We get it — change is hard. It takes years of trust to build the healthy, sustainable relationship you deserve with your smartphone. Just know that whatever sort of tragic anxiousness you’re feeling about making that potential transition, you’re not alone. In fact, two beloved Moment members have personally made their switch to #TeamPixel and wanted to chat about their experience in doing so.
Meet Andrew and Erica.
Be sure to follow along with future adventures on his instagram.
"These days, I shoot 95% of my photos on my phone and the other 5% on a medium format Pentax 67. The camera is the most critical part of the phone to me, and Google wins hands down in that regard with the Verge recently finding the year-old Pixel 2 camera even beats out the brand new iPhone Xs.
I was never much of an Apple diehard, but I still had some concerns about leaving the Apple ecosystem and the difficulties surrounding that. The good news is it wasn't nearly as difficult as I'd built it up to be in my head, which is coincidentally the same thing I'd say to someone who just found out they're going to be a parent.
The most significant hurdle for most people seems to be the transition from iMessage and the fear of being that person in the group chat with the green messages. With some help from Wired's guide on switching from iMessage to Android Messages, it wasn't terrible. There are a few hiccups here and there - you'll definitely have to find a different way to share videos because they're compressed over messages. For me, most conversations happen on Slack or Instagram and not in group chats anyway, so this has never been a huge pain point.
The rest of the Android ecosystem, especially on Pixel, is pure joy. It's simple, intuitive, and integrates smoothly with the rest of Google's products. Battery life is solid, and the selection of apps has everything I'd ever need. And the camera, oh, that camera. It packs a heck of a punch for something that is always in your pocket and ready to go at a Moment's notice. And it's smart and improving all the time. There's no downgrade in quality on the smaller models, and many new updates for the Pixel 9 are also being added to the camera on the Pixel. Overall, I loved the switch to Android so much that after a couple of months, I also switched to the Pixelbook and now do all of my work from there.
"I was a diehard Apple fan. I have had almost every generation of iPhones exist and have been on the bandwagon for quite some time. I've had iPods, iPads, MacBook Pros, and even iMacs. As a matter of fact, I still have most of these, except the iPod and, of course, now the iPhone. I have supported and fought for my beliefs in the "Android vs. Apple" battle that seems to occur every time a new iPhone is launched.
When I received my first Pixel, I was deeply impressed. The design itself was sleek and gorgeous. They had thoughtfully put a fingerprint sensor on the back piece of the phone, which at first took some time to get used to, but then, I realized, made the most sense since my finger tends to lay right in that spot naturally while holding my phone. I immediately tested out the camera, which also was extremely impressive. All the photos I took were tack sharp, and having Google Photos' unlimited storage was definitely an instant pleaser.
If you are looking into the Google Pixel as your next potential device, I think you will enjoy all of the great features this phone offers. With just 32 GB, I still have enough space thanks to the unlimited video and photo storage. I also love Google's Assistant, which does a fantastic job at navigating, looking things up on the web, sending out and reading messages, plus much more. Integrating Google Translate into the phone is, BY FAR, my favorite feature. For someone studying another language, this instantly became the feature I never knew of and loved the most. It made translating messages seamless without barely having to leave the same window. The phone is also extremely fast, and Android's customization is often taken for granted when you don't have the same options on Apple's iOS.
Check out more stunning photos from her in-depth review of the Google Pixel on her blog.
Whatever triumphs or tribulations you’re wrestling with your latest phone, know that your fellow peers will support the switch. Google Pixel's latest camera phones are stellar devices with gorgeous specs and excellent capturing capabilities; there’s no reason not to take the plunge. The most mentally keen solution is to rank what you value most highly in a phone and see which device gets you closest to that goal. Be it the UI, the camera, or the battery life… lock in the ecosystem you wish to pursue with your gear.
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