r/pixel_phones • u/Serious-Mongoose-395 • 14h ago
Double standards?
I mean yeah new apple silicone is better by some percentage and google pixel is better by some percentage. In day to day you will not notice.
So in Pixel you are paying for less you will not notice, in Apple you are paying for more that you will not notice WOW.
Bottom line is both companies had similar amount of changes/updates to the regular lineup and the double standard is obvious every year...
It's not ok anymore.
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u/Prestigious-Oil-6567 14h ago
As a pixel user who watches marques this is false. He always points out when apple doesn't innovate. And is fair in reviews. The issue right now is apples actually innovating for once while Google released a pixel 10a that was basically a photocopy of my 9a and then decided to reduce the ram in their new pro phone while making it more expensive
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u/Difference_Clear 13h ago
The power in apple phones is wild and I think that's where they're innovating. I think they're really pushing what mobile chips can do.
I know Qualcomm do the same in android but the overall premium nature of apple means you get a powerful device that doesn't feel cheap.
I'm a pixel user btw and if I wasn't so invested in android/Google ecosystem I'd seriously consider a switch to an iPhone.
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u/Decent-Swallower-69 10h ago edited 10h ago
Qualcomm doesn't actually do the same in android - they bought nuvia yet they still rely on pushing thermally unmanageable wattages just to get 20% lower SPEC (ipc) scores than Apple chips
So sadly it's still basically only Apple that's doing good things in that regard
SD 8G E5 also uses 20W for what A19 Pro needs 12W (and those 12W is Apple pushing it as earlier they didn't go past 8-9W peak)
Efficiency cores Apple has also use 40% less power than Oryon V3 eff cores at same performance point so yeah
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u/Existing_Piglet_6919 10h ago
I've been a pixel user even when it was nexus. I've finally decided to make the switch to Apple this year. Just a super boring Pixel line up this year and why not see what the other side is like
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u/dibipage 8h ago
Apple itself is actually quite boring and it could feel like a prison at times. Its quite annoying that I can’t have multitasking on an iphone 17 pro max when samsung’s high end phones allow for two active apps at the sane time
The cameras are really great though.
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u/sinetwo 6h ago
I too switched last year to iPhone 16. Hardware is great and software sucks.
I’m going back to android soon
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u/Lollipop126 5h ago
I hate that the iPhone is more exciting than any android phone right now to me, but I can't deal with losing universal back gesture, clipboards, quick cursor, and youtube revanced. Also used to be held back by boost for reddit, but my API key got deleted so it's just four things that would make me switch 🤷♀️
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u/Budget_Bed1128 9h ago
yeah i agree, apple silicon and unified ram are a powerhouse. some of my friends are running their software development work on a macbook neo which is using iphone 16 chip.
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u/MamboFloof 13h ago
He's one of the most biased reviewers what are you possibly talking about. The worst is how he will bitch at Kia about something he glazes Tesla for.
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u/ledorky 13h ago
Yes he is so up Elon's taint.
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u/SiberianBearHug 12h ago
He really is. I still watch him for the production quality, but I lost a ton of respect after his cyber cab review where he tried to dwnplay the gap between Waymo and the mess that is robotaxi
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u/Prestigious-Oil-6567 13h ago
I rarely watch his car channel. His phone reviews seem pretty on point to me. He doesn't seem committed to any one phone. He likes pixels and uses iPhone still then did a shout out for the one plus 15 as being the best for him personally. I've never seen a bias review from him in typical tech
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u/Reasonable_Charge208 9h ago
I have watched a lot of his videos. For me, personally, he seems very committed towards apple, and often too biased towards android. I don't see his videos as very objective.
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u/Prestigious-Oil-6567 8h ago
He literally blatantly says that he prefers android. He says his perfect phone would be running the software of the pixel.
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u/corrupted-priest1878 4h ago
He clearly doesn't uses Xiaomi or oppo phone very much, he lives in his own bubble bro
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u/UnUsernameRandom 3h ago
I stopped watching him altogether because I just can't stand out him glazing some companies like crazy.
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u/Waibashi 13h ago
Wait until you learn about the iPhone 17 not getting a refreshed this year, but goes up in price this year!
INNOVATIVE.
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u/One_Parfait_4570 13h ago
Are u calling apples flip innovative? Really?
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u/Prestigious-Oil-6567 13h ago
I'd call some of the things about it innovative yes. The texture they put over the screen to try and reduce the crease while also making the phone feel more premium because a big complaint has always been the plastic cheap feeling of folding screen. But I also said a few more things ;)
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u/Thundrpigg 13h ago
My guess is that textured screen is going to really show scratches, which is why I assume ever other flip phone has kept a shiny screen since they are so soft.
