![]() Pixel phones are made by Google, with completely original designs. But the Pixel brand was deliberately designed to be a pivot away from the Nexus strategy. With that context in mind, it's easy to see why outsiders continue to have that same impression with Pixels. Meanwhile, Nexus kind of trundled along at the same small scale." "All the partners in the phone manufacturing space took it and built great products on top of it. "The idea was to show everyone how it should be done," says Brian Rakowski, VP of product management for Android. ![]() They were barely marketed, aimed mostly at Android enthusiasts and developers, and treated as reference devices designed both to guide Google's own development of Android and to show other device-makers what Android could do.įrom a 2016 Verge interview with Android executives: With rare exception, Nexus phones were never truly meant for mainstream awareness or consumption. The Nexus phones were usually based on existing products but then customized to Google's specifications and shipped with Google's software instead of the usual manufacturer-meddled mess. Google had up until that point been focused on a product line known as Nexus - a mishmash smorgasbord of phones and other gadgets made by other manufacturers. To fully understand Google's goals with its Pixel phones, we need to start with a quick trip back in time to when the Pixel brand first broke cover. You don't have to look far to understand why. And yes, their reach has thus far been relatively limited.īut to frame those factors as being the product's defining qualities or to suggest that the resulting experience somehow isn't meant for mass adoption - or that it hasn't seen any significant uptick in interest since its inception six years ago - is completely misconstruing the situation. Yes, they do provide a way to put Google's software front and center. Yes, the phones do serve as a reference for Android development. The reality of Google's Pixel program is far less black and white.
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