Although, I must say, the vanilla Android software experience is top notch. I'd just rather install / customize it on more reliable hardware with better support (my op5t has been amazing!)
I bought a pixel (2nd hand, dumb mistake) and then it bricked itself within 3 months. Went back to my repaired Nexus 5x.
Google's hardware is awful and their support is an opaque cloud of pretty UIs and unhelpful people.
Should have gotten a 1+
I was going to put up with my 5x until the pixel 3 came out, but it became unbearably slow to use as of this spring. So I bought the Motorola x4 under the Android one banner and I couldn't be happier. I think I paid $150 for it after getting $100 for my 5x. The battery life lasts all day and I can use Snapchat on the phone. I regret not upgrading to a "budget" phone earlier.
I've had every Nexus and Pixel starting with the Galaxy Nexus.
Never had an issue with any of them until my most recent Pixel 2 XL where some cables stopped charging the device. One quick open chat on the Google store and I had a replacement sent immediately for free.
I'd love to keep it, but it's gotten quite annoying to have to wait for it to respond. I guess it could be malware on it, but it could also be just the hardware not lasting as long as I would hope it would.
I'd like to upgrade, but I don't want to spend $1000+.
Anyone running a Huawei phone that they've flash with a custom firmware? I was thinking of going that route, as it's significantly cheaper.
Only problem is I'm using Google Fi, and I'd like to keep using it. So I don't know what other type of Google Fi-compatible phone to buy.
IIRC Fi's requirement has to do with the ability of moving phonecalls smoothly between wifi and cellular. This capability used to be limited to a dozen or so phones. I don't know what the state of this is nowadays.
Edit: https://www.androidcentral.com/these-phones-work-project-fi -- I don't know which ones are good on that list, to be honest. I really liked the 6P, although it was a bit too large for my taste. I miss phones like the S3 :/
If you happen to fall off of their four state flow chart, you can expect extended calls with lots of words, but no action.
They will send you a refurbished phone, but ask you to secure delivery for the phone at the price of a new phone. They won't allow you to return your phone, they can't send you a new phone overnight, even if you offer to pay.
If they make a mistake in their system, they won't be able to fix it.
The entire customer support system feels like it was built for support reps that don't trust customers, by product managers that don't trust support.
And I don't see myself buying the Pixel 3. Just seems like a $100 price increase for lower aesthetics. I can't see any meaningful differences in this new phone.