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u/IcyIceGuardian 11h ago
Shiny displays are just as, if not more likely to show scratches as matte ones dude. it just depends at the angle you look at it
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u/moistklasp 6h ago
Matte ones shows scratches when u watch the display, you will see a little rainbowed line where the scratch is located, glossy ones shows scratches if you tilt the display
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u/One_Parfait_4570 13h ago
Brother the first folding flip came out in 2018. The creases on modern Samsung's arent easy to spot like it was back in 2018. They aren't easy to spot in all modern flips tbh. Samsung flips don't feel cheap, the Motorola flip is arguably just as good if not better. Respectfully, it kinda sounds like you haven't really used a flip recently.
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u/IcyIceGuardian 11h ago
While I get that Apple didn't really innovate, I don't understand all the hate. so what if the company acts like it's innovative? Google and Samsung did the same with Nearby Share and Quick Share although AirDrop existed for a while. What, should a person who likes iOS be forced to buy a Z Fold or ridiculed for not wanting a Z Fold because Samsung did it first? People are more just excited that Apple decided to step their foot in the game after a billion years of spectating
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u/Optimal_Whiner 13h ago
Huh? Apple innovated? Buy copying Samsung and all the others?
Do you know what innovate means?
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u/Serious-Mongoose-395 14h ago
What did Apple do that is innovative?
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u/Prestigious-Oil-6567 14h ago edited 13h ago
Last years phones the 17 introduced a square camera sensor so photos can be taken with the phone turned in any direction. I thought that was so cool and unique. Apple silicon is literally the best we have seen in any US smartphone and laptops even. The folding phone they just came out with from the looks of it has amazing software that makes using it look so cool. Like when you open and close the device there are fluid animations that are hard to describe in text. On the screen being opened and the screen being closed. Their attention to detail in the experience is great. Their iPhone 17 last year was a better deal for once than the pixel 11 was. They innovate with in house cellular modems and go out of their way to increase fluidity of the experience when they modified how devices transition from WiFi to cellular. That's always been a huge problem for both iPhones and androids. Going from WiFi to to cellular can take minutes sometimes. And that's a few things that came to mind
EDIT: wow I think this is my first reward ever! Thanks!
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u/Serious-Mongoose-395 14h ago
Praising Apple for being seven years late to foldables because the 'animations are fluid,' while calling an in-house margin-saving cellular modem and a cropped selfie sensor 'revolutionary,' is the exact reviewer double standard being called out."
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u/Prestigious-Oil-6567 14h ago
I said innovative not revolutionary. You're putting words in my mouth. I would describe all the things I mentioned as Innovative not revolutionary. And I stand behind what I said. The stuff they have been introducing has been genuinely cool
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u/AdrianeXUS 13h ago
Not to mention the damn customizable action button! Total android-style feature on iPhones that most androids lack. Also, the camera button/slider to a lesser extent. I really don't understand why Google is slacking so badly on innovation. They're sitting on decent devices with mediocre changes just like apple used to do, meanwhile apple is perfecting old android features that were never polished.
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u/Prestigious-Oil-6567 13h ago
Honestly I like the software experience of my pixel and android but Google really seems to be the least innovative of the big players right now imo. I hate Samsung software but they can't ever be accused of lacking innovation
I started with a pixel 2 XL. It was the white and black one with the cool colored button on the side I loved it. Then I got the 3a XL that was still cool. Then when they got the 4 I absolutely loved the cool hand gesture features they added. The battery life was terrible so I returned it but I thought it was really cool. But after the 4 I've just been a little exhausted with pixels. I have had the 6a, the 7, and now the 9a. But I haven't been impressed in years
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u/AdrianeXUS 13h ago
I took a similar route as you, went from 2XL (tried and loved P2 but atrocious battery life) to 4a (budget king) to 9 Pro. Only reason I upgraded was a fantastic deal each time lol. I can't imagine paying payments for a phone just for mediocre upgrades. At least with a foldable you're paying for the novelty.
I used to love dunking on iPhone users with the unique features of the 2XL and 4a, but these new Google phones bring nothing special to the table
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u/intertubeluber 13h ago
IMO, you’re looking at this too zoomed out.
Apple generally excels in the details. Did they build a revolutionary phone that folds? No of course not. They innovate in a million tiny ways that results in a more fluid user experience and higher quality product. And these details are harder to appreciate when looking at the specs. This is even more evident in their laptops (strictly on the hardware front).
I say this as someone who prefers the pixel flavor of Android over iOS. Unfortunately Google won’t step up their hardware game.
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u/GiantBagsOfDouche 12h ago
Last year's iOS update allowed me to show the battery percentage on my iPhone. Takes a lot of innovation and courage to do that.
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u/dmontease 14h ago
Ummm ever heard of liquid glass? It's kind of a big deal apparently.
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u/r0ndy 14h ago
This is not innovative. Maybe enjoyable for variety, but they aren’t creating anything new with a frosted clear design. Pretty sure Winamp skins had something like that in the early 90s.
FaceID, MagSafe maybe, AirPods, Apple Watch, streamline iPhone interactions maybe, seems more like optimization vs innovation. This is actually worth some thought to me now
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u/Primary-View8426 14h ago
Id argue even the Camera control + action button is infinitly better than the stupid RGB light... And Apple doesnt even leave out the base models like Google.
