Time to leave the Pixel family?
My smartphones have gone like so: Samsung, Samsung, Motorola, Pixel, Pixel, Pixel.
My first pixel (3a) was great except when I broke the screen and it was difficult to find someone to repair it. My second pixel (4a) was also great up until the charging port stopped working suddenly and it made more sense to trade in for a new phone rather than repair it.
My third and current pixel (8) has not been great. In less than a year of ownership, it started showing this strange line on the screen. Turns out it was a known issue because they did not ground their devices properly. I was able to get a replacement and send the phone back to them. Now the camera is having focus issues. I tried all the recommendations (cleaning, uninstalling updates, resetting, etc.) and nothing works. I see other people have had the same issue, but support is being annoying about a replacement.
I've had the 8 (well, two of them) for over two years total, so it's not totally unreasonable to move on. I like the simplicity of the Pixel line, but I think Google is not prioritizing hardware. And Pixels are not as cheap as they once were.
I can upgrade to an S25 basically for free through Verizon. Should I do it? Is my feeling about Pixel going downhill correct? Anything else I should consider?