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The Google Pixel 6a highlights the problem with the U.S. phone market

encryptluks2 4y ago
I've been on the fence since release about whether I should get the Pixel. I'd much rather get it from a seller other than Google though, because in the past I've had terrible experience with Google customer service. Unfortunately, most deals that I've seen are exclusive to Google. Right now you can get the Pixel 6a for $349 from Fi, but it is $399 on Amazon. Fi also appears to have a better "insurance" option that covers theft and loss, and my experience with Amazon is that their warranties do not cover theft or loss. The other issue is that the unlocked version from what I recall only supports Sub-6 5G. I'm not sure if Fi carriers even support mmWave. I believe Verizon is the only carrier to do so at the moment, however for my first 5G phone I really want to experience a significant benefit. I'm not sure if Sub-6 5G will provide the experience I'm looking for.
- nyc640 4y ago
  FWIW, when I last bought a Pixel phone through Fi (first gen Pixel), you got support through Fi for your device and not through the Google store. Fi’s support at the time was much better and they replaced my phone without much trouble when I had an issue with it, whereas every experience with the Google store I’ve had has been terrible. Hopefully things haven’t changed much for the worse since then.
- doublepg23 4y ago
  Unless you’re going to a lot of highly crowed but localized places I don’t think you’ll see the benefits of mmWave beyond showing off to friends at a special street corner.
- rrrrrrrrrrrryan 4y ago
  Fi is definitely the way to go if you're buying a Pixel. But you should know that 5G only really shines in really crowded places like sports stadiums and music festivals. The other noticable difference is the faster battery drain; I disabled 5G entirely on my Pixel 6.
- tomohawk 4y ago
  T-Mobile has band 71 (600MHz), and is using 1/2 of it for 5G. Band 71 is excellent for areas where range and obstruction penetration are important. If you buy a phone, first make sure you know what bands it supports, as the 5G bands are all over the place, and the millimeter bands only do well line of site with no obstructions.
Multicomp 4y ago
Well TFA ignored that few to none of the phones on this list that are better than the Pixel 6a include a 3.5mm headphone jack. That's what's wrong with the US phone market. No headphone jack. WHY? Over 100 years and dropped for what? No reason, just handwaves about design and 'waterproofing' that are easily debunked by the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active from 2014. Pardon me while I go throw away my custom in-ear headphones I've had for over a decade, or my Ear Hero receiver-in-canal headphones that leave my ears open without pinching my glasses against my head like bone conduction headphones do. Where was I? oh yeah, phones getting designed to death. No removable batteries. So glad Europe did that rule, soon we shall have something again, I am very pleased with that development, I'm happy to say. I will grant the rant about the carriers - it's true. What physical keyboard? What pogo pins? What microSD card? What IR blaster? Nonono we don't need all that, we just need a SLIMMER DEVICE (that you can stick in a huge case)....we just need a new instagram tiktok eating device! Arg.
- epa 4y ago
  Move on, wireless is better. They have usb-c adapters as well.
  - justin_oaks 4y ago
    But then you can't charge with the USB-C port and listen to headphones at the same time.
    - nl 4y ago
      This is such a weird complaint. Firstly, yes, you can can get USB-C to headphone adaptors that allow charging[1] Secondly, the scenarios where this is an issue are combinations of edge cases. You have to choose not to use wireless headphones, not have a wireless charger AND for some reason be unable to spare the 30 minutes to do a rapid boost charge. If that's really a problem then by all means get the charger that allows both. [1] eg, first result: https://www.amazon.com.au/UGREEN-Headphone-Adapter-Charging-Compatible/dp/B08519D4R4 https://www.amazon.com.au/UGREEN-Headphone-Adapter-Charging-...
gruez 4y ago
Off topic, but this part reminded me of something. >They offer financing, carrier-specific features like Wi-Fi calling and VoLTE, and even phone-specific features at times if you buy the phone through their stores. What's going to happen when carriers shut down their 3g networks by the end of 2022[1]? VoLTE is mandatory if you want voice on 4g. If you don't have it, your phone drops down to 3g when on a call. Obviously that won't work if carriers shut down 2g/3g service. [1] https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/plan-ahead-phase-out-3g-cellular-networks-and-service https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/plan-ahead-phase-out-3g...
- tomohawk 4y ago
  On ATT, they only allow use of volte for phones on a special list, regardless of the phone's actual capabilities. When they turned off their 3G, I had to get a new phone to replace my newish 4G phone that works fine on volte on any other carrier (it actually worked fine on ATT for a bit until they caught on that the phone was not on their special list). I have to stay with ATT though, because they are the only ones who provide coverage in this one area where coverage is critical for me. I tried an mvno on ATTs network, but ATT gives all of them 2nd or 3rd tier service.
- ToniCipriani 4y ago
  The real problem is, these features have been supported by old phones, they're part of wireless standards. Just that the carriers are creating artificial problems for you to switch phones and extend your contracts. My BlackBerry Priv sold directly by BlackBerry Canada has perfectly functional VoLTE when it is travelling, even with a prepaid SIM in Asia. Yet no carrier here will enable it, just because it wasn't sold by them.
thefourthchime 4y ago
I think he meant to say US android market. Apple and iPhones aren't mentioned once.
sys_64738 4y ago
Whenever I try to use an Android phone I always go scurrying back to the iPhone 6S I have. It's just too complex and confusing to use IMO.
makeitdouble 4y ago
> The Google Pixel 6a is good, it takes great photos, and it has great software. Nevertheless, that doesn’t change the fact that it’s missing quite a bit of what other people are looking for. Most people don’t care if their phone has the best camera in whatever class their phone is in, they just want a phone that takes good photos for social media. So it takes great photos and has great software, but misses what users really want, which is taking photos and using the software? The actual point of the article seems to be on phone carriers, which are a big problem, but every country that successfully dealt with that stared with setting up strong corporate oversight. I'm not sure the US is there yet.
- GekkePrutser 4y ago
  It's got a really meh display though. All other midrange phones do 90 or 120hz. Like the $300 Samsung A52s. I've been looking at the pixel 6a for Calyx but it's really not a good deal for me.
  - aaaaaaaaata 4y ago
    What's wrong with a 3a/3aXL?
    - x0x0 4y ago
      The OS is dead. No more security updates (now for the 3a; soon I think (if not already) for the 3axl).
  - makeitdouble 4y ago
    In the current ecosystem, if you're in the market for an android and are fine with Samsung's software, I'm not sure there is much reason for not buying a Samsung phone. They are hard to beat on the hardware front, and will have a model at almost every size and price point. The only market they don't seem to be covering is hardcore gaming phones. I'd choose a Pixel phone to have the software fully managed by Google (the camera being tuned to be neutral is part of the package), but I definitely don't see them (or any other maker) as a "good deal"
chx 4y ago
