49 ms·

Behind the Pixel: Google’s First Real Threat to Apple’s iPhone

• geodel 10y ago
  I think it is just me but I find this 'book me a concert and fancy dinner' schtick rather boring. May be well off people are so busy and book these things so often that these virtual assistant really save time if price is of no concern to them.
  • mdellavo 10y ago
    I thought it was odd they used SMS when they had a few other communication apps to chose from.
    • Jtsummers 10y ago
      They'd have to pick one of their dozen offerings for that. Can you really say that one child is your favorite out of your whole brood?
  • bduerst 10y ago
    Eh, it's boilerplate. Supposedly it's open for integration with mobile apps, so you could say 'Order ahead my usual at Philz', and it would ask you back, 'Order a large tesora for pickup at Philz Coffee in Santa Clara in 15 minutes?', to which you say 'yes'. Theoretically, anyways.
    • camillomiller 10y ago
      I think so too, but it's still "sloppy writing". They can at least try and be a bit creative with that. It's really not exciting at all.
  • mrspeaker 10y ago
    Does anybody actually use these virtual assistants? They seem like the bluetooth dongle of the mid-2000s - friends wouldn't let friends use them. Is it just for people who drive? Or will there be a tipping point when it won't seem so arrogant barking commands on the subway or in a quiet office?
    • yazaddaruvala 10y ago
      Every alarm, timer, and reminder I set (on my phone), are set by voice. I chose it because "Set an alarm for 8am" really is the best interface to interact with that subsystem.
      • dplgk 10y ago
        I think parent is talking more about: "Please buy tickets to concert" "Front row tickets to concert purchased for $500" "Wait no, buy the cheapest tickets!" "Cancelling order! Purchased last row tickets for $10" "Only $10? Well maybe I can spend a little more an not be in the last row" etc
        • fizzbatter 10y ago
          Agreed, i don't want it to do any of that. With that said, there are plenty of things i'd love to be able to use it for. Texting _(via Telegram.. app support, not just SMS!)_, remind/alarm, and information are my main ones. Currently, i only use it for alarms. I'd love if Assistants became good enough to conversationally text someone.
        • inopinatus 10y ago
          This is exactly the kind of exasperating dialogue I've had with underwhelming organic assistants too. It is not a problem confined to machines. Ergo, the next step in virtual personal assistants is learning your preferences and being able to apply them. It's not hard to imagine the following exchange: "Alexa, book me a flight to Sydney for Wednesday" Alexa knows that I'm in Melbourne, that I always fly economy class on flights under three hours, have a strong preference for Oneworld airlines, fly direct whenever possible, and like to fly in the mornings except between 8am or 10am on weekdays. "I found three flights on Wednesday that match your preferences. On your kitchen screen now. Which one shall I book?" The next development after that would be intermodal transport scheduling and calendar awareness: "Alexa, book me travel for the Sydney board meeting". "Here's an itinerary that matches your diary and preferences."
          • 10y ago
  • zippergz 10y ago
    Even when price is no concern to me, I am pretty picky about the exact arrangements. Which seats at the concert? Which restaurant, what reservation time? Which airline and seat on the plane (for the also common travel example)? Etc. Yeah, I'm busy, and I book this kind of stuff all the time. But I don't trust an automated system to arrange things the way I like them. With a human assistant, they quickly learn my preferences and style, and can make informed guesses (or ping me for a preference if they need to). Automating this isn't attractive to me.
    • geodel 10y ago
      I totally agree. I guess once details you mentioned are added, these assistants would look more like dreadful nag than clever companion.
    • Paul-ish 10y ago
      I think Google would love to learn, then serve, your preferences in all these areas. I would find that creepy though.
      • zippergz 10y ago
        I'm less worried about the creepy factor, and more about the nuance that I think would be hard to encapsulate in a user profile. There are a lot of complex factors that go into a decision. It can't be boiled down to "I always want to fly United, and I must have an aisle seat." Or "Italian is my favorite kind of food." There are a ton of other factors that go into the decisions, and those factors may change day to day. One day I might choose a different airline than usual because they have a nonstop flight. The next day, I might decide to stick with my primary airline despite two connections because I need the miles. When I choose restaurants, I often like to skim the yelp reviews -- not choosing solely on star rating or cuisine, but on the comments. I don't know how a virtual assistant could navigate this kind of stuff, even with tons of data about me.
      • kalleboo 10y ago
        Google has no negative feedback though. You can't tell them, "no, I meant THIS"
  • harveywi 10y ago
    "Google EnnUI: The UI for Existential Boredom."
  • drewrv 10y ago
    I think they do it to leave a nice image in the customers head. Saying "remind me to buy cat litter" does not.
    • mmanfrin 10y ago
      I ironically only ever use the amazon ordering feature on the Echo to buy catfood.
  • ateevchopra 10y ago
    The way I see Google assistant is that it's a combination of many apps (or maybe interface to many). Now I can have Google Assistant Icon on my homescreen and use it to do many things like: * Set up an alarm * See the Distance * Search nearby places/restaurants/gas stations * Play some song * Look up facts * Look up news * See my agenda for the day * Search for my personal photos and maybe much more.... I rarely use the voice input. The thing I liked about allo is that I can chat with it. Even when i'm in a crowded bus, I can use my assistant instead of saying "OK Google".
    • agumonkey 10y ago
      Google Now search box could already do that right ?
  • joshstrange 10y ago
    I use Siri for 3 things: * Quick conversions "How many Tablespoons are in a Cup" * Setting Reminders "Remind me at 9:30am today to pay my rent" * Setting Timers "Set a time for 10 minutes" Anything else and I can normally do it faster. That's not to say Siri couldn't beat me at doing something but that I have to repeat myself or I get the dreaded "I search the web and found this..." Not only are the results normally shit but it's Bing.... Need I say more? Timers, conversions, and reminders are the only thing she can consistently beat me on. Also I RARELY use her in public as it's distracting/annoying to the people around me. Reminders in the only thing I will use in public and only if I need to enter it in fast. If I have the time I'll manually enter it.
    • pdxandi 10y ago
      That is quite honestly the exact three reasons I use Siri. I do, however, open Google fairly often to search for complicated answers. The Google voice dictation engine is so incredibly accurate.
      • BinaryIdiot 10y ago
        See, 9 times out of 10 when I try this I end up getting a generic Google search result page back. It's gotten to the point where I rarely even use Google Now beyond the items parent mentioned above. Google Now is awful at conversing (unlike Siri, Echo or Cortana) by which I mean if I don't use exact syntax the other services seem more forgiving whereas Google gives me a search result page. What the hell am I ever going to do with that? Has anyone ever used voice dictation then actually wanted to see a search results page? At least anecdotally everyone I have asked about this said if they get search results back they just immediately close it sometimes even to open up a web browser and re-search for it!
        • BinaryIdiot 10y ago
          Hmm my comment is getting downvoted but I don't understand why. Do people have a difference experience with Google Now than I do? Seemed fairly common to people I knew. I'd love to hear some feedback. For instance I've even had it open up a search page when I asked for the weather for a certain area; if the syntax isn't really really close you just get search and that's it.
  • mmanfrin 10y ago
    I use the Echo/Alexa for calling an uber (because my last step for getting ready to leave is usually 'find my phone'). Also, reservations are pretty easy to do over voice. "Book me a table for 2 at Hakkasan this Friday at 7" is enough for an app to get right, clocking in at only 11 words.
  • deleted 10y ago
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• gthtjtkt 10y ago
  No unlockable bootloader for Verizon. Dang...
  • throwaway98237 10y ago
    "smart phone, dumb user"
  • thrill 10y ago
    Google is three times the market cap of Verizon. I think I know how to solve this.
    • simonh 10y ago
      Because the Motorola acquisition worked out so well...
    • criddell 10y ago
      Since Verizon seems to be transitioning to an advertising company, I doubt regulators would let Google buy it.
      • thrill 10y ago
        You're probably right - look at the value such regulatory concern (in its infinite wisdom) brought to Yahoo shareholders by complicating concerns of Microsoft's (non)acquisition of Yahoo oh-so-long-ago.
• okket 10y ago
  For a "threat to Apple's iPhone" article the content is pretty low on camera specs. Not to mention a comparison to the rest of Apple's extremely integrated and streamlined hardware/software.
• wmeredith 10y ago
  I'd like someone to save me from Apple's garbage cloud services, but I just can't get away from their hardware. It's just too good. So... Can anyone convince me that this thing is going to be different from the iPhone killers that are reported on every year in these regurgitated press releases?
  • gotthemwmds 10y ago
    I use all of Apple's cloud services and am perfectly happy. Can you elaborate? I'm curious. My only problem with Apple right now is they won't sell me an unlocked iPhone7 Plus. Every single person I talk to at Apple gives me a different story on how to buy one, but if I show up at the store with money, they won't sell it to me, or even reserve it. I even offered the store to just hold on to my credit card for a week or whatever and mail it back to me. They thought I was crazy! ;)
    • Cyph0n 10y ago
      > My only problem with Apple right now is they won't sell me an unlocked iPhone7 Plus Why not just order it from the Apple Online Store?
      • PKop 10y ago
        Not offered there. You have to be a current Verizon, Att, etc. customer (or sign up for new plan). I've tried.
        • chadgeidel 10y ago
          On the contrary - I just did this. I'm a current AT&T customer and ordered a bare phone for my eventual transition to Verizon. I'm in the US - maybe this is not available in your region.
          • seltzered_ 10y ago
            If you ordered an at&t iphone 7 that way, it won't work because the intel modem chip in the att/tmobile versions doesn't support cdma bands: http://www.recode.net/2016/9/9/12863302/apple-iphone-7-intel-qualcomm http://www.recode.net/2016/9/9/12863302/apple-iphone-7-intel...
