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Every so often Apple does something I don't like, or else I take a look at current iPhone prices, and I toy with the idea of switching to a Pixel for my next ph

Every so often Apple does something I don't like, or else I take a look at current iPhone prices, and I toy with the idea of switching to a Pixel for my next phone. But inevitably, within a week or two, Google will do something that makes me uncomfortable relying on them for any piece of hardware that I'm likely to keep for 3+ years.

teolandon 3y ago
There are more options than those two. Pebble watches were built open enough to allow Rebble to get developed and let Pebble watches be used to this day, despite being officially unsupported. A lot of mainstream Android phones support LineageOS. A lot of older iPhones with older iOS versions can be jailbroken and used to this day with tweaks.
- meepmorp 3y ago
  > Pebble watches were built Were, past tense, being the operative word. If I don't already have one, the ability to put an alternative OS on a pebble watch, while cool, isn't particularly useful. I guess there's the android watch thing?
beej71 3y ago
I've decided that I won't pay Google any more money. But I do like their phones... So I'll be buying used. :)
deaddodo 3y ago
Honestly, the Pixel line has always been meh (in my opinion, of course). They built a ton of respect on the Nexus line, which genuinely was a decent set of phones; now they've squandered it on a bunch of overpriced and underspeced options. Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo, OnePlus, etc all make great phones. You don't have to get a Google.
- jwells89 3y ago
  Unfortunately there are few options if you want a more “vanilla style” Android experience like the Pixel has, without significant OS customizations or pushing of me-too ecosystem apps/features. To my knowledge it’s mainly just Fairphone if you’re ok with not getting flagship specs and Sony if you’re ok with paying a bit more (but getting excellent camera controls in exchange).
  - TylerE 3y ago
    Isn't the fairphone incredibly expensive for it's specs? Like more than an actually decent phone instead of one with specs 5+ years out of date?
  - lawn 3y ago
    At this point it's best to use an alternative OS. I've been running CalyxOS on my Fairphone and has been super happy about it.
jsbisviewtiful 3y ago
Google has truly tarnished their brand for some people. I don’t trust them at this point and am moving off their services periodically. Several products I’ve used, Google created or Google bought, were shut down unexpectedly and now I expect anything they touch to burn.
- voisin 3y ago
  "for some people" It is wild to think that there are still people loyal to Google. Just use their primary product - search - and tell me how anyone can not froth at the mouth in anger over the complete and total capitulation to the ad team? Seriously, fuck these guys and if you work for them, you're part of the problem.
ulfw 3y ago
There's really no good reason to use Google for anything where there's competition. I use Google for Youtube (no competition), Search and Maps (not very competitive offers by MSFT and AAPL yet getting better every day while Google is getting worse). Have switched from Gmail to Hosted Exchange a decade ago and using iCloud for files, pictures and calendar/notes etc synching. Safari and Firefox for ad-less browsing.
- happymellon 3y ago
  I tried using Azure for hosting my email, it was an absolute trainwreck. They couldn't even do a mailing list, so that I could have a single email address for the kids school, etc, that emails both myself and my wife. The best they could offer was a shared mailbox, but it wouldn't go into my wife's inbox so not much point in that. Fastmail did a better job than that.
bad_user 3y ago
If you want to get into Android, a safer bet for high-end devices would be Samsung. It helps if you have other Samsung devices, like TVs or Galaxy Watch. I have an S21 Ultra (2021). It's big and somewhat heavy, but it has 16 GB of RAM, 512 GB of storage, a good camera, it will get 4-5 years of updates in total, and it's easily the best Android I had thus far. My last Google device was Nexus 6 and it was shit. The first device I got had screen issues. Changed it in warranty, and the replacement died just after the warranty was over. Pixels are not as appalling as Nexuses were back then, but from reviews on the web, it's not far either. Also, the default Google experience is shit too.
- hardwaresofton 3y ago
  Yeah, except for Samsung being really interested in bloatware and not immune from the lure of surveillance economy cash (which is their right, whether I like it or not!). Weirdly enough I'd rather have close-to-stock rather than have essentially both Google and Samsung trying to monetize me. I run an Apple phone at this point, and I'm not going to lie, they're so far ahead in this respect (good if not overpriced hardware, build quality, coherent ecosystems, less reliance surveillance capitalism, interop between devices), that it is just really hard to consider Android. As much as I like the customization possibilities, more F/OSS-aligned OS & apps, etc of the Android ecosystem... It's hard to recommend it over Apple today.
  - bad_user 3y ago
    Not sure what you mean by bloatware, but I prefer several Samsung apps over the Google ones. I prefer the Calendar app, for example because it allows me to draw on it with the pen. I also prefer Samsung's Calculator, Notes, Clock, and Health apps. I'd even prefer Samsung's Browser, which even has ads blocking, but I'm using Firefox. The preference for the pristine Google experience is absolutely weird, because Google is not Apple, indeed. On my phone, using Firefox with uBlock Origin, I go into ThePirateBay, download entire shows on my phone, then using VLC I stream them to my TV straight from my phone. There's nothing in Apple's offering that beats that for me. Mostly because Apple hates general purpose computing.
ThePowerOfFuet 3y ago
New Pixels receive software updates for five years, and you can buy all the original parts from iFixit. Combine that with GrapheneOS and it's a pretty good long-term solution.
CSMastermind 3y ago
I've used Android phones since I bought the original Motorola Droid the day it came out. This year was the first time I seriously considered switching to an iPhone as I watch their hardware keep progressing while Android manufacturers just copy design and slip in terms of specs. Things like the Lidar sensor show that at least Apple is pushing their devices to do more. Yeah I hate that they eliminated the headphone jack, etc. but Android devices just copy those decisions anyway so they're really starting to feel less like a competitor and more like wannabe iPhones.
- lmm 3y ago
  Sony still makes top-end phones with headphone jacks, SD card slots, and a camera that doesn't mangle your photos unless you ask it to. The Xperia line is pretty much the perfect phone for the HN crowd.
  - matheusmoreira 3y ago
    Those phones don't have the hardware security features found on Pixels.
    - lmm 3y ago
      What features are those and would HN types even want them?
      - matheusmoreira 3y ago
        > would HN types even want them? I bought a Pixel just for GrapheneOS. Can't speak for anyone else. > What features are those There's a rather exhaustive list here: https://grapheneos.org/faq#future-devices https://grapheneos.org/faq#future-devices Some that stand out to me: > Hardware memory tagging > Isolated radios (cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, etc.), GPU, SSD, media encode / decode, image processor and other components > Weaver disk encryption key derivation throttling provided by secure element
matheusmoreira 3y ago
Ironically Google made the easiest phone to de-Google. The truth is GrapheneOS is the only reason the Pixel matters at all. If anything it makes me angry at the other manufacturers for not providing the security features and firmware updates GrapheneOS needs.
Jedd 3y ago
This seems like a weird rationale for that decision. Are you in one of those countries affected by this move? I note in the original post by Google (two links away from 'mobilesyrup', who don't deign to mention the actual countries) they write: "We are no longer selling Fitbit products in select countries—but don’t worry! We will continue to support you and the devices you currently own with software releases, security updates, warranty fulfillment, and access to customer service." So if you had bought a fitbit, and were in one of the countries they were not selling in any longer, you'd still be fine, presumably for at least 3+ years.

