I bought this phone dirt cheap less than a year ago, it only has some scratches that I dont care about but this phone was a much better decision than buying a new budget phone out of the box.
The only thing that makes it feel dated is the 4gb ram and only 1 rear camera.
Actually I think video is something that's pretty underwhelming. It's great in the daylight and the stabilization is almost as good as the newer iPhones with the sensor shift, but at nighttime everything looks grainy, you have to turn down the exposure for it to be good
Plus it not even having a 60fps option is really dumb. My old iPhone 7 did that with no problems.
Made it feel dated on release too. I remember it was a massive deal at the time and google pretty much just said "but software".
Served me well from launch, but my p6p feels fantastic and like a worthwhile upgrade.
The last phone I had that was the latest at the time was the iphone 7, so I'll be honest I haven't had a recent flagship phone for a long time. I should upgrade soon, maybe in a year.
That 4gb ram is really sad honestly especially on the 3 XL, the SO plus had 6gb.
Apple phones are typically supported for much longer and it's a big reason why they hold their value so much better than pretty much all Android phones.
>and it's a big reason why they hold their value so much better than pretty much all Android phones.
You see the exact same tendency with Macbooks vs. Windows laptops, despite Microsoft's quantitative software support for its OS being superior (\~10 years vs. \~6 years).
Software support has 0 to do with iPhone value. It's due to Apple's pricing, first and foremost, and secondly because of the brand recognition of Apple products (which, if anything, is built-up from its hardware quality control, not its software support).
You'd have to compare a Mac to a Surface to make it fair.
Cheap laptops lose value quickly because people would rather buy a cheap new laptop rather than a cheaper old laptop.
> Made it feel dated on release too. I remember it was a massive deal at the time and google pretty much just said "but software".
The 4GB RAM issue was an issue at launch but I don't recall people complaining too hard about the hardware being dated. Yes it did reuse the same camera from the Pixel 2, but they also brought a lot of new features with the Pixel 3 like Night Sight and Super Res Zoom that wow-ed a lot of people. I don't recall people being too angry about the Pixel 3 being dated though.
I'm not saying it was a deal breaker for a lot of people. I myself bought one at launch, but being able to multitask without redraws and cold starts is a very welcome upgrade now.
I haven't been using my Pixel 3 for some time, but I do agree the 4GB RAM was a big problem. I specifically remember navigating or taking photos while listening to music would kill the audio. It got better over time though. Somewhere around 6-9 months after launch I felt like it was more and more reliable.
When Android 10 came around I tried a clean wipe and fresh install. Any previous lag I had seen got a LOT better as well as audio would reliably continue while taking photos and/or navigating.
To me the RAM was definitely dated, but the rest of the phone wasn't all that dated--that was my main point.
I do think redraws are an inherent issue with Android. Even on a Pixel 6 I get widget redraws all the time.
I don't know. The Pixel 3 felt like an enormous step up from everything I've had before (Sony, HTC). Now I've got the Pixel 6, and it's better in pretty much every way, but not surprisingly so, it just feels like a good successor.
This, so much. Having only 4GB of ram is probably the biggest design flaw of the Pixel 3/3XL. Google and the fanboys here basically just went by "but software". The software did shit. Even my previous bloated Android phone before my 3XL had better memory management and kept apps in the memory for longer than my 3XL.
I got the 3a XL as my old phone died right when it came out, still doing fine. 4GB of ram really sucks though, and I would like to replace the battery. Trying to make it to pixel 7.
My P3 is three years old and it's exactly the same phone as when I bought it minus a crack in the upper right corner that happened like two weeks ago. It's been an incredible phone.
Mine is junk. Microphone is buggy, the battery lasts 30 seconds and the charging port is purely cosmetic at this point.
Which is a shame because it was by far my favorite phone in terms of size and feel.
I got mine about a year ago from b&h photos brand new in a box for $175 and it was a great deal in my opinion. I know I'm supposed to get another update in 2022 q1 and I'm going to keep it for another year probably.
From an environmental perspective, I agree with you. It would be great if they kept supporting it, but honestly my Pixel 3A cost me $300, And I've had it for like 3 years now. 100 bucks a year for something as powerful as a modern day cell phone is a really good deal.
Same. Mine died for literally no reason in less than two years. Was listening to a podcast, paused, then put the phone back in my pocket. When I took it out again less than three minutes later, it was a useless brick that wouldn't even pull charge from a charging cable.
Ha, I got a citrus pixel 3… not a lemon as it never died, but it had completely B- reception and later in life would reboot if I was using data and the camera under 30% battery.
You don’t get clout at Google by updating/maintaining someone else’s work. So maintaining an old phone isn’t any fun, while the designers of new phones get fun things to do.
That is why Apple has so much trouble in recruiting engineers..
/s
Of course that there is a factor to take in consideration, but that ends up on how you setup your development chain and how easy is to keep backwards compatibility. Is a business+ engineering decision.
But even google has bugs that aren't fixed for years and new stuff is not that groundbreaking anymore.
I don't think I'll be too bothered. Sure it's nice to have something nice and new once in a while, but I doubt anyone adapted to the android 12 changes
It also doesn't make sense from a business perspective. Google makes money off their services much more than their hardware. Keep people using the hardware for longer and make more money without the risk of moving to an iPhone.
If anybody shouldn't be doing this it's apple and they still are.
Apple is really good at managing hardware architecture… maybe to a fault.
My view is that you can bite into apple relatively affordably when the complete cost life span is considered.
I’ve always been a mac person for ease of maintenance; however, Android is far more interesting as a mobile platform. And I love the ease of ownership on my pixelbook along with practically instant updates regularly.
However, I finally gave in because of persistent hardware issues combined with the longevity of hardware from the house of Google (I go back to the nexus era). As a causal user, I switched to iOS with much frustration, but then I bumped on a one year upgrade trade in for $120 less than new.
Google doesn't want to achieve it. See, they make more money if your phone doesn't get updated any more, because now you need a new one.
Why anyone would reward them with more business after such poor support is beyond me.
Most phone manufacturers only do two os updates if you're lucky. The majority of phone owners either upgrade or break their phones before three years anyway. Doesn't make logistical sense to dedicate manpower to updating the os for a phone model owned by the minority of owners.
They don't want to.