• anilgulecha 10y ago
  The camera on pixel is the killer. The low-light photos + the image stabilization is amazing.
  • Fricken 10y ago
    They worked pretty hard to whoop Apple in the camera department. The HDR looks great, 4k video, unlimited online full-res storage through Google photos, it's the quickest camera ever, and yeah, I can't wait to play around with image stabilized video- I've been waiting to see that in a camera for a long time, it addresses a huge problem.
    • redial 10y ago
      The iPhone 6S Plus had OIS for videos last year. I'm sure it wasn't the first either.
• ljf 10y ago
  <vaguely off topic rant about Android 7.1 - but relevant as they control the hardware and specs here> Why is Google still insisting (with 7.1) that the 3 navigation keys (menu, home and back) need to be on screen - either wasting real-estate or annoyingly hidden - requiring a swipe to expose them? Old Android phones used to have hardware or software keys that were off the bottom of the screen - and in fact my Xiaomi Mi Note Pro still does - it frees the entire screen for content. If the '3 keys' regularly changed meaning I could see the need to have them 'on screen' but they don't.
  • imglorp 10y ago
    I prefer screen ones to hard buttons. First of all, it can make using a wallet style case awkward. Second, hard buttons click, wear out, and have other downsides. And third, they can be hidden - this gives you more real estate when you want it.
    • ljf 10y ago
      Sorry it I wasn't clear - my current android phone has software buttons below the screen, so fine in a wallet case, no hardware button to break and when not in use the backlight dims and it's 'hidden' from me - see here: http://images.fonearena.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Xiaomi-Mi-Note-Pro-vs-LG-G3_fonearena-03.jpg http://images.fonearena.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/... I'm using the Kindle Fire a lot right now, and the on screen buttons suck - a pain to trigger, and when in a view where you have to have them all the time they eat up space, esp in landscape view. Android still feels like tablets and landscape use are an afterthought. I LOVE android, but this just really riles me, and has steered me away from android tablets for a while now.
  • spankalee 10y ago
    To turn this around: why did the old phones insist that the hardware buttons take up valuable face space that could be used for more screen, where the buttons could be dynamically drawn and repositioned based on the content and orientation of the phone.
    • 10y ago
• czhiddy 10y ago
  “The difference with this device is that we started from the beginning,” says Dave Burke, who runs Android engineering. Started from scratch, yet the end result looks like a iPhone knockoff from a random Chinese shanzhai company? http://i.imgur.com/LlqaAPO.png http://i.imgur.com/LlqaAPO.png
  • phonon 10y ago
    Sony guts! http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xa9naa_sabra-shopping-network_fun http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xa9naa_sabra-shopping-netwo...
  • sucrose 10y ago
    In the image you linked: why are the OS home-screens switched?
    • collias 10y ago
      That's the joke.
      • sucrose 10y ago
        I was confused -- I think that the home-screen edit was unnecessary in the context of the joke; assuming he means that the hardware, not software, looks like a knockoff.
  • bluthru 10y ago
    This is worse than Samsung.
    • imaginenore 10y ago
      Pretty much everything is worse than Samsung. Galaxy S7 Edge is f*ing gorgeous.
  • bitmapbrother 10y ago
    Reminds me of the original iPhone - it was an LG Prada ripoff. I'm sure you call all phones with a white front iPhone knockoffs.
• Ologn 10y ago
  The bottom of the article says the phone is assembled by HTC. I suppose the difference between this and the Google Nexus phones is that Google is no longer doing hardware design in collaboration with outside manufacturers. However, collaboration in hardware assembly continues.
  • eitally 10y ago
    Yes It is moving from an ODM/JDM relationship to Google being the OEM and HTC being the EMS.
    • ionwake 10y ago
      You managed to use 5 acronyms in one sentence. Unfortunately even though I have been an programmer for a while I was unable to understand any of them, also googling is not that helpful. Could you elaborate?
      • kogepathic 10y ago
        ODM: original device manufacturer JDM: joint device manufacturer OEM: original equipment manufacturer EMS: electronics manufacturing service
      • deleted 10y ago
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      • eitally 10y ago
        Sorry about that (and thanks kogepathic for expanding)!
    • jaxondu 10y ago
      Curious to know what's the diff of using HTC and partnership with Huawei, LG for past Nexus. It appears to be the same arrangement as Nexus, except this time Google is able to place only their logo on the phone. If it is all deigned by Google, wouldn't it be cheaper for Google to get lower tier manufacturer such as Foxconn to produce?
• dudul 10y ago
  Anyone knows if this is gonna be the "prime" phone of choice for Project Fi in replacement of the Nexus 6P and 5X?
  • JshWright 10y ago
    It's going to be the only phone in replacement of the 6P and 5X. It seems they aren't interested in mid-range devices anymore.
    • hyperbovine 10y ago
      That's crazy. $650 buy-in for what is for most people a somewhat risky wireless service proposition. Given their past track record of 86ing products this can't bode well.
      • Sargos 10y ago
        The Pixel isn't locked to Fi. It can be used on any carrier. Fi is also pay as you go which means you can leave at any time. It's really not risky at all even if they shut it down tomorrow.
        • Terribledactyl 10y ago
          I think the parent was stating that Pixel phones will soon be the only way to actually get into Fi. For now, you can start service if you bring a 6p or 5x but who knows how long they'll support that.
      • themacguffinman 10y ago
        I'm not sure what's so risky about it. Project Fi just uses T-Mobile and Sprint, it's not a separate network.
      • deleted 10y ago
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• mikestew 10y ago
  And yet not a single hard detail in the article as to why the headline might be true. For going on ten years we've seen the "iPhone killers" come and go, and this article does nothing to tell me why this time it will be different. Perhaps because it won't be. Of what very few details the article outlines, they just go on about nifty hardware. Have we not learned by now that cool hardware still sucks when hamstrung by crappy software? (A Samsung logo popped in my head while writing that, don't know why.) Now, Google is no Samsung, but they're a long way from Apple or even Microsoft on the UX front. (EDIT: the Pixel phones could be all that, but I wouldn't know it because I'm currently content with iPhones and have paid no attention to Pixel. Point is, this article does nothing to relieve my ignorance, which is why I clicked on the thing to begin with.)
  • noobermin 10y ago
    Probably a case of the editor providing a clickbait headline. Remember, the title author and the article authors are often not the same person. PS Plus, it's Bloomberg. Not really expecting much in the way of technical details from them.
    • mikestew 10y ago
      Ya know, I don't know why I can't remember that. She writes an article with a working title "First Preview of Google Pixel Phone", subtitled "Light on Details, but Here's What We Know" and we end up with this instead.
  • adamweld 10y ago
    >Now, Google is no Samsung, but they're a long way from Apple or even Microsoft on the UX front. Not sure I agree with this. I've been on android for a while, so I'm sure I'm biased, but stock AOSP Android is pretty much perfect for me. Very minimal and aesthetically beautiful, but still powerful and customizable.
    • buckbova 10y ago
      Totally agree with this. Just got the moto g4 and for under $250. I have a really good looking color customized phone with stock android, that feels good in the hand, unlocked that I can take to any carrier. That is a killer.
• LeifCarrotson 10y ago
  > Burke says the company will eventually be able to ship its own custom “silicon,” a buzzword for customized processors that make devices work better. Silicon is not a buzzword. It is the element with which the processors are built. Perhaps it's colloquial or jargonistic to refer to processors as silicon, but it's not a buzzword.
  • mtgx 10y ago
    Hm. RISC-V processor?! That would be cool. Or it may just refer to some machine learning co-processor to be added to the Qualcomm SoC.
  • rayiner 10y ago
    It's synecdoche.
    • acchow 10y ago
      I didn't realize that's what synecdoche meant. Adds some depth to the title of the movie "Synecdoche, New York"
      • diyorgasms 10y ago
        I'm not sure depth is the thing that movie lacks. But tack on some more, sure, why not?
    • TillE 10y ago
      Or "metonym", which has almost the exact same meaning.
    • LeifCarrotson 10y ago
      Thanks, that's the word I (and probably the author) was looking for.
  • Angostura 10y ago
    Since we are being pedantic, how would you separate 'jargonistic' usage from a buzzword.
• HugoDaniel 10y ago
  Are they keeping the nexus line or is this a replacement ?
  • Eridrus 10y ago
    It's a replacement, which leaves me wondering what I will do when it comes time to replace my 5X since these are almost double the price.
    • TheAdamist 10y ago
      my first thought was to buy a spare 5X soon.
• tf2manu994 10y ago
  I realise that not everyone is in the US, but Verizon Exclusive, really? Edit: Ah, I was mistaken. Contract exclusive, still outright. Oops!
  • _kyran 10y ago
    Exclusive for a contract. Outright on the google store is an option.
    • tracker1 10y ago
      I'm with verizon anyway.. but just switched to a 6p about 6 months ago, so will hold off a while... nice to see a Verizon option out of the box... getting my 6p setup with Verizon as a byod wasn't fun.
  • wyldfire 10y ago
    I saw "Project Fi" on there too. I would expect since that's just an MVNO for T-Mobile+Sprint you might be able to use it on their networks too.
  • jordonwii 10y ago
    Verizon Exclusive only in the US - they're selling it directly in other countries.
    • Mwatson10 10y ago
      Just as a correction, it is only Verizon as a buy from carrier method. It is being sold unlocked and directly in the US as well.
  • JoshGlazebrook 10y ago
    If it's being sold by Verizon it's factory unlocked anyways.
    • sliken 10y ago
      Do you know that for a fact?
