A 13 year long iPhone customer, finally made the switch from iPhone to the Google Pixel 9 Pro and he shared some great feedback about his experience using Pixel. Some of them are just the difference from being in a closed-ecosystem, controlled by one company and moving to a more open-ecosystem semi-controlled by one company, but with the philosophy of an open-ecosystem. If that makes sense. I provided my comments to the person’s post on reddit. I’ve share them below. The original redditor’s comments are in the green. Mine are in between. Enjoy.

I love all of these suggestions and would welcome all of these, but I’d like to share my thoughts on these. I’ll skip the first one since that was positive feedback.

2. Improve the Tensor Chip

Make the Tensor chip as fast as the top-tier Snapdragon or the latest iPhone’s chip. I’ve noticed some lag, especially when gaming. Sure, 99% of people don’t game heavily on their phones, but when you have an iPhone, you know it can handle it if you want. That’s a feeling of security.

I think this is coming with time. Both Qualcomm and Apple have been making their own chips for more than a decade now. Google partnering with Samsung in their Tensor White Chapel and newer chips was to jumpstart Google’s experience in making their own chips, while still being able to customize the and tweak the AI experience on their own devices. Similar to how Apple learned from Intel before switching to their own silicon. Overall, I think this is coming, but with a caveat. Google will more than likely rely on the combination and collaboration of Cloud computing. So raw power locally won’t always been the focus. Especially since it requires a whole lot more R&D, will eat into margins, and they’ll more than likely raise the price of devices even more than the usual economical increases.

3. Enhance Video Recording

You guys take incredible photos, so keep it up. But please work on getting the video quality closer to iPhone levels—especially when switching lenses mid-recording.

I think you’re right on with this and I think Google is surely advancing here. Even adding their own custom ISP as well as replace “BigWave” (Google’s in-house video codec) with WAVE677DV suggesting that the latter may offer advantages in areas such as performance, power efficiency, or a combination of factors, along with the added benefit of multi-format support on the new Tensor G5 chip coming this fall.

4. Optimize Your Own Apps

Some Google apps are smoother on iPhone than on Pixel. Why is Google Maps smoother on iPhone, for example? Please optimize your apps to perform best on your own phone.

I’ve actually found Google Maps works better on Pixel than it has on iPhone. At least for me in the past. This is obviously anecdotal.

5. Get Third-Party Apps Onboard

Make sure popular social media and messaging apps are optimized for Pixel. This is crucial for everyday use.

I want this to, and Google has worked with IG, Snap, and the YouTube team for a few years and has added some exclusives that aren’t available on iOS. Like Night Sight in Instagram, Live video switching between Pixel’s, and Live Transcribe. Still there is a lot more work that needs to be done and the CameraX API is the key. Fragmentation is the issue here and Google having to balance prioritizing Pixel or Android comes into play.

6. Merge Google Meet & Messages

Consider blending Google Meet and Google Messages into one seamless experience (similar to FaceTime, iMessages). It would simplify communication across Android ecosystem.

From my understanding, it’s the same. Messages and Facetime are two completely different apps. You can uninstall Facetime and still have Messages. I assume that when you can uninstall Messages on iOS, you can still use Facetime. I might not fully understand what you mean here, but I think they are pretty similar. I think WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal are the only ones that truly have it blended. But, AFAIK Google Meet and Google Messages are to what Apple Facetime and Apple Messages are today in terms as a seamless experience.

7. Add Built-In Magnets

Implement magnets inside the phone (like MagSafe on iPhone). There are tons of accessories that rely on this feature.

I’m not opposed to this, but is it absolutely needed? Most people have a case on their phone. Does the Pixel need magnets if more cases have magnets? I think that’s up for debate. I know a lot of people like to go caseless, but anecdotally, for every caseless courageous person I see in public, I see 10 cas(r)eful cautious people.

8. Strengthen the Ecosystem

One major reason people stick with iPhone is because of Apple’s ecosystem. Web apps are fine, but if possible, create native desktop apps (Messages, video calling, Notes, Reminders, Calendar, Photos, etc.) for both Mac and Windows. That would help lure more people in.

Would native desktop apps do that? Why? To what metric? What benefit do customers get from having a native Messages app as opposed to a Web one? Web apps don’t take up space on the local machine and web apps can be wherever you are. If the features are consistent between the two, I don’t see the want and need for that.

As for the ecosystem, I agree, and that definitely takes a lot more time because Google can’t and probably won’t force any OEM, Developer, etc… to do things that solely benefit Google. Apple can and does do that at the expense of third-party accessory makers and developers.

9. Bolster Core Android Features

Keep improving Android at its core. Make it even more robust, smooth, and user-friendly.

No notes. This is good. Progression is good.

10. Elevate the Watch Experience

The Pixel Watch needs more attention. Aim to match (or beat) the Apple Watch’s functionality, integration, and polish.

I hear this a lot but I don’t think people are ready to spend $700 to $800 on a Pixel Watch. It’s still new and getting as many Pixel Watch experiences out of the door as possibly is more important with the balance of providing premium fitness experiences. I think for Google only having made 3 watches, they’ve done great. Remember, Samsung and Apple have had watch accessory businesses for at least 10 years. That comes with time, but Pixel is advancing at a fast pace. With all that said, I do think the Pixel Watch needs smoother animations and better loading performance. UX journey in and out of apps need to be a lot more polished with animations coming from a specific point on the screen instead of just appearing.

Lastly, a Big One:

Google is known for killing projects quickly, which might be great for engineers, but from a customer’s standpoint, it shows a lack of long-term commitment. When you launch something, it’s hard for us to fully adopt it because we suspect it’ll be discontinued. That attitude does more harm to your reputation than anything else. Please rethink it.

I LOVE this one and totally agree. I think because of the massive backlash and killing of extra weight/messaging apps, Google is at a lean place that seems to be holding on to things as they are today. Google Assistant going away isn’t a killing. It’s an evolution. However, there are times where it makes sense to kill something that just isn’t working or hasn’t been working for years now.

This is great feedback from a long-time iPhone customer. Some things just don’t apply to Android and even Google. I will say, though, that if you expect Google to completely control and force their hand on things like Apple does, you will be disappointed.