Google Pixel 5 Is A Rip Off

 The Pixel 5 is a rip off. There is literally no other way for me to put it. Let me explain why this phone (and the 4A 5G as a result) is a rip off and is not worth 700$ USD. Yes I have heard that in some regions the phone is 599$ and that is more palpable, but still, not worth it considering the actual cost of manufacturing.

Let's first start with the predecessor, the Pixel 4. I purchased a Pixel 4. I still use it. Its a nice device. With some tweaks the battery life is more than bearable for me. But this had all the flagship phone check boxes and came in at a nice 799$ price tag. This wasn't terrible considering it was every box checked except the battery. Now, remove 100$ and we step down in CPU, GPU, RAM speed, Storage speed, Build quality, we loose radar/soli and face unlock, squeeze function, front facing speaker, and the Neural core.

So you are telling me, that removing cutting edge radar tech, and stepping down to 2017 level's of performance is "only" 100$? Wow.

Also. The Pixel 4a 5G is a pixel 5, minus the water proofing, 90hz display, and "fake" metal body. And apparently that costs 200$. 

I am sorry but this makes no sense. These price differences don't make any sense at all considering devices like the Galaxy s20 FE has top end specs, checks all the boxes, has BETTER EVERYTHING for the same price as the pixel 5.

I get it. Its about the software, you get updates, etc. But really, 99.9% of people will not care. The s20FE is better in every measurable way, and you can tell me that the Pixel 5 has a better camera. Its the SAME CAMERA that has been used since the Pixel 2. You would think considering its such an outdated sensor that it would cost less. Nope.

Want more? The OnePlus 8 is 599$ (was 699$) and it has even better specs than the S20 FE. Things like 30 watt fast charging, under display finger print scanners, bigger screens, bigger batteries, etc. And now the iPhone 12 which looks to be freaking amazing and unique compared to its predecessors, is only 100$ more than the Pixel 5.

There is also this strategy, that the samsung and apple agreed to raise prices of their flagships to 1000$ so that then they could sell you mediocre 2-3 year old hardware for 700$. This is very plausible since in reality, the flagships aren't worth nor cost 1000$ and are only marginally better than their 800-900$ variants. This is pretty obvious with things like the new note and s20 series, where, the ultra is a whopping 1200-1400$ (You could buy an RTX Titan for this money and play video games at 8k) and has pretty much NOTHING but gimmicks over its 1000$ version.

We have hit the wall of diminishing returns. The only devices that are honestly worth the money are the 300-400$ price range, where, you can get a new device every year and not really feel the hit on the wallet, and still enjoy a decent experience through out said year of ownership. It really felt like phones would get better and eventually we would hold on to them longer, making the prospect of owning an android device for 2+ years viable. But alas, this is not the case with the new pricing system, which pretty much makes it pointless. Over 3 years you can either own the Pixel 4a, 5a, and 6a (if we account for the future) and it would cost you just as much as the latest flagship except you would have to hold that for 3 years and deal with the plummeting value.

Enjoy consumerism. GG well played.

Pixel 4 - The Phone Google doesn't care about

Wow it has been 4 years since I have written something on this blog, and the views keep coming on old content. You thought I was gone huh?

I know this blog is supposed to argue in favor of android, but after the launch of the pixel 4, I have seriously considered buying an iPhone for the first time, EVER. Why? Because google really does not care about the pixel 4. AT ALL. Here are a few reasons.

Battery life. You knew this was coming. I understand that 99% of people can get through the day with the Pixel 4's battery. Even I can. 4 to 5 hours of screen on time is all I really need even on the heaviest days. My Pixel 2 XL rarely goes bellow 35% battery. So why does everyone seem to care that they can't get comparable battery life out of this phone compared to other flagships? Price. This phone costs between 800 and 1000 bucks. There are plenty of phones out there that have better battery life. But here is the issue, you can't fit a bigger battery life into these phones because of all the new tech that is being put in them. The new Soli sensor's and face unlock and infrared and so on take up space. So yeah, beat it. Honestly, reviewers who test these phones hammer them with use cases that are totally unreasonable. No one uses their phones for 24 to 48 hours without charging, and if you get stranded without a charger or you get lost in the middle east on the run from terrorists, I think you have bigger issues than what percent your battery says. Seriously, stop using your phone so much. I have seen screenshots that show 2 hours of twitter usage at max brightness. WHY? Personally I consider myself a heavy user, but with auto brightness, wifi, and dark mode, I can make my OLD AS HELL nexus 5 last a full day on 2300mah, let alone 2800mah on a brand new super efficient smartphone. Try using your galaxy note at full 1000 nit brightness on twitter for 2 hours. GOOD LUCK.

Gestures. You know, considering people are trying to multitask while using their phones, this is actually a good feature. Everyone says this is a gimmick but Soli is a God send. Maybe in the future we will be able to swipe through tinder and text while driving using gestures and not have to look away from our phone. I will simply point a middle finger at my phone and it will type "F*ck You" and send the text on its way. Seriously, this is such a useless feature at the moment because the only place I will use it, is my alarm clock and google play music, but I mean, its not like I have a life where I can't pick up my phone sometimes. Hell I have a JOB I can't pick up my phone all the time.


Face unlock. Guess what, now your spouse will be able to unlock your phone when you are asleep and snoop through your text and browser history! Let me give you a pro tip. Use incognito mode in chrome, delete texts from your side chick, and use a freaking pin on your photos app. There you go! Now you won't get a divorce. Moving on.

Low brightness display. 400 nits is just not bright enough guys. Seriously, I am getting old, like closer to 30 years old, and I am slowly going blind. I have a hard time seeing my phone because I am outside so much because now that I'm old I have enough time to hang out with my non existent spouse at the park watching my non existent kids play candy crush on their iPad. Nope. Can't see anything google, notch up the brightness please!

High refresh rate screen! YES. FINALLY. This feature is great, but apparently it does not work as intended, because it switches to 60hz when you don't need 90hz. Honestly, I got killed playing PUBG on my phone the other day because I didn't have a 90hz screen and he did so he had a competitive edge, so now I am salty that phones have become like PC gaming, I am sorry but I saw you first because I have a high refresh rate monitor. Beat that.

The phone snaps like a kitkat. Here is the thing guys, yesterday, I sat on my phone and never noticed it. Luckily it's a Pixel 2 XL and its so durable I dropped it at work without a case from the second floor onto concrete and it was 100% OKAY. I wonder how many of you guys sit on your phone for fun, I am sure if you run it at max brightness, charge it, and play PUBG on it, you will be able to warm your ass with it while sitting on it. What a brilliant idea. Just don't get a pixel 4 it will snap into pieces.

I think this sums up everything wrong with the pixel 4 and why paying money for a SUPERIOR piece of software compared to iOS or Touchwiz (my bad, One UI) is not worth it. But I am upgrading from my 2XL to the Pixel 4. Because I value an absolutely unobtrusive user experience. I have cut down my phone usage significantly. I spend at most 4 hours on it a day if that, that is including youtube, prime movies, and crunchyroll. Speaking of witch I recently got into anime, and damn it looks like crap on 400 nits 90hz at 1440p. I think I need Sony to make me another 4k HDR phone except at 120hz because my animations just don't look good enough.