[Shreyas_H]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Recent Google service experience (via B2X).

One fine morning last week, I noticed a crack on the top right edge of the back panel of my 5 month old Pixel 4a (pic below).
Pinged Google support, and they asked for pictures. On review, they declare it physical damage, and I'm told not only will I have to pay for repairs, my warranty will be voided too. Absurd.

Overall, rather prompt logistics and decent service from B2X proper, but Google support needed a polite but firm word to not take me for a fool and void my warranty on top of refusing to acknowledging a product issue.

Well I'll be damned - I just checked my Pixel 4A after seeing this post of yours and sure enough, I have the same crack at the same spot!

Never really noticed it so far (phone is always in a case). It's out of warranty now so not sure what my options are!

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by Shreyas_H

Well I'll be damned - I just checked my Pixel 4A after seeing this post of yours and sure enough, I have the same crack at the same spot!

Never really noticed it so far (phone is always in a case). It's out of warranty now so not sure what my options are!

It's a material defect, and no guarantee when it happens. Mine happened at 5 months, the OP of the support thread I linked noticed it at 20 days from purchase, there are others who noticed it even sooner. It's random.

That edge presumably needs some reinforcement due to the large camera cut-out right under it, to avoid cracking under bending pressure in day-to-day pocket carry.

Try your luck with support, and mention that it seems to be a known issue. If you're recently out of warranty, they might agree to replace it out of goodwill (or a reduced price). No harm in trying.

If they refuse and insist you pay, wait to see if it actually gets worse before choosing a paid repair. It's a small flaw hidden by the case, so may not even be worth the hassle depending on how OCD you are.

[nibedk]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

It's a material defect, and no guarantee when it happens. Mine happened at 5 months, the OP of the support thread I linked noticed it at 20 days from purchase, there are others who noticed it even sooner. It's random.

That edge presumably needs some reinforcement due to the large camera cut-out right under it, to avoid cracking under bending pressure in day-to-day pocket carry.

Try your luck with support, and mention that it seems to be a known issue. If you're recently out of warranty, they might agree to replace it out of goodwill (or a reduced price). No harm in trying.

If they refuse and insist you pay, wait to see if it actually gets worse before choosing a paid repair. It's a small flaw hidden by the case, so may not even be worth the hassle depending on how OCD you are.

Damn it! My 4A has a crack at the same place. Mine I believe is around 5-6 months old. The crack isn't as bad as shown in the picture but still one can see it with naked eye.

Now even if I get it fixed under warranty wont the same issue happen again after sometime? It has got me thinking should I get this repaired or leave it as is as I use a very solid back case.

I planned to keep it till I get the security updates which ideally should be for at least 1.5 years more and in the mean while if 6A gets launched buy one and keep this as back up.

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by nibedk

...

Now even if I get it fixed under warranty wont the same issue happen again after sometime? It has got me thinking should I get this repaired or leave it as is as I use a very solid back case...

Honestly, no way to tell. It's happened at random times (days/weeks/months after purchase), and to devices in cases and without. If it happens a second time on mine, I'm not going to bother with it. Probably shouldn't have bothered this time either. Oh well.

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

One fine morning last week, I noticed a crack on the top right edge of the back panel of my 5 month old Pixel 4a (pic below).

Well well!! Thanks for bringing this up. Now that i check it pulling it out of its case and that is the only crack in the panel. Mine is more than a year and 3 months old now and mine was a US one (Barely Blue). I was always wondering with no falls how did it crack. The mystery is solved thanks to you. Though i cannot do much about it as it did not have an India warranty in the first place, its good to know that it was not a physical damage from me!

[Lij]

Originally Posted by CliffHanger

...
I tried several options, but still couldn't stop this nuisance from Google. Any help?

....

On your Android phone goto

Wifi & Internet > Private DNS

Here by default it without be automatic. Select Private DNS provider hostname, type in the below and save.

dns.adguard.com

Worked for me and I have done the same with rest of the Android phones at home

[vb-san]

Originally Posted by Weathered

People post online that some features of Pixel 6 like 5G, voLTE, wifi calling don't work in many countries where it's not sold officially. Anyone using Pixel 6 here can confirm if this is an issue in India as well?

Just yesterday my colleague (a Pixel user from 2 XL days) was saying that on his 5A, 5G is not enabled because he bought the phone in Europe and 5G is unlocked only in the markets it was sold. Not sure if that is the case with latest 6 models, but it will be good to check on that aspect. Its strange that an organization as big as Google is limiting its flagship phone sale (6/6 Pro) to just around a dozen countries.

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

It's a material defect, and no guarantee when it happens. Mine happened at 5 months, the OP of the support thread I linked noticed it at 20 days from purchase, there are others who noticed it even sooner. It's random.

So much was the pull to jump back to the Pixel bandwagon and thought finally I found a worthy successor to my old Pixel 2 XL, but quality issues reported are quite a concern. Thinking I should wait until beginning of the next year so that they will find a way to master the new design language, optimize the device to work in harmony with the new chipset and bring all that learning into the 7 – like how they perfected the Pixel 2/2XL after the lackluster 1st generation Pixel . And I hope they reduce the size of the regular pixel (non-Pro model) a wee bit.

