Pixel 3 Lite ???

[I Can Be Your Hero]

Don't know why anyone in those regions would buy this Pixel Lite over the Pocophone.

Pocophone vs Pixel Lite:

6.1" screen vs 5.5" screen (same resolution on both)
Snapdragon 845 vs Snapdragon 670
6gb ram (up to 8gb) vs 4gb ram
64gb base storage (up to 256gb) vs 32gb base storage (up to 128gb?)
4000mah battery vs 2915mah battery
$300 vs $500

Am I missing something here? I really don't know why anyone would bother with the Pixel Lite if budget is a consideration. Much, much better value for money going with the Pocophone.

So if this is a targeted for India, mid ranger for emerging markets as some have speculated, you still think it's a waste of resources? I mean, I don't necessarily disagree since the 3/3XL have availability there already, but maybe another country like Brazil?

I mean, at least make it competitive. Pocophone runs circles around this Pixel Lite.

 

[J Dubbs]

The pixel 3 lite pictures, info and specs were leaked by the same people who originally leaked all the pixel 3XL unboxing videos, specs, camera images etc. We all thought that couldn't be real either..... the notch, phones for sale for 2 grand etc. I wouldn't be at all surprised if this is Google's version of an iPhone XR. They may just want to get pixels in people's hands, then once they start liking the experience like we do they'll become loyal users and start working their way up the model line..... probably like a lot of us have, starting with the first gen and working our way up.

As you guys know pixels are addictive.....kinda like electronic crack LoL.

 

[I Can Be Your Hero]

They may just want to get pixels in people's hands, then once they start liking the experience like we do they'll become loyal users

I'm starting to question this. My brother had the Galaxy S8+ and upgraded to the Pixel 3 XL as I did this year. He isn't too impressed with it and to him the phone isn't noticeably better than his S8+. I was talking to him that the Pixel is faster and smoother and he kinda shrugged and said 'yeah I guess' but it wasn't something that he really noticed or cared about.

He's not a techie at all and just a regular consumer, he only got the Pixel because he looks to me for tech-related purchases and he basically said that the phones are pretty much the same and if the Pixel is better, it's marginal and the main, important things to him - messages, calls, emails, Facebook, etc are exactly the same. He's looking to get the S10 or Note 10 next year. I mentioned that if he went back to Samsung, he'd miss out on monthly security updates and software updates, which he didn't care at all for as he doesn't download random apps or do anything risky on the phone. I said he'll lose the unlimited photo/video storage and again he didn't care, the free high res option was fine and paying an extra $20/year for 100gb Google storage is not a big deal.

Granted this is a sample size of 1, but I thought the Pixel experience would have been more noticeable to him, but it was more of a side grade to him if anything. I'd be interested to see if casual phone users, the ones who don't post on phone forums, actually find a real difference going from a Galaxy to a Pixel and if they feel there are any tangible differences.

 

[akhil8]

It will be a dream come true to me.. ??????

 

[akhil8]

It will be a dream come true to me..

 

[J Dubbs]

I'm starting to question this. My brother had the Galaxy S8+ and upgraded to the Pixel 3 XL as I did this year. He isn't too impressed with it and to him the phone isn't noticeably better than his S8+. I was talking to him that the Pixel is faster and smoother and he kinda shrugged and said 'yeah I guess' but it wasn't something that he really noticed or cared about.

He's not a techie at all and just a regular consumer, he only got the Pixel because he looks to me for tech-related purchases and he basically said that the phones are pretty much the same and if the Pixel is better, it's marginal and the main, important things to him - messages, calls, emails, Facebook, etc are exactly the same. He's looking to get the S10 or Note 10 next year. I mentioned that if he went back to Samsung, he'd miss out on monthly security updates and software updates, which he didn't care at all for as he doesn't download random apps or do anything risky on the phone. I said he'll lose the unlimited photo/video storage and again he didn't care, the free high res option was fine and paying an extra $20/year for 100gb Google storage is not a big deal.

Granted this is a sample size of 1, but I thought the Pixel experience would have been more noticeable to him, but it was more of a side grade to him if anything. I'd be interested to see if casual phone users, the ones who don't post on phone forums, actually find a real difference going from a Galaxy to a Pixel and if they feel there are any tangible differences.

Those are good points....... I'm actually curious about that myself. I know the 3 has had a bit of a rocky start, so it's probably not going to be as impressive to a pixel newbie as the first 2 generations (not counting the 2XL's screen issues lol). I know the first gen has got me hooked. If the lite model comes out after most of the bugs have been worked out, it could be a much more enticing experience for someone new to Google's version of pure Android, with monthly security/bug fixes/new features and the first to get new Android versions, along with the pixel camera experience... which I hope they would include on the lite version.

