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So Google has decided to dump the Nexus brand and put their own name front and center on their phones. They're going to officially announce their new Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL phones next Tuesday. Okay, good for them. But from what we know of these phones, they're not all that impressive and not likely to make the huge splash that Google wants to make. Google seems to want to eventually compete with Apple and Samsung on equal terms. They're going to try doing so with two phones that aren't waterproof and don't have any specs that mark it as groundbreaking or innovative.
I think the first mistake was giving HTC the job in the first place. Google owned Motorola for awhile there. They have everything they need to fast-forward to making their own phones. The HTC 10 has 4GB of RAM, a 12MP primary camera, is IP53 dust resistant and not waterproof at all, etc. ... so guess what the Pixel will be getting? Guess what the Pixel will physically look like? It's basically an HTC 10 with a Google Pixel sticker on it. The standard Pixel will be a near copy of the HTC 10. The XL will just be a bit bigger version of the HTC 10. The HTC 10 wasn't a very big seller, so it wasn't the best pony to pick. It's a decent phone of course but sales for the HTC 10 were disappointing to put it mildly. So good phone notwithstanding, the people didn't like it enough to buy it. Like I said, not the best phone to copy.
By relying on HTC or anyone else to make their phones for them, Google has zero chance of coming up with anything innovative or new or exciting or groundbreaking. If they absolutely must have somebody making their phones for them, they should use ASUS or Huawei or OnePlus or even LG. Those are phone makers who seem to be pushing the boundaries for what is possible with a phone. Just imagine if the Pixel XL was more like the LG V20 or the ASUS Zenfone Deluxe 3 or the OnePlus 3? But better yet, Google should take their insane quantities of money and just start building your own phones. If I can buy a pure Android, that's nice. If it happens to have all the bells as whistles that Apple and Samsung offer and then add a few new ones -- well now we're talking!! What if the Pixel XL was waterproof and had 8GB RAM or 500GB internal storage or the best phone camera anyone has ever seen, four awesome front-firing speakers, or some other first-ever/best-ever?? That's the sort of thing that gets you on equal market standing with Apple and Samsung. Not taking HTC's hand-me-downs.
Last edited by godofthunder9010; 10-01-2016 at 10:58 AM..
I'll try not to sabotage your thread but I too am very disappointed with what I've heard about the Pixel phones. Of course this is based on leaks and speculation so far. The phone launches on Tuesday so we'll know for sure then. First, I expected a much better price. In the past Nexus -now Pixel- phones had been priced quite well. I'm now hearing this phone will sell for $649 which is flagship price. The phone will come with the Snapdragon 820 chip and 4 gigs of ram - the same that all current flagships already have. Supposedly the larger pixel phone may have the 821 but even so I doubt there will be much difference in speeds plus it may sell for $100 more. Geekbench is reporting single core scores of 1700 (something) which is the same as all the other 820 processor phones. I realize scores aren't everything but it does tell us something. On the other hand the iPhone 7 scores are coming in at 3548. This is one fast and powerful phone. I'm almost in the market for a new smartphone but I'm going to hold for a while. The new 830 chipset which can support 10 gigs of ram should come out next year and it should be quite a beast.
I'll try not to sabotage your thread but I too am very disappointed with what I've heard about the Pixel phones. Of course this is based on leaks and speculation so far. The phone launches on Tuesday so we'll know for sure then. First, I expected a much better price. In the past Nexus -now Pixel- phones had been priced quite well. I'm now hearing this phone will sell for $649 which is flagship price. The phone will come with the Snapdragon 820 chip and 4 gigs of ram - the same that all current flagships already have. Supposedly the larger pixel phone may have the 821 but even so I doubt there will be much difference in speeds plus it may sell for $100 more. Geekbench is reporting single core scores of 1700 (something) which is the same as all the other 820 processor phones. I realize scores aren't everything but it does tell us something. On the other hand the iPhone 7 scores are coming in at 3548. This is one fast and powerful phone. I'm almost in the market for a new smartphone but I'm going to hold for a while. The new 830 chipset which can support 10 gigs of ram should come out next year and it should be quite a beast.
/rant
After the Nexus 6P changed what everyone thought it was to be a Nexus, I think most of us were expecting big things of a phone Google has deemed worthy of a total rebranding of the line -- one which actually highlights the Google name like never before. I'm in the market for a new phone, so I've been poking around looking at everything. The Snapdragon 821 in tandem with 6GB RAM has been the elusive pot of gold at the end of the rainbow this year. The Note 7 was rumored to have those but didn't. The LG V20 was rumored to have those but didn't. Now the Pixel XL is rumored to at least have the Snapdragon 821, but based on all the false rumors to date, I'm doubting it. I'm still holding out hope that Google surprises us Tuesday.