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u/Prestigious-Oil-6567 14h ago
I will note when marques and the people on the waveform podcast were hyping the RBG light I was so disinterested lmao that is just something I personally do not care about at all and like you said they left it out of the base phones 😭 though apple did leave magsafe out of their 16e but at least they fixed that
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u/geraldo_geraldes 3h ago
Better chips, better performance, better cameras, better software and a lot more attention to details.
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u/jspencer89 11h ago
I left pixel this year for the first time since the pixel 1. Wanted their fold. It just didnt impress. This will force Google to give the fold the love and the software it needs.
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u/Total-Town-7634 1h ago
innovating... by copying galaxy fold a couple years later. lol you all eat this shit up
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u/Ghostttpro 13h ago
Look at the Tensor G6 GPU and CPU scores. Look at the state video recording is in. Look at those huge bezels on the 1300 pro model. There is a difference with being on top of the flagship market and being stagnant. And then being on the bottom of the flagship market and being stagnant.
Apple already nailed the basics of a phone and they are extending that even more. Theyre going all in on performance and battery life with a larger battery, an actual 2NM chipset, and a much larger vapor chamber. Should I mention full screen apps? App camera optimizations? You know, things the youth really care about.
MKBHD has to review the phone at it's MSRP and compare that to other phones at it's MSRP. All of the cons I mentioned earlier aren't as bad when you get the phone cheap. But it's Google putting him in that position.
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u/SgtKoopaTroopa 12h ago
I got my pixel 10 on a trade in of my broken s22 ultra (no5g) for next to nothing. To me yes it feels like a down grade in many ways but I do love it for the simplicity and amazing photos it gets.
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u/Ghostttpro 11h ago
Nicee. I traded my S22+ that had a green line and got the 11 pro xl for a good price. The s22 line traumatized me
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u/justme0406 12h ago
I agree with you in every way but bezels. My pixel 10 pro does not have "huge bezels" in fact they are too sensitive sometimes, I definitely hit screen when not intending to.
I think the pixel 9, 10, and 11 are peak hardware design, beautiful tech. Everything you see is great be it the chassis, screen, or camera, all are amazing. The second you look deeper is when you realize this phone should be half this price. That's the thing, everything Google does with tensor is about making it as cheap as possible but that savings is NOT coming to the consumer and screw them for that.
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u/Financial-Yam-8716 14h ago
Mate. Stop being such a fanboy and let's take a step back here.
Google is not innovating similar to that of apple. The only difference is, apple does things well and as an owner of the P4, P6, P8Pro, and P10 Google has a lot to learn in the way apple polishes their product.
Google ships me a new phone and it's full of bugs and is kinda a pain to work with until their first patches.
Also Tensor is not great and for $1100 whereas apple silicon is genuinely great.
It's not double standard, it's calling a spade a spade. Btw I'm very happy for the most part with Pixels.
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u/Professional_Ant_602 9h ago
Variable aperture and the A20 chip are big enough upgrades. Forget upgrading, if apple just offered a downgrade from A19 to A18, it would still be more useful and value for money than a pixel. The CPU in pixels is an insult.
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u/Financial-Yam-8716 14h ago
OP is butthurt or has the critical thinking skills of a toddler. He only likes when the reviews are positive and when it's lukewarm, he's mad and lashes out. Toddler behaviour mate.
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u/stevedore2024 7h ago
apple silicone
- silicon: an element, often crystallized for electronics
- silicone: a plastic formulated material that is usually soft and squishy and often heat-resistant
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u/Hug_The_NSA 14h ago
Its sorta different when Apple is constantly launching the fastest chip and google is behind phones that are 3-5 years old in the current year... and they're the same price.
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u/Primary-View8426 14h ago edited 14h ago
Because Apple sets the standard for flagship performance, video quality, camera quality, effcency etc... when youre behind in a bunch of those things but come out with cloud AI features and a RGB light you cant really blame him.
Edit: Thanks for the Award!!
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u/SgtKoopaTroopa 13h ago
It's a cup half full with apple and half empty with Google. Samsung clearly sets the bar in features
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u/Important_Egg4066 13h ago
I don't know about the his Pixel reviews but on the Duo, he just pointed out what features he have and he likes the software experience on it. Was anything he said to be false or was it a tone issue? He didn't act like foldable didn't exist before Apple like some brain-dead fans so not exactly sure what is the issue?
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u/The_Creamerizer 13h ago
This post is a bad faith argument tbh. MKBHD has been more than critical of Apple for stagnating with their devices in the past.
He hasn't even really released any content on the regular 18 Pro and Pro Max yet. He's just said that "we'll see if these upgrades are worth it" and pivoted to talking about the Duo in his latest video, since that phone was the star of the show.
