Need new phone, considering Pixel

[Yuriman]

My Moto X 2013 is on its last leg. There are some cracks around the edges from when I opened it to replace the earpiece, and now the battery is on is last leg. I have some random reboots that were not fixed with a factory reset. I'm thinking of jumping ship from Republic Wireless (yay $10/month + data) to Google Fi ($20/month + data) because I live on the Canadian border and frequently travel there. I have my eye on the Pixel, and I'm trying to justify it over the 5X.

My thoughts:

-The use of an LCD panel on the 5X is almost a deal-breaker, as I often use my phone late at night and prefer the ability to have really low brightness. OLED panels also look subjectively better to me.

-I'm not too concerned about the SoC (my 3 year old Moto X still feels fast when it's not being flakey) but the better camera wins it some points. I use my phone camera a lot.

-Reviews for the 5X were lukewarm when I read about it on release, but for $200 I think I could be pretty forgiving.

-I have a Galaxy S7 as my work phone and I find it to be too big and heavy; the Pixel is a bit smaller than the 5X but also a hair heavier, though either would be an improvement over the S7. I wish I could get a decent high-end phone that was closer in size to my Moto X.

The only real sticking point is the price. Is an OLED screen and slightly better camera really worth $450 to me? Chances are good I'll hold onto this phone for several years, perhaps even until it falls apart on me.

Looking for some thoughts/advice, especially from those who have owned and used both.

 

[ControlD]

I haven't owned either but I have used both a least a little bit. The Pixel camera is a LOT better than what I am used to, especially compare to my Nexus 6. It is still quite a bit better than the 5X camera as well from my limited experience. The biggest difference to me is how fast the camera app loads and is ready to take pictures. There is pretty much no delay at all, something that previous Nexus phones seem to always have.

My thoughts on the matter are if you are planning on buying a phone to use until it falls apart, you might as well go for the better one. Yes, the cost is quite a bit more but the payoff of having pretty much better everything will be worth it if you are planning on keeping this phone for a long time. If you were the type of person that upgrades every year or more often then the 5X would probably be worth a shot.

 

[sweenish]

Can we maybe stop pretending that BoM is the end-all in determining a device's price?

And you honestly think the screen and camera are the only differences for justifying the price? It's also more than a slightly better camera. Much more. Especially compared to the Moto X 2013's POS camera.

 

[Red Storm]

Never mind a more bloat free experience, quickest updates (security and OS), and the extra pixel features (unlimited full resolution photo and video storage is huge, there is no comparable free alternative for that).

 

[Yuriman]

Can we maybe stop pretending that BoM is the end-all in determining a device's price?

And you honestly think the screen and camera are the only differences for justifying the price? It's also more than a slightly better camera. Much more. Especially compared to the Moto X 2013's POS camera.

I'm not suggesting the screen and camera are the only differences, just that they're the main ones I care about. I'm happy enough with a plastic exterior (it's lighter), I can do without glass on the rear, and I'm sure the 808 is plenty of SoC for me.

I didn't say the Pixel was not a $650 phone, just that it may not be $450 better than the Nexus 5X for me.

@Red Storm, the Pixel's cloud storage doesn't interest me in the least. Data is slow and spotty in Vermont to begin with, and I'll likely have it disabled for everything non-essential most of the time anyway. I prefer to keep my photos locally as well.

I assume the 5X also gets quick updates and is bloat-free?

 

[agent00f]

My Moto X 2013 is on its last leg. There are some cracks around the edges from when I opened it to replace the earpiece, and now the battery is on is last leg. I have some random reboots that were not fixed with a factory reset. I'm thinking of jumping ship from Republic Wireless (yay $10/month + data) to Google Fi ($20/month + data) because I live on the Canadian border and frequently travel there. I have my eye on the Pixel, and I'm trying to justify it over the 5X.

My thoughts:

-The use of an LCD panel on the 5X is almost a deal-breaker, as I often use my phone late at night and prefer the ability to have really low brightness. OLED panels also look subjectively better to me.