You know, while phones marginally get better with each generation with a heavy emphasis on marginally, overall the progress is questionable. I am so old I remember when it was laudable a new phone was lighter. Let's look at the Pixel 2: 145.7 x 69.7 x 7.8 mm, 143g, released in 2017. Let's take a look at phones released since 2018 which have a full HD screen, are less than 145g -- it seems like a reasonable way to say "small phone": https://www.gsmarena.com/results.php3?nYearMin=2018&nWeightMax=145&nDisplayResMin=2073600 https://www.gsmarena.com/results.php3?nYearMin=2018&nWeightM... this is it. These 14 are your entire selection over four years. If you restrict this to 2021 or later, the selection drops to a grand total of two: https://www.gsmarena.com/results.php3?nYearMin=2021&nWeightMax=145&nDisplayResMin=2073600 https://www.gsmarena.com/results.php3?nYearMin=2021&nWeightM... The Carbon 1 MK II is circumventing my "small phone" search by using a larger carbon fiber body. The iPhone Mini is about to be discontinued if rumors are to be believed. https://9to5mac.com/2022/08/02/iphone-mini-going-away-upgrade-your-phone/ https://9to5mac.com/2022/08/02/iphone-mini-going-away-upgrad...
- gruez 4y ago
  >are less than 145g -- it seems like a reasonable way to say "small phone": That's a bad criteria. It excludes the recent zenfone 9 (and its predecessor zenfone 8) which is around the same size as the pixel 2. The xiaomi 12x also fits the bill if you don't mind the 7mm of additional height. https://www.phonearena.com/phones/size/Asus-Zenfone-9,Google-Pixel-2,Xiaomi-12X/phones/11980,10584,11889 https://www.phonearena.com/phones/size/Asus-Zenfone-9,Google...
  - WillPostForFood 4y ago
    Zenphone 9 is 169g - weight is a good criteria if you value a light phone.
    - Beltalowda 4y ago
      It depends on what exactly you're looking for with "small phone"; I don't really care about a few dozen grams more or less, I just want something I can comfortably use it with one hand. There are basically zero serious devices that allow this AFAIK, except a few Android Go things that are very slow and have a support cycle of about 3 days.
exabrial 4y ago
Pixel went downhill after they started copying Apple… amazingly they managed to just latch onto the bad things like non expandable storage, non removable batteries, removing headphone jack, dropping a fingerprint reader (a right before mask mandates became a thing) and adding ‘wiz bang’ features that are completely useless like a radar chip… sorta aiken to the uselessness of 3D Touch. The original incarnation of the pixel was incredible: It bucked all of the stupidity and was a game changing device. Nowadays pixel is just a yawn inducing device series that is attempting to be as cool as possible by being tone deaf to the desires of consumer; a goal at which they are excelling at.
- FearlessNebula 4y ago
  Is Pixel any more yawn worthy than the other Android competitors (not including actual innovative stuff such as folding phones). Pixel’s edge is the fact that it’s a relatively stock Android ROM, at least compared to the likes of Samsung. It’s really the only choice if you want a relatively stock ROM, good update support, and you don’t want a Chinese phone.
  - rozab 4y ago
    Motorola devices fill that niche.. and on their mid-tier offerings at least, you can keep your headphone jack and SD card.
- nicce 4y ago
  Well, all the things you presented, were natural way to make more money for the company. This is how it goes with public companies. People don’t buy new phones if you make too good one with replaceable battery and expandable storage. Phone is also cheaper to manufacturw when removing parts but not adding anything special.
- k8sToGo 4y ago
  For some reason Google still doesn't manage to sell in many countries.
51Cards 4y ago
Give me a headphone jack, give me a "small phone" (6a is my absolute size limit... I carry a Pixel 5 now purposely because of its size... I'd gladly go smaller), give me raw Android, decent photo abilities, and an all day battery (actually using the phone). I've even given up on caring about SD cards because of 128gb phones being available but it would be nice... as would a replacable battery. I don't care about rounded corners, super thin, super light, top/bottom bezels, hidden fingerprint sensors, etc etc etc. To the headphone jack argument... started flying for work again this year and had my BT headphones go dead halfway through a flight. Options..? Stare out the window. I will continue to be a strong advocate for that missing item.
- aaaaaaaaata 4y ago
  You want a Pixel 3, or 3a.
  - LegitShady 4y ago
    those phones are end of life for updates already, including security updates. you don't want those if you want to be secure.
    - aaaaaaaaata 4y ago
      Didn't realize that'd come already =[ Thanks.
- jfengel 4y ago
  I really liked the USB C headphones that came with the Pixel 3. I bought several more. They cost more than the cheap headphone jack ones I usually use ($30 vs $10), but they don't run out of power. And they are pretty tangle resistant. Though I am happy now with my 5a and its brief return to headphone jack.
  - 51Cards 4y ago
    I may hunt down a pair of these, thanks!
enlightenedfool 4y ago
You can get the 2 year old S20+ on ebay for the same price, and P6a is no match for it. 120Hz, 12GB, sd card... P6a should have been a <$300 phone.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- Chilko 4y ago
  I mean this has always been the case - you're gonna get more bang for buck if you buy a second-hand last generation high-end product than a new mid range product. What you trade is warranty, support, and the risk of unknown issues due to the previous owner. I'm happy with that risk so I often buy used electronics, but I can understand why other don't.
  - enlightenedfool 4y ago
    You'll get a brand new sealed S20+, for the same price
jacooper 4y ago
Personally I find almost all new phones to be lackluster. They are all almost the same, I'm not interested in finicky foldable that will break, because I have seen how finicky thr Zflip is, and the Fold is stupidly expensive, and I dont use my Phone for anything productive anyway, that's what a computer is for. After switching to a Pixel 4 XL, I can't literally switch back, because I use CalyxOS, and may switch to GrapheneOS. However other than the OS choice, the Camera still takes better photos than new Samsung phones, the OS is so much better than anything Samsung or all the Chinese iOS clones will design in the next 100 years. The updates are fast, the battery life is good, and the design is good too, what is annoying though is absolutely the crappy screen, the green shade on lower brightness is annoying, but other than that, no reason to upgrade. I will probably upgrade around the time security updates stop, oh did I mention how good Pixel software support is?
schwartzworld 4y ago
I had a pixel 4 and the heat issues killed the phone. I run a lot, and on 90 degree days listening to music and having a running tracker open made the phone get quite hot. The poor thing died after less than 3 years. Too bad, because it was a great phone otherwise.
rr808 4y ago
I dont understand the rant about US phone market, there are dozens of unlocked phones you can buy and lots of cell phone plans for $10-$30/mo. You dont need a AT&T subsidized phone.
- xxpor 4y ago
  On ATT they won't let you use an unlocked phone with VoLTE, and so with the 3g shutdown, that means no calling.
  - rr808 4y ago
    OK use one of the other 100 carriers which will let you.
    - xxpor 4y ago
      Unfortunately they won the FirstNet contract.
  - zinekeller 4y ago
    Yeah, their bull**** "certification" program that only allows carrier-sold phones and not unlocked ones are frustrating, especially that in Europe as long as your phone is compatible with VoLTE (and VoWiFi and VoNR) it'll simply work.
    - sgc 4y ago
      Frankly, and I know this might be an unpopular opinion, it should be illegal. Communications are extremely important building blocks of our society, and people should not be forced into acquiring their devices from their service provider. Any device that is technologically compatible should be allowed, and the carrier should be forced to support open standards to guarantee interoperability. It's the equivalent of a toll road only allowing cars they sold onto it.
      - zinekeller 4y ago
rr808 4y ago
I do have a problem with Android security updates. I have a 6 year old Oneplus which works great except software isn't supported. My employer says the only phones that are acceptable patch policy is iPhone and Google Pixel, even Samsung/Sony/Motorola aren't good enough. Ouch.
- noisem4ker 4y ago
  Samsung actually has a better update policy than Google (at least for their non-trash-tier phones): 4 upgrades, 5 years of patches vs. 3 years of both. https://www.androidauthority.com/phone-update-policies-1658633/ https://www.androidauthority.com/phone-update-policies-16586... They're probably not as fast as Google at releasing security updates, though.
