Google Pixel 6

[Cuellar]

Anyone got one?

I just got one (a few weeks ago), and I'm starting to suspect it's shit.

The built in speakers are really tinny, dreadful quality. The fingerprint reader under the screen is slow and temperamental. The volume and lock buttons are stiff. It's rubbish, isn't it?

I upgraded from a Huawei P20, so not exactly 'new', and it seems like it was miles better than this.

What's actually good?

[Steven88]

Anyone got one?

I just got one (a few weeks ago), and I'm starting to suspect it's shit.

The built in speakers are really tinny, dreadful quality. The fingerprint reader under the screen is slow and temperamental. The volume and lock buttons are stiff. It's rubbish, isn't it?

I upgraded from a Huawei P20, so not exactly 'new', and it seems like it was miles better than this.

What's actually good?

I was looking at buying one but the bad reviews put me off. Looking at an OPPO X3 pro instead.

[Consignia]

I got a Pro. I mean it's pretty decent, but I only got a new phone because my 3XL's battery died a death. But yeah, it's not special and the only real reason I plumped for it was because I had to get a new phone and vanilla android options are few and far between.

[imitationleather]

My last phone was the Huawei P20 Pro, and that's the best phone I've ever owned. The Pixel 6 (which I now have) is just nowhere near as good or well-built, but it's basically fine as a mid-tier Android phone.

I would've just got the latest Huawei phone when I upgraded, but the Google Store ban makes it more of a ballache than I can be bothered with. It's a shame.

[Mister Six]

I had a Pixel 3 for aaaagees, used it until the battery gave up the ghost and loved it.

Picked up a 4a and it's proven a ton more fragile, and the OS updates keep fucking up stuff like autocorrect (it keeps trying to replace - with h and ' with c) and app selection (whenever I zoom out to select another app window, the app I was just using shifts to the side and another app is placed in the centre, so if I want to quickly shut an app, I'm liable to swipe up on an app I don't want to close because it's now randomly in the middle of the screen.

It also started repeatedly playing a klaxon and calling the emergency number over and over until I rebooted it and changed the function of the side button, which somehow fixes that bug.

I hate shopping around so hopefully it'll last a while, but unless Google sort their shit out I won't be buying another Pixel.

[QDRPHNC]

I moved from a 3 to the 4a and found this too. It's basically fine, but I find apps sometimes freeze, or I get stuck on the homescreen, or taps don't register and I need to restart. Never happened with the 3 or the 2.

[Cuellar]

I had to get a new phone and vanilla android options are few and far between.

Yeah this was my thought process. I wanted a stock Android thing, and I foolishly thought it was a premium phone. I paid more for it than I paid for my P20 at the time. I thought I was moving up in the world. Turns out I'm still in the gutter. In fact I'm in a slightly lower gutter.

I like Android. I like torrenting stuff on my phone, I like free ad free youtube clones. But by christ I'm tempted just to sell this piece of shit and get a TOP OF THE LINE IPHONE.

[Capt.Midnight]

I bought a Pixel 6 (non-pro) purely for the camera, which is fantastic - especially for night-time photography. I also found it super helpful on holiday for paying bills, using Google maps, etc. It syncs up really easy with anything Google (obviously..), so that's great.

There's definitely niggles with it though, the thumbprint thing isn't as good as iPhone, the touchscreen isn't as good either. I'm also terrified of dropping it on the floor.

I've zero experience with Android phones though - The last mobile I had was an iPhone 5s with a battery life of 23 minutes and a yellowed screen. The £3 trade-in deal really offset the £500 price tag.

[samadriel]

Samsung are expensive if you want the latest (I really don't care about that, I get ones a version or two old; currently on a refurbished Galaxy Note20 Ultra) but I've never been disappointed by one of their phones; my old Galaxy S15 lasted me years without complaint.  Unfortunately they've pretty much phased out SD card slots (like most high end phones), so unless you splash out on a 512Gb model, they mightn't make much of an mp3 player if you're a packrat who insists on carrying your whole library everywhere like me. I guess with everyone using Spotify these days, that's a pretty niche caveat. I was considering making my next phone a Pixel, but after all I've heard here, I think I'll stick to Samsung.

