Tag: Pixel 3

iPhone 13 Pro/iOS Impressions from a Pixel 3/Android User

Last week on Wednesday my new Apple iPhone 13 Pro finally came in. I was super excited to get it all unboxed, SIM card inserted (I put my case on and then realized I needed to put the SIM card in, then had to take the case off again :facepalm:) and then put the case back on, ready to use as my next phone for the future (or until Apple no longer supports the device). Below are some of my initial and first impressions from someone who has only used an Android phone consistently in the past and is using an iOS device for the very first time as their main mobile phone.

Look and Feel

The Apple iPhone 13 Pro is built like a tank when compared to my old Pixel 3 phone. It is very close in size, with the iPhone 13 Pro being only slightly taller, wider and thicker but it is significantly heavier. I think the combination of the battery, stainless steel frame, and front and back glass make up most of that weight. When I pick up my old Pixel 3 it is like picking up a feather compared to picking up my iPhone 13 Pro. It took me a little bit to get used to the new weight difference. I do like this weight change though as it does feel a little more premium.

I like the way the phone does feel in my hand too. It is not too large and manageablefor single hand use, which is one of the reasons why I moved from Android to iOS. I am sorry Google but the Pixel 6 Pro to me does not look good, I absolutely hate the curved display on the edges and being such a large size makes it a deal breaker for me. The case helps to ensure that the frame does not dig into my hand and slightly protect my back cameras as there is a little lip.

One thing that I do know about Apple products is that generally they make extremely well-built products, be it their laptops to their tablets. Sure, sometimes they make “foldable” devices but by and large Apple does not skimp on using quality materials for their products. Paying for more premium products to get a better finished product is a no brainer for me and is something I am willing to pony up for. This may not be possible for everyone, but I am in a fortunate position where I can do this, so I took advantage of it.

I am a little disappointed in that it has a lightning port to charge the iPhone 13 Pro and I cannot use my many USB-3 cables that I have laying around, but it is what it is. The silent switch on the left-hand side of the phone is superb and I wish more phones incorporated something like this as it is very useful. The massive camera bump is not an issue for me, and I am not too fussed about the notch compared to other people. A single hole punch camera hole is a little cleaner but you lose out on Face ID.

iOS 15

Moving from Android to iOS I knew was going to be a little difficult at the start but there are a number of frustations that I have with iOS when compared to Android.

Less customization is something I knew I was going to lose on iOS. I did generally keep my Pixel 3 stock with what came out of the box, but I did like the ability to change the icon shapes, folder shapes and the ability to keep the icons, folders and widgets at the bottom of my screen and not have them all go at the top. That is my first gripe with iOS. Why does Apple not allow me to have icons, folders and widgets placed anywhere on my screens? I would like to have even easier access to my apps and folders by only using my thumb.

Something I thought I would not get frustrated by was notifications. Now I have to perhaps make some more changes in the settings, but I find notifications are absolutely horrible on iOS compared to Android. I find I am missing more notifications on iOS compared to Android. The notification center is okay but not great. I would like to have a small notification indicator on the top bar to know that “hey you have a message, etc.” instead of looking at the notification center. I am not too sure if it is a bug but there are times when I would get a message and sometimes I would get a notification sound and other times I would not.

I do like the iOS settings, permissions and app management compared to Android. Everything is more clearly laid out and is much easier to manage. Pulling down the control center from the right-hand side is also nice to have, but I found the universal pull down anywhere at the top on Android (notification drawer) to get access to quick settings and notifications is a little easier and more user friendly than how iOS makes you swipe down elsewhere for the notification center. If iOS could adopt something like this then that would be great.

My biggest two gripes are to do with notification/media volume levels and universal back gesture behavior on iOS. On Android you have dedicated alarm, notification/caller/alert and media volume controls while on iOS I found that managing my audio levels a major pain. I have no idea how I can keep my notification/alert levels high while keeping my media volume levels low. If I use the buttons on the side and keep the volume low all my sound minus the caller audio is low, and if I raise it then when I watch YouTube or listen to music, I need to quickly lower the volume. Perhaps I am missing something or have not set something up correctly but why are those volume levels paired? I would like to have all my notifications and alerts at the same level as my caller volume levels but keep my media volume levels low.