The frustrating thing is that there are phones out there that really are delivering totally killer specs. They just aren't compatible with half the carriers in the USA including Sprint and Verizon. The best phone out there that I've found is the ASUS Zenfone 3 Deluxe and it has it all. 6GB RAM, 256GB internal, SD card as well, 23 MP camera that does well head-to-head with Apple and Samsung, 8 MP secondary camera, Snapdragon 821, 5.7 Super AMOLED screen -- but that phone is going to be almost completely ignored in the USA because it's incompatible with CDMA, so it won't work on Sprint, Verizon or US Cellular. Still, if the Pixel had to copy somebody, why that ASUS phone?
But since you mentioned benchmarks, I looked it up and was pleasantly surprised to find that the HTC 10 was top dog among android CPU benchmarks. Kinda weird that it didn't sell better, but I think it comes down to lack of innovation. The Galaxy S7 delivered a truly waterproof phone with benchmarks not far behind HTC. HTC didn't make theirs waterproof.
If Google can deliver Apple-like integration and fine tuning, they don't need to have the most RAM nor the biggest processor, etc. Apple get it done with half the RAM and half the cores and half-as-good CPU's all via finely tuned integration. If the Pixel can do that even a little bit, it might just be the best performing phone in the world outright. But even if it is the fastest phone in the world, you're going to have a hard time convincing people of that fact when the hardware specs are the same thing everyone else had all year.
I think you are right. It will be interesting to see how Google can deliver on tuning their systems and such. Apple really has it together when it comes to that. I am going to stay with Verizon since I am in a rural area and it's either that or US Cellular. When traveling to larger cities, US Cellular is always roaming and only offers 3g (at least where I travel to) so I think I'll stay with Verizon. I've owned a Galaxy S2, S4 and now the 2014 Moto X. Kinda thinking of jumping ship to Apple but I would really rather hold out for next years version of the Iphone 8. Looking forward to watching some review videos on the new Pixel phone though just to see. Next September is really too long time to wait.
I don't get the slam on HTC. They make good phones. The 10 didn't sell well because HTC sucks at marketing. Have you seen a HTC 10 ad?
Which is more or less exactly what I said. Good phones, terrible sales. But at least some of it has to come from people just generally disliking something about the HTC's. Samsung delivered a truly beautiful phone, and that's a big deal for a lot of people. (Not so much for me, I'm a function over beauty kind of guy.) For me, a guy who has put multiple phones through the washing machine, waterproofing is a very nice feature to have. It's not an absolute requirement, but it's a big nice to have. HTC failed to deliver in both categories. The HTC 10 isn't a particularly attractive phone and it's not waterproof. And with Google having tasked HTC with building the Pixels, the Pixels have now failed to deliver in both categories as well.
I'm in the market for a phone right now. Top contenders currently are LG V20, Google Pixel XL if it can deliver performance-wise or just sit back and wait for the Galaxy S8 to come out. I'm hoping that the Pixel is a lot better phone than the spec sheet says it is and that Google gets the Apple-like fine tuning down pat. If the Pixel XL is easily out-performing every other Android via being stock android and fine tuned, then I'm very interested. On top of that, if the Pixel XL 12 MP camera can match or surpass the 12 MP in the Galaxy 7 or iPhone 7, and there's an SD card slot, then I'm probably buying me a Pixel XL. (Odds are, this won't happen. It's probably the same camera the HTC 10 had and there likely won't be an SD card slot.) But even if the Pixel turns out to be all that and more, you gotta admit delivering the first phone with Google's logo on it, and having the exact same specs we've been seeing all year long -- that's pretty disappointing. It's kinda like Apple offering up phones with 2 GB of RAM. In both cases, they sure as hell can do better but couldn't be bothered.
The single biggest reason the HTC 10 failed to sell well is probably because it was competing directly with the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. People just liked the S7's a lot better.
Yep, they blew it! The only US carrier selling the Pixel and Pixel XL is Verizon. Sure, it's the biggest carrier, but if Google wanted the Pixel to make a big splash then they just outright failed right out of the gate. I'm on Sprint and I don't feel like paying Verizon prices pretty much ever.
On the upside, you can buy a Pixel unlocked directly from Google, but based on past experience it's probably going to be incompatible with Sprint.
Just watched a video of the first impressions of this phone. Kind of leaves me feeling meh. I guess I won't be buying this phone.
I feel like the nexus 6p made a big splash last year. The new pixel/pixel xl just doesn't look super convincing. Kind of glad I just upgraded to the iphone 7 (but that's another story). I mean it seems like a cool phone but nothing ground breaking.
I think it looks pretty sweet. Looks a lot like an iPhone. That's probably the worst part.
It will work on Sprint.
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