Veuxdo 4y ago
We don't have a phone market, we have an Instagram camera market.
- fomine3 4y ago
  yeah, who don't much care camera like me is now very niche.
  - whatarethembits 4y ago
    Well tbh a vast swathe of Chinese phone brands serves this niche, their cameras are (relatively) terrible in all aspects except on paper.
Kon-Peki 4y ago
I see things quite differently, perhaps because I worked at Motorola in the early 2000s when the same thing happened to feature phones. “It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.“ The American market for a lot of things is extremely lucrative on a per-capita basis. So you go and base your business on serving it. And then a growth industry turns into a mature industry, and all your fat margins disappear. The American smartphone market is mature. The American smartphone market is becoming boring. The number of people getting a new phone every year (or two or three) is rapidly declining. For a growing number of Americans, all phones are good enough. Fixing the “problem” of the carriers in the US isn’t going to move the needle: If you get paid by getting a lot of American clicks on breathless articles about new phone features or new phone software, your revenue is in an irreversible decline. Americans largely don’t care! Pivot or die
selimthegrim 4y ago
Maybe this will be the year Sony finally gets its mobile act together - and maybe pigs will fly for good measure
unholiness 4y ago
Worth noting the vendor lock-in offers are quite significant. My wife and I both had Pixel 3as on Google Fi, both got offers of $300 to trade them in to buy a Pixel 6a. The obviously gimmicky trade in price was only for buying a 6a specifically (buy another phone and the trade in drops to $30) Gimmicky but worth it, $150 each to get brand new phones that check all the boxes.
icecap12 4y ago
5 years of software updates - that's a lol. My wife has had 3 different generations of Pixel phones fail (hardware failure, not dropped or broken by the user). She keeps going back to them though because the camera smokes the competition (according to her).
chaosbutters314 4y ago
still enjoying my pixel 3a xl. no stupid punch hole or notch. apple and Google designers must be blind or stupid, can't decide which.
shmerl 4y ago
> In Europe, if you buy an international phone, chances are that phone will just work across the litany of carriers across the continent. That’s not quite the case in the U.S., as fewer international devices support the necessary bands. Can't modern modems simply support all bands? How hard is that?
- hocuspocus 4y ago
  Afaik modems do, it's the radio frontend that differs between continents. These differences are pretty slim nowadays and open market European phones will work in the US and vice versa. However the performance might be slightly degraded because some bands were prioritized over others that are supported for roaming. Also some combinations of bands for carrier aggregation might not work as well. And then you have OEMs (like Google!) who think it's smart not to enable 5G just everywhere but only for selected carriers, and you'll sometimes need a firmware update before you can utilize your phone fully. One big difference might be the mmWave support which is pushed by some US carriers and that'd be completely lacking otherwise (no antenna).
- thequux 4y ago
  The modem supports it just fine, but the carriers all block phones that aren't on their "approved" list (i.e., phones that they sell). I took a trip to the US earlier this year with my European Motorola G9 Plus. My Belgian sim roamed onto T-Mobile's network just fine but charged €13/MB; a T-Mobile SIM next to it worked fine for about 2 hours and then refused to connect ever again. This resulted in a delightful conversation with a support agent who told me without any sense of confusion that my phone physically did not have the hardware necessary to connect to T-Mobile's network while looking at my screen which read "Mobile Vikings - Roaming (T-Mobile)". AT&T wouldn't connect either; I ended up just going without for two weeks.
utopcell 4y ago
From the article: > For example, the Google Pixel 5 had the Snapdragon 765G and the Pixel 6 series has Tensor with all of its inefficiencies. The author lost me right there. They are either unable to understand the difference between a midrange snapdragon and a state-of-the-art custom chip with 5 year support, or they are playing out a narrative that supports their argument.
- hocuspocus 4y ago
  The Tensor might be state-of-the-art on paper, it's still pretty average in practice. And the network performance in the Pixel 6/6 Pro is awful according to a lot of people, I'm not sure if it's the Samsung modem or the radio frontend, but it's not really acceptable when mid and high-end phones get put to shame by $300 phones with midrange Snapdragon in cell reception and speeds. The 5-year support is nice but I want to say... Finally? It's good that Samsung is making the effort and that the Pixel line benefits from it, but if Google was serious about this issue, it'd also strongarm Qualcomm and other SoC makers into mandatory 5-year kernel patches.
  - utopcell 4y ago
    > The Tensor [..] it's still pretty average in practice. Benchmarks place the Tensor chip at 1.6X to 3X compared to the 765G [1]. Again, my point is, if someone is willing to "bend the truth" to support their narrative, then they have already lost the reader's trust. What value can one possibly place to any subsequent claims they make ? [1] https://www.cpu-monkey.com/en/compare_cpu-google_tensor-vs-qualcomm_snapdragon_765g https://www.cpu-monkey.com/en/compare_cpu-google_tensor-vs-q...
    - hocuspocus 4y ago
      I don't see the issue with the article's statement really. > However, time and time again, particularly with its flagships, there has been some kind of compromise. The Snapdragon 765G in the Pixel 5 is a compromise (if you paid the sticker price, otherwise it wasn't an unreasonable choice). The Tensor is also a compromise. Good SoC on paper, but not so true in practice: it isn't competitive against the Snapdragon 888, and it offers terrible network connectivity, which a complete showstopper for a lot of people.
throwaway787544 4y ago
Off topic, but I noticed today that all the major US carriers now charge a premium for their SIM cards. They all want me to pay $10 just to walk out of their store with a SIM and no plan. AT&T was nice enough to discount it with an in-store coupon. But MVNOs don't seem to do this; their sims are $1 or free.
wiseowise 4y ago
> mid-range flagship Oxymoron.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
Diapason 4y ago
How can you write an article on US phone market without explaining the GSM vs CDMA issue?
- ThePowerOfFuet 4y ago
  CDMA is dead. Move on.
MomoXenosaga 4y ago
Don't overestimate the importance of North American market. Chinese OEMs don't need it and nobody wants to end up like Huawei.
infinitezest 4y ago
The solutions everyone is putting forward in this thread essentially boil down to "stop complaining that your stuff has been designed to stop working and buy more stuff". That doesnt seem... suboptimal to y'all?
BXLE_1-1-BitIs1 4y ago
I'm about to retire one Nexus 5 from phone duty (the other I'm using as a dashcam) only because I'll need to have VOLTE when visiting the US from Canada. Carriers offer "deals" on new phones, like the Pixel 6a. For $10 a month over 2 years, BUT you have to sign up for a more expensive plan for more gigabytes than most people need - an extra $22.50 a month making the real price of the phone $780. Having had to replace screens from time to time, replacement screens for the newest Pixels are in the $200 range. Pixel 4a's can be found in the $200-300 range and the replacement screens are reasonably priced. The mid range OnePlus phones have a number of disgruntled reviews - a shame because OP offers reasonably priced parts directly. Too bad Fairphone is unavailable in North America.
cudgy 4y ago
This web page highlights the problem with modern web sites. Tried to read this article, but the absolute predominance of ads and the screen constantly shifting caused me to give up. How has this sort of web page become remotely acceptable to readers?

