iPhone 12 vs Google Pixel 6? Which one to buy?

[Faris14]

Price is the same for both devices so what matters is which one is gonna stay better for longer. I have never owned an IOS device in my life and am considering buying a iPhone 12. I currently have a samsung a70 and am sick of it. Currently I am considering between the iPhone 12 and Pixel 6. From what I saw they are very close in performance, the one thing that bugs me is that everyone says the battery goes fast on the iPhone and it degrades fast as well. I am not a phone guy so any advice would be apreciated. I looked into xiaomis but I do not want to deal with ads that pop up all the time.

 

[Zando_]

iPhone. Biased, because I've used iPhones since I first got a smartphone (iPhone 4S from my uncle in 2014 or so), but they've never given me major issues. My 6 Plus battery did finally go to shit after like 3 years of 0 care or respect for it, so I can't say the battery dies all that quickly. Battery replacement is a pretty cheap and simple repair to either have done or DIY too, whereas most recent androids I've seen are horrors to disassemble. 

 

If you don't mind giving up the bit more customization android has (and don't mind iOS notifications, some people really hate them) then iOS should treat you well. It tends to just work reliably, and Apple is usually solid with security updates and supports devices for longer than most other OEMs. Due to how they make their money (hardware ecosystem + iCloud services), at current they provide a better experience for most users than the discombobulated mess I've seen from Android. 

[Faris14]

5 minutes ago, Zando_ said:

iPhone. Biased, because I've used iPhones since I first got a smartphone (iPhone 4S from my uncle in 2014 or so), but they've never given me major issues. My 6 Plus battery did finally go to shit after like 3 years of 0 care or respect for it, so I can't say the battery dies all that quickly. Battery replacement is a pretty cheap and simple repair to either have done or DIY too, whereas most recent androids I've seen are horrors to disassemble. 

 

If you don't mind giving up the bit more customization android has (and don't mind iOS notifications, some people really hate them) then iOS should treat you well. It tends to just work reliably, and Apple is usually solid with security updates and supports devices for longer than most other OEMs. Due to how they make their money (hardware ecosystem + iCloud services), at current they provide a better experience for most users than the discombobulated mess I've seen from Android. 

Honestly I am not biased to any phone company. I just never considered apple before because they are so dayum expensive and the only options I liked because I have big hands and hate small phones were the top of the line options for which I never would give that much money, its a waste from my perspective. The only thing that is making me choose is that I saw the pixel 6 not being consistent it works awesome for some and a hell for others, I saw that it apparently has very bad battery management as well. So that is why I am deliberating between these 2. iPhone is pretty much set in stone that you are getting a well polished product while the pixel is a bit of a lottery.

[Commodus]

15 hours ago, Faris14 said:

Price is the same for both devices so what matters is which one is gonna stay better for longer. I have never owned an IOS device in my life and am considering buying a iPhone 12. I currently have a samsung a70 and am sick of it. Currently I am considering between the iPhone 12 and Pixel 6. From what I saw they are very close in performance, the one thing that bugs me is that everyone says the battery goes fast on the iPhone and it degrades fast as well. I am not a phone guy so any advice would be apreciated. I looked into xiaomis but I do not want to deal with ads that pop up all the time.

 

As someone who has both an iPhone 13 Pro and Pixel 6, I'd lean iPhone.

 

The Pixel 6 is a good phone in many ways, but the fingerprint reader is still fussy in my experience (even after a number of system updates). The camera is good, but I'd actually pick the iPhone for overall quality. Battery life is fine, but nothing special. And Google is likely to only deliver three years of major OS updates from when the Pixel 6 launched, so you likely won't get OS versions past Android 15 (security patches will still come for another two years).

 

The iPhone 12 is almost two years old, but it's still fast, has a more reliable unlock system and may take more pleasing overall photos. Battery performance is also good from the tests I've seen, at least so long as you're not leaning too much on 5G (which is a problem for many phones). And crucially, it should still get major OS updates for at least as long as the Pixel despite launching earlier.

 

I've been using iPhones for a long time (with Android usually on the side), and I wouldn't say the battery degrades sooner unless you're using something like the iPhone SE or 12 mini — even the 13 mini has solid battery life. My only concern is that you might want to snag an iPhone 13 if you can find a good-enough deal, since it will offer some tangible improvements (still more battery life, a camera upgrade and smaller tweaks) while getting longer-term OS support.