• gjolund 10y ago
  All it needs to have in order to be a threat is a 3.5mm port.
• loeg 10y ago
  So will it come with non-removable carrier crapware or not? That's the main selling point of the iphone for me.
  • wnevets 10y ago
    nexus phones never did AFAIK
    • jknightco 10y ago
      Galaxy Nexus had a bit of VZW bloat, but that was the only one I can remember having any.
      • loeg 10y ago
        Yeah, Galaxy Nexus did. And HTC One (m8) did as well.
        • jjuel 10y ago
          But the HTC One is not a stock Android phone like the Nexus line and now the Pixel.
          • deleted 10y ago
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        • lmickh 10y ago
          Was only true of the Galaxy Nexus purchased directly through Verizon and one of the reasons Google immediately changed how the Nexus line was handled in the subsequent releases.
        • wnevets 10y ago
          HTC One wasnt a nexus.
    • 67726e 10y ago
      I've had the 4, 5, and currently the 5X. Never had any crapware, always got updates within a week or so of releases. Insofar as I'm aware it's totally stock.
• mtgx 10y ago
  They have a live presentation now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4y0KOeXViI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4y0KOeXViI
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• buro9 10y ago
  So far, aside from the camera (apparently excellent), everything I've heard about why the Pixel is so great comes down to software. So far, of everything software that people have enthused about with the Pixel... none of that software shines if you only have Google Apps accounts. Aside from the camera, why would anyone with a Google Apps account buy this? (I'm referring to the Allo AI assistent, etc which only has limited functionality for Google Apps users, as does Now, Trips, Spaces, App Sharing, Play Music Family, etc.)
  • arkitaip 10y ago
    Also this probably means that for most non US customers, the really cool software features will be lacking or missing. I'm Swedish and My Nexus 4 still hasn't decent Google Now support...
  • robk 10y ago
    Those all work fine w my Google Apps accounts here. At least photos, now, trips, etc
  • saiko-chriskun 10y ago
    I run copperhead and don't even have google anything on my android :P
    • nextos 10y ago
      Sadly getting onto copperhead now is gonna be expensive...
      • saiko-chriskun 10y ago
        You can get an unlocked 5x off amazon for $300.
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• stuxnet79 10y ago
  The new Raspian update is also called Pixel, I wonder if Google cares enough to sue the hell out of whoever decided on that name.
  • xigency 10y ago
    It's confusing enough that they recycled their own product name, the Chromebook Pixel.
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• kentosi 10y ago
  With the trend of bigger smartphones I'm really surprised by the sizes of 5" and 5.5".
  • bluehawk 10y ago
    I'm not. My nexus 6 was fun when it was new, but I've kinda grown tired of how enormous it is. I feel like 5.5 would be perfect for me.
    • josteink 10y ago
      I have a 5.2" (Nexus 5X) and I still want something smaller.
      • wlesieutre 10y ago
        I switched from a Z3 Compact to an iPhone SE and the 4" screen is great.
        • jasonkostempski 10y ago
          I was starting to think i was the last person alive that wanted this. Please keep making noise. I really hope the next lineup has a 4".
          • philsnow 10y ago
            I'm really hoping the 'tock' for the iphone 7 will include an SE version of it
            • wlesieutre 10y ago
              My hope is for an alternating fall/spring release schedule. New flagships for the large and extra large market every September/October, and a new medium sized phone built around the same innards in March/April. "Small" designation deliberately omitted. That's what I'd call the iPhone 1 through 4S, but it doesn't seem likely that we'll get any new ones.
• Someone 10y ago
  "The Pixel phones will also be the first to run the next version of Android, Nougat 7.1 […] Everyone is treated the same, including Rick’s team" Treated the same, to a limit, I guess. If everyone is treated the same, they wouldn't be able to guarantee to be the first ones out with Nougat. Let's see how short or long the lead start is they will give their own phones.
  • bryanlarsen 10y ago
    LG V20 was the first device with Nougat, although that was Nougat 7.0.
  • redwards510 10y ago
    Interestingly, during the presentation today, the woman said "running Nougat", no mention of 7.1
    • EddieRingle 10y ago
      7.1 is a maintenance release of Nougat.
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• baggachipz 10y ago
  I'm sorry, I just don't trust Google hardware efforts anymore. Nothing they've done indicates that they won't completely abandon this in a year and a half. It would probably end up in my Google Graveyard sooner rather than later, right next to my Google TV and Galaxy Nexus with Google Voice.
  • cholantesh 10y ago
    Iphones are released at pretty much the same clip as Nexus devices, so I don't understand that particular complaint.
    • baggachipz 10y ago
      Galaxy Nexus support was dropped very quickly. I had to start installing cyanogenmod to get new features when they stopped supporting the phone after a very short period of time.
    • Unklejoe 10y ago
      iPhones receive OS updates for like 4 years after release where as most Android phones seem to be forgotten as soon as the next model comes out. As an Android user, this is one thing that I have to admit Apple wins at. Not to mention the fact that Google seems to have a habit of deprecating their own apps for seemingly no apparent reason.
      • redwards510 10y ago
        I've owned iDevices, and they have this curious ability to 'age' themselves into the dumpster after two years of iOS updates. The latest iOS versions run incredibly slow (or not at all) on older devices and you are left with something you can't even flash a custom ROM on.
        • Unklejoe 10y ago
          True. I often wonder if it is intentional or if it is just a result of running software which was designed for faster hardware. Either way, non removable lithium batteries usually take care of the obsolescence issue anyway. After two years, devices seem to barely hold enough charge for an hour. This is the most frustrating thing for me. I have a three year old HTC M7 which works beautifully (running a stripped down ROM and I avoid all app updates). However, the battery is starting to get weak, and I’m afraid to take it apart. I wish the LG G5 was more competitive. The removable battery is a huge deal to me, especially now that everything supports rapid charging, which I’m sure wreaks havoc on batteries.
• 6stringmerc 10y ago
  Hm, same price as iPhone7, according to Wired (will have to see). I'm interested in leaving iOS but on a more mid-tier smart phone level. Very compelling design and size though in my opinion, would definitely be in the market if budget was available. Well, pending some reviews.
• gstn 10y ago
  Whether it's a nice phone or not, I'm not tempted. I left Android due to an inability to get o/s updates. Android depends on the cell carrier (Bell Canada, in my case) for o/s updates, a model that doesn't work well, in my opinion. With Apple the o/s is always up to date.
  • guelo 10y ago
    Not true for this phone.
    • MBCook 10y ago
      Do you have a source for that? It doesn't have a track record (for obvious reasons). Has Google promised the carriers don't get to interfere this time?
      • guelo 10y ago
        "Pixel ships with the newest Android operating system, Android 7.1 Nougat. Phones will get software and security updates as soon as they’re available, directly from Google. " https://blog.google/products/pixel/introducing-pixel-our-new-phone-made-google/ https://blog.google/products/pixel/introducing-pixel-our-new... It's the same as Nexus phones, carriers did not interfere with them.
        • gergles 10y ago
          But they still did. The "Verizon" Galaxy Nexus was basically a completely different phone from the other Galaxy Nexus versions and didn't get the same support or updates.
          • guelo 10y ago
            Yea that Verizon Nexus was the least Nexus-y of them all. One of the reasons I swore off Verizon for good. But that was 4 years ago and hasn't been an issue with other Nexii since.
        • 10y ago
• Unklejoe 10y ago
  Sorry if this isn't the right place to ask, but has there been any information released regarding whether the bootloader can be unlocked or not? I guess what I'm really asking is if I will be able to flash a custom "ROM" and kernel to this. I've heard rumors of Google taking a more aggressive stance on locking down their hardware, so I'd like to know if there's been any new information regarding this. If I can't flash custom software to this, I may get the iPhone or HTC 10 instead. The main attraction to Android phones to me was the fact that you can flash modified kernels to do things like force fast charge on USB data links, etc…
  • eitally 10y ago
    And imho, the main appeal to the Pixel is that it's Google-controlled and provides the same benefits as Apple-controlled iPhones do: timely updates, strong security, things that "just work", tight 1st party ecosystem integration, etc. You may or may not be able to flash custom ROMs to you Pixel, but if you choose not to, you'll probably have a fairly optimal stock Android experience. If you absolutely have to have custom everything, there are hundreds of other Android handset options, which is a boon for everyone.
  • Veratyr 10y ago
    No information has been released that I'm aware of. But the Pixel C is also a Pixel device and also Android so there's definitely precedent for them allowing unlocks.
• guelo 10y ago
  The actual product announcement page https://blog.google/products/pixel/introducing-pixel-our-new-phone-made-google/ https://blog.google/products/pixel/introducing-pixel-our-new...
• guelo 10y ago
  The product announcement page https://blog.google/products/pixel/introducing-pixel-our-new-phone-made-google/ https://blog.google/products/pixel/introducing-pixel-our-new...
  • Touche 10y ago
    Info on how to preorder is vague. Says it's available to preorder today, doesn't say where or how.
    • vetinari 10y ago
      > Pixel is available for pre-order today starting at $649 in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Germany and Australia. Pre-orders in India will begin October 13. In the Google Store. However, availability in 5 countries? Google, you want to take on iPhone with that? Apple phones are available globally. Even with previous Nexuses, they were available in many countries because the manufacturers did sell them, not because Google. Google sold them only with few countries; even in EU, they bothered only with about 14 of 28 (depending on product).
      • Sgt_Apone 10y ago
        I'm really bummed that this thing is $899 in Canada. I wish they would have actually competed on price with the iPhone...
