The Pixel 2 case maker dance has begun. You know the move, where all the case makers on the planet want to show you what the next hot phone is by placing questionable or partially accurate renders they’ve created in-house into a case of theirs to get their cases on your mind. It’s a good trick! We all fall for it. Spigen did it a lot back in the day, but now they all do it. Today, we’ve got Pixel 2 cases and renders from a company called Olixar. They may be accurate and they may be complete sh*t. Either way, this is what they tell us.
Nothing.
Ok, that’s not entirely true. They do tell us that the phone won’t have a headphone jack. I say that only because case makers do get schematics or dimensions for phones in advance in order to make cases that fit properly on phones once they arrive. If a phone doesn’t have a headphone jack, a case maker is going to need to know that, so that they get cutouts proper. These cases don’t have headphone jack cutouts.
They also show us cutouts for camera positions, fingerprint reader positions, and how far they’ll come up around the front glass. These pieces of info should be correct, assuming this case maker has correct info to make cases ahead of time.
That said, these renders kind of just look like some original Pixel mock-ups with less back glass and an LG G6 front. That could be what we get! We’ve heard that the HTC-made Pixel 2 will look just like the original Pixel for the most part. They don’t necessarily look all that similar to the renders of the LG-made Pixel XL 2 from a few weeks back, though.
I will say that if this is the Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2, I’d be pretty happy with it. I still like the back design of the original Pixel, but this would modernize the phone with a new-school all-screen display up front. One of our biggest complaints of last year’s Pixel was the huge top and bottom bezel situations and this would seem to eliminate that.
Your thoughts are?
// Mobilefun
That’s a nice case.
courage… nuff’ said
BOOOO. Maybe they could at least move both holes to the same side of the phone that would sure be nice.
I just don’t get why there is this push to get rid of the headphone jack. It can’t cost that much at this point to have it as a feature on the phone.
It’s the space it takes up. That sliver of space can be removed to allow for thinning the phone or increasing battery size.
They won’t increase the battery size…. they’ll make it 0.0001-inch thinner instead.
Sadly, you’re right.
If this concept is the pixel or pixel xl2 I’ve found my next phone. It looks pretty good with a current design google made software so I know I will get updates. I just want google to add ois to the camera because google’s camera algorithms with ois will make one heck of a smartphone camera.
If the Pixel looks like this then I will trade in my OG Pixel. If not, XL it is.
Well we definitely know where all those spare LG G6 cases and screens are going.
Terrible.
Since i still cant play bluetooth audio in the car due to the absolute volume bug a year and a half after they introduced it getting rid of a heaphone jack might just mean I have to move on from Android. I dont want locked bootloader skinned phones so my only other option is to go with the other “in house” phone solution, Apples.
Bluetooth audio works just fine on my S8+ fwiw.
Yeah because they use their own stack. But Ive had bad experience with Samsung in other ways and despise their skins. I know your response is “its not like touchwiz, its not nearly as bad.” But that is like saying “Valtrex makes herpes not nearly as bad!” Id just rather have neither.
Are you using a Google phone? My Nexus phones have always worked fine with Bluetooth.
Yes. Ever since 6.0.1 its been broken for my Nexus 5x. The issue has to do with the fact that my bluetooth receiver does not communicate volume back to the phone to control the phones volume. The phone defaults to a max output and sounds incredibly distorted.
Google’s answer was an override in developer options but the idiots didnt configure the permissions correctly in released versions of android that allows you to actually set the override. Its a button that does nothing .
Oh, that’s something I never messed with. I just adjusted volumes of either device. Didn’t even know it was an option to control the phone volume from the stereo. I always turn the device volume all the way up anyway and it sounds fine to me.
Same here, 5X and bluetooth calls/music sound fine.
2 replacement phones in on the 6P and still have the annoying Bluetooth skipping issue…
Good news is that you’ll be able to use cheap iPhone 7 cases for the Pixel it seems like.
I[m not crazy about no headphone jacks. Ever been stuck traveling without available electrical outlets? Wireless headphones is another device I have to charge, even with the USB battery pack I carry. When you’re with family, that’s a ton of devices to that needs charging on one battery pack.
Get a good set of bluetooth headphones. The set I usually use can go for 20 hours of use between charges! Have never really had to think about charging it.
Yeah, if you don’t forget you left it on. I’m usually the point-person of all-non-working devices because someone mishandled their electronics.
I think the phone should be called pixel 2 and the pixel X2 but headphone jack should be on all phones
No front facing speakers????
it looks like one on the right
weren’t the ones from last year pretty much spot on?
Maybe I don’t know enough about making phones. But why can’t we just have 2 USB C ports? I’ll be fine without the headphone jack if there is another port to connect music, and charge the phone. It makes more sense to me…
If there was room for another USB C port, they would just leave the headphone jack
feelin so fly, like a G6.
