Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Google Pixel 32GB Factory Unlocked US Version Smartphone, 5 Inch Display (Quite Black)

Excellent phone even in mid to late 2018

Heike Doyle

Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2018

Excellent phone. Even in mid 2018 this phone runs like a dream. It takes fantastic pictures all of the time and in good lighting it is very difficult to differentiate them from the newer pixel 2's photos.You also get unlimited photo storage on google photos at original quality for two years with this device which is great since that aligns with most peoples upgrade cycles. You also get security and operating system updates from google directly which means that you don't have to worry about your carrier or manufacturer not giving you updates if you're not connected to their network or if that phone isn't popular enough for them to support it anymore. Speaking of carriers, this thing supports every carrier. What a concept. And it's unlocked. On Cricket wireless I was getting great reception in the places where reception could be good and now that I have switched to Google's Project fi, I have lte everywhere pretty much all the time. The screen is legible enough out in sunlight and they've polarized the screen in a way that it only blacks out with polarized sunglasses at 45 degree angles so both landscape and portrait work flawlessly. Type c and the headphone jack are wonderful and the battery life is amazing. I can easily forget to charge my phone one night, then if it's at 40 percent or above I can just use it normally the next day and not worry about it or I can put it on the charger if it's too low and get up to where I need to be to finish the day quickly. I have the usual micro scratches in the front glass but with a case on it there has been no damage to the back glass or fingerprint scanner. No dents or chips or wearing of the anodized aluminum back which feels great if you like that sandblasted aluminum feel and it looks pretty slick in black too. The fingerprint scanner works wonderfully and quickly and I love the use of it for pulling down the notification tray. Any who enough of my rambling. This is a great phone for the money now and even in 2018 I can still recommend this phone if you either must have a headphone jack or don't want to shell out the extra cash for new flagships but still want the performance and reliability of one.

4 people found this helpful

BUYER BEWARE does not meet Amazon standards

Heather B

Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2020

This experience with this seller and this phone has been an absolute nightmare. I get the first phone it has a known microphone issue that makes the phone completely unusable. I call for replacement. Get the new phone change ALL my stuff over to it and activate it on my service and it has only a 32 percent battery life. At this point its Christmas time and jm so distraught by having to return both phones and be without one for a few weeks so i bite the bullet and buy the replacement screen and fix the dead pixels it came with on arrival and just replace the battery myself. I am extremely disappointed with Amazons refurbish policy promise.. now im stuck with paying full price for a broken phone. BEWARE of this product!

Darksuit

Anderly's store lies

Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2018

IDK if seller is an idiot or English isn't first language but I searched for a pixel XL and this phone came up, didn't realize till was already shipped that was a normal pixel,was going to return until I opened it and noticed was actually an XL model,but not in a Google box,so meh, phone is fine, one of the speakers is dead(is there 2?) First phone call sounded like underwater then went away.
Battery life is fine, streaming is great,Hulu, Netflix work great (in the boondocks even)
Hdd space is "spacious"
The autocorrect pisses me off, space bar doesn't work half the time, little forgivable things.
Waiting on pixel 2 xl to drop in price then I will probably get that.

Jenni K.

I LOVE THIS PHONE

Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2019

I used to have a Samsung Galaxy Core Prime, so I'll be honest in saying that really anything was probably going to be a step up.

When I was looking for a new phone, I really wanted something with a nice camera. The Google Pixel XL certainly delivers. The camera is great for snapping selfies, or, if you're me, taking tons of photos of your dog. They look good in most lighting situations, but obviously will turn out way better in brighter light (such as natural light from the sun) rather than low light / dim lighting. Either way, I'm impressed with the crisp, detailed photos I can get and with this phone my dog just might become an Instagram celebrity.

The only thing I don't necessarily like about the phone is that there is no SD card slot. I purchased the 35gb version just after Christmas (so late December/early January) and so far after nearly 7 months have not maxed out the memory. I imagine when I do it will be because of the thousands of high quality dog photos I've been taking (plus a handful of short videos), which I'll just move to a flashdrive or something. Photos are automatically backed up to a cloud if you so choose (which i believe is connected to your google drive??) but i honestly have no idea how to access that, so I'd rather save them externally myself.

