re: Google Pixel Phones.... Why are they so bad?

Every Google phone has had hardware issues since the Nexus days. I like the concept of having a phone straight from Google, but their hardware is arse both in quality and design.

Take the Pixel 2 as an example. When that phone came out, every manufacturer was trying to ditch bezels on their expensive flagship phones. The Pixel 2 went the other direction and actually got bigger bezels than the old Nexus 5 and 5x. The phone looked antiqued right out of the box when compared to the Galaxy s8 or iPhone X. It also suffered from a number of pesky issues that went relatively unaddressed (like the blue screen tint).

The only reason to buy a pixel phone today is if you NEED Android updates as soon as possible. Other than that, almost every manufacturer has better and more dependable hardware than Google.