Entertainment
Google Pixel: Designed by Google
The tech giant seems to be aiming at a more Apple-like control over the hardware of their flagship phonesPrajesh SJB Rana
Google has always been on the helm of the Android user-experience since they’re the architects behind the popular mobile OS. But Google’s vision of an Android experience has always been marred by third-party original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). While Google does propagate the use of vanilla Android, most other OEMs load their phones with non-proprietary skins, features and bloatware that drastically change the user-experience from vanilla Android. To some extent, Google had a say on what software goes into the Nexus phones but the hardware of the third-party developed phones seemed really similar to the OEMs that were producing the phones. The LG made Nexus 5 looks similar to LG’s own LG G2 while the Huawei build Nexus 6P felt more like the Huawei P8. Thus, the Nexus line of phones have always felt like Google forcing their software into phone designed and developed by other manufactures.
All of this changes, however, with the release of the ‘Made by Google’ Pixel and Pixel XL phones. With the release of the Pixel line of phones Google seems to be hinting at a future where Google is in control of the hardware as well. With the rebranding of the Nexus phones to the Pixel line (Google stating that they have ‘no plans’ for the Nexus line of phones) Google seems to be aiming at a more Apple-like control over the hardware of their flagship phones. Competing head-to-head with Apple’s iPhone in terms of hardware, Google’s Pixel phones are also priced at similar to Apple’s iPhones. While older Nexus phones boasted good performance at an affordable price, the Pixel phones seem to be taking a different approach by equipping the phone with high-end hardware, good build-quality and a price-tag to match.
While Google’s first dive into the OEM market has produced good-looking phones, they suffer from a lot of shortcomings when compared to flagships by other manufacturers. For one, the Pixel phones come with an IP rating of 53 whereas the iPhone 7 and the Galaxy S7 both come with better water-resistance at IP67 and IP68 respectively. And even though the Pixel phones constructions are aluminium uni-body, the iPhone 7 still feels more dense and solid than the Pixel phones. The design of the Pixel phones, which Google states happened completely inside Google, also seem disproportionate since it comes with really thin side bezels but the chins on the top and bottom seems to be exaggerated more than needed. Since the Pixel uses software navigation buttons, the need for a fat top and bottom chin seems redundant especially since it does not even come with front-facing stereo speakers.
All of these design choices make it seem like Google had to work with the hardware availability at their ‘contract manufacturer’ HTC. HTC seems to be playing a similar role as Foxconn to Apple and is currently handling all of the manufacturing side of the Pixel phones even though the phones have been designed in-house by Google. Thus, our question lies with how much of Google’s designs were influenced by the availability of parts at the HTC production facility. Are the larger chins on the Pixel phones a direct result of how HTC ships their phones with hardware navigation buttons or finger-print sensors under the screen? And is the lack of better water-proofing solution absent from the Pixel phones because HTC does not have the waterproofing solutions available at hand? All of this makes us question just what ‘designed’ by Google really means if their design choices are being limited by HTC’s manufacturing process.
But apart from the negatives, the Pixel is actually a good phone. It comes with top-tiered hardware and is also the first phone to ship with the latest version of Android, Android 7.1. The Pixel phone is equipped with a 1080p 5-inch AMOLED display while the Pixel XL phones come with a 1440p 5.5-inch AMOLED display. The Pixel’s screen as a pixel density of 441ppi while the XL models come with a density of 534ppi. The XL also has a bigger battery at 3450 mAh while the Pixel is powered by a 2770 mAh battery. Apart from these changes, the hardware inside both of these phones are the same. They come with Qualcomm’s latest and fastest processor yet, the Snapdragon 821 SOC paired with 4GB of RAM and 32 GB or 128GB of internal storage. Screens on both of these devices are protected by Gorilla Glass 4. Google also flaunted the camera on the Pixel phones, while they don’t seem as impressive on paper with a 12.3 MP rear-camera, the cameras on the phones are the highest-rated cameras on DxO - an industry standard on cameras and lens glass quality. The Pixel’s DxO Mark score of 89 evens the iPhone 7’s camera rating of 84. This should ensure better photography capabilities of the Pixel phones, but how well the camera performs in real-life situations has yet to be seen.
Talking about design, the Pixel phones are a pleasure to look at and navigate around. The smaller Pixel phone can be easily handled by one hand whereas the bigger Pixel XL also offers better manoeuvrability around the phone even though one-handed use might be difficult because of the larger chin. While the front seems similar to all other smartphones, the back is where things get interesting. One third of the phone’s back, where the camera and the rear-mounted fingerprint reader reside is where Google has installed a Gorilla Glass 4 glass panel; while the other half showcases the phone’s premium aluminium build. The top and bottom halves of the phone are also slightly raised so that the cameras don’t protrude and because of this slight design choice, the Pixel phones sit flush on-top of a desk. Picking up the Pixel phones are also easier since the middle area of the phone is slightly curved inward making it easier to grab while on a table top.
While Google’s initial attempt at making a phone is laudable, the first phones in the Pixel line-up aren’t without their shortcomings. While Google does win in terms of performance and a good build quality, Google needs to streamline their production processes better and design phones that don’t seem to be dictated by their manufacture’s inventory. Most of the Pixel’s shortcoming could have been overlooked if the phone had been priced at a price-point similar to the Nexus line but since Google is charging premium price for their Pixel phones, most of the phone’s drawbacks aren’t excusable. Since Google is trying to adopt a similar model to Apple in regards to smartphone hardware and design, it seems they still have a long way to go before they garner the same clout as the experienced Apple in the field.