Google Pixel 7

[mikejeep]

I just pre-ordered the Pixel 7 at Best Buy.. it's $599 for 128GB unlocked.

They're giving a $100 BB gift card as incentive.

They're offering some sort of trade-in bonus that bumps up my Pixel 6 to $480.

Not bad to upgrade for $19 and be able to pick up on release date!

[S4GRU]

On 10/7/2022 at 7:12 AM, mikejeep said:

I just pre-ordered the Pixel 7 at Best Buy.. it's $599 for 128GB unlocked.

They're giving a $100 BB gift card as incentive.

They're offering some sort of trade-in bonus that bumps up my Pixel 6 to $480.

Not bad to upgrade for $19 and be able to pick up on release date!

Wow!  Wish it was always like that to upgrade to latest device.  Tell us how you like it once you get it.

I'm split between this and the new Moto RAZR 3 (if it ever releases here).  My LG V60 is now over 2 years old.  Never had a daily driver so long. But I keep it because it's easy to natively change bands. LG dialer codes to the modem are the best. So sad to see them go.

Robert

[S4GRU]

My Pixel 7 Pro arrived today.  This thing is beautiful!  Too busy working to really set it up.

Robert

[mikejeep]

Coming from the Pixel 6, I haven't noticed any major changes with the P7 yet. It's very responsive, and the haptic feedback is a little.. sharper?

Battery life seems slightly worse than my P6, but that might be more related to my usage over the past week or so.

Signal strength seems to be similar to the P6.

Unfortunately no improvements with info reported in SCP, although I didn't much of a difference than the P6.

Overall, I am very happy. I liked the P6 and have not found any drawbacks to the P7 yet.

[S4GRU]

3 hours ago, mikejeep said:

Coming from the Pixel 6, I haven't noticed any major changes with the P7 yet. It's very responsive, and the haptic feedback is a little.. sharper?

Battery life seems slightly worse than my P6, but that might be more related to my usage over the past week or so.

Signal strength seems to be similar to the P6.

Unfortunately no improvements with info reported in SCP, although I didn't much of a difference than the P6.

Overall, I am very happy. I liked the P6 and have not found any drawbacks to the P7 yet.

My battery life is slightly less than my LG V60 with one screen.  But better than when I am in Dual Screen mode.  Do you know how to access Engineering screens?  None of the other Pixel codes seem to work on it.  Likely because of the Tensor processor.

Robert

[mikejeep]

4 hours ago, S4GRU said:

My battery life is slightly less than my LG V60 with one screen.  But better than when I am in Dual Screen mode.  Do you know how to access Engineering screens?  None of the other Pixel codes seem to work on it.  Likely because of the Tensor processor.

No.. couldn't on the Pixel 6 either, even when rooted. My guess is they don't exist?

[PedroDaGr8]

2 minutes ago, mikejeep said:

No.. couldn't on the Pixel 6 either, even when rooted. My guess is they don't exist?

Likely they don't. Most of those screens (*#0011#, *#2263#, etc.)from Samsung phones are actually Qualcomm menus which have access to the baseband

[S4GRU]

19 hours ago, mikejeep said:

No.. couldn't on the Pixel 6 either, even when rooted. My guess is they don't exist?

Any way to lock a band?  I can lock a technology using *#*#4636#*#*

But I can't find a way to lock bands,

Robert

[mikejeep]

On 10/22/2022 at 9:20 AM, S4GRU said:

Any way to lock a band?  I can lock a technology using *#*#4636#*#*

But I can't find a way to lock bands,

Not that I have found -- P6 or P7. NSG did not offer much on my P6 either; probably not rooting my P7. Lack of NSG functionality and limited other benefits, plus too many of my financial apps don't work properly even with just the bootloader unlocked, let alone rooted.

[PythonFanPA]

This WccfTech article on durability popped up in my Google feed tonight:

 

https://wccftech.com/pixel-7-pro-barely-makes-it-out-of-the-durability-test/

[JonnygATL]

I received my P7 Pro 2 days ago and - coming from my Note 10 plus - I absolutely hate it!  I didn't expect to hate it so much but even the screen looks grossly inferior to my Note 10+ even though I know that makes no sense, at least on paper.  But I'm holding them side by side right now and the Pixel 7 Pro display looks grainy and borderline blurry compared to my several year old Note 10+.  What's going on here??  I toggled on full resolution thinking that would change things but....no.  the screen just looks awful.  Also...is there a way to mirror the Pixel 7 Pro to your smart tv without WiFi?  I've always done this with my Samsung phone. I thought allcast would be able to help out with that but it seems to not even function with this phone.  I'm about to smash this damn thing against the wall but I can't because I need it in one piece so I can return it ASAP to Best Buy.  I've honestly never been so wildly disappointed in a device.  Definitely going to switch it for the S22 Ultra. I don't understand the hype with this device.  Other than instant Android updates (which may not be the best idea after all) ...I can no longer see the allure.  

