I imported a Pixel 7 Pro three years ago, and I’m not making that mistake again

I completely love great camera phones, and I’ve purchased my fair proportion of them over time. This contains the Lumia 1020, Lumia 950, and the HUAWEI Mate 20 Professional. So I couldn’t resist buying the Google Pixel 7 Pro on a piece journey to the US again in 2022.

Google’s cellphone stood out to me on the time because of its polished digicam system, together with a 48MP 5x periscope digicam and nice 10x cropped zoom. I used to be additionally happy to see some cool software program options and a long-term replace coverage. I used to be effectively conscious on the time that there have been downsides to importing a Pixel. However now that the Pixel 10 series is on the horizon, I’ve determined that I’m positively not importing a Pixel once more.

My largest drawback with my imported Pixel cellphone is that Google doesn’t assist VoLTE in markets the place Pixel telephones aren’t bought. There are workarounds, however these usually should be repeated after system updates and are typically solely possible for tech-savvy shoppers. And this is applicable to more moderen fashions just like the Pixel 9 series too.

This can be a main challenge as a result of it fairly actually signifies that my smartphone will now not be a cellphone. Conventional cellphone calls have lengthy been routed over legacy infrastructure like 3G, however carriers all over the world are shutting down their 3G networks. Individuals are nonetheless capable of make conventional cellphone calls because of VoLTE, which routes calls over LTE infrastructure. However Pixel telephones lack this characteristic in lots of unsupported nations, which suggests I gained’t be capable to make or obtain standard calls when 3G networks are ultimately shuttered right here.

One different resolution in some conditions is to make use of Wi-Fi calling, which permits me to make conventional cellphone calls over Wi-Fi. However guess what? Pixel telephones don’t assist Wi-Fi calling in markets the place they aren’t bought, both. I’ll must carry out comparable workarounds to get it operating on my gadget.

To be truthful to Google, this isn’t only a Pixel drawback. Individuals have beforehand had VoLTE points with manufacturers like OnePlus over time, and I can verify that my historic OnePlus 6 doesn’t present VoLTE choices in any respect after I pop both of my SIMs in it. Nonetheless, I’ve additionally used loads of cellphone fashions that haven’t launched right here, albeit from manufacturers with a neighborhood presence of some sort. And all of those telephones supplied LTE. This additionally comes after the GSMA and Samsung introduced an initiative to broadly enable VoLTE by default on Galaxy phones.

I used to be effectively conscious when shopping for my Pixel 7 Professional that some software program options wouldn’t be obtainable in markets the place Pixels aren’t bought. Meaning no fancy calling options and no automobile crash detection performance. In different phrases, I’m successfully paying extra for much less. I had made peace with this truth. Or I assumed I did.

Quick-forward just a few years, and I really feel like these absent options on previous and current Pixels are extra obtrusive when rival corporations like Samsung have their very own unique options which can be broadly obtainable. Latest Galaxy flagship telephones provide nice call-related instruments like Bixby Textual content Name, stay name translation, name recording with transcripts, and name summaries. These telephones additionally provide different cool options beforehand seen on Pixels, like a voice recorder app with offline transcription, Audio Eraser, and Greatest Face. That’s along with neat additions on the whole like custom camera filters, the Good Lock suite of apps, and a toggle to dam cloud processing for AI options.

These developments lead me to ask, effectively, if Samsung can provide loads of options worldwide, why not Google? Better of all, Samsung really matches Google by providing seven years of updates for its high-end telephones. And corporations like HONOR, Xiaomi, and OnePlus have additionally stepped up on the replace entrance.

My expectations have been low after I imported a Pixel cellphone nearly three years in the past. I knew that I’d be lacking 5G and a few software program options, and I braced myself for dropped protection because of community band points. I assumed these downsides have been well worth the world-class cameras and years of brisk updates. And I’ve been largely proud of my buy.

Sadly, the truth that my Pixel 7 Professional (and different Pixels utilized in unsupported markets) will now not be a cellphone is the straw that broke the camel’s again in my case, and I anticipate this to be a difficulty with future Pixel fashions too. It additionally doesn’t assist that rival producers have matched or surpassed Google so far as software program options, digicam high quality, and updates are involved. Throw in glacial charging speeds and occasional heating points, and I’m not importing a Pixel cellphone anytime quickly. And with stiff competitors from Samsung, HONOR, and others, there’s no scarcity of options as a substitute.