October saw the release of two next-generation smartphones: Apple’s iPhone 15 and Google’s Pixel 8.
Almost as soon as the iPhone 15 and Pixel 8 dropped, though, complaints about both smartphones began to pile up. Overheating devices, battery problems, and a plethora of other issues have been reported across social media and on each company’s respective fan sites and official support forums.
However, for the most part, the problems aren’t with the iPhone 15 and Pixel 8. Consumers shouldn’t beware. Prospective buyers should just wait a bit. There’s no need to be an early adopter –– and we warned you about this when we recommended that you wait until next year before purchasing the iPhone 15.
iPhone 15’s easy overheating fix
The overheating issue was perhaps the most prevalent problem facing the iPhone 15 immediately following its release last month. Some users were saying that they couldn’t even pick the phone up as it would get too hot. And this would occur when the phone was being used for simple web browsing –– or when the phone was charging and not being utilized at all.
Apple responded to the issue and let users know that it identified the issues: Some apps had yet to roll out an update, optimizing for the new phone. Also, there was an iOS bug that was affecting the iPhone 15, too. Those apps rolled out updates and Apple launched a new version of iOS 17 that rectified the issue. Tests found that the issue was solved and the iPhone 15 was now running much cooler. In addition, the solution didn’t hinder the device’s performance either.
If you were to buy an iPhone 15 today, weeks after launch, you likely wouldn’t even have known there was an overheating problem for Apple’s latest flagship smartphones.
It’s the software
It’s important to note that the iPhone 15 and Pixel 8 have suffered from software issues –– not hardware ones. If there was something wrong with the physical phones at a design or manufacturing level, that would likely need to be addressed via a recall of the actual devices.
But we have not seen that yet. As previously mentioned, Apple rolled out an iOS update to deal with the overheating issue. The company also managed to fix an out-of-the-box setup bug that some buyers at launch experienced with an iOS update as well.
When it comes to Google’s Pixel 8, it also appears that the latest operating system, Android 14, is the cause of these issues as well. Users of older Pixel model phones have reported bugs since updating last month. But similar issues also plagued the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 years before and were fixed via a software update.
Fixes rolled out or on the way
For Pixel 8 users, the current biggest problem appears to be connectivity issues. Owners of the latest Google smartphone have reported that the phone acts fine while connecting via WiFi, but drops calls –– or completely loses service –– when on a cellular connection.
Another major issue for Pixel 8 users is battery drain. The Pixel 8 is reportedly losing a lot of juice after very little use. But, as previously mentioned and pointed out by other outlets, Pixel users have been here before. Previous-generation Pixels have had the same issues; most bugs were fixed via software or firmware updates.
Being an early adopter has its perks. You get to be one of the first on your block to show off the latest gadget. But it has its perils as well. You must deal with being a test subject, dealing with all the bugs that get fixed before the masses adopt the device.
So yeah, you should beware of the issues with the iPhone 15 and Pixel 8, but most of all, be patient. They will be fixed.
