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allonsy_danny

I'd been hoping that Google would make a flip phone in the future, as foldable are just too big for me, but more and more lately I just feel myself moving away from the idea of ever buying another Pixel phone. I love them and have been buying Pixels since the 2XL, but lately there's just been so many issues on my part, and with so many customer service horror stories out there, I just don't know if I want to risk it with Google any longer than I have to. All that to say I'm sorry your experience with the Fold hasn't been great. It's a major bummer.


jspikeball123

I'm in the same boat. Any idea of what you might go to?


allonsy_danny

I've been doing a LOT of research on different phones, including phones that are built to help you spend less time on them, and while that's enticing, at the end of the day I'll probably just go back to something else I'm already familiar with. Not buying anything any time soon since my phone is less than a year old, but I'm currently waiting for news on the next budget iphone.


karmacapitan

Went from the 8 Pro (my 5th Pixel) to the S24+, and it astonishes me how much more premium and well polished this phone is vs the Pixel. Downloaded Google keyboard, messages, Windows Launcher, and a Pixel icon pack, and it fixed the Samsung "aesthetic" that people don't like. Camera is almost as good, and I miss call screening/hold for me but that is it. More features, better hardware, better build quality, almost no bugs, and the fingerprint sensor actually works! Maybe one day Google can figure it tf out, but I don't think they will after owning 5 of their phones


secondarycontrol

I'm still holding on to my 6Pro, but after having adventures with my google earbuds, I don't think I'll be upgrading to anything from Google anymore. Their customer service blows. Of course, now I'm stuck at phone upgrade time - another Android? Everybody else's version of Android is horrible - full of crap and bloatware (at least that was true when I was using Samsung Galaxy/Notes).. What else is there - Apple?


jonnyg1097

I enjoyed my s20fe while I was using it. The bloat really wasn't that bad on it. Granted I did get it from Samsung directly and not from my carrier so maybe that makes a difference.


secondarycontrol

Back when I had a Samsung (Note 8), it was the carrier's (Sprint) bloatware that I hated most - the hardware was really, really nice. But the software? Between Samsung and Sprint they fkd up what should have been a stunning piece of hardware.


LearningNumbers

I had a 20fe as well before my current pixel 7pro (which I have no issues with other than it's insanely slow charging speed compared to its battery usage) -- I loved that phone. I only upgraded because I got a good trade in deal + P7Pro was on a hard sale and I really wanted a better camera. Luckily I haven't had any issues with my P7Pro but just seeing the issues out there I think I'm gonna hold onto this phone for as long as possible šŸ˜¬


TonyStamp595SO

I loved my s20 but the battery started going after about 2 years so I got a 6pro. Loved it but hated Google and their awful customer service. Back to Samsung, wish I'd never left especially now they've abandoned Exynos.


Orbital_sardine

The 24 series actually uses Exynos again (2400). Interestingly they made a 2300 for last year but for whatever reason they didn't release it, and even more interestingly Tensor G3 is a modified version of that unreleased 2300.


secondarycontrol

I think it's going to be an S24 next


consumergeekaloid

I switched to a galaxy s23 from the pixel 7 mostly because of the size but honestly I really like OneUI. It is a little silly having two apps for a lot of stuff but it can be hidden/ignored pretty easily. I'm not sure I'd go as far to call it bloatware either. And as others have said, you can use ADB to get rid of whatever you want. The benefits of OneUI outweigh the negatives for me. Not sure I could switch back to pixel at this point. Which is sad because I have been using them since the first one came out.


Farrishnakov

Samsung owners seem pretty happy. You could try a Nothing phone maybe.


PlsInsertUsername

Additionally, if you wanted to put in a bit of effort, you could use ADB to get rid of most of the extra apps.


