If I'm being honest, the one thing that I probably wouldn't want to live without (apart from my husband and my pets) is my phone. As the iPhone seems to be the standard (especially among the blogging community), I get a lot of questions about why I like to use the Google Pixel instead, so I figured I'd share my personal thoughts on why I made the switch from Apple to Android a couple of years ago. Lastly, I also wanted to say that this blog post is not sponsored - I just have a lot of reasons why I love the Google Pixel!
(All the photos following were taken and edited on my Pixel).
1. I'm part of #teampixel. I've talked about this on my Instagram & YouTube channel before, but figured I'd also say it on my blog that I'm a part of a small group of online influencers that collaborates with Google regularly. I was sent the first generation Google Pixel phone to try out as part of a sponsored campaign over two years ago and loved it SO much that I completely switched over everything on my iPhone to the Pixel and sold my iPhone to someone else. It literally took like, five minutes, I didn't have to go to the store to get a new SIM card or anything (just take out your existing one & put it into the Pixel), and once I got used to the OS, I didn't even notice the difference. I continued to post about my Pixel phone (because I was genuinely happy with it), so Google ended up reaching out to me to continue our collaboration and every now & then I'll get a new gift from them (like the Pixel 2 XL and Pixelbook) or go on a trip with other #teampixel members (like our trip to Sundance Film Festival 2018).
2. Storage problems. As an Instagram addict, I naturally take A TON of photos in every situation I find myself in. It was so frustrating to see the dreaded "storage full" message every single time I wanted to take/save a photo onto my iPhone. I think I filled three different DropBox accounts just so I could keep all of my selfies with my dog. With the Pixel, I never have that problem. This phone backs up every photo I save to my Google Photos account (and makes it easy to remove backed up photos off of my device), so I essentially have unlimited storage for all my dog AND cat selfies. That's what I call winning.
3. Camera quality. I honestly haven't had an iPhone since the iPhone 6 (so maybe I'm not the best person to ask), but I love the photo and video quality of my Pixel. I'm constantly snapping and while I do feel that it can't replace my DSLR camera, it's more than good enough when I don't feel like carrying a huge camera & lens, don't feel like making a fool of myself by having a no-shame photoshoot with my latte at my local coffee shop, and don't want to take forever to get my camera settings right. My phone photos are always super crisp, I can easily edit them the same way that I would with the photos I take on my DSLR camera, and the video quality can record at 1080p/60 fps, f/1.8 (which makes it my ideal vlogging camera).
4, I can import/edit RAW photos directly from my camera to my phone. While this might not matter to you unless you're a photographer that likes to edit photos on your phone, I think it's pretty rad that the Pixel is able to handle raw images. I'm the type of Instagrammer that likes to post in the moment, so when I have a photo to post, I want to edit it and post it immediately. Having the raw image to work with on my phone allows me to have the best quality to start with. I'm not sure if the iPhone can do this now, but I was never able to do this when I had one.
5. It fits my Google lifestyle. Truthfully, I use Google everything except for my work laptop (and the only reason I use a MacBook is because I need the desktop versions of all the Adobe Suite products for my YouTube channel/blog/graphic design work, which the Pixelbook doesn't offer). I use Google Maps, Google Photos, Google Docs, Google Drive on my computer and I have a Google Home Mini, Pixelbook, Daydream, Chromecast in my home - the list goes on. I also just switched over to Project Fi from AT&T recently because I wanted a network provider that I could easily use while traveling (FYI - it's only compatible with Pixel and Android One phones). Project Fi only bills you for what you use and follows your everyday plan while traveling overseas (something that I was always lacking through AT&T). Having a Pixel just makes my life that much easier because my phone can connect to all of these Google products/programs I already use (so if you're not really a Google user, you might not find the transition as seamless as I did).
I hope this answers all of your questions regarding the Google Pixel and why I like it! Please feel free to reach out if you have any other questions.
xx Audrie