Now to the back gesture. This is something that I need to get used to as on Android I would swipe left from the right edge to go back to whatever screen I was on and even to previous apps sometimes. On iOS 15 there is no universal back gesture itself. You can go back to the main home screen by swiping up from the bottom or you need to press the dedicated back button located somewhere on the app which can be either on the top left or the bottom. It would be great to have a single and universal way to go back to the previous screen from any part of the right edge, but I guess that would fundamentally change the way iOS would work and would require apps to be re-worked to allow for the gesture.

All in all, I am not finding iOS very difficult to get used to. I am using many of the native Apple apps instead of my usual Gmail, Google calendar, Gboard apps, etc. But I do have installed Google Chrome and Google Maps as I have all my favourites, etc set up there and it would be a pain to migrate all of these to Safari or Apple Maps (as well as this being my only Apple device at the moment for personal use). All the other apps that I had used for travel, fitness, my smart home are all there so I have not lost anything but I did need to buy new licenses for the iOS app versions which is a little bit annoying but expected.

Final Thoughts

I knew there was going to be some initial teething issues with using iOS. I knew I had to adjust to the way iOS worked compared to Android. I knew that moving from a Pixel to an iPhone was going to require a little bit of mental and physical gymnastics. Overall though I did not find the initial migration and adoption of an iPhone or iOS that difficult. I do miss the ability to perform some customizations, the more accessible notifications and universal gestures. However I gain some of iOS’s handy streamlined, accessible and user friendly features while being housed in what I would again call a mobile tank.

Now I do have an iPad Mini 2021 version coming my way as well so that I can take more notes, read a little more and also watch videos and surf the web a little easier. Plus the new Apple Watch series 7 is also being delivered sometime next month. Did I jump completely in the Apple ecosystem? Yeah. For me to take advantage of everything that Apple offers I need to really start looking at investing in their ecosystem, even if it is for the next 5 years and has a very very steep entry cost. But I feel that in those 5 years (at least) it may be all worth it and I may be a permantely converted Apple user for mobile, tablet, watch (and perhaps laptop).

Bye bye Android and hello iOS

I wrote a blog post recently about potentially switching to the Apple ecosystem for my smartphone, smartwatch and tablet with the laptop also being an option. And I can officially say that I have bought an Apple iPhone 13 Pro, Apple iPad Mini 2021, and am waiting on the new Apple Watch 7.

If Apple do have an October 2021 event and showcase a new Apple Macbook Pro 14” with the M1X or M2 and it can support 32GB of RAM, 2 external monitors and have a good battery life then I may skip out on the Framework laptop and just go with the Macbook Pro. Even though I really like the repairability and upgradability of the Framework laptop there is no information about availability in Australia and my Surface Book 2 battery is not doing so great 😦

The more I see what the Pixel 6 Pro looks like the more I do not want it. The glossy back, the large size and the curved glass edges are all turn offs for me. I like to have a nice small smartphone that is powerful in the hands, and at 6.1” the iPhone 13 Pro is just that. Android 12 looks fantastic and what Google is doing with their software apps and assistant is going to be a major loss IMO by switching to iOS as that native support is gone. Most if not all the Google apps I use are on iOS so I am not missing too much there as Google seem to update their apps fairly frequently, sometimes even before they update their Android apps.

Currently I am still waiting for Apple to deliver my iPhone 13 Pro and Apple iPad Mini 2021, but I do have with me an Apple Pencil Gen 2 and leather case for my smartphone. The smart cover for the iPad Mini 2021 is still in transit the last I checked.

