first written: 2025.10.7-Tue-10:21est
# premise
I have been really in love with my Pixel 3aXL.
I got it in 2020ish and I purchased it off eBay for $40.
After 4 years sum of wear and tear on my part and any further acrewed by its previous owner I gave up on it. It had earned a lot of erratic behaviors with turning off randomly, speakers would only rarely work which made making phone calls impossible. I held off on buying a new phone because I really felt like there wasn't a new phone for a reasonable price for me. I don't want a big screen, and with 3aXL I really didn't want to go bigger, and yes I am aware of the irony of having bought the XL.
New phones are obsessed with features that don't concern me, namely the display and camera. While I do make frequent use of the camera I have so little care for the fidelity of the photos and video. I also really don't enjoy the overly sharp look and feel of a lot of phone cameras so if I was dead set on taking a photo I would just bust out a nice real camera.
## my perspective
I am looking for anew phone that is feature complete but not cluttered. Which is just to say, I really want to feel enabled by my phone. When I was briefly living in Japan, I could not use my phone as a payment method, which made my time a little bit less convenient. My pixel wasn't compatible with the pay stations half was because my phone was dated, and half because Japan has a very blatant preference for iPhones.
In the same breath I really value something being not in the way, and as I will discuss later I don't think that is fully achieved by this iPhone. I am really repulsed by the notion of needing to coddle your expensive luxury gee-gaw. In a literal way that would include needing to protect a delicate screen, fragile chasis, or other minute build features. But it also includes things like needing to constantly baby sit its' battery. For me I use my phone all day and charge over night, not unusual, but if I were to miss a day I really loathe the idea that my following day will revolve around nursing outlet to outlet.
With that out of the way here are my take aways a few weeks into owning my first iPhone...
# observations
Something that I came in worried about iphones is their battery life. I have known them to have a bit of a reputation for inconviently lasting just a little short of day. But to my suprise it has been completely fine, I haven't had it die on me once.
But my phone habits aren't particularly energy hungry. I don't like watching videos on my phone, and the only time I've had to deal with a low battery pop up was on a particularly dour day when I just layed around watching star trek clips.
So far most of my time has been spent in Apple's books app. On android I used Librera with few complaints. But I simply did not know how good I could have it. I love that the UI is out of the way, the font rendering looks strangely good (something I've learned I can't take for granted), and I can lock the orientation so I can read in bed (which for some reason I was having trouble in Librera).
I was also initially cringing at the idea that I would have to buy my books off Apple's own storefront, but I was pleasantly suprised that I was able to just add my PDFs and ePubs straight to the Apple Books app. Though Apple was sure to send me to their store for other features :P .
Something novel to me about using an iphone is how much the iphone wants to be my NANNY. From reminding me to read more, or that I have read TOO MUCH SHIT on discord. Android was always a kind of distant guardian in my life. They came home with fun toys, but they like were never there when I poked my eye out. Not that Apple to my knowledge has ever really helped anyone.
It has felt like having a teacher constantly in the room. Not even over my shoulder, just there.
Early on into my switch I was prompted to update my brand new iphone. Because I'm a slug, I thoughtlessly accepted it and after leaving my phone to do some work in my basement my phone much like living with a roommate was busy moving everything around into a new place. So when I returned I stumbled into the much talked about liquid glass update.
When I picked up my phone and found everything was changed I just sighed. I don't particularly hate it. The only thing that stirs in my cold hater heart is that it feels a little shallow in its' riding of nostalgia for old aero and aqua design language. It just came upon me frivolously. Like a small child trying to explain anything to me.
On my last phone I had set my ringtone to be a bleepy and bloopy version of Dragonquest's overture march. It's distinct flip phone quality makes the dread of having to pick up the phone just a little bit easier.
I didn't expect to have any problems setting it as a ringtone. I could perfectly imagine in settings being able to just select one of my many mp3s and using it. But sadly this remained in my imagination because out of the box you can only select from a short list of pre installed ring tones or you can go onto the itunes store and buy one.
While it did feel really stupid I wasn't totally against it. I felt like it would be appropriate to compensate the fine people and scum at SquareEnix their fair share. But the itunes store lacked an appropriately bleepy or bloopy rendition. Something surprising to me seeing as I got the track off an official CD.
So sure that there must be a way put a ringtone that I want on this thing I sought out some internet resources and found a few guides. They all included downloading Garage band, cropping, and exporting to a specific file format. So I sat at my desk waiting for 2 hours using my 3rd world country internet connection to download this audio workstation.
It was easy enough, but It felt so needless. Apple didn't even have the courtesy of forcing me to pay for a compromised product, they were going to make me walk to get it.
also
i miss gestures...
## face id
Something shocking to me was the iphone's complete omitting of a fingerprint sensor. Something that I had become so expecting of in a modern device. It's not the end of the world, but I don't exactly love what Apple replaced it with.