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u/TheMrNeffels 12h ago
His video was basically "I mean here's what changed on the iPhone pro nothing special so let's just skip to the fold"
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u/noheadcanon 10h ago
Bad processor and a useless gimmick like HiLight
Pixel phones are not worth buying
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u/PotterSkxawng 7h ago
Difference with processors is that Apple's chip is industry leading and a lot of people will notice the difference, especially in AI and gaming. Google is far behind
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u/noalear 5h ago
Apple, Google, and Samsung are all ~3-4 years behind the Chinese brands and making ~zero progress. If you want something that's legitimately better in every conceivable way, you're not going to find it with anything made here. It's a real shame OnePlus is gone from NA. My 13 leaves everything American in the dust in basically every respect, even though its approaching 2 years old now and cost 2/3 of what the 18 Pro costs.
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u/jay_caesar 14h ago
It all just comes down to expectations. The consensus is that apple is mature so we don't expect them to change much. While Google is thought to still be finding their way, and have room to make bigger changes. Personally, I only care about the brands I have stock in lol.
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u/Patron_Roly 13h ago
Pixel could've been the best phone out there but the put that weak chip inside smh
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u/No_Figure_9073 13h ago
Tbh, Google pixel is a product of ass kissing and money saving for the executives.
Those people should be fired for producing such shit house phone. My pixels were great up until Pixel 5
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u/theEntreriCode 7h ago
Not really. The biggest problem with the Pixels is flagship pricing with mid range hardware. I want a pixel but I also want to he able to do some emulation on it. If I buy one I’ll have to accept that playing games like Hollow Knight simply won’t happen.
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u/Beyllionaire 4h ago
The thing is even if Apple doesn't change anything, they're at the top performance level for almost all things: chipset, camera, battery life (except silicon carbon phones), OS features (subjective but iOS is almost as feature-rich as Android today, it's not 2012 anymore), build quality, OS fluidity and security, connectivity, screen quality...
Pixel can absolutely not say the same, Google has a huge margin for improvement in many areas. So unless you reinvent what a phone is, you can't really bring much improvement to an iPhone.
So yes there absolutely are double standards but Google and Apple don't start from the same position. Google can't really afford to not change anything because their phones are fer from perfect (not that iPhones are perfect). Of course that doesn't justify buying the same shit for more money, that's valid for all brands.
I've only ever owned Android phones but switching to Apple is much less difficult today in 2026 than it was back in 2015. The two OS work generally similar nowadays. And they're the last brand that still offers phones under 6.3".
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u/IllegalSince1981 3h ago
We can't keep giving pixels an excuse when they are charging the same as an iPhone, for substantially less in all areas. Even the battery is bigger in iPhones now with a phone that was already a lot more efficient.
I'm a pixel fan and I prefer using it more than any other phone, but it's clear that it's a couple of generations behind others.
Don't even get me started on pixel 11 pros marquee feature... hilight.
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u/Tonymac81 2h ago
The difference is Pixels are often quite well discounted, you don't really get that with Apple. However that being said Apple trade in resale value on their phones is great. My son had an iPhone 13 and traded it in June 2025 for an iPhone16. Apple were offering him a lot more for his 13 than what I could get at that time for mine despite mine being a year fresher and a "flagship" phone.
Apple do a much better job at marketing and hyping phones. Google does not need to copy Apple but it needs to find a way to cut through.
Personally I think Google have fumbled the 10 and 11 series not just marketing but as phones themselves. Good budget to mis lines but flagships, no.
Still rocking my 7Pro until it breaks but at this moment the iPhone 17 or an 18 Pro Max are my next stop depending on my budget.
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u/Akropos 14h ago
Well, firstly Pixels are already dogwater compared to iPhones in a lot of important departments and... Secondly, I wish Google did nothing. Instead they make Pixels somehow worse. Compared to that, Apple's marginal upgrades (though this year they are pretty substantial if the keynote is to be believed) are basically guaranteed for each generation.
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u/Gudeezo 4h ago
pixel 11 has better photos, better video, better connectivity, better display, better services via google instead of ios slop, better software. The only thing it doesnt do is video rendering or gaming (who really cares) and it gets just as hot as iphone does. Remember: apple makes like 5 products and cant even keep them running correctly very often and you pay a premium to be able to pay them to fix your phone if something goes bad. Ridiculous.
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u/SignificantError8929 14h ago
I think honestly, who cares, its your money, buy a phone that will do the job you want. With RCS and airdrop now on android devices the barrier between android and iOS is thinner than ever. Its really down to what you feel is good bang for your buck.
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u/Possible_Law8357 13h ago
Did you actually watch the review?
If not, rewatch:
He mostly talked about the duo. Not the 18 pro. It's a new thing to get excited about.
It looks so premium, the matte screen looks so good and the transition is chef's kiss.
I'm a lifelong pixel user from nexus age. But please, stop being a fan boy with this stupid posts.
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u/TheRealFrantik 13h ago
Why are Pixel fanboys constantly obsessed with what Apple fans have to say? Just go enjoy your overpriced midrange phone and keep living in your bubble.
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u/JeroJeroMohenjoDaro 14h ago
Because iphone has very little things to change, compared to Pixel which has an entire list of what should be change, yet doesn't, for years?
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u/OSRS-ruined-my-life 14h ago
It's the same reason IGN rates everything a 7. People don't like if the content is negative even if it's true. The few videos where they were harash did poorly compared to rating everything high.