I know google used their screens, but damn. They took the whole front lol.
Meh…… Another device with no design language from Google. Just a copy and paste from whatever Oem they use with possible missing features. We seen this to many times. Not impressed at all.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/019dea34e642c1c40e53532f7b76d3924bb63273d3a68151ce3157e8c2464493.gif
Looks great to me. I’ll take 2 of them, Google!
https://media.giphy.com/media/3rgXBOmTlzyFCURutG/giphy.gif
Haha. Just saw this after my post. He’s a popular guy today.
There is also this one that shows that there is a headphone jack (https://www.androidheadlines.com/2017/07/google-pixel-2-cases-appear-on-amazon-with-phone-renders.html).
I would love a Pixel with a similar footprint to the current one, but slightly bigger screen.
I would love a Pixel with a similar screen size to the current one, but significantly smaller footprint.
I wouldn’t necessarily be against that either.
The last time I tried wireless headphones (Jabra – Elite Sport Wireless In-Ear Headphones) there was a noticeable sync issue with video. It didn’t matter if it was YouTube or any other video service, they just didn’t sync up. I’m not sure if it’s the same with other earbuds, but if it is, the whole missing headphone jack is just a terrible and unnecessary concept.
There will be headphones you can use with the USB C port.
Cool, I didn’t know that.
Pretty sure all companies who remove the headphone jack completely either provide USB C headphones or an adapter to let you continue using your old ones.
I’d rather the adapter. I have never found an in-box pair of headphones that had the sound quality of the (sub-$20) earbuds I purchased myself. Not gonna switch to some crappy throw-in pair just for the plug.
All of which is to say, ultimately, that removing the headphone jack is still needless and user-hostile and is not made up for by any of these half measures.
I rarely have that issue with my Jaybirds and 6P.
I can’t wait for them to release this phone.
Same here. My bank account is ready.
Had a situation this past weekend where a bride at her wedding decided to put all of her wedding music on her iPhone 7, and that would be used to play through the PA….and she forgot her headphone adapter. We had no service, no internet, so we couldn’t rebuild the playlists on other devices. Ended up finding a guest who did have an adapter, and the wedding continued.
Moral of the story: just leave the stupid headphone jack in the phone so we don’t have to carry a stupid adapter everywhere.
Especially if there is room for it. Samsung seems to be able to find room even with all the other stuff they pack in.
Indeed. Not a dealbreaker, just a head scratcher.
Not at all. Phasing out old tech. Either roll with it or get rolled over. ????
But it’s not really old tech, an analog signal is needed at some point and this just moves it out of the phone and into an adapter/headphones. Why not just leave the conversion in the phone instead of making it more difficult on the user?
Because it isn’t more difficult. Wireless is the way of the present and future.
Hope GM just drops the fuel tanks from all their vehicles next year, because electric is the way of the future…we can just deal with it.
Lmao, you think that’s a similar situation?
Not really, but the thought process is…
Save for bluetooth being a mess, even worse with Googles own buggy implementation of it.
I’ve never experienced any problems with my Bluetooth headphones, speakers, or other peripherals.
So constantly pairing and charging bluetooth devices is easier than just plugging in a wire? I have a couple of bluetooth speakers that are paired to multiple devices, and I never know if they’ll connect to my phone or watch, so I am always having to manually force it. Meanwhile my normal headphones I can just swap about without any concern of batteries or connections.
I’m all for wireless solutions because I actually hate wires everywhere, but this is one case where they just need to keep the jack around since it is still needed and still very, very relevant to many people.
I love wireless headsets, in theory. However, they are constantly turning themselves on in my pocket or luggage, thereby connecting to my phone when I don’t want them to and making me miss calls all while draining their batteries. Both Bluetooth headsets I have owned have had one little button to power them on that is easy to press by accident.
Also, wireless headsets can’t be used during takeoff/landing (I think? Actually, it looks like this might vary by airline).
Weird. I’ve never had a set turn on by themselves, but then i keep them in their case when I’m not using them.
Huh. Mine didn’t come with a case. Maybe I should make one out of an Altoids tin or something. Thanks for the idea!
Never had this happen either, every BT headset i’ve owned even the cheap ones you have to hold in the power button for quiet sometime before they turn on hard to do in your pocket.
Probably my fault. I wear cargo shorts/pants, and keep them in one of the lower pockets. That pocket sometimes presses against the armrest in a chair (or airplane seat) and holds it for much longer than necessary to activate the Bluetooth.
Well maybe they could fit bigger batteries if they did…
Or make room.
I havent had one person, even some of the most insufferable phone snobs, argue about whose phone is thinner. I dont think anyone but the marketing/engineering teams care. Make it a mm thicker, put a headphone jack back in and maybe even give us bigger batteries.
Zen154
NO 3.5 jack = NO buy.
on another website somebody posted an Amazon link, where this case DOES HAVE a headphone jack hole.