So by the end of October 2021, I will have my new smartphone and tablet, and am looking forward to using them. From the people that I have spoken to, getting used to iOS is not that hard and some of the workflow might make things a little easier. Overall I am looking forward to moving to a new mobile OS as I have been with Android for a very long time with a short stint using Microsoft’s mobile OS.

Will I go back to Android? Perhaps, but if I am happy using Apple’s products and they continue to support it for a long period of time (which from what I read and see, they like to continue to update their older devices) I may be in the Apple mobile ecosystem for a long time. My smart home/devices however will be still primarily Google/Nest and Philips Hue as I really like the Hubs and smart lights.

Thank you Android for all the fond memories starting with my HTC Desire HD all the way to my current Pixel 3. You have generally been very rock solid but the current hardware missteps, the lack of a proper first party smartwatch and tablet, and the poor security and update policy for the devices has made me decide to move on. I may see you again in the future :wave-bye:

Bluetooth Connectivity Issues with Wear OS

I have been meaning to write about this for at least a month or so, but I wanted to make sure that I had exhausted all avenues and that it was not an issue that happens once or twice. Since the last Wear OS update to my Fossil Gen 5 and the January Android security update for my Pixel 3 I have been having horrible Bluetooth connectivity issues. Looking at the Wear OS subreddit I appear to not be the only one too.

The situation is that every week or so at no particular time or particular day my Fossil Gen 5 appears to completely forget that it is paired to my Pixel 3. A notification will appear on my Pixel 3 to pair my smartwatch and I will need to confirm the pairing PIN on both my Pixel 3 and Fossil Gen 5. At first it was not a major issue but now it is starting to get a little annoying. Sometimes the pairing itself will completely fail and I will need to either turn off and turn back on the Bluetooth on my Fossil Gen 5 or restart the Fossil Gen 5.

The standard troubleshooting process that Google offers is to uninstall the Wear OS app on my Pixel 3 and factory reset my Fossil Gen 5. One major problem with this is the setup and update process of the Fossil Gen 5 and getting it configured again with Google Pay, uninstalling several unwanted apps, etc is not easily done and takes some time. It also appears that the only way to connect your Wear OS smartwatch to your smartphone is to use the Wear OS app too and it cannot just be paired like any other Bluetooth device.

I am not having Bluetooth issues with any other device connecting to my Pixel 3 like my Pixel Buds or my PXC 550 headphones. I believe this is not a hardware issue with my Pixel 3 and I am hoping that this is not a Bluetooth hardware issue with my Fossil Gen 5; if it were, I would imagine that it would fail to pair completely. Seeing as it only started to happen after I had some updates, I believe this is software related. Crossing my fingers that either Fossil or Google will fix this problem in the future, but I have little hope as Google appears to have all but abandoned the Wear OS platform or are keeping it on life support.

If Google was serious about wearables, then it should back the Wear OS platform by adding their own first party apps to the platform. Right now, you cannot even get the Google Authenticator on the platform anymore. This to me shows that Google is not serious about wearables even with the recent purchase of Fitbit recently and will always play second fiddle to Apple, watchOS and the Apple Watch. If Apple allowed the Apple Watch to be supported on other platforms like Wear OS smartwatches I would buy one in a heartbeat and not look back at another Wear OS device.

Playing with my new Google Pixel 3

My Final Nokia Troubles

Last weekend my Nokia 8’s microphone had stopped working/functioning correctly. It was also not the first time that it stopped working or started to not function correctly. Instead of the individual on the other end of my call being able to hear and understand me, all they could hear was static or white noise. But to resolve the problem before I just blew into the microphone to remove any dust, dirt or anything else that might be interfering with the microphone. This time that did not work 😦 Looking at the official Nokia support forums I am not the only one who has experienced this problem; poor design. You can also see various YouTube videos that show the same thing that I was experiencing.

I could have taken my phone to a repair shop to get them to take a look at it but it got to the point where I was a little frustrated and annoyed at Nokia and my Nokia 8, so I decided instead to take the more expensive option and buy a Google Pixel 3 (not a 3a however); with my friend getting me a good deal on what I purchased and a sale already on the white version of the Google Pixel 3, I feel I made the right choice. Along with the white Google Pixel 3 I also picked up an official charcoal Google Pixel 3 case and a Pixel Wireless Charging Stand too.

