Why I'm not getting the Pixel 2 (XL) Who else isn't?

[YellowSnowman23]

As a long time Google Pixel/Nexus fan, I have parted ways. Yes, I still own my Pixel XL, and I do not have any intentions of getting rid of it. This may sound petty but the real deal-breaker was the lack of the headphone jack. I consider myself as an audiophile and a headphone jack is a must if I'm getting a new phone. I will miss the Immediate, first of them all updates, and the pure Android experience. I have moved onto the LG V30 as of yesterday 10/5. I never thought I'd own a LG. Instead of LG jumping on the bandwagon and ditching the headphone jack, they improved it with their "Quad DAC". Yes, it sounds better! No, it's not the placebo effect LOL. The tall OLED HDR screen is beautiful. The Camera is phenomenal! and this is becoming a LG review, sorry. There's a lot I can say about this phone that I'm not going to get into.

Who else isn't getting the Pixel 2 (XL)? (Not because of price)

P.S. Praying for someone to unlock the V30 bootloader, and start making pure Android ROMS!

 

[rsbenedict]

Although it doesn't have a headphone jack, there are usb-c headphones that supposedly get better sound than the jack (analog vs digital), but LGs V series will always have better sound as long as they keep making sound a priority and putting in DACs.

 

[Poloasis]

Truthfully the LG V30 was high on my book, almost pulled the trigger on my T-Mobile work account "free service lol" but I sat and watch the Google Pixel 2/XL announcement and I started weighing options. The Quad DAC, HP jack, HDR screen and camera scored high for V30 but I've been on the 6P with Oreo in the last 2 months and saw the different in boot speed and snappiness on it, it was hard to go back to v7.1.2 on the V30, yes it will get v8, but when? What about v8.1x or V9 etc. I am an audiophile, I just got the Audio-Technica ATH DSR9BT and I own many Hi-Res can. I saw the 2 XL will support aptX-HD and many more codecs, this gave 2 XL a big plus even the LG has it too. It came down to pure Android OS vs LG skin. Pure Android won. Plus, I receive my XL 128G to replace my 6P early shutdown battery issue yesterday. I can now use that for a trade-in towards the 2 XL 128G which I did order. The LG V30 is a phenomenal device, I’m sure you’ll like it, I would too. Since I left Samsung to go to Nexus in 2015, I couldn’t see myself going other than pure Android experience.

 

[FUZER384]

I'm sticking with my PXL, I guess it's something in the water making people hands' larger or maybe has the comfortability to 2 hand use in many situations. I was looking for a 5" or 5.2", thin bezeled, no compromises Pixel 2. Waiting to see what Hauwei and Xiaomi put out. Then I'll wait to see what 2018 produces.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[ahent]

I would love a Pixel XL 2, but since I just laid out a ton of cash last November for the current Pixel XL 128, I really don't see that many changes making it worth another $1000 to me. I will probably take a hard look at the Pixel XL 3 if there is one. But seriously, a little better camera, a little faster, some water resistance (the biggest thing I would want) and still no wireless charging. I just can't justify it. I have had zero problems with my current Pixel, it's fast enough still (no lag or stutter), camera is great for me (if I want more I take out my DSLR), it just doesn't scream "buy me" to me.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[droid_1989]

A phone should last a two year life cycle, so yeah I won't be getting the 2017 Pixel. However I will get the 2018 pixel - that is if I don't damage the phone between now and this time next year.

 

[godfish]

I'm not getting one, I bought a Pixel XL and I wanted A pure Google phone so I had all options, Instead we are loosing options, Can't hook up a USB Flash drive, or keyboard or monitor or mouse, Now no headphone jack, I can't put a ROM on my phone no matter what I try. I'm done with Pixel phone and I going to Note 8 or a Chinese phone.

 

[zathus]

It's subjective. I haven't used a headphone jack in 2 years.

