Google Pixel 6 Pro 5G, US Version, 128GB, Stormy Black - Unlocked (Renewed)

Oh man, where to start. I guess I got too used to Motorola version of Android and unfortunately found more negatives in my daily use than positives, one of which was due to buying a used phone. In the end, the camera has a lot to make up for.Pros –- VERY fast and snappy, even after I set the screen to 60Hz to save on battery(I also set animations to .5sec in developer options).-No problem with phone calls. I can hear people fine and no one has complained yet on the other end(Mint Mobile)-WiFi calling is available via Mint Mobile-Stabilization works really well in video mode. I had originally purchased a Motorola Edge 2022 (not the + version) and didn’t think the OIS there was doing anything at all. On the Pixel, the video is noticeably stabilized while walking.-Photos are a level above from my Moto G Stylus 2021. Telephoto, ultrawide all shoot excellent-Photos come out sharp in just about every circumstance I can throw at it. Whether it is just because of the screen or the photos, when I show people my pictures on my phone they usually say “wow, that is a good picture” or something like that.-Low light shots I took around a fire were really good and I think the HDR worked in my favor(no upload for this due to people in shot)-Love the look of the phone and love the look of the curved glass. It came in great condition with one caveat***-Battery life is good. Battery saver is amazing and Extreme Battery Saver even more. Besides the most essential apps, you can choose what you want to run. I just chose my Brave browser and I could surf the web for a good hour to 2 hours and only lose battery in the single digits.-Does not overheat so far as some reported so appears the update to Android 13 was a good thing.-Happy to have NFC again-I like wireless charging so I don’t have to worry about wear and tear on the USB C port. I’m not a power user so charging speeds are plenty good for me. Reverse wireless charging did work on my Tozo case but I doubt I will use that feature much-Bluetooth is strong. Again, vs my old Stylus, my Tozo NC9 true wireless buds would cut in and out depending on where I had my phone and sometimes had to move it to another pocket. I’m glad to say no cutouts yet with the Pixel on the same headphones.-Youtube Videos look great-Speakers are nice and loud. Fuller sound and not so tinny as other phones I’ve had.Cons –-First thing was the Search bar on the bottom. It was staring me in the face in all the reviews but no one mentioned you cannot remove it or even move it. If I could have at least moved it to the top, I would not have installed a new launcher but I had to install Nova launcher to get my home screen setup the way i like. This is something where I think Motorola nails the true Android experience better than Google, i.e. more customizable.-Build quality and quality control may be suspect. It just doesn't feel solid compared to my G Stylus.-While in most conditions I’m loving the HDR, I can now see where it can be overzealous. My night time shots looked great but when I took a picture of a dog on the carpet(it’s uploaded with this review), the carpet REALLY stood out and looked odd. Yes, it was nice and sharp but did come off overprocessed. This thing is definitely quick and at least in photos, does not seem to hunt for focus before taking a shot. I can definitely see some delay in my older phones now compared to this.-At first, I thought the fingerprint scanner was fine and wondered what everyone was complaining about as played with it with no issues right out of the box. I found out it wasn't as good when I go for my walks whereas my G Stylus 2021 and the regular Edge 2022 I had just for a short bit had no issues with fingerprint sensors while walking. The more I used it, the more I found I had to hit the spot just right or make sure to hold still, concentrate and place my index finger carefully. It's not horrible, it just not as good. I may need to re-enter my thumb.-Another issues owners did point out that I thought would not be a problem was the curved screen but in the end they were right. Yes, it can cause issues with navigation when “holding it wrong” and you are touching the edges. One example was scrolling on a webpage went crazy by scrolling very fast back and forth. It doesn’t happen often but it will eventually if your thumb or index are touching the edge while your other index finger is trying to select or scroll. But damnit, to me it looks so good.-Activating the camera or flashlight not as easy as on a Motorola. They also changed the icons on the lock screen. No more camera icon on the lock screen was a letdown so I can’t easily open the camera that way as a workaround. I thought setting the double-tap on the back to open the camera would be a good workaround as it worked pretty good on the flashlight though a little more troublesome with a case and annoyingly your screen must be on for the double-tap to work. Not unlocked just woken up with a tap or picking up the phone. With Motorola phones, it does not matter if the screen is off, the double shake will turn on the flashlight. Unfortunately, the camera does not open if the screen is locked even if it awake. This is where I had to depend on the double-tap of the power button. More on that at the end.****Nitpicks --No built-in clock widget that also shows weather. Motorola has this but I had to get a 3rd party app to get the clock/weather I like but still disappointed in the design of it.-Android 13 or maybe 12 introduced a different way to set your phone on vibration or silent. I just thought it was plain dumb to make a pop-up to choose when it is so tiny. To me, it was much easier to just click on the same icon once or twice. With the pop-up it always makes me pause before choosing.Conclusion – for as much research as I did on the phone, I thought I would enjoy it much more. Sadly, all I could do was compare it to my previous Motorola phones(they just need to up their camera game).****BIGGEST con(due to being a used phone) – After googling, posting on an official Pixel forum and receiving a response from one of their Gold Product Experts, I found out the power button is supposed to be as “clicky” as the volume buttons. It is NOT on this phone and it may be the biggest reason I return it. It makes it very difficult to activate the camera consistently on the first try, lock the screen, turn off/restart the phone and I also worry about the longevity of its functionality. I absolutely would be upset if I had to pay 100-150 bucks to repair the power button in a year or two from now, if that is even possible and hopefully does not ruin its waterproofing.****(Pics and videos included. Since I am limited to one video by Amazon, I decided to render the 5 videos at 4K resolution with 30fps. Keep that in mind if they don’t look good to you. I would have preferred loading each camera and fps setting separately. I’ve uploaded a mixture of standard, telephoto and ultra-wide shots along with indoor and outdoor.)Update 3/9/2023 - Experienced another issue(besides fingerprint) that some users mentioned in that the Pixel 6 Pro does not have good reception. I've had a couple occasions now where I got the no mobile network found, something I have not encountered on my Moto G Stylus. One suggestion is to turn off Adaptive Connectivity(it is supposed to save battery life) so I will try that.