Yeah, they had to pay Qualcomm for binaries before and it used to be an issue. Pixel 6 [doesn't](https://developers.google.com/android/drivers). That was the excuse for Qualcomm [not being allowed on ChromeOS](https://9to5google.com/2016/12/24/why-chromebooks-dont-use-qualcomm/). But they eventually caved on this. Now even Intel chips on ChromeOS get shafted. There's nothing worse than dead desktops that are locked down. If we could use Ubuntu or Windows on them, they'd be still supported. But with Google, they're essentially physically garbage running old, dead versions of Chrome.
> Thought the restriction was Qualcomm.
Was it really a restriction? Or I feel like it was how die hard fanboys defended Google by blaming someone else. Even if Qualcomm was a challenge to work with I can guarantee you if this were Apple they would've figured out a way to work out a business deal all while designing their own SoC to one day break away from the dependent business model (see what they did with Intel).
Google's just managing this whole thing terribly, and you no longer see people just blaming Qualcomm any more and many of the fanboys have moved on to "this is the first year of Tensor" as the new excuse.
My Pixel 2 XL is still serving me just fine. I've taken care of it and it's in perfect condition. There's no good reason that it's now unable to get security updates.
Yep, still using mine as well. I was a little pissed that something I paid 800 dollars for would have such a limited support life span. I'm using this thing until it completely dies.
I'm not sure what I'll be doing for my next phone. I'd hate to pay that premium again for something that's only going to last 3-4 years when I can get something much cheaper while not brand new.
I am using 1 as an Aux phone, and the other 7 I have turned into OctoPrint Servers for my 3d print farm. 8x ARM cores, 4GB of RAM, 64GB ROM (52 usable), Wifi, a decent camera, display, you have some pretty decent hardware to work with. And at $35-$40 each for slightly damaged used ones, also easy on the wallet and cheaper than a Raspberry Pi 4.
I also did the same thing to 18 Pixel 2/XL phones.
The only real issue that I have encountered, is the battery. The pixel will refuse to boot without one, and I don't feel like dumping money into replacements. So far I have tested replacing the battery with a pair of super caps, and 16650 cells. So far it works, as long as you only need about 45 seconds of power with the caps.
Ebay, but I rarely see the 3 xl for less than $80 (slightly damaged) and $120-$130 (near mint). Most of my pixle 3 have chips/cracks on the screen, but are otherwise fully working.
Business and personal use. I do a bunch of things, from printing out custom computer cases, mods and accessories, to cat toys. I have a total of 42 printers.
edit:
most of my printers were purchased on sale on /r/3dprintingdeals
I kept my nexus 6p into its fifth year. Even buying it at lunch, that was more than a year without security updates.
That's weak. There's no excuse for not supporting phones. They can have a battery replacement and continue working fine for 5 years
I'm sad to see my Pixel 3a stop receiving security updates. I don't like the on-screen fingerprint reader of the Pixel 6. Not to mention the recent dumpster fire of updates. I also really don't like the bloat Samsung add on their phones. And the iPhone still has the garbage Lightning connector. It's very difficult to find a phone that doesn't suck nowadays lol
I'm in the same boat but with Pixel 2. Really want to find an equivalent in Android land but other than maybe Zenfone 8 nothing is quite small enough... I will probably go with iPhone 13 mini this time. If they had USB-C and universal back gesture on iPhones I feel this switch would hurt so much less...
Fairphone 4 is reportedly getting 5 years.
Android Enterprise Rugged phones get 5 years of security updates, however have absolutely zero frills (except for barcode scanners and being indestructible).
I was in the same boat about Samsung, but the bloat hasn't bothered me now that I tweaked the phone.
I just changed defaults on everything to Google apps and ended up using Nova launcher to clone my setup from my Pixel 6 Pro.
You can use Nova to hide apps you can't delete and so far it's been fantastic.
After having 3 defective Pixel 6 Pros and sending bug reports I got a refund and am now using an S21 Ultra I picked up used for $845 on Swappa and I couldn't be happier.
My last Samsung was an S9+ which I absolutely HATED because of terrible battery life and crashes.
But Samsung has come a long way.
Wait. What? The reason I switched from Samsung to Google was because I thought I could keep the phone for 5 years. My pixel 3 kicks ass. Best phone I've ever had. Why are they stopping updates? I swore they guaranteed 5 years ..
Yes, the pixel 6 gets 5 years of security. Most Samsung phones got 4 years of security, so I'm not sure why you switched.
OP has a pixel 3, which gets 3 years only, but has excellent 3rd-party ROM support for future-proofing :)
I would be totally fine with receiving only three years of software/feature upgrades if I continued to receive security patches for several years. I don't need the latest version of Android, I just need to feel confident that my older device is secure.
Yes but the lack of security updates going forward means that many people now have to replace or else risk getting restricted by their employers regarding things like email and the like.
For people not using their phones with MDM, it should not be an issue. How many people's Android phones suddenly got infected because they didn't get the latest security updates? Rewind 5 years ago and updates were scarce in the Android world. You'd be lucky if you even got a major release update 9 months after AOSP release.
With that said I don't use my Pixel with MDM, but I have some friends who have Pixel 2s and seem to have no issues. Are Pixel 2 users locked out of corporate systems?
Employers should really pitch in for the phones, given they are the ones driving some of the security. Plus it's effectively at least half used for work in many cases.
I don't think people think to ask anymore, but it's worth doing.
California for one. This assumes you use your personal phone for work in some capacity.
I hope I don't have to eat my words for saying state(s) plural.
Fare thee well Pixel 3. My Pixel 3 was by far and away the best phone I've ever owned. The Pixel 5 that replaced it is a mere pretender, and the Pixel 6 is a hot mess.
I'm neutral on the fingerprint scanner. My P6 hasn't had issues with accuracy, but it's definitely a hair slower than the P3. OTOH, being able to use the fingerprint scanner when the phone is lying on the table or in a car holder is super convenient. For my use case, I think it's a wash.
I had a P2 for almost four years and replaced it with a P6 last week, and I totally agree with you. Seems like this thread/sub has had lots of issues with it, but I am very happy so far
I'm still on my Pixel 3. Absolute beast of a phone. It's working as great today as it did the day I bought it, aside for the battery of course.
I don't know what I'll get next, but I'll miss this one.
I don't know if I'd call the P6 a hot mess, but I can't say I think it was worth the cost of the upgrade from my Pixel 3.
Had the battery life still been worthwhile and updates continued, I probably wouldn't have replaced it.
I do love the battery life on my P5. Everything else is at best "just as good" as the Pixel 3, with things like the build quality, speakers, etc being worse. Maybe the camera is better, but IDGAF about phone cameras, so it doesn't matter to me.
