Octopus Overlords

Posted: **Wed Sep 30, 2020 2:47 pm**

Wow, there are no options this year.

Pixel 5 - 128 GB memory, 8GB of RAM, Sage or Black - $699
Pixel 4a5G - 128 GB memory, 6GB of RAM, Waitlist only - $499

The 5 is waterproof with a slightly smaller screen with higher dpi.

Posted: **Wed Sep 30, 2020 2:48 pm**

Posted: **Wed Sep 30, 2020 3:41 pm**

I have the 4a and really like it. Feels much more premium than the $349 I paid for it and has a fantastic camera.

I'm not remotely interested in the 5 for $699 though. Really weird line up this year. Feels like a placeholder until they can start manufacturing their own chips in partnership with Samsung.

Posted: **Wed Sep 30, 2020 3:42 pm**

stessier wrote: ↑Wed Sep 30, 2020 2:47 pm Wow, there are no options this year.

Pixel 5 - 128 GB memory, 8GB of RAM, Sage or Black - $699
Pixel 4a5G - 128 GB memory, 6GB of RAM, Waitlist only - $499

The 5 is waterproof with a slightly smaller screen with higher dpi.

Yeah there's no XL version, that's unfortunate I like my Google Pixel 3 XL. Also absolutely wait until Black Friday to buy them, they discounted my Pixel 3 $200 a month after I bought it.

Posted: **Wed Sep 30, 2020 4:03 pm**

stessier wrote: ↑Wed Sep 30, 2020 2:47 pm Wow, there are no options this year.

Pixel 5 - 128 GB memory, 8GB of RAM, Sage or Black - $699
Pixel 4a5G - 128 GB memory, 6GB of RAM, Waitlist only - $499

The 5 is waterproof with a slightly smaller screen with higher dpi.

$699 for the 5? That's definitely better than the $899 for the 3XL or the $799 for the 3 when I bought one (the XL) 2 years ago.

Posted: **Wed Sep 30, 2020 4:03 pm**

Lorini wrote: ↑Wed Sep 30, 2020 3:42 pm
stessier wrote: ↑Wed Sep 30, 2020 2:47 pm Wow, there are no options this year.

Pixel 5 - 128 GB memory, 8GB of RAM, Sage or Black - $699
Pixel 4a5G - 128 GB memory, 6GB of RAM, Waitlist only - $499

The 5 is waterproof with a slightly smaller screen with higher dpi.
Yeah there's no XL version, that's unfortunate I like my Google Pixel 3 XL. Also absolutely wait until Black Friday to buy them, they discounted my Pixel 3 $200 a month after I bought it.

Thanks for the tip on waiting a bit to buy a new phone. I bought the 3 XL on launch and did have a bit of buyer's remorse when I saw the price plummet right away.

Posted: **Wed Sep 30, 2020 4:32 pm**

Whoa, that's a big ass battery on the Pixel 5.

Posted: **Wed Sep 30, 2020 4:41 pm**

SafeLink sent me a free smart phone. I dont know its size or anything but it works as a phone.....which I never answer anyways.

Posted: **Wed Sep 30, 2020 4:50 pm**

pr0ner wrote: ↑Wed Sep 30, 2020 4:03 pm
stessier wrote: ↑Wed Sep 30, 2020 2:47 pm Wow, there are no options this year.

Pixel 5 - 128 GB memory, 8GB of RAM, Sage or Black - $699
Pixel 4a5G - 128 GB memory, 6GB of RAM, Waitlist only - $499

The 5 is waterproof with a slightly smaller screen with higher dpi.
$699 for the 5? That's definitely better than the $899 for the 3XL or the $799 for the 3 when I bought one (the XL) 2 years ago.

Yes, but there have been some downgrades, most notably the processor is no longer flagship level. It's a Snapdragon 765G compared to the 865+ that other companies are doing.

Posted: **Wed Sep 30, 2020 10:54 pm**

My Pixel 3 is still going strong and still liking it. I'll have it paid off in 4 months I think. So no hurry to get a new phone so I can wait for some great deals down the road.

Posted: **Wed Sep 30, 2020 11:22 pm**

My Pixel 3XL was a solid phone. Only complaint was that the battery had trouble going all day.

Well, that and the screen shatter from a hip high drop while being "protected" by the official Pixel case. Cost to replace the screen is $200. Screw that noise.