 

[rsbenedict]

I would love a Pixel XL 2, but since I just laid out a ton of cash last November for the current Pixel XL 128, I really don't see that many changes making it worth another $1000 to me. I will probably take a hard look at the Pixel XL 3 if there is one. But seriously, a little better camera, a little faster, some water resistance (the biggest thing I would want) and still no wireless charging. I just can't justify it. I have had zero problems with my current Pixel, it's fast enough still (no lag or stutter), camera is great for me (if I want more I take out my DSLR), it just doesn't scream "buy me" to me.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

Google is giving you a $410 credit for the Pixel XL ( you might be able to get more on Craigslist), so it's not really a $1000 phone. Plus if you're on T-Mobile and/or looking to switch, they'll give you half the price of a Pixel on a Mastercard. So that alone makes it a couple hundred dollars vs $1000.

 

[ahent]

Google is giving you a $410 credit for the Pixel XL ( you might be able to get more on Craigslist), so it's not really a $1000 phone. Plus if you're on T-Mobile and/or looking to switch, they'll give you half the price of a Pixel on a Mastercard. So that alone makes it a couple hundred dollars vs $1000.

I understand all that and have looked into it, but it's really not something I want to spend money on right now. Not to jinx myself, but it's working great now, and I always like to keep my last phone as a backup so I don't really do trade-ins. Plus t-mobile 4g coverage sucks in most places that I travel a lot and I have given up getting phones through carriers years ago so they can't control me as easily (I know they are only reimbursing me but the stuff I have to agree to for the reimbursement is not my cup of tea). I have the cash to cover the full amount without concern, it's just not something I really care about right now. Not enough changes to the phone, I really think the Pixel 3 may have enough changes to make it worth it for me in another year.

Sent from my BTV-W09 using Tapatalk

 

[Treshy]

As a long time Google Pixel/Nexus fan, I have parted ways. Yes, I still own my Pixel XL, and I do not have any intentions of getting rid of it. This may sound petty but the real deal-breaker was the lack of the headphone jack. I consider myself as an audiophile and a headphone jack is a must if I'm getting a new phone. I will miss the Immediate, first of them all updates, and the pure Android experience. I have moved onto the LG V30 as of yesterday 10/5. I never thought I'd own a LG. Instead of LG jumping on the bandwagon and ditching the headphone jack, they improved it with their "Quad DAC". Yes, it sounds better! No, it's not the placebo effect LOL. The tall OLED HDR screen is beautiful. The Camera is phenomenal! and this is becoming a LG review, sorry. There's a lot I can say about this phone that I'm not going to get into.

Who else isn't getting the Pixel 2 (XL)? (Not because of price)

P.S. Praying for someone to unlock the V30 bootloader, and start making pure Android ROMS!

If you truly were a audiophile 99% of headphone jacks on phones would sound like **** to you and no phone could drive your headphones because they would be 250Ohm+ and you would use a external usb dac/amp combo to get the best sound. I hat people calling themselves audiophiles and then using the crappy headphone jack of the pixel.
/rant over
I can live without the headphone jack because I need a usb dac/amp so it doesnt matter and is just a dust catcher/waste of space to me.

 

[rsbenedict]

I understand all that and have looked into it, but it's really not something I want to spend money on right now. Not to jinx myself, but it's working great now, and I always like to keep my last phone as a backup so I don't really do trade-ins. Plus t-mobile 4g coverage sucks in most places that I travel a lot and I have given up getting phones through carriers years ago so they can't control me as easily (I know they are only reimbursing me but the stuff I have to agree to for the reimbursement is not my cup of tea). I have the cash to cover the full amount without concern, it's just not something I really care about right now. Not enough changes to the phone, I really think the Pixel 3 may have enough changes to make it worth it for me in another year.

Sent from my BTV-W09 using Tapatalk

Completely understand. I've been with T-Moble for the past 4 years and travel extensively for my job around the US. I can say that in the first year, 4G LTE service was spotty, but now, I have it pretty much everywhere I go. There were two exceptions: Anchorage, Alaska (though they had roaming agreements, not great speeds or coverage) and rural, upstate New York near Pulaski, NY (but then again, there wasn't much coverage there at all and that was two years ago).

