I’ve owned (and reviewed) Google's Pixel 3 Xl since launch and whilst my initial and long-term impressions are positive overall, there are serious issues Google needs to address in the upcoming Pixel 4.
The most glaring problems surfaced after a few months with the device and I’m not alone in thinking so - the Google Product forums are active with complaints. The good news is that Google has room to improve and a solid base to do it on.
Pixel phones are fundamentally good devices and Google is ostensibly a few upgrades away from comfortably the best phone of this generation. But what exactly needs to be fixed?
Memory management
The Pixel 3’s memory management is a consistent and device-defining problem. The updates haven’t fixed it and the issue of a slow camera app, apps restarting and general slugggish performance persists. It’s either a problem of software not handling the 4Gb of RAM properly or there simply isn’t enough of it. Either way, it’s a necessary fix.
Lasting power
The Pixel 2 Xl has significantly better battery performance than the Pixel 3 XL. On the surface the Pixel 3 XL has a slightly smaller battery than the Pixel 2 XL (3430mAh versus 3520mAh respectively). But 90mAh difference doesn’t account for the gulf in battery performance between the two. In 2017 I said this about the Pixel 2 Xl’s battery..
“I’m getting the best battery I’ve had on an Android device since the early Sony Xperia days. On average, I’m comfortably getting over 24 hours from a single full charge with medium usage (browsing, music, some gaming and messaging). On occasion my Pixel 2 Xl will stray into 28, 30 hour territory if I’m conservative. How long this lasts is another question, but out of the box, this is seriously impressive lasting power.”
I’m lucky if my Pixel 3 XL lasts a 12 hour day on a full charge and medium use. This is the one area Google needs to take a big step backwards.
Upgrade the best
The Pixel 3’s rear camera is the best on the market. It’s a hill I’m willing to die on. The art that it has spawned - alongside a decent editing app like Adobe Lightroom - makes it hard to comprehend that this is ultimately smartphone photography. The Pixel 3 half proved that you don’t need a second sensor to produce good quality bokeh photos (although it doesn’t always work) but the Pixel 4 does need another wide-angle sensor.
The Pixel 3 has a dual camera setup on the selfie camera - and I understand the logic behind that decision - but the rear camera is the star of the show and any improvements are welcome.
Squash the camera bugs
Some Pixel 3 devices have an issue with the selfie camera that creates a fuzzy/hissing sound and shaky image when it's turned on. My device has it intermittently and the product forums suggest others have had it too. According to users, however, Google has replaced what are effectively faulty devices. The Pixel 2 had a blue tint display problem and the Pixel 3 has a misfiring selfie camera. Hopefully the Pixel 4 has a smoother introduction into the world.
Non-tracking Assistant services
Google is keen to improve its privacy image. It’s a big uphill battle that it may never ultimately win because of the very nature of its data-driven business, but it would do well to start with making some important changes to Assistant. Not least, adding some non-tracking functionality.
Users should be able to control their smart home, set reminders or add appointments to their calendar via Assistant without having to sign up for web and activity tracking. I was told that this is physically possible by Google, but it wasn’t part of its plans. That likely won't change, but it's something Google should consider for an increasingly privacy savvy user base.
Pixel Buds 2: this time they work
The PixelBuds were a bit of a disaster. They had serious connectivity issues, the capacitive area was too large which resulted in frequent accidental touches, the sound quality wasn’t great and they were too expensive considering all of these problems. They also didn’t quite live up to the instant language translation promise.
But that doesn’t have to be the end of the story. Google didn’t produce another pair for the Pixel 3 launch, but it should for the Pixel 4. The instant language translation feature caputred people’s imagination when it was demoed on stage and I suspect the interest for such a feature hasn’t waned. If executed properly, it’s a genuinely useful feature and a strong USP for Google’s headphones. The other stuff can be easily fixed. Google shouldn’t consign its headphone product line to the bin just yet.
The most glaring problems surfaced after a few months with the device and I’m not alone in thinking so - the Google Product forums are active with complaints. The good news is that Google has room to improve and a solid base to do it on.
Pixel phones are fundamentally good devices and Google is ostensibly a few upgrades away from comfortably the best phone of this generation. But what exactly needs to be fixed?
Memory management
The Pixel 3’s memory management is a consistent and device-defining problem. The updates haven’t fixed it and the issue of a slow camera app, apps restarting and general slugggish performance persists. It’s either a problem of software not handling the 4Gb of RAM properly or there simply isn’t enough of it. Either way, it’s a necessary fix.
Lasting power
The Pixel 2 Xl has significantly better battery performance than the Pixel 3 XL. On the surface the Pixel 3 XL has a slightly smaller battery than the Pixel 2 XL (3430mAh versus 3520mAh respectively). But 90mAh difference doesn’t account for the gulf in battery performance between the two. In 2017 I said this about the Pixel 2 Xl’s battery..
“I’m getting the best battery I’ve had on an Android device since the early Sony Xperia days. On average, I’m comfortably getting over 24 hours from a single full charge with medium usage (browsing, music, some gaming and messaging). On occasion my Pixel 2 Xl will stray into 28, 30 hour territory if I’m conservative. How long this lasts is another question, but out of the box, this is seriously impressive lasting power.”
I’m lucky if my Pixel 3 XL lasts a 12 hour day on a full charge and medium use. This is the one area Google needs to take a big step backwards.
Upgrade the best
The Pixel 3’s rear camera is the best on the market. It’s a hill I’m willing to die on. The art that it has spawned - alongside a decent editing app like Adobe Lightroom - makes it hard to comprehend that this is ultimately smartphone photography. The Pixel 3 half proved that you don’t need a second sensor to produce good quality bokeh photos (although it doesn’t always work) but the Pixel 4 does need another wide-angle sensor.
The Pixel 3 has a dual camera setup on the selfie camera - and I understand the logic behind that decision - but the rear camera is the star of the show and any improvements are welcome.
Squash the camera bugs
Some Pixel 3 devices have an issue with the selfie camera that creates a fuzzy/hissing sound and shaky image when it's turned on. My device has it intermittently and the product forums suggest others have had it too. According to users, however, Google has replaced what are effectively faulty devices. The Pixel 2 had a blue tint display problem and the Pixel 3 has a misfiring selfie camera. Hopefully the Pixel 4 has a smoother introduction into the world.
Non-tracking Assistant services
Google is keen to improve its privacy image. It’s a big uphill battle that it may never ultimately win because of the very nature of its data-driven business, but it would do well to start with making some important changes to Assistant. Not least, adding some non-tracking functionality.
Users should be able to control their smart home, set reminders or add appointments to their calendar via Assistant without having to sign up for web and activity tracking. I was told that this is physically possible by Google, but it wasn’t part of its plans. That likely won't change, but it's something Google should consider for an increasingly privacy savvy user base.
Pixel Buds 2: this time they work
The PixelBuds were a bit of a disaster. They had serious connectivity issues, the capacitive area was too large which resulted in frequent accidental touches, the sound quality wasn’t great and they were too expensive considering all of these problems. They also didn’t quite live up to the instant language translation promise.
But that doesn’t have to be the end of the story. Google didn’t produce another pair for the Pixel 3 launch, but it should for the Pixel 4. The instant language translation feature caputred people’s imagination when it was demoed on stage and I suspect the interest for such a feature hasn’t waned. If executed properly, it’s a genuinely useful feature and a strong USP for Google’s headphones. The other stuff can be easily fixed. Google shouldn’t consign its headphone product line to the bin just yet.
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