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Hi all,

Some of the old members will most probably remember me from long long ago when I was an Ericsson fanatic back in the day when having 4 or 5 phones or more in a year wasn't unusual well it wasn't for me.

Anyway I have been using an Xperia 1 II for the last 4 years and all trouble free I may add but now being so many versions behind the current version of Android I decided to treat myself to a new phone. I did look at the latest and greatest Xperia as I found it was close enough to pure Android as to not make a real world difference. But I couldn't get over two things one being the price and the second being the strange decision to downgrade the screen quality as I value the screen above all else.

So I found myself a nice Obsidian Google Pixel 9 Pro XL try saying that fast 3 times LOL, I found a brand new unlocked 256gb version for £780 on e-bay and it arrived today. The first thing that I found really good was the data transfer from my Xperia to the PIxel 9. As the last time I did this was from a Pixel 2 to the Xperia and it was as simple as logging into my Google account and my last backup transferred most of my stuff over although not everything. Today was totally different the two phones connected over wi-fi and I got to choose what i wanted transferred. It transferred all my apps and settings and passwords with the exception of Google Wallet which i suppose makes sense. But otherwise all my videos, photos, music, messages, e-mails basically the whole contents of my phone transferred but it did take about 30 minutes as there was a lot of stuff to move over.

Now onto the phone it is the same length as the Xperia and only fractionally wider and like all my phones went straight into a Spigen Rugged Armour case (which is the reason my 4 year old Xperia could pass for new). I never use the auto brightness feature and always just use full brightness and this screen is super bright and crisp. It is also buttery smooth and fast as you'd expect from the latest pure Android experience. It's too early for me to really comment on much else but first impressions mean I am very happy with my new phone and really can't foresee any issues on the horizon. I have seen some negative comments around the web about the fingerprint reader but that hasn't been my experience. although those complaints seem to be from people using glass screen protectors which I don't use. I find it quite hard to even understand why when you have the latest and greatest Gorilla Glass Victus 2 anyone would think they need a screen protector but each to their own I suppose.

I haven't had a chance to check out all the new cool features from Google yet and there's plenty of them and not just AI but give me some time to play with this beast and I'll get back and report my findings. if anyone wants to know anything specific feel free to ask and I'll do my best to answer. I know many here are really camera focussed and whilst that's not really my thing I will take some shots to try and satisfy some of your needs advance warning they are most probably going to be pictures of watches sorry about that.

Marc

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Posted: 2024-08-28 18:04:03
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Congrats on your new phone Marc.

Yes they really have got the data transfer working perfectly now, well they have had a long time to get it right I suppose.

I do use a screen protector because every phone I've ever used ha,s over time, developed small annoying scratches, regardless of the claims to be the best ever protection. Although applying one to the screen then complaining about the fingerprint unlock is a bit dumb.

Reviews of the phone have commented on it's weight. Does it really feel that heavy?
Looking forward to seeing your best shots.
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Posted: 2024-08-28 20:25:47
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Hi Goldenface,

Sorry for the delay in giving you a reply and any further review but due to moving GP's I needed an interview and blood test on separate appointments which has caused a major pain flare up so not up to doing much.

As to the question about the weight as I said the Pixel 9 Pro XL is the same length as the Xperia 1 II I was using and only very slightly wider weight wise I notice no real difference at all it may be slightly heavier in the specs but it really is not noticeably heavier at all.

I'm not sure if having had my Xperia 1 II for 4 years means I missed out on some major changes to Android or not but I have to say the customization options on this new Pixel are vast. Many things that in the past required installing a custom launcher seem to be baked into the Pixel software as you can now choose so many different grid layouts as well as changing both the icon and text size so easily. Gone are the days when I needed to download tons of widgets to get the information and look I wanted on my home screens and in fact I am only using 3. Simple Calendar which I have been using forever as I just love the way I can customise and set it up to show the details of upcoming events at a glance, a simple transparent Weather widget and an F1 schedule widget and that's all I feel I need. Everything else is just there in the phone already, gone for me are the days of unlocking bootloaders and flashing custom Rom's just to get the look and functionality I needed.

I have seen mentioned in some reviews not just reports about the new Google Tensor processor but also that this Pixel is now using a new Samsung modem chip and I have to say this seems to of made a huge difference from my previous Xperia. I am now getting nearly full 5G bars where as before I was just about getting any service at all. Even when using WiFi calling the calls are much clearer and finally battery life is on another level. The Xperia used to leave me about 35% by the end of the day now even with playing with the new phone a lot more it is lasting 2 days to hit 35%. Even after just a few days the adaptive charging it knows I wake up at 8.00am and if I start charging at 1.00am or 3.00am still gives me a full charge by then clever stuff and hopefully much better for the battery to. Lastly I have to report that for me with no screen protector the fingerprint reader works perfectly every time without fail.

I have looked at the AI but in all honesty it really isn't something I currently find of interest to me it may have some use for me in the future but as now of now I can quite happily live without it.

I will when I feel better get around to taking some shots with the camera but really have to say this phone is just amazing it is fast and smooth in all it does and to put it simply just works hassle free.

Marc

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Posted: 2024-09-07 12:17:11
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