Three months since using the pixel 6a. I got it because it was the cheapest flagship quality phone I could get. Software wise. Though the camera is good as well.
I find the voice typing real smooth. I also found good use of the recorder app while watching video lectures.
Over all, not a single bug or problem while using it and it runs smooth, without bloatware.
I had a galaxy s9 before this and was daily driving it with the pixel AOSP.
The moment I moved to pixel AOSP on it, I know this is the thing. So I got a one month old Pixel 6a for like 200 USD in the market and didn’t think for another second.
This is the closest experience to windows phone I had.
This is just a beginner’s post as I get into lemmy.
I have a Pixel 7a which I bought 2 months ago at launch date. It’s the first Android phone that I really love, the others (Samsung, Sony and Asus) were just “meh, at least it does its job right”.
This one is different, the build feels obviously premium, the hardware and the software work exceptionally well together, and Android updates are frequent and having Google give you the guarantee that (at the minimum) security updates will continue until 2028 is awesome and helps fight electronic waste. And even after that, Android OSes like LineageOS or GrapheneOS (see https://lemmy.world/post/1172888) are very likely to continue working smoothly if one wants to switch to an OS that is still maintained, given that Google’s devs test stock opensource Android on the Pixel phones first. I’m sure I won’t buy a new phone for the next few years.
Only thing making me sad is that I dropped it on concrete a few days ago and didn’t have a case (I’m usually very careful and never needed a case, this time it just slipped out of my pocket), nothing bad happened to the phone, which I find awesome, but it got a few very small scratches on the side which aren’t really visible but I now always get a bit sad when I touch them 😔. That’s how much I love this phone!
I’ll never understand how someone can keep a phone without a case. Even if you’re careful there’s still a chance of dropping it. I can’t tell you how many times my UAG case has saved my phones. I’m still on the same Galaxy S9 phone I’ve had for six YEARS (yes, I know it’s time to upgrade but my phone just won’t die lol)
Yes I know but I feel like cases are just bad design. You buy a shiny phone that’s being advertised as having premium materials, being great to the touch and thin, only to later slap an ugly case on it to protect it. I know there are very strong arguments in favor of phone cases, but I could just never reconcile myself with how phone cases negate a phone’s design 😅
Lol fair enough there are some absolutely beautiful phones these days (I love the newer pixel design with the cameras horizontally along the aluminum back bezel), but I am a practical person and I prefer longevity over aesthetics. I’m a #buyitforlife type person which is probably why I’m still happy with my old phone - it’s not in perfect shape with a shattered glass back panel hidden behind a UAG case, but the phone just keeps chugging along so I can’t justify buying a new one (aside from the fact that the camera is feeling a bit dated these days and I could use a mildly better one for my business needs)
To each is own if you’re willing to take that risk, more power to ya!