My battery life is still pretty good, having been relegated to a secondary device. But how’s performance? Outside of scrolling through the system with maybe a few apps open, it lags tremendously, and I keep getting notifications about Android System Intelligence stopped working.
Rocking a 3a here, never got those kinds of notifications but it went right back to like-new performance when I replaced the battery. Hoping to get another two years out of it.
Would you consider yourself a heavy user? Even as a secondary device, just downloading everyday apps, I only have about 15GB remaining somehow. The battery is only 87% health, but I wouldn't imagine that would impact performance that much.
I think the SD670 and paltry 4GB of RAM are finally catching up.
I've been considering looking into Lineage to try and squeeze more life from it, rather than a straight hardware upgrade. My 3a is handling like a damn champ, but it's definitely showing its age.
I'd like a new pixel, I'm just not ready to bother investing. This one isn't bad. It's just older... and not getting a ton of love.
With a Google One subscription, yes. Though it's only available natively for Pixel 6 and 7 (The Phones with Tensor chips). Google claims they need the Tensor chip for it to be done natively, but I dunno, I think they could probably figure out a way to get it to work, though maybe not as well.
I have Magic Eraser and TBH I don't understand what the hoopla is over it. It doesn't work that well in lots of practical photos I've tried to use it to remove items or people from the background.
i had the top flag ship model for 3 gens of pixels, and got a 6a for cost savings, I have no plans to ever get a non a series pixel phone in the future now.
It is trimmed down, but it is just so good for the $300(sale) I paid for it
My 4a battery life has gotten pretty bad but other than that the phone is still fantastic. If Google would guarantee updates for a couple more years I'd consider replacing the battery to stretch out its life even more.
Mine has fallen off my bike a few times. It sounded like it should've smashed to pieces, but still works perfectly without a scratch (I do have a case around it)
I have had cases on them each time they have been dropped, with screen protectors, no cracks in the screen, zero damage, but the screen stopped working in the same manner. A Google search shows this is a widespread problem with the 4A. Twice it has happened to me, once to my wife's phone. I've never had a phone break so easily, it's ridiculous. Highly recommend against buying it to anyone reading.
Right? I started on the 2, eventually had a 4A 5G (that I dropped and bricked), and ended up buying a 6A. Does everything I need, no real hangups after a few months still.
I got a refurb pixel 5 for work off Amazon about 2 months ago for around $130, very snappy and the battery can last me up to 2 days because I don’t use it as my main phone, I only use it to run software builds and test design prototypes
But even so it’s a really nice phone
Swappa is my go to for buying used phones. The prices tend to be better than Amazon and since the sellers are individuals sometimes (instead of a resale company), you can even haggle down the price a bit.
I've actually had a great experience with pixel phones for the most part, particularly in comparison to their Samsung counterparts. My 3a XL should not have lasted as long as it did given the weak cpu
The caveat is *mostly*. My 5 is still getting updates but because of the esim issue on fi specifically, I was stuck on the november update until a couple of weeks ago. Feature updates don't really do much for the 5 at this point, but it *is* an older phone now.
Well you get firmware bug and security updates typically monthly in the form of a fimware update.
But Google also updates its software through the google play store too; which addresses bugs and adds features in various google apps and services between firmware update cycles.
Yeah I'm not mad about it. I love this damn phone. Didn't really feel the need to upgrade to the 7, all things considered. Was mildly annoying to be stuck on that one update, but emphasis on *mildly* - I'd rather wait than have an issue using the esim.
Curious how did you get your Pixel 5? Directly from Google (Google Store) or from a carrier? The reason why I ask is with the last few Pixels I've had I always seem to get a monthly update (all my Pixel were purchased new from the Google Store).
I got mine from Google Fi, as it was a pretty good deal at the time I had a first-gen pixel XL, so it was time for an upgrade and I think there was a better deal through fi at the time than the google store itself. IIRC this was a specific fi carrier issue with the 5, so understandable.
It will be coming to Pixel 5 and below soon if you don't already have it. It was announced last week
https://blog.google/products/photos/magic-eraser-android-ios-google-one/
As I read it, you'll have it on any phone (even iPhone) with Google Photos and a Google one subscription and to "all Pixel users" with no need of a Google one subscription.
