Pixel 8

My Pixel 8 failed with the exact failure mode (supposedly) covered by an extended warranty [0] program after owning it for 18 months. I had a very frustrating back and forth with Google support and in the end they refused to fix it under warranty because it wasn't manufactured in a specific batch. [...]

My Pixel 8 failed with the exact failure mode (supposedly) covered by that extended warranty [0] program after owning it for 18 months. I had a very frustrating back and forth with Google support and in the end they refused to fix it under warranty because it wasn't manufactured in a specific batch. [...]

[...] ETA 1 year of battery before it noticeably degrades. I might be doing something wrong, but battery life always degraded for me. I've even bought the same Pixel on eBay when it stopped being sold by Google, so I can save money on buying the latest. My Pixel 8 had to be replaced because the screen starting randomly detecting presses in a spasmic fury, which would happen with no known correlation. There are NO new features worth getting on the new Pixels. I love taking photos - insider tip - huge megapixel sensors don't make better photos. [...]

My phone camera (Pixel 8) sucks for concerts, especially the zoom, but I've only had it for two years and it's otherwise fine, plus my choices are limited because I have small hands. If I could guarantee I wouldn't get in trouble, a real camera like that would be tempting...

[...] My Pixel 8 is an absolute dogshit phone compared to my Pixel 2 for the same reason. Phones are giant now, impossible to use with one hand anymore, and slide off of fucking everything because they don't lie flat, and are uncomfortable to hold with how top-heavy they are too. [...]

[...] I have a Pixel 8, and I have no problems using the microphone normally, but somehow, Merlin requires the bird to be within a couple of meters of me and sing for quite a while before Merlin will even say “hearing a bird”. [...]

[...] At first the results were hot garbage, and progress was slow. [...] I've tested it on trailing edge devices like an M1 Mac and a Pixel 8, and performance is very tolerable. [...] When it proves to be useful it's not going to get less useful or more expensive. [...]

[...] Extremely long battery life, insane CPU & GPU performance, unmatched trackpad - but it runs MacOS. Unless you're a professional video editor, the laptop is largely relegated to being a thin client for a Linux machine you SSH into (or spawn a non hardware accelerated VM and demolish performance / power). [...] Pixel 8? [...] I want to see my high end consumer hardware running OSS and until regulators step in to force the "right to repair software" - I don't see that happening and it breaks my heart.

[...] Cameras were getting more megapixels to get on par with non digital photography (arguably, if you are not an artist at least) and everything needed to come along, memory, storage, processing and of course screen resolution. [...] Unless you have superhuman vision, current screens are "good enough" to check your family photos and your work email. Long story short I went from flaghships to 2nd hand few generations olds Pixel 8 (cheapest I could try GrapheneOS on) and I don't regret that decision at all. [...] PS: before someone argues I don't know what I'm missing as I'm probably not using my phone for much, I do quite a lot on my phone including programming on it (directly on it, not via ssh), streaming videos on video projectors, running qemu for other architectures, etc. [...]

[...] I use it to send commands and URLs between my devices. [...] If it does it triggers a script based on the contents of the body. E.g.: Title: Pixel8 Message: Will automatically send the URL to my browser. [...]

I still have the Pixel Watch 2 and it's much the same, battery barely lasts a day, if even that. [...] I had purchased the Pixel 8 I think it was and saw the watch was heavily discounted if I bundled it in so I did. [...] I'm a heavily sleeper and need multiple alarms sometimes to wake up and would often use my watch alarm to supplement my phone. So it became a nightly routine of making sure I didn't forget to charge my watch before bed, lest it dies in the middle of the night.

If your phone is a Tensor-powered Google Pixel (so a Pixel 6 or newer), you can root it and run a full KVM-accellerated arm64 Linux VM with USB passthrough and SLiRP networking. I've used my Pixel 8 with a USB hub and a Mediatek MT7921AU USB 3.0 WiFi card in monitor mode with kismet for the ultimate mobile wardriving setup.

I'm writing this on a Pixel 8 and it's the worst phone I have ever used. [...] And the battery can't make it to 3pm. [...]