 

[J Dubbs]

I'm starting to question this. My brother had the Galaxy S8+ and upgraded to the Pixel 3 XL as I did this year. He isn't too impressed with it and to him the phone isn't noticeably better than his S8+. I was talking to him that the Pixel is faster and smoother and he kinda shrugged and said 'yeah I guess' but it wasn't something that he really noticed or cared about.

He's not a techie at all and just a regular consumer, he only got the Pixel because he looks to me for tech-related purchases and he basically said that the phones are pretty much the same and if the Pixel is better, it's marginal and the main, important things to him - messages, calls, emails, Facebook, etc are exactly the same. He's looking to get the S10 or Note 10 next year. I mentioned that if he went back to Samsung, he'd miss out on monthly security updates and software updates, which he didn't care at all for as he doesn't download random apps or do anything risky on the phone. I said he'll lose the unlimited photo/video storage and again he didn't care, the free high res option was fine and paying an extra $20/year for 100gb Google storage is not a big deal.

Granted this is a sample size of 1, but I thought the Pixel experience would have been more noticeable to him, but it was more of a side grade to him if anything. I'd be interested to see if casual phone users, the ones who don't post on phone forums, actually find a real difference going from a Galaxy to a Pixel and if they feel there are any tangible differences.

Those are good points....... I'm actually curious about that myself. I know the 3 has had a bit of a rocky start, so it's probably not going to be as impressive to a pixel newbie as the first 2 generations (not counting the 2XL's screen issues lol). I know the first gen has got me hooked. If the lite model comes out after most of the bugs have been worked out, it could be a much more enticing experience for someone new to Google's version of pure Android, with monthly security/bug fixes/new features and the first to get new Android versions, along with the pixel camera experience... which I hope they would include on the lite version.

 

[Kevin_G_Sanchez]

Good phone for plenty of consumers. Should not hurt the Pixel brand.

 

[Javier P]

I agree with yet there are people out there that think 32GB is fine. I guess if you mostly use it as a phone that might work...lol

Sure but we are not talking about any odd phone, this is about a Pixel, midranger or not, to be sold in emergent market and that will cost 400-500 USD (before taxes I guess). These countries are a huge market for midrangers and some of them are excellent for the price, much less than that. With that price the Pixel will be competing with OnePlus and the likes and not with recent Moto Gs or Samsung J series.

I still think 32 GB is not good for that price, specially if you consider that less than 20 will be available for the user right off the box. Of course you can survive with that storage, actually I do My year and a half old Moto came with 32, about 24 free for the user. It gets a bit claustrophobic after a little while and I don't download movies or take many pictures.

 

[Javier P]

I'm not sure why anyone would buy it. Just wait for the Pixel 2 to drop more.

The Pixel is not available in most of these countries unless you import one, which it is a real and expensive pain.

 

[anon(10092459)]

Am I missing something here? I really don't know why anyone would bother with the Pixel Lite if budget is a consideration. Much, much better value for money going with the Pocophone.

Good point. If this proto is genuine and the device actually gets produced, I'm not sure I see where it fits for the consumer in any of those regions, either. The brand of Google is strong, but if they're honestly trying to build the Pixel brand as a part of that. I'm not sure I see how this device pushes that mission forward. Feels a bit counterintuitive.

I'd be interested to see if casual phone users, the ones who don't post on phone forums, actually find a real difference going from a Galaxy to a Pixel and if they feel there are any tangible differences.

I would say no. IMO, smart phones are a commoditized product at this point in developed countries. No different than coffee or tea. For the casual consumer, these things are just tools and are used in a way very similar to your brother's user case (my brother's too, come to think about it) most of the time. Brands will need to work harder at articulating and resonating with consumers about their specific brand experience to get separation from one another. I think Google is trying, but coming up a bit short with the masses.

With that in mind, as I said above, I think this device seems a bit wide of concept at this point. Design and pricing both seem off. Home hub makes more sense than introducing this device into production, I think.

 

[anon(10092459)]

Sure but we are not talking about any odd phone, this is about a Pixel, midranger or not, to be sold in emergent market and that will cost 400-500 USD (before taxes I guess). These countries are a huge market for midrangers and some of them are excellent for the price, much less than that. With that price the Pixel will be competing with OnePlus and the likes and not with recent Moto Gs or Samsung J series.

