I used the Google Pixel for just under a week but in the end I decided to return it within my return window. I wanted to share my thoughts about why I did this. I really feel that even in a week I’ve got a new appreciation for iOS but I’m also more conscious of what’s missing from it. Ultimately spending almost £500 on a device plus accessories when it would be used maybe 20% of the time felt wasteful in this day and age and I feel better having given it a try. Here are few of my feelings:

• Android isn’t for me, full time at least. I liked the novelty of using another OS but for me it was the nagging that I couldn’t get under control. Even though I turned off everything I could find I was still getting asked to share my location or tune another setting. For someone like me it’s just too many options and I want to just use my iPhone to get things done.
• Assistant vs Siri isn’t even a competition and I’ll miss it. I’m not the biggest fan of Siri anyway but now I seen how the other half live I’m jealous of some of the things you can get the assistant to do for you. Even more so the way it understood everything I asked of it, Siri has about a 50% success rate for me on iOS.
• Third party app ecosystem for me works better on iOS. I’ve come to really like apps like Bear, GoodTask and Halide. When I used Android I found myself not really enjoying browsing the Play Store and used Google apps instead.
• After playing more with RAW and editing my images I realised that the XS (for me) took better images. The Pixel 3a takes a great shot without editing for my eyes but with editing I preferred the XS images.

Now my tech fund is back and iOS 13 is coming I may be putting it towards an iPad Pro 12.9” soon…

I’m not a huge fan of cases but the fabric finish of the official Google case hooked me in.

I picked up two colors

• Fog
• Seascape

Unboxing these is fine, good to see the packing almost all recycling friendly.

The inside of the case is soft microfiber that will keep your Pixel in top condition.

We then have plastic buttons with the same colour accents as the phones.

There are cutouts for the camera and fingerprint reader.

The only downside with this case is that hole for the fingerprint reader. It’s actually deeper than it needs to be and not big enough. I’ve come to like swiping down on the reader to show notifications. This is tricky with the case on. It’s also not so comfortable to unlock.

For £35 it’s not a bad price for these cases, I really like the fabric finish and maybe it’ll soften over time. It’s going to offer drop protection and protect the screen as it has a raised lip on the front.

Switching back and forth between the iPhone and Pixel I was struck with how much narrower the Pixel felt to me when going back to my XS.

Now here’s the Pixel 3a

They are both great displays to my eyes but the aspect ratio of the Pixel and on visual inspection with the 5.8” of the iPhone, the iPhone is both wider and taller. For me this makes it more comfortable to type on.

What helps Android though for me here is the fact I have a swipe keyboard so I’m not tapping keys but still I prefer the screen real estate of the iPhone XS over the Pixel for general day to day comfort.

Colour wise they both looks excellent to my eyes and I’m not seeing the price difference.

You can’t go wrong with the Pixel 3a at £399 for the quality of the OLED it’s packing in my opinion.

To preface this review I need to state up front that I’m new to Android and haven’t been hooked into the assistant for long so your mileage may vary. This is a review from someone that’s lived on iOS for the last 10 years but is gaining new perspective on mobile operating systems.

When I picked up the Pixel 3a I took advantage of the offer to get a free Nest Hub. I didn’t really know what to expect with it to be honest being a heavy iPad user I didn’t know where it would fit it.

Setting up is easy and all you need to do is turn it on and manage the setup from the Pixel Home app.

The construction is great for the price but I would have liked a black front option rather than white. On top we have a couple of sensors and the screen although not huge is clear and looks great when displaying photos.

On the back there’s a manual switch to disable the microphone if you want to make sure you’re not always being listened to.

On setting up I was immediately struck with how useless this product might be for me. No Apple Music, only Spotify and Google Music and without my entire photo library in Google Photos it meant my picture frame options were limited.

I put it in my office and thought I’d see what it can do for me in my day.

Well, all it became was a clock for me. I asked it to play my YouTube subscriptions but it couldn’t. The only way is either to ask for specific videos or cast from your Pixel. This was ok but my iPad has a bigger screen and is already hooked into my YouTube account.

After looking at the photos for a bit I realised this is a £119 fancy clock that tells me stuff about the weather.

Remember this is my experience if you’re totally hooked into Google then I’m sure it’ll be good as a photo frame but I couldn’t get the use out of it and now it’s sat in the box and I’m wondering what I do with it.

It’ll go back with the Pixel if I ultimately decide to return the whole package.