teolandon 3y ago

There are more options than those two. Pebble watches were built open enough to allow Rebble to get developed and let Pebble watches be used to this day, despite being officially unsupported. A lot of mainstream Android phones support LineageOS. A lot of older iPhones with older iOS versions can be jailbroken and used to this day with tweaks.

meepmorp 3y ago
> Pebble watches were built Were, past tense, being the operative word. If I don't already have one, the ability to put an alternative OS on a pebble watch, while cool, isn't particularly useful. I guess there's the android watch thing?

beej71 3y ago

I've decided that I won't pay Google any more money. But I do like their phones... So I'll be buying used. :)

deaddodo 3y ago

Honestly, the Pixel line has always been meh (in my opinion, of course). They built a ton of respect on the Nexus line, which genuinely was a decent set of phones; now they've squandered it on a bunch of overpriced and underspeced options. Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo, OnePlus, etc all make great phones. You don't have to get a Google.

jwells89 3y ago
Unfortunately there are few options if you want a more “vanilla style” Android experience like the Pixel has, without significant OS customizations or pushing of me-too ecosystem apps/features. To my knowledge it’s mainly just Fairphone if you’re ok with not getting flagship specs and Sony if you’re ok with paying a bit more (but getting excellent camera controls in exchange).
- TylerE 3y ago
  Isn't the fairphone incredibly expensive for it's specs? Like more than an actually decent phone instead of one with specs 5+ years out of date?
- lawn 3y ago
  At this point it's best to use an alternative OS. I've been running CalyxOS on my Fairphone and has been super happy about it.

jsbisviewtiful 3y ago

Google has truly tarnished their brand for some people. I don’t trust them at this point and am moving off their services periodically. Several products I’ve used, Google created or Google bought, were shut down unexpectedly and now I expect anything they touch to burn.

voisin 3y ago
"for some people" It is wild to think that there are still people loyal to Google. Just use their primary product - search - and tell me how anyone can not froth at the mouth in anger over the complete and total capitulation to the ad team? Seriously, fuck these guys and if you work for them, you're part of the problem.