[Cuellar]

I had thought of Samsungs. Do they have much nonsense in the OS?

[samadriel]

Not really, it's mostly just Android, with a bunch of Samsung apps you can choose to ignore.  They provide their own version of the keyboard, which I prefer to Gboard or the Microsoft one. People always complain about extra fluff with every manufacturer's version of Android, but I haven't noticed much with Samsung, it certainly doesn't seem to slow the phone down. Curious to hear other opinions though.

[Memorex MP3]

Think the bloat bullshit is a lot less of an issue now that 16gb internal storage phones aren't a thing anymore.

Anyways Samsung XCover 5; replaceable battery, small by modern Android standards, hard to break, dual sim and they've promised Android 13 and 14 will come to it so you can chuck a new battery into it and give it to someone in a few years who'll get several years out of it themselves.

[imitationleather]

My girlfriend has the Samsung Ultra and the camera on it is incredible. We live on the Newcastle side of the Tyne and from the living room we can zoom in on the faces of people sat at the bar on the Gateshead side of the river with it.

Dunno why you'd want to do that. But it shows how good the camera is!

Over £1k for the phone though. Stupid purchase. Might wake her up and have a go at her about it right now, actually.

[Mister Six]

I moved from a 3 to the 4a and found this too. It's basically fine, but I find apps sometimes freeze, or I get stuck on the homescreen, or taps don't register and I need to restart. Never happened with the 3 or the 2.

Oh yeah, I've had the screen lose sensitivity on occasion. And the last couple of days, a new bug: video plays one frame every couple of seconds, with no audio, until I reset the phone. Happens in YouTube and Reddit apps. Rubbish.

EIDT: Actually, I just realised that my first Pixel was a Pixel 2. Not that it matters, but it's annoying that this newer model is shoddier than the one I got years ago. I suppose they were trying harder to establish their name back then.

[AsparagusTrevor]

EIDT: Actually, I just realised that my first Pixel was a Pixel 2. Not that it matters, but it's annoying that this newer model is shoddier than the one I got years ago. I suppose they were trying harder to establish their name back then.

My last phone was a Pixel 2XL and was one of the best phones I ever had. My current one is a Pixel 5 and it's one of the worst phones I ever had.

[shoulders]

What's the best phone with a very good camera that costs about £350?

I got an Honor to replace my One Plus 3 that slid off my lap in Bosnia and have had it for 3 years now.

Although it's smooth with a robust OS, decent performance, decent storage too, with a battery that's held on well, the camera is nowhere near as good as my old phone. I assumed it would at the very least be as good as a phone developed 3 years earlier that was also mid-range, but not.

I could use a better camera this time and it's a bit of a priority. But I don't want to spend a lot of money. £350.

[Steven88]

What's the best phone with a very good camera that costs about £350?

I got an Honor to replace my One Plus 3 that slid off my lap in Bosnia and have had it for 3 years now.

Although it's smooth with a robust OS, decent performance, decent storage too, with a battery that's held on well, the camera is nowhere near as good as my old phone. I assumed it would at the very least be as good as a phone developed 3 years earlier that was also mid-range, but not.

I could use a better camera this time and it's a bit of a priority. But I don't want to spend a lot of money. £350.

The Honor 50 looks pretty decent for that price. 

[Dex Sawash]

I'm 18 months into Samsung S20FE and it has been great, 2+ years of updates remaining. Tried an A71 before but speakers sounded too shit to even watch a youtube. These were my first non-flagship phones, desperately wanted to get away from curved screens but stay with Samsung as I broke my Note9 2x in a month.

[touchingcloth]

Sounds more like the Google Whack.

[canadagoose]

Realme have some decent handsets at the moment. I'm using an X50 Pro 5G which I got just over a year ago, and it performs great, although it's a bit on the heavy side. The fast charger that you get with it is really fast, too. Amazon has the GT Neo 3 for £369 right now, and the GT Master Edition for £329. Other retailers are also available, of course.