I’m a big fan of the AirPods and as nice as it is to have a headphone jack on the Pixel it’s also nice to not have to get wires caught in stuff. I hadn’t even thought of pairing my AirPods. Well the good news is that they work (to a point), you obviously don’t get Siri and tapping them doesn’t seem to do anything but I don’t do this even on my iPhone. The one that annoys me a little is them not pausing when I remove one AirPod but that’s not a big deal for me whilst I just use them to go for a walk or whilst I’m doing stuff at my desk.

• On your Pixel head into 'settings', 'connected devices', then tap 'Pair new device'
• Make sure your AirPods are in the case and then hold down the button on the back of the case
• You'll see them pop in the list

• Tap on the AirPods and you are good to go

When I fired up Apple Music and started listening they were automatically connected.

One thing I’ve seen in some reviews of the Pixel is the cheaper materials being seen as a negative. For me it’s a positive.

If you’ve followed me for a while you’ll know how much I miss my 5c. I love the feel in the hand of a polycarbonate phone. Glass is fragile and slippery. After using the Pixel I have to say that I prefer picking up and using it than the iPhone XS. Apple are never going back to colored plastic phones but I can dream.

If you’ve ever used a 5c you’ll know what a pixel feels like.

It’s comfortable to hold and although I haven’t drop tested it’ll hold up fine. I dropped my 5c a lot and although I had fine scratches on the back and a few chips it kept going. The Pixel will be the same.

The buttons are chunky and have a nice click to them.

The only area to be concerned about is the screen. As with any phone it’s the main weakness. If you’re worried about this user a screen protector. Personally I don’t like them.

My only worry with the Pixel is how to get it serviced if I do break it somehow. With Apple I can just pop to the store but with Google you’re going to need to mail it in. This is fine if you don’t mind being out of a phone for an unknown period of time.

Some more photography tests with the new Google Pixel 3a, still super impressed with the quality of images that you get out of it for the price.

Pixel 3a

IPhone XS

Pixel 3a

IPhone XS

Pixel 3a

IPhone XS

Pixel 3a

IPhone XS

I’ll let you choose which you think is best but for me I go between the two as which I prefer.

I wasn’t expecting to watch Google IO yesterday but when I saw the introduction of the Pixel 3a I started to get excited for it.

I’ve been wanting to get an Android phone for a while but couldn’t justify the cost of the Pixel 3 to use as a reference device. With the introduction of the £399 Pixel 3a I was ready to jump in. I’ve cancelled my order for now until I can try one in store but it got me thinking about what I’d like Apple to borrow from the 3a.

Colour

Yes, more colours please across everything. I appreciate we have the XR but I want subtle design changes like the coloured buttons on the 3a white version. Goes without saying I’d like to see this on the iPad too. This also applies to accessories, those woven fabric cases look amazing.

Polycarbonate

If you’ve followed me for a while you’ll know I love the 5c. I’d give anything for something that looked like an X design but in a polycarbonate shell. It would be easier to repair, more comfortable to hold, lighter and bring the cost down a bit. I know the 5c didn’t exactly set the world alight but maybe the time is right to bring it back in spirit with a new model. Some will think I’m being silly here but I’d be all over a polycarbonate XS in yellow 😀

Offer better value for money

We know Apple isn’t serving the lower priced smartphone market but with sales falling why can’t they dip their toe into this market at least a bit. I’m not saying they could bring us a £399 iPhone Xe but how about £599?

What are your thoughts on the 3a?

I’d already seen mixed reviews of the Pixel Slate but watching MKBHD reviewing it I’m stunned they released it in this state. Check out the lag.

I’ve had a love/hate relationship with Google and their services over the last year and finally decided to stop using their products on iOS. This means that I’ll be using iCloud for my mail and Apple Maps, which actually works pretty well for me. When I refreshed my iPhone and iPad I decided to not sign into Google for my mail in settings or the Google sign in for their apps. I don’t entirely trust what iOS is giving them access to.

This also means that YouTube is a service that will stick with my main TV. This isn’t actually a bad thing as it means I have less distractions to stop me from being productive on my mobile devices.

The only issue I’ve run into so far is my micro.blog app won’t work as I need to authenticate using gmail. So I won’t be using it and will use the Wordpress app to post my thoughts instead.

Let’s see if I can make it.

Just spotted this change to the YouTube app on iOS. This falls in line with their new changes to Android around spending less time on your devices.

At last…