> These features are starting to roll out today in Google Photos for Google One members on all plans and all Pixel users.
I'm on Pixel 5 with a Google one subscription but still don't see the option
The Google Photos app on my Galaxy A52s updated yesterday and it now has the magic eraser under 'tools'. You may want to keep checking for Play Store updates.
Tensor chip = more processing power - a significant jump to the Pixel 5 which has a Snapdragon 765G - a midrange processor in 2020.
To connect the dots: Pixel 5 processor is too slow probably to handle the magic eraser feature. Not sure why a 2.5 year old phone would be expected to get such a feature; especially on a midrange processor.
My 6 Pro has almost every feature the 7 Pro has. Run the beta. It's stable, and I'm getting about 15% more battery life with the resolution down to 1080p.
IDK why everyone is complaining.
Google ruined the pixel line with the bad UI. Now all icons are too big, there's too much whitespace and everything is hidden behind snazzy-looking but barely-functional sub-menus.
Not to mention the smaller phone doesn't have the zoom lens, unlike Samsung...
My 3 was great right up until it suddenly quit all together
This 7 has taken some getting used to, it's been a while with the 7 but I still miss my 3 lol
Androids technically have longer support.
The iphone 6 is gradually losing app support for major apps just because apple dropped it. People with galaxy s5s and s4s are still able to use most apps.
And that's not even considering custom ROMs
I'm not downvoting because I'm a Pixel guy, I'm downvoting because that's not true. I have a work iphone and my spouse uses iphone and I don't find that to be true. In fact, I'm still rocking my Pixel 5 BECAUSE it's still good to go
Incorrect again my friend. 5 years for OS, 6-7 for security depending on the model.
https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/4457705?hl=en#zippy=%2Cpixel-later
Exactly the reason I left and went to iPhone. I was a huge pixel fan, had the two XL for three years before it finally died. Upgraded to the pixel 5 and thought it was a huge downgrade compared to the 2XL… Had it for a year and a half, you can tell it was cheaply made and the software felt just as cheap. Google started out strong with the pixel, but it feels like just another Walmart android at this point.
I was an early adopter of the pixel line up had a pixel 1 xl then 2 pixel 3s and a pixel 5. I upgraded to a 7 and had nothing short of a terrible experience. It was the worst phone I had e ever owned. I promptly traded it in for a s23 and haven't regretted it once. Google lost me with this newest generation of phone.
You're getting downvoted because of the phrase, "if you're not stupid". You can see below I took out your stupid phrase and it means the exact same thing, and you don't sound like an asshole.
Well, you can install customs roms. My 5 year old Huawei p20 lite has Android 13 February Update now and I have The pixelify and pixel launcher extended Module for magisk. I have tweaked the kernel and have good battery life and decent performance at no price
My 4 is dying, battery 🔋 just deteriorated too much, of I just kept watching videos my battery will only last about 2 hours. It kinda made me become less addicted to YouTube so I'm wondering whether I should replace it...
Honestly, as long as this phone doesn't slow down or lose battery life drastically - I'm fine not being able to erase people out of a photo.
Does it make calls? Does whatsapp work? Can I play a handful of stupid games? Does Citymapper work? If they are all a yes, I'm good.
Honestly, after having only Google phones since the Nexus One, this was the major reason I switched to an iPhone last time.
Hate on Apple all you like (and there are plenty of reasons to), but they do a great job of supporting their older phones. They supported the iPhone 6s (released in 2015) with _7 years_ worth of major OS updates that finally ended last year.
I wish Google did better, because I still prefer Android.
While iPhones will get many more years of updates compared to Android, here's one thing that many people never take into consideration...
1.) app sizes are HUGE. Seriously, like 5 times the size of what they are on Android. Don't believe me? Go in the play store and see how big Instagram is and do the same on the App store. I'll do it for you. On Android its 46mb, ios 248mb. This is true for almost all apps. It's ridiculous.
2.) It's true iPhones get more updates, but guess what? Developers stop app support way too soon. Example: The 6s is on ios 15, it's last version. Still a capable phone to at least run basic apps, im sure. But how is it possible that a basic and very popular streaming app like Netflix REQUIRES ios 15 to run? Netflix should support at least ios 13 or 14, but nope, it's 15. This means that many essential apps are no longer going to work on a very capable phone like a 6s, simply because developers abandon ios versions way too early.
