My Google Pixel 6a had been in use for around 3.5 years. Honestly, it was one of the best phones I’ve ever owned/used. I did have some overheating issues, though not serious, in the first couple months. Other than that, it basically does not heat up at all; it has about 2 days of battery charge; the performance was perfectly smooth. The only dissatisfaction I can needle-pick is that the camera was not great in long distance. I had troubles taking photos of presentation/blackboard clearly afar, but for scenery I don’t mind; I’m not a big fan of high-resolution photography anyway. Nonetheless, the biggest pro of Pixel phones is that they are supported by GrapheneOS which ironically removes Google by default and provides extra security features.
Sadly, about a month ago the microphone started not working properly, which ultimately led me to switch.
My budget was 50k yen (282.21 EUR) or less, and I found four appealing candidates.
Motorola was eliminated quickly after watching some review videos on YouTube; the build quality just doesn’t make me believe using it for over 3 years, which is a minimum requirement.
Nothing Phones have very positive reviews (I also have Nothing earbuds). Both models outperform other phones in the list which really makes it seem like a no-brainer option. However, high performance (good numbers on the board) is not my priority; aesthetics and longevity are. Although Nothing Phones are indeed beautiful and they seem to last long, I found myself not able to look away from the good old Xperia.
In fact, I’m a long-time Xperia enthusiast. I own a Z3 Compact, a X Performance, and a XZ1. While the design is sometimes questionable, the Xperia 10 line has a special place for me.
As for which Xperia 10, VII, released about two weeks ago, has a wider screen (19.5:9) and is very expensive, so no. V, released in 2023 (one year after I bought my Pixel 6a), is cheaper but not as good as VI in terms of performance and is already 2 years old, so no. The winner is Xperia 10 VI!
I purchased it on Oct 30, one day before Halloween.
Phone is beautiful, light, and compact.
Works as expected.
Battery life is as good as expected.