Pixel 8! Start of an Era
Google launched pixel 8 few hours back and it is trending since then. Though it is nothing new for a newly launched gadget to be trending for a couple of hours but the launched changed something fundamental in the smartphone industry and if google plays right by its cards, they will change the smartphone industry.
Pixel 8: Glimpse of the revolutionary device
Phone Specs:
Design: Elegant design with softer silhouettes, beautiful metal finishes and recycled materials.
Size: Pixel 8, has a 6.2-inch screen size, Pixel 8 Pro has a 6.7-inch screen size.
Weight: Pixel 8: 187 gm and Pixel 8 Pro: 213 gm
Display: Both phones tout using actua display. They are perfect under direct sunlight
- Pixel 8: Pixel 8 has a actua display which is 42% brighter than pixel 7 and has 2000 nits of peak brightness. It has a refresh rate varying from 60 Hz-120Hz
- Pixel 8 Pro: The pixel 8 pro’s display is super actua with refresh rate variations between 1Hz — 120 Hz. Further, the peak brightness is also higher at 2400 nits
Processor: As usual pixel comes with Tensor. This time they have used Tensor 3 which is an upgrade to Tensor 2 and similar to the Exonys processing system. The chip has good possibilities in NLP, ML and multi-tasking.
Battery: 4575 mAh for Pixel 8 and 5050 mAh for Pixel 8 Pro
RAM: 8 Gb — 12 Gb (varaints available)
Internal Space: 128 Gb — 1024 Gb
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What Separates the new Pixel Series?
If you are not new to technology, then you would already know that specs only matter on paper and the real world experience of a phone is only dominated by software. That’s why iPhone has been leading the pack for long, without having significant leaps in hardware.
This time, Google is going heads on in the smartphone race. The phones are designed to directly take out the competition. For instance, they have focused on the right things in the phone.
Nobody uses a phone to do super-calculations and no-one expects a phone to act as a supercomputer. With rising social media, the phone’s use is shifting from communication device to surfing device. If you have a phone whose battery lasts a day, can charge in 40–50 minutes, can take good images, doesn’t hang or slow for 3–4 years and is smooth in user interface for 3–4 years, the device is always considered good device.
While google was already targeting the same sweet spot, but their earlier offerings always failed to inspire the buyers. This time, they have realised the mistake and launched something that shouts excellence.
Their launched video focused on software gimmicks in imaging and photography. The phones are touted to have the best camera available on any smartphone. The night and low light photography and videography has been taken to next level.
Further, the phones already come with advanced google assistant that can help understand languages and take actions. It can help in translating, recording, voice typing, commanding phone to do certain actions.
This time google has also extended the phone support to 7 years. Yes, that’s the entire highlight from the launch event which changes the game in smartphone industry.
I am user of pixel 4a, which is a low end device and which i bought about 4 years back. The phone still works good, it has no lag and the software exprience is still smooth. It is better than most of the devices that are currently launched today. But the software support is not active anymore and the phone’s battery dies in 4–5 hours of activity.
It is not only my experience but the experience of most of the pixel owners. All pixel phones are built to perfection and doesn’t disappoint you in daily life usage. What disappoints you is the fact that you need to drop a phone despite it being fully working. That’s where Google has worked this time, they have extended the support. The camera, software optimisation, battery life, and day-to-day user experience of phone was already optimized in pixel 7. The only place where Google was lagging was the support.
Further, this time, Google has also realised that if they want to take on Apple, they also need to come up with pricing that speaks premium and gives user a sense that the phone they are buying is not some low level Android but a premium device. Thus, the prices of new pixels are kept similar to iPhone. Though I am not a fan of this strategy as the phones have become costly but it is a strategy and it is good one.
Reason lies in the fact that lot of iPhone customers don’t buy iPhones because of their specs or UI but they buy them as it gives them a feeling of being special. The devices are touted as premium phones and they act as a status symbol. It was a big thing. The same users would flock to high-end Android phones if the phones match similar offerings. Google has not only realised it but they have also targeted this.
Future Needs & the next Path
The launch was perfect and there wasn’t anything that screamed “improve me” during the launch. But, it is only the start of a big game. Google is notorious of leaving its projects in midway. That has been one of reasons why I know many people don’t buy or prefer google products. They always cite an example of how Google dropped support for various projects and closed them midway.
Further, they are also in bad light due to price decrease of their devices soon after the launch. For example, the pixel 6a had about 30% price decrease within 2 months of launch and left a bitter memory to users who bought it during preorder phase.
If Google can retain its prices, keep up with its words of supporting device for 7 years and improves the customer service by offering more service centers they have a high chance of multiplying their penetration. To add further, they can adopt corporate or student discounts as promotional tricks and add a lot of users via those schemes without diluting the price for normal users and without sacrificing new customers.
Lastly, a phone is not only software. Sooner or later, Google would need to catch up with the processing powers of Samsung and Apple. Software, though is most important, but would not save them from benchmark tests and the testing results would always indicate how their devices are substandard in processing capabilities as compared to the other premium devices. Though it is not urgent and can be improved in coming series but it would be a game changer as it would position them as market leaders.
