With The Pixel 8 Series, There Is Now A Clear Divide Between Google's Android And Google Pixel
Every smartphone manufacturer has to show us something better than last year's design in one way or another. Although it looks very familiar, no one is happy with it, but compared to older products it should still be quite "new and improved".
Google has definitely achieved that with the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. At first glance, the phones look very similar to last year's Pixel 7 series, but there are some key changes in key areas that represent a step forward from their predecessors. Better screens, better cameras, and longer battery life are all good things. But the biggest changes are in the software and you don't see them anywhere.
Android and relaxation
Android & Chill, one of the internet's longest-running tech columns, is your Saturday debate about Android, Google and technology.
I think the Tensor G3 is the best phone chip on the market right now. That doesn't mean playback is faster or better, or that it won't overheat if you try to record video in the summer. How the G3 and the proprietary processor it contains, designed to run Google's AI (artificial intelligence) and ML (machine learning) code, will be used is a major challenge for Google.
Maybe in the future this combination of Google software and hardware will be something you won't get with any other phone. Simply put, if you want Google apps and software to work at their best, you should buy a Pixel phone.
This is good or bad depending on how you look at it. It's nice that Google can push its software forward and do interesting things that weren't possible, at least for a while. Qualcomm, Samsung and Apple are certainly capable of investing in the same types of AI that Google uses and the hardware needed to support it. I think Apple is moving with the times and expects big changes to iOS and iPhone in a few years.
In general I think it's bad. Google keeps secrets and doesn't share information about what could improve the Pixel's performance, but I'd really like to see Qualcomm or Apple run Google's ML code on their own independent version of the Google chip. Proprietary SoC (system on a chip).
This has been going on for some time now. Remember when Google removed the Pixel launcher from the Play Store? Android “enthusiasts” complained, but it was no different than any other phone maker and they didn’t want to share their unique experience.
It's different and it's different than Google. Google may not have launched Android, but for all intents and purposes, the company is the face of Android. Hundreds of other companies and individuals help maintain and update the code, but Google controls it.
Google also has full control over the most used apps on Android and iOS, such as Gmail and Maps, and Google Search is available on almost all smartphones outside of China. Google wields more power than any other company when it comes to web and mobile software.
This app will never stop working on all phones even when new Samsung and Apple models come out. Google wants this software to work and will introduce new features to encourage us to use it more than we already do. Google makes money because we use its software.
Google can do better at running the same software on their phones, and I'm sure that's not too far off. For example, if you have a cool new foldable device like the Galaxy Z Fold or Pixel Fold, Gmail works differently. Gmail may work differently if you have a phone whose hardware is “preferred” to run certain machine learning models and software algorithms. It's easy to imagine better and more efficient inbox filtering on the Pixel than on the Galaxy.
This is a big change from the old Google. This is what people in the industry talk about, even if they work for the companies that make these products. In the past, Google has been very cautious about anything that could create a rift between Google and all the providers that make Android what it is. There was little resistance because Google had to please Samsung, and Samsung won't be happy if the new Android device doesn't work on the next Galaxy phone.
Now Google does all these cool things but calls them Pixel features. Features that will likely never be available on a Galaxy phone or any other phone brand. And to continue developing the hardware to make it even better and create even more interesting things in the future. Things with pixel properties. Things that will never happen on a Galaxy phone.
Maybe I'm wrong and Google is planning to develop ways to leverage other brands' huge advantage in AI and ML. The company could easily work with partners or even Apple to develop things like building an incredibly sophisticated AI camera into other phones.
Realistically, I think Google is tired of playing second fiddle and is now seriously thinking about building and selling a phone that is so different and so good that everyone who uses it will want to buy it.
