I'm currently on the market for a new phone and I see stores selling a Pixel 8 for $500.
It's on the higher end of what I want to pay, but I see it has extended support over the Pixel 7.
I also see the Pixel 8a is $400, which is a nicer price for me, but since my plan is to use the phone long term, I figure the mainline model has sturdier build quality. There is also the upcoming Pixel 9a for $500, if I'm willing to wait and get the cheaper model branch but with the most modern features.
Can someone with experience using these phones help me pick something? I've never owned a pixel and looking online it seems like they each have their own issues to contend with. But I like the custom rom support I see for these phones that would give it a far extended lifetime over most other brands out there.
EDIT (Dec24):
Thank you everyone for your opinions. I saw the support for the Pixel 7 and decided to buy one on swappa over the Pixel 8. And since support for the pixel 7 ends in less than 3 years, I'll probably install GrapheneOS right off the bat. I also did research on Sub-6 vs mmWave as I saw both models were offered and decided on Sub-6 as the more practical technology. Looking forward to this.
I work a full time job, but I don't have responsibilities like children, so I have way more free time to play games.
I'm currently playing, Kingdom Hearts 2 and Bug Fables, alongside some friends so we can talk about it together.
With my partner, I'm playing, I was a Teenage Exocolonist, discussing our choices and how our game diverged.
I'm also playing solo: Octopath Traveler 2 and Lies of P.
I'm basically hopping around the various games constantly. I'll play one chapter of Bug Fables, then hop over to Lies of P and clear an area and defeat the boss, then jump over to Octopath Traveler 2 to clear a chapter or two from some characters.