[dailydriver]

Need some sane advice:

I have a nearly three year old Redmi Note 7 Pro which was working flawlessly till about a week back. Suddenly, the battery level started rapidly coming down to 80% from 100%. 80% onwards, the backup remained normal.

I have got the maximum out of the phone and still have no need to upgrade.

But the exchange value on both Flipkart and Amazon being lucrative, I ordered a One Plus Nord CE 2 5G at an effective price of 16,000/-.

While the phone is yet to ship, my Note 7 Pro has regained its composure and the battery backup is back to its normal self.

Now, should I retain it or not?

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

... should I retain it or not?

On the face of it, it sounds good to get good use plus good residual value out of something.

But, think about what you'll really be getting for an additional 16k. OnePlus have taken a huge detour from their earlier ethos, OxygenOS is now a mess with sketchy update paths, and the Nord line now being their mid-ranger will have lower priority than their flagships, some of which are struggling themselves as they launch phone after phone (there are reportedly half a dozen models lined up in the next few months).

If you're sure you want a new phone (doesn't sound like you are), look elsewhere. Or just save yourself the 16k and get some more out of your 'perfectly good' phone. Maybe swap the battery for a fraction of that.

[civic-sense]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

Now, should I retain it or not?

A three year old phone, especially a Redmi is as good as obsolete. Better exchange with a new one when it has some resale value left in it.

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

If you're sure you want a new phone (doesn't sound like you are), look elsewhere.

I understand that OnePlus isn't what it used to be, especially with the number of devices they are churning out and watering down of Oxygen OS. But if not OP/OO, then what? Despite using the color OS base, it is still clean. The only real alternatives are Motorola, Nokia and Pixel. Motorola are notorious for their updates, Nokia has almost left and Pixel is not interested in us Indians. I still think that for a clean software experience OP is still the one to go for.

[efgritesh]

I am using Samsung M31 for last two years. I wont say that the phone has lived up to the expectations from day one despite being a very good value for money offering on the paper. Its main feature was 6000mah battery, which is poorely optimised and hence is of no use.

Most annoying thing is that it keeps dropping calls be it whatsapp calls or otherwise, eventhough i am connected to a high speed broadband connection. Its strange that other things work fine, for example a speed test will show perfect score all the time.

Any idea if this is something that can be fixed easily through some software upgrade?

Also, with oneplus not offering value as they use to, what are some decent options for a budget android phone? priority wise camera tops the list assuming that wont be haveing network related issues like M31.

[deep_bang]

Originally Posted by civic-sense

. But if not OP/OO, then what? Despite using the color OS base, it is still clean. The only real alternatives are Motorola, Nokia and Pixel. Motorola are notorious for their updates, Nokia has almost left and Pixel is not interested in us Indians. I still think that for a clean software experience OP is still the one to go for.

Samsung is emerging as one possibly alternative with the newer launches. However, the S series ones are reasonable but the m and a ones are pretty bad in terms of junk apps and installing other apps without consent.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

I have a nearly three year old Redmi Note 7 Pro which was working flawlessly till about a week back. Suddenly, the battery level started rapidly coming down to 80% from 100%. 80% onwards, the backup remained normal.

Does it make a big difference in practice?

If your phone battery will last out for your normal usage during waking hours, just charge it every night while sleeping. Nothing actually lost, Unless you travel overnight, in which case, take a power bank.

On the other hand, if it quits mid-afternoon, then maybe think about getting the battery replaced. Or a new phone.

What I'm saying is, relate the battery availability to real life, not the oh-wow-look-at-this capacity it had when new.

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

On the face of it, it sounds good to get good use plus good residual value out of something.

Originally Posted by civic-sense

A three year old phone, especially a Redmi is as good as obsolete. Better exchange with a new one when it has some resale value left in it.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Does it make a big difference in practice?

Thanks for the responses.

Two of my previous phones, one a Redmi and the other an Asus died on me just as I was contemplating exchanging them for better ones.

But this Note 7 Pro (50k + ratings on Flipkart with an average of 4.5) hasn't exhibited any signs of premature death, save for the battery drain for a couple of days.

Hard to believe, but in exchange for One Plus Nord CE 2 5G, I am being offered 8k plus. I had paid 15k for it when new. Though One Plus Nord CE 2 5G retails at 24k - a figure that doesn't justify either its internals or UI, I will be paying only 16k for it. And while doing so, I will be assuming that my current piece (on which I am typing this) will not last long, or will not be able to fetch such a good buyback price in the future.

That being the case, in spite of its demerits, does One Plus Nord CE 2 5 G seem to be a good pick at 16k?

(I use my phone more to browse (no marks for guessing the most visited site ), a bit for WhatsApp and very little to talk. I want the battery to last me a full day.

I use many apps in duplicate and therefore Dual Apps feature is a must)

[Akshay6988]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

That being the case, in spite of its demerits, does One Plus Nord CE 2 5 G seem to be a good pick at 16k?

(I use my phone more to browse (no marks for guessing the most visited site ), a bit for WhatsApp and very little to talk. I want the battery to last me a full day.

I use many apps in duplicate and therefore Dual Apps feature is a must)

I am looking at Mi 11 NE 5g and exchanging my note 8 pro for which I'm getting about 9 - 10k cashback as exchange bonus (PS I bought it for 15k 3 years back ). I just don't feel OnePlus phones are worth the price. Do check out this phone in Mi store, you'll like it.