The Downfall of Pixel ?

Pixel series of phones has always been a hit or miss, these phones were first introduced in October 2016 they were wildly popular then due to their stock Android experience. Their excellent camera and their weird yet unique design bought a new life to the phone industry, after the news that the Nexus line of phones was going to be discontinued. Pixel quickly gained popularity and became the Benchmark for all the Android phones.

Pixel was and has been one of the best Camera phones when it comes to real-life comparisons, the unique design, the stock Android and the frequency at which all the updates were received. Pixel owners were the first to get the latest Android OS, well, that was expected as both are managed by Google. The stock Android experience was the best as it provided the best battery life and the best camera experience, even the software was perfection. The monthly Pixel feature updates are significant as they introduce new features and squash the bugs.

 

Something went terribly wrong when they announced the next Iteration of the Pixels.

 

1. The Design

Pixel was the best at producing its own unique design when compared to the other Android manufacturers. Recently that has not been the case; they too are following Apple; may that be a camera design or even the structure. The reason for the disappointment is that Google was supposed to be different from others. Pixel being Pixel added a Soli sensor which uses a 60GHz mm Wave to identify gestures. This has to be one of the most amazing, useless features, as this works only 20% of the times. Due to this feature, the phone was not launched in India because regular users are not allowed to use the 60GHz mm Wave without a license, they couldn't launch in India and they lost one of the biggest markets. 

2. The Software

Yes, the software that has been one of the main talking points in the recent releases might introduce new and exciting features, but the software at launch has been buggy, to say the least. The camera issues, battery issues, display issues, one doesn't expect this from Google as they are the ones who own Android. Recently they are losing their edge over the other smartphones. OnePlus's Oxygen OS is dubbed as the best OS now as it provides near to stock experience. As all the features are added as per requirements and not bombarded with them. 

 

3. Camera

Google chose to add a 2X Telephoto lens in the Pixel 4 line of series rather than a Wide-Angle Lens, Google was already perfect with their software-based bokeh, why did they ditch Wide Angle Lens will remain a mystery. As per Standards, the Pixel is still one of the best in the Camera section, but lately, Apple has been catching up and even beating them in the Video recording section; don't get me wrong they still have the best camera on an Android smartphone. People get disappointed when they miss out on features or have a problem with the software because more is expected from Google.

Conclusion

Google reportedly is taking another gamble by having a Snapdragon 765 rather than 865. I highly doubt this, and even if they do, it'll be interesting to see how the industry is going to react. Pixel also releases their mid-range phones such as Pixel 3a and 3a XL; they might be a better choice over Pixel 4 as they have identical camera sensor and design. Lately, Google has been distant from their community and their needs, which will definitely come back to haunt them. They have to take drastic measures and introduce new features to once again, gain the top spot, which is currently held by the iPhone.

-Sudev Atgur