Review Google Pixel 5 review

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Oct 19, 2020
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This pixel 5 isn't a flagship phone. Even the good reviews have to sugar coat it, and $700 ain't cheap. Please charge me $200 more for top tier specs...please! I am likely a good indicator of a lot of pixel phone users to date. I have 5 lines in my household and have purchased at least one of every generation of Google phone since Nexus 6p, most recently being orange 4xl. I have had good luck and always been very happy with them. Google may bring in some budget minded converts, but die hard fans like me are probably looking at a Oneplus 8T, or even considering Samsung again now that they upped their game with regular OS updates. Very disappointed that Google has given up on this space. If mediocrity with a high price is all I have to look forward to when the 6 rolls around, I think Google and I will go our separate ways.
 
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Oct 24, 2020
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I would love to know what the reception is like with this phone (assuming the best carrier coverage is in operation for the area). I get poor reception in my concrete slab metal-trimmed double-paned windows home and fish in the hilly Driftless area known for poor reception. Should I break an ankle in the boonies, I'd like a phone with the chance to make a text. I was considering the Pixel and iPhone and learned androids possibly have better reception, in general than iPhones. I've read some poor reception complaints on earlier Pixels. I didn't want a Samsung but have just read that Samsungs, in general, seem to have better antennas/reception.... Maybe, by this time, all of these phones will have better reception than my Motorola Droid Mini, but I can't really say. There is a little information out there on reception, but not much -- at least to my novice eye.
 

john.reilly66

Prominent
Jan 3, 2019
1
0
510
I would love to know what the reception is like with this phone (assuming the
For me, the reception is AMAZING. I upgraded a Samsung Galaxy S8 in Oct. We could barely use data or MMS sitting in the living room. When the P5 came online, we suddenly had great LTE in the same spot. Blazing fast Internet and MMS text. "SpeedTest.net" went from 1 MBps to a rock solid 2-4 times that in the same spots in the house. It was so good that I upgraded all my phones: S8, Pixel 2, Pixel 3XL.

I used the P2 hotspot exclusively because we have no high-speed where I live. I used to put it on the porch in a certain spot to make it adequate for streaming. With the P5, I can put it anywhere and get HD streaming nearly all the time (not during the peak 4-7pm). We even discovered that we have 2 bars of 5G. Game changing. 5MBps. I can now sit in the recliner and browse and text.

For me, the P5 reception is worth every penny. Worlds better than the S8 and P2, even without the 5G. I use my phone for voice, text, and hotspot. I never use it for applications or video, so I don't care about those things. The camera is better than I can use.

The only weird part is that everyone I talk to sounds like they have a bucket on their head. The audio is crystal clear, but with a little reverb.
 
Dec 27, 2020
1
1
10
Im not here to argue or compare the Pixel 5 and it's array of technical successes to any other phone. I just have a simple yet long-winded comment regarding this review and the industries general need to change something just for the sake of changing it. We try new things, like when Apple went to the "smart" full screen design we use now. Of course we wouldn't move back to the old flip phone 2 inch screen. The current version is superior in every way.

Regarding this review I would like to point to the finger print/unlock button on the back of the p5. The finger print pad is the MOST convenient function to be added to ANY phone in a long time. The idea that it is outdated, or that the user would have to "live with it" is ridiculous. The reason I write this is my fear that Google may read or hear this opinion and other reviewers perception that it is outdated and unnecessarily and they would take it away forever.

Unlocking your phone is your first interaction with your phone when you pick it up, EVERYTIME you pick it up. If I have my phone in my pocket or wherever/whenever I pick it up, my index finger naturally falls right in that spot of the reader. Most recognition software, facial or whatever, although they work, is an additional step, something that has to be "done..." The finger print reader on the back makes unlocking the phone part of picking it up. It's so seamless I've had people accuse me of not locking my phone and they are surprised when I show them my setup. And, it never fails, unless you're wearing gloves. At which point it automatically defaults to whatever type of unlock interface you choose as your second choice.

Sometimes the simplest things have the greatest impact on your overall experience. Whether your phone or the use of NFC when you unlock your car door. When google moved away from the rear finger print reader with the 4 I surprisingly found it effected my whole experience.

Everytime my phone dings I look at it. Period! It's what I do. The p5 setup allows me to keep full security on at all times so nothing shows and the act of lifting and looking at the screen unlocks my phone at the same time. When I used the 4 (or any phone without the rear finger print pad) I found myself allowing some info to be viewable because I didn't want to have to "unlock" it each time I wanted to see the home screen.

