I imported a Pixel 7 Pro three years ago, and I'm not making that mistake again

Android Authority

4 hours ago

Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
I absolutely love great camera phones, and I've bought my fair share of them over the years. This includes the Lumia 1020, Lumia 950, and the HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro. So I couldn't resist buying the Google Pixel 7 Pro on a work trip to the US back in 2022.
Google's phone stood out to me at the time thanks to its polished camera system, including a 48MP 5x periscope camera and great 10x cropped zoom. I was also pleased to see some cool software features and a long-term update policy. I was well aware at the time that there were downsides to importing a Pixel. But now that the Pixel 10 series is on the horizon, I've decided that I'm definitely not importing a Pixel again.
When my smartphone isn't even a phone
Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
My biggest problem with my imported Pixel phone is that Google doesn't support VoLTE in markets where Pixel phones aren't sold. There are workarounds, but these often need to be repeated after system updates and are generally only feasible for tech-savvy consumers. And this applies to more recent models like the Pixel 9 series too.
This is a major issue because it quite literally means that my smartphone will no longer be a phone. Traditional phone calls have long been routed over legacy infrastructure like 3G, but carriers around the world are shutting down their 3G networks. People are still able to make traditional phone calls thanks to VoLTE, which routes calls over LTE infrastructure. But Pixel phones lack this feature in many unsupported countries, which means I won't be able to make or receive conventional calls when 3G networks are eventually shuttered here.
The biggest problem with using an imported Pixel is that you'll likely lose the ability to make phone calls.
One alternative solution in some situations is to use Wi-Fi calling, which allows me to make traditional phone calls over Wi-Fi. But guess what? Pixel phones don't support Wi-Fi calling in markets where they aren't sold, either. I'll need to perform similar workarounds to get it running on my device.
To be fair to Google, this isn't just a Pixel problem. People have previously had VoLTE issues with brands like OnePlus over the years, and I can confirm that my ancient OnePlus 6 doesn't show VoLTE options at all when I pop either of my SIMs in it. However, I've also used plenty of phone models that haven't launched here, albeit from brands with a local presence of some kind. And all of these phones offered LTE. This also comes after the GSMA and Samsung announced an initiative to broadly enable VoLTE by default on Galaxy phones.
Missing software features continue to be a blight
Google
I was well aware when buying my Pixel 7 Pro that some software features wouldn't be available in markets where Pixels aren't sold. That means no fancy calling features and no car crash detection functionality. In other words, I'm effectively paying more for less. I had made peace with this fact. Or I thought I did.
Fast-forward a few years, and I feel like these absent features on past and present Pixels are more glaring when rival companies like Samsung have their own exclusive features that are broadly available. Recent Galaxy flagship phones offer great call-related tools like Bixby Text Call, live call translation, call recording with transcripts, and call summaries. These phones also offer other cool features previously seen on Pixels, like a voice recorder app with offline transcription, Audio Eraser, and Best Face. That's in addition to neat additions in general like custom camera filters, the Good Lock suite of apps, and a toggle to block cloud processing for AI features.
These developments lead me to ask, well, if Samsung can offer plenty of features worldwide, why not Google? Best of all, Samsung actually matches Google by offering seven years of updates for its high-end phones. And companies like HONOR, Xiaomi, and OnePlus have also stepped up on the update front.
The pros don't outweigh the cons anymore
Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority
My expectations were low when I imported a Pixel phone almost three years ago. I knew that I would be missing 5G and some software features, and I braced myself for dropped coverage due to network band issues. I thought these downsides were worth the world-class cameras and years of brisk updates. And I have been mostly happy with my purchase.
Unfortunately, the fact that my Pixel 7 Pro (and other Pixels used in unsupported markets) will no longer be a phone is the straw that broke the camel's back in my case, and I expect this to be an issue with future Pixel models too. It also doesn't help that rival manufacturers have matched or surpassed Google as far as software features, camera quality, and updates are concerned. Throw in glacial charging speeds and occasional heating issues, and I'm not importing a Pixel phone anytime soon. And with stiff competition from Samsung, HONOR, and others, there's no shortage of alternatives instead.