    • guelo 10y ago
      https://madeby.google.com/ https://madeby.google.com/
• Fej 10y ago
  What is the draw here? I have been running my Nexus 5 into the ground (soldered on a new power button when the original broke) in anticipation of the next Nexus phone. Pixel is no Nexus. Seriously, what does this have that the year-old Nexus 6P and 5X don't, other than incremental hardware improvements? And a massive price hike? Why should I buy this? (Seriously, Google? You want $650 for a phone with a 1080p screen? I know there's benefits to a lower resolution but then why not drop the price? It's ridiculous.) My perception is that Google no longer knows what it's doing. Reference Allo for an even better example. The company can coast on their existing products but only for so long.
  • ghshephard 10y ago
    Nice (best in class) camera is one of the highlight features.
    • asenna 10y ago
      I can't compare without trying the others out but the camera on a Nexus 6P is amazing. I am not sure how big a difference would the camera be on the Pixel over the 6P.
  • fleetfox 10y ago
    Why do you bring up screen resolution? Both phones have 400+ ppi screens. You want more? Why?
    • andrewpi 10y ago
      VR headsets greatly benefit from a higher resolution. Even the 2K display on the late model Samsung phones produce low resolution when paired with a Gear VR. Supposedly this won't be resolved until 8k or even 16k mobile displays.
      • duaneb 10y ago
        Why would you use a phone for vr? Seems hugely expensive to upgrade the screen for the sake of a niche hobby. Most people wouldn't even use it.
• NetStrikeForce 10y ago
  From: https://blog.google/products/pixel/introducing-pixel-our-new-phone-made-google/ https://blog.google/products/pixel/introducing-pixel-our-new... > Pixel comes in two sizes, 5” or 5.5”, and three colors: Very Silver, Quite Black and our limited edition for the U.S. only, Really Blue. What's your problem Google? You keep being the only big company still pulling this "U.S. only" stuff.
  • acchow 10y ago
    Is this a US politics thing? Blue = Democrats?
    • qntty 10y ago
      definitely not, just a special color
      • NetStrikeForce 10y ago
        Which makes me wonder what's the business case behind it. I bet Americans don't care much if blue is available in other countries or not, for the rest of the world is a tiny "because fuck you, that's why". I'm happy now that the prices are too high, otherwise I might be giving them my money :-)
• HugoDaniel 10y ago
  Now that the nexus is gone what alternatives are for developer friendly phones ?
  • veeti 10y ago
    OnePlus? I think that the Nexus 6P will age well if you can get it for cheap soon. There isn't any indication that these phones will be any less developer friendly than the Nexus phones, if you don't have a problem with the price.
• HugoDaniel 10y ago
  Now that the nexus is gone what alternatives exist for developer friendly phones ?
  • randomsofr 10y ago
    Oneplus
    • Eridrus 10y ago
      How are they with the monthly security updates?
    • asenna 10y ago
      Have they improved their OS yet? (Cyanogen or Oxygen? I am not sure what it is right now) I got a OnePlus One when they launched (Ditched the Nexus for the first time in years). Can't say about the development experience on it but I've had some terrible experience with their Cyanogen OS. It was fine at first, and then every single update broke something major (Like getting stuck on fullscreen video, Speakerphones not working, etc). The next update would fix it but break something else. I decided to only stick to vanilla Android Nexus after that.. And now that's gone.. sigh
  • pasbesoin 10y ago
    Haven't heard/read about this aspect, yet. Pixels are more locked down?
    • archiepeach 10y ago
      One of the things that makes a phone developer-friendly is how accessible it is from a price perspective, i.e. not a £599 price tag.
      • mankyd 10y ago
        Is that true? Usually developer friendly means not-carrier-locked, which has always commanded a _higher_ price tag. Meanwhile, iPhones have no cheap developer option either. When has developer equated with cheap?
• lmedinas 10y ago
  The interesting part will be for how long will the Phone + Software be supported. Now that the price is the same I think it's fair the support should be the same as the iPhone.
  • davidw 10y ago
    My Nexus 4 from several years back keeps getting timely updates. And still works pretty well.
    • bobajeff 10y ago
      My Nexus 6 from only a couple of years back however doesn't have Nougat and doesn't look like it's going to. It still work great though.
      • djthorpe 10y ago
        Android N is coming to the Nexus 6 today or tomorrow!
      • ChrisClark 10y ago
        No, the Nexus 4 and 5 don't get Nougat either. What he meant would be the 4 is still getting the monthly security updates. And typically you'll still always get the new Google stuff like Assistant and all, since they've decoupled most of what they can from the OS.
      • ing33k 10y ago
        I had opted for android beta and got Nougat update just few hrs ago.
      • technofiend 10y ago
        You're just waiting on the push to happen, then. Full Image https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images#shamu https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images#shamu? (Direct link) https://dl.google.com/dl/android/aosp/shamu-nbd90z-factory-92e7bb05.zip https://dl.google.com/dl/android/aosp/shamu-nbd90z-factory-9... Over the air update https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/ota#shamu https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/ota#shamu (Direct link) https://dl.google.com/dl/android/aosp/shamu-ota-nbd90z-78a931cb.zip https://dl.google.com/dl/android/aosp/shamu-ota-nbd90z-78a93...
• lets-tryagain 10y ago
  I bought the 5x on day one....markdowns followed very quickly and I was a little bothered at paying full price. I doubt Google can get $649 for these phones, and I expect them to get marked down within a few months.
• johnward 10y ago
  The camera doesn't stick out the back of the phone and become the main contact point for all surfaces. This is true innovation :)
  • camillomiller 10y ago
    I don't get these recurring jabs at Apple. Why bother? It comes out as some sort of inferiority complex.
    • pasbesoin 10y ago
      My first thought was my Nexus 5X. Fortunately, the slim case I have produces a raised lip around the camera bump, so that if I'm careful, I'm not scraping and scratching the protective glass against every surface I set the phone down on.
    • ihsw 10y ago
      This is actually a jab at Nexus 6P's "visor": https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b2/Front_and_back_of_the_Nexus_6P.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b2/Front_and_bac... Note the large black bar at the top. It is glass and there are incidents where it cracks, causing unpleasant damage that is difficult to fix.
    • johnward 10y ago
      It's not an apple jab. I really hate when cameras stick out the back of phones. I'm actually complaining about my Galaxy S6 if that matters. Most manufacturers do it though.
  • ashaikh 10y ago
    >The camera doesn't stick out the back of the phone and become the main contact point for all surfaces. This is a "courageous" decision ;)
• joezydeco 10y ago
  “Google is now the seller of record of this phone,” And who is the servicer of broken phones? Is there a warranty? Can I get a customer service agent on a real voice line? Given Google's track record of hardware they could have answers for all of this and I still wouldn't own one.
  • alexbaker 10y ago
    I've bought a Nexus phone every year since the Nexus One (and a few tablets as well) and throughout those years have received a few warranty replacements. One was even a free replacement of a replacement more than a year after the initial purchase. I always get a human in a chat or phone call without any effort, and I always get free next day shipping. I bought Nexus protect on my current phone, and although it is through a third party, when I damaged my phone the replacement process was basically the same (except I had to pay $79). I personally think their hardware support is awesome.
    • poopsintub 10y ago
      I called and talked about a rep about an issue with my Nexus for months and Google did nothing because of a software and/or hardware issue their engineers couldn't figure out. They kept saying they will look into it and sending instructions to do this or that. Month after month... Finally 4-5 months in, the phone stopped working all together and they sent me a replacement. Nevermind their 14-day return policy, any other company would have sent me a replacement. Now they have lost me as a Project Fi customer, and I surely won't take a chance on another Nexus phone.
  • wstrange 10y ago
    I have used Google's hardware support before for Nexus - and they have been excellent. Very responsive, and yes, a real customer service agent picked up the phone.
  • mmanfrin 10y ago
    And who is the servicer of broken phones? Is there a warranty? Can I get a customer service agent on a real voice line? This was one of the things they announced; Fire-phone-like support tools and access.
• akshayB 10y ago
  Is the new phone water resistant? I can't find anything in the details
  • Sgt_Apone 10y ago
    Not as far as I could tell. I'm sure they would have included it in their ad copy if it is.
• draw_down 10y ago
  > Google’s First Real Threat to Apple’s iPhone That's funny, I thought all the ones before it were "iPhone killers". Hmmmmm.
• Touche 10y ago
  Preorder is available: https://store.google.com/product/pixel_phone https://store.google.com/product/pixel_phone
  • IshKebab 10y ago
    Minimum £600 is quite insane. I think they will drop the price rather quickly.
    • tarancato 10y ago
      No, they won't.
  • rndstr 10y ago
    Only for a handful of countries, I'm very disappointed
• pmcollins 10y ago
  Anything to put more competitive pressure on Apple to release a VR implementation is good IMO.
• chirau 10y ago
  I'd have thought that with innovation and greater availability of components, smartphones would become cheaper. Instead, I experience quite the opposite with all these new devices.
  • kbenson 10y ago
    Using this as evidence for that view is sort of like saying you're surprised at the relatively increasing expensiveness of cars after the press release about the new BMW 7 series, or Tesla Model S. Big sexy press releases are for high-end products. Consumer grade, cheaper offerings generally don't get as much media since they are lower margin products, but they do exist[1]. 1: http://www.androidcentral.com/best-cheap-android-phones http://www.androidcentral.com/best-cheap-android-phones
    • shimon 10y ago
      Seriously. You can get a decent smartphone, new and unlocked, for like $50 now. The market has just expanded hugely so of course entries like this, which vie for "best phone in the world" status, are going to be higher price.
  • tdkl 10y ago
    They do, made by Chinese (Xiaomi for example). They don't boast with 12k screens, 32mpix cameras, but are rather simple and perform fine for daily apps, while costing from 120-250€ and sporting expandable storage/2nd SIM and huge battery (3500-4000mAh). They don't perhaps bump the Android version, but basically all phones released in last 2 years will get MIUI 8, with Android monthly security fixes.