I've been on the fence since release about whether I should get the Pixel. I'd much rather get it from a seller other than Google though, because in the past I've had terrible experience with Google customer service. Unfortunately, most deals that I've seen are exclusive to Google. Right now you can get the Pixel 6a for $349 from Fi, but it is $399 on Amazon. Fi also appears to have a better "insurance" option that covers theft and loss, and my experience with Amazon is that their warranties do not cover theft or loss. The other issue is that the unlocked version from what I recall only supports Sub-6 5G. I'm not sure if Fi carriers even support mmWave. I believe Verizon is the only carrier to do so at the moment, however for my first 5G phone I really want to experience a significant benefit. I'm not sure if Sub-6 5G will provide the experience I'm looking for.

nyc640 4y ago
FWIW, when I last bought a Pixel phone through Fi (first gen Pixel), you got support through Fi for your device and not through the Google store. Fi’s support at the time was much better and they replaced my phone without much trouble when I had an issue with it, whereas every experience with the Google store I’ve had has been terrible. Hopefully things haven’t changed much for the worse since then.
doublepg23 4y ago
Unless you’re going to a lot of highly crowed but localized places I don’t think you’ll see the benefits of mmWave beyond showing off to friends at a special street corner.
rrrrrrrrrrrryan 4y ago
Fi is definitely the way to go if you're buying a Pixel. But you should know that 5G only really shines in really crowded places like sports stadiums and music festivals. The other noticable difference is the faster battery drain; I disabled 5G entirely on my Pixel 6.
tomohawk 4y ago
T-Mobile has band 71 (600MHz), and is using 1/2 of it for 5G. Band 71 is excellent for areas where range and obstruction penetration are important. If you buy a phone, first make sure you know what bands it supports, as the 5G bands are all over the place, and the millimeter bands only do well line of site with no obstructions.

