Google Pixel Preview

Google Pixel Preview

This week, Google announced that it will now design and build its own smartphones alongside a more cohesive family of hardware devices that take better advantage of the firm’s online services. First up, the Google Pixel and Pixel XL handsets.

News that Google has unveiled its “first” smartphones raised some eyebrows, given that the firm previously owned Motorola’s smartphone business and has been selling Nexus devices for six years. But to be fair, Pixel is in fact different.

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For the Microsoft fans in the audience, you might consider Pixel to be roughly analogous to Microsoft’s Surface lineup. That is, Google is designing and making its own phones, and is handling sales, support, and carrier relations. But the devices are of course manufactured by a third party, in this case HTC.

Nexus was more like Microsoft’s Signature PC program, though like all comparisons, it’s not exact. In this case, we saw devices that were designed mostly and built solely by third party hardware makers—though Google had more input on more recent devices—but were sold via Google exclusively (for the most part) and with clean Android images. But you can see the problem: Last year’s Nexus 6P and 5X were (and still are) excellent handsets. But you don’t need to be a design expert to notice that they don’t look alike, don’t present a common familial design.

Worse, the Nexus 6P and 5X likewise bear no resemblance at all to Nexus tablets like the terrible Nexus 9 or the Pixel C, or to Google’s other hardware products, like Chromecast, the OnHub routers, the Nest home automation devices, and so on.

So like Microsoft before, Google has finally given up on the partner strategy—sorry, augmented the partner strategy—and is adopting the Apple playbook. It will design its own hardware products. They will look alike. They will work similarly where possible. They will work well together. And they will offer unique capabilities that are not available to other hardware makers who use Google’s platforms. That last bit is perhaps less controversial than it deserves, but I bet that changes over time.

There are good discussions to be had about this interesting change, and about the other devices that Google announced this week. But here, I’d like to focus on the Pixel.

As is the case with many smartphones these days, the Pixel and its larger Pixel XL sibling, owe a lot to the iPhone. And I’m not just talking about the strategy: Just look at these phones. They look an awful lot like iPhones.

phones

That’s good and bad, though I reject the claim that Google had little choice. Yes, phones will always take on the same basic shape, but as Nokia proved during its brief and disastrous fling with Windows phone, you can still innovate here with the general look and feel, with materials, and with capabilities.

Google is doing none of that. It’s both safe and disappointing.

The basic form factor is an aluminum and glass rounded rectangle, with the same exterior antenna bands we see on iPhone. (They were present on last year’s Nexus 6P as well.) There are 5-inch and 5.5-inch variants, just like iPhone (yes, I know the smaller iPhone is really 4.7-inches; whatever). And there are basic white and black colors, plus something quirky, in this case a limited edition blue color.

Google does of course veer off from Apple in some key areas. On the Pixel, Touch ID—sorry, the Pixel Imprint fingerprint reader—is on the back, not on the front. I like both positions, and each has its pros and cons. Google is retaining the headphone jack, which many will appreciate. There’s no camera bump, as on the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, which many, too, will appreciate. (We’ll have to wait and see on camera quality, of course.) It can fast charge to 7 hours of battery life in just 15 minutes.

charge

And Pixel owners get some unique services. The Pixel is the first phone to feature Android 7.1, the first with Android Assistant built right in. It offers unlimited free storage of full-sized photos in Google Photos, which is a nice perk. These phones will of course work with Project Fi, which I find superior.

The specifications are high-end, though my experiences with Android suggest there will always be some performance issues. The Pixel devices—both are basically identical save screen size—both feature a quad-core 2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 821, 4 GB of RAM, 32 or 128 GB of storage, and a 12.3 MP rear-facing camera and an 8 MP front-facing camera. The Pixel XL has a 5.5-inch AMOLED display running at 2560 x 1440, whereas the 5-inch Pixel features a 1080p AMOLED display.

There are things Google never mentioned. That camera, which it describes as the best smartphone camera ever, inexplicably does not include optical image processing or any kind of optical zoom. The storage is not expandable. And there is only a single mono speaker (where the Nexus 6P had stereo speakers).

Worse is the price.

The Nexus 5X started at $380, while its bigger Nexus 6P sibling started at $500. These were reasonable prices.

The Pixel? A base Pixel with 32 GB of storage starts at $650 (!), while a based Pixel XL starts at $770. Choose 128 GB of storage and the price for each jumps by another $100. Those are luxury price tags for devices that, quite frankly, are unproven. Worse, the pricing delta between the Pixel/Pixel XL and their predecessors is simply too great. How on earth is the Pixel worth $270 more than the Nexus 5X?

