Thanks to an article by 9to5Google, we learned that the Pixel phone sales have been dropping. In this current environment where Samsung and Apple remain at the top, is there anything Google can do to finally unseat Samsung?
Hardware
This is the area that I have been very critical of Google. Despite them being at the top of the game for software, hardware was always lacking. Since the Pixel and Pixel XL came onto the scene, the Pixel phones have been criticized (and rightfully so) for not having hardware that reflected the current trends. The Pixel (XL) lacked both water resistance and a smaller bezel and frame that even the iPhone had included that year. The Pixel 2XL had the blue tint issue that plagued the device. And lastly, the Pixel 3XL had the super-sized notch as the only main difference between the 3XL and 2XL, causing some to choose to just hold on to their 2XL.
The 4XL needs to have the hardware specs that at least match that of the S10. The screen needs to be brighter than that of the 3XL, RAM to have 8GB or more, and memory being at least 128GBs. Add top notch hardware to their awesome software and camera, and we are looking at a top notch phone.
Android Silver
Google Play Edition phones did not do so well when it was first introduced a few years back. But if the hardware was open to companies like One Plus, who are looking to get more exposure in the States, this could open up to allow more opportunities for hardware partners to be able to offer competitive hardware. Though we will not get a Samsung phone in the mix, there may be a number of other smaller manufacturers willing to jump on board.
Google should not be surprised that their average effort is giving them an average return. Google has yet to put out a complete phone where it had the best hardware they could offer matched with their software. Though Google is holding the #3 spot, I think they could have easily sold more phones had the 3XL had at least 6-8 GB of RAM, something included in the One Plus 6t that was $200 cheaper. I just question whether Google is actually wanting to go all in with their Pixel phone hardware.