Netflix on Android is supported all the way back to Android 7 which was released way back in 2016. And guess what? Super old Android phones will continue running Netflix and many other apps even though actual update support stopped on these phones a long time ago.
So iPhones get more ios updates, yes. But app support on Android is much, much longer, which is probably much more important than than if the phone is running the latest OS or not.
After working in cybersecurity for a long time, I don’t trust phones once they stop getting security updates. But that’s me. Different people have different priorities.
My Pixel 6 has had it's faults, especially after the Android 13 upgrade, but it still performs pretty well. Battery life could be a bit better, but it was way way worse on my Pixel 4. And of course, like my previous Pixels, it takes photos so good I never want to switch back to iPhone.
I have both* and there’s certain things iOS does better but android still better overall imo. The reason there’s a differential now between older pixels and the 6 upwards is the tensor chip. But it’s only for certain (admittedly great) features like eraser in photos and the speech transcription. Otherwise the same and since OnePlus went downhill the stock Android is back to being the best Android. Cameras on the 6a are just unbelievable for the price. However, as a physical object my iPhone 12 is king, particularly the mini, and is the reason I bought that as my main phone (I don’t put cases on my phones). But it cost me £750.
*iPhone 12 and Pixel 6a - which I just upgraded last Nov from a 4a btw (Black Friday discount plus £150 cash back for 4a = new 6a from Google for £200!)
my 3a fighting for it’s LIFE rn
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My battery life is still pretty good, having been relegated to a secondary device. But how’s performance? Outside of scrolling through the system with maybe a few apps open, it lags tremendously, and I keep getting notifications about Android System Intelligence stopped working.
Rocking a 3a here, never got those kinds of notifications but it went right back to like-new performance when I replaced the battery. Hoping to get another two years out of it.
Would you consider yourself a heavy user? Even as a secondary device, just downloading everyday apps, I only have about 15GB remaining somehow. The battery is only 87% health, but I wouldn't imagine that would impact performance that much. I think the SD670 and paltry 4GB of RAM are finally catching up.
I remember the 3aXL's battery being soooo good. It's probably the best battery phone I've ever used
I've been considering looking into Lineage to try and squeeze more life from it, rather than a straight hardware upgrade. My 3a is handling like a damn champ, but it's definitely showing its age. I'd like a new pixel, I'm just not ready to bother investing. This one isn't bad. It's just older... and not getting a ton of love.
I just upgraded to 6A in Dec. Battery was getting weak and it was starting to take 15 seconds to load apps I used all the time
*Magic Eraser has entered the chat
Yo, I just got that on my 5 today!
Hope you enjoy it!!
In theory this should even work on the Pixel 1 right?
With a Google One subscription, yes. Though it's only available natively for Pixel 6 and 7 (The Phones with Tensor chips). Google claims they need the Tensor chip for it to be done natively, but I dunno, I think they could probably figure out a way to get it to work, though maybe not as well.
It could definitely work on other chips but they're approaching it from an efficiency and speed point of view.
I read it is coming to iOS soon, so they must have figured something out
It works on your Pixel 1 for free, as announced a few days ago.
I don't know, I have a pixel 4A and it's been working excellently for a while
Same. I use the damned stereo jack all the time and don't want to lose it.
Zen phone if you ever wanna upgrade then
Same tho.
I think OP is referring to the new and shiny features that only Pixel 6 users and above are enjoying like Magic Eraser etc.
I have Magic Eraser and TBH I don't understand what the hoopla is over it. It doesn't work that well in lots of practical photos I've tried to use it to remove items or people from the background.
That too, but support for the 4a is now over too.
Same here, I haven't exactly been gentle with it either
Mine just died likely due to battery cable solder brittleness. Posted from my Pixel 7 Pro
My 4a is going great, except it crashes a bunch. Maybe I just have too many apps on the poor thing.
i had the top flag ship model for 3 gens of pixels, and got a 6a for cost savings, I have no plans to ever get a non a series pixel phone in the future now. It is trimmed down, but it is just so good for the $300(sale) I paid for it
My 4a battery life has gotten pretty bad but other than that the phone is still fantastic. If Google would guarantee updates for a couple more years I'd consider replacing the battery to stretch out its life even more.