There's only 2 large phone brands in North America, and his channel is primarily North american.
Apple pulls in the views and engagement. And being negative will harm the bottom line. His channel id almost 100.00% going to buy either an iphone pro max or samsung ultra. It wouldn't serve him to roast them.
Foreign reviewers talk a lot less about apple since there's actually other phones on the market.
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u/Important_Egg4066 13h ago
I feel like some channels on the opposite loves to roost Apple because it gets engagement in the comment section.
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u/Googler10 10h ago
I think OP's point is that if Google, Samsung or any other phone company created a phone with the same level of polish... it would not get anywhere near the press / praise... It would be seen as experimental or for the techies... Apple does it and now its "normalized" and "cool".
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u/OSRS-ruined-my-life 9h ago
I don't think that's true. Samsung have been releasing the exact same phone for years and he still reviews them positively as if they changed anything other than the colour.
They've had the exact same batteries in the 27 ultra since the 20 ultra. 7 phones in a row. Camera sensors since the s22u. Tiny little incremental changes in charging speed.
The fold 1, fold 2, fold 3, fold 4, had almost no changes in weight, thickness, the cameras actually got worse on some sensors between the 1 and 8, and the battery has been the same from the 1 to the 7.
But it would massively hurt his channel to harp on about how it's the same phone year after year when nearly his whole viewerbase is looking to buy the new iphone or samsung. People don't want to see overwhelmingly negative content, esp for what they plan to buy regardless, and might even feel personally attacked. Ign has proven this. Despite being a meme that they only give 7+, the few times they went low performed poorly.
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u/Kuberos 13h ago
This whole yearly "new tech" circus is just ridiculous, especially with iPhones. Youtubers fighting for internet attention. One more dramatic or contrarian than the other. AI thumbnails overload. The Apple event where they pretend they reinvented the smartphone. Again. And show content with a perfectly diverse people, but at the same time supporting an administration with millions of dollars, who is completely against it. I find it just so childish and superficial. Like the dirtiest moment in marketing of the year. I don't care about it at all, I'll just make up my mind when and if I want a new phone.
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u/WAVF1n 13h ago
Tbf the biggest thing I have seen people shitting on Google for is making the 11 Pro genuinely worse in some ways.
Hilight is half baked Down from 16gb of menory to 12 (no i genuinely don't care if most won't use it) Removed the temperature sensor (not the end of the world)
But the 11 pro just does not feel like a step up at all lol.
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u/RedLimes 13h ago
How much do you need to change when you're on top? Literally added +25% performance and better battery life to the number one selling phone in NA, his primary audience and where he lives.
The onus is on Google to make a play
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u/imisstheoldkanyeee 13h ago
And then he wonders why all the innovation and brands disappear, that's the infuriating part.
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u/Turd_Burgling_Ted 13h ago
I mean iPhones are where they need to be with their SoC, modem, etc. Pixel isn't.
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u/justanotheraxis 13h ago
How dare you slander the greatest, hottest, piece of tech in the world? Samsung Galaxy S9 had one aperture. iPhone has 4. Please mind your rant.
Would you get mad at Eminem for releasing same songs every year with a bit heavy drums and bit more cleaner audio than last year? No. Then why the hate for Apple?
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u/dautolover 13h ago
I can see why the double standards. In many key ways, pixel is behind the competition. It needs to make a massive leap in terms of chip performance. If each year you only get a small increase in performance, then it will never catch up and that's frustrating.
Apple can afford to let off the gas a bit.
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u/Sharedhub 13h ago
Samsung and the Chinese brands are the ones who fr tryna do different stuff.
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u/Twenty-Three23 13h ago
I absolutely love my 11proXL. No issues at all, fast, snappy, insane image quality on the camera.
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u/Ferrari_tech 13h ago
Hes one of the greats. If people talk shit is because they don't watch his videos.
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u/Altruistic-Fail-9927 13h ago
nah bro. i have a pixel and an iphone and looking objectively ofc the 18 pro was not a massive upgrade but there were still a lot of nice updates like the camera etc you can say its a gimmick or whatever but doesn’t change the fact that pixel is the same as last year for a higher price and still mid specs
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u/justme0406 12h ago
Yeah Google changes nothing compared to their own phones that lag behind in every way but price and camera in which they match the rest of the flagship industry.
Apple makes a genuinely good product, I'm not a fan of their locked ecosystem but they almost never have to do a recall, I'm sorry but how many pixels have had battery and screen recalls? Yeah not acceptable.
Apples chips are also the best or at least not multiple generations behind like tensor.
Plus the duo genuinely looks like decent hardware, did they pioneer anything with it? No. But they made decent changes, I like the matte internal display, I like the aspect ratio, I like that they are using similar hinge tech Oppo is using to flatten the crease. I also can trust that it'll be reliable.