Multicomp 4y ago

Well TFA ignored that few to none of the phones on this list that are better than the Pixel 6a include a 3.5mm headphone jack. That's what's wrong with the US phone market. No headphone jack. WHY? Over 100 years and dropped for what? No reason, just handwaves about design and 'waterproofing' that are easily debunked by the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active from 2014. Pardon me while I go throw away my custom in-ear headphones I've had for over a decade, or my Ear Hero receiver-in-canal headphones that leave my ears open without pinching my glasses against my head like bone conduction headphones do. Where was I? oh yeah, phones getting designed to death. No removable batteries. So glad Europe did that rule, soon we shall have something again, I am very pleased with that development, I'm happy to say. I will grant the rant about the carriers - it's true. What physical keyboard? What pogo pins? What microSD card? What IR blaster? Nonono we don't need all that, we just need a SLIMMER DEVICE (that you can stick in a huge case)....we just need a new instagram tiktok eating device! Arg.

epa 4y ago
Move on, wireless is better. They have usb-c adapters as well.
- justin_oaks 4y ago
  But then you can't charge with the USB-C port and listen to headphones at the same time.
  - nl 4y ago
    This is such a weird complaint. Firstly, yes, you can can get USB-C to headphone adaptors that allow charging[1] Secondly, the scenarios where this is an issue are combinations of edge cases. You have to choose not to use wireless headphones, not have a wireless charger AND for some reason be unable to spare the 30 minutes to do a rapid boost charge. If that's really a problem then by all means get the charger that allows both. [1] eg, first result: https://www.amazon.com.au/UGREEN-Headphone-Adapter-Charging-Compatible/dp/B08519D4R4 https://www.amazon.com.au/UGREEN-Headphone-Adapter-Charging-...

gruez 4y ago

Off topic, but this part reminded me of something. >They offer financing, carrier-specific features like Wi-Fi calling and VoLTE, and even phone-specific features at times if you buy the phone through their stores. What's going to happen when carriers shut down their 3g networks by the end of 2022[1]? VoLTE is mandatory if you want voice on 4g. If you don't have it, your phone drops down to 3g when on a call. Obviously that won't work if carriers shut down 2g/3g service. [1] https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/plan-ahead-phase-out-3g-cellular-networks-and-service https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/plan-ahead-phase-out-3g...

tomohawk 4y ago
On ATT, they only allow use of volte for phones on a special list, regardless of the phone's actual capabilities. When they turned off their 3G, I had to get a new phone to replace my newish 4G phone that works fine on volte on any other carrier (it actually worked fine on ATT for a bit until they caught on that the phone was not on their special list). I have to stay with ATT though, because they are the only ones who provide coverage in this one area where coverage is critical for me. I tried an mvno on ATTs network, but ATT gives all of them 2nd or 3rd tier service.
ToniCipriani 4y ago
The real problem is, these features have been supported by old phones, they're part of wireless standards. Just that the carriers are creating artificial problems for you to switch phones and extend your contracts. My BlackBerry Priv sold directly by BlackBerry Canada has perfectly functional VoLTE when it is travelling, even with a prepaid SIM in Asia. Yet no carrier here will enable it, just because it wasn't sold by them.

thefourthchime 4y ago

I think he meant to say US android market. Apple and iPhones aren't mentioned once.

sys_64738 4y ago

Whenever I try to use an Android phone I always go scurrying back to the iPhone 6S I have. It's just too complex and confusing to use IMO.

makeitdouble 4y ago

> The Google Pixel 6a is good, it takes great photos, and it has great software. Nevertheless, that doesn’t change the fact that it’s missing quite a bit of what other people are looking for. Most people don’t care if their phone has the best camera in whatever class their phone is in, they just want a phone that takes good photos for social media. So it takes great photos and has great software, but misses what users really want, which is taking photos and using the software? The actual point of the article seems to be on phone carriers, which are a big problem, but every country that successfully dealt with that stared with setting up strong corporate oversight. I'm not sure the US is there yet.

