[UWSL][UWSL] I[/UWSL][/UWSL][UWSL][UWSL]'ve never owned a Pixel phone before, bought Samsung for 80% of the time. I'm not following Phone news and only read up once I need something new.[/UWSL][/UWSL]
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[UWSL][UWSL]First let's start with the things I do not like: The Negatives[/UWSL][/UWSL]
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- [UWSL][UWSL]Speakers are bad, especially at high volumes. If you want half acceptable sound quality, you need to turn them down to ~60%. Pixel 5 speakers are usable, but I wouldn't want to listen to music on them for longer periods of time. [/UWSL][/UWSL]
- [UWSL][UWSL]Auto brightness is aggressive. I was correcting it all the time and even turned it off today. I'm half sure this will be fixed in an update.[/UWSL][/UWSL]
- [UWSL][UWSL]Max brightness on my (now defect) S10 was better and altogether it had the nicer looking display (when not in motion!). That said the Pixel 5 is good, the colors are more natural and pleasing. I'm just noticing the difference in resolution.[/UWSL][/UWSL]
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[UWSL][UWSL]Now let's talk about what I love: The Positives[/UWSL][/UWSL]
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- [UWSL][UWSL]While talking about the Display: 60Hz vs 90Hz make more of a difference than I thought. After four days on the pixel 5, picking up a phone with 60Hz and scrolling suddenly feels stuttery. (Every PC gamer in here is now shocked, I know)[/UWSL][/UWSL]
- [UWSL][UWSL]Battery time is incredible compared to my old S10 (Exynos edition). For the first time, in a long time, I stopped worrying if a phone will carry me through the day. There are days when I'm extensively using my phone and the Pixel 5 powers through that. Awesome![/UWSL][/UWSL]
- [UWSL][UWSL]The camera is good, though I have the feeling like it needs particularly good, bright light to be excellent. No matter what: It's a significant upgrade over the s10. People were complaining about a long processing time. I do not perceive it as long though; it's not bothering or even in the slightest annoying.
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- [UWSL][UWSL]I like the fingerprint scanner on the back. But I'm one of those people holding the old LG G2 in high regards. The home and volume buttons were on the back there. [/UWSL][/UWSL]
- [UWSL][UWSL]It's so small and comfortable to hold. Everything feels fast and snappy. Awesome![/UWSL][/UWSL]
- [UWSL][UWSL]The Wifi on the Smartphone is fast. [/UWSL][/UWSL]
- [UWSL][UWSL]Stock Android 11 is pure joy to use. This paragraph would deserve its own thread, but I'll try to make it simple.[/UWSL][/UWSL]
- [UWSL][UWSL]I love the new gestures, instead of the "three buttons" approach that Samsung is still holding on to. Though I had trouble adapting for the first day.[/UWSL][/UWSL]
- [UWSL][UWSL]I love the new notification bar. It's finally organized and works! The music player integration and the ability to change streaming devices on a wimp is genius.[/UWSL][/UWSL]
- [UWSL][UWSL]Connecting something through Bluetooth, Wifi scanning, even my bank authentication app is significantly faster. Despite being on a weaker CPU. Less OS bloat?[/UWSL][/UWSL]
- [UWSL][UWSL]Short: It's simplistic, never stands in my way, it's comfortable to use and as snappy as it gets. 10/10 for android 11.[/UWSL][/UWSL]
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[UWSL][UWSL]A couple of neutral things: [/UWSL][/UWSL]
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- [UWSL][UWSL]I miss Bixby as my wake-up morning call. Waking up to a smooth tone, with a friendly voice greeting me and reading the news was good. Yes, there are google routines, but it's just not as smooth and pleasant. [/UWSL][/UWSL]
- [UWSL][UWSL]I miss the quality and variety of cases made by Samsung. They are overexpansive but good, better than any third party offering in my experience. So far, I have found nothing that feels good to hold. I'm sure Google's fabric cover is good too, but I'm also sure it would be moist and dirty the way I use my smartphone. Maybe somebody has a recommendation for a case that feels good to hold and isn't ultra-thick?[/UWSL][/UWSL]
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[UWSL][UWSL]Things I have not tested:[/UWSL][/UWSL]
- [UWSL][UWSL]Gaming. I don't play games on my smartphones. [/UWSL][/UWSL]