[UPDATE 10/4/16] It is official! Pixel and Pixel XL (formerly Nexus 2016)

[sweenish]

Had you read the thread up to this point, you'd know you aren't contributing anything.

 

[Chiropteran]

This pricing is getting crazy, but what am I going to do?

Buy an iPhone? Bwahahaha, no.

Google, you win this time. (Unless reviews are terrible.)

 

[linkgoron]

This pricing is getting crazy, but what am I going to do?

Buy an iPhone? Bwahahaha, no.

Google, you win this time. (Unless reviews are terrible.)

Get an HTC10?

 

[darkswordsman17]

Yeah, I can't fathom what Google is thinking by going higher in price, especially with how robust the less than high end has gotten. and can't think of any gimmick they'd include that would warrant the premium price and offer something really different. Maybe if they somehow kept under wraps some special VR features and a GearVR quality headset that is included.

 

[Kazukian]

Pixel stuff has always been a hint that it's a flagship device, dunno what their logic is, they were always careful to find a niche to avoid offending or hurting manufacturers, maybe they feel going upmarket will mean low volume? Really curious how it comes out.

 

[sweenish]

Given that the V20 is the first phone to ship with Nougat from the factory, the paradigm has obviously shifted. Nexus phones always came with a new version of Android. That advantage is gone, and Google is looking to up it with [hopefully] hardware and services.

Google is finally appearing to get serious about kicking other OEM's kiesters into gear the way MS did when they introduced their own hardware. I hope it pans out. The entire Android ecosystem could use a boost, and Samsung needs to get knocked down a few more pegs.

 

[Kazukian]

Maybe Google feels with Android nearing 90% marketshare, they can produce a flagship competitor and not upset the market too much. HTC has been stumbling along forever, LG has it's niche, and Samsung dominates. Will be interesting to see how aggressively they market the Pixel line.

 

[linkgoron]

^^
The only real complaints I have seen in regards to the Pixel C are that Android just doesn't play all that well with tablets. The hardware seems to review quite well.

That's not an "only" complaint. Great hardware with bad software is a bad product.

Ars has it right:

The company keeps iterating on hardware for an iPad competitor, but hardware was never really an Android tablet's big problem. The problem has always been software—mainly, the lack of tablet apps and the lack of an OS that really takes advantage of a big screen aren't fixed by new hardware.
[...]
The problem with any Android tablet was always going to be the feeling that Google doesn't care about tablet software. The Pixel C is just running a regular build of Android 6.0.1 with no real improvements to the large screen interface. You'll be getting a phone operating system blown up to a 10-inch screen. It can display one app on-screen at a time, and chances are that app will be a stretched out phone app. Android on a tablet is currently the antithesis of "productivity."

Endgaget and Anandtech gave similar reviews.

Unfortunately, Android just doesn’t provide an acceptable tablet experience, and Google’s own applications are some of the biggest offenders. Before discussing that, it is worth going over the Pixel C’s hardware, as Google did a great job executing many of those aspects.
[...]
With the Pixel C in particular you get a plethora of stability issues and bugs as well. Connectivity issues with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth impact the usability of the keyboard, and the entire software experience is simply unfinished. I can’t use it for very long without encountering touch input issues, freezes, and complete OS crashes. I really don't know how Pixel C shipped with the software in the state that it’s in, and it's just not acceptable. The fact that Josh also received a sample and encountered the same issues that I have confirms that they’re not specific to a single unit, and any single one of the major issues that we’ve noticed should have been enough to delay the Pixel C’s launch.

I just don't get the Pixel branding. They've basically all failed, and if the Pixel launches at 650$ it's doomed as well.

Google is finally appearing to get serious about kicking other OEM's kiesters into gear the way MS did when they introduced their own hardware. I hope it pans out. The entire Android ecosystem could use a boost, and Samsung needs to get knocked down a few more pegs.

The other OEMs are trying IMO. The HTC10 is a great phone. The LG G5 was decent, I presume. The LG V10 was very well received, and I assume the V20 will be well received as well. The OP3 and Axon7 are great for the price. The only problem I have is OEMs basically abandoning sub 5" phones. While Android updates have also been kind of a weak spot, they're just not as important as they used to be.

