I think it matters because the maker of the OS also makes the Pixel, so the Pixel line can be considered the “reference hardware” for Android. If other manufac

I think it matters because the maker of the OS also makes the Pixel, so the Pixel line can be considered the “reference hardware” for Android. If other manufacturers decide to ignore the reference... well, that’s bad, and worthy of criticism, but it's at least good that the reference is open!