-I'm not too concerned about the SoC (my 3 year old Moto X still feels fast when it's not being flakey) but the better camera wins it some points. I use my phone camera a lot.

-Reviews for the 5X were lukewarm when I read about it on release, but for $200 I think I could be pretty forgiving.

-I have a Galaxy S7 as my work phone and I find it to be too big and heavy; the Pixel is a bit smaller than the 5X but also a hair heavier, though either would be an improvement over the S7. I wish I could get a decent high-end phone that was closer in size to my Moto X.

The only real sticking point is the price. Is an OLED screen and slightly better camera really worth $450 to me? Chances are good I'll hold onto this phone for several years, perhaps even until it falls apart on me.

Looking for some thoughts/advice, especially from those who have owned and used both.

If you're looking on the basis of "value", then no there's no way a pixel is 3x better than a 5x.

 

[Kazukian]

If you're looking on the basis of "value", then no there's no way a pixel is 3x better than a 5x.

Agreed, at the worst, use the 5x for a year and resell, pick up the 2nd gen Pixel, the first gen is great, but I have a feeling the 2nd gen is going to set the industry on it's ass.

 

[Red Storm]

I'm not suggesting the screen and camera are the only differences, just that they're the main ones I care about. I'm happy enough with a plastic exterior (it's lighter), I can do without glass on the rear, and I'm sure the 808 is plenty of SoC for me.

I didn't say the Pixel was not a $650 phone, just that it may not be $450 better than the Nexus 5X for me.

@Red Storm, the Pixel's cloud storage doesn't interest me in the least. Data is slow and spotty in Vermont to begin with, and I'll likely have it disabled for everything non-essential most of the time anyway. I prefer to keep my photos locally as well.

I assume the 5X also gets quick updates and is bloat-free?

The photo storage has nothing to do with mobile data, you can and should use wifi to back up. To me, the combination of better camera, better SoC, larger internal storage options, newer device (which means longer support), and big features like unlimited original quality photo storage all add up to a device that is more worth getting than the 5X IMHO.

 

[ChronoReverse]

Frankly, the biggest issue is that the 5x wasn't a very good Nexus in the first place. The 6P was great and achieves most of what was possible for a non-Samsung/Apple vendor in 2015 but the 5x had compromises based on its CPU and lower RAM from the beginning.

In the end, you get what you pay for in this case since the only "budget" flagship class phones are all phablets.

 

[Crono]

I have a 2013 Moto X, and got the Nexus 5X as a replacement early this year. I had issues with my 5X and ultimately sold the RMA unit. Supposedly all the issues have been ironed out with the 5X, but I still don't trust it or consider it a high quality phone, even given the price. The 5X didn't feel like an upgrade over the X except for camera quality.

If you don't mind the steep price of the Pixel and mediocre design, I heartily recommend it over the 5X.

 

[Seven]

I am also the 2013 Moto X user. Unfortunately, the battery has been acting up since the July and the phone became unusable. I've been running it for almost 3 years..

I've purchased the Nexus 6p since then and already put it for sale. The size is just not for me.. I've been eyeing the OnePlus 3, Xperia X Compact. It's hard to find the replacement. The smaller Pixel looks good, but too pricey.

 

[antihelten]

-I have a Galaxy S7 as my work phone and I find it to be too big and heavy; the Pixel is a bit smaller than the 5X but also a hair heavier, though either would be an improvement over the S7. I wish I could get a decent high-end phone that was closer in size to my Moto X.

Honestly, if you think the S7 is too big and heavy then the Pixel won't make you any happier, it's basically the same size and only 9 grams lighter (which you probably aren't going to notice). The Nexus 5X isn't much better, while it is lighter than the S7 by 16g, it's also a fair bit larger.

If you want something similar in size and weight to the Moto X 2013, then your best bet would probably be a sony phone (Z5 Compact or X Compact)

 

[Raduque]

The Pixels are great phones. The camera is nothing short of amazing (still prefer Samsung's cameras with hardware OIS and better low-light), performance is excellent and it comes with a lot of storage.

