I have a Pixel 7 Pro, but for me it’s a few things.
- Improved modem
- Increased battery life
- Better thermals
- SoC upgrade to 3nm process
- Improved camera
- Good deal or free stuff (e.g. free Pixel Watch 2, high Pixel 7 Pro trade in value)
What phone do you have and why might you want to upgrade to the Pixel 8?
SD card slot and headphones jack. And an affordable price.
3a XL
A headphone jack
My Pixel 7 Pro would need to be lost or broken, then the insurance company would need to be unable to replace it with another 7 Pro and give me an 8 Pro for free. That’s the only way I can see myself going from a 7 to an 8.
I have a pixel 3a. I’ve had a few issues with it recently that have been resolved so I’m still managing fine with it. If they get any worse or more frequent then I’ll upgrade to a new phone. I really like my pixel 3a so I’ll probably get whatever the newest model is when it’s time to upgrade whether it’s the 8, 8a or even the 9.
Good ol pixel 3 here
Pixel 7 and a significantly better fingerprint reader
Do you use a screen protector? My 7’s has been significantly better than my 6’s
It may be better than a 6, but it’s terrible compared to a 5.
Glad I’m not the only one that loved my Pixel 5!
Still sucks compared to a normal fingerprint reader. My S10 would work almost under any condition. My Pixel 7 will consistently fail 40-50% of the times. I end up typing the PIN more often then not.
galaxy S23 ultra and it would need to somehow read my mind or blow me. I was happy with my s10+ and i didn’t see a reason to upgrade then so it’s gonna need to do something pretty insane for me to change.
Pixel 7 Pro and it dying. I fucking love this phone.
Pixel 4. When it dies I suppose, like my OG Pixel.
Pixel 6 pro.
I absolutely MUST have at a minimum:
- Zero thermal throttling issues
- 1080p front facing camera
- Better cellular modem
- Screen bright enough to use in direct sunlight.
- Reliable fingerprint reader.
I absolutely refuse to accept a phone next that does not include ALL of these features.
I never buy phones new anymore unless there’s a huge price drop or good deal involved. I’ll most likely pick up an refurbished or preowned 8 when the 9 and 9a come out, to save on costs. Assuming there’s nothing horribly wrong with the hardware, that is.
Pixel 8 will (if I decide to buy it, that is) probably be my last Pixel. The battery on my Pixel 6a is garbage, especially on LTE. I’m really hoping the 8 will have improved battery life since no other phone suits my taste like the Pixel does.
I can tell you firsthand that my Pixel 6 Pro was my least favorite phone, the battery and modem weren’t great. The 7 Pro already has significant improvements over the 6.
Can almost guarantee you that at least in the battery department, the Pixel 8 should be much better, as long as they switched to the 3nm process for their Tensor 3.
Pixel 7a here. I’m going to keep it either until it breaks or until the guaranteed updates stop, whichever comes first. So if I’m lucky and this lasts until 2028 I don’t think the new phone I’d buy is going to be a Pixel 8 😁 but it will likely be another Pixel.
I do hope that in a few years Pixels will have replaceable batteries (especially as the EU is requiring smartphones to have replaceable batteries by 2027), that will make me stick even longer with them!
I have a Pixel 6. After ~10 years of Google phones (Nexus 5, 6P, Pixel 2XL, 6) the world’s shittiest modem in my 6 is pushing me to switch to Zenfone 10. They would need to make the Pixel 8 with an infinitely better modem, a fingerprint reader that isn’t under the screen, a 6" screen max, and a plastic back instead of glass.
7’s is improved significantly, it’s back to what a normal modem should be again. 8’s should be the same or better modem.
The screen fingerprint reader continues to suck hard, though.
Pixel 3
I am a die hard corded head phone user, so I am hoping some options will open up for next year’s models. Not going to hold my breath though.
Pixel 6 Pro
Need my current battery to go to shit, then I’ll upgrade. The only thing newer phones tend to get is incremental camera upgrades, so I’m not in a rush to drop another $600-1000+