Pixel 2 End of Life

"Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo" (rustyvandura)
11/05/2020 at 06:38 • Filed to: None

I’ve been using a Pixel 2 for several years, very happily. I’ve been careful with mine, kept it cased and kept a glass screen protector on it, so it’s in good shape. Final update is scheduled for December, 2020. And the battery is fading fast. I can have a new OEM battery installed for $160, or I can go to Swappa and buy another cell phone for what, $400-500? My inclination is to buy the battery and put this off for some months or even longer. Battery life was always fantastic with this phone. What are your thoughts?

DISCUSSION (31)

pip bip - choose Corrour > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
11/05/2020 at 06:44

depends how tech savvy you are i guess.

JMKarstetter > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
11/05/2020 at 06:51

Swappa has them listed for around $100-150. *correction, they do have some, just clicked the wrong link.* One seller even has mint 9/10 condition for $130.

https://swappa.com/mobile/buy/google-pixel-2/unlocked

. What makes you stay with it and not upgrade to a newer Pixel or other device?

Jb boin > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
11/05/2020 at 07:04

A batter y is 10-20$, even if it seems hard to change it on this model and might require to change the display, makes the 160$ too steep for a phone this age that won’t be officially supported in one month.

https://ifixit.com/Tutoriel/Google+Pixel+2+Battery+Replacement/103334

facw > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
11/05/2020 at 07:08

I really would not spend $16 0 to extend the life of a phone that old. I mean a new Pixel 4a is only $350, a new iPhone SE is $400, and there are a ton of other perfectly reputable phones (new and used) all across the price spectrum. If you were getting a cheap battery and doing the replacement yourself, that would make more sense, but 3-years is pretty near the end of useful life for most phones these days .

nerd_racing > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
11/05/2020 at 07:20

My Pixel 2 XL failed a charging port after me having it for about 18 months. I paid the $100 to have it fixed. MAYBE 3 months later it was dead again. No juice through the port or failed battery. I opted not to fix it again. Went with the Iphone SE. The only issues I’ve had with phones recently have been charging port issues, so I got something wireless charging capable. Works well for me and I like the phone design.

Poor_Sh > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
11/05/2020 at 07:31

Had my Pixel 2 for 3 years and loved it, I still keep it as a Chromecast remote of sorts. But it just wouldn't hold a charge very long and I debated the same thing. I ended up with a screaming deal last Black Friday on a Galaxy S10e and it, is, AWESOME. Highly recommended. It's not too much bigger than the Pixel 2 but has a bigger screen, external SD, still a headphone jack...

Thomas Donohue > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
11/05/2020 at 07:50

I recently went from a Pixel 2 to Pixel 3 (not 3A). You should be able to find one refurbished for ~$200 depending on condition.

Battery life is very good, and wireless charging is much faster than expected.

Cash Rewards > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
11/05/2020 at 08:03

Are you going to want 5g? If so, get the battery and buy yourself some time for some 5g phones to drop in price. Don't mind no 5g for a while? Get one of the last 4g phones on sale for black Friday

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
11/05/2020 at 08:18

I used to buy new phones, but honestly I don’t love spending $800 for one. The last straw was when my carrier said they didn’t sell phones anymore that supported my sim card and it was five bucks to burn a new one. Now I just buy iPhone 5 SEs for like $80 on Back Market or similar. Hot swappable sim card, battery life is still good, still gets all the new updates, and they’re only $80 so it’s no big deal if I break them. I dropped a crankshaft on my last one and turned the screen into dust. Now I keep a spare at home all the time just in case.

OPPOsaurus WRX > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
11/05/2020 at 08:37

I dropped my Pixel 3a. It bounced once on my basement stair and then to the concrete below and was 100% fine. I was shocked. If i were you, I’d just go for a new phone. It doesn’ t have to be top of the line but the advancements in cameras and such make it worth it. Plus you have a clean operating system to run faster.

InFierority Complex > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
11/05/2020 at 08:40

I wouldn’t spend that on a phone that won’t be supported by the end of the year. I would tough out the poor battery life until the end of December or just bite the bullet and get a new phone. Even a new budget phone in the 100-200 r an ge would probably have comparable specs so a couple year old model.

HoustonRunner > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
11/05/2020 at 08:40

I’m a die hard Nexus / Pixel guy, and I’ve had each one with the exception of the Pixel 4. My dad just got a 4a and I just got my 5, and I’m happy with both.

You can get a new Pixel 3a on Amazon for $360, which I think is a pretty good deal. Unfortunately you lose the water resistance.

But I’d go with Jb boin’s recommendation of trying the inexpen sive battery repair yourself. If that can get you 6 months, then the Pixel 5's will likely be sub $500.

Sovande > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
11/05/2020 at 08:50

You can get a Oneplus 7t for about $400 unlocked. It’s a pretty nice phone for not much cash. I’ve never had a Pixel as they always seem like too much money or too many compromises.

I have one sitting right here on my desk that I will be happy to sell you for $300. I have to mail it back anyway (I upgraded to a Oneplus 8T).

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
11/05/2020 at 09:06

My personal preference is to buy new but outgoing flagship models and run them until the battery is unreliable, t hen throw a battery case on them to get me through to the next flagship release so I can pick up the outgoing model cheaper.

