Google Isn't Having an XL-ent Time

I don't quite consider myself an early adopter.  I've always believed in "trailing edge" technology.  This has always given people like myself a "wait and see" attitude, so you can let the rest of the masses unearth the issues for you.  Because of this, I've also taken an attitude to go with "the successor to bleeding edge", because more often than not those mistakes will be corrected upon, and additions will be made to make the sequel tech that much better.

I've resigned myself at this time to be willing to spend a little bit on a flagship smartphone, as this appears to be the trend nowadays, especially when the Google Nexus line was effectively killed off.  I'm also a little brand loyal, and seeing as I've only known the Nexus line for my personal devices in the past, there's something to be said about staying true to stock Android, and guaranteed updates straight from the source.  Sufficed to say, I've been keeping my eye on the Pixel line since their introduction last year.

Now, considering I've kept to the mantra of "going with the successor", I like many others had waited patiently for the official announcement of the new Pixel line of phones earlier this month, and wasn't disappointed (maybe save for the lack of headphone port).  It also certainly seems as well that the XL line is being pushed as THE PHONE to get.  Now that the phones are out, the reports of the screen of the XL have been making headlines.

Mind you, I don't really have any qualms sticking with the 5" Pixel (especially considering that it's not suffering the same fate as its XL sibling), but it is a shame that these reports and articles are tarnishing the little reputation that Google is trying to build as a company that can compete in the high end along with Samsung and Apple.

Then again, I still try to keep tabs on other devices nowadays to see if there's anything that might change my mind.  It's interesting to hear about the OnePlus 5T being teased, and how the Essential Phone has now just dropped in price.  If either can provide stock experience WITH OIS on their cameras, then I may just consider jumping ship.  Otherwise, as mentioned, I may just fork out for the 5" Pixel.  I can't deny all the software tech Google's packaged in their phones this year.

I just hope that Google can learn from this current debacle.  Perhaps the recent purchase of HTC will help it realize its hardware division for more than just the "squeeze" IP.

SUPPLEMENTAL (November 1):
I'd recently heard that the display panels used on the XL are from LG.  Funny enough, the 1st gen ThinkPad Yoga that I have also happens to use an LG Phillips panel.  This 2-in-1 laptop is known to have "ghosting" occur on the panel, so it's not a permanent burn-in.  I'm wondering if this is a similar issue with the Pixel 2 XL, as I had recently tweeted about, but I haven't seen enough tests involved to confirm this.

I'd like to think the #Pixel2XL screen issues are like what's affecting my #ThinkPadYoga 20C0, cuz it's also an LG panel too :P #ghosting

— Phil Angeles (@Flippin_Eh) October 28, 2017

At least w/ the #ThinkPadYoga 20C0, it's not permanent. Try going to https://t.co/RDtC11AXhT to test for #ghosting or #imageburn #Pixel2XL

— Phil Angeles (@Flippin_Eh) October 28, 2017

If that's the case, I'd probably be able to live with the XL as I've had my Yoga for a few years.

The Death of Competitive Mid-range Android Devices

I recently posited the following on Twitter:

With the Nexus line gone, and the OnePlus 5 projected to go up in price, is the competitive mid-range phone dead?

— Phil Angeles (@Flippin_Eh) May 25, 2017

I think back to when I had first dove into the Android ecosystem 6 years ago.  I'd never owned anything close to a smartphone before, save for a BlackBerry for work (but that doesn't count).  The closest thing I had to it was an iPod Touch.  I could have easily stuck with IOS, but was turned off by the closed nature of the system.  At least a BlackBerry offered flexibility, but I wanted something more.  My brother had already started dipping his toes into Android, and I figured I'd do the same.  To be fair, the first Android device I played around with was some no-name Chinese tablet, running what I can only assume was "Donut", or "Eclair".

I did my research, and had settled on the Google Nexus S.  The thing that attracted me was that Google offered a bare-bones, pure Android experience... just the thing to jump into when you've had absolutely no real experience.  The other key was the price.  I believe I'd picked up the device for around $400US.  This trend continued with their Nexus line of phones, and a couple of years later, I upgraded to the Nexus 5... a phone I continue to use to this day.  It's a phone that truly epitomized the competitive mid-range device (reasonably priced that could hold its own against other phones twice the price).

Others have tried their best to be as competitive as the Nexus line of phones, and certainly the one that has found success is from OnePlus.  Their reputation, based on their tagline "Never Settle" has carried them through 4 devices over the last 3 years, with the 3T as their reigning champion.  Despite the folding of Cyanogen, they've persevered with their current flavor of Android (Oxygen OS), offering not just a pure Android experience, but a fully customizable operating system.

But now it seems the winds have changed.  Google has killed off its Nexus line of phones with the introduction of the Pixel late last year.  It's a true flagship device that's attached with a premium price tag.  I guess aside from the specs, unlimited full-size photo backup to the cloud and 24/7 support direct from the device doesn't come cheap.  With the OnePlus, recent speculation has their OnePlus 5 priced at $650US.

I suppose to truly stay relevant, you have to go big or go home with your improvements.  Perhaps at the same time, you're also trusting your customer's loyalty to buy in (pun intended) to your product, despite these changes.  I'd love to upgrade to a Pixel or OnePlus, but I can't justify dropping that much coin... at least not at this time.  I could always stick to the current Pixel or OP3T when the eventual Pixel 2 or OP5 do release.  Sticking to trailing edge tech isn't necessarily a bad thing, but that's another discussion for another time.