Warming to Android (Premium)

It’s been an interesting couple of months of Android usage, and after testing three alternative handsets, I’ve returned to the Google Pixel XL.

Which, yes, I’ve already written about. As you may recall, I recently tested three Android-based handsets in various price ranges, and each had its pros and cons. The most impressive, by far, was the Samsung Galaxy S8+, an awe-inspiring look at the future of smartphones that I only reluctantly returned because of financial reasons. But the end result was doubly frustrating because what I ended up with was the Android handset I started with, the Google Pixel XL.

So I reexamined the Google Pixel XL here on the site, identifying some key advantages and disadvantages. Among the former are its stellar camera, its clean Android software image, and Project Fi compatibility, which I love. But the Pixel XL has, to date, disappointed me as well: It’s far too expensive, the performance to date has been inconsistent (an issue I find common to Android devices), and the design is bland and derivative.

Less publicly, I’ve simply started using the Pixel XL more. I’m in the middle of three weeks of travel, and over a long weekend in Fort Collins, Colorado and the surrounding area, the Pixel XL got a nice workout and was, in fact, used more than my iPhone 7 Plus.

I probably should have written up a similar reexamination of the iPhone, given how my poor camera experiences with that device have done a lot to sour my appreciation of the things Apple gets right. But it’s also fair to say that improvements to Android, and to the devices that run this mobile OS, have contributed as much, if not more, to my shifting views.

By which I mean, I’m warming to Android. And this is confusing.

So I’m trying to logic through it, if you will. One could provide all kinds of scientific data to support any claim, and as a reviewer, I often have to rely on benchmarks, battery life tests, and so on to help demonstrate the relative merits of one product compared to another.

But I’ve found, personally, that the more anecdotal experiences are in some ways more powerful. Assuming, of course, that the product in question measures up in more easily described, data-supported ways. For example, the look or feel of a device can heavily bias one for or against it. And the lack of “reliability of performance,” as I call it, can likewise weigh down on, and negate, otherwise positive experiences.

But let’s get even squishier. Even less logical.

I simply find myself reaching for the Pixel XL more. Again, confusing.

One of the changes I made but didn’t communicate publicly (I think) was that I replaced the Google case I had originally purchased with a slimmer Jax case for the Pixel XL. It wasn’t exactly what I was looking for—I really like Apple’s leather iPhone cases—but it is a huge improvement over the squishy Google case and it only cost $15.

That’s not enough to switch phones, of course. But the feel of that Google case was irritating enough that it contributed to my negative feelings about the phone. It sort of amplified the issues I have had with the device itself, if that makes sense. A small thing, yes. But present.

This past trip, plus my recent trips to Montreal, Stowe, Vermont, and Pennsylvania, were also what we might call photo-rich experiences. And the iPhone, for all its strengths, has really stumbled in this regard. Meaning, that when I want to preserve some memories, I reach for a device with a better camera. A superior camera. The Samsung Galaxy S8+ was absolutely such a device. But so is the Pixel XL.

If you follow my Instagram feed, you can see some of the results: The Pixel XL takes absolutely fantastic photos, and in any condition. And it is especially useful in low-light conditions. Unlike, say, the iPhone.

But this isn’t new. The Pixel XL’s camera has been superior since I purchased the handset last year. And when I say that I find myself reaching for this device more often, it’s not just to take a photo. I am just starting to like it more.

Part of the reason, I think, is that I recently factory reset the Pixel XL, a technically daunting task involving open source command line tools. The result is a Pixel XL that is clean and running the very latest Android version. And so far at least, the performance has been excellent. And yes, consistently excellent.

I know this matches the experiences of many Pixel owners, who have been upset with my characterization of the device’s inconsistent performance to date. All I can say is that I’ve experienced what I’ve experienced, and have been honest about it. And that I have kept trying. This time, for whatever reason, it’s been working well.

Less obviously, my experience with those other Android handsets—especially the OnePlus 3T and Galaxy S8+, both of which are excellent devices—has triggered an interesting feeling I’ve never really had for Android before.

That is, I’m starting to like it.

Don’t get me wrong, Android has many issues. But it should be noted that it also has many advantages over iOS and the iPhone as well. And while neither may ever be perfect, both are updated in fairly major ways each year. And Google has made tons of progress with Android, for sure.

This is good news because one inarguable Android advantage over iOS is that it provides a better Microsoft experience across the board. You can run Microsoft apps on iOS, of course, and can even use a Microsoft keyboard (Swiftkey) and, in more limited ways, use Cortana. But if you want the Full Meal Deal, so to speak, Android is your future.

So we’ll see if this trend continues. I’ll be following the news from Google I/O and Apple WWDC closely in the weeks ahead to see how these companies plan to improve their respective platforms in 2017. And I’ll look to future Samsung, Google, and other Android hardware maker releases to see whether I can make a change sometime in the months ahead. (I still think about that Galaxy S8+. A lot.)

But for now, I’m OK with the Pixel XL. Maybe more than OK.

Don’t tell anyone.