[...] One all-day carry GrapheneOS device (Pixel 8) and an older WiFi and at home only iPhone for all payment and ensurance stuff. [...] The only google App I really "need" (kind of) is the Camera App, which is sandboxed via GrapheneOS Storage Spaces and without Network permission (why would a camera need internet?). To backup my phone, I use the integrated GrapheneOS Solution (seedvault!?) for storage and apps, immich for Photos and MyPhoneExplorer for Contacts. [...] Newpipe - Youtube Client Audiobookshelf - Audiobooks Voice (PaulWoitaschek) - Local Audiobook Player Substreamer - Music DSub - Music (alternative) VLC - Video-Player Organic Maps - Google Maps alternative (not as good) PDF Doc Scanner - Open Source Document Scanner Wireguard - VPN Immich - Photo Backup / Viewer LocalSend - File Transfer K9 Mail / FairMail - Email Client KOReader - Ebooks Binary Eye - QRCodes and Barcodes Pure Todo - Self hosted PWA PHP Todo List Signal - Messenger Open Camera - Open Source Camera App

[...] :^))) I'm a bit of a keyboard fiend. The main one I use with my Android tablet specifically is a no-name brand, knock-off "magic keyboard"-style folio case that I got on AliExpress for like, 45 USD. [...] For my phone, I have a really old Zagg one that was originally for an iPad. The iPad has long since died but the keyboard lives on. [...] The main keyboard I type on all day at my desk is a Logitech Pebble K380s. It can store three different connection profiles, which can be either Bluetooth or Logi unified receiver. So I have one of those profiles set to connect to my Pixel 8 via Bluetooth (typing from that now). [...] On a "real keyboard" (like this K380s) there's a dedicated Esc key. [...] I found an app called "External Keyboard Helper Pro" that lets me rebind Caps Lock to Esc. [...]

Usually I am the one making fun of people who have been claiming that "the new update made everything buggy and slow and reduced battery life" with every update for the past 15 years, but this time this one's actually real and hitting my base Pixel 8 hard. Hopefully the October update fixes it.

When I bought my Pixel 8 it was mostly because of the Pixel software quality and the promised 8 years of updates. It was nice to know my phone would be secure for 8 years if need be. What I didn't anticipate was the updates actively degrading my phone's performance at being a a phone and browser.

I recently bought my first smartphone, just went for a refurbished Pixel 8 with GrapeheneOS. [...] I've encountered a few gyms (2 in Spain, 1 in USA) that use live-updated QR codes to enter the gym. [...] With GrapeheneOS the experience still feels somewhat acceptable and I get a somewhat similar feeling of control to what I get using NixOS on my laptop. [...]

I had been using LineageOS + microG for many years on my Pixel 3. I upgraded to a Pixel 8 and tried out GrapheneOS and the install experience was good, but I found some odd performance quirks - apps would be slow to install and run, downloads were slow, etc. [...]

I'm so happy I stopped caring about new phones about five years ago, since then I've spent about $200 on phones – for a used pixel 8 that I installed GrapheneOS on. Consumerism is mad.

[...] Then they stopped updating my phone I bought less than a year prior. [...] I ended up buying a Pixel 8 because it was cheaper to spend $600 on a phone that gets updates for 7 years than to pay $200-300 on phones that stop being updated after a year or two.

[...] The Pixel 8 is still great also but has a more fragile screen. [...]

[...] You can connect a Pixel 8, 9, 10 or 11 to a USB-C DisplayPort-alt-mode hub and have a GrapheneOS desktop that way. [...]

Currently auditioning a used pixel 8 with graphene os on it. [...]

The distortion effects dont work for me on pixel 8 when using AR mode I just get a flat floating image of a black hole. Am i holding it wrong?

[...] I recently migrate from pixel 8 to 10, it only supports eSim. [...]

I'm not sure if this is possible for Apple devices, but with my GrapheneOS Pixel 8 I can use a Dell Monitor with integrated USB-C dock to connect and show the screen as well as supplying power and adding USB devices (like keyboard, mouse, etc.). I also own a little Ugreen USB-C dock (Revodock?!) that also enables connecting regular USB-A Keyboards (even wireless ones) as well as HDMI - so maybe this is more flexible in terms of which keyboard you like and which screen is available.