In the past, I could recommend the Nexus 6P and 5X because you got so much phone for the price. This is no longer the case with the Pixel.

So we’ll see. I’ve preordered a 32 GB Pixel XL so it can go head-to-head with the Apple iPhone 7 Plus I’m currently using. I will keep an open mind, of course. But I have so many questions here. And a nagging feeling that this first generation of Google-built phones may not be as ready for prime time as Google may believe.

 

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Conversation 43 comments

  • 4347

    Premium Member
    05 October, 2016 - 8:19 am

    <p>Despite being ‘Google’ phones, the Pixel looks a lot like other recent HTC phones, which are very Apple-esque. They look fine, but at that price I think I’ll stick with my Nexus 6P for now.</p>

  • 1888

    05 October, 2016 - 8:32 am

    <p>When I moved from Windows Phone last year, I chose the Nexus line because you got a solid phone for a good price that was updated regularly. &nbsp;My plan was to buy a phone every year or so and give my old phone to my wife or one of my kids. &nbsp;Now I have a problem. &nbsp;Yes there are good Android phones for reasonable prices but the updates were really important to me. &nbsp;If I could afford to pay premium prices for my phones, I would have just gone with an iPhone. &nbsp;While I’m not a fan of Apple, with the iPhone you get a solid phone that will get updated regularly for quite a few years. &nbsp;With the Nexus, I got close to the same thing (2 years of updates) for a great price. &nbsp;With Pixel I’m paying a premium price but what am I really getting?</p>

    • 5510

      05 October, 2016 - 1:01 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#18609">In reply to jeffrye:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>I am very confused with your post. You said that you were looking to buy a new Nexus phone every year. Then, why would you then consider purchasing the "expensive" and less innovative iPhone instead of the Pixel, which may be similar in price but going in a clear and innovative direction? The Pixel promises to mirror the same software to hardware marriage that the iPhone enjoys and takes advantage of, but with the added feature of Articial Intelligance, and a digital home life ecosystem. I remember some time ago, rumor had it, that Bill Gates can have music follow him from room to room. With Pixel, Home, Wifi, OnHub Nest, Chromecast, etc….regular people can enjoy something like that too. I am sure Google will make their products and apps be Apple compatible, but it clearly will not be a native solution.</p>

  • 5530

    05 October, 2016 - 8:33 am

    <p>Can anyone explain to me why Google thought skinning their own OS was a good idea?</p>

    • 5486

      05 October, 2016 - 9:10 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#18610">In reply to FalseAgent:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>It’s not a skin as such, just a different launcher. You can change the launcher in Android as you see fit. If you want to go back to the ‘Now’ launcher, I’m sure it will work ok.</p>

      • 5530

        05 October, 2016 - 7:50 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#18645">In reply to ghostrider:</a></em></blockquote>
        <p>but this thing is clearly the successor to the "Now" launcher, and that launcher was already deviating from what would be the stock Android launcher. So what exactly is stock Android anymore when the launcher in AOSP&nbsp;is&nbsp;going to be used by no one?&nbsp;Especially when&nbsp;even Google now seems to be&nbsp;skinning&nbsp;Android?</p>

    • 217

      05 October, 2016 - 9:10 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#18610">In reply to FalseAgent:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>Yeah, it was totally dumb. Not to mention they make the Assistant an "exclusive" yet it exists in Allo and, oh yeah, it’s just Google Search with a couple bells and whistles. Smoke and mirrors galore lol</p>

    • 5234

      05 October, 2016 - 9:17 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#18610">In reply to FalseAgent:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>AOSP is pretty bad. &nbsp;Most OEM’s already know this and skin it appropriately.</p>

  • 1442

    Premium Member
    05 October, 2016 - 8:35 am

    <p>I agree. I don’t see any delta besides processor between this and the 6p, and my 6p works excellently as a backup phone on Fi. My only problems with Fi so far have been in a rural environment, and to be fair, AT&amp;T occasionally will drop calls there too. These phones stumble hard out of the starting gate. How long until we see the sale prices show up?</p>

  • 206

    05 October, 2016 - 8:39 am

    <p>I was interested in the Pixel, and had held off on my iPhone order to see if there was a compelling reason to choose Android over the iPhone. &nbsp;retiring my 950, and honestly, that price is so high, that I don’t believe it offers value over the iPhone any longer. &nbsp;The Nexus 6P did..the Pixel…not so much.</p>

  • 5172

    05 October, 2016 - 8:45 am

    <p>I agree with what Paul has written. &nbsp;I’d add battery into the mix. &nbsp;The 5" Pixel’s in particular seems rather small.</p>

