The grass is greener on the other side: I'm dropping my Pixel 6 Pro for the iPhone

When I switched from the Pixel 2 XL to the iPhone 11 Pro Max a few years ago, I felt stifled and closed in by iOS. And when I saw the AI features introduced with the Pixel 6 series unveiling in 2021 such as Magic Eraser and Hold for Me, I was ready to jump to the Pixel 6 Pro. So I did. Since it had been a few months after the original release date, I missed out on some of the issues...at first. Occasionally, there were moments when I needed to urgently make a call only to see that there was no cellular connectivity.

When I first received the Pixel 6 Pro, the fingerprint sensor was working fine. But eventually, there were moments when I ended up having to use my passcode to unlock the device. Another problem was the poor battery life on the phone which forced me to charge up in the middle of the day. And while I was using my Pixel 6 Pro, my iPhone was hooked up to Wi-Fi for work-related reasons and soon I realized that I was reaching for that device more and more.

Some of the Pixel features were helpful, to be sure. But while I activated Hold for Me often, it occurred to me that I hadn't used the Magic Eraser in some time. And I mentioned this the last time I wrote about switching to iOS, but I'm one of those rare individuals who prefer the iPhone's notification system to Android's. And the "grass is greener on the other side" syndrome started to sink in. 

When Apple showed off some of the new features for iOS 17, I was intrigued by StandBy, which turns an iPhone into a smart display while charging in landscape mode. Other iOS 17 improvements that I liked include the improvements to autocorrect and the check-in feature that notifies your friends and family members when you have arrived safely at your destination.

My ultimate plan is to buy the iPhone 15 Pro Max when it is released later this year. But as a test, I used a two-week free trial from Verizon's digital Visible offering and forwarded incoming calls from my Pixel 6 Pro to the iPhone (by the way, if your cellular network offers this, you can forward calls by going to your current phone's dialer and tapping on *72 and the number of the phone you want to receive the calls. To disable this, tap *73)

During the two-week trial, I confirmed to myself that I enjoyed using the iPhone more than the Pixel 6 Pro. And while I wait for September, the battery on my iPhone 11 Pro Max, as degraded as it is after a few years of usage, is still an improvement over the Pixel 6 Pro. For the photos I take (mostly of my dogs), the iPhone 11 Pro Max does a superb job. Until I buy the iPhone 15 Pro Max, I'll miss 5G connectivity, the 120Hz refresh rate, and the always-on screen. But to me, this feels like I'm doing the right thing. Your mileage may vary.

For the record, a vast majority of my daily drivers over the years have been Android phones. I did buy the original iPhone in 2007, the BlackBerry Storm in 2008, and the Motorola DROID in 2009. After that, the list (which is not inclusive) includes the Droid 3 and Droid 4, the Droid DNA, HTC One (M8), the Moto Z4 Force and more.

There is a warning, a caveat if you prefer. I'm keeping my Pixel 6 Pro on Wi-Fi and if the "grass is always greener" syndrome starts up again, you might find me deactivating my iPhone and activating my Pixel. But for now, I boldly step back into the world of iOS and strap on my Apple Watch.