By Edward Lim
When my trusty Google Pixel froze last week, I took it as a case of overuse and attempted a reboot. It proved to be a series of fruitless attempts as the Android-based smartphone simply could not be revived. The furthest I got was to the opening screen (see above) but there was absolutely nothing I could do there — the screen just froze again before launching into another reboot.Here’s what I did:
- Cool down the phone by holding it close to my car’s air-conditioning vent.
- Tried rebooting by holding down the power and down buttons.
- Tried getting into safe mode, recovery mode, whatever mode.
- Checked Google help, various forums and other tips.
- Diligently followed the tips but to no avail.
- Powered off and tried rebooting several times throughout the night.
- Throwing it against the wall (Just kidding! I didn’t do this but don’t think it would have made any difference except for having a cracked frozen screen).
As I had bought the Google Pixel while on a trip to Australia in August 2017, it was out of warranty and I had no local support — the local telcos didn’t bring this version to Singapore.
It was with a sad heart that I had to pronounce my device dead. Having said that, I truly loved it for its speed, simplicity (uncluttered Android) and size (most smartphones are too big for my liking).
With a trip coming up the next day, I had to make a quick decision on its replacement, which was really a no-brainer.
Having enjoyed my smartphone so much, my pick for its successor was the Google Pixel 3. What I dreaded most was having a bigger phone because I was used to the original Pixel’s size. To my surprise, the Google Pixel 3 was only slighter longer and its width close to the first.
The litmus test was that my existing phone cover could be used for the new one — OK, the cutouts for the camera didn’t quite match but the cover fit.
I’ll write more about my new device another time.
Farewell, Google Pixel! Hello, Google Pixel 3!
Entelechy Asia 