  • 250

    Premium Member
    05 October, 2016 - 8:51 am

    <p>On a cost/benefit basis, the 6P still looks to me like the no-bloatware Android phone to beat. I like new directions and reimagined products, but I’m not sure the Pixels are new enough or reimagined enough to make me reach for my wallet right now. Maybe next year. </p>
    <p>I still prefer a Windows phone, but I can see that feeling fading in the course of the coming year without strong and frequently delivered evidence of Microsoft’s long-term commitment to the platform; I have made about as many excuses for them as I can and still keep a straight face. Android 7 looks like the better replacement option for general use. My iPhone is as useful as it needs to be without a SIM in it, so I don’t think I’ll be replacing that one this year, next year, or even the year after. But a radical shift in mobile design and utility might make me commit to one system or another on the spur of the moment. We’ll see.</p>

  • 5394

    05 October, 2016 - 9:04 am

    <p>Apple should sue. Looks very much like an iPhone with prices to match.</p>

    • 442

      05 October, 2016 - 2:46 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#18641">In reply to glenn8878:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>Yeah, that’s what we need, more frivilous litigation.&nbsp; No.</p>
      <p>There are a lot of phones that look like the iPhone, even some made way before the current iPhone models hit the market.&nbsp; You can cover a "slab" only so many ways.&nbsp; It’s kind of like clothing almost.&nbsp; You can’t copyright clothing because the law states it’s too pedestrian&nbsp;to not copy.&nbsp; Smartphones are getting that way.&nbsp; The only thing you can do to save face is your logo on the back (or front in case of a tshirt…) to keep the lawyers at bay.</p>

  • 217

    05 October, 2016 - 9:06 am

    <p>I sold my Nexus 6 in preparation for yesterday’s event, and I am whoafully disappointed. The leaks were spot on, which was what I afraid would happen. People have pointed out that some Nexus phones were full retail (ballpark) which was true, the Nexus One, Nexus 6 and Nexus 6P were all retail priced handsets, yet only the Nexus One and the 6P stood the test of time and didn’t have any huge corners cut. But even then they were still a lot cheaper than the Pixels.</p>
    <p>But what those same people have missed is that those phones, all of them, were backed and loved and purchased by their hardcore loyal fanbase – I would know, I was one of them. But yesterday turned most of us away, which is fine considering none of them sold well. But targeting iPhone and Premium Samsung customers aren’t going to make them sell well on their own either. Google may not have cut corners in hardware but they made many mistakes here, namely:</p>
    <p>&nbsp;</p>
    <ol>
    <li>Making the Google Assistant an exclusive app for Pixel phones, leaving even Nexus phones in the dust. They cannibalized themselves and thus pissed off a lot of Nexus owners, their only loyal fans.</li>
    <li>Pushing off Android 7.1 for existing Nexus phones to a BETA release by the end of the year. WTF?! Wow, that was awful. Android’s biggest issue is fragmentation and all Google did was add fuel to their own fire.</li>
    <li>They took a rebranded HTC10 with updated components and called it theirs. #MadeByGoogle is an utter lie and&nbsp;disingenuous</li>
    <li>If you’re going to sell the phone for that much then supporting it for only 2 OS updates and 3 years of security updates is not nearly enough.</li>
    <li>Copying the iPhone is everything – design, price, etc – was, in which I agree with Paul, safe. And closes off the exits and ensures a two horse race. So the open platform they’ve promised is officially dead, and thus creating a 2nd walled garden. Thanks Google</li>
    <li>The storage upsell from 32GB to 128GB. There was no reason the 128GB should exist, especially at that price. The 64GB option should have been there, many users have 64GB so no way would they want to downgrade, so they decided to upsell everyone to 128GB and thus adding an extra cost of $129 – that’s an Apple like move. Not cool, and it pissed off many of us. I priced a 128GB Black XL which landed at ~$960 – wow – are you kidding me Google? Screw you.</li>
    <li>They left out premium handset features – OIS, water resistance, wireless charging. At $500-$600 that’s acceptable, but not at that price.</li>
    </ol>

    • 3767

      05 October, 2016 - 12:05 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#18643">In reply to dcdevito:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>I agree with all your points. I’m keeping my 6P. That price has simply got to come down.</p>
      <p>&nbsp;</p>

    • 442

      05 October, 2016 - 2:42 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#18643">In reply to dcdevito:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>I feel I need to add that the current iPhone models of late look a lot like many other phones before them…&nbsp; Let’s all face it, the age of innovation in smartphone looks&nbsp;is over.&nbsp; There’s no other place to go that’s worth the black eye it could give any company&nbsp;trying to vie for your wallet.&nbsp; As long as it’s non-offending, it will sell.&nbsp; That’s all I’d ever ask for, and all anyone truly needs.&nbsp; If you want, or feel you need "bling" on your smartphone, buy a case.&nbsp; Most smart folks use cases anyway, so most don’t give a rat what it really looks like.</p>

