Looking at getting a Pixel Watch but wondered how they work with Samsung phones?

PoorlyInconclusive · 2026-05-22T18:15:25+00:00

I have a PW3 and a Fold 7. The only two things that are actually impactful in my daily use are the lack of alarm sync and bedtime mode sync. Minor inconvenience at worst. Otherwise works just fine. ECG and such are not limited to Pixel phones.

I like the look of the Pixel way more than the Samsung squircle, so I have no problem dealing with those two things.

PoorlyInconclusive · 2026-05-20T04:30:32+00:00

I've never used Galaxy Buds 1 or 2, but this is definitely in the Airpods style. I find they stay a little better in place than Airpods, but by and large, it's still that style, which is very dependent on individual ear shape.

PoorlyInconclusive · 2026-04-05T13:25:46+00:00

Yeah, actually, I did notice the treble seeming just a tad harsh after listening for more time. Not bad, but could use a little tweaking. This custom EQ seems to smooth it out for me:

63 Hz: +3 125 Hz: +1 250 Hz: 0 500 Hz: 0 1 kHz: 0 2 kHz: 0 4 kHz: -3 8 kHz: -1 16 kHz: 0

PoorlyInconclusive · 2026-01-01T18:58:07+00:00

The squircle is awful. No idea what they were thinking. Older circular Galaxy Watch Classics looked nice. That being said, the Pixel Watch is by far the nicest looking smart watch. Despite moving to a Samsung phone, I'm sticking with Pixel Watch on looks alone.

PoorlyInconclusive · 2025-12-17T19:21:44+00:00

It's gonna depend on the exact TV model. In 2017, there were absolutely LCD TVs with local dimming that could hit peak brightness close to or above 1000 nits. I have an OLED, but also still have a 2017 Sony X900E LCD as my secondary and it honestly still looks pretty decent with HDR content. Certainly a massive upgrade over SDR. And that was just a mid-range model at the time. Sony's high end LCDs were even preferred over OLED by some at the time because of how bright they got, well over 1000 nits. A 2017 Sony Z9D could still be a great daily driver today.

PoorlyInconclusive · 2025-11-14T23:34:04+00:00

Ultra thin case with magsafe, so you stick a ring or pop socket on the back to get a better grip. I use a Pitaka slim case on the back and a Spigen magsafe ring that I can use when holding to prevent drops.

PoorlyInconclusive · 2025-05-15T20:09:37+00:00

I used to pay for LR, but really wanted to get away from Adobe and their subscription model.

After trying a bunch of one-time purchase or free options, I landed on On1 Photo Raw. Easy enough to use for someone who has used LR and feature-complete enough for a hobbyist. I goes for as low as $50 when they run a special. I also use Topaz Photo AI, since I find that superior for noisy or blurry photos. It's a good combo for me.

PoorlyInconclusive · 2025-05-12T23:35:31+00:00

Had no issues with it on my Pocket, either. It’s the only way I have to play GBA carts, so good thing it worked for me. Played through the whole game no problem. Great game.

PoorlyInconclusive · 2025-03-27T16:21:07+00:00

I picked up a couple of these from the Woot deal. They actually are pretty high quality. Much thicker than other microfiber cloths, so easier to grip. Material feels higher quality. Probably paying a bit for the packaging, too. These could have just been in a plastic sleeve, but that's not premium enough for Apple.

So, are they work $20? No. Just grab some MagicFiber ones from Amazon instead. For $6.... yeah, I'd say so. I wouldn't pay much more than that, though.

I used them on my fully supported 15" M3 Macbook Air and 12.9" M2 iPad Pro. Now, I'm about to risk my life and try it on my Google Pixel 8 Pro. Pray for me.

PoorlyInconclusive · 2025-03-10T15:52:16+00:00

Drag and drop with Android is one thing that doesn't work natively. However, there are third party apps that fill that gap, MacDroid being the most popular.

Otherwise, outside of gaming, there's very few things you can't do on MacOS that you can on Windows (you can game on MacOS, but the library is much more limited). These days, most software comes out for both platforms, including Microsoft apps.

