Well, gang, looks like the brightly colored cat came out of a metaphorical bag.
You know what I’m talking about, right? The cat in question is none other than Google’s Pixel 6 phone—two of them actually. Google did its new favorite trick and let the air out of the leaky balloon quickly by announcing the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro months before the actual device debuts. Take it, inter-seller rumors!
And these new Pixels are also very different from the previous Pixels. As was widely expected, they were the first Google-made phones to feature a Google-made processor—a difference we’ve been talking about in this section for quite some time now and one that could very well separate the phone from the rest of the Android package. Google has a carefully orchestrated campaign spread across several websites to showcase some of the practical advantages the new setup makes possible, so I won’t waste your time repeating what you’ve read.
Here, I want to focus on four underemphasized Pixel 6 preview effect — a combination of indirect suggestions and comments that gets far less attention than the Pixel’s shiny outer shell and homemade innards.
Pixel takeaway No. 1: This software supports overhaul
This first Pixel takeaway is one I’ve never seen appear at all, in person, as part of the current Pixel 6 flash — but it’s arguably the most significant effect of Google’s switch to home-made processors.
If you’ve been following here for a while, you probably know where I’m going (and you can go ahead and get some well-earned crumpets as a reward): By having its own dedicated chip inside the Pixel, Google will be able to support these phones with software updates much longer than is currently possible on Android.
This is one of the first potential benefits of a Google-made processor that we talked about when the possibilities first surfaced, and while Google hasn’t announced anything official about it yet, signs suggest the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro could be coming. full five years from updating the Android operating system. That’s a huge step up from the current three-year max platform, to say the least — and it could have some pretty significant implications, as we’ll explore more in a moment.
Pixel takeaway No. 2: The ‘Android Pixel’ factor
Much of Google Pixel 6 marketing material has focused on the way phones feature the new Material You theme system at the heart of Android 12. This is more than just a fresh coat of paint: Material You is a complete reimagining of the Android experience — “like Android in some mood-boosting.” very gentle,” as some very clever animal-humans have said before. And it revolves around an ambitious new feature that leverages your own personal wallpaper to create a custom system-wide palette that then stretches across the Android experience — everything from the Quick Settings panel and settings screen to icons on the home screen and even in-app interfaces.
Eventually, the implications will extend beyond just your phone as well: Google says your custom design choices on Android will at some point run with your account across every app and device type you use — also true for Google apps on the web like Chromebooks, Smart Displays, and Wear-based wearables. This is Google ecosystem move, in other words. And The Pixel, it seems, could be the only smartphone product tied to that new cross-platform thread in its full and pure form.
GoogleThat, suffice to say, is a monumental change for both what the Pixel represents in Android and what Android is self represented as an operating system.
Takeaway Pixel No. 3: Pivot back from previous pivot
Wait a minute and grab yourself a Dramamine or two, because the next takeaway is sure to give you a headache.
Last year, you know, Google gave us a real surprise with its Pixel product plans. After four years of establishing the Pixel as a flagship-caliber premium phone, Google is releasing the Pixel 5 — completely redefining what the Pixel brand stands for and what it’s all about.
The Pixel 5 isn’t a top-of-the-line, top-dollar phone, nor is it meant to be. It’s positioned as a more affordable phone that focuses on quality that matters most but cuts out a lot of the finer stuff to achieve a lower price tag. It’s a step back to the old Nexus models from Google’s past, in a sense—where you can get a nice, solid Android phone with great software and without some of the high-end bells and whistles for a very decent price.
As part of that, the Pixel 5 doesn’t have the more premium metal or glass construction that its predecessor had, and that takes away the only-launched (and heavily promoted) the face unlock technology that the Pixel 4 introduced just a year earlier. It seems reasonable from a sales perspective, as I pointed out at the time, since Google hasn’t managed to get the high-end Pixels off the ground but has saw a lot of success with the more economical “a”-line Pixel phones.
As I pondered last fall:
In the grand scheme of things, perhaps losing this level of luxury element to make Pixel phones more affordable is the price Google has to pay if it wants to turn its phone program into a sustainable business. It makes sense on one level, though a little disappointing on another. However, the real test will be to see if this latest strategy is one that Google is really sticking with—or if we find ourselves thinking about another “Google mobile” pivot at this time of next year.
Mmhm. And guess what we think now?
Oh yes: Google has rolled back from its previous axis and returned to a high-end, premium flagship approach to the Pixel, just one year after briefly redefining the brand. It’s a really dizzying twist, even by Google’s vertigo-inducing standards.
To be fair, we don’t know exactly how much the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro will cost at this time. But in an interview with The Verge, Google’s head of hardware Rick Osterloh said they would be on a “different level” from the company’s latest offering and that the Pixel 6 would “definitely be a premium priced product.” As the article’s author noted, it’s hard to define it as anything less than a thousand smackeroos.
The only saving grace, if Google manages to emphasize it effectively, could be the longer support life we talked about a few seconds ago. Think about it: If we arbitrarily say that one of the Pixel 6 models costs $1,200 but also assume that it will get the full five years of software support we expect, that effectively means it will cost $240 per year over the course of its life. recommended. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra at the same price, in comparison, gets three operating system update year — who made it $400 per year of suggested holdings.
Only time will tell, of course, if Google finds a way to deliver that advantage. Speaking of…
Pixel takeaway No. 4: Marketing engine
We’re six years old now for Google’s Pixel phone plan, and as of now, the Pixel is still largely a niche-level product for Android enthusiasts and other “in the know” folks. This is not a mainstream phone, and almost all market share statistics reflect that.
Despite all of the Pixel’s practical advantages over other Android phone options, its not-so-obtrusive position in the smartphone ecosystem isn’t exactly surprising. Plain and simple, six years on, Google still seems to be doing almost nothing — or doing almost nothing effective, at least — to market the Pixel and make the average phone-buying organism aware of its most extraordinary elements. Heck, most people who aren’t tech-obsessed usually don’t even know that Pixel there isaccording to my experience.
And with each passing year and each new Pixel-exclusive element added to the picture, the disconnect is getting more and more discouraging. To once again quote my favorite philosopher of technology and the most handsome and humble Homo sapiens I know:
Imagine if the next iPhone came with [features like] AI-enabled call filter and hold technology for you. Imagine how Apple would market that possibility. They will be innovative, innovative, magical and revolutionary, unlucky! They will be a life-changing system available “only on iPhone” (because when someone pretentiously avoids using an article while referring to their product, you know it has to be important).
Plain and simple, we’ll never hear the ending. And with Google? Google got the stuff right now. And we never heard a single peep about it.
Well, with the Pixel 6, Google says it’s ready to start selling. “The product is really, now, The Google Phone,” Osterloh told The Verge – “so we’re ready to invest heavily in marketing and we want to grow.”
Funny, because Google has been talking about the Pixel as “The Google Phone” since the first model. And it’s been talking about moving the Pixel line beyond niche status and into a mainstream position as a “next few years” style destination for a few years now.
But maybe this time it’s serious. Maybe this time, it’s ready to start pushing the Pixel right and making ordinary people — not just us amazing nerds — realize what it’s all about. Maybe. We must have heard that story before, more than a few times.
To be fair, final Osterloh’s timeline gave a specific timeframe in 2017. At that time, in an interview with (who else?) The Verge, he said: “We don’t want it to be anything special. … year.”
And here we are, four years later. The Pixel 6 is almost here. Now let’s see if this is the stage where Google really delivers — and if, in true Google fashion, sixth time finally becomes a charm.