Google, what are you so afraid with the Pixel 10?

When I configured my Pixel 10 for the first time, I quickly realized that Google did not even want me to use the phone as much as possible. So many features were limited by default that I really wondered if I had improved at all, or if I was still on my old pixel.

All display panels, YouTube advertisements and cheeky clips blowing on the iPhone scream on the fancy features that Google has packed in its latest phones. But when you really start using one, you find that many of these features are disabled out of the box.

The biggest shock came when I pulled the Pixel 10 for the first time. I came from a 6a pixel, and moving to the new pixel did not really look like a big upgrade. Of course, he had imported my wallpaper, my theme color and my disposition from the home screen to make them similar, but something was still felt.

Playing with the phone was not fluid – it was as shocking as the 6A Pixel. Then he clicked: the screen was defined to update at 60 Hz, as a three -year budgetary pixel. Of course, you can climb it up to 120 Hz with a rocking, but why even offer a lower first impression? This low refreshment rate made the phone cheap, and for a while, I wondered if it was even worth upgraded.

Even on Pro models, where displays support a higher resolution, the default value is 1080p. This has been practicing industry for years, but it still stings. And although PRO displays the management of higher refresh rates and even AOD screen funds, pro-exclusive, these are not activated by default either.

See the default phone at 60 Hz upset me the most. I felt like Google forced an experience below my throat, despite the payment of a flagship quality device. It was then that I went to dig for more disparities and what I found made me even crazier.

Another big discomfort was that the load was capped 80% by default. I only noticed when the Pixel 10 refused to exceed 80% even after the hours on the charger. Digging in the settings confirmed it: Google had decided to me that my phone should not last a full day at its full capacity.

In addition to this, the Google battery health assistant – which limits the maximum load level after a defined number of cycles – is now activated by default on all pixels, and it cannot be deactivated. I spotted these quirks because I was looking for them. Most users do not and do not.

And that’s the problem. People like you and I stay up to date on Pixel Quirks and know where to look for hidden options. But think of your parents to modernize their aging Galaxy S7 in a carrier store or someone who does not care about the specifications. Most people just use the phone as it comes. They will never know the experience that they lack because of these default values.

Google can have its reasons for these decisions, but it is the secret and the lack of consent which are the most worrying.

Unless you live under a rock, you know that the pixels – especially the A series – had serious problems of battery degradation, some even taking fire. This is why Google had to deploy emergency fixes, limit loads and offer free battery replacements.

This is also why Google has now activated Battery Health Assistant by default on all pixels, not only in series A. And it is understandable – no one wants that his phone takes fire to the bedside table. But because of this story, Google is very prudent. Look carefully and you will notice that most default restrictions are related to the battery.

The load limit of 80% improves longevity by reducing the time spent at 100%, thus reducing the daily load on the battery unit. A lower resolution, a lower refresh rate and no AOD wallpapers are all added to express a little more life between the charges. And since pixels have never been marathon runners in the battery life, everything helps.

But all of this points to one thing: Google’s inability to get a respectable screen time from its batteries. Instead of solving the front problem, it uses the restriction of functionality with a high battery impact to maintain the artificial perception of 10 duration pixel phones. Unless Google has another explanation, I stick to this very plausible theory.

Battery problems are not apologies to limit a flagship phone in a way that most buyers will not even notice – especially if it’s just for the battery to seem better. It looks like deception, and Google has work to do to change this sick image.

The solution is not the science of rockets. Ask for user consent during the configuration itself, so that people are not blind when their phone stops 80%. Or put these parameters in the persistent post-settup notification so that users know at least what compromises have been made on behalf.

And perhaps, just perhaps, solve the root problem: source of better batteries. Talk to Tim Cook if you have to, because iPhones do not seem to prey with battery collapses in recent memory. Or call to your best friend Samsung and ask what lessons they learned from Fiasco Galaxy Note 7 – Internet has still not let them forget.

Simply intensify your phone game, Google, instead of expecting your users to be satisfied with a phone that cannot be used at its full potential.