  • 325

    05 October, 2016 - 9:09 am

    <p>Totally agree. &nbsp;I understand that a "premium" phone from Google would carry a higher price tag, but I just can’t justify the cost for this phone. &nbsp;I ordered a "new" Moto X Pure yesterday evening as a replacement to my Nexus 5.</p>

  • 217

    05 October, 2016 - 9:11 am

    <p>I’ll conclude my rant by saying I ordered a OnePlus 3.&nbsp;</p>

    • 241

      05 October, 2016 - 1:01 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#18647">In reply to dcdevito:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>I am thinking in the same direction as well.&nbsp; Looking for a great Android phone (went back to my 950XL after a subpar Android phone experience) and was thining the Pixel XL would be it.</p>

    • 2611

      Premium Member
      05 October, 2016 - 1:43 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#18647">In reply to dcdevito:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>My OP3 has gotten me through WP withdrawal.&nbsp; Paul should review one of the growing number of $400 high spec android phones.</p>

    • 728

      05 October, 2016 - 3:33 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#18647">In reply to dcdevito:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>I am content with my OnePlus One. I see no justification for replacing it, or spending more than $400 on a replacement.</p>

  • 5234

    05 October, 2016 - 9:11 am

    <p>"How on earth is the Pixel worth $270 more than the Nexus 5X?"</p>
    <p>Daydream support.</p>
    <p>Double the RAM.</p>
    <p>Double the storage.</p>
    <p>A better camera.</p>
    <p>More cables in the box.</p>
    <p>Faster charging.</p>
    <p>A faster processor (AND GPU).</p>
    <p>Subsidized cloud storage.</p>
    <p>&nbsp;</p>
    <p>….</p>
    <p>&nbsp;</p>
    <p>Did I miss anything?</p>

    • 2611

      Premium Member
      05 October, 2016 - 1:57 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#18648">In reply to Waethorn:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>Or a better 2016 comparison would be how does it justify $250 over a OnePlus 3?</p>
      <p>Daydream support</p>
      <p>2/3 the ram</p>
      <p>1/2 the storage</p>
      <p>Camera – no OIS</p>
      <p>Bump on processor</p>
      <p>Subsidized cloud storage</p>
      <p>Consistent google OS updates</p>
      <p>…so $250?&nbsp; Perhaps to some, but not me.</p>

      • 370

        Premium Member
        05 October, 2016 - 5:55 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#18821">In reply to ben55124:</a></em></blockquote>
        <p>Waethorn, think he is correct in&nbsp;lots of his comments, but, im agreeing with you…priced me out for what you get, a OnePlus3 is better deal. Im sure glad I won’t be in the market for a new phone for awhile.</p>
        <p>&nbsp;</p>

  • 5486

    05 October, 2016 - 9:14 am

    <p>Ok, hands up who thinks the Pixel’s look like really good phones, and would make a good upgrade from a Nexus, but what was Google thinking with those prices? Really, did they think to compete with the iPhone they need to charge the same? Did they so want iPhone owners to migrate to Android, they’d make a phone that also looks *too* similar?</p>
    <p>Google, just keep the Nexus line going as your mid-range product. Keep the Pixels for ‘money no object’ purchases. It’s not rocket science.</p>

  • 5592

    05 October, 2016 - 9:44 am

    <p>Of course, Apple doesn’t offer any optical zoom either. (See, I <em>can</em> defend Google)</p>
    <p>&nbsp;</p>

    • 5234

      05 October, 2016 - 11:06 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#18669">In reply to MikeGalos:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>Is there any smartphone that does?</p>

    • 5539

      05 October, 2016 - 1:39 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#18669">In reply to MikeGalos:</a>&nbsp;Sure they do. Just in one big discrete step ;)</em></blockquote>
      <p>&nbsp;</p>

  • 1341

    Premium Member
    05 October, 2016 - 10:13 am

    <p>I don’t think it’s a great value that’s for sure. The real question is if and how quickly it drops in price like other Android phones do. &nbsp;The 6P was a decent enough deal to buy at launch, even though better deals came later. &nbsp;But there is no compelling reason to get one of these right now unless you just really need a new phone, and until Google can prove it’s support will out strip Apple, paying the same price for their phones is a hard pill to swallow. &nbsp;For now I will ride my 6P.&nbsp;</p>