 

[Kazukian]

IIRC, there was discussion about how the pixel tablet was intended to run Chrome instead of Android, and that's why it was jacked.

 

[sweenish]

The other OEMs are trying IMO. The HTC10 is a great phone. The LG G5 was decent, I presume. The LG V10 was very well received, and I assume the V20 will be well received as well. The OP3 and Axon7 are great for the price. The only problem I have is OEMs basically abandoning sub 5" phones. While Android updates have also been kind of a weak spot, they're just not as important as they used to be.

They're always trying. They could be trying harder. The G5 was a massive misstep, though. I can't speak to the Axon, but buying a OP3 makes you the only support you'll ever get. The V20 may turn out good, assuming the battery life holds out. I know some people are worried about that, but I hope that Nougat's Doze will offset the small-ish capacity.

Moto's in the toilet. Sony prices themselves out of consideration and doesn't even try to penetrate one of the largest markets in the world. Sony also screws up their amazing camera hardware with their garbage camera software. To Sony's credit, they are probably the only OEM that makes meaningful commits to AOSP. HTC's mid-range phones look better than their flagship. Samsung can't run basic QA on their own batteries, and they still screw around enough in the internals of Android that many apps need special code to handle their version of Android.

And we've only brushed on software. Monthly security updates should not be optional. At LEAST two major updates should be expected. If Google is able to make compelling enough hardware, they'll show that software also matters. You say it doesn't, and I disagree with that strongly. Nougat may not look all that different at first blush, but the changes under the hood are very nice.

So sure. They're "trying."

 

[Roland00Address]

IIRC, there was discussion about how the pixel tablet was intended to run Chrome instead of Android, and that's why it was jacked.

We know for a fact that a chrome tablet was in development with a motherboard with a nvidia tegra cpu, usb c, and wireless charging was in development (all features that the pixel c posses) based off the chromium source code. Thus it is likely that the pixel c was planned to be a chrome tablet but was then switched to android. For more see here.

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015...ad-from-chrome-os-concept-to-android-adoptee/

I just don't get the Pixel branding. They've basically all failed, and if the Pixel launches at 650$ it's doomed as well.

Most people forgot the pixel c ever existed, if they are aware of the google pixel branding they think of the chrome tablets. Regardless pretty much only tech nerds know of the pixel branding. Thus it is a fresh slate if Google wants to launch two mainstream android phones to it.

Whether it will succeed will depend on features and price. If the price is too high the only possible way it will succeed is through some form of carrier pushing with a 24 month payment plan, which is almost certainly not going to happen.

 

[lothar]

Given that the V20 is the first phone to ship with Nougat from the factory, the paradigm has obviously shifted. Nexus phones always came with a new version of Android. That advantage is gone, and Google is looking to up it with [hopefully] hardware and services.

Google is finally appearing to get serious about kicking other OEM's kiesters into gear the way MS did when they introduced their own hardware. I hope it pans out. The entire Android ecosystem could use a boost, and Samsung needs to get knocked down a few more pegs.

That advantage is still there and never left.
Pixel phones will ship with Nougat 7.1

 

[lothar]

Some interesting notes....


"Google Nexus 2016" phones rumored specs include Snapdragon 821 processor (though others speculate it would be the 820 version), 12 MP back camera and 8 MP front camera, 2K screen for Pixel XL and 1080p for Pixel X, 4GB of RAM and 32GB storage for both phones. There is also a high probability of 3.5mm headphone jack inclusion and USB-C port for connectivity enhancements. The phones are said to be powered by Android 7.0 or Nougat.
It is not yet confirmed which between HTC and Huawei is contracted to manufacture of what phones, Google assured that they will never be the ones to build the Pixel variants themselves according to Tech Times. However, speculations suggest that HTC will have Pixel X and Huawei on Pixel XL.

With the rumored specs of "Google Nexus 2016" it is believed that the new smartphones will surpass the performance of Nexus 6P, HTC 10, LG G5 and Galaxy S7 which according to Tech Times the best android phones so far.