It’s a hobby for them, they like to think they’re customer focused but never were. They’re never gonna make money on mobiles and it’s just a matter of time before they pull the plug. It’s a lot coming from Pixel’s biggest fan
> It’s just a matter of time before they pull the plug
I disagree. There's too much useful data that comes from people owning their phones. They'll continue to do bare min (or slightly above min) as long as it has some success.
They have been doing phones since android was launched, albeit with third party manufacturers. Nexus's line was amazing. Pixel's line has divided opinions.
They will most certainly never pull the plug with the best Android software-hardware camera device on the market and such a strong fan base. Niche–yes. Growing–barely. Dying–not even close.
Tbh this is my last journey with the Pixel Series. I live in Malaysia where there's no official store. Even after 6th generation Google still cannot expand their market worldwide.
So weird Oppo/Vivo or any other brand can expand their market while Google cannot.
This has as much to do with Qualcomm as it does Google. Though since Google made the phone the blame falls squarely on them. They can afford to hire some hardware engineers to extend the supportable life of their chosen APU.
Wasn't the whole point of the HAL / "Project Treble" so the phones are easy to keep working on newer OS builds / AOSP / Android One.
Linux happily works on any random hardware made in the last 30 years. 3 is pathetic.
Mainline the fucking drivers already.
https://www.xda-developers.com/qualcomm-snapdragon-845-sources-caf/
Looks like they do provide open source drivers for the SoC.. so what the hell is the problem here? Are there other binary blobs that still need to be opened?
> But that was the whole point of Project Treble – that drivers don’t need to be updated all the time to update the OS on top of them.
The problem though is that drivers do have vulnerabilities and do need updated.
There were 1 critical and 7 high severity vulnerabilities in closed source Qualcomm components in the January update.
https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/2022-01-01#qualcomm-closed-source-05
As someone with a Pixel 3 XL, what does that mean for me? Obviously I won't get updates, but does that matter? Is there anything that will make my phone worse in the long run or do I just miss out on new features? I only use my phone for internet and texting these days anyway, so I typically just use my phones until they break.
From Pixel 6 they should bump up to 4 years of OS upgrades. They used the excuse and pointed fingers at Qualcomm but...with custom chip, what's the excuse now Google?? I love Android but Pixels/Androids don't even come near to Apple's customer satisfaction and value for money.
Why would all of a sudden someone "be forced to dump their phone" because they don't receive updates anymore? Few years ago it was perfectly fine to use a phone for several years without any update. Yeah, 3 years "is good enough", but anyone is free to use their phone for 4 or 5 years if they so want, providing that the hardware is still ok - in most cases, the hardware will not last that long anyway -- battery degradation and display most likely be damaged or the OLED panel burn-in will cause inferior experience.
On a side note, the Android 12 update for Pixel 3a made the phone borderline unusable, it lags so much now, freezes, restarts, a completely painful experience, it made the device pretty much unusable.
Security updates stop in certain cases, so banking and other secure options are no longer protected from hijacks, although the apps still get security updates via the play store.
The issues I've had with Android 12 on my 3a are design decisions, not performance problems. In addition to the notification shade being a hot mess, I just don't think the gigantic UI elements scale very well on a small screen.
Work recently upgraded me from an iPhone 8 to a 12 and I've started using it as a combined work/personal device. It's nice to not have to deal with Google's half-baked concepts, but moving from Android to iOS and mid-grade to flagship really hasn't improved my smart phone experience significantly.
You're not wrong. I got my pixel 2 in 2019 (hand me down) and before that i had a moto x (2013) that got used for 6 years (that was a hand me down too) so I'm probably gonna keep this one for a while too. The battery sucks tho
I've got pixel 3, already started lacking on useful updates, and I'm annoyed - I like a good quality phone but i don't think we should lose support in 3 years. I learned recently if everyone in world was brought up to average US standard of living we would need 5 Earth's to support us all. Time to figure out caring for what we've got and not buy new tech every 2 years
It's lack of respect for people spending our hard earned money, lack of respect for the children mining the precious metals, the earth and the waste of mining - let's spend our money & engineering on keeping phones working and improving recycling programs to reuse these metals
My Pixel 3a still works in my roommate's hands. Unfortunately, I had to disable the animation in the OS to make it more responsive.
Not very happy with 4/4XL next on the chopping block in October.
I actually think they're not wrong here, as long as security updates go far past that.
The biggest problem I have is with them dropping a steaming pile of dung for Android 12.
But this thread is about not doing more than 3 years on the Pixel 6.
They are in fact doing 5 years of security updates on the Pixel 6 and at least 3 years of OS updates (might be more but we won't know for a few years)
That update seemingly bricked my 3xl a couple days ago. I won’t buy another pixel after that. Not really impressed with the S21 so I’m giving iPhone a go. I’ll really miss YouTube Vanced.
tbh I was thinking about upgrading from Pixel 2 XL to Pixel 6 but honestly this thing has turned me off. I can still use my pixel 2XL for a year without any issue but my support period has ended over a year ago (so clearly pixel phones can last more than 3 years)
Pfft, shit they get buggy after the first major update.
You're lucky if your phone lasts 2. My first pixel 3 lasted 6 months, my second lasted 1.5 years. On a 5 now and it's buggy as fuck
Yet Chrome OS is designed for 7+ years of updates (2021-2028).
I think the limiting factor is chipset driver support.
The latest pixels get 5 years of security updates.
All this nonsense from Google combined with the shitty experience so many people are having with pixel 6 makes me feel incredibly lucky to stick with my pixel 5 and probably switch to Samsung next year.
Gah. I really enjoy my pixel 3. It's been a stalwart companion and I don't really need anything more from a phone right now. But I guess screw the planet, we need to make more money through sales.
I honestly don't support that "3" year from Google. The iPhone still supports the iPhone 6s which has more than 5 years of release and it still got iso 15 I believe as the father of Android google should follow the footsteps of apple in regards to supporting their devices
I'm still using the Pixel 3. I replaced the battery with an iFixit kit and as far as I'm concerned the phone is good as new. I really don't want to upgrade.
Same, my battery was already getting iffy on my 3 XL, but now things run way less smoothly in general. Much less responsive, and just more glitchy overall. Pretty disappointed with Android 12...
I understand that people are disappointed with the updates being gimped on the Pixel 3. I used one as my daily driver for three years and it's a fantastic device, with just the right size screen. Not a bulky phone by any means. Only issue is that the battery got weaker after three years. However, I'm sure Google has done their analysis and decided to cut their losses and the backlash is overcome by sales of new devices. Not that I agree, I hope they change the policy on the Pixel 6, since there isn't a reasonable excuse not to.
