It's been a wild week for Google fans. Between multiple Pixel 6 leaks and an official Google I/O developer conference detailing Android 12, the tech community has gotten a pretty significant taste of what's to come for the world's biggest smartphone ecosystem. Of course, we get this every year. But 2021 feels like a noteworthy shift for Google, both for its direction and the context in which it's occurring. Although I've been a loyal Pixel follower from the start, it's always been clear to me that the ...

Google is finally making the Pixel I always wanted, and I've never felt so conflicted

There really seems to be no middle ground for the Google Pixel. It's been a rollercoaster of good and bad since its inception. Fortunately, anyone like me who boarded the hype train on day one and stuck to a biannual upgrade cycle has hit only the high notes. The OG Pixel and Pixel 3 were straightforward, solid phones that "just worked" and felt great doing so. The Pixel 2 and 4? Not so much. Whether they're playing it too safe or going a little too crazy, Google somehow oscillates between absolutely ...

I upgraded from Pixel 3 XL to Pixel 4a. That's not a typo.