Amidst the terminated production of the Galaxy Note 7 and increase in sales of Apple’s iPhone 7, Google has released a new line of smartphones in addition to its Nexus phones, Pixel and Pixel XL. This new branch of smartphones from Google looks to compete with popular smartphones from Samsung and Apple. The two new phones released on Oct. 20 have been sold out through pre-order and have a waitlist of up to five weeks; just days after its first sales began.
“Google’s new phone made it harder for me to decide which new phone to buy,” Sarah Park (10) said. “It was very unexpected that Google created a top-notch phone that could be better than Apple’s phones. I know some of my friends are going to buy the Pixel phone once it comes to Korea. In our eyes, both the Pixel and Pixel XL provide the same specs as the iPhone but as a cheaper price, which is very appealing.”
The Pixel comes in two sizes, very much like the iPhone and iPhone plus, and with a variety of specs. The new phone comes with several distinct key features such as the new Google Assistant, which allows for unique communication with the phone, a 12.3 Mp camera rated the highest amongst all other smartphone cameras, unlimited cloud storage, and compatibility with Virtual Reality products. However, some critics from Arstechnica are not so pleased with the new phone, calling it an iPhone rip-off with unambitious hardware.
“This new line of phone doesn’t have a design as good as the Nexus,” Daniel Min (12) said. “But it does have better features for sure. Right off the bat, this new phone is a major upgrade from the Nexus. When I use to own a Nexus, the phone often lagged and had poor user-compatibility, which was very frustrating, but reviews I watched already seem very positive. If Google had a bit of better marketing for the phone, it could beat the iPhone.”
With only three months left to the 2016 year, it is estimated that Google will sell three to four million Pixel and Pixel XL phones combined. Not only is this a positive step forward for Google, but it also marks improvement for HTC as they created the chips for Google’s new phone. According to reports, Pixel phone shipments will account for nearly 50% of HTC mobile shipments in the remainder of the year. With improved characteristics from the old Nexus series, Pixel holds high expectations amongst consumers.