Going from iPhone to Android or vice versa has always been a hot topic in the tech world – what you gain, what you lose, what’s better and what’s worse has divided opinions on each platform for ages. However, what if you’ve already decided to switch to Pixel and are coming from an iPhone or even an older Pixel?
this week, and I’ve spotted a few quirks that deserve more attention than the slight variations in photo quality or which camera bar design is better.
As it turns out, transferring data from another Android device to Pixel is not as smooth as transferring data from iPhone to iPhone. Before you take the plunge, you also need to be aware of Google’s existing Face Unlock, multitasking/RAM management, and video quality flaws, otherwise you might be caught off guard.
I spent over an hour I’m trying to transfer my data from my old Pixel 6 Pro to the new Pixel 7 Pro using the USB-C cable. At one point during the process The two Pixel phones started ‘arguing’ whose fault it was – my Pixel 6 Pro displayed a message saying “Continue setup on your Pixel 7 Pro” while the Pixel 7 Pro said “Check your other device!”.
At first glance, transferring data from an old Android phone to Pixel seems pretty simple – you grab a USB-C cable; connect both phones to each other; and follow the on-screen instructions. In reality, however, the connection between Google’s own Pixel 6 Pro and Pixel 7 Pro broke every time I touched the cable (without disconnecting it).
reconnect cable; cable separated; Reconnect the cable to your Pixel 7 Pro – this took a good half hour before I finally got it working (I don’t know how), and over an hour after playing around with the two Pixel phones everything was ready.
You can’t transfer all your data from pixel to pixel like you can with the iPhone
Some important Pixel 6 data can’t be transferred to a Pixel 7, let alone an iPhone or a Galaxy.
Once you’ve transferred “all” your files from your old Android phone to Pixel 7, surely you’re done, right? Not quite.
First of all, some data and settings from your old device cannot be copied, e.g. B. Apps that are not from the Google Play Store or ringtones. While that’s understandable, some of the other things you can’t transfer from one pixel to another really amazed me:
- Downloads (e.g. PDF files) cannot be moved from one Pixel/Android to another
- Photos, videos and music received via SMS also don’t transfer from one Pixel/Android to the other (this makes sense as Google doesn’t have a 1:1 WhatsApp iMessage equivalent).
- Voice recordings – for some reason Pixel doesn’t transfer your voice recordings (which is especially annoying for someone like me who has hundreds of them); The worst thing is, if you share your Pixel 6 voice recordings with nearby Pixel 7, they’re going straight to the Downloads folder instead of the Recorder app, meaning you can’t get your voice memos unless you have access to one PC have and are ready to transfer them manually
Switching from one Pixel/Android phone to another is far less seamless than switching from iPhone to iPhone. Thanks to iCloud and Bluetooth, Apple lets you transfer everything from your old iPhone in minutes without any cables. Ironically, despite being wireless, the connection doesn’t drop and all (and I mean all) of your files make it to your new device, including the previous (and embarrassing!) voice memos.
Switching from iPhone 14 to Pixel 7 isn’t going to be great if you love Face ID, record tons of TikTok videos and use multiple apps throughout the day
compromises.
Face unlock and the under-display fingerprint reader on the Pixel 7 aren’t as convenient or reliable as today’s version of Face ID
I’ve had a brief but complicated relationship with Apple’s Face ID over the years…
In the early days of Face ID, I just couldn’t get used to the inconveniences of the slow and not-so-flexible face unlock method on my iPhone XS and iPhone XR. I ended up getting rid of them to buy a Huawei P30 Pro. But today my experience of using Face ID on iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 14 Pro is much better!
Face ID is fast, it works from multiple angles (still not from every angle) and I find swiping up to unlock my iPhone less of a hassle than slapping an optical fingerprint reader just in the right place to unlock my android. For the record, I find a “proper” Touch ID (like the one on the iPhone 8) just as handy as ever — better than optical sensors and perhaps on par with Face ID.