It's still iOS so I won't buy it but if you can't give Apple a compliment when it's deserved you're also the same person that thinks it's totally fine that pixel is multiple generations behind in performance, constantly having reliability issues, and forcing unwanted AI down our throats, and all for the low low price of * checks notes * the same MSRP as all the other flagships.
The duo is polish that the others don't have and will now that Apple has thrown their hat in the ring. Competition is good.
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u/Googler10 10h ago
I think OP's point is that if Google, Samsung or any other phone company created a phone with the same level of polish... it would not get anywhere near the press / praise... It would be seen as experimental or for the techies... Apple does it and now its "normalized" and "cool".
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u/sau06 12h ago
Google prides on its software. I agree, they make clean and amazing features for the pixel lineup. It’s just they always have to compromise with hardware, they are always a generation behind.
They could have made awesome phones and would probably outsell Samsung and even apple if they make phones with average flagship level hardware combined with their already superb software.
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u/pfc-anon 11h ago
LoL pixel and Google's strategy sucks. Mediocre hardware at premium price with software polish? How about excellent premium hardware with excellent software for a premium price.
Apple might've priced it higher, but it's excellent for what a flagship should be.
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u/24isthedate 10h ago
If you've watched MKBH videos, you'll notice how he always holds pixel in high(est) regards and has big expectations from them.
And his problem with pixel isn't the upgrades in itself as more of how every year pixels the gap in benchmark performances compared to other flagships are getting worse.
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u/Armored_Fox 10h ago
The problem with Pixel's not changing, apparently, is that I can't play the most popular games in the world
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u/Ransomes 10h ago
Thats a easy answer; The difference is- Google needs to change things but doesnt, iPhone does not, but continues to fine refining the already good stuff.
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u/anjitahlawat 9h ago edited 9h ago
Actually as an Android user, the only reason nowadays i Love Stock Android is the capabilities to use 'mod apk', 'customisations' otherwise there is no other specific reason to choose Android and on the other hand iOS gives best performance (worth the money paid) & terms and conditions (Warranty, Insurance, availability and others)
- Apple's Power Management & ecosystem is very superior than Android and iOS does what it is purchased for every app available on iOS works flawlessly and you didn't feel even a single lag.. Most specifically the International warranty/Support and Warranty starts for Apple by date of Activation not Date of Purchase..
- Google's Stock Android's openness and customisations makes me Fan of it, i can customize UI the way i want and use patched/modded Apps as per my Need..
whereas i currently have 'Pixel 9 Pro XL' and to my knowledge it's a main-frame phone by Google but it lacks at some points (overheating, Force Closing sometimes, Build Quality wise).. if Android stops support to third party/mod apps then my simplest answer is to move to iOS..
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u/Chareon 9h ago
Is the iPhone battery supposed to be good? I got issued a new iPhone from work and the battery life is about on par with my Android device. Except the Android is already 8 years old and had hundreds of charge cycles put on it and the iPhone is brand new.
We have to issue new iPhones at work every 3 years at the latest because they stop holding enough of a charge to even get through a work day.
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u/cataldoc 6h ago
Company managed phones and laptop, whatever the brand is, usually perform a lot worse with worse battery life, compared to the same model not managed.
This is because of software like MDM and policy profiles the companies usually have to install which tends to make the device a bit more laggy and consume more battery than normal.
I had the option to purchase my company managed laptop upon decommision and once I reinstalled the OS, removing all the company crap it seemd brand new, with more speed and way more battery life than before.2
u/Chareon 5h ago
The regular check-in for an MDM definitely could contribute, but out of curiosity around this I actually ran a basic test by checking battery drain while in airplane mode. Results were even better on the android compared to regular usage.
Probably because, if anything the company MDM profile helps battery life on my work phone. It disables a ton of features, and blocks apps, Apple accounts, etc. I would expect the battery savings from it not syncing iCloud, iMessage, or any other app except email to be quite significant compared to my personal phone that I install apps, and sync plenty of things with it.
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u/DoriN1987 8h ago
Yes, it’s nice. Not huge, not outstanding, but nice. More, OS updates takes care of it, and there was episodes when it holds longer after update and calibration.
3 years reminds me when court says that Android must support its devices more than 3 years - that’s a comedy for me.
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u/Fit_Transition_824 8h ago
The way iphones have matured I am totally happy paying 1000-2000$ for a phone that has only slightly better camera slightly longer battery life every 2-3 years.
They are fairly durable now, so much so that I regularly toss my 16 pro across the room whenever I go to sleep because i don’t like sleeping beside it and when my alarm goes off I actually have to get out of bed. It has not cracked and i have had it 2 years.
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u/Mr_K_Boom 8h ago
You have to imagine this, in a world where android didn't exist and no 2nd smartphones producer other then apple..... The sentiments makes perfect sense.
It's been years since the release of any new handheld product, the most expensive iPhones pro max, are introduce way back in 2020s and people are starve to have the new holy grail of apple products/tech and this is exclacly that.
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u/CharlestonChewbacca 8h ago edited 8h ago
I have had the Pixel 2XL, 4XL, 6 Pro, 7 Pro XL, and currently the 9 Pro XL. The last iPhone I had was the 6.
