The announcement of the first Google Pixel left me with conflicting feelings. On the one hand, as an old fan HTC I was pleased that the Taiwanese had a hand in the new product. I immediately remembered the joint work of Google and HTC on the very first Nexus, rapid development Android, amazing devices HTC, a shell full of bold and very bright ideas HTC Sense …
On the other hand, it was clear that one cannot enter the same river twice. And the current collaboration between HTC and Google from the outset was more like a relationship Motorola with Lenovo or Microsoft with the former Nokia than an equal partnership. Unless Google didn't even need a brand from HTC – only the right hardware at the right price and by a certain date. In fact, any second-tier manufacturer could have been in the place of the Taiwanese company, and this would have changed absolutely nothing.
At first, there were a lot of questions about the amazing camera with tons of innovations. Fortunately, we heard this from the same HTC from year to year, and at the output each time we got some four UltraPixels, which produce a normal result only in strictly specified situations. I was very embarrassed by the design, which was far from typical and clearly tried to pretend to something … but at the same time it was, to put it mildly, controversial and personally did not cause absolutely no response in me. Unpleasantly surprised by the price, which was much more suitable for the newcomer iPhone than the spiritual successor of Google Nexus. In general, there were a lot of controversial points.
In fact, everything turned out to be much more fun. The camera actually turned out to be very interesting, the design was not as terrible as it seemed from the first pictures, and the high price was due to the fact that Google did not initially strive for mass sales. Pixel has become a showcase of new technologies, a piece of a possible future, which (albeit for a lot of money) could be purchased and held in hands by absolutely anyone. And now the main question is what conclusions Google will draw from its first attempt. What the Pixel 2 will be like, what the company will show us new and how other manufacturers will react to its appearance.
When released?
Many hoped that the new Pixel would be announced at the Google I / O conference, but this did not happen. And this is quite logical. The first generation Pixel was presented in October last year, so there is no need to wait for new devices until autumn. And Android O is far from the final release now.
Most likely, the announcement will take place again in October, after the traditional autumn presentation Apple has finished. The start of sales can be expected by the end of the same month.
How many models will there be?
If you do not take into account the options with different memory configurations, then at least two – standard (codenamed Walleye) and XL (Muskie). And more recently, rumors have been circulating about a certain third smartphone codenamed Taimen, which people have already christened XXL.
It is not entirely clear how justified such a nickname is, because among the characteristics of the screen size that leaked into the network was just not there. But the XXL name really fits perfectly into the current lineup, and Google's unhealthy love of large screen diagonals has long been known. At one time, engineers Motorola also complained about this, who wanted to make Motorola Nexus 6 much more compact.
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What's with the design?
The first generation of smartphones received a rather controversial design. On the one hand, smartphones did not try to impress the user with a super-thin body, premium materials or an unusual shape, emphasizing once again that the main thing in them is software. On the other hand, at first glance they made it clear that they were special, “not like everyone else.” All this was clearly a deliberate decision of Google and I don't think that by the time the Pixel 2 is announced, something will change dramatically here.
But at the same time, you should not discount the fashion for curved displays and frameless design. Which (after the announcement of the conditional iPhone 8) can finally become mandatory attributes of any modern flagship. And although Google is not particularly chasing fashion, they may not want to release a 'morally outdated' device on a fresh Android device.
One of the concepts. By Benjamin Geskin
According to South Korea’s Electronic Times, the search giant is ready to conclude an agreement with LG, according to which not only purchases a large batch of flexible OLED – screens, but also invests $ 880 million in their further production.
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What 'chips' to count on?
First of all – to the new version Android, currently known as Android O. And although the times of explosive growth of the 'green robot' are over, this in any case guarantees many pleasant improvements.
As for the hardware, there are rumors about switching to Snapdragon 835 and increasing the screen resolution of the younger model to QHD. Which, in turn, hints at a focus on Daydream VR, a virtual reality platform first shown at Google I / O in 2016.
Many journalists believe that the new items will be protected from dust and splashes. Considering the price of smartphones, it would be quite logical – to 'drown' the flagship simply by answering a call in the rain is very annoying. However, the first Pixel did not seem to have received any special complaints from the owners, and the lack of IP certification does not mean that the smartphone will fail after the first raindrops.
There are a lot of expectations associated with the quality of the images. Moreover, Google representatives have already mentioned that they plan to work on the camera further. There are no details yet, but it is very likely that all changes will concern software, not hardware. That is, it is better not to wait for dual cameras or innovative camera modules.
There are also rumors that Google may drop support for 3.5 audio jack.
Does the price bite a lot?
Alas, most likely – strong. What Rick Osterloch (head of the hardware department) honestly said in an interview with Android Pit a few months ago. According to him, the Pixel brand will remain premium, which clearly indicates that price cuts should not be expected.
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In my opinion, the statement is very controversial. Of course, Google has every right to sell a novelty at any price. And it is clear that the goal of setting sales records is not initially set in the company – the Pixel line has other tasks in general. But there is no 'premium' in the current smartphone anyway. Regardless of what exactly you mean by this word – a fashion brand, striking design, unique 'chips' or something else, the first Pixel cannot be put on a par with Galaxy 8 or iPhone 7. High price does not yet make the product premium, otherwise Chinese consumer goods should be considered the most luxurious goods, which some enterprising sellers are trying to resell with a thousand percent mark-up.
Although there is a positive point here – no one said that the Pixel will remain the only Google line in the new year. It may well be that in the future these smartphones will have little brothers.
Should I wait or not?
Smartphones are worth waiting for because they are devices from Google with a new version of the OS. And surely they will again contain several unique solutions based on an alloy of iron and software, which can interest not only potential buyers, but also manufacturers. For example, I'm very curious what else Google engineers can come up with with a camera in phones. Which, as it seemed a couple of years ago, has nowhere to develop.
At the same time, the devices are unlikely to be a good buy in terms of price / quality. Yes, and official sales in our market are hard to believe, which means problems with the warranty, additional difficulties with the purchase and other annoying problems.
What do you expect from the new devices? Do you like the Pixel line and are you sad for the Nexus?