Well, that was awkward. Google was waiting to show the world it’s fancy new Pixel phone, and Verizon accidentally leaked it online a few days early. Probably made for an unpleasant conversation or two, depending on whether the “leak” was actually “planned” and part of the product marketing strategy. Regardless, it doesn’t matter at this point. Unless of course someone got fired.. but again, who knows.It wasn’t really even Verizon corporate – it was buried in the smartphone section of some Verizon Enterprises site managed by Bell – a Canadian phone company.
So, is the Pixel just a newer release of the Nexus line of Google phones?
Not quite. For starters, the Pixel is the first ever phone that Google has overseen the design and development of, by themselves at least.
Coming in hot at $649, the Pixel is priced right alongside the iPhone 7. What’s super cool about the Pixel is that unlike the iPhone, they decided to keep the headphone jack a standard feature – pretty forward-thinking if you ask us. Like the rest of us, they watched as Apple said, “We don’t need a headphone jack anymore, welcome to the future” .. and responded with, “Yeah… No.”
Does the Google Pixel stack up with the iPhone 7? Absolutely. They’re both high-end phones craved by nerds everywhere. Google might even tell you that the Pixel comes with the greatest smartphone camera of all time. They’ll also give you unlimited storage for photos and videos, something that Apple likes to nickel and dime people on.
Another feature they’re heavily promoting is that it’s the first phone with “Google Assistant” built-in. As someone who has never been a huge fan of Siri, let’s wait and see what the reviews of their virtual assistant end up being. One thing no one can argue though – Google Maps is still the only map application worth having on your phone. Apple tried, and failed on that avenue.
Speaking of Apple trying and failing — it’s our personal opinion that the iPhone 7 is an overrated, dumb release of Apple’s flagship device. Give me an iPhone 6s with the headphone jack, and you can have your waterproof 7 without one. For me personally, I don’t do a lot of swimming with my cell phone.. nor do I make it a point to dunk it in a glass of water. Really though, what else does the iPhone 7 do differently, or better than the 6? It’s almost as if someone in marketing had a bet with someone in product design that they could sell millions of people on an upgrade that really is anything other than an upgrade.
The Pixel looks every bit as good as the iPhone7, and better in a lot of areas. Of course, everyone and their mom have an iPhone.. and when people end up going from Android to iOS.. they rarely if ever make their way back.
Does Google have the right device at the right time in the Pixel, to upseat the reinging world heavyweight in the iPhone? Probably not.. but that doesn’t mean that it’s not a better phone. It has a headphone jack, after all.