IMO, they are definitely not premium-priced phones though. Google's build of Android holds no appeal for me (it's not pure AOSP either), the phones aren't going to win any beauty contests, there's no wireless charging (should be a standard feature on a $400 phone, much less a $700+ phone), the metal and glass back looks awkward to me, and I don't like on-screen buttons.

The only positives to me are the camera and it's unlocked carrier agnostic nature, and massive amounts of internal storage (too bad I couldn't supplement that with my 256gb uSD card).

Pixel would be an amazing device at around $450-550. Maybe $650 for the 128gb storage one.

 

[IAteYourMother]

I just switched from a Moto X 2013 (lost it last month) to a Pixel. Contrary to the above opinion, I think it's absolutely a premium phone, but then again, I'm more into the industrial/standard design (I'm a pretty boring person). The reason why I picked the Moto X in 2013 was because it just worked really well even though it wasn't some sort of spec/feature monster, so if you still believe in that sort of ethic, then the Pixel is the natural successor, albeit in a higher price point. It runs seamlessly, doesn't run hot, battery life seems pretty decent (although too early to really tell for sure), feels great in the hand and does everything I need. I do sort of miss the rubber back of the Moto X though.

 

[Yuriman]

Pulled the trigger on a Quite Black 32GB Pixel this morning, even after reading Anandtech's "lukewarm at best" review.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Congratulations. It is the best Android phone for sure.

 

[ControlD]

Pulled the trigger on a Quite Black 32GB Pixel this morning, even after reading Anandtech's "lukewarm at best" review.

Make sure to update everyone when you get a chance.

My wife is right now trying to decide between the S7 and Pixel.

 

[Yuriman]

I already have an S7 in-hand as a work phone so I'll probably update this thread with impressions.

 

[TonyBank]

i had the same consideration. I intended to bought Pixel but some guys on Android forum stopped me.

 

[RossMAN]

I can't justify the $869 pricetag (baller XL 128GB) when my Nexus 6 64GB for $235 meets my needs, for now.

 

[beginner99]

Honestly, if you think the S7 is too big and heavy then the Pixel won't make you any happier, it's basically the same size and only 9 grams lighter (which you probably aren't going to notice). The Nexus 5X isn't much better, while it is lighter than the S7 by 16g, it's also a fair bit larger.

If you want something similar in size and weight to the Moto X 2013, then your best bet would probably be a sony phone (Z5 Compact or X Compact)

This. S7 isn't larger than the phones OP wants to buy...unless he meant the S7 Edge.

 

[Yuriman]

I ended up getting a Pixel and updating the Pixel thread with my impressions, for the record. It's slightly better than the S7 in terms of size and weight, but I'd like it a lot better if it were roughly one bottom bezel smaller.

 

[beginner99]

I ended up getting a Pixel and updating the Pixel thread with my impressions, for the record. It's slightly better than the S7 in terms of size and weight, but I'd like it a lot better if it were roughly one bottom bezel smaller.

The Pixel is bigger than the S7...

 

[Yuriman]

The Pixel is bigger than the S7...

It's narrower and thinner, and the height of the screen is smaller.

 

[antihelten]

It's narrower and thinner, and the height of the screen is smaller.

It's narrower by 0.06 mm (69.54 mm for the Pixel vs. 69.6 mm for the S7), which you would never be able tell in real life, even with a ruler (you would need a digital caliper to tell). In fact the S7 would probably feel narrower given it's more aggressively curved sides.

Regarding thickness, you are incorrect, the Pixel is 0.68 mm thicker, not thinner (8.58 mm vs. 7.9 mm).

Screen height may be smaller, but the height of the phone as a whole is actually bigger by 1.44 mm (143.84 mm vs. 142.4 mm). So you basically get a shorter screen, but keep the same height in phone dimensions.