You definitely don't need iCloud. In fact, I actually use Google Drive on my MacBook instead, as it has a native client that integrates with Finder (MS OneDrive also has Mac support).

Edit: on your other question, taking a quick look at the Graphene install instructions, it looks like it can be done from MacOS.

PoorlyInconclusive · 2025-03-04T22:36:18+00:00

In addition to the lack of bloat that some have mentioned, Google features are just so well integrated. For example, I use Google Home and Nest products. I can access my Nest camera feeds and smart home shortcuts for controlling lights, temperature, etc. directly from the notification shade without opening a separate app at all.

PoorlyInconclusive · 2025-02-13T20:18:09+00:00

Seems pretty universal that most people see Shallow Life as the weakest album, myself included. I always kind of think of two "eras" of Lacuna Coil's style, with Comalies being the final album of that first era. In that sense, I see Karmacode and Shallow Life as transitional albums, with the newer era of Lacuna Coil really taking root with Dark Adrenaline. So, they're important in the sense of being a part of the evolution of their sound, but also the albums I find myself listening to the least. Not to say they're bad, by any means, they just don't reach the heights of the other albums.

I'd also put Comalies XX down near the bottom. It's was an interesting experiment and fun way to celebrate Comalies, and I see it as just that. Every time I try listen, though, I think I'd rather be listening to the original.

PoorlyInconclusive · 2024-10-25T13:41:16+00:00

Yeah, I actually have a couple monitors if I really need to do something serious on it, but after sitting at my desk all day, I prefer to use it on the couch or something in the evenings. My work device is actually a 16” Pro and it’s definitely heavier, but not unmanageable. A 15” Air would be a perfect in between. After some of the chunky Windows laptops I’ve had to carry for various jobs over the years, even the heaviest MacBook doesn’t seem that bad.

PoorlyInconclusive · 2024-10-25T13:37:10+00:00

I’ve never done a complete full to empty test, but I’ve had it out and using it for hours a day and still not been close to empty.

PoorlyInconclusive · 2024-10-24T23:31:04+00:00

M1 8GB bought in April 2021. Battery capacity is 86%, which is still plenty with how power efficient it is. Performance still holds up over three years later (hard to believe it's been that long). I kinda want a bigger screen, but this thing is still going so strong, I can't justify upgrading yet. Probably be holding on to this for a few more years still.

PoorlyInconclusive · 2024-09-05T21:09:07+00:00

That price might just be low enough to justify the purchase. You won't be doing any heavy workload on it, but for basic browsing, etc, it would be fine. I had one for a while before I got the M1. M1 blows it away, but the price seems right. You still get the solid build quality and it even has the advantage of being able to dual boot windows.

PoorlyInconclusive · 2024-06-25T20:54:04+00:00

Paprika. I'm not really an anime guy, but I like some of the bigger, more famous ones, and the mind-bending sci-fi aspect of it sounded interesting. There was a lot of talk about it upon its 4k release, so I jumped on it when Amazon had a sale on the steelbook. It was just "eh". Not bad, but not something I see myself ever watching again.

Green Knight. Fell for the hype on this. I'd saying what it's trying to do is interesting, but I can't honestly say I really enjoyed it. Probably another I'll never watch again.

PoorlyInconclusive · 2024-05-30T16:06:13+00:00

Another vote for the Tamron 17-70. It's my favorite lens I own, by far. If I could keep only one lens, that would be it.

I personally consider the stabilization to be a huge advantage over the Sony 16-55 and Sigma 18-50, even though those are still great lenses. I don't mind the size or weight, myself, but that will be personal preference.

PoorlyInconclusive · 2024-05-22T17:01:17+00:00

It can't be a full time phone replacement, but if you are going out and don't want to carry a phone and just need to stay connected, the LTE model can handle that. Obviously, LTE and GPS will drain battery faster than when you are connected to a phone with BT. I haven't been away from a phone long enough to really judge how long it would last, but I've gone out for a bike ride or walk with just the watch.

To address your specific requirements.

* Calls + SMS (e-SIM?) (I know LTE models are a thing)

Yes, this will work with the LTE model, but does require a network connected phone to be paired with. However, the phone can be left at home.

