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.

I like it because it's quick and doesn't have any bloatware.

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.

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.

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 have one with grapheneos for privacy, and it's good.

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.

Using pixel 6 pro. It's fine. I'm happy not to have all the bloated janky apps that come on other phones.

• 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

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.

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.

I use a 5a with GrapheneOS and I'm very happy with it

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

Loved my Pixel 5, but they've gotten too big from there.

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 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'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...

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.

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'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.

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.

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.

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.

My recent upgrade path was Pixel 2 -> OnePlus 7 Pro -> Pixel 7. Previously I used Nexus phones as well.

All of Google's phones seem to have at least one glaring issue. In the case of the Pixel 2, it was the skimpy RAM and low max brightness.

With the Pixel 7, it's the crappy fingerprint scanner, poor GPU/CPU performance, and surprisingly, the UI. I used to favor Google phones specifically because they had clean UIs with no bullshit, but holy moly, Google went off the deep end with Android 13. The wasted space everywhere is absurd. You can't even read text in the quick settings because they have such enormous empty borders on all sides. They literally use marquee scrolling, like it's a 1990s GeoCities page. I had to change my screen DIP settings in developer options to make it tolerable.

The nav bar is stupidly large. Even the gesture bar is stupidly large, sitting permanently at the bottom of my screen while doing absolutely nothing.

The performance is noticeably worse than my last phone. I was not expecting a speed demon, but I was certainly expecting an upgrade over a 3-year-old phone. Gaming performance is bad, and made even worse by the fact that Google only allows 90fps on specific hard-coded games, with no way for the user to override it. Games that run smoothly at 90fps on my old OnePlus 7 Pro stutter at 60fps on the Pixel 7.

Aside from that, it's a great phone. Battery life is fine. Screen brightness is good. GPS and 5G performance is good. I can still recommend it as a phone for casual use — you can't beat the price for what you get. But it's definitely not a phone for power users.

My next phone will likely not be a Pixel. It's been a while, so I might give Samsung another shot next time. If I catch a good sale on an S23 Ultra I might even upgrade this year.

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.

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.

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.

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

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 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'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 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.

Great idea, meh execution