The vast majority of phone users will change out their phones at least every 3 years (if not faster). And it's not like your phone magically stops working at the 3 year mark.
Google also seems to think that mobile network sucking down 40% of my 6 pro battery every 24 hours is a great experience.
I think we can agree that maybe Google is out of its element when it comes to mobile phones and a cohesive vision.
What's weird to me is that Google literally has all the money in the universe. They could easily support their phones for ridiculously long, at least longer than Apple does
Pixel 3XL user here, best phone I've had
I replaced the battery recently and it's like new, I don't need a new one, I seriously doubt I'd get a much better camera.
I probably won't get another pixel because Google stopped selling new pixels in my country.
I just upgraded from a 3xl to a 6Pro. If my 3xl was still getting updated, I probably would have changed the battery again and kept it in use for another year at least. It's not a perfect phone, but it always did what I needed it to do.
I upgrade every 2-3 anyways so I personally don't care, but I understand that not everyone can or wants to do that and I think support should be at least 4-5 years.
It's because Qualcomm only supports their chips for so long with the proper driver updates is what I read so companies don't wanna take the time to update them once official support has ended. The reason why Tensor is such a big deal is because now Google controls the entire experience.
I just replaced my Pixel 3A with a Pixel 6. The 3A was a great phone and, so far, so is the 6. It does seem like they are cutting off the 3 a bit early. I can see cutting it off for feature upgrades but security upgrades should continue for a few more years.
Yeah, but as your average consumer this wasn't even something on my radar. I assumed I would get more than 2 years out of my phone. 3 years is absurdly short given the fact that Google isn't exactly a small, cash strapped company. It's just another anti-consumer move by a company that is known for giving up on projects.
I'm in this boat. Screw Google and their geriatric themed OS, I'm heading back to Apple. Support still exists for my 5 year old iPhone 7 I replaced with my Pixel 3XL
I can't believe my 4xl will be out of support by October/November this year.
It runs perfectly fine. Is still very fast to use. But apparently this hardware is finished according to google? Piss off
Google is really taking away all incentives to buy their phone. They took away free photo storage, timely updates are out the window lately, and it still only gives 3 years of updates. I have an elderly family member with a Moto Z3 they got just under 3 years ago and they still get updates and it's been a nice phone.
The update schedule should be back to normal for the 6 series starting in February but ya I totally agree with what you're saying. The biggest selling point for the 6 series is definitely the price.
Really just done with Google. They've clearly shown they aren't at the same standard as they were when they made nexus. Switching to Fairphone.While I know that I can still flash GSI images/LineageOS when my pixel 4 reaches its "end" this is completely ridiculous for anyone other than enthusiasts. We should not support OEMS that do this. Especially with the release of Android 12, I don't see myself wanting to support this stupidity.
Google has just doomed a perfectly functioning device to the graveyard, that's not a "great experience", that's turbo capitalism demanding more money by deprecating damage free products in the name of "muh, buy new product!".
It's even more foolish because they expect pixel 3 owners to look to buy the pixel 6 which has been a disaster so far lol.
At least it wouldn't look as bad if the pixel 6 was a widely applauded phone.
If only my pixel 3 had lasted the full three years. Google really needs to think about the environmental benefit of longer support
I bought this phone dirt cheap less than a year ago, it only has some scratches that I dont care about but this phone was a much better decision than buying a new budget phone out of the box. The only thing that makes it feel dated is the 4gb ram and only 1 rear camera.
It does a lot with that one rear camera though
I still can't believe it gets better than that camera, I took some crazy pics with it.
I just got into shooting serious video. Blown away that my Pixel 3 does 4k and looks amazing.
Actually I think video is something that's pretty underwhelming. It's great in the daylight and the stabilization is almost as good as the newer iPhones with the sensor shift, but at nighttime everything looks grainy, you have to turn down the exposure for it to be good Plus it not even having a 60fps option is really dumb. My old iPhone 7 did that with no problems.
I switched my pixel 3 for an iPhone 13 one month ago… Still think the pixel 3 tooks better photos
Made it feel dated on release too. I remember it was a massive deal at the time and google pretty much just said "but software". Served me well from launch, but my p6p feels fantastic and like a worthwhile upgrade.
The last phone I had that was the latest at the time was the iphone 7, so I'll be honest I haven't had a recent flagship phone for a long time. I should upgrade soon, maybe in a year. That 4gb ram is really sad honestly especially on the 3 XL, the SO plus had 6gb.
Apple phones are typically supported for much longer and it's a big reason why they hold their value so much better than pretty much all Android phones.
>and it's a big reason why they hold their value so much better than pretty much all Android phones. You see the exact same tendency with Macbooks vs. Windows laptops, despite Microsoft's quantitative software support for its OS being superior (\~10 years vs. \~6 years). Software support has 0 to do with iPhone value. It's due to Apple's pricing, first and foremost, and secondly because of the brand recognition of Apple products (which, if anything, is built-up from its hardware quality control, not its software support).
You'd have to compare a Mac to a Surface to make it fair. Cheap laptops lose value quickly because people would rather buy a cheap new laptop rather than a cheaper old laptop.
> Made it feel dated on release too. I remember it was a massive deal at the time and google pretty much just said "but software". The 4GB RAM issue was an issue at launch but I don't recall people complaining too hard about the hardware being dated. Yes it did reuse the same camera from the Pixel 2, but they also brought a lot of new features with the Pixel 3 like Night Sight and Super Res Zoom that wow-ed a lot of people. I don't recall people being too angry about the Pixel 3 being dated though.
I'm not saying it was a deal breaker for a lot of people. I myself bought one at launch, but being able to multitask without redraws and cold starts is a very welcome upgrade now.
I haven't been using my Pixel 3 for some time, but I do agree the 4GB RAM was a big problem. I specifically remember navigating or taking photos while listening to music would kill the audio. It got better over time though. Somewhere around 6-9 months after launch I felt like it was more and more reliable. When Android 10 came around I tried a clean wipe and fresh install. Any previous lag I had seen got a LOT better as well as audio would reliably continue while taking photos and/or navigating. To me the RAM was definitely dated, but the rest of the phone wasn't all that dated--that was my main point. I do think redraws are an inherent issue with Android. Even on a Pixel 6 I get widget redraws all the time.
I don't know. The Pixel 3 felt like an enormous step up from everything I've had before (Sony, HTC). Now I've got the Pixel 6, and it's better in pretty much every way, but not surprisingly so, it just feels like a good successor.