Sent from my SM-G981U1 using Tapatalk

Posted: **Thu Oct 01, 2020 8:30 am**

Family is irritated that the latest update changed how to take a screenshot. It was easy now it's hard. How is that an improvement?

Used to hold how power button and an option to screen shot would pop up. Now you have to hold down power and volume down just right to do it. Takes me several attempts to get it right.

Posted: **Thu Oct 01, 2020 8:37 am**

Hamlet3145 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 30, 2020 4:50 pm
pr0ner wrote: ↑Wed Sep 30, 2020 4:03 pm
stessier wrote: ↑Wed Sep 30, 2020 2:47 pm Wow, there are no options this year.

Pixel 5 - 128 GB memory, 8GB of RAM, Sage or Black - $699
Pixel 4a5G - 128 GB memory, 6GB of RAM, Waitlist only - $499

The 5 is waterproof with a slightly smaller screen with higher dpi.
$699 for the 5? That's definitely better than the $899 for the 3XL or the $799 for the 3 when I bought one (the XL) 2 years ago.
Yes, but there have been some downgrades, most notably the processor is no longer flagship level. It's a Snapdragon 765G compared to the 865+ that other companies are doing.

Several other phones have also gone with this processor as well. It is much better on the battery and given the dearth of 5G, it's probably a fair tradeoff. Here is a link to all the differences between the chips so people can decide if they are going to miss out on something.

Edit: Also, I'm on the Pixel 2XL and it's still going strong - no complaints with it at all. I was thinking of upgrading this cycle and giving my daughter my phone as she heads off to high school, but the pandemic hasn't really made that necessary.

Posted: **Thu Oct 01, 2020 8:52 am**

Just be aware that your Pixel 2 will stop getting updates in the next couple months.

Posted: **Thu Oct 01, 2020 9:17 am**

pr0ner wrote: ↑Thu Oct 01, 2020 8:52 amJust be aware that your Pixel 2 will stop getting updates in the next couple months.

As someone who uses their phone almost exclusively to make calls, send texts, take pictures and play audio this doesn't bother me. I get security concerns to a degree, but I just don't do much of anything potentially risky with my phone.

I'm still on an original Pixel and still completely fine with it. I'm assuming support for my model stopped a while back. It works good, battery lasts a couple of days, screen has never broken, plays audiobooks when I want it to.

This is probably a good reminder to back up the photos I care about, though.

Posted: **Thu Oct 01, 2020 9:35 am**

pr0ner wrote: ↑Thu Oct 01, 2020 8:52 am Just be aware that your Pixel 2 will stop getting updates in the next couple months.

Perhaps. It's not guaranteed updates. It's possible it will still get them. The original Pixel was still getting them over a year after it's EOL.

Posted: **Tue Aug 03, 2021 3:39 pm**

The Verge

Google is announcing the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro today, though it might be better to call it a preview or a tease. Rather than releasing all the details on its new Android phones, Google is instead putting the focus on the new system on a chip (SoC) that will be inside the new Pixels. It’s called the Tensor SoC, named after the Tensor Processing Units (TPU) Google uses in its data centers.
...
I spent about an hour at Google’s Mountain View campus last week looking at the phone hardware and talking with Google’s hardware chief Rick Osterloh about Tensor. After all that, my main takeaway about the new Pixel 6 phones is simple.

Google is actually, finally trying to make a competitive flagship phone.
...
The Pixel 6 Pro will have a 6.7-inch QHD+ display with a 120Hz refresh rate. That screen is very slightly curved at the edges, blending into shiny, polished aluminum rails on the side. It has three cameras on the back: a new wide-angle main sensor, an ultrawide, and a 4X optical-zoom folded telephoto lens. Google isn’t sharing specs on the camera beyond saying the main wide-angle sensor takes in 150 percent more light.

The regular Pixel 6 has a 6.4-inch FHD+ screen with a 90Hz refresh rate. Its screen is perfectly flat, with matte-finished rails. It also loses the telephoto camera.

Posted: **Tue Aug 03, 2021 6:05 pm**

Screw the 6. When can I get the 5a and for how much?!

Posted: **Tue Aug 03, 2021 6:26 pm**

Won't be a 5a clearly. Keep in mind there's a major chip shortage going on.

Posted: **Tue Aug 03, 2021 6:29 pm**

Tom's Guide

Google Pixel 5a news (Updated July 8)

The Pixel 5a was spotted getting FCC certification. Usually, that's a sign a phone is about ready to launch.

