Google Pixel 6 5G 128GB (Sorta Seafoam)

I've been an owner of some of the past Google phones including the nexus6p, 4a5g, and now the pixel 6 and I can say that this is my least favorite of them all. The main reason is a failure that has been well documented and has plagued the pixel 6 since its introduction and that is the fingerprint reader. I had gotten so use to the ergonomic position of the fingerprint sensor on the back of the previous phones with their near instantaneous response to this debacle of a fingerprint reader. It is a constant source of frustration and a daily reminder of my dislike of this phone. The other thing I've experienced with both the 4a5g and the pixel 6 is the fragility of the front glass. Even with otterbox covers and screen protectors both phones had radiating breaks from ... MoreI've been an owner of some of the past Google phones including the nexus6p, 4a5g, and now the pixel 6 and I can say that this is my least favorite of them all. The main reason is a failure that has been well documented and has plagued the pixel 6 since its introduction and that is the fingerprint reader. I had gotten so use to the ergonomic position of the fingerprint sensor on the back of the previous phones with their near instantaneous response to this debacle of a fingerprint reader. It is a constant source of frustration and a daily reminder of my dislike of this phone. The other thing I've experienced with both the 4a5g and the pixel 6 is the fragility of the front glass. Even with otterbox covers and screen protectors both phones had radiating breaks from hits on the raised edge of the glass. I know this last issue is nitpicky but it seems that the design of the glass sitting on top of the phone makes it more susceptible to breaks. The rest of the Google Android experience is very good. The performance of the phone, the quality of the camera, and the overall user experience is great and what I've come to to expect from a pure Android Google phone, but the malfunctioning fingerprint sensor and subsequent software updates that have done little to improve it have me looking for a new phone.Update 7/7/22Still no improvement to the fingerprint scanner after all the updates. It is very disappointing. I am currently looking for a replacement phone and have reservations about another pixel phone after my experience with the 6.

The in-screen fingerprint reader makes this phone feel like a downgrade from the 4A every time it doesn't work, which is pretty much every time I try to open my phone. All that "deep learning" we keep hearing about is just marketing bs; Assistant still has the same bugs it's had since Pixel 1: it still keeps asking if I'm comfortable telling it where I live, even though it knows exactly where I live; Smart Lock is still exactly as dysfunctional as it has been since the pixel one; h the greatest flaw which has shown no improvement at any point since the pixel's introduction is a general inability or unwillingness to listen; this increasingly seems to be a character flaw reflects its parent company Google, and Monday just be an inherent and incurable part of its ... MoreThe in-screen fingerprint reader makes this phone feel like a downgrade from the 4A every time it doesn't work, which is pretty much every time I try to open my phone. All that "deep learning" we keep hearing about is just marketing bs; Assistant still has the same bugs it's had since Pixel 1: it still keeps asking if I'm comfortable telling it where I live, even though it knows exactly where I live; Smart Lock is still exactly as dysfunctional as it has been since the pixel one; h the greatest flaw which has shown no improvement at any point since the pixel's introduction is a general inability or unwillingness to listen; this increasingly seems to be a character flaw reflects its parent company Google, and Monday just be an inherent and incurable part of its DNA.This is a pity, because Google Assistant is the smartest of the digital assistants when it bothers to listen to the question; Amazon got this right with generation one of the echo even; even if Alexa is less likely to come up with the correct response, at least she hears you and responds to you every time. And the first generation Echo still works like it's supposed to, every time. None of this "this product is no longer supported"nonsense. And it has, in fact, gotten worse; assistant will now accurately transcribe my words as i speak them on screen , then say, "I'm sorry, I couldn't hear what you just said, could you try again?" while I am looking at the written transcript of what it says it couldn't hear. The impression this leaves is that Google assistant is not only a liar, but a bad one. There's that DNA again.It is probably no coincidence that my opinion about the 6A is consistent with my opinion of Google in general, which is that it has, bit by bit, abandoned the things that it did well (remember when Google search produced amazingly relevant search results?) and instead of acknowledging flaws and correcting them, it has developed an increasingly rigid corporate policy of ignorance (of criticism,) and denial (of flaws.) My hypothesis is thatan unacknowledged flaw becomes an unmitigated flaw, which, when replicated through multiple generations, grows exponentially until it either becomes the dominant trait of the host or kills it-or maybe, in that order, both.And I think that may be where we are right now with Google and the pixel 6a.P.S. a hack I discovered on the 4A for those frequent times that you say something to the phone and the transcription does not appear in whatever app you're using, is to then say one more word; the problem is the phone will then transcribe what you wanted it to transcribe - plus the additional word, which you then have to go to the trouble of deleting. Clearing your throat or coughing, however, Works equally well and produces no unwanted transcriptions. This trick works equally well on the 6A, which, like all of its predecessors, continues to pretend that it did not hear you.

most underwhelming phone offered with so-called 5G service.

These Pixel 6 phones are garbage. The Google Tensor chip is mediocre at best. The 5G antenna on these is laughably bad, except nobody is laughing. Every single person I know (I work for a software development company and we're heavy into Android development) has moved on from the Pixel/Google design house to better things. I have yet to experience 5G where I live, 10 minutes away from Richmond VA despite a big old Verizon 5G tower in line-of-sight from my home (about 1400 yards). I've yet to get 5G. When I am in an area supersaturated with 5G, such as Carytown in Richmond VA, I get 1 bar of 5G. My wife's best friend gets a maxed-out signal on her 5G Galaxy 10. My bro-in-law's iDevice is also maxed out. Utterly baffling Verizon charges so much for such a royal piece ... MoreThese Pixel 6 phones are garbage. The Google Tensor chip is mediocre at best. The 5G antenna on these is laughably bad, except nobody is laughing. Every single person I know (I work for a software development company and we're heavy into Android development) has moved on from the Pixel/Google design house to better things. I have yet to experience 5G where I live, 10 minutes away from Richmond VA despite a big old Verizon 5G tower in line-of-sight from my home (about 1400 yards). I've yet to get 5G. When I am in an area supersaturated with 5G, such as Carytown in Richmond VA, I get 1 bar of 5G. My wife's best friend gets a maxed-out signal on her 5G Galaxy 10. My bro-in-law's iDevice is also maxed out. Utterly baffling Verizon charges so much for such a royal piece of garbage. And yeah, we're all stuck with VXW because no other provide even projects a signal in my neighborhood. The 5G on the Pixel6 is junk. the Bluetooth forgets 90% of devices, the OS is buggy as heck DESPITE Android being a Google project. I had to move to the Android Beta just so I could actually use my phone without constant crashing. The lone redeeming factor on these electronic devices is the ability of the camera software. My old OnePlus phones (6, 7, 8) all took better pictures, had always-functional fingerprint scanners, and even had face recognition- items Google cannot seem to make work properly. Maybe they should hire some actual developers and software engineers, not boot-camp superheroes with tons of certs and absolutely ZERO skill. IF you're on the fence about buying one of these, do yourself a favor and buy a Galaxy or something from a company that makes good phones. The last good Pixel was the 3, and with all the news coming out about defective Pixel 7 camera glass shattering, all I can say is if you buy a Pixel, you deserve whatever headaches they cause.