• satysin 10y ago
  All sounds good on paper (or video) but £599 entry price?! Now that is courage.
  • arthurfm 10y ago
    Also, US buyers get a free Daydream VR headset (worth £69) if they pre-order, whereas UK buyers don't. Very annoying especially since a 128GB Pixel XL costs £819!
    • satysin 10y ago
      Yeah I fail to see why I would get this over a Galaxy or iPhone (if OS doesn't matter). They claim the best phone camera yet it doesn't have OIS so it isn't going to be the best for video I doubt.
      • arthurfm 10y ago
        > They claim the best phone camera yet it doesn't have OIS The video stabilization looked really good in the demo at the Google event [1] despite using the smartphone's gyroscope [2] to do what the camera would do if it had OIS. [1] https://youtu.be/q4y0KOeXViI?t=55m20s https://youtu.be/q4y0KOeXViI?t=55m20s [2] http://www.theverge.com/a/google-pixel-phone-new-hardware-interview-2016 http://www.theverge.com/a/google-pixel-phone-new-hardware-in... > Though there’s no optical image stabilization, Google tied the camera to the gyroscope to eliminate the hand-shake “jelly” effect in video.
        • satysin 10y ago
          A neat trick but it won't be as good as proper OIS. Considering the price I can't believe they were unable to put in a camera with OIS. IMHO it is a damn shame to see the Nexus line replaced with such high end devices. I can't see them selling that all that well. They are priced way too high.
• satysin 10y ago
  Camera doesn't have OIS. That is a disappointment considering the price.
• xpose2000 10y ago
  I would get this phone for the fast charging and automatic OS updates alone.
• snowwrestler 10y ago
  The corporate structure of Alphabet does not make sense to me. Nest was broken out as a peer to Google, but now apparently hardware is using Nest staff and expertise, but hardware is part of Google. And apparently this new hardware team is going whole-hog after the smartphone market, which is WAY larger than thermostats and web cams. But Nest is an Alphabet sub, and hardware is under Google. And Android needs a "firewall" to protect existing hardware vendor relationships from the new hardware team. But both Android and hardware remain under Google, with YouTube and Search. And there are 2 separate Alphabet subs for biosciences, and 2 separate subs for finance. It doesn't look like it's implementing any sort of coherent strategy. Aside from company politics, why are some programs peers to Google, and others are subsidiaries of Google?
  • ocdtrekkie 10y ago
    I recall news that many of the developers at Nest were basically moving to Google Hardware. There's a valid question on whether or not Nest will even produce anything going forward, or if they're legacy support for products that eventually will be replaced by Google Home equivalents.
    • snowwrestler 10y ago
      Good thing Nest got broken out from under Google! Just in time for all its resources to get sucked back into Google.
• speeder 10y ago
  Still sad it doesn't have a hardware keyboard. I really, really, really want a good phone with hardware keyboard. Even better if the dialer is not a common app, and is something you can access immediately even if the "user OS" crash.
  • mkagenius 10y ago
    Like blackberry?
  • VikingCoder 10y ago
    Hardware keyboard is never, ever coming back. Ever.
    • CaptSpify 10y ago
      https://www.yahoo.com/tech/one-blackberry-upcoming-smartphones-classic-215438332.html https://www.yahoo.com/tech/one-blackberry-upcoming-smartphon...
      • VikingCoder 10y ago
        Remind me when it's available in stores. We'll see.
• mdasen 10y ago
  It looks like a good device, but is it that special? At $649, it's in iPhone 7 and Galaxy S7 territory. It doesn't have an impressive curved display like the Galaxy S7 Edge so the 5.5" Pixel is likely to be larger than a 5.5" Galaxy S7 Edge. The Snapdragon 821 is probably the best processor they could get, but it doesn't stand up well against an iPhone 7 (or even older iPhones on common tasks like web browsing). So, that doesn't bring anything impressive to the table that I couldn't get before. Google has just said that the display is "Hi-Definition" in their presentation slide. Looking at one of their videos, it looks like 441ppi on the 5" which means 1080p and 534ppi on the 5.5" so the 5.5" matches the S7 Edge, but the 5" is a lesser display than the Galaxy S7. Not sure it makes much of a difference, but it doesn't best a competitor at the same price. The Galaxy S7 and many other devices come with 4GB of RAM. There doesn't seem to be anything in this device that's so exciting with the possible exception of the camera. But how much of that is software? The DxOMark review notes that "Pixel’s biggest innovation is an enhanced version of Google’s HDR+ multi-image capability. . .the Pixel pushes the capability further than we’ve seen before". So, is this simply software that Google is going to keep proprietary in order to sell its device? That's certainly fair game, but it points to exclusive software, not hardware being the draw. Unlimited photo and video storage is nice, but that really doesn't have anything to do with the device. That's just google offering an exclusive service with purchase. To me, it mostly looks like what I can get in competitive phones, maybe with some exclusive software. It's not faster (constrained by the best Qualcomm can muster). The camera is marginally better than an iPhone 7 (though no word on the iPhone 7 Plus). The display is competitive with or worse than a Galaxy S7 [Edge]. I think Google has a better chance if they start developing their own chips as the article alludes to. Apple has a large single-code speed advantage that's particularly noticeable on the web (https://twitter.com/codinghorror/status/775777790494846976 https://twitter.com/codinghorror/status/775777790494846976). The Pixel looks fine, but it doesn't have something amazingly impressive. It's good, but nothing that truly makes me think that Google has outdone itself. If I were in the market for a new Android phone, I'd consider it. But the OnePlus 3 seems to have most of the same in a much cheaper package. The Galaxy S7 Edge seems to have a cooler package for much the same equipment. Plus, I guess my concern is whether Google is going to care about the Pixel phone 9 months from now. Maybe this is a huge new push. But OnHub seems to be abandoned for this new Made By Google thing after a very short time and generally Google has a bit of a history of not caring about things that don't immediately gain traction. So, maybe a couple years from now it'll look more attractive. EDIT: looking at the specs, it's 8.5mm thick at the thickest which is how they avoid the camera bump compared to an iPhone 7 at 7.1mm thick. EDIT 2: I'm very glad that Google is getting into the hardware game. I think they can create great devices and help push the industry forward. I think competition will be great for consumers. I think there are lots of areas (like WiFi) which need to be made better. But it's hard to beat the best smartphones with your first model. I'm glad Google is creating a phone, but smartphones aren't low-hanging fruit to create something remarkably better.
• Animats 10y ago
  It's a real threat to handset makers who use Android. Their OS supplier is now competing with them. Look for a third ecosystem to come out of China.
• samfisher83 10y ago
  I think this doesn't make sense from a business perspective. The cell phone like the PC will become a commodity item. Why get into a business with a lot of competitors. No real differentiation. Google should be trying to get google search into every phone which they are already doing. That is where they make their crazy margins and strength.
• fail2fail2ban 10y ago
  I'm liking my Nexus 6 but it feels a bit big at times so I think the trend towards 5 or 5.5 is a good thing. Not sure about the price though, my 6 would have to completely croak before I upgrade from it.
• hocuspocus 10y ago
  The pricing has been copied 1:1 from that of the iPhone 7. Whether in USD, CAD, GBP or EUR: exact same figures.
  • saddestcatever 10y ago
    Good note. Funny how many users are mentioning price as their main reason for dismissing the Pixel
    • Eridrus 10y ago
      Oh those funny poor people trying to not get ripped off.
    • qntty 10y ago
      iphones are expensive for most people
      • paublyrne 10y ago
        Parent means dismissing it as an iPhone competitor, I assume.
    • dingaling 10y ago
      > Funny how many users are mentioning price as their main reason for dismissing the Pixel It's easy to make an excellent phone to retail for $700. It's much less easy to make a good phone to retail for $300. This means that a lot of people, probably the majority, have to make-do with sub-par, or second-previous-generation from eBay, or order something from the Chinese market. Hence the cynicism when Google unveiled yet another $700 phone. It's like another 200 mph supercar from Bugatti, pretty to see and technically fantastic but irrelevant to the market as a whole. Next time Google, how about taking-on a challenge?
      • pcurve 10y ago
        I think Google is forced to charge $649 because of their relative experience in hardware, which exacerbates their already high labor cost. Perhaps they could've charged $499, but it would've resulted in an accounting loss. Perhaps the next iteration of Pixel will be cheaper as they ramp up on hardware expertise and reign in on cost.
• neals 10y ago
  I don't like Google because they're gonna use my data against me. I don't like Apple because it's a walled garden and millions other reasons. I don't like Samsung because they bloat Android. I don't like Huawei because I don't trust the Chinese government to not do stuff to it. I don't like LG and HTC because the smartphone market is slipping away from them. Am I just getting old?
  • buckbova 10y ago
    Got a moto g4 for under $250. Works perfectly for me. Good specs, stock android more or less, unlocked. http://www.motorola.com/us/products/moto-g http://www.motorola.com/us/products/moto-g
    • jstapels 10y ago
      But it's owned by Lenovo... a Chinese company.
      • radiorental 10y ago
        Chinese - put something on the phone Americans - tap the network backbone. What's the difference?
        • tedunangst 10y ago
          End to end encryption works over insecure networks, but not with insecure endpoints.
          • radiorental 10y ago
            I'm sure the NSA has something to say about that, at least with consumer grade encryption.
            • tedunangst 10y ago
              That's why I always use military grade encryption.