GekkePrutser 4y ago
It's got a really meh display though. All other midrange phones do 90 or 120hz. Like the $300 Samsung A52s. I've been looking at the pixel 6a for Calyx but it's really not a good deal for me.
- aaaaaaaaata 4y ago
  What's wrong with a 3a/3aXL?
  - x0x0 4y ago
    The OS is dead. No more security updates (now for the 3a; soon I think (if not already) for the 3axl).
- makeitdouble 4y ago
  In the current ecosystem, if you're in the market for an android and are fine with Samsung's software, I'm not sure there is much reason for not buying a Samsung phone. They are hard to beat on the hardware front, and will have a model at almost every size and price point. The only market they don't seem to be covering is hardcore gaming phones. I'd choose a Pixel phone to have the software fully managed by Google (the camera being tuned to be neutral is part of the package), but I definitely don't see them (or any other maker) as a "good deal"

chx 4y ago

You know, while phones marginally get better with each generation with a heavy emphasis on marginally, overall the progress is questionable. I am so old I remember when it was laudable a new phone was lighter. Let's look at the Pixel 2: 145.7 x 69.7 x 7.8 mm, 143g, released in 2017. Let's take a look at phones released since 2018 which have a full HD screen, are less than 145g -- it seems like a reasonable way to say "small phone": https://www.gsmarena.com/results.php3?nYearMin=2018&nWeightMax=145&nDisplayResMin=2073600 https://www.gsmarena.com/results.php3?nYearMin=2018&nWeightM... this is it. These 14 are your entire selection over four years. If you restrict this to 2021 or later, the selection drops to a grand total of two: https://www.gsmarena.com/results.php3?nYearMin=2021&nWeightMax=145&nDisplayResMin=2073600 https://www.gsmarena.com/results.php3?nYearMin=2021&nWeightM... The Carbon 1 MK II is circumventing my "small phone" search by using a larger carbon fiber body. The iPhone Mini is about to be discontinued if rumors are to be believed. https://9to5mac.com/2022/08/02/iphone-mini-going-away-upgrade-your-phone/ https://9to5mac.com/2022/08/02/iphone-mini-going-away-upgrad...

gruez 4y ago
>are less than 145g -- it seems like a reasonable way to say "small phone": That's a bad criteria. It excludes the recent zenfone 9 (and its predecessor zenfone 8) which is around the same size as the pixel 2. The xiaomi 12x also fits the bill if you don't mind the 7mm of additional height. https://www.phonearena.com/phones/size/Asus-Zenfone-9,Google-Pixel-2,Xiaomi-12X/phones/11980,10584,11889 https://www.phonearena.com/phones/size/Asus-Zenfone-9,Google...
- WillPostForFood 4y ago
  Zenphone 9 is 169g - weight is a good criteria if you value a light phone.
  - Beltalowda 4y ago
    It depends on what exactly you're looking for with "small phone"; I don't really care about a few dozen grams more or less, I just want something I can comfortably use it with one hand. There are basically zero serious devices that allow this AFAIK, except a few Android Go things that are very slow and have a support cycle of about 3 days.

exabrial 4y ago

Pixel went downhill after they started copying Apple… amazingly they managed to just latch onto the bad things like non expandable storage, non removable batteries, removing headphone jack, dropping a fingerprint reader (a right before mask mandates became a thing) and adding ‘wiz bang’ features that are completely useless like a radar chip… sorta aiken to the uselessness of 3D Touch. The original incarnation of the pixel was incredible: It bucked all of the stupidity and was a game changing device. Nowadays pixel is just a yawn inducing device series that is attempting to be as cool as possible by being tone deaf to the desires of consumer; a goal at which they are excelling at.

FearlessNebula 4y ago
Is Pixel any more yawn worthy than the other Android competitors (not including actual innovative stuff such as folding phones). Pixel’s edge is the fact that it’s a relatively stock Android ROM, at least compared to the likes of Samsung. It’s really the only choice if you want a relatively stock ROM, good update support, and you don’t want a Chinese phone.
- rozab 4y ago
  Motorola devices fill that niche.. and on their mid-tier offerings at least, you can keep your headphone jack and SD card.
nicce 4y ago
Well, all the things you presented, were natural way to make more money for the company. This is how it goes with public companies. People don’t buy new phones if you make too good one with replaceable battery and expandable storage. Phone is also cheaper to manufacturw when removing parts but not adding anything special.
k8sToGo 4y ago
For some reason Google still doesn't manage to sell in many countries.