ulfw 3y ago

There's really no good reason to use Google for anything where there's competition. I use Google for Youtube (no competition), Search and Maps (not very competitive offers by MSFT and AAPL yet getting better every day while Google is getting worse). Have switched from Gmail to Hosted Exchange a decade ago and using iCloud for files, pictures and calendar/notes etc synching. Safari and Firefox for ad-less browsing.

happymellon 3y ago
I tried using Azure for hosting my email, it was an absolute trainwreck. They couldn't even do a mailing list, so that I could have a single email address for the kids school, etc, that emails both myself and my wife. The best they could offer was a shared mailbox, but it wouldn't go into my wife's inbox so not much point in that. Fastmail did a better job than that.

bad_user 3y ago

If you want to get into Android, a safer bet for high-end devices would be Samsung. It helps if you have other Samsung devices, like TVs or Galaxy Watch. I have an S21 Ultra (2021). It's big and somewhat heavy, but it has 16 GB of RAM, 512 GB of storage, a good camera, it will get 4-5 years of updates in total, and it's easily the best Android I had thus far. My last Google device was Nexus 6 and it was shit. The first device I got had screen issues. Changed it in warranty, and the replacement died just after the warranty was over. Pixels are not as appalling as Nexuses were back then, but from reviews on the web, it's not far either. Also, the default Google experience is shit too.

hardwaresofton 3y ago
Yeah, except for Samsung being really interested in bloatware and not immune from the lure of surveillance economy cash (which is their right, whether I like it or not!). Weirdly enough I'd rather have close-to-stock rather than have essentially both Google and Samsung trying to monetize me. I run an Apple phone at this point, and I'm not going to lie, they're so far ahead in this respect (good if not overpriced hardware, build quality, coherent ecosystems, less reliance surveillance capitalism, interop between devices), that it is just really hard to consider Android. As much as I like the customization possibilities, more F/OSS-aligned OS & apps, etc of the Android ecosystem... It's hard to recommend it over Apple today.
- bad_user 3y ago
  Not sure what you mean by bloatware, but I prefer several Samsung apps over the Google ones. I prefer the Calendar app, for example because it allows me to draw on it with the pen. I also prefer Samsung's Calculator, Notes, Clock, and Health apps. I'd even prefer Samsung's Browser, which even has ads blocking, but I'm using Firefox. The preference for the pristine Google experience is absolutely weird, because Google is not Apple, indeed. On my phone, using Firefox with uBlock Origin, I go into ThePirateBay, download entire shows on my phone, then using VLC I stream them to my TV straight from my phone. There's nothing in Apple's offering that beats that for me. Mostly because Apple hates general purpose computing.

ThePowerOfFuet 3y ago

New Pixels receive software updates for five years, and you can buy all the original parts from iFixit. Combine that with GrapheneOS and it's a pretty good long-term solution.

CSMastermind 3y ago

I've used Android phones since I bought the original Motorola Droid the day it came out. This year was the first time I seriously considered switching to an iPhone as I watch their hardware keep progressing while Android manufacturers just copy design and slip in terms of specs. Things like the Lidar sensor show that at least Apple is pushing their devices to do more. Yeah I hate that they eliminated the headphone jack, etc. but Android devices just copy those decisions anyway so they're really starting to feel less like a competitor and more like wannabe iPhones.

lmm 3y ago
Sony still makes top-end phones with headphone jacks, SD card slots, and a camera that doesn't mangle your photos unless you ask it to. The Xperia line is pretty much the perfect phone for the HN crowd.
- matheusmoreira 3y ago
  Those phones don't have the hardware security features found on Pixels.
  - lmm 3y ago
    What features are those and would HN types even want them?
    - matheusmoreira 3y ago
      > would HN types even want them? I bought a Pixel just for GrapheneOS. Can't speak for anyone else. > What features are those There's a rather exhaustive list here: https://grapheneos.org/faq#future-devices https://grapheneos.org/faq#future-devices Some that stand out to me: > Hardware memory tagging > Isolated radios (cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, etc.), GPU, SSD, media encode / decode, image processor and other components > Weaver disk encryption key derivation throttling provided by secure element

matheusmoreira 3y ago

Ironically Google made the easiest phone to de-Google. The truth is GrapheneOS is the only reason the Pixel matters at all. If anything it makes me angry at the other manufacturers for not providing the security features and firmware updates GrapheneOS needs.

Jedd 3y ago

This seems like a weird rationale for that decision. Are you in one of those countries affected by this move? I note in the original post by Google (two links away from 'mobilesyrup', who don't deign to mention the actual countries) they write: "We are no longer selling Fitbit products in select countries—but don’t worry! We will continue to support you and the devices you currently own with software releases, security updates, warranty fulfillment, and access to customer service." So if you had bought a fitbit, and were in one of the countries they were not selling in any longer, you'd still be fine, presumably for at least 3+ years.