If you must get rid of the headphone jack put a 2nd USB C port in so I can charge and listen to music at the same time damnit.
deal-f*cking-breaker
Like the reduction of the glass pane, digging the reduced bezels, worried about the omission of a second speaker, but overall this phone gets a toot.
Yeah, I’ll take 10 right now. We know the camera will be amazing and the software even better. Let’s do it. Everyone else go home.
No headphone jack? DOA.
lmao
Think Apple just had a record quarter too, headphone jackless.
I was going to reference that too but felt my original response was more appropriate.
well a lot of people that buy apple stuff regardless of whether its good or not
Has there been any uproar about the iPhone having no headphone jack? I haven’t heard any.
I hate this statement. It’s not based on fact. Apple does something and yes, people do buy it because they like the way the product works.
As a person who owns a Mac, iPhone, iPad, it certainly does not mean that if they release something that I will automatically buy something because it has a specific logo on it. An Apple TV? Homepod? Magic Mouse? Macbook? No thanks.
Please, will someone show me proof that someone actually does this?
I get what you’re saying but look at all the people who stand in line for the new iPhone and make a big deal about it before anyone really has a chance to review it or get a good look at it. They blindly buy it because it’s the new iPhone. But no, not everyone is like that.
I would step further and say that nobody is like this. The people who wait in line for a new iPhone does not mean they’re willing to buy anything with an Apple logo on it.
A very plausible argument for people waiting in line for the new iPhone is marketing. They are damn good at marketing and showing (most of the time) why a feature will work into a person’s life.
Apple’s marketing is such that the brand has more value than the products that bear it. Apple has put out some truly awful products but their brand remains strong. I will admit that it has been a while since their last major product defect(removing the headphone jack on iPhone 7 doesn’t count). Everyone remember Bend-Gate or “You’re holding it wrong?” Those were years ago. They still don’t really do anything groundbreaking anymore. Google and Samsung are always ahead of Apple. With each new iteration of iPhone, the specs catch up to last year or the year before’s Android flagships. They still have mediocre battery life, no option for wireless charging, no expandable storage, no Google Cast equivalent that I know of, and both the phones and all the accessories are overpriced. Yet people still line up every year to buy the next iteration. That’s the power of marketing.
“Apple’s marketing is such that the brand has more value than the
products that bear it. Apple has put out some truly awful products but
their brand remains strong.”
You can say the same about Samsung or Google. With the Note 7 or the Nexus 6p (which also was pretty bendy).
Perhaps you’re right about the power of marketing. However, those people are not lining up to just buy for no reason whatsoever. They see how new features can integrate into what they have. Is Apple perfect? No. But the marketing sure makes it easier for someone to justify a purchase when they see things explained and can be integrated into their lives. A lot of keynotes do that.
All this to say that a blanket statement about how people will buy anything that Apple releases is just nonsense, and it cannot be proven. I don’t think many people who are interested in phones and looking to get the next best thing will be able to ignore the competition, but one needs to remember that not everyone is looking for a phone that is always on the bleeding edge of whatever standard someone else wants to set for them. They just want a phone that works.
Anyway, I think I’ve said my peace about this topic. Thanks for the discussion.
Go to any school. Proof.
Mama Mia! Have all conversations come down to anecdotal evidence? From your comment you just made, if I were to unfairly generalize an Android user, I would say that not being able to provide proof and shooting off a zinger is just enough for me to say that Android users are just not as intellectual as iOS users. But I digress, because that’s certainly not true.
So let’s take a school like MIT, since you say go to “any” school. If the classes there have a majority of Mac and iOS users attending, that would be proof that they will buy anything and therefore their intellect is lower?
Or are you assuming that going to a school, or a university has something to do with someone’s intellect? Because I would assume that people would generally thing that someone going to college are there to learn and have made an intelligent decision.
Please clarify.
Anybody who bought Air Pods is your proof.
Have you tried the Airpods? I have them a shot and they work very well. The touch controls and the small form factor gives the ability to carry them around pretty much everywhere I go. It’s nice wanting to watch a video on my RSS feed and being able to hear it while others can’t.
Plus keeping it around in the office is great when trying to hear people as well as listen to music. I’m not saying they’re perfect, but, they’re pretty darn convenient. Either way this is anecdotal as well.
Yes they do, but we are of a higher intellect than iphone users.
Please cite your sources.
DOA lmao
I’ll be buying two of the XL2. ????
I’m still trying to decide between this or the Note 8. But the Note screen is ridiculously tall and skinny. Everything about the Pixel 2 XL I’m liking except for the missing headphone jack. I use Bluetooth but I still want options.
I’m fully onboard with Team Pixel 2. The Note 8 is way too tall and thin, like your mentioned, the jury is very much still out on the Essential phone’s camera, and the RED phone is too expensive, and that’s before adding mods.
More like DOA if it’s made by LG.