And since I'm a T-Mobile customer already, I don't have to jump through any hoops. I'm not locked into a contract. I just have to add the phone to my T-Mobile One plan.

 

[graffixnyc]

If you truly were a audiophile 99% of headphone jacks on phones would sound like **** to you and no phone could drive your headphones because they would be 250Ohm+ and you would use a external usb dac/amp combo to get the best sound. I hat people calling themselves audiophiles and then using the crappy headphone jack of the pixel.
/rant over
I can live without the headphone jack because I need a usb dac/amp so it doesnt matter and is just a dust catcher/waste of space to me.

This!

Seriously, as a one-time pro musician when it comes to a phone, you can barely notice a difference between a GREAT set of headphones and a DECENT set of headphones. I have a pair of $500 Shure SE535's that I use to use as onstage in-ear monitors. Even them when plugged into a phone do they not sound WAY better than any pair of decent buds. However, You plug them into something with powerful sound processing and there is a night and day difference between the Shure and aa decent pair of buds.


I haven't used wired headphones in almost 2 years now. For a long time I avoided BT headphones because they sucked, but now sound quality wise they don't sound much different than my $100 Klipsch buds. I think my X2's sound just as good as my Klipsch did and I don't have to worry about the wire.

People are funny.. "I want all the innovation, give me waterproofing, give me wireless charging, give me a battery that lasts 5 days, USB-C, Fast Charging.. innovate the sh** out of everything, but leave the damn headphone jack alone.. That should never change.. everything else should..but not that!" It's like they embrace change and innovation with all the other stuff but god forbid you take away the headphone jack. lol Just switch to BT or get a pair of USB-C headphones and stop complaining.. This is 2017 where everything is wireless... embrace the damn change

 

[cb474]

This!

Seriously, as a one-time pro musician when it comes to a phone, you can barely notice a difference between a GREAT set of headphones and a DECENT set of headphones. I have a pair of $500 Shure SE535's that I use to use as onstage in-ear monitors. Even them when plugged into a phone do they not sound WAY better than any pair of decent buds. However, You plug them into something with powerful sound processing and there is a night and day difference between the Shure and aa decent pair of buds.


I haven't used wired headphones in almost 2 years now. For a long time I avoided BT headphones because they sucked, but now sound quality wise they don't sound much different than my $100 Klipsch buds. I think my X2's sound just as good as my Klipsch did and I don't have to worry about the wire.

People are funny.. "I want all the innovation, give me waterproofing, give me wireless charging, give me a battery that lasts 5 days, USB-C, Fast Charging.. innovate the sh** out of everything, but leave the damn headphone jack alone.. That should never change.. everything else should..but not that!" It's like they embrace change and innovation with all the other stuff but god forbid you take away the headphone jack. lol Just switch to BT or get a pair of USB-C headphones and stop complaining.. This is 2017 where everything is wireless... embrace the damn change

Fair enough. But I think if there is one thing that people like the way it is, while they want innovation from everything else, there may be a reason for that. I think the reality is the 3.5 mm jack is a more elegant simpler solution that is just as good, in terms of audio, if not better, than bluetooth.

The 3.5 mm jack is simple to use, doesn't require another device that needs charging (bluetooth headsets) and charger to go with it, doesn't require a device that has unreplaceable batteries that will lose their capacity over time and eventually fail, works with legacy devices (like the millions of cars that don't support bluetooth--and people will not run out to replace their cars just so they work with their phones), allows you to use your headphones in multiple settings (bluetooth headsets won't plug into the jacks on planes), doesn't require the hassel of dongles, and doesn't require the extra steps of bluetooth pairing that can fail and need trouble shooting and be a pain (etc.). All of that is a lot of hassle to do through just to avoid having wires.

New is not always better.