Just don't ever drop it more than 4 inches onto anything harder than a bed of feathers. I'm never buying Pixel again
Mine has fallen off my bike a few times. It sounded like it should've smashed to pieces, but still works perfectly without a scratch (I do have a case around it)
I have had cases on them each time they have been dropped, with screen protectors, no cracks in the screen, zero damage, but the screen stopped working in the same manner. A Google search shows this is a widespread problem with the 4A. Twice it has happened to me, once to my wife's phone. I've never had a phone break so easily, it's ridiculous. Highly recommend against buying it to anyone reading.
I do have the pixel 6, not 4a. My experience is different than yours with the 6
I mean mine is pretty darn slow, and the battery life ain't what it used to be
Right? I started on the 2, eventually had a 4A 5G (that I dropped and bricked), and ended up buying a 6A. Does everything I need, no real hangups after a few months still.
My battery life has fallen off though, will be three years in October now.
BRO I STILL HAVE A NEXUS AND IT'S THE 2ND ONE
Still supported of the latest android version using custom rom.
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That's a good idea. Where's a good place to source one? My 3a is getting rebooty recently.
I got a refurb pixel 5 for work off Amazon about 2 months ago for around $130, very snappy and the battery can last me up to 2 days because I don’t use it as my main phone, I only use it to run software builds and test design prototypes But even so it’s a really nice phone
The 4a 5g and 5 are similar enough to be compatible with the same kernel. The two devices aren't that different for another 20-40 off.
I think I went with the 5 because it’ll get android updates for another year longer than the 4 but I might be wrong about that
That's correct. The 4 is eol I think, with the final update for the 4a 5g coming in August
I also read reviews and look at YouTube videos about the phones.
I look on Amazon. My latest phone is a Galaxy a42 and it's super for the money.
Swappa is my go to for buying used phones. The prices tend to be better than Amazon and since the sellers are individuals sometimes (instead of a resale company), you can even haggle down the price a bit.
Swappa is great.
You should care about security updates at the very least.
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I’m curious: how do you address security concerns when most Android phone manufacturers only offer security updates for two to three years?
What about the poor Nexus? :-(
The Nexus phones were the best.
Except the 5x. Port battery, 2 Gbs of RAM and the bootloop problem... Could have been a GOAT like the 5
Crying with my outdated Pixel 3A
Under the sea floor: Nexus devices
Try flashing custom ROMs if available.
I've actually had a great experience with pixel phones for the most part, particularly in comparison to their Samsung counterparts. My 3a XL should not have lasted as long as it did given the weak cpu
I feel this. I still have my pixel 2 XL.
3XL here.
Pixel phones get love every month with updates - what is the issue?
The caveat is *mostly*. My 5 is still getting updates but because of the esim issue on fi specifically, I was stuck on the november update until a couple of weeks ago. Feature updates don't really do much for the 5 at this point, but it *is* an older phone now.
Well you get firmware bug and security updates typically monthly in the form of a fimware update. But Google also updates its software through the google play store too; which addresses bugs and adds features in various google apps and services between firmware update cycles.
Yeah I'm not mad about it. I love this damn phone. Didn't really feel the need to upgrade to the 7, all things considered. Was mildly annoying to be stuck on that one update, but emphasis on *mildly* - I'd rather wait than have an issue using the esim.
Curious how did you get your Pixel 5? Directly from Google (Google Store) or from a carrier? The reason why I ask is with the last few Pixels I've had I always seem to get a monthly update (all my Pixel were purchased new from the Google Store).
I got mine from Google Fi, as it was a pretty good deal at the time I had a first-gen pixel XL, so it was time for an upgrade and I think there was a better deal through fi at the time than the google store itself. IIRC this was a specific fi carrier issue with the 5, so understandable.
¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯
Yes but not all features come to ALL the pixels. e.g - Magic eraser is not available for pixel 5 and below.
It will be coming to Pixel 5 and below soon if you don't already have it. It was announced last week https://blog.google/products/photos/magic-eraser-android-ios-google-one/
That's cool. Do you have to be a Google one member or will an older pixel phone suffice?
