I switched from Team Iphone(Iphone 4) to Team Android (Galaxy S5) years ago, but have always been an avid Google fan. So when it came to the release of Google’s newest phone the Pixel, I knew I was going to pre-order it. The timing was perfect, I had just enough money saved up and my contract at Verizon was about to end. I made the switch from my Samsung Galaxy S5 with Verizon Wireless to the Pixel with Google Fi.
Setup & Unboxing
I was super surprised how fast and easy it was to switch phones and companies. When I preordered the phone I set up my Fi account and all I had to do was insert the new sim card and it was ready to roll. My contract at Verizon had eligible for an upgrade so leaving was not a problem. I just purchased the Pixel straight from Google and started with the Google Fi plan. Their plan is $20/mo and $10/GB of data and you only pay for what you use, so any extra is credited for the next month.
Upon taking it out of the package for the first time you can feel how luxurious the phone is. This is no surprise given the hefty price tag that went along with the phone. ($649 for the 32GB) The design of the instructions for set-up is so simple, it took less than 20 minutes to set up the phone, including switching over the number and transferring all data and apps.
To transferring data it prompted me to do it via cable, but I was having difficulties so I did it via Google App instead, with easy to follow on screen prompts.
What I’m Most Excited About:
- Fingerprint Scanner
- Love the placement of the fingerprint scanner on the back. The Galaxy S5 had a scanner, but I never used it because it was awkward to slide your finger on the button and it rarely worked on the first try. This scanner gets my finger print every time.
- Camera
- The front facing camera is significantly better than my old phone. I was highly impressed with the quality.
- Google Assistant
- So far Google’s Assistant has been able to answer all of my questions about setting up the phone and changing my preferences!
- I love that everything is so integrated with Google and all of my content is synced across devices already.
- DayDream Headset
- When pre-ordering the Pixel from Google, it came with a free DayDream Headset when they release. I cannot wait to get my hands on this when it ships and dive headfirst into the VR world. I have played around with Google Cardboard in the past and fell in love, but am excited to test out something a bit more high end!!
Potential Drawbacks:
- Buying accessories- I don’t see this phone going very mainstream so I am assuming finding cheap and plentiful phone cases, chargers and screen protectors will be difficult.
- No option for added storage- I used an SD for all of my music and photos on my Samsung phone, but since Google Photos backs up photos anyway, space in theory should not be an issue.
Let downs:
- It didn’t come with headphones…. I was hoping to get a new pair of headphones.
- Short charging cable
- No button on main screen, you have to pick it up to check the screen
Anyone else have the new Google Pixel yet; if so what are your first impressions?