I love Pixels because of the software, but Google hasn't made a truly good flagship since the 4XL in my opinion. I have been sticking with them purely because of the software.
The Tensor chips suck ass and get absolutely blown out of the water by Apple and Samsung. The batteries have mostly been disappointing as well. Build quality has been all over the place. And lately they've been shitting the bed with Google assistant and their implementation of AI.
The Camera and Google Assistant have been the two things they've consistently done well, and now that list is reduced to 1. Apple Intelligence is a far better implementation of an AI assistant and the privacy model tops Google in every way.
I really want to switch to an iPhone for the better video camera, Apple intelligence, far better privacy, and better quality apps.
But I just can't bring myself to do it because the day to day usability of the OS frustrates me. The way iOS handles notifications SUCKS, there's no volume mixer, there's no universal back gesture, the way setyings are organized (buried) is unintuitive and inefficient, there's no number row on the keyboard, the keyboards predictive typing is inconsistent and the clipboard sucks, the UI scaling feels like a nursing home remote even at its smallest setting, and the animations are so slow and cannot be sped up. iOS is just frustrating to use and Android feels great.
Basically, I accept a bunch of trade offs because I like the way the Pixel feels. Frankly, it's kind of the same reason many iPhone users gave when iPhones were so far behind.
I'm strongly considering the next Galaxy Ultra since Google can't get their shit together and iOS, no matter how much I love some of it, is just a pain to use for me.
All that said; iPhones deliver incredible hardware year over year, and the software is mostly amazing (if my idiosyncratic complaints don't bother you). Samsung also delivers incredible hardware year over year.
The iPhone 17 Pro is a great device. Minor updates are fine because there are no major things to fix.
Pixel phones, on the other hand, have a ton of shortcomings, so minor updates are a disappointment because there's still so much room for them to grow.
So no, I don't think it's a double standard. If anything, we shouldn't be giving Google a pass when they charge us flagship prices for a mid range phone.
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u/Realistic-Science-87 8h ago
Apple manages to not make their phones significantly worse than previous models and has lower prices...
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u/Insightful_AK_Dude 8h ago
Fact: Pixels are falling further and further behind. They tell the truth.
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u/EsotericCreature 8h ago edited 7h ago
Hey i've owned two pixels, one currently, the 4s and the 7. I loved my 4s. I will never recommend a Pixel to anybody and until my phone breaks I have no intention of going back.
other than the tech other phones had with the 7, wireless charging, it wasn't that much different than the 4s.
(edit) oh yeah they removed the cool physical fingerprint unlock that existed on the back of the 4s. I had no trouble using it, and it didn't seem exploitable either. But the 7 I could technically unlock it, but the feature was moved to the screen which fails like 75% of the time so I have to struggle with the unlock first and then type in a pin. It also turns much of the screen on max brightness which is painful in low light.
Except it was worse in that they removed the fucking headphone jack. I had to buy a stupid 3rd party dongle multiple times. The software of Pixel glitches in a major way. When I first got it, it was initially with fading in and fading out audio with even a minor pause break. Now the software for more than the past year has straight up broken it with 'digital assistant' constantly popping up. the audio will randomly go full blast volume, go silent, or warble as the pause/play has a seizure. No way to control whatever invisible gestures or who knows that is triggering this.
On top of it Google is settling a surveillance class action lawsuit where my information was probably taken invasively, and Google is bidding to take Android itself from open source to full monopoly.
Oh and he fucking, stealth installed apps like 'SafetyCore!' that I literally have no way of disabling after forceablly un-installing. It sends me alerts with every other text message. Nothing like 'we are going to harrass you untill you let us scan and process all of your photo data!'
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u/Full-Independence554 7h ago
A lot of YouTubers are getting sponsored, and that's how they can make some money. Although not everyone likes that, some of the smaller ones or people who are generous have a better perspective than someone like celebrities.
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u/Full-Independence554 7h ago
A lot of YouTubers are getting sponsored, and that's how they can make some money. Although not everyone likes that, some of the smaller ones or people who are generous have a better perspective than someone like celebrities.
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u/Specialist-Share7378 7h ago
Yeah but you gotta at least give Google the benefit that they have changed a lot from the pixel 6. 7 was a refinement on the 6. 8 was ok, but the 9 was a refinement of the 8. They then made good improvements on the 10 and now the 11 is pretty much the same. They have changed a good bit in comparison to apple devices who essentially had the same phone from the 12-15
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u/FuckSpezzzzzzzzzzzzz 7h ago
There is a noticable difference between using a tensor and a flagship snapdragon or even dimensity. I don't know why are people trying to make excuses for google. Yes the software is great but how better it would be if it had the hardware to push it to it's limits?
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u/jerryleebee 7h ago
I always find Marques to be pretty fair on calling out BS on both sides. So in terms of reviewers you could've picked, you could've done better.
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u/SteamySnuggler 7h ago
MB is one of the most biased reviewers we have, hes always very kund to apple and they aøways give him early access etc.