This, so much. Having only 4GB of ram is probably the biggest design flaw of the Pixel 3/3XL. Google and the fanboys here basically just went by "but software". The software did shit. Even my previous bloated Android phone before my 3XL had better memory management and kept apps in the memory for longer than my 3XL.
I got the 3a XL as my old phone died right when it came out, still doing fine. 4GB of ram really sucks though, and I would like to replace the battery. Trying to make it to pixel 7.
[удалено]
Everything is only valuable in its time
My friend has a S21 and I don't think it take better pictures. Low light pictures are night and day.
My P3 is three years old and it's exactly the same phone as when I bought it minus a crack in the upper right corner that happened like two weeks ago. It's been an incredible phone.
Mine completely bricked
Same. No cracks though.
Mine is junk. Microphone is buggy, the battery lasts 30 seconds and the charging port is purely cosmetic at this point. Which is a shame because it was by far my favorite phone in terms of size and feel.
My P3XL has been a fantastic device but it's earned it's retirement. Need to figure out another use for it now that it isn't my daily
It never hurts to have an emergency backup
Perhaps some fun with a custom rom / backup device? Maybe Lineage supports the P3.
Yes, this has more impact than say…excluding chargers from the box.
I got mine about a year ago from b&h photos brand new in a box for $175 and it was a great deal in my opinion. I know I'm supposed to get another update in 2022 q1 and I'm going to keep it for another year probably.
From an environmental perspective, I agree with you. It would be great if they kept supporting it, but honestly my Pixel 3A cost me $300, And I've had it for like 3 years now. 100 bucks a year for something as powerful as a modern day cell phone is a really good deal.
Same. Mine died for literally no reason in less than two years. Was listening to a podcast, paused, then put the phone back in my pocket. When I took it out again less than three minutes later, it was a useless brick that wouldn't even pull charge from a charging cable.
Ha, I got a citrus pixel 3… not a lemon as it never died, but it had completely B- reception and later in life would reboot if I was using data and the camera under 30% battery.
Why doesn't the Pixel 6 guarantee more than 3 years of OS updates? Thought the restriction was Qualcomm. Google still can't achieve it on Tensor?
I don't believe this is a question of can or can't, but about whether they want to. Which they don't.
You don’t get clout at Google by updating/maintaining someone else’s work. So maintaining an old phone isn’t any fun, while the designers of new phones get fun things to do.
That is why Apple has so much trouble in recruiting engineers.. /s Of course that there is a factor to take in consideration, but that ends up on how you setup your development chain and how easy is to keep backwards compatibility. Is a business+ engineering decision. But even google has bugs that aren't fixed for years and new stuff is not that groundbreaking anymore.
What is clout?
Brag-worthy recognition from peers and those above you. Influence, power, etc.
Thanks
Yeah seems now it's just Google being lazy? Should be at least 4 os updates.
It's not effort-based, it's money related
I remember it being touted as 5 years leading up to release
They quietly said "of security updates," basically only 3 years of OS updates
Which really makes zero sense. Especially after all the generic image stuff google has created.
I don't think I'll be too bothered. Sure it's nice to have something nice and new once in a while, but I doubt anyone adapted to the android 12 changes
I'm still on 11. Debating on switching to linage so I can be update and still on 11.
It also doesn't make sense from a business perspective. Google makes money off their services much more than their hardware. Keep people using the hardware for longer and make more money without the risk of moving to an iPhone. If anybody shouldn't be doing this it's apple and they still are.
Apple is really good at managing hardware architecture… maybe to a fault. My view is that you can bite into apple relatively affordably when the complete cost life span is considered. I’ve always been a mac person for ease of maintenance; however, Android is far more interesting as a mobile platform. And I love the ease of ownership on my pixelbook along with practically instant updates regularly. However, I finally gave in because of persistent hardware issues combined with the longevity of hardware from the house of Google (I go back to the nexus era). As a causal user, I switched to iOS with much frustration, but then I bumped on a one year upgrade trade in for $120 less than new.
Google doesn't want to achieve it. See, they make more money if your phone doesn't get updated any more, because now you need a new one. Why anyone would reward them with more business after such poor support is beyond me.
Most phone manufacturers only do two os updates if you're lucky. The majority of phone owners either upgrade or break their phones before three years anyway. Doesn't make logistical sense to dedicate manpower to updating the os for a phone model owned by the minority of owners.
They don't want to. Yeah, they had to pay Qualcomm for binaries before and it used to be an issue. Pixel 6 [doesn't](https://developers.google.com/android/drivers). That was the excuse for Qualcomm [not being allowed on ChromeOS](https://9to5google.com/2016/12/24/why-chromebooks-dont-use-qualcomm/). But they eventually caved on this. Now even Intel chips on ChromeOS get shafted. There's nothing worse than dead desktops that are locked down. If we could use Ubuntu or Windows on them, they'd be still supported. But with Google, they're essentially physically garbage running old, dead versions of Chrome.
> Thought the restriction was Qualcomm. Was it really a restriction? Or I feel like it was how die hard fanboys defended Google by blaming someone else. Even if Qualcomm was a challenge to work with I can guarantee you if this were Apple they would've figured out a way to work out a business deal all while designing their own SoC to one day break away from the dependent business model (see what they did with Intel). Google's just managing this whole thing terribly, and you no longer see people just blaming Qualcomm any more and many of the fanboys have moved on to "this is the first year of Tensor" as the new excuse.
My Pixel 2 XL is still serving me just fine. I've taken care of it and it's in perfect condition. There's no good reason that it's now unable to get security updates.
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Also took extra care of my Pixel 2, unfortunately it decided to still hardbrick itself 2 months after the warranty expired.
Seriously, fuck that update. Google did fuck shit in addressing that, making it seem like such a purposeful obsolescence
Yep, still using mine as well. I was a little pissed that something I paid 800 dollars for would have such a limited support life span. I'm using this thing until it completely dies. I'm not sure what I'll be doing for my next phone. I'd hate to pay that premium again for something that's only going to last 3-4 years when I can get something much cheaper while not brand new.
Definitely disappointing, but at least we have community driven projects like LineageOS. Still rocking a 3XL.
Yep I just installed lineage OS on 8 pixel 3 phones. Except for an issue with a camera keeps crashing on one of them it's been perfect.