  • 1792

    05 October, 2016 - 11:54 am

    <p>Free unlimited storage for photos and videos. I wonder if anyone else could have thought of that to promote their mobile offerings……</p>
    <p>Oh yes – Amazon photos for prime members.</p>
    <p>&nbsp;</p>

  • 471

    05 October, 2016 - 12:53 pm

    <p>HOW MUCH??</p>
    <p>Personally, I’m waiting for a Yahoo-branded phone. Wi-fi supplied free by the NSA as standard.&nbsp;</p>

    • 370

      Premium Member
      05 October, 2016 - 5:47 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#18783">In reply to stillfurther:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>LOL ? </p>

  • 5510

    05 October, 2016 - 1:00 pm

    <p>The reason why Google has set the price to what it is, is because they believe they’re product is at least comparable to the iPhone and better. The "better" would be The Assistant, which is the enhanced version of Google Now. As for the camera, it technically doesn’t have OIS, but did anyone see the demo of the Pixel being used as a camera? It was as if OIS was being used, so Google must be using some kind of magic trick to get the job done.</p>
    <p>So far, all the initial hands on reviews of the Pixel has been quite good. The responsiveness, the feel, and the look have all been met with positive remarks. However, what puts this phone, over the top, and this is Google’s selling point, is The Assistant. Google Now has always been far superior to Siri and Cortana, but the Assistant now makes all of them, including Google Now, antiquated. If these personal assistants were all going to school, Siri and Cortana would be kindergarteners, Google Now would be in the 1st grade, and Google Assistant would be in the 3rd grade. The demos prove that, with the Pixel’s ability to learn fast talking language and give the desired output. I think that, plus the promised quality of the Pixel makes the price worth it.</p>
    <p>If paul is going to review this phone, I hope he stacks his findings alongside other reviewers who are more educated than him, when it comes to Android phones. The fact is, Paul has a bias and he’s too Microsoft-centric. After all, this is a guy who thinks for a computer to be useful, it needs a file system…which is ludicrous. After all, he’s not exactly an expert in real life useability and practicality. That’s why his analysis with non-Microsoft stuff is almost always wrong.</p>
    <p>All in all, I think Google is throwing one stone with the goal of hitting two birds. The goal is not just to aim at Apple, but really to knockout Samsung. Samsung has proven that people will spend $700-$1000 on their smartphone. People who know anything about the Google/Samsung relationship, know that it’s not the best of partnership. I am hoping Samsung will ditch Android and go with Tizen, because the market really needs another OS, being that Windows Phone is on life support.</p>

  • 442

    05 October, 2016 - 2:38 pm

    <p>If these things were the right price, I’d be in like Flint.&nbsp; But, sorry, not at that price.&nbsp; Especially as Paul states "unproven".</p>

  • 473

    05 October, 2016 - 5:19 pm

    <p>The price is ridiculous!</p>

  • 412

    Premium Member
    05 October, 2016 - 5:33 pm

    <p>I’m usually slow to react to news stories but if the Note 7 that burned today was indeed a replacement (Sorry but I don’t buy that the Verge already has pictures of this persons box), I may ditch mine for the Pixel XL.</p>

  • 6019

    06 October, 2016 - 12:07 am

    <p>I was seriously condering getting one, until I saw the starting price in Australia – $1079 AUD ($820 USD). Bloody ridiculous!</p>

  • 1454

    Premium Member
    06 October, 2016 - 4:55 am

    <p>No expanded storage via SD card is the reason I didn’t buy the Nexus and why this Pixel is a no show for me. I want my music and haven’t found a cloud solution that is reliable with a large volume. If I’m on the go (on average 4 hours each day), I gotta have my music. Why is it, that this is not an option that these premium phones can’t have.&nbsp;</p>

  • 5485

    06 October, 2016 - 5:37 am

    <p>The most important aspec&nbsp;of this launch is not the Pixel, but all set of devices around Google Assistant.</p>
    <p>If you want to play the AI game for real not just for show off you need "sensors" out there. Unlike MS, that thinks it does not need those. MS thinks that businesses will give them the data to do so with Azure while creating a smoke screen around the Security mantra.&nbsp;</p>
    <p>Apple with this launch met its Nemesis. Again, not because of Pixel alone, but because for the first time it has a competitor that is willing to playball as they do and more, while&nbsp;having the resources and the brand to do it. Not only that, Google has stronger AI tech as of now, and had a Cloud Platform for developers to use.</p>
    <p>In terms of pricing sure Pixel is expensive. But I bet we will have medium range Pixel phones next year. But what is not that expensive are the other Google Assistant based devices.</p>
    <p>Windows on the other hand is becoming more and more isolated from a interop perspective.</p>

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