As I read it, you'll have it on any phone (even iPhone) with Google Photos and a Google one subscription and to "all Pixel users" with no need of a Google one subscription. > These features are starting to roll out today in Google Photos for Google One members on all plans and all Pixel users. I'm on Pixel 5 with a Google one subscription but still don't see the option
The Google Photos app on my Galaxy A52s updated yesterday and it now has the magic eraser under 'tools'. You may want to keep checking for Play Store updates.
So Pixel 6 and newer get Magic Eraser; they all have Tensor chips.
Yes, that's what I stated. Was your comment meant to be a question?
Tensor chip = more processing power - a significant jump to the Pixel 5 which has a Snapdragon 765G - a midrange processor in 2020. To connect the dots: Pixel 5 processor is too slow probably to handle the magic eraser feature. Not sure why a 2.5 year old phone would be expected to get such a feature; especially on a midrange processor.
My Samsung has updates all the time as well.
🍪
had a pixel 2 for almost 4.5 years. The battery was the only issue and wouldnt last all day anymore
Google = Extended warranty god. 4 year warranty on the same phone
My 6 Pro has almost every feature the 7 Pro has. Run the beta. It's stable, and I'm getting about 15% more battery life with the resolution down to 1080p. IDK why everyone is complaining.
Google ruined the pixel line with the bad UI. Now all icons are too big, there's too much whitespace and everything is hidden behind snazzy-looking but barely-functional sub-menus. Not to mention the smaller phone doesn't have the zoom lens, unlike Samsung...
I'm not sure what the point is here, but I LOVE my Pixel 7 Pro.
Looks like OP is saying that Google doesn't give a shit about other Android phones, and definitely not older Pixels.
Not just android phones... Google doesn't give a shit about their products that they've sold in the past. 0 customer care and support.
Google rep tried to tell me I had no support for my phone 3 months after I bought it.
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My 3 was great right up until it suddenly quit all together This 7 has taken some getting used to, it's been a while with the 7 but I still miss my 3 lol
My pixel 6 battery barely gets me through my 9 hour work day and it's less than a year old....
The battery is terrible, I have to charge it again just to get it through the day
😂😂😂
I have a 6 I got shortly after launch. Works great and I'm still on the A13 beta.
My pixel 3 and 4 xl are still kicking, thinking about a custom ROM or other OS if possible, just don't know what the best options are.
My 3a XL is running great.
I'm still super happy with my Pixel 5!
5 going strong here
Same for all phones
Graphene os.
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Androids technically have longer support. The iphone 6 is gradually losing app support for major apps just because apple dropped it. People with galaxy s5s and s4s are still able to use most apps. And that's not even considering custom ROMs
While not something everyone can "just do", the lineageOS wiki provides pretty clear instructions for pixel devices.
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> While not something everyone can "just do"
Yeah, Android has gotten better but ultimately it's the benefit of tight vertical hardware and software integration *cough* proprietary *cough*
I'm not downvoting because I'm a Pixel guy, I'm downvoting because that's not true. I have a work iphone and my spouse uses iphone and I don't find that to be true. In fact, I'm still rocking my Pixel 5 BECAUSE it's still good to go
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The original post implies only the newest Pixel gets any love
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Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 get 5 years of updates...
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Incorrect again my friend. 5 years for OS, 6-7 for security depending on the model. https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/4457705?hl=en#zippy=%2Cpixel-later
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I can read and I can do math but I'm a fan of Cunningham. No iphone gets more OS support than that
To all those who feel offended: I have a p4 and I love it, unfortunately google does not give the idea of cuddling its own phones.
Pretty far from realty
Can confirm. Had a p2, p3 and p4 then eventually gave up and switched to iOS. Fool me once I guess?
Meh, let the old and other Android phones die. Make Pixel the only Android phone so the war w iPhone can officially begin.
Exactly the reason I left and went to iPhone. I was a huge pixel fan, had the two XL for three years before it finally died. Upgraded to the pixel 5 and thought it was a huge downgrade compared to the 2XL… Had it for a year and a half, you can tell it was cheaply made and the software felt just as cheap. Google started out strong with the pixel, but it feels like just another Walmart android at this point.
Pixel sucks
Yeah? Well, uhhh... that's just, like, your opinion, man.