Overall the phone is responsive and easy to use, I love the camera and the fingerprint scanner is a nice touch that I never knew I needed. The battery usually lasts me about 2 - 2.5 days, but I tend to use my computer a whole lot more than I use my phone. How long it will last depends on how much you're using it, of course.

I bought this product used from the seller "TheGizmoTrader" who I would recommend because their listings all have photos of the phone so you can see the amount of wear. The phone I picked was listed as "very good" quality and looks almost new, aside from a very thin hairline scratch on the screen which is almost unnoticeable. I also received the phone within a week of purchasing it, so I believe this seller is great at getting orders out in a timely manner. If you're on a budget and you want a nice phone, I recommend buying used. I can't even tell that the phone was used before me as it still runs just as well, and I have a case protecting it anyway so any minor scuffs on the body are covered. Overall I'm still so glad that I bought this phone and I would totally buy a Google phone in the future!

4 people found this helpful

Google Pixel 2016 Has a Known Microphone Issue - Buyer Beware

Leavened

Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2019

I purchased a used Google Pixel (2016 model) in March 2019 after damaging my old phone and hoping to tide myself over until I paid all the installments on the old phone. I'd heard good things about the Pixel and found a used model for a good price here on Amazon. I got the phone on time and in one piece, with an included after market charger as promised. The phone's condition was described accurately - a few minor scratches on the case but no screen cracks and no apparent problems. However, after a few days of use the problems started to appear.

The first time I tried to make a phone call on the phone, I discovered there was a serious problem. The phone's microphone was not working during phone calls or at any time. When this bug presented itself, it completely crashed the "Phone" app and I could not even hear the person on the other end of the line. After some research, I found out that this was a known problem with 2016 Google Pixels. There are some known issues where the phone will sometimes think you have a bluetooth headset paired to it when you really don't and just in general hardware and software issues with the microphone. You can find these issue by simply Googling "2016 Pixel Microphone." Phone calls worked just fine so long as I had a bluetooth headset paired, but if I wanted to talk directly on the phone it would only work if I restarted the phone and kept bluetooth disabled and even then it only worked about 1 out of 3 times.

Amazon asked for a few specific features to be reviewed. The fingerprint reader worked perfectly. It picked up my index finger without issue. No issues with this feature.

The battery life was very poor, even for a used phone. I could only get through about 8-9 hours away from a charger before the phone would die. It would also unexpectedly shut off with 10-15% charge remaining. Though, I should say it was unexpected when the phone didn't die until it got down below 5% because it almost always shut down somewhere between 10 and 20% charge remaining. Even with battery saver mode permanently enabled, the phone could barely get through a work day. Battery life is going to be hit or miss with a used device so I give it some leeway, but this Pixel's battery was significantly worse than any smartphone I've ever had even after years of use.

Overall, the phone was a decent value for the money. I got it at a good price here on Amazon ($100) and when it was holding a charge, the phone worked well aside from the "Phone" app. I probably would have kept it in spite of its faults except that it failed to allow me to take calls from my wife a few too many times. If you are willing to keep a bluetooth or wired headset always plugged in or simply don't need to make voice calls this phone will be a great value used. If not, I wouldn't recommend purchasing it.

5 people found this helpful

Good purchase from HometownDiscounts.

J. S.

Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2018

I purchased this phone new from HometownDiscounts. The phone was as advertised: New (still in original packaging with stickers and wrapped on the items in the box), the right color, and the right model. The phone was unlocked and all I had to do was pop in my SIM card to activate it. I ordered from Canada, and the US Pixel version does, in fact, work on international networks. Really pleased with the service and quality.

