We typically like Pixel phones a lot, but we have some reservations about Google's quality control
I sometimes wonder how much Pixel hype is just inertia from when other manufacturers had terrible skins and Pixel was the only way for most to get a stock android experience.
Nowadays third party software has come a long way and from what I can see the pixel's main selling point is it's cameras.
My Motorola Edge 30 is fantastic and the best phone I've ever had. I think the massive focus on Samsung and Pixel phones are paid and bought for by ad companies.
Motorola seems to be back on track. I didn't get the G84 because the CPU seems a bit slow, and I don't like the curved screens from the Edge models, but it's definitely on my radar for their next models.
I love that it's default android and no crap installed. And it has fantastic battery time. I can easily see myself keeping this phone for a long time and maybe later put Lineage on it just to get rid of Googles tracking.
Also super pleased with my Sony, after years of Samsung. Unbloated, battery lasts, good settings in all the right places.
It's interesting, it's because of such articles and comments about the various issues (mostly battery life, and sometimes connectivity) that I didn't consider Pixel for my new phone.
It's sad because they are supposed to be the Android top devices. Motorola seems decent nowadays, Asus Zenfone got a lot of backlash recently about the locked bootloader, but at least their phones are compact and have audio jacks. Even Xiaomi I could consider with DNS blocking to stop the trackers, their quality-price ratio is quite good, especially second hand.