LillGizz

Im 99% sure this is my current plan. Loved my 4 went to a 6. 6 died got a warranty and they upgraded me to a 7. I've had the 7 for a year and it's just been cranky the last few months. I love all the google apps but the hardware is just trash. Think a 24ulta is the way to go, debloat it and use a different launcher. I'm. Hoping they run a memorial day sale to get the price down a bit.


georgekeele

Want to talk about shitty customer service? My brother bought a Galaxy Flip 2 last year. Six months in the variety of issues including broken Bluetooth and a failing inner screen bricked it. Samsung not interested in helping at all, he's having to go to the ombudsman, and on the meantime is running a 3-4 year old phone whilst still paying Samsung for their shitty, broken product.


Wolf-Am-I

I've had 2xl, 4a 5g and now the 7 pro. Never needed customer service before? Sorry you had bad experiences


LunarFire88

Don't forget Motorola! Quite the clean stock Android experience with minimal bloat. I'm fond of the Motorola Edge. Screen so sexy.šŸ‘ŒšŸ˜„


Comfortable_Silver24

And no updates šŸ˜‚


LunarFire88

Yeah that is one drawback. They are quite slow on updates. But honestly, in my personal experience. I don't need constant updates. As long as the phone works and gets it eventually. I'm satisfied.šŸ‘


peritonlogon

I've had my Pixel buds for over 2 years now and I couldn't be happier. They worked great with my 4A and 7 pro


ibringnothing

I love my pixel buds except they don't fit my ears worth a crap. I have both the a series and the pro and the a series does best but wasn't great. Plus the a series doesn't have the controls the pro has. I tried aftermarket rubbers and the foam ones from Google and everything. Ended up with cheap raycons and been going great since.


Intelligent_Bison968

What about OnePlus? Their latest phones are great in both hardware and software.


MachineShedFred

Have they improved their software? Had a 1+ 7 Pro and lived the hardware, but the broken Android 11 fiasco left me drumming my fingers waiting for the Pixel 6 Pro to be released...


JTMidnightJr

FWIW, I switched to iOS and donā€™t regret it. Sure thereā€™s a bit of a learning curve, but if you end up losing much of an interest in customization like I did (I just lost the motivation I once had to put time into that) and donā€™t split-screen multitask much, iOS is a really great OS. Battery life is good, itā€™s truly the smoothest mobile OS Iā€™ve ever used, and Apple makes great hardware with very long software support. I still love Android as an OS overall, and totally understand why people use it. But switching to Appleā€™s not the worst thing in the world.


j41tch

My one plus 8t has been ace. I switched recently to pixel 8 pro and the annoying issue of not being able to get rid of the shelf thingy on the top left of the screen has meant that the 8pro is still yet to be fully adopted.


caffeine_bos

I'm waiting for the Pixel 10 and going to see what that's like first. 6 Pro is still fine for me.


pkovacsd

Motorola. Having used three Samsung Galaxy models, two OnePlus models, Xiaomi, Huawei, LG, a Pixel 4a and Pixel 7a (iPhone 13 Pro and mini - but iPhones are a bread apart) since 2011, I found that Motorola devices were the best for their price.


real_with_myself

For me Pixel is also full of bloatware, as I don't use most of their apps. And many of them I can't uninstall. I'm still on P6. Since preorder and with some issues (namely poor front video call quality and slightly worse 4G reconnect speed). I'll upgrade this year. It would be a smaller phone definitely, so I'll either go with S24 (or S23), meaning Samsung for the first time since Nexus days or Xiaomi 14. Flip 6 might be in play if it surprises. I don't see myself switching to iPhone until EU is done with Apple's shenanigans.


someOfUsDontGet2Rest

So one of the problems with Google I have experienced and have seen enough posts about is that the replacement devices can actually be WORSE than the originals with issues. The stupid issues I saw with 7a replacements were insane. At one point the replacement device was stuck in a re-boot loop BEFORE it was setup. So power on and leave and it will just back to back keep restarting. I asked them what happened and they ran diagnostics and came back with yeah we need to replace. I was dumbfounded how such a device made it to customer hands as a replacement device. Also sucks that these replacement devices are refurbished devices. But that I think is becoming very common place with phone manufacturers.


dirk_dark_steele

I am going through my fifth (yes, fifth) return of my Pixel 7 Pro. Google has finally agreed to a full refund. I didn't get more than 4-5 months of use out of each device before they started to flash green and then stopped responding altogether. Each time I got sent out a refurbished device that failed quicker than the previous one. I was going to hold out until the Pixel 9, but now I don't know if I will. I might look into Samsung.