As for the Pixel itself, I am really happy with it so far. I am a bit of a luddite. I was still using my now almost five year old Nexus 5 up until the screen started peeling off the phone's cracked body. I like what I like and didn't want to spend $1000 on a new phone or get locked into a contract and payment plan. This was the best compromise I could think of, despite the risk of buying third party. The Pixel is surprisingly similar to the Nexus models, which I was very pleased about. I was only surprised because this was Google's entry into the luxury phone market. It retains the best parts of the Nexus phones (clean OS, practical design, etc.) while adding design improvements (great camera, fingerprint reader, better picture and sound, etc.). Overall, a great phone.

Note: There is no warranty with this phone, as others have pointed out. The only way to get a warranty is to purchase through Google or a carrier. But considering that you're paying half price for a new phone that is unlocked and that Google doesn't even carry anymore, it's worth the risk to me.

22 people found this helpful

Henry Stokes

Great Value Phone

Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2020

I wanted to upgrade from my Samsung 4 Mini and I decided to take a chance and switch from Samsung to Google without spending the money on the newest model. I received a brand new unlocked Google Pixel I. The setup was very simply. I went to my local carrier store (AT&T) and was in and out in 15 minutes. The setup or transfer of information from your old phone to new phone can also be done at home. The phone performs near perfectly. The only thing I noticed is it will power down once the battery reaches ~20%, but that's not a huge issue. As far as I am concerned this phone gives you 99% of what the latest I Phone and Google offer for 20% of the cost.

Update. After approximately 1 year the phone went into a boot loop and was unusable. Based on my research reading online this is not a one-off problem with Google Phones. Buyers need to be aware that after 3 years of the release date Google will no longer repair the phone regardless of how recently you bought the phone.

DO NOT BUY FROM PEAK ASSETS OR AMAZON

Edward

Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2017

Pone is great, my roommate has one. But...Do not purchase this phone from PEAK ASSETS on Amazon Marketplace! Ordered this phone-- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M01YX15/ref=cfb_at_prodpg, Google Pixel 32GB Factory Unlocked US Version Smartphone, 5 Inch Display (Quite Black) --from Peak Assets through Amazon. The product description was as follows: "Tested and works to full functionality. Item is used, so please expect signs of use such as dings and scratches on screen and case. Comes with a generic sync cable, nothing else is included." To my amazement, the phone had no SIM card tray...just an empty, hollow slot where the tray should be. This is kind of a big deal! Without a SIM card tray, you cannot insert a SIM card, or activate the phone. Extremely misleading. Very scammy. I have ordered a SIM card tray from a third party, at added expense, in hopes that I can still use the phone. This has been extremely inconvenient, as I have not been able to activate, or use the phone. Now I'm wondering if what else might not work on the phone. I would definitely NOT purchase from this seller again. It appears it came from a third party called Gatsby Electronics...the card that came with the phone had an email address to contact, with no phone number. Of course they never responded to my email. Apparently, purchasing from sellers on Amazon Marketplace is no different than purchasing from ebay. This has been a learning experience. I'm extremely disappointed in Amazon for allowing such practices.

247 people found this helpful

It's brand new Google Pixel phone!

NG WAI TAT ANTONY

Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2018

I wanted to buy this phone, so I find in all available choices in Amazon. I wouldn't buy used ones and the current item is all I can try. I read through most reviews and seems it looks risky, some say item not sealed, some say it looks like used. In particular, a buyer said the phone he bought from Abe's Electronics Center isn't sealed, and this is what the seller of current item.

I was worried so I send a question to Abe's to confirm, and they say it is brand new. Okay I just trust them, and I've prepared for the worse scenario where I have to return this item if they lied.

Fortunately they didn't lie, it indeed is brand new. I've used this phone for a week, there is no problem about it. Except when I first upgrade to Android 8, then to 9, both version makes the phone super lag and slow. So I had to downgrade back to 7.1, but it had nothing to do with the hardware. I like the phone very much and it worth every penny.

Attached the photos I took to show case its great camera. The plant photo is taken with the "lens blur" feature, which gives very realistic bokeh effect. The other is taken in normal mode.

13 people found this helpful