Now before we go jumping to conclusions, hear me out. This year has just been an expensive one. Seems like every phone company is hiking up their prices. We might could blame Google for how phones are being priced at this point. If you think about it, other than the halo effect from the camera, the price was the biggest complaint.
It could be that I got spoiled from the Nexus phone price points. I also understand the Pixel is not a Nexus. The hard part to forgive with the Pixel line is that it started at high price last year and there wasn’t much to it. It’s a bare bones device with a hefty price. This year the price is going up and we are not too sure about what it will include as far as features.
Will it be water-resistant, dual camera, dual speaker, high-res screen, camera quality, snappy processor, etc…? If you think about it there are quite a few other options of phones out there that cost about the same, sometimes less, that include many features. In my opinion, flagship/high priced phones should be fully loaded.
Some of the leaks I have seen do not excite me at all.
I’ve been using the iPhone 8 Plus for about a week now. In a sense, the iPhone is like the Pixel. The Pixel is Google’s (Android’s) baby. It’s the phone made by the OS. Apple makes their own stuff. Google is trying to make their own stuff. Apple has done a great job with their ecosystem. It’s consistent, reliable, and solid. Google constantly changes it’s mind on things and still seems to finding it’s identity. ALL THIS SAID, hardware is not really an issue these days, it’s about software.
Just using the Google Camera app for example, it’s missing features and is too minimal. In comparison, Apple, Samsung, HTC, and LG all pack in great features for their camera apps. The Google Camera, you’ve got to download 3rd party apps just to accomplish things like a time-lapse.
So when I see leaks that lack in features in comparison to the competition, it’s hard to get excited about. It would completely be a different story if the price was not so high. With what we’ve seen so far, this phone should not cost nearly as much.
Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE using Android devices. The Note8 is a fantastic device. The Moto Z2 Play is impressive for not costing much at all and the MODS are sweet. The Mate 9 linked with the Leica camera is really cool. HTC bounced back with the u11. I’ve had a lot of fun using these phones this year. But they all have something unique to offer. What does the Pixel 2 offer? I hope Google nails a home-run though.
Just to finish things up, there are a few things I am looking forward to…
- Minimal bezel
- Stock Android
- Worth saying again…minimal bezel
- Possible squeeze features
Last thought, I REALLY want the Pixel line to be the BEST Android phone available. It’s made by Google. There is no excuse for another phone company to be better than it’s OS creator.
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I couldn’t agree more. It makes no sense for a slightly-better-than-average phone to cost double what a flagship device cost two years ago. The Nexus line was the best thing to happen to Android since the OG Droid; it was a shame to see them discontinued.
I can’t help but believe that the carriers are involved in the price hike over the last two years since the emphasis is so clearly on the “price-per-month” on the preorder pages of late. Android (especially Nexus) was what you bought when you needed a great affordable phone with competitive hardware specs and no fluff. Now, it looks like Google has attempted to make the Pixel a status symbol to compete directly with Apple.
What drew me to Android was an open ecosystem, file system access and a variety of devices that were reasonably priced. It was a completely different experience from Apple. Nothing against Apple, I happen to love iOS as a tablet OS.
Oh well, I may be standing by next year to pick up a refurbished Pixel XL 2 or V30 for a few hundred bucks while the Pixel 3 drops at $1799… Sorry, I meant $25 per month on a 72 month payment plan. 😀