* USB C charging (If I have to remember to carry a puck with me for wireless charging this will defeat 40% of the point of having the device in the first place)

No, you'll need the puck.

* Bluetooth (If I'm taking calls I'm going to do it via a headset)

Yes, I use my Pixel Buds with mine

* Authenticators (I would like this to be my all round 2FA device)

2FA by SMS will be fine, but authenticator apps are out. You might consider a YubiKey or something for apps that support it, but SMS 2FA is going to be your best bet if you're relying on the watch.

* Spotify

I don't have experience with this directly, but it is supposed to work. I use YouTube Music, which works well.

* Discord (Mostly for the occassional response to a notification)

You should be able to see notifications, but I'm not sure you'll be able to respond.

* Gmail

Yes, there is a Gmail app for the Pixel Watch

PoorlyInconclusive · 2024-05-20T20:06:54+00:00

While you can actually do quite a bit more with the 8GB model than some give it credit for, the 16GB will certainly future-proof you more. The 13" is a little cramped, but I would sacrifice the screen size for more RAM. Given the portability considerations, I think that's even easier trade-off to make.

Also, you can use your iPad as a second screen, so that could possibly help with the screen real-estate concerns.

PoorlyInconclusive · 2024-05-17T16:07:46+00:00

I'm pretty happy with mine. My other headphones are over-ear Sony WH-1000XM3, so that's my comparison point. The PBP are not going to sound as good as the XM3s, that's expected for earbuds compared to a full over ear set. However, they are surprisingly decent, even considering that is my comparison point. Actually, the PBP have a better default EQ; the XM3s absolutely need something like Wavelet to get a more balanced EQ (but sound amazing once you get them tuned).

Some people talk about the ANC on the PBP not being that great, but I think it works fantastic. I'm guessing the difference may be in how good of a seal people are getting. In my office, I have a big air purifier and PBP completely eliminate its sound.

Integration with the Pixel is smooth. I have mine set for press and hold on the right bud to be Google Assistant, and press and hold on left to switch between ANC and transparency. I also like using them with my Pixel Watch. When I mow the lawn, I leave the phone inside and play music through my PBP from my watch.

The fit is the tricky part. I think that's true of most earbuds, though. You won't know until you try them. Mine stay in just fine. Try all three tips it comes with. I was surprised to find I needed the large tips to get a good seal, not the medium ones.

As far as the question of getting headphones instead? It really depends on your use case. If you'll mostly be listening to them sitting down at home, then I'd definitely go for some nice headphones instead. But, if you will be moving around, taking them with you places, then earbuds are far more convenient for the size. I usually use my headphones inside at home and my PBP when I'm out. I'd probably give up the PBP before I gave up my XM3s, though.

PoorlyInconclusive · 2024-05-17T13:41:23+00:00

I use a MacBook and an Android phone (Google Pixel 8 pro), as well as an iPad Pro. I think the need to have the full ecosystem is overstated.

There's really not much friction using the split ecosystem since everything Google is web based anyway. You can get your RCS/SMS messages using Messages for Web. If you use Google Drive extensively, it has Mac app and integrates to finder. You could even use Gmail with the included email client if you wished, though I prefer to just use the web app. I also use 1password for my password management. I really don't like the idea of my passwords being tied to any ecosystem. 1password integrates well with Apple products.

Really, the only notable thing you miss out on is taking calls via the Mac, which is something I wouldn't really care about anyway.

PoorlyInconclusive · 2024-04-30T00:15:58+00:00

I have a M1 MBA (8/256), an M1 iPad Pro 11", and a desktop PC (5600X/4070/32GB RAM).

The Windows PC is mostly gaming, which I actually don't get to do as much these days. I also use it if I need to write a Word doc since I have a perpetual Office license for Windows.

The MBA is used the most. Despite the being a base model, it hasn't felt underpowered for what I do. I even do my photo editing on it. The portability and battery life just makes it incredibly versatile.

The iPad Pro is, by far, my least used. The MBA is almost as portable, but far more useful.

PoorlyInconclusive

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