First the strength of Face ID: no matter whats on my fingies I can easily unlock my phone. This comes up in my life when I am cooking. On my pixel 3aXL any grease, water, mayo, or gunk would require that I peck in my PIN. With Face ID I can hands free unlock my device.
Now the downside of Face ID: it is dependent that my face look the same. While I am no changeling, I do make frequent use of the ugliest, squarest, and tackiest sunglasses of all time to help combat migraines. But these things make those old mustache n' glasses disguises seem like childs play in comparison, because as far as my iphone is concerned I am an intruder.
To a lesser but still prevalent extant I have this problem when I am not wearing my normal glasses or a hat. It's made all the more frustrating because it required that my PIN instead of being the normal 4 digits long be 6. Which I would appreciate if I had a more reliable way to easily get into my phone.
When I pull my phone up to my face (usually at a brightness so low that I can only see my hideous face) and I am lucky enough to have Face ID detect my face I still have to pull up the lock screen to get into my phone.
THIS IS NOT A FEATURE
I do not care if it is intentional behavior IT IS A BUG because the developers ARE ON CRACK!!!
## the hardware
I admit this nitpick to be particularly vein and self entitled. but i was really let down that my iphone didn't come with any case. if you're gonna use all this glassy surface but not offer me the courtesy of even the flimsiest case i feel like the all you're offering me is a burden. a little child i have to cradle.
When I got my pixel 3aXL it came with a a little fabricy case and I never replaced it and while I don't think every manufacturer should give a forever case i do think if you're gonna make such an indulgent shell for your very expensive device it feels like apple at that point is performing it's own vein gesture preferring the aesthetic value of their product to my ease of mind in being its new owner.
A small problem I was equipped to handle was the matter of charging the phone. For a while now Apple has enforced use of their own proprietary lightning connector. For my birthday my grandma bought me a pair of Airpod Pros that I wasn't able to charge. At the time I interpreted this to be an attack by my grandma on my lack of money to have previously bought an Apple product. So when Tim Apple maliciously attacked me with his lightning port I was ready.
Proof that whatever doesn't kill you does makes you stronger.
The phone gets really hot and pretty quickly. It's never been unpleasant, but it was shocking the first time it happened. So far it has mostly manifested as a cute and subtle reminder I’m doing too much with this thing.
I really enjoy the silent hard switch. In middle school I got to make regular use of an ipad and this little switch is what I remember most about it. To be honest I don't make frequent use of the switch. I find switching on Do not Disturb an inappropriate solution to an inappropriate amount of notifications. But when I have used it, I have enjoyed the satisfaction of knowing its a mechanical thing I have flipped off and its not gonna just get magically flipped back on (like how managing the wifi and bluetooth radio works :P)
### the tragedy
On the 8th of October. Just two days after receiving the device I felt a shattering tragedy. While walking to the grocer and thumbing on the damn phone, I was totally foxy jump scared by a dog. My neighbors dog ran at me and in the process of running away and shoving my fresh new perfect iphone 12 mini into my pocket it slipped and slammed onto the concrete. Thankfully face up, so it's back took the damage.
While it worked fine, I could hear the nefarious Tim Apple cackle every time I looked at my decrepit device. "Don't you love that we made it all out of glass?" no Tim, I don't love it. You set me up for failure. Tim Apple you crooked man, you ARE NOT ON MY SIDE.
The added tragedy is that I had not ordered a case when I ordered the phone so I was still waiting on a phone case that wouldn't arrive for another week. So until then I would occasionally cut and scratch up my fingers and palm using this bastard device.
Now that it is cradled in a competent Otterbox case I don't have to be constantly reminded of my failure to hold rectangles.
Look I accept blame for dropping it, but I feel like I have been in part been made a victim of the folly of men even greater than me chasing simple aesthetic pleasures. Seriously it being made of glass is so dumb.
## "luxury"
I spent a bit of money on this phone. Apple tries to make you feel ok about spending this much on a phone, but convincing you that it is a luxury item. This premise is not unfounded, but is unsatisfying in a few ways. While I revel in there being no ads in my news feed, it is obvious that apple would like me make it a habit to give them some more money (see the section on setting a ring tone).
Which is frustrating more when it happens because I feel like they are close to having something special. But the problem is when you do even a little bit of these nickel and dimings the illusion is completely shattered.
Even more frustrating is that some of Apple's money seeking behavior has reached out of my iphone into my real life. Like in my inbox where I have found multiple emails recommending I casually drop a few thousand SMACKAROOS on an APPLE VISION PRO. HOW ABOUT you apple VISION MY SHAFT YOU FUCK WADS!!!!!!!!
# conclusion
its ok.
I probably won't be getting another iphone. Partially because Apple has stopped making mini iphones, and I have no interest in chasing a massive price tag for take it or leave it software and cameras I will not use.
