixels are damn good phones for the price. I absolutely agree. I was all set to jump on the smaller Pixel until I heard rumors of the $650 price....NOT because I think that's an unreasonable price, but because Google had taught me to expect Nexus phones to be easier to buy.

Maybe: the industry has spent the last 3-4 years talking about the commoditization of smart-phones, so it wouldn't surprise me if the product/marketing people at Google basically said, "OK, it's time for us to manufacture some high-end phones and sell them at a price that accurately reflects the quality of the device." If that's the case I can't disagree, but it's still not an easy pill for me to swallow!

-Matt

 

[Beardface]

Fantastic response, thanks!

Your comment follows on the heels of a text a friend just sent, basically saying that he's headed back to the iPhone after owning the Nexus 6 and 6P. That you're also comparing the two and willing to switch is equally fascinating to me...TBH it never even occurred to me. I guess "phone owners come in all stripes" and I sit in that corner where once you've bought an Android, that's your home turf. (Disclaimer: I might be a little bitter about owners who "threaten" to buy an iPhone every time they're unhappy about Android news/announcements, but that's less common these days since the two platforms are increasingly similar.) Maybe it's time for me to pull my head out of the sand and reassess my unwavering comittment to the Android ecosystem....

-Matt

I'm completely open to what I am going to get next. Currently have a Note 4, and for a very long time I have written off getting an iPhone because I had invested too much money into Google Movies and Music, and I figured if I went to Apple, I'd have to sacrifice everything, because it wouldn't port over. Well, my coworker showed me you can get the Google Movies app in the iTunes store, so my biggest worry there was gone, and its a lot easier to securely access my enterprise work functionality on the iPhone than anything else, so I've been leaning that way. But the Pixel, and the integration I can have with Home, VR, the Wifi routers, Chromecast, as well as shortly being able to get Google Fiber, it just seems like a better fit, especially with the introduction of the Assistant. I'm also preparing to dump Verizon (and an outrageous bill they charge me every month) for Project Fi, and even at its most expensive, the Pixel will pay for itself on Fi in about 10 months. For me, it just makes sense.

 

[CaptainSS]

The future of Tech seems to start with the letter "G".... I'd get an iPhone but the monthly support meetings and Homecoming requirements scare me off not to mention the secret handshake.