my experience in the past made me avoid newer Google products because support in the past was non existent. last thing i bought was a nexus one. i for the bad touch screen (registers ghost touches after screen is on for a while) and i could either complain on forums and be ignored or start a return with htc that from the forums histories ended with a device on worse condition and save touch screen bug sent back...
I've had every Nexus and Pixel starting with the Galaxy Nexus.
Never had an issue with any of them until my most recent Pixel 2 XL where some cables stopped charging the device. One quick open chat on the Google store and I had a replacement sent immediately for free.
- nexus s: no issues, after 2 years battery was meh
- nexus 4: the only issue was usb port after 2 years of use
- nexus 5x: no issues
- nexus 6p (owned by my girlfriend): strange issue with battery, the phone just shut off after 20% of use and showed 0%; after warranty repair the phone is still working and had no issues
- pixel 2xl (owned by my girlfriend): no issues per see, but was droped in the bus and the screen got cracks
- pixel 4: no issues so far
- pixel 5 (owned by my girlfriend): no issues so far
all of these phones I still own and store them in the boxes, they still are working.
I used to have a Pixel 2 XL and then later a Pixel 5a. Went through them really fast as the hardware was pretty bad and the phone would just decide to stop turning on at some point. Same thing happened to a relative I gave a Pixel 5a. Phone didn't last a year.
Don't get me started on the Pixel buds. I got tired of contacting customer support for replacements.
That's when I decided not to buy hardware from Google again, and also stopped using Android. Experience in iPhone has been great so far. Phone's fast despite being several generations behind, don't have to worry about not getting security updates.
Older models of either Google or Oneplus phones seem fine, I have been using a Nexus 6p with no problems other than some battery life but that's expected given how long it's been used.
It's not just the first gen. My second gen nexus 7 bricked. And my 2 Nexus 5X died from fatal bootloops. And there are screen issues with Pixel, Pixel 2, and Pixel 3 (and slowdowns/lagging/battery issues from recent firmware with all three)...
Hardware is hard, I get it. But just the handling of the Nexus 5X was inexcusably bad--to ship firmware that crippled the entire deployed fleet, and then shrug. Shame on me for buying more of their hardware.
Your experience isn't always representative - and mine isn't either, of course. I've been buying Nexus devices since the Galaxy Nexus and I owned every Pixel device so far and the only genuinely bad experiences where the following:
- Nexus 7 from 2012 became slow as hell due to storage issues after a year. It worked fine after I RMAd it.
- Pixel 2 XL had a terrible display on the first charge. I got it replaced and the new one was way better.
- Pixel 4 XL got replaced once because the phone got quite hot while charging. The replacement has been working well.
I know a lot of people who definitely had more issues with their Samsung and Apple devices.
>Every time a new Pixel phone comes out, we make a whole article summarizing all the problems people have with them. We don’t do this for any other manufacturer. Google has proven over the years that its phones simply have way more issues than others.
Especially with the Pixel lineup, there is a historical quality control issue with Google's phones that I'm worried hasn't been solved yet. I owned:
- Pixel 3: Past few months, volume buttons and power buttons gradually stopped working. USB port works for charging, but when connected to a computer, port connects and disconnects in an infinite loop. Bluetooth connection with car always skips/stutters during Maps usage even though iPhones and other Android devices work fine.
- Pixel: Camera stopped working
- Nexus 5X: Infinite boot loop issue, contacted Google and replaced it using warranty
- Nexus 4: No hardware issues
- Nexus One: No hardware issues
The Nexus phones were less problematic. I suspect it's because they were co-designed/manufactured by LG.
As time goes on, I use my phone less, not more, and I haven't dropped Pixel phones, unlike the Nexus ones.
I'm wary of purchasing the Pixel 3a, 4, or 5 since I don't want to be burned a 3rd time by specifically Google-designed phones. I think it would be best to avoid Android OS updates as much as possible as well.
I'm looking for the next smartphone to be modular. Heavily considering a Linux phone easier to DIY repair.
I would really like to know the answer to that ("why"). My most recent experience is with a Motorola Nexus 6 -- worked great for the first couple years after I got it. But recently a lot of things have been really glitchy. For example, Android Auto takes about 15 minutes to come fully alive, find my position, and plot a route when I plug it into my car. And video playback started stuttering bad. And the CPUs were maxed out periodically
I've uninstalled all third-party apps, cleared cache, and that fixed the issues for about a week, then they all came back. Only thing I didn't do is reflash back to factory defaults. Bought a Pixel 2 to replace it, and am wondering how long it will last.
BTW, this has also been the same experience with several family members, mostly with Samsung android phones -- they work great for a couple years, then start slowing down.
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