AI Summary:
The article discusses the issues with Google’s Pixel 4a battery update. The update has caused drastically reduced battery life for many users, with some experiencing only two hours of charge. Google has offered three options for affected users: a battery replacement, $50, or $100 in Google Store credit. However, the update has been criticized for its lack of transparency and the inconvenience it has caused. Additionally, the update was built on a personal machine, not the proper build system, and has led to confusion and frustration among users.
Okay, I was thinking about my next phone being a pixel, ain’t going to happen now.
One thing is fucking over your customers with an update like that, but then not fixing it and instead offering 50 bucks is just giving your customers a finger straightin the face
I had a couple 4a and now have an 8. Don’t bother – I’m convinced there are better phones for the $. Not to mention better companies to buy from, after this shit show
Hardware-wise there may be better phones, but from a software standpoint… hmm… I haven’t been able to find any other phone with a stock-like experience, and no bloat.
I’m in a slightly similar boat. I was considering one of this foldable phones next…but what’s the point in leaving one big tech for another?
I’m seriously considering an open source phone now, one that has everything open source, no Google or Apple shit.
I do want one that has good cams, battery, and display, though
AFAIK as close as you can get is PinePhone or Librem5. But both have pretty poor battery life, an IPS display (technically could be OLED at the expense of even more battery consumption), and pretty jank camera (drivers for good cameras are proprietary, and a lot of modern smartphones rely on postprocessing for quality too).
Don’t get me wrong, PinePhone made fantastic progress in 6 years, but your experience may vary (some people use it as a daily smartphone, some as a dumb phone, others are just turned off immediately)
Same.
I’ve looked at pics presumably posted using a FairPhone on Pixelfed (They have a FP hashtag.), and I think they look good.
From my conversations on Mastodon, it’s good in all other aspects although some do say the camera isn’t great. The battery is 4200mah, which is bigger than this iPhone 13. I’m going to look into trying one, somehow.