The release date for the Google Pixel 5a could be coming into focus, after some confusion earlier in the year. It started when a rumor claimed the Pixel 5a had been canceled due to the chip shortage plaguing the consumer electronics industry. But Google the said the "Pixel 5a 5G is not cancelled. It will be available later this year in the U.S. and Japan and announced in line with when last year’s a-series phone was introduced."
...
Want more proof? The Pixel 5a appears to be getting its FCC certification. Usually that happens just prior to a phone's launch. We're pretty confident the August date will be a go for this phone.

Posted: **Tue Aug 03, 2021 7:32 pm**

Lorini wrote: ↑Tue Aug 03, 2021 6:26 pm Won't be a 5a clearly. Keep in mind there's a major chip shortage going on.

I think it's coming but, you may be right that it won't be easy to get.

Posted: **Tue Aug 03, 2021 7:41 pm**

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Tue Aug 03, 2021 6:29 pm Tom's Guide

Google Pixel 5a news (Updated July 8)

The Pixel 5a was spotted getting FCC certification. Usually, that's a sign a phone is about ready to launch.

The release date for the Google Pixel 5a could be coming into focus, after some confusion earlier in the year. It started when a rumor claimed the Pixel 5a had been canceled due to the chip shortage plaguing the consumer electronics industry. But Google the said the "Pixel 5a 5G is not cancelled. It will be available later this year in the U.S. and Japan and announced in line with when last year’s a-series phone was introduced."
...
Want more proof? The Pixel 5a appears to be getting its FCC certification. Usually that happens just prior to a phone's launch. We're pretty confident the August date will be a go for this phone.

Odd that they would announce the 6 and then later announce the 5a. That's not what they've done in the past.

Posted: **Wed Aug 04, 2021 4:58 pm**

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Tue Aug 03, 2021 3:39 pm
The regular Pixel 6 has a 6.4-inch FHD+ screen with a 90Hz refresh rate. Its screen is perfectly flat, with matte-finished rails. It also loses the telephoto camera.

[/quote]

This annoys me. I don't want a space station for a phone, but I want the best camera I can get. I understand it, but I am still annoyed that if I want good mobile camera's I need a mini-tablet instead of a phone.

Posted: **Wed Aug 04, 2021 5:11 pm**

Pyperkub wrote: ↑Wed Aug 04, 2021 4:58 pm
Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Tue Aug 03, 2021 3:39 pm
The regular Pixel 6 has a 6.4-inch FHD+ screen with a 90Hz refresh rate. Its screen is perfectly flat, with matte-finished rails. It also loses the telephoto camera.

This annoys me. I don't want a space station for a phone, but I want the best camera I can get. I understand it, but I am still annoyed that if I want good mobile camera's I need a mini-tablet instead of a phone.
[/quote]

They need more space for the lens Pyper.

Posted: **Wed Aug 04, 2021 5:25 pm**

I got a 4a5g a couple months back. I like it, and also don't like it. Its fast, and the battery lasts like forever. My previous phone had wireless charging, so sometimes now I am forgetting to plug my phone in, but thats OK, becuase even after using it during the day, and forgetting to plug it in, there is still plenty of juice the next morning.

What I don't like is lack of buttons on the face. I am frustrated by swiping to go back in a web page, I can never do it on first try. I am frustrate by no button to display all open apps, have to do a press on a certain spot, and I have a lot of trouble with that, usually I end up opening the app library and swearing. Takes me 2 or 3 tries to get it. I will use it until its all used up, but I don't think I will get another phone without face buttons.

Posted: **Wed Aug 04, 2021 5:42 pm**

Jaymon wrote: ↑Wed Aug 04, 2021 5:25 pm I got a 4a5g a couple months back. I like it, and also don't like it. Its fast, and the battery lasts like forever. My previous phone had wireless charging, so sometimes now I am forgetting to plug my phone in, but thats OK, becuase even after using it during the day, and forgetting to plug it in, there is still plenty of juice the next morning.

What I don't like is lack of buttons on the face. I am frustrated by swiping to go back in a web page, I can never do it on first try. I am frustrate by no button to display all open apps, have to do a press on a certain spot, and I have a lot of trouble with that, usually I end up opening the app library and swearing. Takes me 2 or 3 tries to get it. I will use it until its all used up, but I don't think I will get another phone without face buttons.

Well Samsung, Apple, and Pixel don't have what you are looking for. I avoid 'off brand' phones as they don't get updates as fast as the branded phones (from those three) and I'm always concerned about security.