I do realize it's just personal preference, and that some things are inherent to Android or to Apple, I'm not sure if this can be duplicated by any other phone manufacture or if this is an Android only thing. Again I'm not here to talk about apple vs google I'm just commenting on how useful this function is. Once I got used to having it on my phone everything else has become second place, some are neat like facial recognition, but from a functionality standpoint everything else is clearly second place.

As a matter of fact in order of "functionality importance" (if that's a category) on my Pixel 5 I think the location of the finger print reader ranks up there with battery life, which happens to be above average with my Pixel 5. It turns in a pleasing user experience for me.

Good day!
 
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SpecialSauce13

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Apr 11, 2021
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I wholeheartedly agree. When I read that the Soli tech was out, I thought "Great!" It's an expensive feature I couldn't be happier to be without.

My concern is that the price point is ridiculous. My Pixel 2 works great, if not for the problems below 54% where trying to use that great camera means instant shut down. Or how even playing Spotify or Stitcher below 30% does the same.

I've consider trying a battery replacement, but at that point I'm a third of the way to this expensive phone (and I know just how incredibly inexpensive a battery pack is).

For devices with incredibly short lifespans, my expectation would be some respect from manufacturers in pricing at disposable costs. This is sort of the case for the 4a, but I want the water resistant, all metal case and wireless charging even at that price.

One other factor to price is the 5g. Frankly, if you're not in the downtown core of a very large metropolis, you don't have it and would never notice if you do. Modern speeds are fantastic for everything you might do on a phone except for online gaming. Who the hell is gaming with their phone though?

I'll likely upgrade to the Pixel 5, but that's really only because of the durability factor. My latest check has the 5 at $800 CDN with the 4a5G $680. It bites paying $120 more for six cents of formed aluminum.


Im not here to argue or compare the Pixel 5 and it's array of technical successes to any other phone. I just have a simple yet long-winded comment regarding this review and the industries general need to change something just for the sake of changing it. We try new things, like when Apple went to the "smart" full screen design we use now. Of course we wouldn't move back to the old flip phone 2 inch screen. The current version is superior in every way.

Regarding this review I would like to point to the finger print/unlock button on the back of the p5. The finger print pad is the MOST convenient function to be added to ANY phone in a long time. The idea that it is outdated, or that the user would have to "live with it" is ridiculous. The reason I write this is my fear that Google may read or hear this opinion and other reviewers perception that it is outdated and unnecessarily and they would take it away forever.

Unlocking your phone is your first interaction with your phone when you pick it up, EVERYTIME you pick it up. If I have my phone in my pocket or wherever/whenever I pick it up, my index finger naturally falls right in that spot of the reader. Most recognition software, facial or whatever, although they work, is an additional step, something that has to be "done..." The finger print reader on the back makes unlocking the phone part of picking it up. It's so seamless I've had people accuse me of not locking my phone and they are surprised when I show them my setup. And, it never fails, unless you're wearing gloves. At which point it automatically defaults to whatever type of unlock interface you choose as your second choice.

Sometimes the simplest things have the greatest impact on your overall experience. Whether your phone or the use of NFC when you unlock your car door. When google moved away from the rear finger print reader with the 4 I surprisingly found it effected my whole experience.

Everytime my phone dings I look at it. Period! It's what I do. The p5 setup allows me to keep full security on at all times so nothing shows and the act of lifting and looking at the screen unlocks my phone at the same time. When I used the 4 (or any phone without the rear finger print pad) I found myself allowing some info to be viewable because I didn't want to have to "unlock" it each time I wanted to see the home screen.

I do realize it's just personal preference, and that some things are inherent to Android or to Apple, I'm not sure if this can be duplicated by any other phone manufacture or if this is an Android only thing. Again I'm not here to talk about apple vs google I'm just commenting on how useful this function is. Once I got used to having it on my phone everything else has become second place, some are neat like facial recognition, but from a functionality standpoint everything else is clearly second place.

As a matter of fact in order of "functionality importance" (if that's a category) on my Pixel 5 I think the location of the finger print reader ranks up there with battery life, which happens to be above average with my Pixel 5. It turns in a pleasing user experience for me.

Good day!
 
Aug 27, 2021
1
0
10
I will never ever buy another google phone. I bought a pixel xl and was using it for work. one day i was on the phone with a co worker. I clicked the button on the side to end the call and went into a meeting. my headset was silent when I went it. During the meeting my co worker somehow came back on the line and my boss thought I was trying to tape the meeting. a few days later myself and my co worker were fired for supposedly being dishonest. I was at the company for 6 years and he was for 26 years. This phone basically ended his career. I threw mine in the trash once my iphone came in and have never looked back. Price isnt everything.
 
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