Google's been playing a dirty trick on us Pixel owners, and it's time someone calls them out. You know how when you buy a new phone, you think you know exactly how much storage you're getting? Think again. I just dug into the details, and let me tell you, it's a real eye-opener.
Here's the deal. When you buy a Pixel phone, let's say the latest Pixel 6 Pro with 128GB of storage, you don't actually get 128GB of storage. Sounds crazy, right? But it's true. What you get is more like 110GB of usable storage. So, what's going on here?
It turns out, Android itself takes up a significant chunk of that storage. We're talking about 10-15GB, easy. That's like having an extra app installed that you can't even use. And let's not forget the pre-installed Google apps that you might not even want, like Google Duo or Google Trips. They're taking up space too. It's like buying a new laptop and finding out the hard drive is already half full of bloatware.
Now, some of you might be thinking, "But Alex, what's the big deal? 110GB is still plenty of storage." And you're right, it is. But here's the thing: when you're paying top dollar for a flagship phone, you expect to get what you paid for. You don't expect some of that storage to be taken up by stuff you didn't ask for. It's like buying a new car and finding out the trunk is already half full of spare tires you didn't order.
I remember when Samsung used to be the worst offender when it came to bloatware. They'd load up their phones with all sorts of unnecessary apps, from S Voice to Samsung Health. But at least they gave you the option to uninstall most of that stuff. Google's not even giving us that courtesy. It's like they're saying, "Hey, you're getting a Pixel phone, so you must want all these extra apps, whether you like it or not."
And don't even get me started on the "optimized" storage they're promising with Android 12. From what I can tell, it's just a fancy way of saying they're compressing data to make it take up less space. But what about all the stuff that's still taking up space, like those pre-installed apps? When are they going to address that?
What really gets my goat is that Google's not being upfront about this. They're not telling you, in plain language, that you're not actually getting the storage you think you are. It's like they're hiding it from us. And that's just not cool. I think it's time for Google to come clean and give us a more accurate picture of what we're getting when we buy a Pixel phone.
So, what's the takeaway here? If you're in the market for a new Pixel phone, just be aware that you're not getting the exact amount of storage you think you are. And maybe, just maybe, Google will take notice of all the complaints and start being more transparent about storage in the future. A guy can dream, right?