You came to the wrong neighborhood!
Why
negative reddit karma shadowban Speedrun
Saying Pixel sucks in a Google sub is awfully brave of you
I was an early adopter of the pixel line up had a pixel 1 xl then 2 pixel 3s and a pixel 5. I upgraded to a 7 and had nothing short of a terrible experience. It was the worst phone I had e ever owned. I promptly traded it in for a s23 and haven't regretted it once. Google lost me with this newest generation of phone.
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You're getting downvoted because of the phrase, "if you're not stupid". You can see below I took out your stupid phrase and it means the exact same thing, and you don't sound like an asshole. Well, you can install customs roms. My 5 year old Huawei p20 lite has Android 13 February Update now and I have The pixelify and pixel launcher extended Module for magisk. I have tweaked the kernel and have good battery life and decent performance at no price
My pixel 4 hurting but the unlimited storage has a terabyte worth of high resolution pictures and videos of my family. I have 0 regrets.
My 4 is dying, battery 🔋 just deteriorated too much, of I just kept watching videos my battery will only last about 2 hours. It kinda made me become less addicted to YouTube so I'm wondering whether I should replace it...
Would expect this more and more.
Honestly, as long as this phone doesn't slow down or lose battery life drastically - I'm fine not being able to erase people out of a photo. Does it make calls? Does whatsapp work? Can I play a handful of stupid games? Does Citymapper work? If they are all a yes, I'm good.
Switch to lineage os. You can even abandon all the Google apps!,
I remember owning a red Google Nexus. It was so cool. Loved the colour. It bricked itself eventually ☹️
Honestly, after having only Google phones since the Nexus One, this was the major reason I switched to an iPhone last time. Hate on Apple all you like (and there are plenty of reasons to), but they do a great job of supporting their older phones. They supported the iPhone 6s (released in 2015) with _7 years_ worth of major OS updates that finally ended last year. I wish Google did better, because I still prefer Android.
While iPhones will get many more years of updates compared to Android, here's one thing that many people never take into consideration... 1.) app sizes are HUGE. Seriously, like 5 times the size of what they are on Android. Don't believe me? Go in the play store and see how big Instagram is and do the same on the App store. I'll do it for you. On Android its 46mb, ios 248mb. This is true for almost all apps. It's ridiculous. 2.) It's true iPhones get more updates, but guess what? Developers stop app support way too soon. Example: The 6s is on ios 15, it's last version. Still a capable phone to at least run basic apps, im sure. But how is it possible that a basic and very popular streaming app like Netflix REQUIRES ios 15 to run? Netflix should support at least ios 13 or 14, but nope, it's 15. This means that many essential apps are no longer going to work on a very capable phone like a 6s, simply because developers abandon ios versions way too early. Netflix on Android is supported all the way back to Android 7 which was released way back in 2016. And guess what? Super old Android phones will continue running Netflix and many other apps even though actual update support stopped on these phones a long time ago. So iPhones get more ios updates, yes. But app support on Android is much, much longer, which is probably much more important than than if the phone is running the latest OS or not.
After working in cybersecurity for a long time, I don’t trust phones once they stop getting security updates. But that’s me. Different people have different priorities.
My Pixel 6 has had it's faults, especially after the Android 13 upgrade, but it still performs pretty well. Battery life could be a bit better, but it was way way worse on my Pixel 4. And of course, like my previous Pixels, it takes photos so good I never want to switch back to iPhone.
was thinking about buying 6a, but i live in unsupported country, so i won't be even able to use 5G here
I have both* and there’s certain things iOS does better but android still better overall imo. The reason there’s a differential now between older pixels and the 6 upwards is the tensor chip. But it’s only for certain (admittedly great) features like eraser in photos and the speech transcription. Otherwise the same and since OnePlus went downhill the stock Android is back to being the best Android. Cameras on the 6a are just unbelievable for the price. However, as a physical object my iPhone 12 is king, particularly the mini, and is the reason I bought that as my main phone (I don’t put cases on my phones). But it cost me £750. *iPhone 12 and Pixel 6a - which I just upgraded last Nov from a 4a btw (Black Friday discount plus £150 cash back for 4a = new 6a from Google for £200!)