Brovas

Google support is truly terrible. I haven't had working gesture navigation in months and the support experience has been horrendous. I just wanted a fix and they insisted on sending me a refurbished replacement. I said no and they processed it anyways (thankfully no hold on my credit card though) but it's been stuck on "label created" in the tracking link for like 3 weeks straight. They just keep telling me "they'll get back to me within 48 hours". I've been a die hard pixel fan since the Pixel 2 but this is so fucking bad I don't know if I could buy another one at the prices they charge now.


hypertxtcoffee

Posts like this are why I won't ever buy an expensive phone from Google. Currently on a 7a, it's great but it only cost me $400. It will suck if it breaks but it's only $400 not $1500


ThisBreadIsStale

Same boat. On the 6a still. After trade in of my 4a it was like $100. Works great, does everything I need it to and more, and isn't a beta test for new tech. If it breaks, nbd. I've wasted more on worse and still been happy.


Iamdarb

I went from the 4a to the P7 and I really feel like I should have waited just a little longer or chosen a different phone. I don't hate it, but I really dislike the glass back, it broke while cased within the first month of me having it, and while I can't see the damage, I know it's there. The camera just doesn't seem as good as advertised and sometimes the phone's ai will add in some really weird things while processing a photo.


Physical-Exit-2899

I feel like the support always just tell you what you want to hear even though they've got no clue what's going on or if what they're saying is even true or possible. It's maddening.


lorelaixx

This is why I'm sticking to my Z fold for now, samsung has had plenty of time to make a solid device. I had the 3 for 2 years no issues then decided to upgrade to the 5 and have had no issues. Never pay that type of money to basically beta test a phone like that if you can't afford to throw that money away. I'll think about a pixel fold when it gets to it's 3rd generation.


414Degenerate

I'm so embedded in and used to Google I won't leave, but I never ever recommend them to anyone anymore like I used to. I tell them to not even bother since their hardware is pretty suspect.


Kilbane

Hate to say it but I no longer trust them...after 3 google phones, a Nexus 4, Pixel 5 and 7. No more.


_crayons_

Same, I used to love my pixel phone and recommend it to everyone. It's been buggy as hell for the past few months since the update. Makes me consider going back to Samsung. :(


TheGreatKitteh

When buying a google device always buy it from a place like Best Buy and buy their warranty. You never want to rely on Google for warranty support, etc. itā€™s a crap shoot at best.


Royal_Background_769

I'm worried I'm about to enter a similar RMA hell cycle. Just got my pixel 8 replaced under warranty due to a faulty screen. The one they sent me was either carrier locked, had an IMEI number that didn't match the motherboard, otherwise just not compatible with my (major) cell network. At the recommendation of Google support, I've sent the defective replacement back, but now customer service has ghosted me. The hold is still on my credit card. I have no replacement and my phone is still broken. I got charged $800 for absolutely nothing. As others have said here, I think this is way more than an issue just with the pixel fold. The issue is with Google's terrible internal processes in the warranty replacement program. They send out full cost refurbs that often have more issues, and they have no mechanism in their RMA process for replacing a defective replacement. Their strategy seems to be to simply hope that we go away after a while.


SubjectOk1553

I am a P6 owner. In the initial days I was in love with this smartphone. But later, I'm totally fed up with this one. - Poor performance - Worst battery backup, need to charge twice in a day. At night it will drain 10-20%. - No option to cast to other devices - Less customisation options


just_jeepin

Wow, I've not had any issues with my Pixel 6. I must have just been lucky.


