The Google Pixel and the Pixel XL mark a turning point for Google. Not only are they the first smartphones to be genuinely marketed as ‘made by Google’ products, but they showcase what Google expects from Android manufacturers at every level of the process, from the software down to the hardware. In short, they are the closest to a Google vision of an Android device as possible. While that was also widely thought to be the case with the Nexus line, the big difference with the Pixels is that Google really is slapping their name on them. They are truly, Google-approved. Of course, that does not mean that they are without their faults and in spite of only being on the market for a limited time, user complaints have been coming through. The camera in particular has drawn a lot of criticism, as some owners have been reporting a ‘halo’ type effect which is present when images are taken. Although, Google quickly came out and said they were hoping to fix this with a software update.
Now it seems another set of user complaints are coming through and these largely relate to LTE connectivity issues. First off, there is no firm confirmation on this from Google directly. That said, what the bulk of the issue seems to stem from is that the Pixel (and the Pixel XL) is having an issue in connecting to the LTE band 4. What’s more is that there seems to be varying reports on this with some users reporting band 4 issues and others not. In the US, this is a band which is somewhat used by the likes of T-Mobile, among others. Although the strength of reports coming through are reportedly coming from North and South America in general. Not the mention, there are some instances of other bands also proving problematic to some users. Although again, the wealth of the complaints seem to fixate on band 4.
As mentioned, the details on this are still quite vague and do seem to be somewhat inconsistent across Pixel owners. So at present there are no real explanations as to why this might be happening or even whether a fix is on the cards or to be expected. In fact, it would seem that if you do own a Pixel or Pixel XL and do make use of LTE band 4, then whether this affects you or not, will be highly individual. Although at the very least, if your device is encountering the issue, then it is probably (somewhat) reassuring to know that it is not just your device. If you are experiencing the issue, then it is also worth knowing that there are a number of Google Support posts currently discussing the issue. In one of those posts in particular, one of the users who is experiencing the problem notes that that a Google Support representative said “Yes, we are aware of the issue and this will be resolved very soon via update.” So it could be the case that an update will roll out and will solve the problem, in due course. Either way, you can check out that particular Pixel support thread by heading through the link below.
Google Product Forums