Google Pixel 8 Pro

[RygarR]

Mobile phone question for you.

I've just bought a refurbished Pixel 8 pro off back market. Good price, and excellent condish, but there's something about the screen that's bugging me. My old phone is a Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 pro. It's got an excellent 120 Hz amoled screen, with rich, vibrant colours, but it's a bit dim for outdoor use in the summer. I'd read a lot of good things about Pixel 8 pros, especially their 1600 nit whole-screen brightness. But here's the thing, it doesn't seem that much brighter the the 500-ish nit Xiaomi. Also, the colours aren't as vibrant. The photo I've used for the homescreen on both looks a bit washed out on the Pixel. And when I tip the phone forward slightly (as you do in regular use) the colours seem to wash out a bit more. As this is annoying me, I'll probably send it back. My question is, am I missing something, or is that what it's supposed to look like? I'm wondering if Back market has maybe replaced the screen with an inferior model, and if getting a Pixel from somewhere else might be a better idea? If not, it's back to the drawing board...

 

[kingtreelo]

i got a pixel once and sent it back the same day, they are notorious for having poor screens

 

[RygarR]

Mobile phone question for you.

I've just bought a refurbished Pixel 8 pro off back market. Good price, and excellent condish, but there's something about the screen that's bugging me. My old phone is a Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 pro. It's got an excellent 120 Hz amoled screen, with rich, vibrant colours, but it's a bit dim for outdoor use in the summer. I'd read a lot of good things about Pixel 8 pros, especially their 1600 nit whole-screen brightness. But here's the thing, it doesn't seem that much brighter the the 500-ish nit Xiaomi. Also, the colours aren't as vibrant. The photo I've used for the homescreen on both looks a bit washed out on the Pixel. And when I tip the phone forward slightly (as you do in regular use) the colours seem to wash out a bit more. As this is annoying me, I'll probably send it back. My question is, am I missing something, or is that what it's supposed to look like? I'm wondering if Back market has maybe replaced the screen with an inferior model, and if getting a Pixel from somewhere else might be a better idea? If not, it's back to the drawing board...

i got a pixel once and sent it back the same day, they are notorious for having poor screens

Yeah, I've seen a few folk say that for the older models. I was hoping the hype about the 8's being different meant the probs had been solved.

 

[big10p]

I've recently got a brand new RAZR ultra and noticed the screen doesn't seem as good as on the 2022 model I had before. Sound doesn't seem quite as good either, but it might be my imagination.

I think maybe corners are being cut on the latest, powerful phones, to keep cost and battery usage down, maybe. 🤷‍♂️

 

[RygarR]

You could be right. I don't have a lot of requirements for a phone. I don't need 5G, or AI, or 1024 GB of storage, or a GPU that can handle 3D gaming. I just need a large, bright and consistent screen, a decent set of cameras, and a battery that lasts for ages. Seems to be an impossible wishlist.

 

[kingtreelo]

You could be right. I don't have a lot of requirements for a phone. I don't need 5G, or AI, or 1024 GB of storage, or a GPU that can handle 3D gaming. I just need a large, bright and consistent screen, a decent set of cameras, and a battery that lasts for ages. Seems to be an impossible wishlist.

the Samsung range of phones for me are unmatched for Androids

 

[RygarR]

the Samsung range of phones for me are unmatched for Androids

Before I went for the Pixel 8 Pro, I was hovering over an s23 Ultra. The one thing that killed it for me was those ridiculous curved edges. I might need to revise my thinking on that...

 

[TheDaddy]

I always have the samsung note's , I have the Note 20 at the minute ( I know they have been replaced now ) and dead happy it. Large screen , 2 days Battery for me ( I dont have screen on too high ). I am the same I only Text, whatsapp & UKVAC on it realy. I rarely call or receive calls ( I am very unpopular ! ).

Dave.

 

[RygarR]

I had a Note, maybe 10 years ago. They were pretty good for the time iirc, with great screens compared to other phones. Trouble is the other phones have now caught up... My own favourite bitd was the Galaxy Mega, which had a mahoosive screen. RIP!

 

[Vorbis]

I hate Samsung with a passion. Had an S23 ultra and got rid after 6 months as it was a bloatware ridden piece of crap. Really happy with the Motorola Razer 50 Ultra I replaced it with

 

[RygarR]

Might need to take a look at that one. Haven't had a folding phone for 20 odd years!

 

[big10p]

Might need to take a look at that one. Haven't had a folding phone for 20 odd years!

Same as mine. Always preferred flip phones, so that was the main draw for me. The external screen is now actually usable (compared to the older model), so you don't even have to flip it open to check emails etc. Like you, I'm not too bothered about all the other whizzy specs. lol

 

[r-type]

S24 here. Screen, sound, camera (especially night mode) and battery life are top notch in my opinion.

 

[cools]

Sounds like you have a dodgy screen. My 7a and 8 are both fantastic OLED. In a dark room are fully black areas unlit?

 

[Vorbis]

Same as mine. Always preferred flip phones, so that was the main draw for me. The external screen is now actually usable (compared to the older model), so you don't even have to flip it open to check emails etc. Like you, I'm not too bothered about all the other whizzy specs. lol

The big difference with the Motorola against the Samsung (other than not being made by a bunch of total wankers 😁) is the speed the battery charges at. Makes a world of difference as 10 minutes on charge can put a genuinely useful amount of charge in it. I love mine

 

[kingtreelo]

S24 here. Screen, sound, camera (especially night mode) and battery life are top notch in my opinion.

i upgrade every 2 years to the latest Samsung, i am on a S24 these days, i once had a problem with it and was told i needed to take it to my local Samsung shop, i was expecting a silly quote and they phoned me about an hour later and told me it was all fixed, no charge

as for bloatware, other than the samsung shop type stuff which doesnt affect the phone at all, i would be interested to see what other bloatware you are talking about, i have just deleted all notifications from those sort of apps

 

[RygarR]

S24 here. Screen, sound, camera (especially night mode) and battery life are top notch in my opinion.

I would happily take one of them, if it cost 1/3 of the price!

 

[Vorbis]

Just look for any app with Samsung in the name, there's loads and a lot of them can't be uninstalled. The S23 had the hardware for WiFi 7 but for some reason known only to Samsung it's disabled. The phone frequently crashed on me and the only way to get it working again was to reset it. Maybe if I'd have put some time into setting it up I could've got it to a point where I was happy but by then I'd developed an irrational hatred 😁

The Motorola on the other hand barely imposes anything and is just a much nicer experience in my view.

Each to their own though, but I won't be buying another Samsung phone

 

[RygarR]

Sounds like you have a dodgy screen. My 7a and 8 are both fantastic OLED. In a dark room are fully black areas unlit?

Yes, the black is unlit. Looks to be Oled. It's not a terrible screen, but it doesn't 'pop' as much as my 4 year old Xiaomi, and that was 'mid' - at best - to begin with. On the Pixel, flat colours look a bit washed out in comparison, and take on a slight blueish tinge when tilted forwards. Maybe it's a bad screen. Or, maybe the phone has been refurbished with a different screen?

 

[cools]

Yes, the black is unlit. Looks to be Oled. It's not a terrible screen, but it doesn't 'pop' as much as my 4 year old Xiaomi, and that was 'mid' - at best - to begin with. On the Pixel, flat colours look a bit washed out in comparison, and take on a slight blueish tinge when tilted forwards. Maybe it's a bad screen. Or, maybe the phone has been refurbished with a different screen?

Checked the colour adjustments in the display settings? Pixels default to Natural as far as I know.