Source...

http://www.universityherald.com/articles/41231/20160920/google-nexus-2016-phones-will-pixel-phones-surpass-best-android-smartphones-–-nexus-6p-galaxy-s7-lg-g5-and-htc-10.htm

Those websites have zero credibility.

Both the Pixel and Pixel XL are built by HTC. That is a fact.
The next "Nexus" tablet is built by Huawei. That is a fact.

Apple also doesn't build the iPhone themselves. Foxconn does it for them.

 

[agent00f]

This pricing is getting crazy, but what am I going to do?

Buy an iPhone? Bwahahaha, no.

Google, you win this time. (Unless reviews are terrible.)

Yes, get the iphone. It's significantly better in every way than the pixel, even many of the google apps are better on IOS. Google just jumped the shark if they think anyone is going pay iphone prices for a nexus at this point.

For the record I've had just about every gen of the nexus.

 

[ericlp]

Time will tell! I'll wait for next year... If I gotta. not gonna go down the path of apple just yet.

 

[ControlD]

With how poorly Google has treated the N6 in regards to Android 7 I'm not sure I am all that interested in their new phones at all anymore. I am willing to pay decent money for average hardware to always have a current phone. That doesn't appear to be the Nexus philosophy anymore. I can sit and wait for months for updates just as easily with a Samsung phone.

 

[sweenish]

That advantage is still there and never left.
Pixel phones will ship with Nougat 7.1

Shipping with an updated Nougat is not the same as first out of the gate with Nougat.

The V20 is still the first phone to ship with Nougat. That hasn't happened since at least Gingerbread. It will be up to LG to see if they can keep up with updates. Considering how much of Android they change, I doubt it.

 

[Chiropteran]

I love my Pixel C. I don't get the software complaint. It runs the same damn software as my Nexus 6P. Android works, what is it that makes it bad on a tablet? Compared to my windows 8/10 tablets, android is vastly superior. If there is some supermagical thing about ios tablet OS I guess I'll never know, because I am getting along fine without it.

 

[Kazukian]

I love my Pixel C. I don't get the software complaint. It runs the same damn software as my Nexus 6P. Android works, what is it that makes it bad on a tablet? Compared to my windows 8/10 tablets, android is vastly superior. If there is some supermagical thing about ios tablet OS I guess I'll never know, because I am getting along fine without it.

I have problems with the apps, Android is fine.

Compare how apps are tailored to the iPad versus how Android apps behave on tablets, there's a huge difference.

 

[Kazukian]

With how poorly Google has treated the N6 in regards to Android 7 I'm not sure I am all that interested in their new phones at all anymore. I am willing to pay decent money for average hardware to always have a current phone. That doesn't appear to be the Nexus philosophy anymore. I can sit and wait for months for updates just as easily with a Samsung phone.

What did they do to the n6? I liked what they did, just gave mine to my son in law this week.

 

[ControlD]

What did they do to the n6? I liked what they did, just gave mine to my son in law this week.

They have yet to release Nougat for the N6. Google recently said it will be available "in the coming weeks".

Although, maybe I should feel lucky. It seems the update for the 5X is permanently rendering some of them bricked.

 

[Kazukian]

They have yet to release Nougat for the N6. Google recently said it will be available "in the coming weeks".

Although, maybe I should feel lucky. It seems the update for the 5X is permanently rendering some of them bricked.

I have mine enrolled in the beta program, didn't realize the official release wasnt out.

 

[Rubycon]

Should have named them MegaPixel and SubPixel.
RIP Nexus 6!

 

[darkswordsman17]

Also, am I the only one that finds them very ugly? Based on the leaks, that big "window" on the back looks hideous and doesn't seem to make any sense. I could understand it if it was a big piece of glass covering a large sensor, but it doesn't seem to be. It certainly doesn't aid the design in any way, and seems to offer the worst of both worlds with regards to glass back vs metal back.

 

[lopri]

No, you are not the only one. I am waiting to see the thing in videos before I render a judgment because I thought the 6P was ugly on pictures as well prior to its release.