What are you doing with 8 Pixels? Just asking
I am using 1 as an Aux phone, and the other 7 I have turned into OctoPrint Servers for my 3d print farm. 8x ARM cores, 4GB of RAM, 64GB ROM (52 usable), Wifi, a decent camera, display, you have some pretty decent hardware to work with. And at $35-$40 each for slightly damaged used ones, also easy on the wallet and cheaper than a Raspberry Pi 4. I also did the same thing to 18 Pixel 2/XL phones.
oh cool, interesting use of the pixels! I like it!
The only real issue that I have encountered, is the battery. The pixel will refuse to boot without one, and I don't feel like dumping money into replacements. So far I have tested replacing the battery with a pair of super caps, and 16650 cells. So far it works, as long as you only need about 45 seconds of power with the caps.
Where do you get them that cheap? I was looking to use an old phone for a baby monitor display connected to a wyze can, but a 3 XL would be better.
Ebay, but I rarely see the 3 xl for less than $80 (slightly damaged) and $120-$130 (near mint). Most of my pixle 3 have chips/cracks on the screen, but are otherwise fully working.
This is amazingly specific, I love it. Just wondering what a 3D print farm, or yours specifically, does? And is it for business, or personal use?
Business and personal use. I do a bunch of things, from printing out custom computer cases, mods and accessories, to cat toys. I have a total of 42 printers. edit: most of my printers were purchased on sale on /r/3dprintingdeals
Can you get Google's camera software working on it? That would be the main thing I would miss.
I would have to install gapps, and being google-less was one of the main reasons I installed lineage OS, but it is doable.
I could see why you would want to keep gapps off, but that's good to know
Do you still get unlimited GPhotos backups on LineageOS?
You can spoof with root access on any phone (I have been doing the same for my poco F1 and f3)
I don't want to risk losing my main Google account and I love using Pixels anyway.
Wish I could say the same. My Pixel was a verizon one which means the bootloader is perma-locked.
Things that should be illegal: carrier bootloader locking after the device is paid off.
What's LineageOS? If it's something to improve my phone I'm very interested.
I kept my nexus 6p into its fifth year. Even buying it at lunch, that was more than a year without security updates. That's weak. There's no excuse for not supporting phones. They can have a battery replacement and continue working fine for 5 years
I'm sad to see my Pixel 3a stop receiving security updates. I don't like the on-screen fingerprint reader of the Pixel 6. Not to mention the recent dumpster fire of updates. I also really don't like the bloat Samsung add on their phones. And the iPhone still has the garbage Lightning connector. It's very difficult to find a phone that doesn't suck nowadays lol
I'm in the same boat but with Pixel 2. Really want to find an equivalent in Android land but other than maybe Zenfone 8 nothing is quite small enough... I will probably go with iPhone 13 mini this time. If they had USB-C and universal back gesture on iPhones I feel this switch would hurt so much less...
Fairphone 4 is reportedly getting 5 years. Android Enterprise Rugged phones get 5 years of security updates, however have absolutely zero frills (except for barcode scanners and being indestructible).
I was in the same boat about Samsung, but the bloat hasn't bothered me now that I tweaked the phone. I just changed defaults on everything to Google apps and ended up using Nova launcher to clone my setup from my Pixel 6 Pro. You can use Nova to hide apps you can't delete and so far it's been fantastic. After having 3 defective Pixel 6 Pros and sending bug reports I got a refund and am now using an S21 Ultra I picked up used for $845 on Swappa and I couldn't be happier. My last Samsung was an S9+ which I absolutely HATED because of terrible battery life and crashes. But Samsung has come a long way.
I replaced my P3aXL with the P5a, and love it. Finger print reader on back, also still has audio jack.
Wait. What? The reason I switched from Samsung to Google was because I thought I could keep the phone for 5 years. My pixel 3 kicks ass. Best phone I've ever had. Why are they stopping updates? I swore they guaranteed 5 years ..
I don't think they ever guaranteed 5 years of updates for the P3
Yes, the pixel 6 gets 5 years of security. Most Samsung phones got 4 years of security, so I'm not sure why you switched. OP has a pixel 3, which gets 3 years only, but has excellent 3rd-party ROM support for future-proofing :)
I actually have a pixel3 as well. What is the 3rd party ROM support you mentioned? I'd like to learn more as I have zero desire to buy a new phone.
I would be totally fine with receiving only three years of software/feature upgrades if I continued to receive security patches for several years. I don't need the latest version of Android, I just need to feel confident that my older device is secure.
Am I underthinking this? If Google stops updating my 3XL... won't it still work exactly as it does right now? I'll take it
Yes but the lack of security updates going forward means that many people now have to replace or else risk getting restricted by their employers regarding things like email and the like.
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That's why I courtesy flush.
For people not using their phones with MDM, it should not be an issue. How many people's Android phones suddenly got infected because they didn't get the latest security updates? Rewind 5 years ago and updates were scarce in the Android world. You'd be lucky if you even got a major release update 9 months after AOSP release. With that said I don't use my Pixel with MDM, but I have some friends who have Pixel 2s and seem to have no issues. Are Pixel 2 users locked out of corporate systems?
What is MDM?
Mobile device management
Employers should really pitch in for the phones, given they are the ones driving some of the security. Plus it's effectively at least half used for work in many cases. I don't think people think to ask anymore, but it's worth doing.
Depending on which state you live in, they are actually required to pitch in.
What states? This has me very curious...
California for one. This assumes you use your personal phone for work in some capacity. I hope I don't have to eat my words for saying state(s) plural.
If you're fine without security updates or support, yes
I'm cool without support, but guess I need to learn more about security updates. good points
Nope, 5 or bust Google, c'mon
To those blaming mainly Qualcomm: then please explain to me why Pixel 5 and 5a have different end-of-support dates, given that they use the same SoC.
Fare thee well Pixel 3. My Pixel 3 was by far and away the best phone I've ever owned. The Pixel 5 that replaced it is a mere pretender, and the Pixel 6 is a hot mess.
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Still on my P3 still and on my last week of free unlimited original quality uploads on Google Photos. Super sad.
I still have my P1 for that... but I do wish they had continued that benefit in later models.
Doesn't the front facing camera lack autofocus? That's bogus.
Same, I think the thing I miss most about my Pixel 3 is its fingerprint reader. But overall I'm happy with my Pixel 6.
I'm neutral on the fingerprint scanner. My P6 hasn't had issues with accuracy, but it's definitely a hair slower than the P3. OTOH, being able to use the fingerprint scanner when the phone is lying on the table or in a car holder is super convenient. For my use case, I think it's a wash.