Agreed, yet I have a Pixel 8 (2nd hand) right now. The hope is that I don't care about their support anyway, it's just about GrapheneOS.

I have latest Android on the Pixel 8. I just checked and found it under Settings Battery Battery Health It specifically has an option for 80% (const) or an "Adaptive Charge" predictive algorithm that charges to 80% and then only fully charges to 100% right before you typically unplug it from the charger.

It used to be true that it made sense to replace your phone every few years because new ones were so much better. But like... I have a Pixel 8 and there's not really anything in a newer phone that's compelling enough to spend any money on...

[...] Surprisingly the Pixel 8 has a smaller footprint than the Pixel a variants while having a bigger display. So my request would be a device around the size of the Pixel 8, having a similar battery size and if possible a headphone jack at a reasonable price point (350 bucks). I consider the pixel 8 as really solid device for graphene OS. [...]

I was in the same boat and literally this week bought a Pixel 8. It's a 2 year old phone but with the extended support period that's no longer a problem, and being old means you can get it new for about €300 or refurbished for even less. The other option is the Samsung S2x line, which you can apply the same strategy to.

Bought a 2nd hand Pixel 8 just yesterday specifically to tinker with GrapheneOS. When there is a phone sold with GrapheneOS pre-installed (and assume with no restrictions I don't want and good reviews) I'll probably be in the market for it.

I made the fatal error of updating hoping that Google would fix the battery issues on the pixel 8 😔 now my phone runs terribly and my ice cream emoji isn't Neapolitan anymore LOL

Been using since the Pixel 3 became part of the team, now running a Pixel 8 and happy to answer any and all questioms, any I dont know immediately I will find for you. Just reach out. All the best on your journey.

I've been shopping to upgrade my phone and I've come to the conclusion that maybe I'll just keep my pixel 8. None of the new ones do anything I need. The upgrades are so minor except for the AI bullshit

Don't the Pixels after 8 have CPU cores/RAM dedicated solely for "AI" "features"? It's partially why I got a Pixel 8 for my last phone replacement

god do i get it, my phone feels almost unusable without a case giving it raised edges/thicker bezels and it's not even a particularly high end/thin bezels phone (just a pixel 8)

I've pretty much consistently tracked the 'one year old pixel on heavy discount' route. Last phone I bought was a Pixel 8 shortly after the 9 came out, got a crazy deal on it for like $350 and installed graphene OS on it. The release of the 11 just means refurb 9s and 10s will be good deals.

I bought a carved.com wood case in 2018. [...] Then they stopped making the case style I liked and I didn't order one for my Pixel 8. I am finally getting a new phone and they have cases in my style, so I got one! [...]

(LineageOS fork) (Sailfish OS) I too am a GrapheneOS Pixel 8 user. However, I am starting to realise even a screen this large is a huge source of distraction and dopamine fracking that I don't have the time or desire for in my life. [...] I just want my calendar and email, and maybe Signal. [...]

operating system only provides screen mirroring or app window mirroring on an external monitor That's not true. It's probably written that way, because this is still an experimental feature so it is indeed not "supported", but it does work, you just have to toggle a few settings inside developer options. And in this desktop mode it could make use of my 2k desktop screen, though it is quite buggy (it is a pixel 8 device, for reference)

I do have it in Pixel 8 after enabling in developer options. It's a bit buggy and low resolution, but does the job when e.g. I want to connect some video I'm already watching on mobile to the external display via USB-C. (You can connect a mouse via Bluetooth to the phone, or via a USB dongle plugged into your monitor, to control it.) An interesting thing is that you can run apps X and Y on desktop screen while also run app X on mobile screen independently.

Got any tips for locking the bootloader after installing LineageOS on a Pixel 8? That's literally the only reason I'm using GrapheneOS on my phone currently. :blobfoxnotamused:

[...] I already have few e-readers, some e-ink screens (for IoT), some reMarkables and a PineNote. [...] BT keyboard? Does it fit and snap on the back on a Pixel 8?

Like what? Portrait mode? I have a Pixel 8 which I believe does something else to fake depth maps.

[...] Kernel bugs stay hidden because no one runs recent Kernels. My Pixel 8 runs kernel a stable minor from 6.1, which was released more than 4 years ago. [...]