[JonnygATL]

One more thing..

I just took a photo of a random glass on my counter in low light with both phones with no modifications to the stock camera settings.  The difference is night and day.  The photo taken with the Note looks crisp. Details are sharp. The dim scene is brightened beautifully.  Even the curtains in the background remain sharp and clear even when zoomed in.  The Pixel 7 Pro attempt at the same photo is laughable.  Blurrycam UFO type horrendous.  Did I get a faulty device?  This thing is horrific.  Something seems waaaay off.  

[S4GRU]

14 hours ago, JonnygATL said:

I received my P7 Pro 2 days ago and - coming from my Note 10 plus - I absolutely hate it!  I didn't expect to hate it so much but even the screen looks grossly inferior to my Note 10+ even though I know that makes no sense, at least on paper.  But I'm holding them side by side right now and the Pixel 7 Pro display looks grainy and borderline blurry compared to my several year old Note 10+.  What's going on here??  I toggled on full resolution thinking that would change things but....no.  the screen just looks awful.  Also...is there a way to mirror the Pixel 7 Pro to your smart tv without WiFi?  I've always done this with my Samsung phone. I thought allcast would be able to help out with that but it seems to not even function with this phone.  I'm about to smash this damn thing against the wall but I can't because I need it in one piece so I can return it ASAP to Best Buy.  I've honestly never been so wildly disappointed in a device.  Definitely going to switch it for the S22 Ultra. I don't understand the hype with this device.  Other than instant Android updates (which may not be the best idea after all) ...I can no longer see the allure.  

 

14 hours ago, JonnygATL said:

One more thing..

I just took a photo of a random glass on my counter in low light with both phones with no modifications to the stock camera settings.  The difference is night and day.  The photo taken with the Note looks crisp. Details are sharp. The dim scene is brightened beautifully.  Even the curtains in the background remain sharp and clear even when zoomed in.  The Pixel 7 Pro attempt at the same photo is laughable.  Blurrycam UFO type horrendous.  Did I get a faulty device?  This thing is horrific.  Something seems waaaay off.  

Wow, I have a totally different experience with my Pro 7.  Maybe because I came from a 2 year old LG V60?  I'm loving mine.  The screen.  The camera.  Everything is better, except not being able to control bands with a dialer code.  

Robert

[JonnygATL]

7 hours ago, S4GRU said:

 

Wow, I have a totally different experience with my Pro 7.  Maybe because I came from a 2 year old LG V60?  I'm loving mine.  The screen.  The camera.  Everything is better, except not being able to control bands with a dialer code.  

Robert

Is there a way to mirror this thing to my smart tv without having to have wifi, the way I've always done with Samsung phones both at home and at work? Samsung phones do it with TCL and other smart TVs as well, not just Samsung TVs.  Samsung has saved me a ton of money over the years in this regard.  If I can't do this then it will absolutely be a deal breaker for me.  I still have the Samsung phone and can use it to mirror but I shouldn't have to default to a three year old phone for this.  

[Dkoellerwx]

1 hour ago, JonnygATL said:

Is there a way to mirror this thing to my smart tv without having to have wifi, the way I've always done with Samsung phones both at home and at work?

I've been using Samsung devices for a couple years and I've never been able to mirror without wifi? I'm not sure what exactly you're talking about.

[JonnygATL]

8 hours ago, Dkoellerwx said:

I've been using Samsung devices for a couple years and I've never been able to mirror without wifi? I'm not sure what exactly you're talking about.

I've been doing it for at least seven years.  Easy.  They call it smart view.  I even do it at a friend's place or at a sports bar on occasion.  The receiving tv just has to accept it and then it's seamless.  It's one of the main reasons a lot of people use Samsung devices.  I literally do it every single day.  It's the centerpiece of my entertainment at home.  

[JonnygATL]

But on a positive note the lower the lighting, the more the camera does shine.  And I also pulled 834 down over N41 last night.  Very impressive.  

[Dkoellerwx]

7 hours ago, JonnygATL said:

They call it smart view.  I even do it at a friend's place or at a sports bar on occasion.  The receiving tv just has to accept it and then it's seamless.  It's one of the main reasons a lot of people use Samsung devices.

I cast to a Samsung smart TV with my S21 but it still requires wifi so ... 🤷‍♂️

[JonnygATL]

1 hour ago, Dkoellerwx said:

I cast to a Samsung smart TV with my S21 but it still requires wifi so ... 🤷‍♂️

That's odd.  I've done it doing it since at least the Galaxy s6 edge and, no, I've never had wifi at home.  Ever.  My boyfriend and I both.  We've never purchased home internet.  