Indeed, I was reading about the 3.5 mm jack and saw that it has been in use since the 1950s. And the phone jack of any size was first invented for phone systems in the late 1800s. Something that sticks around that long, through that many different shifts in technology, may have something going for it. I think what that is is simplicity.

 

[Lawlrus]

As a long time Google Pixel/Nexus fan, I have parted ways. Yes, I still own my Pixel XL, and I do not have any intentions of getting rid of it. This may sound petty but the real deal-breaker was the lack of the headphone jack. I consider myself as an audiophile and a headphone jack is a must if I'm getting a new phone. I will miss the Immediate, first of them all updates, and the pure Android experience. I have moved onto the LG V30 as of yesterday 10/5. I never thought I'd own a LG. Instead of LG jumping on the bandwagon and ditching the headphone jack, they improved it with their "Quad DAC". Yes, it sounds better! No, it's not the placebo effect LOL. The tall OLED HDR screen is beautiful. The Camera is phenomenal! and this is becoming a LG review, sorry. There's a lot I can say about this phone that I'm not going to get into.

Who else isn't getting the Pixel 2 (XL)? (Not because of price)

P.S. Praying for someone to unlock the V30 bootloader, and start making pure Android ROMS!

So this post is for you to get validity for your choice? Lol

" pure android ROMs "? What is this? Aosp? You cannot get pure aosp ROMs on a caf based device. The only devices that use pure aosp are google phones.

 

[jerryhou85]

I have already got a pair of QC30 and another pair of SONY WF-1000X, both wireless, the headphone jack is not a big issue for me...

 

[Ricey]

Headphone jack is one thing but for quality sound it all depends on the internals. I would have been peeved by the lack of the headphone before, that is until I tried one of the USB-C headphone dongles that came with the HTC U11 I bought for my mom. It's a noticeable improvement over my S8+ headphone jack (you can AB since then you have 2 headphone jacks) and also my V20. Sure the Pixel 2 doesn't have a headphone jack but if it's replaced by a simple dongle that gives even better sound quality than 99% of other mobile phones I don't mind at all. Plus I miss front facing speakers too.

 

[musashiken]

Very likely not getting this. I am still rocking my trusty old N6P 128gb.

I was really looking forward to replace it with the Pixel 2 XL 128GB, then I saw the price. It's just too much money for a damn phone. I can build a PC rig out of decent parts with that amount of cash. It's worse that it's not being sold in my country so importing it will burn a larger hole in my pocket.

As for the lack of 3.5mm port, my only concern with using USB-C dongle / earphones, is how do you play games in landscape mode while using earphones? The dongle will be sticking out the middle of the phone, so grabbing the phone while playing a game sounds like it will give my right hand cramps. Also I don't care for bluetooth earphones, why do I have to have another device to charge??

 

[ZeroHart]

I was not planning on getting it. But a month ago my wife broke the screen of her Nexus 6p. So me being an awesome husband offered her my Pixel XL but in return I would be buying the Pixel 2 Xl that should be arriving in a couple of weeks.

Edit: fixed typo

 

[YellowSnowman23]

If you truly were a audiophile 99% of headphone jacks on phones would sound like **** to you and no phone could drive your headphones because they would be 250Ohm+ and you would use a external usb dac/amp combo to get the best sound. I hat people calling themselves audiophiles and then using the crappy headphone jack of the pixel.
/rant over
I can live without the headphone jack because I need a usb dac/amp so it doesnt matter and is just a dust catcher/waste of space to me.

At what point did i say i was a headphone freak? I come from many years in the car audio field. I'm just now getting into home audio. I listen to music everyday and i dont have any wireless headphones. i have a wired set of IEMs (Bose...) and HD650. i dont use the HD650 on my phone without a DAC/AMP for obvious reasons. but its nice not to carry around a dac/amp strapped to my phone. I know that a phone will never be like my Emotiva XDA or Schiit Modi, but like i said before its nice to still have it.