• djhworld 10y ago
  The price makes me a bit sad tbh One of the best things about the Nexus range was they offered the Google vision of android at a reasonable price. The Nexus 4, 5 and 6 were affordable. I purchased my Nexus 5 for a shade below £300 when it came out, which I thought was excellent value for money in comparison to how much I had paid for a Samsung previously. This Pixel line seems to have abandoned that ideal to compete directly with the iPhone. Personally I'd feel very uncomfortable walking around with a £600+ phone.
  • mattbessey 10y ago
    To be fair, a good portion of that (£100?) is likely to be from the £ losing value against the $
    • lucaspiller 10y ago
      It's $649 (£509) for the base model in the US, so if you exclude VAT it's actually cheaper in the UK.
  • geodel 10y ago
    I think at this point one should give up any hope on 2 things in Google Hardware program: First, hardware so great that it remain excellent for more 2 years of usage for most use cases and/or price remain attractive so one does not mind upgrading after 2 years.
  • drewrv 10y ago
    Absolutely agree. I know there are other cheap android phones but Nexus was always a good bang for your buck. This is like Toyota discontinuing the corolla to compete with Maserati.
    • lintiness 10y ago
      the phones were great because they were universally unlocked (rare). the camera on my nexus 5 is trash, however.
• richardboegli 10y ago
  You cannot be serious Google? $1079AUD for Google Pixel when it's $650US....At current conversion would be $853AUD. Of course there is shipping, projected volume of sales in Australia etc... but $226 in shipping is a bit much... https://store.google.com/config/pixel_phone https://store.google.com/config/pixel_phone
  • tomtheelder 10y ago
    Exact same pricing as the iPhone 7. Not a coincidence.
  • NolF 10y ago
    You are forgetting taxes which puts it to $981AUD, and the cost of customer protection requirements (warranty periods etc) which are more onerous in Australia than US.
• pbz 10y ago
  After using a phone with stereo speakers ( http://cdn01.androidauthority.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Moto_X_Style_Black_Front_Back.jpg http://cdn01.androidauthority.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/08... ) there's no way I'm going back to mono. What's frustrating is that the bottom part looks perfect for a second speaker.
  • fizzbatter 10y ago
    I had that fear after loving my Nexus6 dual speakers for so long, and it can still be nice at times _(mainly for volume level)_, but lately i've just been bluetooth'ing all my music from my Nexus6. The speakers just sound _(mildly!)_ crackly at loud levels, it makes me wonder if they were damaged from my loud playing. So, i guess i'm saying i don't really trust nice built-in speakers for playing music, and am willing to go back to a mono speaker knowing i can just use bluetooth instead.
  • krzyk 10y ago
    What's the benefit of stereo speakers if they are centimeters from each other? Aren't those going to sound like mono one?
    • gcp 10y ago
      Sound travels slowly, and your ears are very sensitive to inter-ear phase differences. It won't sound like mono.
• glenndebacker 10y ago
  So does this come without tracking and more privacy because for that price you can't play the "they need to recoup the costs through user data" card. Apple it seems can do it for devices in those price range.
  • shostack 10y ago
    At this point, while Google is an ad company, it is important to realize that the true value they offer only comes with acceptance of tracking. AI needs to know everything about you to truly personalize the experience and be more valuable. Don't believe me? Here's an interesting exercise. Watch the movie Her. They do a great job of showing where these nascent AI efforts could go. Now think through on every scene what kind of device permissions and data access and tracking would realistically be needed to deliver on that.
  • andybak 10y ago
    I'd be interested in being corrected on this but here's my understanding. Assuming you don't use actively use Google services (i.e. use someone else for search or email) and you say 'no' to every question about tracking during setup then as far as I'm aware the only tracking that remains is the use of the radio to collect anonymised wifi and cell location data to use for A-GPS. And I think it's possible to disable this too (although it's probably not immediately obvious where the setting is). I guess the Play Store tracks usage but you could use F-Droid. I'm sure there is some residual tracking after the above is taken into account but the devil is in the detail. Is it anonmymised or personal? Can you view and potentially delete it via your Google profile? I'm genuinely interested as my privacy is a cost/benefit tradeoff and I want to make an informed decision rather than accept hand-wavey "everything you do is tracked" claims.
• wodenokoto 10y ago
  Given that Samsung, LG and others are now competing with Google directly, maybe Firefox OS was too early. Maybe we'll actually start seeing Tizen headsets from Samsung.
• laktak 10y ago
  What kind of privacy features can you expect from a Google phone?
• delegate 10y ago
  The reference to Nest isn't a big plus in my book. I've only heard bad things about it - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpsMkLaEiOY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpsMkLaEiOY This phone isn't going to kill the iPhone - in fact it would take a big screwup on the part of Apple for people to start migrating away from its products. Not that Apple is incapable of screwing up, but so far they've sailed their ship pretty well. Apart from the hardware, there's the whole ecosystem of app developers, programming environments, cloud services.. Ultimately it's about who can attract the more talented developers - and that is a lot more difficult than snapping a faster CPU or better camera in your phone.
• WallowC_33 10y ago
  When Android is ~87% of the smartphone market, I somehow doubt Google views Apple's iPhone as the thing to beat. http://www.idc.com/prodserv/smartphone-os-market-share.jsp http://www.idc.com/prodserv/smartphone-os-market-share.jsp
• vamur 10y ago
  No threat to either iPhone or Note 7 and incredibly overpriced. Pixel is basically a mid-range phone for high-end price. OnePlus 3 for $400 in mid-range or Meizu M3 Note for $140 in lower end are much better deals.
  • khedoros1 10y ago
    Note 7: Huge screen. 5" is a practical limit for me. iPhone: I want direct filesystem access and 3rd-party app stores, app sideloading, etc. Also, to not have to re-purchase the apps I already have. The smaller Pixel is more interesting to me than either the Note 7 or iPhone 7. Of course, I've got a weird combination of requirements for phones, and they go against the direction that most of the market is headed, so I'd have to agree that these aren't likely to make a huge dent in the market. They're phones I'll be considering for my next upgrade, though.
    • vamur 10y ago
      In that case you should consider Galaxy S7, it has somewhat smaller dimensions than Pixel, but has a bigger screen. BTW, this is another con for the Pixel a 5" is a DOA for most users these days.
      • khedoros1 10y ago
        Do you remember the Duke controller on the original Xbox? It was usable but not comfortable, and a year or two after the console's release the market pressed for smaller controls. Microsoft started shipping the model sold in Japan. I feel the same way about phones. 5"+ is usable, but only with an uncomfortable degree of strain in my hands. I honestly don't see why the "bigger is better" mindset rules the market. I just see that every decent handset out there is a usability compromise. Thank you for pointing out the S7, though. It's only slightly larger than my current phone, and it would be near the top of my list if I were to go out and buy a new one tomorrow.
• mmanfrin 10y ago
  "Their debut signals Google’s push into the $400 billion smartphone hardware business and shows that the company is willing to risk alienating partners like Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc. that sell Android-based phones." You mean not including the time they bought Motorola?
  • falloutx 10y ago
    Google is a like an ADHD kid, one minute they want to conquer Android hardware market with Motorola, and other days they are so annoyed by hardware that they sell Motorola to Lenevo.
    • bergie 10y ago
      They bought Motorola for the patents, and sold off the rest.
      • redial 10y ago
        That's what they are saying now that they sold it.
• deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
• lumenwrites 10y ago
  It blows my mind that there's not a single positive top level comment yet. Seriously, guys, what's up with the culture of entitlement and complaining? We're hackers, let's get fucking excited about the new cool gadgets! This phone is awesome. How about, before nitpicking and criticizing, we take a moment to appreciate and celebrate the new technology developed by our colleagues?
  • zepto 10y ago
    Because it's not new technology.
    • rayalez 10y ago
      Oh, come on! A new good looking android phone with a cool camera, vr, and super advanced AI assistant is not good enough for you? How revolutionary was the last project that you have developed? What qualifies as "new technology" by your high standards? Do you expect it to be able to mine uranium while giving you a blowjob? I'm pretty sure it'll be able to do the later thing when new cool VR apps come around =) Creating new things is hard. Creating new complicated thigs is incredibly hard. I think we would live in a much better world if people, instead of bitching, would support and cheer for anything new that is being created.
      • Sylos 10y ago
        > What qualifies as "new technology" by your high standards? Well, why don't we start at the standards that Google is advertising with? It's them who are acting like this is the best thing since sliced bread, while it's really just yet another average phone.
      • 1_2__3 10y ago
        It looks like every other apple phone, the camera quality is table stakes, come off with that "super advanced" ridiculous hyperbole (it's just Google Now rebranded), and... wait that was all? I'm supposed to be leaping around in excitement over that?
• esotericsean 10y ago
  Apple innovates while other companies imitate. This looks exactly like an iPhone without a home button. I'm sure the hardware is fast and it's probably a very good phone. But what does it do better than iPhone? Unless it runs iOS, there's no way Android will ever catch up to iPhone.
  • andybak 10y ago
    You can't stretch your imagination to think of any reason someone might prefer another mobile OS to iOS - even if you disagree? So all non-iOS users are either deluded, misinformed or purchasing solely on price?
• amyjess 10y ago
  I'm seriously disappointed in this. Fortunately, I'm not feeling the need to replace my Nexus 5X yet. Maybe next summer when the Moto G5 comes out, I'll see if it's worth switching -- or maybe I'll wait until 2018 and get a Moto G6, but I'm not getting a Pixel. And if some key apps I use ever end up getting ported to Windows 10 Mobile, I'll consider Microsoft for my next device. But that'll be a ways off: I rely on Lyft to get around, so I can't use a phone that has no Lyft app.
  • louhike 10y ago
    Even though you'll probably do not get much support? Microsoft seems to have abandoned the mobile. As far as I know, they won't make any new phones themselves. And I'm not sure other manufacturer will go on making Windows 10 phones as they don't seem to sell well.