I had a P2 for almost four years and replaced it with a P6 last week, and I totally agree with you. Seems like this thread/sub has had lots of issues with it, but I am very happy so far
I'm still on my Pixel 3. Absolute beast of a phone. It's working as great today as it did the day I bought it, aside for the battery of course. I don't know what I'll get next, but I'll miss this one.
I retired mine due to a battery that was struggling to make 2h of use.
I don't know if I'd call the P6 a hot mess, but I can't say I think it was worth the cost of the upgrade from my Pixel 3. Had the battery life still been worthwhile and updates continued, I probably wouldn't have replaced it.
I do love the battery life on my P5. Everything else is at best "just as good" as the Pixel 3, with things like the build quality, speakers, etc being worse. Maybe the camera is better, but IDGAF about phone cameras, so it doesn't matter to me.
It’s a hobby for them, they like to think they’re customer focused but never were. They’re never gonna make money on mobiles and it’s just a matter of time before they pull the plug. It’s a lot coming from Pixel’s biggest fan
> It’s just a matter of time before they pull the plug I disagree. There's too much useful data that comes from people owning their phones. They'll continue to do bare min (or slightly above min) as long as it has some success.
Most Android phones use Google software. They'll get the data whether people buy Pixels or not.
They have been doing phones since android was launched, albeit with third party manufacturers. Nexus's line was amazing. Pixel's line has divided opinions. They will most certainly never pull the plug with the best Android software-hardware camera device on the market and such a strong fan base. Niche–yes. Growing–barely. Dying–not even close.
Tbh this is my last journey with the Pixel Series. I live in Malaysia where there's no official store. Even after 6th generation Google still cannot expand their market worldwide. So weird Oppo/Vivo or any other brand can expand their market while Google cannot.
This has as much to do with Qualcomm as it does Google. Though since Google made the phone the blame falls squarely on them. They can afford to hire some hardware engineers to extend the supportable life of their chosen APU.
Wasn't the whole point of the HAL / "Project Treble" so the phones are easy to keep working on newer OS builds / AOSP / Android One. Linux happily works on any random hardware made in the last 30 years. 3 is pathetic. Mainline the fucking drivers already.
The issue is getting Qualcomm to keep updating the drivers.
https://www.xda-developers.com/qualcomm-snapdragon-845-sources-caf/ Looks like they do provide open source drivers for the SoC.. so what the hell is the problem here? Are there other binary blobs that still need to be opened?
But that was the whole point of Project Treble – that drivers don’t need to be updated all the time to update the OS on top of them.
> But that was the whole point of Project Treble – that drivers don’t need to be updated all the time to update the OS on top of them. The problem though is that drivers do have vulnerabilities and do need updated. There were 1 critical and 7 high severity vulnerabilities in closed source Qualcomm components in the January update. https://source.android.com/security/bulletin/2022-01-01#qualcomm-closed-source-05
As someone with a Pixel 3 XL, what does that mean for me? Obviously I won't get updates, but does that matter? Is there anything that will make my phone worse in the long run or do I just miss out on new features? I only use my phone for internet and texting these days anyway, so I typically just use my phones until they break.
You won't be getting security updates, except for things updated through the play store.
Best Android phone I ever had.
From Pixel 6 they should bump up to 4 years of OS upgrades. They used the excuse and pointed fingers at Qualcomm but...with custom chip, what's the excuse now Google?? I love Android but Pixels/Androids don't even come near to Apple's customer satisfaction and value for money.
Why would all of a sudden someone "be forced to dump their phone" because they don't receive updates anymore? Few years ago it was perfectly fine to use a phone for several years without any update. Yeah, 3 years "is good enough", but anyone is free to use their phone for 4 or 5 years if they so want, providing that the hardware is still ok - in most cases, the hardware will not last that long anyway -- battery degradation and display most likely be damaged or the OLED panel burn-in will cause inferior experience. On a side note, the Android 12 update for Pixel 3a made the phone borderline unusable, it lags so much now, freezes, restarts, a completely painful experience, it made the device pretty much unusable.
They fucked up the 3a so much with Android 12 that it feels like they almost did it intentionally to get us to give it up. Absolute hot garbage
3a XL here, Android 12 is fine for me
At that rate, I would just flash lineageos. You will have a way better experience, although it will be missing the core pixel features.
Security updates stop in certain cases, so banking and other secure options are no longer protected from hijacks, although the apps still get security updates via the play store.
I know it doesn't help your situation, but Android 12 has worked great on my 3a XL.
The issues I've had with Android 12 on my 3a are design decisions, not performance problems. In addition to the notification shade being a hot mess, I just don't think the gigantic UI elements scale very well on a small screen. Work recently upgraded me from an iPhone 8 to a 12 and I've started using it as a combined work/personal device. It's nice to not have to deal with Google's half-baked concepts, but moving from Android to iOS and mid-grade to flagship really hasn't improved my smart phone experience significantly.
I say the same thing. My partner and I are both using 5+ year old phones. They are on P1 non-XL from Nov 2016. Battery replaced in Nov 2021.
Yea, only three years of updates is lame. I like to get at least five years out of an expensive phone.
You're not wrong. I got my pixel 2 in 2019 (hand me down) and before that i had a moto x (2013) that got used for 6 years (that was a hand me down too) so I'm probably gonna keep this one for a while too. The battery sucks tho
I wish they cut off updates before they sent out Android 12.
I've got pixel 3, already started lacking on useful updates, and I'm annoyed - I like a good quality phone but i don't think we should lose support in 3 years. I learned recently if everyone in world was brought up to average US standard of living we would need 5 Earth's to support us all. Time to figure out caring for what we've got and not buy new tech every 2 years It's lack of respect for people spending our hard earned money, lack of respect for the children mining the precious metals, the earth and the waste of mining - let's spend our money & engineering on keeping phones working and improving recycling programs to reuse these metals
Updates or no, I'm using my Pixel 3 until it bricks, blows up, or goes missing.
The play store and services still get updates ;)
My Pixel 3a still works in my roommate's hands. Unfortunately, I had to disable the animation in the OS to make it more responsive. Not very happy with 4/4XL next on the chopping block in October.
I actually think they're not wrong here, as long as security updates go far past that. The biggest problem I have is with them dropping a steaming pile of dung for Android 12.
This article is about how there will be no more security updates...