[IPD]

Apple vs Google = you are going to get screwed on privacy and controls either way.  But iPhone will probably have less spam.

[Faris14]

2 hours ago, Commodus said:

As someone who has both an iPhone 13 Pro and Pixel 6, I'd lean iPhone.

 

The Pixel 6 is a good phone in many ways, but the fingerprint reader is still fussy in my experience (even after a number of system updates). The camera is good, but I'd actually pick the iPhone for overall quality. Battery life is fine, but nothing special. And Google is likely to only deliver three years of major OS updates from when the Pixel 6 launched, so you likely won't get OS versions past Android 15 (security patches will still come for another two years).

 

The iPhone 12 is almost two years old, but it's still fast, has a more reliable unlock system and may take more pleasing overall photos. Battery performance is also good from the tests I've seen, at least so long as you're not leaning too much on 5G (which is a problem for many phones). And crucially, it should still get major OS updates for at least as long as the Pixel despite launching earlier.

 

I've been using iPhones for a long time (with Android usually on the side), and I wouldn't say the battery degrades sooner unless you're using something like the iPhone SE or 12 mini — even the 13 mini has solid battery life. My only concern is that you might want to snag an iPhone 13 if you can find a good-enough deal, since it will offer some tangible improvements (still more battery life, a camera upgrade and smaller tweaks) while getting longer-term OS support.

I will look into buying an iPhone 13 but probably won't find one for a good deal from what I managed to find till now they cost 1/3rd  more than the iPhone 12 so I will most likely stick to the 12. Thank you for the help!

[Commodus]

28 minutes ago, Faris14 said:

I will look into buying an iPhone 13 but probably won't find one for a good deal from what I managed to find till now they cost 1/3rd  more than the iPhone 12 so I will most likely stick to the 12. Thank you for the help!

Welcome! The 12 still holds up very well, it's just that the 13 would've been the icing on the cake. You can roll the savings into a newer phone a few years from now, as it is.

[Faris14]

On 6/21/2022 at 6:26 PM, Commodus said:

Welcome! The 12 still holds up very well, it's just that the 13 would've been the icing on the cake. You can roll the savings into a newer phone a few years from now, as it is.

Thanks! I am waiting for a friend of mine who deals with phones to give me a callback. If he does not have one I will buy from someon else. One question tho how bad is 90% battery health on the 12 how much of a loss should I look for. I mean what would be acceptable.  

[Commodus]

4 hours ago, Faris14 said:

Thanks! I am waiting for a friend of mine who deals with phones to give me a callback. If he does not have one I will buy from someon else. One question tho how bad is 90% battery health on the 12 how much of a loss should I look for. I mean what would be acceptable.  

That's not terrible, and is probably in line with a phone that's been used since the iPhone 12 was relatively new. Just note that the phone will start to lose its peak charging ability around 80 percent, so you might see shorter charges from that point onward. I'd say another 1.5 to 2 years before that starts happening, although that also depends on your usage habits. And that doesn't mean your battery life will plummet the moment you hit 80 percent — you just can't assume it'll be as good as the day you bought it.

[Faris14]

19 hours ago, Commodus said:

That's not terrible, and is probably in line with a phone that's been used since the iPhone 12 was relatively new. Just note that the phone will start to lose its peak charging ability around 80 percent, so you might see shorter charges from that point onward. I'd say another 1.5 to 2 years before that starts happening, although that also depends on your usage habits. And that doesn't mean your battery life will plummet the moment you hit 80 percent — you just can't assume it'll be as good as the day you bought it.

Oh than it is not a problem I was gonna buy a charging case anyway for it, I am a heavy user. Not gaming but general screen time is a lot each day so I will try and manage it better. Hope to get it at the begining of next month after payday. Thank you for all the help!

[Commodus]

2 hours ago, Faris14 said:

Oh than it is not a problem I was gonna buy a charging case anyway for it, I am a heavy user. Not gaming but general screen time is a lot each day so I will try and manage it better. Hope to get it at the begining of next month after payday. Thank you for all the help!

Welcome! I'd mainly suggest limiting notifications to just those apps you really want to hear from, and to resist the urge to close apps.