51Cards 4y ago

Give me a headphone jack, give me a "small phone" (6a is my absolute size limit... I carry a Pixel 5 now purposely because of its size... I'd gladly go smaller), give me raw Android, decent photo abilities, and an all day battery (actually using the phone). I've even given up on caring about SD cards because of 128gb phones being available but it would be nice... as would a replacable battery. I don't care about rounded corners, super thin, super light, top/bottom bezels, hidden fingerprint sensors, etc etc etc. To the headphone jack argument... started flying for work again this year and had my BT headphones go dead halfway through a flight. Options..? Stare out the window. I will continue to be a strong advocate for that missing item.

aaaaaaaaata 4y ago
You want a Pixel 3, or 3a.
- LegitShady 4y ago
  those phones are end of life for updates already, including security updates. you don't want those if you want to be secure.
  - aaaaaaaaata 4y ago
    Didn't realize that'd come already =[ Thanks.
jfengel 4y ago
I really liked the USB C headphones that came with the Pixel 3. I bought several more. They cost more than the cheap headphone jack ones I usually use ($30 vs $10), but they don't run out of power. And they are pretty tangle resistant. Though I am happy now with my 5a and its brief return to headphone jack.
- 51Cards 4y ago
  I may hunt down a pair of these, thanks!

enlightenedfool 4y ago

You can get the 2 year old S20+ on ebay for the same price, and P6a is no match for it. 120Hz, 12GB, sd card... P6a should have been a <$300 phone.

deleted 4y ago
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Chilko 4y ago
I mean this has always been the case - you're gonna get more bang for buck if you buy a second-hand last generation high-end product than a new mid range product. What you trade is warranty, support, and the risk of unknown issues due to the previous owner. I'm happy with that risk so I often buy used electronics, but I can understand why other don't.
- enlightenedfool 4y ago
  You'll get a brand new sealed S20+, for the same price

jacooper 4y ago

Personally I find almost all new phones to be lackluster. They are all almost the same, I'm not interested in finicky foldable that will break, because I have seen how finicky thr Zflip is, and the Fold is stupidly expensive, and I dont use my Phone for anything productive anyway, that's what a computer is for. After switching to a Pixel 4 XL, I can't literally switch back, because I use CalyxOS, and may switch to GrapheneOS. However other than the OS choice, the Camera still takes better photos than new Samsung phones, the OS is so much better than anything Samsung or all the Chinese iOS clones will design in the next 100 years. The updates are fast, the battery life is good, and the design is good too, what is annoying though is absolutely the crappy screen, the green shade on lower brightness is annoying, but other than that, no reason to upgrade. I will probably upgrade around the time security updates stop, oh did I mention how good Pixel software support is?

schwartzworld 4y ago

I had a pixel 4 and the heat issues killed the phone. I run a lot, and on 90 degree days listening to music and having a running tracker open made the phone get quite hot. The poor thing died after less than 3 years. Too bad, because it was a great phone otherwise.

rr808 4y ago

I dont understand the rant about US phone market, there are dozens of unlocked phones you can buy and lots of cell phone plans for $10-$30/mo. You dont need a AT&T subsidized phone.

xxpor 4y ago
On ATT they won't let you use an unlocked phone with VoLTE, and so with the 3g shutdown, that means no calling.
- rr808 4y ago
  OK use one of the other 100 carriers which will let you.
  - xxpor 4y ago
    Unfortunately they won the FirstNet contract.
- zinekeller 4y ago
  Yeah, their bull**** "certification" program that only allows carrier-sold phones and not unlocked ones are frustrating, especially that in Europe as long as your phone is compatible with VoLTE (and VoWiFi and VoNR) it'll simply work.
  - sgc 4y ago
    Frankly, and I know this might be an unpopular opinion, it should be illegal. Communications are extremely important building blocks of our society, and people should not be forced into acquiring their devices from their service provider. Any device that is technologically compatible should be allowed, and the carrier should be forced to support open standards to guarantee interoperability. It's the equivalent of a toll road only allowing cars they sold onto it.
    - zinekeller 4y ago

rr808 4y ago

I do have a problem with Android security updates. I have a 6 year old Oneplus which works great except software isn't supported. My employer says the only phones that are acceptable patch policy is iPhone and Google Pixel, even Samsung/Sony/Motorola aren't good enough. Ouch.

noisem4ker 4y ago
Samsung actually has a better update policy than Google (at least for their non-trash-tier phones): 4 upgrades, 5 years of patches vs. 3 years of both. https://www.androidauthority.com/phone-update-policies-1658633/ https://www.androidauthority.com/phone-update-policies-16586... They're probably not as fast as Google at releasing security updates, though.

Veuxdo 4y ago

We don't have a phone market, we have an Instagram camera market.

fomine3 4y ago
yeah, who don't much care camera like me is now very niche.
- whatarethembits 4y ago
  Well tbh a vast swathe of Chinese phone brands serves this niche, their cameras are (relatively) terrible in all aspects except on paper.

Kon-Peki 4y ago

I see things quite differently, perhaps because I worked at Motorola in the early 2000s when the same thing happened to feature phones. “It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.“ The American market for a lot of things is extremely lucrative on a per-capita basis. So you go and base your business on serving it. And then a growth industry turns into a mature industry, and all your fat margins disappear. The American smartphone market is mature. The American smartphone market is becoming boring. The number of people getting a new phone every year (or two or three) is rapidly declining. For a growing number of Americans, all phones are good enough. Fixing the “problem” of the carriers in the US isn’t going to move the needle: If you get paid by getting a lot of American clicks on breathless articles about new phone features or new phone software, your revenue is in an irreversible decline. Americans largely don’t care! Pivot or die

selimthegrim 4y ago

Maybe this will be the year Sony finally gets its mobile act together - and maybe pigs will fly for good measure

unholiness 4y ago

Worth noting the vendor lock-in offers are quite significant. My wife and I both had Pixel 3as on Google Fi, both got offers of $300 to trade them in to buy a Pixel 6a. The obviously gimmicky trade in price was only for buying a 6a specifically (buy another phone and the trade in drops to $30) Gimmicky but worth it, $150 each to get brand new phones that check all the boxes.

