Did you know that the iPhone 16 has a bad screen, uses slow USB ports, will arrive missing some of its announced features, and you need to buy an expensive Pro Max model to have the specs you really want?
Did you know the Pixel 9 doesn’t have enough storage, features a slow processor, and doesn’t protect your privacy the way it should? And that buying the expensive model only fixes some of these glaring shortcomings?
Do you think that all of this is nonsense and you should ignore it and spend your money on the things you want? I do.
Android & Chill
One of the web’s longest-running tech columns, Android & Chill is your Saturday discussion of Android, Google, and all things tech.
You can’t escape it if you spend any amount of time on the internet after a major product launch. People who were never going to buy a thing love to tell you why it’s a bad purchase and you should buy their favorite thing instead. What they are saying may be true; the iPhone 16 has a slow 60Hz refresh rate and ships with a USB 2.0 port. Even Apple’s AI, the showcase feature of the iPhone 16 launch, won’t be 100% ready until next year.
The things “wrong” with the Pixel 9 are equally true. Google doesn’t offer as much storage on its Pro models as Apple does on the base Pro model, the Tensor G4 scores poorly on benchmark tests, and Google collects as much of your data as you let it. Buying a Pixel 9 Pro model still gets the same processor, and you’ll still need to sift through the settings or Google will collect everything.
The thing is, they’re probably (I say probably because I’ve touched neither) both really good products designed to have everything people who were going to buy one were looking for. Apple, Google, Samsung, and all the rest know their customers and what they want. I do not care about camera buttons or benchmarks. I don’t need tons of storage or super fast USB 4 ports. I wanted my phone to be cheap, and Google made just the cheap phone I wanted because it knew some people wanted cheap phones.
Google and Apple also know what their customers want when it comes to more expensive phones. Every phone manufacturer opts you into private in-house data collection that tells it all about how you use your phone. They also send out customer satisfaction surveys and actually use the devices they make; Apple knows you don’t care about the speed of the USB port unless you buy the uber-expensive Pro Max with a gazillion gigs of storage and connect it to a Mac to transfer huge video files. Google knows people using a Pixel are likely to use all of Google’s cloud services, won’t buy a 1TB model, and want AI performance instead of higher benchmarks.
Both companies also know that people are going to complain about these decisions and thankfully, don’t seem to care.
I know some of my colleagues would disagree about processor performance, display quality, or benchmark scores. That’s why it’s important to hear from more than one person if you’re considering spending a lot of money on a new phone.
In particular, Derrek Lee suggests that people who buy the iPhone should care about these things, and it’s not just a silly culture war thing. Maybe he’s right, and potential iPhone buyers should demand better products. The same goes for Pixel buyers or Galaxy phone buyers. Knowing that actual customers demand better specs and because these damn things cost so much, they should come with every option — 240Hz displays, USB 4/Thunderbolt 4 ports, ultra-fast charging, and even a long warranty. I’m totally on board with that as long as it doesn’t triple the price, which it would.
I think one way, but I know I’m not necessarily right. It would be best if you didn’t rely on my opinion alone regarding your buying habits because there’s a chance you and I will think differently. I know that I don’t care about the specs of the iPhone 16 because I’ll never buy one; it seems like a good enough phone, but it’s not for me.
I’m more interested in the Pixel 11a because that’s about the time I’ll be ready to buy another cheap phone, and Google offers the best value for cheap phones right now. Google has a while to figure out ways not to give me everything a good phone needs, I guess. I’m also going to pick up an HMD Fusion because HMD is doing something cool that other companies won’t do.
If you want to talk about what the next big product is missing, go for it. I’m not your mom and you don’t ever have to listen to me. If you’re thinking of buying the next big tech product, just remember that a lot of the people hating it were never going to be buying it and just like to stir the pot.