• julianpye 10y ago
  Last week we tried to launch an Android-first app at a major startup conference with 5000 visitors. 95% of the visitors (startups, entrepreneurs, investors, executives) had iPhones. We later confirmed this by looking at the network stats and couldn't believe it. In a country where Android statistically has 80% marketshare. The Android users loved the product, but we failed because we couldn't generate word-of-mouth. For the target audience of the Pixel, this is an uphill battle.
  • diminish 10y ago
    Actually that shows a big opportunity exists for startups in Android space. Clearly the startup world is not where the customers are due to various reasons. Go where the customers are, observe what they are doing and make something they can use. I truly see a big opportunity. Launching at startup events is wrong unless your customers are them.
    • tluyben2 10y ago
      Exactly. What he says is why most apps on Android look and feel like afterthoughts compared to their iPhone counterparts. That is opportunity.
    • julianpye 10y ago
      Sure, but potential partners and investors want to use your product and try it out. If you have Android-first the only thing you can do is you lend them an Android phone. And then you get 80% feedback on general Android topics and they boot the phone just to try the app and can't determine all its implementation and integration potential.
  • radiorental 10y ago
    > major startup conference Network stats viewer discretion advised. The log content may be self selecting to certain individuals and is not representative of the larger population.
  • fencepost 10y ago
    If your app is mostly targeting startups (cue stereotype of hipsters on Macs in coffeeshops and coworking spaces), then Android should probably not be your first choice of platform. If your app is targeting a non-startup audience and you can identify a conference or tradeshow more relevant to your actual audience, that may be a better place to try for attendee interest than a startup conference.
• grandalf 10y ago
  I've been using a BLU R1 HD with Amazon lock screen ads and if I were Apple I'd be very worried. It's a very nice, fast phone with a solid camera. After using Android for a few weeks I would be pretty happy using it instead of IOS. Among top tier apps and Google provided apps it's definitely now on par with IOS. $59 for a phone is unbelievable. I just got my iPhone 7 and while it's a great phone and has a slightly higher build quality, it's more than 10x the price.
• joshstrange 10y ago
  The graphic showing rating of camera's is super disingenuous [0] The gap from 88-92 is actually shorter than the gap between 86-89. [0] https://www.dropbox.com/s/ehp0sn8w04fpf2q/Screenshot%202016-10-04%2015.57.32.png?dl=0 https://www.dropbox.com/s/ehp0sn8w04fpf2q/Screenshot%202016-...
  • yathern 10y ago
    I really think this is grasping at straws. So you think they placed the 'Pixel' data point a little too far to the right? I didn't really get the impression that this was supposed to be super accurate and quantitative chart of their comparative performances - just a little graphic showing which phones it scored ahead of.
    • joshstrange 10y ago
      I'm not saying the whole presentation is null and void I'm saying that graphic is plain wrong. You don't get to lay out data on a line like that and plot every other phone the correct relativity apart and then put your phone out further than the +4 gain when your phone only has +3 gain. This presentation wasn't slapped together by some intern there is no excuse.
    • 1_2__3 10y ago
      That is by any measure a misleading chart, and absolutely should be derided for such.
• losteverything 10y ago
  Probably the wrong time to say but. Is or has there been any way I could purchase a new phone assign it my number and have 2 phones ringing at same time? I would have a side by side comparison in each pocket? Like I buy pants. But 4 at the store and return 3
  • IMcD23 10y ago
    I am sure there is a way to do that using VOIP or something to receive calls on both phones. But for most test cases, you don't need an active phone number on the phone, no? You can just buy the phone unlocked with no contract and test it out.
    • losteverything 10y ago
      And text? I assume I need a service provider. In reading this I like my current phone but it would be cool to try this.
  • lukewink 10y ago
    You can do exactly that with Google voice
  • danielsju6 10y ago
    Hangouts dialer + Google Voice / Project Fi. That's my setup. Got 4 phone numbers, all buzz all of my devices including my computers.
    • losteverything 10y ago
      Text too?
      • danielsju6 10y ago
        yep
• jordache 10y ago
  Why do they presume there is a risk of alienating other Android device makers? Those non Apple device makers are too deep in the Android universe with no viable alternative.
• binthere 10y ago
  The hardware isn't really that impressive. iPhone still has the best hardware in my opinion. I'm not even talking about performance, battery, etc, I'm talking about usability.
• agumonkey 10y ago
  Can't find any info about Google Assistant requirements (Android version, Phone model). I hope it won't require Nougat or even Android M.
• krzyk 10y ago
  Biggest problem with this phone is how it looks, and it looks like an iPhone, which for me is not a good looking phone. Why the bottom is so big? Why does it have all those rounded corners?
• chx 10y ago
  Apple manufactures fashion items which also facilitate communication. You can't threaten a fashion item. It doesn't work that way. Technological comparisons also don't apply. Only some truly epic fail on Apple's end would threaten them.
• stronglikedan 10y ago
  Besides the obvious economic benefits to the companies that make these phones, is there any real benefit to the user of not having a user replaceable battery? I feel really comfortable keeping an extra battery on standby for emergencies, especially since their charge capacity usually greatly diminishes in about a year or so.
• coolspot 10y ago
  That basement conference room tho...
• newman314 10y ago
  My killer feature for the iPhone is seamless upgrades. Until Android has this (Play Services don't count), it's not going to be a real threat IMO. Vertical integration FTW.
  • andybak 10y ago
    Just to quibble - Android upgrades are fairly seamless. It's just that they are rarer than hen's teeth. :-(
• AaronFriel 10y ago
  I'm saddened by the continued fragmentation. "Google Assistant" replaces the Google search bar... but only on the Pixel? So this is yet another Android device that behaves differently from every other. The exclusive carrier is Verizon. Why not Google Fi? The default video app is Duo. Why not Hangouts? Does "Google Now On Tap" get replaced by the assistant for the Pixel? Is that just for the Pixel? I don't get it. I don't understand how Google can think this produces a cohesive, meaningful experience for their users when they keep changing things or fragmenting their platforms. Edit: Full disclosure, my only smartphone is a Nexus 5X. I like it, I don't like Google's platform chaos.
  • anderber 10y ago
    The phones are available on Fi and at Google Store for full value or financing. I think Google Now On Tap is gone.
    • dlubarov 10y ago
      Did you see the stream? One of the presenters used Now on Tap (or something similar) to look up a restaurant which was mentioned in an SMS.
      • bergie 10y ago
        It looked like the Now on Tap functionality was merged with the assistant. Start assistant from homescreen: blank conversation. Start assistant from screen with something on it: conversation with context grabbed from the screen.
      • anderber 10y ago
        I believe that was the assistant. I meant as a product it was gone, it's just now part of Google Assistant.
  • deleted 10y ago
    [deleted]
  • 72deluxe 10y ago
• kneel 10y ago
  Features on phones seem to have plateaued. I can't justify spending $650 on the newest phone for a slightly better camera. My current iphone 6 is just fine, the battery is waning but not unbearably so. Does the pixel offer anything that justifies the price? Or would a consumer be better off just purchasing an older generation smartphone?
• dnprock 10y ago
  Google CEO: At the heart of these efforts is the goal to build a Google assistant. Yes, an assistant!
• Lorin 10y ago
  I am just hoping for a smaller phone like the iPhone SE. I never understood the drive towards huge screens that prevent proper single handed usage. I'm still using a Blackberry Q10 because it's a productivity monster - no time for games.
• lgats 10y ago
  Pixel phones, designed by Google, made by HTC — according to [FCC filings](http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/10/google-makes-its-2016-flagship-phones-official-the-pixel-and-pixel-xl/ http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/10/google-makes-its-2016...)
• joshmn 10y ago
  MY SMALL HANDS REJOICE! Sorry I'm so absolutely excited.
• Nursie 10y ago
  Why, in 2016, is anyone still talking about "iPhone killers" or threats to the iPhone? Outside the US it is not the dominant platform. Sure, it has a good share of the market, but it's not like Apple even outsell Samsung's Galaxy range.
  • rimantas 10y ago
    Except in many places it is.
  • V-2 10y ago
    Not just the US, it dominates in other Commonwealth/Anglosaxon countries as well, plus Japan, France, Scandinavia - quite a chunk of the world, and in a great many countries both platforms are roughly head-to-head
• sorenjan 10y ago
  I think the most unfortunate thing about this being so expensive and underwhelming is that now there's no good alternative for people that don't want to spend that kind of money on a phone to have an Android phone without an OEM skin and with quick updates to new Android versions. This premium phone is only guaranteed updates for two years, and the update situation in Android land is still appalling. Why isn't anyone working on a better driver model for smart phones like for the PC? I want the latest version of Android without any kind of skin, but I don't see any real alternative for me anymore. How can the company behind Android be satisfied with this situation?
• m-p-3 10y ago
  I don't think Google is a threat to anyone but themselves with these prices.
• HalfwayToDice 10y ago
  Snapdragon 821 means it's slower than grandmother's iPhone 6 from a few years ago.
• tn13 10y ago
  Android has already won. It is the hardware that has not managed to challenge hardware. But then Android's key selling point has always been about "choice". Blackberry like Android phones ? check. Android phones that feel like Windows UI ? Check, $30 phones? check, phones that look more like gaming devices ? check.
  • simonh 10y ago
    I'm a dedicated iOS user and don't own any Android devices, but you're quite right. Google's objective with Android was to ensure that there would always be an open mobile platform with a standard browser and access to Google services without a platform gatekeeper getting in the way. Mission accomplished. The mere existence of Android keeps Apple honest in a lot of ways. Because their goals are different, Apple and Google can both win in Mobile. Android's success hasn't stopped Apple becoming the most valuable company in the world and Apple's success hasn't stopped Android serving many market segments Apple has no interest in addressing. As consumers, regardless of which platform we prefer, we've all won.
