Is Google Under the Sony/HTC/LG Curse?
Google's new Pixel devices are competitively priced, capable and good-looking. But will you buy one?
Google held an announcement in New York City to announce the details of the Pixel devices it teased during Google I/O in May.
Let's start with features that are available both the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro.
Pixel Phones
They both run on a new Google-designed Tensor G2 chip, are IP68 dust/waterproof and claim to get 24 hours on a charge, 72 hours when the battery saver kicks in. The pixels are capable of Qi wireless charging, 30 watt USB-C fast charging, and can charge other devices
Some of the features coming to the phone include, cough and snore detection while you're sleeping. This will not make recordings, just log activity and keep it on device. Google previously launched Real Tone on the Pixel for more accurate skin tone in photos, and now offers Guided Frame, which helps people with low vision frame up a shot, using haptics and audio guidance. There's also cinematic blur (aka bokeh), photo unblur and Face Unblur, and Google Assistant has some Pixel-specific features. You can say "silence" to stop the phone ringing and it will transcribe your voice messages, and label speakers in the Recorder app.
The Pixels both come with an underscreen fingerprint sensor and face unlock. Though face unlock is not available for everything since the fingerprint is still considered more secure on the Pixel. The Pixels both ship with Google One's VPN built in at no additional cost, though that's not available in all countries and some system data won't go through VPN. You'll also get five years of security updates
Pixel 7
So what's the difference between the 7 and the 7 Pro? The Pixel 7 has a 6.3-inch 1080 x 2400 screen with up to 90 Hertz variable refresh rate. It comes with 8 GB of RAM and either 128 or 256 GB of storage. It has a rear 50-megapixel camera and the same front-facing, main and ultrawide sensors as Pro, but no telephoto lens. The Pixel 7 starts at $599.
Pixel 7 Pro
The Pixel 7 Pro has a 6.7-inch 1140 x 3120 display with up to 120 Hertz variable refresh rate. It has a polished aluminum frame and adds a 48-megapixel telephoto lens to the rear camera that can do 5X optical zoom or 30X digital. It can also Macro Focus as close as 3 centimeters. It has 12 GB of RAM and adds a 512 GB storage option. The Pixel 7 Pro starts at $899.
Pixel Watch
The Pixel Watch has a 41mm circular case with a domed gorilla glass 5 screen. It runs on a Samsung Exynos 9110 SoC. It includes Fitbit features like tracking workouts, sleep and steps. It syncs with your existing Fitbit account and app if you have one, and comes with six months of Fitbit Premium. It can track your heart rate by the second and do ECG as well. It includes Google Assistant and can make emergency SOS calls on the LTE version, with fall detection coming later this year. It claims to get up to 24 hours on a charge with the magnetic charging plate. It's water resistant to 5ATM and the watch band attaches kind of like a camera lens which looks like it will make it easier to take bands on and off. Of course, it runs WearOS and has Google Wallet, Gmail, Calendar, and Google Home. The Pixel Watch only works with Android. It costs $350 or $400 if you want LTE built in.
Again, you can order the Pixel 7, the Pixel 7 Pro and the Pixel Watch now, shipping October 13
Pixel Tablet
And finally we should mention the Pixel Tablet got another look. It won't come out until 2023, but Google said the coating will be similar to a Le Crest dutch oven and there will be a docking station so it can be used like a Nest Hub smart display.
Can Google Escape the Curse?
Google has a ways to go in selling its hardware. Google made $6.55 billion in "other revenue" last quarter which includes non-advertising revenue including the Play Store and all hardware sales. Apple made $50.5 billion on the iPhone last quarter. Google’s Pixel hardware is at least on par and arguably superior to the iPhone. Even without starting a fight between iOS and Android partisans, you can admit it’s a solid piece of hardware at a good price. That makes it sound quite like the LG and HTC phones of the past, and even like the current Sony phones. The question is whether Google, unlike those phone makers, can turn good engineering into a good marketing.