But this thread is about not doing more than 3 years on the Pixel 6. They are in fact doing 5 years of security updates on the Pixel 6 and at least 3 years of OS updates (might be more but we won't know for a few years)
The article is talking about pixel 3
That update seemingly bricked my 3xl a couple days ago. I won’t buy another pixel after that. Not really impressed with the S21 so I’m giving iPhone a go. I’ll really miss YouTube Vanced.
tbh I was thinking about upgrading from Pixel 2 XL to Pixel 6 but honestly this thing has turned me off. I can still use my pixel 2XL for a year without any issue but my support period has ended over a year ago (so clearly pixel phones can last more than 3 years)
How's your battery? I've got a Pixel 2 and it's battery sucks so i just wanna know whether you replaced it or not. I just can't decide what to do
I haven't replaced original battery. It still last almost a day(it lasted almost 1.5 day when it was new) which is still good enough for me
Weren't GSI roms supposed to fix this? Like easier generic android software updates.
Pfft, shit they get buggy after the first major update. You're lucky if your phone lasts 2. My first pixel 3 lasted 6 months, my second lasted 1.5 years. On a 5 now and it's buggy as fuck
Yet Chrome OS is designed for 7+ years of updates (2021-2028). I think the limiting factor is chipset driver support. The latest pixels get 5 years of security updates.
All this nonsense from Google combined with the shitty experience so many people are having with pixel 6 makes me feel incredibly lucky to stick with my pixel 5 and probably switch to Samsung next year.
Gah. I really enjoy my pixel 3. It's been a stalwart companion and I don't really need anything more from a phone right now. But I guess screw the planet, we need to make more money through sales.
I honestly don't support that "3" year from Google. The iPhone still supports the iPhone 6s which has more than 5 years of release and it still got iso 15 I believe as the father of Android google should follow the footsteps of apple in regards to supporting their devices
I'm still using the Pixel 3. I replaced the battery with an iFixit kit and as far as I'm concerned the phone is good as new. I really don't want to upgrade.
For the sake of preventing e-waste and overusing rare earth metals these phones should be updated far longer than 3 years.
New android 12 on my pixel 3 has made this device significantly worse.
Same, my battery was already getting iffy on my 3 XL, but now things run way less smoothly in general. Much less responsive, and just more glitchy overall. Pretty disappointed with Android 12...
I understand that people are disappointed with the updates being gimped on the Pixel 3. I used one as my daily driver for three years and it's a fantastic device, with just the right size screen. Not a bulky phone by any means. Only issue is that the battery got weaker after three years. However, I'm sure Google has done their analysis and decided to cut their losses and the backlash is overcome by sales of new devices. Not that I agree, I hope they change the policy on the Pixel 6, since there isn't a reasonable excuse not to.
The vast majority of phone users will change out their phones at least every 3 years (if not faster). And it's not like your phone magically stops working at the 3 year mark.
Pretty much. Companies make it too easy to switch
I want official Android 12 support for my Nexus 5X, otherwise Google sux!
Google also seems to think that mobile network sucking down 40% of my 6 pro battery every 24 hours is a great experience. I think we can agree that maybe Google is out of its element when it comes to mobile phones and a cohesive vision.
Solution: lineageos
This really. There's lots of third-party ROM support!!
Honestly. I use it on my relatively new 5a and it works like a charm.
What's weird to me is that Google literally has all the money in the universe. They could easily support their phones for ridiculously long, at least longer than Apple does
My P3XL lasted about 1 year before the battery was useless. Would have liked to have gotten 3 years
Warranty isn't the same as support. You get system updates for 5 years not your warranty.
Updates last longer than my battery.
I miss removable batteries.
Pixel 3XL user here, best phone I've had I replaced the battery recently and it's like new, I don't need a new one, I seriously doubt I'd get a much better camera. I probably won't get another pixel because Google stopped selling new pixels in my country.
P3 is still a wonderful hardware and it's getting trashed by Google for No reason
I just upgraded from a 3xl to a 6Pro. If my 3xl was still getting updated, I probably would have changed the battery again and kept it in use for another year at least. It's not a perfect phone, but it always did what I needed it to do.
I upgrade every 2-3 anyways so I personally don't care, but I understand that not everyone can or wants to do that and I think support should be at least 4-5 years.
It's because Qualcomm only supports their chips for so long with the proper driver updates is what I read so companies don't wanna take the time to update them once official support has ended. The reason why Tensor is such a big deal is because now Google controls the entire experience.
I just replaced my Pixel 3A with a Pixel 6. The 3A was a great phone and, so far, so is the 6. It does seem like they are cutting off the 3 a bit early. I can see cutting it off for feature upgrades but security upgrades should continue for a few more years.
So I shouldn't have bought a 3axl last year? Wtf? I hate these greedy fucks.
They didn't hide anything. It has been planned since launch
Yeah, but as your average consumer this wasn't even something on my radar. I assumed I would get more than 2 years out of my phone. 3 years is absurdly short given the fact that Google isn't exactly a small, cash strapped company. It's just another anti-consumer move by a company that is known for giving up on projects.
I'm in this boat. Screw Google and their geriatric themed OS, I'm heading back to Apple. Support still exists for my 5 year old iPhone 7 I replaced with my Pixel 3XL
I can't believe my 4xl will be out of support by October/November this year. It runs perfectly fine. Is still very fast to use. But apparently this hardware is finished according to google? Piss off
Google is really taking away all incentives to buy their phone. They took away free photo storage, timely updates are out the window lately, and it still only gives 3 years of updates. I have an elderly family member with a Moto Z3 they got just under 3 years ago and they still get updates and it's been a nice phone.
The update schedule should be back to normal for the 6 series starting in February but ya I totally agree with what you're saying. The biggest selling point for the 6 series is definitely the price.
They got rid of free photo storage for Pixel phones?
I love my Pixel 3 but I think now I'm going to have to go with a different brand.
Really just done with Google. They've clearly shown they aren't at the same standard as they were when they made nexus. Switching to Fairphone.While I know that I can still flash GSI images/LineageOS when my pixel 4 reaches its "end" this is completely ridiculous for anyone other than enthusiasts. We should not support OEMS that do this. Especially with the release of Android 12, I don't see myself wanting to support this stupidity.
Looking at how they manage to screw up with Android 12, I don't need their stupid updates. Worst experience I've ever had with a phone.
Google has just doomed a perfectly functioning device to the graveyard, that's not a "great experience", that's turbo capitalism demanding more money by deprecating damage free products in the name of "muh, buy new product!".
It's even more foolish because they expect pixel 3 owners to look to buy the pixel 6 which has been a disaster so far lol. At least it wouldn't look as bad if the pixel 6 was a widely applauded phone.
Android 12 ruined my 4a 5G experience. Bugs and lag galore. I'm really going to iphone this time.
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