Smart view does establish a Wi-Fi direct connection between the two devices, but it absolutely does not require a general Wi-Fi network at large, despite what the website might say.  Try it somewhere other than home - like at best buy where there are lots of TVs (or a bar or anywhere that isn't home) but not a network that you are personally on - and you will see very quickly that it doesn't.

[stealth]

As far as I know Samsung will allow screen cast / miracast without Wi-Fi. You can also try a USBc to hdmi adapter. Last I heard is google blocks this wireless casting in favor to get people to use their chrome cast. 

[Dkoellerwx]

1 hour ago, JonnygATL said:

Wi-Fi direct

Yes I have used that... but not to cast my screen. Inside the wifi menu, click the three dots at the top right to see if Wi-Fi direct is turned on. I'm not sure if it'll let you screen share though, as most phones just use it to transfer files anymore now that the majority of devices have Chromecast-like screen casting built in.

1 hour ago, JonnygATL said:

I've never had wifi at home.  Ever.

Why..... just ..... why? Ought to know better.

[mikejeep]

15 hours ago, JonnygATL said:

I've been doing it for at least seven years.  Easy.  They call it smart view.  I even do it at a friend's place or at a sports bar on occasion.  The receiving tv just has to accept it and then it's seamless.  It's one of the main reasons a lot of people use Samsung devices.  I literally do it every single day.  It's the centerpiece of my entertainment at home.  

I feel like you sort of answered your own question here. Smart View is a proprietary Samsung feature, so it's only available on Samsung devices.. 

[JonnygATL]

5 hours ago, Dkoellerwx said:

Yes I have used that... but not to cast my screen. Inside the wifi menu, click the three dots at the top right to see if Wi-Fi direct is turned on. I'm not sure if it'll let you screen share though, as most phones just use it to transfer files anymore now that the majority of devices have Chromecast-like screen casting built in.

Why..... just ..... why? Ought to know better.

Because the few times I've needed it I have bought a one month Xfinity pass. But I usually don't need it at home....because I just screen mirror my phone for all my entertainment needs outside of the many over the air free HD channels available.  And the phones I've had have all had unlimited data.  I don't really use that much.  I rarely exceed 40 gb in a month.  I'll usually download for offline viewing while on wifi at work (though often times I do stream directly from mobile data).  Then, once back at home, just cast my Samsung phone to a smart tv at the pad.  Again, without wifi.  I'm surprised this is news to some folks.  Most people I know say that's one of the top reasons they're Samsung fans! 

 

But again....this is about seeing if a similar feature exists for the Pixel 7 series.  It would seem that the answer is no.  So...tomorrow is my off day. First item of the day...VOTE in the runoff election here in Georgia. Item 2.... take the train from the precinct to Best Buy in Buckhead to trade this thing back in lol.  Good riddance!!

 

 

 

 

[JonnygATL]

12 hours ago, mikejeep said:

I feel like you sort of answered your own question here. Smart View is a proprietary Samsung feature, so it's only available on Samsung devices.. 

Right. And I was asking if there was a similar solution for the Pixel, be it native or available as a third party app.  That was my question.  I didn't answer it myself actually, but many folks with similar concerns online in other forums did, however. 

Also I was shocked to learn that I can't just run a usb-c to HDMI cable to mirror my screen via a wired connection because Google intentionally broke that functionality. No, you have to buy a bizarre, expensive and separate dock of some sort instead of just the cable that I already have.  Seems a nasty, Apple-esque move.  

Pretty phone with awesome updates and great low light photo taking abilities (and insane 5G speeds, to be sure). Too bad it is just crippled in other areas (my opinion, not an argument).  

 

Cheers. Carry on.  

[mikejeep]

2 hours ago, JonnygATL said:

Right. And I was asking if there was a similar solution for the Pixel, be it native or available as a third party app.  That was my question.  I didn't answer it myself actually, but many folks with similar concerns online in other forums did, however. 

I hear ya.. basically just casting/Chromecast for native support on a Pixel, not surprisingly they want to sell their own gear. The strategy works, because I've purchased several TVs over the past year, and as a Pixel fan, I limited my options to models that had Google TV as the OS. (FWIW, I've been very pleased with that interface for my needs, but that's a whole other topic). As such, it makes sense for Samsung users to stay with the Samsung ecosystem (and Apple with Apple, etc). Unfortunately not everything is universal, but I think we have come a long way overall. Looking forward to USB-C on the next iPhone to help ease that nuisance..