I’ve always liked Google phones. I remember with great fondness these Nexus 4 and Nexus 5 with which the Mountain View company Democratized pure Android, with barely a few tweaks. It was a time when layers of customization from major manufacturers weighed down the Android experience if you were a fan of that operating system.
I used to be a user of both of these big G phones but over the years I tried different brands which gave me a very good experience. Currently, talking about pure Android is complicated because Google itself customizes the software for its new devices, the Pixels. There are still phones with similar software, but I came back to Google with a Pixel 6a. The change couldn’t have been better.
The advantages of Pixel software: Material You, apps and functions
As I said before, Google’s Pixel phones don’t come with pure Android as such. But they stay close. Google, as the main developer of this mobile operating system, has added many great features, and continues to do so. When the Nexus were created, they were a guide for the rest of the manufacturers. They were a basis for showing how a phone should work, in addition to laying the groundwork for the design of the system and its applications. From there, Material Design was born, which later evolved into Material You.
However, with the creation of the Pixel range, Google wants to differentiate itself from other manufacturers by offering new features around its services. Hence the need to add software enhancements as do other manufacturers. And I couldn’t be happier. The integration with all Google apps is amazing: I use a lot of Google apps and their widgets, which makes my life easier.
An example of the additions in the Pixel’s software is instant translation or audio transcription. But for me, the most important thing is the user experience with my new phone. Yes, we have a lot of additional functions and Android is not as pure as before, but I also appreciate it, I notice a more polished and complete software than in the Nexus range. I can customize the system to my liking, adapting it to my needs. The ‘machine learning’ also helps, the phone learns from my use.
Even better, he retains his agility. I notice a fast and smooth system despite not having a refresh rate above 60Hz in 2022. The animations are beautiful and everything moves quickly. Switching between apps in view is a delight with gestures, and copying text is a breeze. In addition, taking screenshots and editing them is another task that Google makes it easy for us. In the open apps view I have a button to get a screenshot of the last app I used. I see my multitasking improved with the Pixel, it’s a step up.
What can I say about the camera? One word, awesome. Google’s camera software works wonders. It doesn’t matter that my Pixel’s sensor is old, works almost like a top of the range. Even the video recording surprised me with its stability, I love the different types of video recording, it seems that I am using a gimbal.
Waiting for new updates is not my thing: with the Pixel, I no longer have to wait
As an Android enthusiast, I’ve always wanted get latest OS version on my phones. I have been a user of several manufacturers but I have never accepted (yes, I understand) that phones costing several hundred dollars remain stuck on the same version of Android with which they came out. This is unacceptable, and it’s not just for my hobby: running out of security patches or new updates that fix problems is a failure.
And all what i am commenting on does not happen on a pixel phone. As soon as I opened the box and turned on the mobile, there were three security patches accumulated, improving the security of my Pixel. I use apps with private data like the bank one, and I also save my photos in Google Photos. I don’t want my data to be compromised because the manufacturer won’t update. And it is that the problem of malware is still present in Android.
When we have the new Android 13 “feature drop” among us, which is still in development, I’ll be the first to update. It shouldn’t be like this, but it’s a luxury to have updates at launch.
I was looking for a durable phone with updated software and useful features, the Pixel 6a meets my expectations
In short, my Pixel device works for me (and not me for this), facilitate aspects of my daily lifelike at work. It’s been a joy to step into this line of phones and see that what Google was already famous for, fluidity, is still there. But it is that I also have a more efficient system with very intelligent functions that improve productivity. I’ve come to Pixels and plan to stick around for a long time using the Pixel 6a as my primary personal device. I do not regret it at all, on the contrary, I am delighted.