I still think 32 GB is not good for that price, specially if you consider that less than 20 will be available for the user right off the box. Of course you can survive with that storage, actually I do My year and a half old Moto came with 32, about 24 free for the user. It gets a bit claustrophobic after a little while and I don't download movies or take many pictures.

I think this is what I am curious about. The marketplace and whether or not a Pixel Lite device would be able to be different enough to be attractive to that consumer. Personally, I think it may too soon in the branding phase to even consider something like this, but who am I say to what would work or not.

 

[Javier P]

I think this is what I am curious about. The marketplace and whether or not a Pixel Lite device would be able to be different enough to be attractive to that consumer. Personally, I think it may too soon in the branding phase to even consider something like this, but who am I say to what would work or not.

I think it's a very good idea having a Pixel lite for these markets. It won't be a bestseller but it will make many people very happy, even with that kind of price. It has to come with a minimum of specs though, a very cheap hardware could kill the expectations for the camera and the whole Pixel experience.

 

[Bon Hernandez]

If the pixel lite actually has the camera experience, I think it'll be worth it, at least to some people.

 

[Vega502]

Interesting idea and if true it better be priced around $400. If Google tries a price of $500 or more then it'll be D.O.A..

 

[Morty2264]

I thought I had heard rumblings about this as well. Props to Google for doing this!

 

[gebco]

I bought the PIxel 2 XL over the Samsung S9+ mainly because of the monthly updates. Like your brother, others I know don't care about updates. A colleague has the Samsung S8+ and it is a fine phone. Except Bixby. But that's another thread.
Flagship phones really haven't differentiated themselves. Cameras are great. They're fast. Nice screens. Different gimmicks. If Samsung gets its act together with monthly security updates, I will look at their phones too.

I'm starting to question this. My brother had the Galaxy S8+ and upgraded to the Pixel 3 XL as I did this year. He isn't too impressed with it and to him the phone isn't noticeably better than his S8+. I was talking to him that the Pixel is faster and smoother and he kinda shrugged and said 'yeah I guess' but it wasn't something that he really noticed or cared about.

He's not a techie at all and just a regular consumer, he only got the Pixel because he looks to me for tech-related purchases and he basically said that the phones are pretty much the same and if the Pixel is better, it's marginal and the main, important things to him - messages, calls, emails, Facebook, etc are exactly the same. He's looking to get the S10 or Note 10 next year. I mentioned that if he went back to Samsung, he'd miss out on monthly security updates and software updates, which he didn't care at all for as he doesn't download random apps or do anything risky on the phone. I said he'll lose the unlimited photo/video storage and again he didn't care, the free high res option was fine and paying an extra $20/year for 100gb Google storage is not a big deal.

Granted this is a sample size of 1, but I thought the Pixel experience would have been more noticeable to him, but it was more of a side grade to him if anything. I'd be interested to see if casual phone users, the ones who don't post on phone forums, actually find a real difference going from a Galaxy to a Pixel and if they feel there are any tangible differences.

 

[Dean Liensdorf]

I think there are lots of people that would be willing to but into the Pixel camera and photo experience for around that $400-$500 price range. The rest of the Pixel experience is less important to them.

 

[I Can Be Your Hero]

Good point. If this proto is genuine and the device actually gets produced, I'm not sure I see where it fits for the consumer in any of those regions, either. The brand of Google is strong, but if they're honestly trying to build the Pixel brand as a part of that. I'm not sure I see how this device pushes that mission forward. Feels a bit counterintuitive.




I would say no. IMO, smart phones are a commoditized product at this point in developed countries. No different than coffee or tea. For the casual consumer, these things are just tools and are used in a way very similar to your brother's user case (my brother's too, come to think about it) most of the time. Brands will need to work harder at articulating and resonating with consumers about their specific brand experience to get separation from one another. I think Google is trying, but coming up a bit short with the masses.

With that in mind, as I said above, I think this device seems a bit wide of concept at this point. Design and pricing both seem off. Home hub makes more sense than introducing this device into production, I think.

I'm not against Google making a Pixel Lite. Even it is what the leaks are, IMO more competition is good and maybe it finds a market in these countries and does very well. Just from the outside looking in, the budget smartphone market is quite competitive with a lot of attractive offerings in the marketplace. If Google make a dent with the Pixel Lite, more power to them. But if I were budget conscious and looking for a powerful smartphone for a cheaper price, the Pocophone would be high up on my list.

 

[davidnc]

I think there should at least be an option for an 64GB of storage.