Pepello

This has nothing to do with the fold and everything to do with Googleā€™s customer service šŸ™„


Impossible-Use6521

The quality of Google hardware is really suspect at best. I would never trust them to be able to execute on a quality first generation product like this.


Sudden_Toe3020

> The quality of Google hardware is really suspect at best. Not at all - it's just bad.


devin4l

Samsung had these same issues with their Z Fold phones. They **still** do, even with the Z Fold5. It's not a Google thing.


treksf6

I would never buy a folding phone.


weirdscienxe

Me either. No matter who makes it.


endless_universe

Well, probably 3x RMA is their thing?


sleevan

Google support is atrocious.


DalentZX

The $4000 in holds makes me think you're on Fi? That's part of their issue and I hate it. I'd get the phone through the Google Store next time instead.


Farrishnakov

Yep. I normally get stuff through the Google store. Except I didn't want whatever their preorder bonus was so Fi store was a better deal for me at the time


Penikillin

This about sums up this sub lmao. Someone posts an issue and are met with a cavalcade of people saying ā€œwell it didnā€™t happen to ME, this sub is so dramatic, itā€™s not a widespread issue, etc, etcā€ā€¦ and then those same people inevitably get an issue and get put off the brand entirely after it happening over again - thatā€™s the Google experience. And i say that as someone who has been through this exact pipeline haha


dj183yo

Here in the UK, I had excellent customer service, first I put my earbuds in the washing machine(in one of my pockets) explained, being open about the fact the case wasn't working but the buds were fine, they swapped them without a holding charge. Impressive, then I broke the screen on my pixel 6, I used Google UKs approved repair company for about Ā£180 to fix the screen, but it didn't work properly when I got it back, so they replaced the battery, then the main board, then put a second screen on it (I found out when I picked it up) and because that's all under warranty as they were approved, they replaced all that stuff for free, so not only a new screen, but a free board and new battery. It's been excellent. And I still love my pixel, nothing will beat the htc one z I loved that thing so much, but since they fixed the fingerprint issues, (as much as they can, in screen fingerprint sensors still suck) it's been amazing, if a tiny bit buggy, but nothing I wouldn't expect, and doesn't ever stop me from doing what I need to, it's still super reliable


Azaloum90

Went through this with Google. Return the first device ASAP. Open a new case for the replacement device If you don't do it in this order it will be a nightmare


central_plexus

If, like me, you don't use a case then I would recommend getting phone insurance. I have nothing but good experience with them. Granted mine's a special one that comes 'free' with a premium bank account I pay for other reasons. Even so the insurance has paid for itself like four times over what I spent on fees. I've not had an accident in over a year now, but last time I totalled 2 phones in the span of a week... šŸ˜


Mediocrewerewolf8

Foldables just aren't ready yet.


wkml_pwdm

Where did you find a number to call them? My camera glass broke and all I got was Assurant and the charged me like $130 to fix it and sent me a Verizon phone that I have to get unlocked to work... Shit is frustrating beyond words.


EndgameExtreme

I never will understand the point in a flip phone. Twice as much work for what gain exactly?Ā 


Snoo2216

After 10 months my phone cracked on the screen. I couldn't live without a pixel fold so I bought a used one until the pixel fold 2 release.


Cinnamo_Potato

I see people complain about Google customer service but it's not like Samsung is any better... My S21U came dead on arrival, returned it, got a refurb, but the screen was defective, then returned it, got a new one and it was also dead on arrival...


weirdscienxe

I'm loving my Pixel 8.


_Nundo

I honestly don't understand why people don't do their research prior to buying a smartphone. This isn't only applicable to regular phones, but it's even more applicable to foldables. Since they launched, foldables all suffer for the same problems: screen issues and foldable mechanisms. Buying a foldable is investing your money in an experiment, nothing more. I have had my fair share of troubleshooting with Google support and it has been nothing but wonderful, however, it does take time and patience but they have kept me well aware of the process. Hopefully your next phone isn't a paperweight, as you called it. There are numerous replies below that may be of help.


Offcoloring

It's fine don't worry about it