I knew the Pixel 3 phones were really good phones even if they lacked some of the features of other flagship and no flagship phones (3.5mm headphone jack, expandable memory, 5G support, etc), and it did come in at a high price point but it has not disappointed me so far.

Solid Hardware Build

The build quality of the phone is really good IMHO. In your hands it feels heavy and well put together. The size of the phone is perfect for my hands and I don’t see any real shortcuts that Google took when I am handling the phone. I did put a case on my phone (as I do with most of my phones I purchase) so I don’t have to worry about scratches to the back of the glass and if I do drop it then it should protect it from any major damage.

The screen is of really high quality and along with the stock Android OS it makes for an absolutely smooth and pleasant experience. The front facing dual speakers are also really good. I prefer to have front facing speakers than a single speaker at the bottom of the phone, or what some phones are now having, in-screen speakers (using vibrating motors behind the screen). The fingerprint sensor on the back is something I have to get used to as the Nokia 8 had a fingerprint sensor at the front.

One area that I want to comment on is the forehead and the chin on the Pixel 3. I am not a fan of a notch or punch hole on phones. I am also not a fan of the various different ways that device makers are adding mechanical and moving parts to the cameras which over time will breakdown or not work properly; no matter what they say, moving parts are prone to breaking. The Pixel 3 has, as some people would say (not me), a large forehead and chin. But I think the Pixel 3’s forehead and chin are absolutely fine. Plus with the “sized” forehead and chin on the Pixel 3 you get dual front facing speakers, which are well worth it.

Pixel Android

I am a super fan of stock or “pure” Android. I don’t want (nor need) multiple email clients, multiple chat clients, multiple browsers, etc. Apps I cannot delete or disable are pure and utter garbage that annoy the hell out of me. As soon as I see that there is a separate skin or over the top launcher added to a phone out of the box with that bloatware I refuse to buy the phone. Most, if not all OEMs do this which is a shame.

The Pixel phones are IMO what I feel Android should be. It is how Google imagines Android should be; stock Android with all the added benefits of Google’s new ideas. If you are not into the entire Google ecosystem and like all the Googleyness that is added to the Pixel phones then the Pixel line up might not be for you; but you can then add other apps to better suit your needs though. I do enjoy what Google offers and having Android setup with how Google envisions the direction Android should go is great.

Crazy Camera Quality

There are countless articles out there from a number of different sites that say that the Pixel 3 phone’s camera is one of the best (if not) the best camera out there on a phone. Does it have ultra wide support? No. Does it have the highest megapixel count? No. Does it have multiple camera lenses? No. But it has some of the best software out there to make sure that no matter what photo you take it is the best possible capture.

I generally do not take many selfies, or photos; unless the time calls for it. I don’t use Instagram or Snapchat so I don’t have a need for a camera to be on the high end, but if I go to an event or place and want to take a picture then I want to be sure that I am getting the best possible photo or video. Knowing I have a Pixel in my pocket makes me feel that I will get the best photo (no matter how much light is present or not).

All the Extras

The squeeze functionality if a little bit of a gimmick. I don’t think I’ll be using that feature much. I’d rather just use my voice.

This is the first phone I have had that has wireless charging. Right now I am seeing the convenience of it. Nowhere near as fast as charging through USB-C fast charging, but when I come home from work I place it on my Pixel Stand and I leave it there until I need to leave for work the next day. On the weekend I keep it docked while I am at my desk and it shows me the time, etc. I never need to worry much about whether or not I will run out of battery.

Overall I am super happy with the Pixel 3. The screen is vibrant, the sound is clear, the build quality is top notch, the OS is perfect, and it will get constant OS and security updates for 3 years. Hopefully this phone lasts me the 3 years and I will not have to pick up another phone until at least the end of 2021.

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