This time, I wrote a column last year: “If you have a Pixel 4 for Christmas, you should probably return it.” I did not want to write it. Since the Pixel was launched in 2016, I’ve been rooting for Google’s phone. No other company is in such a position to deliver an iPhone-like level of hardware / software integration and an experience that is unsurpassed on any other Android phone.
Unfortunately, Google never completely nailed it. The pieces were all there – flagship processor, fantastic camera, regular Android updates – but the design always left a lot to be desired, the features were gimmicks and the battery was just good enough. On the Pixel 4, the compromises have become too much to bear.
Michael SimonPrevious Pixel phones have never had the right formula.
But things may look up. In 2020, Google switched its strategy with Pixel 4a and 5, and the results were shockingly good. For one, the design was fantastic, with a light frame, slender edges and a textured backing that was not made of glass. But the more interesting moves were in the phone: Google opted for the Snapdragon 765G rather than the 865, and the Pixel did not lose a step. It still feels fast, still delivers the purest Android experience, and still takes better photos than phones that cost hundreds of dollars more. It also opens up the Pixel to a new world of possibilities.
Lower-end, higher-class
The Pixel may have been just a gleam in Google’s eye when Android One was launched in 2014, but the two projects were cut from the same cloth. The vision of Android One was to bring a pure Android experience to lower end phones that were often filled with bloatware. The Pixel phones are basically Android phones. Even with better components and screens, the focus – and selling point – is on software.
Michael Simon / IDGThe Pixel 5 lost its glass back, but charged wirelessly.
However, the emphasis on the software is mainly the reason why the early Pixel phones did not have a big impact. The designs do not match the high cost, especially not compared to Apple and Samsung phone prices with the same price. That’s why the Pixel 3a and 4a performed better in terms of sales: The lower prices just make more sense.
With the Pixel 4a, 4a 5G and 5, Google creates a better balance between the hardware people want and the software they need. With Android One, Google is working closely with phone and silicon chip manufacturers … to build mobile phones that are not only good to use but also affordable, ‘a mantra that found its way into the Pixel series in 2020. It’s more than just a lower price point or slower slide. For the first time in a Google phone, the Pixel 5 only seems to harness the power of Android without worrying about high-end parts and expensive competitors.
The Pixel 6 can take it even further. This year’s lineup was a bit confusing with the $ 499 Pixel 4a 5G and $ 699 Pixel 5, especially since the 4a 5G has a larger screen than the 5. Google has a lot more room to grow now that it’s the Pixel as a means established. equipment arrangement.
It starts with the processor. Although Qualcomm has yet to announce the successor to the 765G that drives the Pixel 4a and 5, there have been rumors that Google is working on its own processor. Axios reported earlier this year that “Google has received its first working versions of the chip” and may be ready by next year. Axios reports that the slide will ‘include hardware optimized for Google’s machine learning technology’, with a part of the slide focusing on ‘improving the performance and the always-on features of Google Assistant’.
QualcommWe’re pretty sure the Pixel 6 can’t be powered by the Snapdragon 888, but it may not have a Qualcomm chip at all.
If Google were to try to compete with Qualcomm’s fast Snapdragon 888, I would be skeptical. But with the Android optimizations that Google is already bringing to its phones, a custom chip designed exclusively for the Pixel 6 can provide an experience similar to Apple’s iPhone. That may just be what the Pixel 6 should stand out in 2021.
A camera that can not be covered
If there is one area where the Pixel has always excelled, it is the camera. While other mobile phone manufacturers added three and four lenses to enhance the photo experience, Google did most of the work on the processing side. Things like Night Sight, Super Res Zoom and Live HDR + compensate for a lack of leading hardware.
Michael Simon / IDGThe camera has always been the best feature of Pixel.
The last two Pixel phones have hit something of an innovation wall. While the Pixel 5 still takes the best photos for a smartphone at any price, there is not much the Pixel 4a cannot do for hundreds less. Granted, the Pixel 5 has an ultra-wide lens, but the overall Pixel camera experience looks set for a breakthrough in 2021.
Google has already proven that it does not need high specifications to deliver a premium camera experience, and the Pixel 6 would be the perfect way to drive that home. Simple changes, such as adding a tele-lens or a better sensor on the main camera, will go a long way in cementing the Pixel as the best smartphone camera. As Google rested a bit on its laurels, other phones closed the gap with improvements in night mode and portrait mode. An increased camera performance in 2021, especially at a lower price point, will help it regain the crown.
Take advantage of Android
Finally there is Android itself. With timely updates, quarterly feature drops, and exclusive and ‘Pixel-first’ features, Google has positioned the Pixel as the greatest Android experience at any price point. The ratio is only going to get tighter with Android 12.
Michael Simon / IDGThe Pixel 5 (left) can offer the same great experience you get on an iPhone.
Aside from features and optimizations, I expect Google to push Pixel’s guaranteed Android updates from three to four or even five years. After Samsung increased its promise to three years in 2020 and Qualcomm announced that it would support four years of updates with the 888 processor, the Pixel should differentiate itself from the package. Years of timely updates are one of the Pixel’s strongest points. The guaranteed updates like on the iPhone will make it the unprecedented champion.
Google’s 2020 Pixel movements were certainly surprising, but I do not think it means that Google is giving up its phone as a more influential in the Android universe. On the contrary: with a few changes in 2021, the Pixel could finally become the phone it was always meant to be.