Posted: **Wed Aug 04, 2021 6:03 pm**

I am surprised to see Samsung on a list of rapid/frequent updates.

Posted: **Wed Aug 04, 2021 6:31 pm**

stessier wrote: ↑Wed Aug 04, 2021 6:03 pm I am surprised to see Samsung on a list of rapid/frequent updates.

They get them reasonably fast compared to other phones. I know because I have a Pixel phone and a Samsung tablet.

Posted: **Wed Aug 04, 2021 7:33 pm**

I have no problem with the frequency of updates on the Samsung phones.

Posted: **Thu Aug 05, 2021 11:07 am**

Lorini wrote: ↑Wed Aug 04, 2021 5:11 pm
Pyperkub wrote: ↑Wed Aug 04, 2021 4:58 pm
Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Tue Aug 03, 2021 3:39 pm
The regular Pixel 6 has a 6.4-inch FHD+ screen with a 90Hz refresh rate. Its screen is perfectly flat, with matte-finished rails. It also loses the telephoto camera.

This annoys me. I don't want a space station for a phone, but I want the best camera I can get. I understand it, but I am still annoyed that if I want good mobile camera's I need a mini-tablet instead of a phone.

They need more space for the lens Pyper.
[/quote]

Oh, as I mentioned, I know, but I still loathe large phones.

One other design flaw in this phone. They made the camera strip with corners rather than rounding them off. I can see those easily getting caught on the edge of a pocket or something, and leading to the dropsies.

A good case will help, but just make the phone that much bigger.

Posted: **Thu Aug 05, 2021 8:21 pm**

I've been using a company phone (Pixel 4a) for a few months, and I like it so far. It's about the same size as my Moto X4, which is 3 years old now and looking a bit slow, but I don't need an upgrade just yet. The Pixel is way more responsive clean. As it's company phone I didn't download too many apps, but it is quite satisfying.

Posted: **Sat Aug 07, 2021 9:24 am**

Some 5a info

Posted: **Mon Aug 16, 2021 10:46 am**

engadget

The Pixel 5a could appear any day now, according to the latest reports from, of all places, repair shops. The latest rumors include a larger battery (4,680mAh battery up from 3,800mAh) and an August 17th release date — which would be tomorrow.

Posted: **Mon Aug 16, 2021 11:51 am**

Nope, waiting for the better camera from the 6. I'm glad to be wrong about it, I'm sure there'll be interest.

Posted: **Mon Aug 16, 2021 1:32 pm**

The 5a looks nice for my needs, but it doesn't have wireless charging which, I am ashamed to admit, is almost a deal-breaker for me. God forbid I should sully my fingers plugging in an actual charging cable.

Posted: **Mon Aug 16, 2021 1:47 pm**

I am probably in on the 5a. I sort of wish I could get a 4G model for the same price as the 4a, but as it happens my current plan does support 5G so hopefully I won't even need a new SIM when I get the 5a (shrugs).

Don't care about wireless charging at all. I think my wireless earbuds' case is the only thing I own capable of wireless charging. I am going to need to own at least 2 things to care.

Posted: **Mon Aug 16, 2021 7:23 pm**

Also waiting to hear about the 6's pricing. I know it won't be cheap, but that camera looks hawt.

Posted: **Mon Aug 16, 2021 8:23 pm**

For the first time in a while I spent a day outside (in bright sun) and away from chargers. It's clear that the battery on my Moto G5 is nearing its end of life. The 5a is the perfect upgrade but I'm not really looking forward to trying to get one to Korea.

Posted: **Mon Aug 16, 2021 8:51 pm**

Zaxxon wrote: ↑Mon Aug 16, 2021 7:23 pm Also waiting to hear about the 6's pricing. I know it won't be cheap, but that camera looks hawt.

At least the 6 Pro. I need to get it in my hand and compare with my Galaxy Note 9 first tho. 6.7 seems like it may be getting out of the "phone" form factor to me (will it even fit in my pockets? dunno, gotta find out).

Also need to see cases, that camera bump with hard edges looks almost designed to get partially stuck on pockets, etc and cause the dropsies.

Posted: **Tue Aug 17, 2021 1:10 pm**

Pixel 5a 5G officially announced today and reviews are up. Synposis: like the 4a 5G but with water resistance and better battery.

From what I have read in the US you can only buy it from Google. I have preordered mine.

Octopus Overlords

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