But then, I’m OK with paying extra $$$ for top models because I’m really buying the camera more than the phone. Can’t live with a crap camera. If I wasn’t a shutterbug I’d probably just buy something significantly cheaper with a removable battery and run it until the processor imploded.

Cé hé sin > nerd_racing
11/05/2020 at 09:43

That’s a lot of money. You could try the DIY route if you’re brave. I replaced the camera and USB port on my phone for €20, though I had to buy a repair kit and mini screwdrivers for about as much again.

boredalways > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
11/05/2020 at 10:21

A lack of updates should be the deciding factor. Unless you plan on switching the phone’s OS to open source Lineage OS, it’s time to take your $160 and put it towards another phone. That’s why I switched from the Essential PH-1 to the Pixel 3XL.

Oddly enough, I’ve had battery issues with the 3XL lately — sometimes it drains normally, other times it drains fast even on standby. Found a $20 kit with battery from Amazon to do the dirty work myself, if necessary.

VincentMalamute-Kim > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
11/05/2020 at 10:28

I vote for DIY battery swap. Plan B was upgrading anyway so if you screw up the swap or it doesn’t work, go to Plan B as you were going to do.

I just got a Pixel 4a after breaking the screen of my low end Galaxy J3. I didn’t follow my advice and try the DIY screen repair because I wanted the upgrades on the 4a.

Textured Soy Protein > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
11/05/2020 at 10:46

I bought a mint used OnePlus 7T on swappa and it’s a good place to buy phones but if you’re a Pixel fan you might as well get a new one. The new Pixels are relatively cheap. Pixel 4a 5G is $500 brand new and all the phone most folks need. It has the Snapdragon 765G which is the top midrange chip in Qualcomm’s lineup and provides super great battery life. The Pixel 4a is only $350 but it has a smaller screen and less-powerful SD730G chip.

Textured Soy Protein > HoustonRunner
11/05/2020 at 10:47

The Pixel 4a is only $350, no point in getting a 3a now for same money .

The 4a 5G has the same chipset as the 5 and it’s already $500.

Textured Soy Protein > Poor_Sh
11/05/2020 at 10:48

I respect Samsung’s hustle, and they’re actually good at supporting their phones for a long time. But for folks who prefer clean software it’s still meh.

The Pixel 4a 5G is $500 and has a headphone jack, 128 GB base memory config, and SD765G.

t0ast > boredalways
11/05/2020 at 11:00

Might want to keep a close eye on it for battery swelling. I had some similar symptoms with my 3XL not too long ago that culminated in the battery very slowly ballooning out to the point where the back of the phone started to separate. Took me a while to notice too since it was in a case.

If it does swell and you happened to originally purchase it through Google’s store, it could be worth trying to contact their support. I lucked out and got mine replaced for free in spite of it being ~9 months out of warranty.

For Sweden > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
11/05/2020 at 12:24

If you’re in the USA, wait and get a cheap Pixel 4a on Black Friday

RiceRocketeer Extraordinaire > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
11/05/2020 at 12:24

I had the battery replaced on my excellent condition Pixel 1 XL and the phone literally just died a few months later. I’d go for the new full replacement phone .

HoustonRunner > Textured Soy Protein
11/05/2020 at 12:53

Good point, I forgot they lower ed the price.

Nick Has an Exocet > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
11/05/2020 at 12:53

If you’re comfortable rooting, I wouldn’t worry about it reaching EOL. Community for Pixel phones is quite good. Last weekend, I put the community version of Androi d 10 onto a Nexus 5X for a friend to borrow while she waited for her phone to get fixed. Obviously, you would have to be okay with rooting it, installing recovery, then flashing new firmwares but there are great guides for that on youtube.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
11/05/2020 at 12:59

I had a disappointing hardware issue with my Pixel 3. Google phones now accompany Volkswagen cars in my “never touch again” list.

shop-teacher > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
11/05/2020 at 13:47

$160 to fix an old phone that is going end of life, is not money well spent.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker
11/05/2020 at 14:31

This works for us, too. Kids don’t need the latest and greatest. Year old phones still give years of service.

I guess since OPPOs mostly buy used cars, where someone else ate the big depreciation hit, this makes sense.

RallyWrench > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
11/05/2020 at 14:48

I run a 4 year old Pixel 2 as well. Battery life is still decent, surprisingly. However, the latest updates ruined the photo editing, which is a bummer because it’s been a great photo tool. It seems the UX now gets worse with every update somehow . C learly they’re nudging us to move on.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > VincentMalamute-Kim
11/05/2020 at 15:01

The Pixel 2 has gained some notoriety for being difficult to service. It seems like kind of a nice device to blatantly risk destroying.

Jewish Stig > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo
11/05/2020 at 21:51

For me the lack of updates will be a deal breaker.

A battery swap will be fine, but at some point Google will probably stop you from being able to install new apps/software updates because your phone is old.

I would have a look at the new pixel 5, which i have and is great, though if you don’t mind thw larger size, take the pixel 4a 5g, which is practicality identical.

Another good option will be a oneplus, i had the oneplus 6 for 2. 5 years and it was great, and it still gets update.