icecap12 4y ago

5 years of software updates - that's a lol. My wife has had 3 different generations of Pixel phones fail (hardware failure, not dropped or broken by the user). She keeps going back to them though because the camera smokes the competition (according to her).

chaosbutters314 4y ago

still enjoying my pixel 3a xl. no stupid punch hole or notch. apple and Google designers must be blind or stupid, can't decide which.

shmerl 4y ago

> In Europe, if you buy an international phone, chances are that phone will just work across the litany of carriers across the continent. That’s not quite the case in the U.S., as fewer international devices support the necessary bands. Can't modern modems simply support all bands? How hard is that?

hocuspocus 4y ago
Afaik modems do, it's the radio frontend that differs between continents. These differences are pretty slim nowadays and open market European phones will work in the US and vice versa. However the performance might be slightly degraded because some bands were prioritized over others that are supported for roaming. Also some combinations of bands for carrier aggregation might not work as well. And then you have OEMs (like Google!) who think it's smart not to enable 5G just everywhere but only for selected carriers, and you'll sometimes need a firmware update before you can utilize your phone fully. One big difference might be the mmWave support which is pushed by some US carriers and that'd be completely lacking otherwise (no antenna).
thequux 4y ago
The modem supports it just fine, but the carriers all block phones that aren't on their "approved" list (i.e., phones that they sell). I took a trip to the US earlier this year with my European Motorola G9 Plus. My Belgian sim roamed onto T-Mobile's network just fine but charged €13/MB; a T-Mobile SIM next to it worked fine for about 2 hours and then refused to connect ever again. This resulted in a delightful conversation with a support agent who told me without any sense of confusion that my phone physically did not have the hardware necessary to connect to T-Mobile's network while looking at my screen which read "Mobile Vikings - Roaming (T-Mobile)". AT&T wouldn't connect either; I ended up just going without for two weeks.

utopcell 4y ago

From the article: > For example, the Google Pixel 5 had the Snapdragon 765G and the Pixel 6 series has Tensor with all of its inefficiencies. The author lost me right there. They are either unable to understand the difference between a midrange snapdragon and a state-of-the-art custom chip with 5 year support, or they are playing out a narrative that supports their argument.

hocuspocus 4y ago
The Tensor might be state-of-the-art on paper, it's still pretty average in practice. And the network performance in the Pixel 6/6 Pro is awful according to a lot of people, I'm not sure if it's the Samsung modem or the radio frontend, but it's not really acceptable when mid and high-end phones get put to shame by $300 phones with midrange Snapdragon in cell reception and speeds. The 5-year support is nice but I want to say... Finally? It's good that Samsung is making the effort and that the Pixel line benefits from it, but if Google was serious about this issue, it'd also strongarm Qualcomm and other SoC makers into mandatory 5-year kernel patches.
- utopcell 4y ago
  > The Tensor [..] it's still pretty average in practice. Benchmarks place the Tensor chip at 1.6X to 3X compared to the 765G [1]. Again, my point is, if someone is willing to "bend the truth" to support their narrative, then they have already lost the reader's trust. What value can one possibly place to any subsequent claims they make ? [1] https://www.cpu-monkey.com/en/compare_cpu-google_tensor-vs-qualcomm_snapdragon_765g https://www.cpu-monkey.com/en/compare_cpu-google_tensor-vs-q...
  - hocuspocus 4y ago
    I don't see the issue with the article's statement really. > However, time and time again, particularly with its flagships, there has been some kind of compromise. The Snapdragon 765G in the Pixel 5 is a compromise (if you paid the sticker price, otherwise it wasn't an unreasonable choice). The Tensor is also a compromise. Good SoC on paper, but not so true in practice: it isn't competitive against the Snapdragon 888, and it offers terrible network connectivity, which a complete showstopper for a lot of people.

throwaway787544 4y ago

Off topic, but I noticed today that all the major US carriers now charge a premium for their SIM cards. They all want me to pay $10 just to walk out of their store with a SIM and no plan. AT&T was nice enough to discount it with an in-store coupon. But MVNOs don't seem to do this; their sims are $1 or free.

wiseowise 4y ago

> mid-range flagship Oxymoron.

deleted 4y ago

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Diapason 4y ago

How can you write an article on US phone market without explaining the GSM vs CDMA issue?

ThePowerOfFuet 4y ago
CDMA is dead. Move on.

MomoXenosaga 4y ago

Don't overestimate the importance of North American market. Chinese OEMs don't need it and nobody wants to end up like Huawei.

infinitezest 4y ago

The solutions everyone is putting forward in this thread essentially boil down to "stop complaining that your stuff has been designed to stop working and buy more stuff". That doesnt seem... suboptimal to y'all?

BXLE_1-1-BitIs1 4y ago

I'm about to retire one Nexus 5 from phone duty (the other I'm using as a dashcam) only because I'll need to have VOLTE when visiting the US from Canada. Carriers offer "deals" on new phones, like the Pixel 6a. For $10 a month over 2 years, BUT you have to sign up for a more expensive plan for more gigabytes than most people need - an extra $22.50 a month making the real price of the phone $780. Having had to replace screens from time to time, replacement screens for the newest Pixels are in the $200 range. Pixel 4a's can be found in the $200-300 range and the replacement screens are reasonably priced. The mid range OnePlus phones have a number of disgruntled reviews - a shame because OP offers reasonably priced parts directly. Too bad Fairphone is unavailable in North America.

cudgy 4y ago

This web page highlights the problem with modern web sites. Tried to read this article, but the absolute predominance of ads and the screen constantly shifting caused me to give up. How has this sort of web page become remotely acceptable to readers?