What’s not so fortunate is that Face Unlock on the Pixel 7 is slower than Face ID and not nearly as flexible or reliable in different lighting conditions. Of course, it’s also not nearly as secure as the sophisticated system on the iPhone, but that’s hardly surprising since Pixel only uses its camera to do the trick.
Thing is, the second unlocking method — the vanilla Pixel 7’s under-display optical fingerprint scanner — is still likely to misread your touch, much like it did on the Pixel 6. Interestingly, I find the Pixel 7 Pro’s reader is less likely to be missed , but that’s a story for another time. In short, the Pixel 7 now has two unlocking methods, but neither seems to live up to the standard of an iPhone or a Galaxy flagship, which is something to keep in mind if you decide to switch.
Pixel 7 video quality is not as good or reliable as on the iPhone
Although the photo quality on the Pixel 7 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro is very comparable, the same is not true for videos. Unless you have a perfectly lit scene, Pixel 7 video tends to be very noisy, not as well stabilized (this one is close), and especially poor when using the ultra-wide camera in low light.
The other thing that stands out is that the cinema mode on the Pixel 7 is a hot mess compared to the second-gen cinema mode on the iPhone 14 Pro. Google’s phones only record cinematic video in 1080p at up to 24 fps, but that’s forgivable. What I can’t overlook is that Google has delivered the worst version of a cinema mode, compared not only to Apple’s but also to Samsung and OnePlus phones. Cinema mode on the Pixel 7 is spotty, blur is everywhere, and there’s zero control over how much blur you want or where you want the focus to be. In other words, it looks like Google has loaded the Pixel 7 with a very early beta version of this feature that could be kept out of the Pixel 7.
RAM management on the Pixel 7 isn’t as good as the iPhone, even with 50% more RAM
And on the final point of things to consider before switching from iPhone to Pixel 7, you might want to know that RAM management on Google’s flagships is still far less efficient than on Apple devices.
Historically, that’s nothing new under the sun — that’s why iPhones have less RAM than Android phones. However, in my testing, opening and switching between about 20 different apps (social media, a game, video streaming, etc.) was more reliable on the iPhone. When it comes to keeping apps ready in the background:
- My iPhone 13 mini with 4GB RAM is roughly on par with the Pixel 7 with 8GB RAM
- My iPhone 14 Pro with 6GB RAM is on par with the Pixel 7 Pro with 12GB RAM
In a very unscientific experiment, I’ve come to the conclusion that Apple’s iPhones are about 50% more RAM efficient than Pixels, while my iPhone 13 mini is certainly not a multitasking champion in practice, as it often kills apps in the background.
However, the iPhone 14 Pro is a beast when it comes to RAM management, as I can often find apps I had open the day before to be ready the next morning – without having to reload. According to Apple, the A16 Bionic in the “iPhone 14 Pro” offers 50% more memory bandwidth compared to LPDDR4X on the vanilla iPhones thanks to the presence of LPDDR5 memory.
For the record, the Pixel 7 Pro is also said to have LPDDR5 RAM, and I find its RAM management very good (definitely better than the vanilla Pixel 7), although probably not as good as the iPhone 14 Pro.
Switching to Pixel 7 from Pixel 6, Galaxy S22 or iPhone might not be the smoothest experience, but that’s not why you buy a Pixel!
Sure, going from Galaxy or iPhone to Pixel will come with some caveats like the ones mentioned in this story, but that’s to be expected, right?
Google is much newer compared to this software hardware show apple and Samsung, but apart from that, the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are more affordable and will only come out cheaper compared to Cupertino or South Korean alternatives, and that goes for US buyers.
For example, if you live in Europe, the UK, or India, getting a flagship Pixel 7 could literally be over 100% cheaper than investing in this iPhone 14 Pro. In Germany, where I am now, the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max start at a whopping $1,300 and $1,450 respectively, while the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are just $650 and $900, which aren’t exactly cheap change. initially in view of the current economic situation.
Plus, Pixel 7 arguably takes the best photos and delivers the smoothest Android experience you could ask for. So what are a handful of flaws… Right?
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