A little over two months on the Pixel 7 and now it’s time to take stock and give you our full review of what is supposed to be the epitome of the Android 13 experience: Google’s Pixel Experience.
The iOS of Android, the purest version of Android, even for some the most successful… there is no shortage of glowing qualifiers to talk about Android 13 Pixel way, or rather as Google calls it, the Pixel Experience. After spending two months using it, both on the Pixel 7 and on the Pixel 7 Pro, here is a complete feedback for those who would hesitate to switch to Google.
Visual and ergonomics
The most interesting aspect of Android 13 on Google phones is, since Android 12, the total uniqueness that this interface offers.
Already because unlike the rest of the world on Android, here, Google is in charge of all basic applications. Result: you don’t have to enter several accounts, just a simple Google account and everything works immediately. This very simple and hassle-free handling is what makes some people say that the Pixel Experience is a bit like the iOS of Android.
This impression of a coherent whole now also comes from a very united visual, where everything is sifted through Material You with its pastel tones and its curves, where all the colors flow from the wallpaper, in short, a little pleasure of aesthetics.
Fluid, but not always practical
When we talk about the Google Pixel interface, the first word that comes up is often “fluidity “. Because yes, Pixel Experience is one of its rare interfaces under Android not to suffer from untimely lags or jerky animations. The only other example that comes to mind is Oppo’s ColorOS which comes close. There is almost a form of sobriety, of absence of superfluity, in these animations which do not do too much.
Some will find them a little slow sometimes, because as everything must bounce back before performing the slightest action, we may regret a slight reaction time. That said, it remains very organic, and therefore less frustrating than pleasant on a daily basis.
We can also hang a little on some ergonomic concerns, such as the new internet tile which requires you to multiply the clicks to manage the Wi-Fi or even the bedtime mode buried at the bottom of the ” Digital well-being“. A setting that is nevertheless essential since it allows you to deactivate the Always Onthe night. I also had the greatest difficulty finding the ” split screen which instructed me to click the app’s icon above its window in the task manager. Does that sound complicated to you? Yes it is.
Bugs, always
These very fluid animations and this absence of superfluity are clearly the two great strengths of the Pixel which can make everything seem to work as it should. That’s not counting the many bugs that can mar the experience. Certainly, we can argue that these bugs can undermine the experience of a user when another will not be affected at all, but given the number of occurrences of serious concerns around us, we must talk about it.
The launch of the Pixel 6 under Android 12 had been followed by a string of more or less annoying bugs in the months that followed. For the Pixel 7 and Android 13, which we are talking about here, the copy is cleaner. On the other hand, there are at least two of us in the editorial staff who have suffered a blocking bug requiring us to perform what is called a hard reset. For my part, I was watching a series on Netflix very quietly when the screen completely freeze . The sound continued to spin, but the phone was no longer controllable at all.
Here is the story of my college Omar:
I was on Chrome, I don’t know which site, it crashes. I manage to get back to home, but it keeps crashing, with a frozen screen. I try to lock and unlock to cause something. The phone locks, but then does not unlock. He no longer answered anything. I charge it, to trigger something, again, but no animation. Nothing helps, it is UNUSABLE. I had tohard resetso that everything is in order.
Let’s be clear though, it’s only a blocking bug in two months of use and the rest of the time the bugs don’t show up as bothersome. It is certainly not uncommon to have interface display problems, such as overlapping elements or a blocked lock screen. But as a general rule, no bug resists a quick standby followed by unlocking.
Features: the real little extra
The real deal with Pixels is probably here. If you’re the type to appreciate receiving new features before everyone else, then the Pixel Experience is surely for you. That’s what gives it such a high popularity rating among geeks, nerds, or other tech fans in whatever name you think is most appropriate.
Even recently, in December 2022, Google added a host of new features to its interface, without any additional cost or major Android update. Google VPN was recently added for example, without having to subscribe to Google One. However, it remains limited to the encryption of your data and will not allow you to access geo-blocked content.
We thus saw certain ultra practical integrations arrive first on the Pixels, such as the integration of Google Wallet on the lock screen (practical for plane tickets) or automatic subtitles on silent videos.
In the new features specific to Android 13, there is the arrival of facial recognition (only on Pixel 7) or the management of notifications inopt-inwhich means that each installed application will ask for your consent before bombarding you with notifications.
Even stronger, some new features are currently reserved for Google Pixel and they are frankly amazing. Listening for example, allows you to recognize live music passing around you, like an automatic Shazam. The layout of the search bar just at the bottom of the screen is a real plus, like “trying it is adopting it”. Once you get used to it, it tends to be lacking on other systems.
Let’s also mention the instantaneous translation integrated directly into the keyboard or the audio recorder which can offer a live transcription of an interlocutor. The Magic Eraser or the ability to deblur an image on the fly. All this makes the use of a Pixel much richer.
Accessibility
We have already mentioned it above, but Google integrates its share of new features very frequently. Even if we don’t use it ourselves in writing, it is also very interesting to see that the Californian giant takes great care in the accessibility options, in addition to highlighting them in its interface. .
Available in a dedicated menu at the root of the settings, there is a clear and readable menu with many options. Instant subtitles, instant transcription or the magnifying glass feature prominently.
Notable novelty this year: theGuided Framewhich is part of all voice aids for the visually impaired will help you frame a selfie by guiding you with small sound signals.
Compatible Smartphones
Compatible smartphones are the Google Pixel still benefiting from major updates from the manufacturer.
Unfortunately, on its latest phones, Google is limited to three years of major updates. To compensate, the manufacturer, which we recall takes care of Android support, concedes five years of security patches.