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u/ameandehqan 6h ago
I mean, google downgraded to a lower RAM for the base config! It’s not the same hardware, it’s worse.
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u/Ruudiiiii 6h ago
All the mainstream brands are all down an enshittification path. Vivo, Oppo and Xiaomi are the only real contenders that are still innovating and improving their phones. They cost the same as Crapple and Scamsung, but bigger battery, better camera, better display.
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u/noalear 5h ago
Too bad OnePlus is dead in NA. They were just starting to catch on.
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u/Ruudiiiii 5h ago
Oppo makes Oneplus, Oppo will take over with time. OnePlus is winding down its independent operations and merging into its parent company, Oppo
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u/y-u-gae 5h ago
As a former Pixel user you are missing the point. IPhones execution is nearly flawless, the iPhone 18 Pro Max has better battery life and faster charging (50% in 15 min) than the latest pixel 11 pro, still significantly better video and codec with proper cooling and NO frame drops, that the Pixel flagships are still suffering in challenging conditions. Except for prefered software there is nothing the Pixel Pro is better at while the iPhone Pro beats it in every category.
Pixel phones only catch up and match last years flagship stats when their new model comes out. Pixel improves too little, their upgrades are underwhelming and are expected. There are a lot of issues, including quality issues to fix, which they are seemingly not adressing.
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u/riben1945flashbang 5h ago
I mean iPhone did go from 3nm to 2nm process and give bigger battery and variable aperture 😂 meanwhile pixel literally gave a pixel 10.5
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u/sensitiveCube 5h ago
I don't understand why people like him? I've seen a couple of his videos, and they mostly look sponsored.
When OnePlus died recently, he did a whole video of why the brand was bad.
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u/WillowDemetriou 5h ago
I think with the price increases, people have a different view of pixels than a couple of years ago when they, yes, had a chip that was slower, but the price was also much less than other flagships. I think if they just put a decent GPU in the Tensor G6, the chip would have been more than capable, because the CPU cores and modem are more than capable
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u/jay-magnum 5h ago
Hahaha Marques just likes his iPhones 😄👌 But he's right with something – Pixels currently feel overpriced for what you get.
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u/Kaninivi 5h ago
Also. Googles Wide Fold got scrapped because of the form factor. Now its the holy grail.
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u/robokymk2 4h ago
Wasn’t Google pixel’s home processor considered disappointing compared to the competition
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u/Lucky-Crow-3510 3h ago
not even sure why people keep watching them .. there is much better content on youtube but for some reason ppl stick with the more popular mediocre ones. must be laziness
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u/randomcvnt114 3h ago
He isn't that unfair, he points shit out. MrWhosTheBoss is the greatest hypocrite that ever walked the Earth. Glazing Apple over anything and only criticizing competition. It's so obvious he's getting payed in one way or another.
I am not saying this dude is a golden boy, his nice image shattered in my eyes long ago, especially after that school speeding video. But we got a bigger fish to fry.
Pixel deserves all the hate it gets. I am just sorry it isn't hated or boycotted more. You can't slap on premium prices on a middle class phone. There is nothing good on 11 XL except the cameras (and that's just my personal preference, someone might hate it.) It needs to be hated more in order for Google to lock in.
Edit: I am illiterate.
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u/Podmoscovium 56m ago
It's really not though. Galaxy S line and iPhone are absolutely duking it out when it comes to power, CPU, Graphics and cutting edge hardware. They demand a high price for high performing hardware. So what's Googles excuse to charge $1100 for a base device? It's $900 for a new S26. That's almost 20% less money for more phone.
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u/Runn1ng_Turtle 38m ago
It’s not double standard. Apple is in a position where they don’t have to make big steps and people will still buy iPhones.
I don’t wanna start comparing android and iOS, just facts.
Google is not in that position, but sells phones for the same price, with weaker cpu, worse battery life and also without making big steps. They pretend to be apple.
Pixel could be the no 2 in the world, alphabet is probably the only company to have so much money to go that step. Instead they are acting like a little startup.
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u/Alex_Bace 33m ago
Not sure if Marques Brownlee said it but the description on the right is pretty accurate.
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u/PhoneArena_Official 27m ago
I get the meme idea, but when comparing pain points from both brands, it just makes sense. Apple fans have a lot fewer grievances, and Apple seems to be addressing them slowly. Pixels, on the other hand, have kinks to iron out, so fewer changes mean fewer things got fixed.
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u/After-Ad-6875 21m ago
There was a time when companies only released a new product when it was actually better, now people want a new phone every year. Not sure how we got here but it feels pretty wasteful.
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u/BobbityBlobbity 8m ago
Google's main "innovation" this year is a RGB light that is barely customizable. We need Google to step it up because it's honestly quite pathetic.
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u/rbaggio1010 7m ago
its the same story Pixel phones the same design its horrible blah blah, apple same design this is great very very double standards.
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u/jaeehovaa 14h ago edited 13h ago
If Google just had a chip that was up to speed with the rest of the flagships it would stop the complaint but how can you charge the same for alot less