We have all waited for the Google flagship and the flagship has arrived. Just recently launched, Google Pixel 3 has already risen to great acclaim among the smartphone community. While the enormous notch stirred a debate ever since the original leaks, many argue that the exceptional features of the phone make up for it. Anyway, to each their own, but as a tech enthusiast, I feel obliged to warn you of the many Google Pixel 3 Problems that come with the smartphone as reported by a number of users over the past week.
The Pixel 3 at a glance seems like a completely capable smartphone. One that features a plethora of exciting features especially the camera potential. However, you will be surprised at how unstable the phone currently is. The issues I am going to address are primarily centered around software and so can be fixed via a simple OTA update. However, Google is yet to take action.
List Of Google Pixel 3 and 3 XL Problems You Should Know
Normally I am not too bothered by initial issues in a smartphone especially when the said issues are OS based but in Google Pixel’s case, the problems have been reiterated by a sizeable portion of the online smartphone community. On websites like Reddit and Xdadevelopers, there are a plethora of posts regarding some of the problems.
1) Insufficient Memory Issues
Problems cited under this heading allude to the poor memory management on Pixel 3.
- Apps Close On Their Own In The Background
This is sort of odd to say but apparently, the Pixel 3 might have inadequate RAM. As reported by multiple users, the smartphone automatically closes apps in the background without any permission or indication. While there are plenty of other phones that rock the same 4 GB RAM as Pixel, Pixel, however, seems to be struggling with the 4 GB of RAM.
We know that as more advanced games and apps surface on the market, the RAM requirement goes up as well and so naturally phones that feature 6 and 8 gigs of RAM tend to do generally better. However, we didn’t expect 4 GB to become inadequate so quickly.
I think it would have been prudent of Google to have gone with at least 6 GB of RAM on their flagship as pointed out by many industry experts.
Here is a demonstration of the problem
You can clearly see how the Pixel 3 is struggling to run apps simultaneously in the background. Also, notice how the OnePlus6 with 8 GB of RAM easily runs multiple apps in the background.
- Photos May Not Save Occasionally
So the Pixel 3 has an amazing camera, hurray! Just like its predecessor the Pixel 3 outperforms even multiple Cam smartphones in the industry. However, all of that becomes meaningless when the damn phone won’t save pictures.
Yes, multiple users have pointed out that sometimes an image or a video won’t save even after pressing the shutter button to snap/record. Currently, the consensus is that the problem is related to poor memory management on the phone. Google really needs to optimize the OS and Apps for the available RAM.
2) Audio and Video Problems
- Subpar Audio in Video Recordings
As mentioned earlier, the Pixel 3 camera has been the highlight of the phone. Google has a tradition of claiming the top spot when it comes to camera performance on its Pixel line of phones. naturally, you would expect the video capturing capabilities to be at least on par with, say, Apple’s iPhone Xs or Samsung Note 9.
Well, unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case primarily because of the poor audio quality in video recordings. The problem becomes noticeable when you move a few feet away from the Pixel 3 while recording video. The audio quality drops off significantly.
Watch a demonstration below by a Youtuber, SuperSaf TV.
- Speaker Imbalance
On a dual stereo speaker setup such as in the Pixel 3, one would expect that the sound will be proportionate in terms of volume. Sadly, this is not the case with Pixel 3. As pointed out by several users on Reddit, the sound output from the stereo speakers is not balanced. There is a noticeable difference between the two speakers.
Here is a video demonstration
- Distorted Sound On Low Volume
Some users have pointed out that at low volume the Pixel 3 speakers tend to produce a slight buzzing noise. This is not a unique issue as it has been reported by several different people.
You can find multiple results with a simple google search to confirm this.
- No Option For 4K 60 fps Video Recording
To my surprise, there is no manual option to set the fps to 60 for 4K video recording on Pixel 3. This is bewildering considering how most of the competition provides this option. This is puzzling because hardware wise the Snapdragon 845 chip is found in Pixel 3 is certainly capable of 4K@60FPS. Why is it then that Google hasn’t made the option available. I must say this is highly disappointing. if you are someone who does a lot of vlogs and relies upon your smartphone for daily video capture, this is something to keep in mind.
3) Wireless Charging
- Third Party Wireless Chargers Incompatible
So it turns out that Pixel 3 only supports the proprietary Google Pixel Stand for wireless charging. This is because the Pixel 3 only supports 10W wireless charging provided by the official Google Pixel Stand and other ” certified brands” of which this Belkin wireless charger is the only one right now. Also, keep in mind that the Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL only support 5W wireless charging via Qi-enabled wireless chargers. So your conventional 10W wireless chargers that run on Qi technology will not charge at the advertised rate.
4) UI Issues
- Random Notches
As absurd as this may sound the Pixel 3 might occasionally display a “digital” notch on the side of the screen. A few users have reported having faced the problem and a quick fix, for now, is to simply restart the device.
- Uncentered Youtube Videos
This is more of an app issue than an OS issue but it nevertheless affects the user experience. Youtube videos on the Pixel 3 are not centered as pointed out by many reviewers. For example, look below at a screenshot from MKBHD’s demonstration in his video.
These are some of the serious problems that I thought should be made known. let us know in the comments if you think these problems are substantial enough to deter you from making the purchase. As stated earlier, most of these should be fixed via an OTA update whenever Google deems it fit, however, no such news is heard of right now.