I want to be a Pixel fan, but I think I’m cursed

I’ve been a fan of Google’s vision for Android since the early days, investing in multiple Nexus and Pixel devices along the way. While my experience with the Nexus family is remembered fondly, my time with the Pixel series is a bit more complicated.

As much as I want to love the Pixel family, they just don’t seem to love me back. While part of me would love to give Google another try, I can’t help but feel like I’m cursed. Here’s why.

I was a Pixel loyalist for years, but bad luck ruined me

I personally owned the original Pixel and received the Pixel 2 and Pixel 3 family of phones via work. The first three generations of the Pixel family were all great, and yet they all developed bootloop issues during my time using them as either daily drivers or as testing devices. All in all, none of those first Pixels lasted me more than about a year.

Then along came the Pixel 4 XL, which remains my favorite phone ever. It was smooth to use, had a great camera, looked great, and was stable in a way many of the early Pixels weren’t. The only real issue was the battery life.

I loved my Pixel 4 XL, and while I tested many other devices, I ended up keeping it as my personal phone for two years, and then as a testing device and secondary phone until late 2021. Then one day, it just suddenly wouldn’t turn on at all. I was able to confirm it wasn’t the battery, but a motherboard failure.

After that, I dabbled with various devices but ultimately settled on Samsung as my main brand of choice. It wasn’t that I liked Samsung One UI better; it’s simply that my luck with Samsung products (outside of foldables) seemed to be much better.

The Google Pixel 7 was my last attempt to reconnect with my roots

After picking up a Pixel 6 for my wife on a deep discount in early 2023, I started thinking about Pixels again. It was nice being able to play around with my wife’s phone and get refamiliarized with Google’s vision for Android after nearly two years away.

In late 2023, I finally decided to bite the bullet and try the Google Pixel family “one more time”, buying a discounted Pixel 7 as a way to test the waters. I immediately fell in love with the phone. It felt as comfortable and reliable as my Pixel 4 XL did back during its heyday, and it even had decent battery life!

The fun lasted about three days, though, then one morning I dropped it out of the blue. For context, I pretty much never drop phones. Even when I do, I always have a case and screen protector. As is my luck with Pixels? My case and protector I ordered on Amazon were late to ship. I had figured it wouldn’t be a big deal to go a few days with my phone “naked” as long as I was careful. Obviously, I was wrong.

I don’t remember exactly what caused the drop, only that it hit just barely in the corner and didn’t even visibly crack, and yet my phone’s display broke in the process. Ironically, my case and protector arrived later that same day.

If I am totally honest, the Pixel 7 was absolutely just bad luck on my part. That said, Google really did have some reliability issues in the early days, something many colleagues and sources like Reddit can affirm.

Of course, for every person who has had issues, you’ll find someone who has had a perfect track record with the Pixel family. Our very own Rita comes to mind. She even switched her entire family to older Pixels due to the reliable experience, and finds that even her older devices like the Pixel 2 XL are still ticking along just fine.

What about newer Pixels? While you’ll still hear about problems here and there, it seems that Google’s reputation for reliability is similar to just about any other modern flagship, including the Galaxy S family. That means you’ll have occasional issues, but most of the time the experience will be great.

After my wife’s positive Pixel 6 experience and the few positive days with the Pixel 7, I knew this was true, but I still couldn’t help but feel like I was better off keeping away. Likewise, I had become less interested in Android’s OS evolution by this point, and so beta testing, super timely updates, and other Pixel advantages became less important to me.

After the Pixel 7, I’ve kept away from the Pixel family and stock Android. This doesn’t mean I don’t miss the Pixel experience and Google’s vision for Android.

Part of me wants to give the Pixel family another try, but should I?

Android 16 is the first version of Android to truly excite me in years. While I initially didn’t pay much attention to it, the constant release of quarterly betas with actually useful features has me genuinely tempted to consider the Pixel family again. After all, I’m rational enough to know you can get a few lemons, and that doesn’t mean the experience will always be bad… Unless I’m really cursed.

Still, I’m not sure I’m ready to jump back into owning a flagship Pixel again, but I do know what model I’d get if I do. The Google Pixel 9a ($499 at Amazon) or Pixel 10a ($499 at Amazon) could be the perfect way to test the Pixel waters without risking so much money on the table.

Will I pull the trigger? I guess we’ll just have to see.