5 ms·

> It is a crazy strategy of Apple to put the “brains” of its most expensive phone, the iPhone 13 Pro Max (+USD 1.099), in its entry model, low cost (USD 429). N

> It is a crazy strategy of Apple to put the “brains” of its most expensive phone, the iPhone 13 Pro Max (+USD 1.099), in its entry model, low cost (USD 429). No other company does this. The $449 Pixel 6a, which was released today, has the same Tensor chip as the $899 Pixel 6 Pro. This is advertised prominently on the product page: https://store.google.com/us/product/pixel_6a https://store.google.com/us/product/pixel_6a

bamboozled 4y ago
Yeah but it's Google, it's probably Naive, but I just hate the company and the business model.
- smoldesu 4y ago
  That also makes them wrong, which is still true regardless about how you feel about the companies. Besides, it's a ridiculous statement anyways: for example, Nothing's first phone is coming out soon, which means their most expensive and cheapest phones will be running the same chip. Failing that, there's dozens of Android companies that made lines of handsets using the exact same SOC (like ZTE) because it's cheap to develop. Regardless of the companies involved, saying they're the "only one that does this" is like saying your local diner is the only one making you a real cheesesteak.
  - bamboozled 4y ago
    Did you mean to respond to my comment? Beause if so, I have no idea how to interpret it or what your point is.
wlesieutre 4y ago
Though if the iPhone SE 2016 and the Pixel 3a are anything to go by, the new iPhone SE will probably have software support for 2x or longer than the Pixel 6a.
- cowtools 4y ago
  The pixel 3a is still supported by AOSP distros like CalyxOS: https://calyxos.org/install/ https://calyxos.org/install/
  - ascagnel_ 4y ago
    While I appreciate that some phones can be supported by the community, I think it's unreasonable to expect that the community continue support in place of OEMs. Especially ones like Google, that can set the tenor for the entire Android ecosystem.
  - hgazx 4y ago
    No SafetyNet, so useless for some of us.
    - commoner 4y ago
      As of May 2022, SafetyNet basic attestation works on CalyxOS by default for the Pixel 3a and later: https://calyxos.org/news/2022/05/07/location-safetynet-fix/ https://calyxos.org/news/2022/05/07/location-safetynet-fix/
- initplus 4y ago
  Even on the latest model Pixel phones Google still refuses to commit to more than 3 years of Android updates... They have at least lengthened the security update timeline to a whole 5 years. I bought an iphone around the launch of the Pixel 4, which is now nearing it's end of support. Meanwhile Apple has provided the latest updates to devices that launched 7 years ago.
  - MAGZine 4y ago
    I could be wrong but I think qualcomm is the biggest obstacle for google in supporting older phone versions. they won't ship updated drivers for new android versions for old phones.
xyzzy123 4y ago
I don't think it's crazy though; I think it reflects that in software / OS development you save a lot of dev & qa time by minimising your hardware fragmentation. Also that if you have special sauce (eg a tensor chip), you want to give it to all users if you can, or developers won't bother optimising for it.
- fomine3 4y ago
  It's also true for hardware. I think this is primary reason rather than software because bleeding edge SoC R&D fixed cost should be higher.
ilrwbwrkhv 4y ago
But that chip is not as good as the apple one. In fact not even close. The battery life on that one is atrocious compared to the apple one.
- borissk 4y ago
  On the other hand it can do live voice translation without an internet connection. Can Apple do that?
  - pineconebutt 4y ago
  - white_dragon88 4y ago
    [dead]
  - jibbers 4y ago
    Yep. https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/translate-text-voice-and-conversations-iphd74cb450f/ios https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/translate-text-voice-...
  - ilrwbwrkhv 4y ago
    I feel Apple actually does more on device ML stuff than Google devices.
throw7 4y ago
yeah, but they screwed up everything else about the 6a. it's clear it was just a dump on the bang per value sector. I would have jumped to a 6a if they designed it for the sector but they clearly did not.
Bud 4y ago
True, although that Tensor chip is around 24 months behind Apple's chips, and the gap is getting wider and wider.

bamboozled 4y ago

Yeah but it's Google, it's probably Naive, but I just hate the company and the business model.

smoldesu 4y ago
That also makes them wrong, which is still true regardless about how you feel about the companies. Besides, it's a ridiculous statement anyways: for example, Nothing's first phone is coming out soon, which means their most expensive and cheapest phones will be running the same chip. Failing that, there's dozens of Android companies that made lines of handsets using the exact same SOC (like ZTE) because it's cheap to develop. Regardless of the companies involved, saying they're the "only one that does this" is like saying your local diner is the only one making you a real cheesesteak.
- bamboozled 4y ago
  Did you mean to respond to my comment? Beause if so, I have no idea how to interpret it or what your point is.

wlesieutre 4y ago

Though if the iPhone SE 2016 and the Pixel 3a are anything to go by, the new iPhone SE will probably have software support for 2x or longer than the Pixel 6a.

cowtools 4y ago
The pixel 3a is still supported by AOSP distros like CalyxOS: https://calyxos.org/install/ https://calyxos.org/install/
- ascagnel_ 4y ago
  While I appreciate that some phones can be supported by the community, I think it's unreasonable to expect that the community continue support in place of OEMs. Especially ones like Google, that can set the tenor for the entire Android ecosystem.
- hgazx 4y ago
  No SafetyNet, so useless for some of us.
  - commoner 4y ago
    As of May 2022, SafetyNet basic attestation works on CalyxOS by default for the Pixel 3a and later: https://calyxos.org/news/2022/05/07/location-safetynet-fix/ https://calyxos.org/news/2022/05/07/location-safetynet-fix/
initplus 4y ago
Even on the latest model Pixel phones Google still refuses to commit to more than 3 years of Android updates... They have at least lengthened the security update timeline to a whole 5 years. I bought an iphone around the launch of the Pixel 4, which is now nearing it's end of support. Meanwhile Apple has provided the latest updates to devices that launched 7 years ago.
- MAGZine 4y ago
  I could be wrong but I think qualcomm is the biggest obstacle for google in supporting older phone versions. they won't ship updated drivers for new android versions for old phones.

xyzzy123 4y ago

I don't think it's crazy though; I think it reflects that in software / OS development you save a lot of dev & qa time by minimising your hardware fragmentation. Also that if you have special sauce (eg a tensor chip), you want to give it to all users if you can, or developers won't bother optimising for it.

fomine3 4y ago
It's also true for hardware. I think this is primary reason rather than software because bleeding edge SoC R&D fixed cost should be higher.

ilrwbwrkhv 4y ago

But that chip is not as good as the apple one. In fact not even close. The battery life on that one is atrocious compared to the apple one.

borissk 4y ago
On the other hand it can do live voice translation without an internet connection. Can Apple do that?
- pineconebutt 4y ago
- white_dragon88 4y ago
  [dead]
- jibbers 4y ago
  Yep. https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/translate-text-voice-and-conversations-iphd74cb450f/ios https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/translate-text-voice-...
- ilrwbwrkhv 4y ago
  I feel Apple actually does more on device ML stuff than Google devices.

throw7 4y ago

yeah, but they screwed up everything else about the 6a. it's clear it was just a dump on the bang per value sector. I would have jumped to a 6a if they designed it for the sector but they clearly did not.

Bud 4y ago

True, although that Tensor chip is around 24 months behind Apple's chips, and the gap is getting wider and wider.