I can remember just about every phone I've ever had - from a small, silver flip phone (a hand-me-down, no less), to a small, purple Nokia slide phone, followed by a string of Samsung phones. I finally got my first smartphone in the form of an iPhone 4s sometime early in high school. I had stuck with Apple for numerous reasons all the way up until NovSember 25th, when I made the major decision to ditch my iPhone 6s for a Google Pixel, a new phone created by HTC to Google's specifications. So, whether you are looking to upgrade your current Android, ditch the iPhone bandwagon, or are just curious, read on to hear my review of the Google Pixel.
First off, I decided to ditch Apple partially because I was irked about the removal of the headphone jack. Not simply because they removed it, but the principle of the matter: Apple is controlling. They always have been. While some of this control is enforced on the grounds of maintaining security and keeping iPhones from getting viruses, not all of it is justifiable and I was just sick of it.
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I chose the Google Pixel because the screen is just as responsive (if not better than) the iPhone. Also, I already use Gmail, Google Drive, Google Docs, and Google Photos on a very regular basis. I read several other reviews and the consensus was that it was one of the best Android phones to ever be created.
After having the phone for only a little more than 24 hours, I would rate the phone an 8/10. It felt a little heaver than my friends iPhone 7, but that is okay with me. The phone is very slick, and in-store options for cases were limited, so I ordered one and it should be delivered via the magic of Amazon Prime soon.
Talking on the phone is just as good as the iPhone, in my current opinion. Although for a while, whenever I called someone, it was a video call. I'm not sure how I got it to stop that, but I have it worked out now. Texting is easy, especially with Android's gesture typing ability - the only problem is that gesture typing doesn't recognize most proper nouns. The only other issues I have found with communication are that it doesn't auto-correct as often as my iPhone did (a blessing and a curse) and the emojis are different, of course.
Downloading and organizing apps on the phone is very easy. You don't even have to name folders if you don't want to. The app icons are quite small, which allows users to have a large number of apps on less pages. And, as with other Android devices, users can add "widgets" to the home screens of the phone. I currently have a widget for my Google Calendar that displays my upcoming events, an always-displayed copy of my Target Cartwheel barcode and a summary of information from my Sunshine app. Another benefit to the apps on Android is that you do not have use the default apps - you don't even have to keep them on your home screen. You can banish them to a master apps list.
The phone doesn't have a "home" button built into the hardware of the phone. To wake the phone, one must press the lock button on the side and then either enter the passcode or use the fingerprint reader, which is oddly on the back of the phone. The idea behind this design is that you can unlock your phone as you are removing it from your pocket so that it is ready to go once the screen is within eyesight, but for someone whose phone is often in a purse or backpack, this design is a tad annoying.The other annoying hing about this feature is that you must press "enter" after you type your passcode - not a feature on iPhone, and one I was so annoyed by, I have already removed my passcode from my phone.
Overall, the main advantage is the battery life - I have been on and off the phone for the past fifteen and a half hours, and the battery is only at 33%. My iPhone would have died halfway through the day. The main disadvantage, however, is that the only way to adjust the ringer volume is by using the rocking switch on the side, meaning you have to manually turn the volume all the way down to silence your phone - no simple switch like on the iPhone.
So that is the review after 24 hours - stay tuned for the one month update!