• sfbay 10y ago
  BULLSHIT
• lewisl9029 10y ago
  No wireless charging is rather disappointing for me. Other than those from Samsung, are there any options left for a recent flagship with built-in wireless charging? Maybe I'll just hold out on my Nexus 5 for a couple more years...
• RRRA 10y ago
  They both locked enough people in an ecosystem where they control the competition well enough that they can justify asking twice as much as their device is worth... I was hoping to upgrade a nexus 5 I paid 399 CAD and this year they want to charge 899 CAD for the base model! This is insane and I just ordered a OnePlus 3 (519CAD) hoping that we'll see more competition instead of reliving the 90s desktop OS situation...
  • bhouston 10y ago
    I just ordered a OnePlus 3 today too (was upgrading also from a Nexus 5) after being disappointed by the Pixel's price. Funny coincidence. (BTW the LeEco Le Pro 3 also seemed good, has slightly higher specs that OnePlus 3.)
• wdeasy 10y ago
  This is such BS. Android fanboy here and this phone is junk. Everything they showed off can be done on every Android phone out there
• j_m_b 10y ago
  One thing I like about the iPhone is the strong emphasis on security. Many features in the iPhone are built around it such as password inputs eventually stop working after a certain amount of tries, plane tickets show up on home screen without needing to unlock the phone and default encryption. I like knowing that if I lock my phone, not even the FBI can get into it. This gives me confidence to use services such as Apple pay. How does the Google Pixel compare in security?
• kermittd 10y ago
  I've never owned an android but I'm happy to see a first party google phone.
• monochromatic 10y ago
  An autoplaying video with sound and a broken pause button? No thanks.
• frik 10y ago
  Stock Android is pretty broken in China. A lot of things like connecting to a public WiFi (which tries to connect to a Google page which doesn't work), Google PlayStore, Google Maps, email apps, etc. In China you need an Android that doesn't come preloaded with Google stuff or an iPhone which just works fine incl the AppStore. It's very strange that Google doesn't offer at least basic support there.
• Gustomaximus 10y ago
  The main reason I see/hear people coming across from Apple to Android is they get a quality handset at half the price. Given this pricing is inline with Apple, I cant see as something that will seriously threaten other than crowding the market a bit more. I still dont understand why Google didn't keep pushing the mid-range nexus. They were onto such a sweet spot.
• sidcool 10y ago
  Had it been water resistant/proof, it would have posed a serious threat to iPhone. Other specs are quite good.
• PhasmaFelis 10y ago
  > Google’s First Real Threat to Apple’s iPhone Haha, what? Google already thoroughly beat the iPhone: they made Android. This is just a ridiculously overwrought way to say "Google is making a new phone".
• ngrilly 10y ago
  I see several references to good video stabilization, but never mention if it's 1080p or 4k, since I didn't see any mention to OIS and sensor resolution is almost the same as 4k (at least the width) how can it effectively compensate to electronic video stabilization in 4k video? (comment copy-pasted from https://www.dxomark.com/Mobiles/Pixel-smartphone-camera-review-At-the-top https://www.dxomark.com/Mobiles/Pixel-smartphone-camera-revi...)
• MrQuincle 10y ago
  Let's not go into a fight about Google vs Apple, but consider the landscape. 1) It is interesting to note that, different from the desktop market a decade ago, there is no monopoly by a single provider for smartphone tech. This means that the upcoming challengers try to challenge using the same tech rather than come up with something really innovative. That there is no monopoly in this space, might actually reduce the speed of innovation! These parties are happy to compete with each other on familiar grounds. To me this comes across as a gentlemen's agreement in which knights establish the boundaries of their fight. Google says: it's gonna be phones, don't be afraid we come with weapons that you're not anticipating. 2) If we limit ourselves to smartphones, what would real innovation look like? For me it's twofold: a) getting rid of the other things in my pocket. I currently carry: keys, a wallet, a public transport card, a customer loyalty card, a squash subscription card, and a driver license mainly as ID. b) never worry about charging. The former can solved by actually making use of the existing technology. The latter needs a wireless charging infrastructure that works on a distance and a few R&D years (http://www.wi-charge.com/ http://www.wi-charge.com/).
  • brownbat 10y ago
    a) getting rid of the other things in my pocket As an incremental step, I'm seeing more cell phone cases with a slot to store credit cards, cash, and ID. I know, ideally they'd be gone though.
• yCloser 10y ago
  one word: EXPENSIVE
• pmontra 10y ago
  The first reaction of a friend of mine, Android developer, was like "Maybe I'm buying an iPhone 7 on leasing, because the Nexus are dead and the Pixel costs so much". Then he realized that the iPhone costs even more. He's not buying anything at the moment. He's got plenty of phones after all.
• trymas 10y ago
  That price though.. :( If pixel is completely replacing nexus, then it's a complete bummer, as one of nexus' best points were very good hardware in reasonably good package for half the price as flagship competition (galaxy, iphone). OTOH, it's maybe a good business move if they manage to take galaxy users to buy pixel, Google will make a good buck for it.
• dfritz 10y ago
  They finally did it! The $1000 smartphone! Thankfully, for only $649, you can get the 32 GB version, which has the same storage capacity as the Nexus 5 released in october 2013. Oh yes, the Nexus 5 was sold for $150 less.
• talideon 10y ago
  What Google need to do next is to finally get out from under Qualcomm. They're a big part of the reason why older hardware can't be supported by newer versions of Android.
• jug 10y ago
  It seems roughly equivalent to a fairly recent iPhone. I see nothing like being officially water resistant like the iPhone 7, and seemingly no now widely lauded portrait mode thanks to dual cameras and its depth perception. The iPhone 7 also seems to use an (in normal use) more powerful CPU. So maybe it's more like a premium priced iPhone 6s or so. Outside of Apple's ecosystem. How in the world would that be a "real threat"? The 32 GB Pixel is expected to land at $650, the (now finally) 32 GB iPhone 6s will cost you $550. It'll cost you $100 more and it'll make you lose your ecosystem! It looks like a method for Google to stop the drain to Apple through an alluring Apple design at best, not something that will do much in the other direction. As an iPhone user, this doesn't interest me in the slightest, other than an "academical" interest where it's interesting to see Google finally seeing the light. Now let's see if Google will introduce a certification program so people can look at a label in the specs of any Android phone and know that the smartphone will not be loaded with crap. Let the OEM's be still free to do it, but let people have an easier time to vote with their money.
• finishingmove 10y ago
  From the pricing, and the fact that the blue version is available only in the US, this seems to be an "iPhone for Muricans that don't want an iPhone" (for whatever hissy fit). Now they have a choice, exactly like between Republicans and Democrats. Enjoy your HTC Pixels.
• skc 10y ago
  Aren't they playing right into Apple's hands by pricing it like an Apple product? Google will never, and I mean NEVER, be able to compete with Apple on fit and finish as well as the all round user experience with which Apple are able to justify their seemingly outlandish pricing. If anything, people will now scrutinize fit and finish even more closely at this price range and that's the last thing they need.
• theinternetman 10y ago
  Surprised they went with a form factor so similar to Samsung and the iPhone 6, just looks pretty dated really. Think now would have been a good opportunity to go for something less rounded. An iPhone 4 style sharp design would probably end up looking futuristic next to all the faceless rounded blobs the market is full of.
• tychuz 10y ago
  As an iPhone user, this doesn't look as an attractive option. For half the iPhone price - maybe, but right now - nope.
• rullopat 10y ago
  Before owning an iPhone, I was very happy with an (at the time) expensive Samsung Galaxy Nexus. But then... Google dropped updates for this phone after just 18 months and the microUSB crappy plastic connector started to fall apart and don't charge. It seems that now Google is selling premium hardware (finally), but what about software updates? I get about 4 years of updates on an iPhone now, who knows what are the plans for this Pixel.
• piyush_soni 10y ago
  Big time Nexus fan (and owner or N5, 6P) here. One thing that is of big concern for me now is that previously (until the Nexus line) their only OS was Android AOSP, and making it better was their sole motive. Now, it's in Google's best interest to market their exclusive Pixel phones, and differentiate Pixel Android from the 'other' Android, the AOSP. The whole Android community might suffer because of this.
• JohnnyConatus 10y ago
  The thing people often overlook is the value of iMessage. I switched to Android for a few months and using plain SMS with my friends was a definite downgrade. True, we could use a 3rd party chat network, but everyone seems to prefer a different one. Also, hard to quantify, but there was an element of social cost in that every knew I no longer using an iphone because the texts weren't blue. HN tends to dismiss such things but branding/advertising are important to perception of value, like it or not.
• davidf18 10y ago
  Google's business model is based on gathering data from users and hence by definition will not be as secure to use as Apple which derives their income from the high margins on the phones they sell instead of gathering data on us to monetize. Hence, no matter what you say, Google software based phones will not be as secure as Apple ones nor will they protect your privacy as well as Apple does.
• Taylor_OD 10y ago
  My theory is the only reason people switch from iPhones is that they no longer want an iPhone. There are plenty of other options but unless someone is driven to it by flaws from the iPhone then they are not going to switch. For me it was battery life, lack of customization, and my iphone/itunes not playing nice with a windows pc.
• masada4evr 10y ago
  Pixel's "integrated assistant" just smells too much like Internet Explorer embedded into Windows. I like Google Now, but I don't need something like an AI interface and everything clumped together. There are some things I don't use, and I'd like the choice to have it not get in the way.