
Bah!
Setting aside the question of whether one wants to use Google software at all, the Pixel line is a disappointment, and the 4a was a step backward. First of all, Google wants to charge Apple-like dollars for their product, which would be fine if they supported the product like Apple does. If you buy an iPhone, you know that you'll get many years of use and support out of it; if you buy a Pixel, you get three years of security and software updates from the product release date, which, in practical terms means fewer than three years for most users. The 4a was also a step backward because of the aforementioned battery life issues as well as the removal of the fingerprint sensor and replacement with Face Unlock, which is crap (I know there are many people who believe that biometric unlock is a terrible idea on principle, but I find fingerprint unlock to be sufficiently convenient to be worth the putative risk). If Google wants to be flagship phone manufacturer, they need to step up their game.