Google's Pixel XL priced like Apple's iPhone 7 Plus

[jo44jo]

Good article here. I think the Pixel is going to be a major failure for Google. I am keeping my Nexus 5X.
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Google's Pixel XL priced like Apple's iPhone 7 Plus but is half as fast, lacks many key features
Thursday, October 06, 2016

Google's latest effort to show off its vision for "Pure Android" hardware costs the same as Apple's iPhone 7 Plus but is half as fast, lacks Optical Image Stabilization, a telephoto lens, weather resistance, support for wide color gamut and stereo speakers.

Perhaps even more remarkably, the "first Phone by Google" lacks support for SD Cards and removable batteries and lacks the extra RAM and processing power needed to run Android.

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Google's Pixel XL priced like Apple's iPhone 7 Plus but is half as fast, lacks many key features

 

[D13H4RD2L1V3]

and lacks the extra RAM and processing power needed to run Android.

Okay, I very much highly disagree here.

First of all, the Pixel runs a slightly modified version of Android that's closer to AOSP than most other flavors of Android (but obviously with proprietary Google enhancements). It does not require much resources to run well and frankly, I still think 6GB of memory on a phone is in the realm of being overkill, especially since it's very hard to get a device to use all of that memory as running processes will be killed off in the background anyway to conserve power and resources.

And the Snapdragon 821 is much more than what most people would need to run Android well for daily tasks. A Moto Z Play with a Snapdragon 625 is able to run it without much issue for daily use. Even some older phones are able to run it well without too much issue.

Yes, the iPhone is more powerful and does offer more, but I wasn't particularly impressed by the article as the last part pretty much made it redundant to me due to how it makes it sound as if you NEED monster specs to run a cleaner build of Android, which is not the case these days.

 

[gabbott]

They bring up lack of SD card support as a con yet it's an article comparing it to an iPhone.

 

[JeanRuse]

They bring up lack of SD card support as a con yet it's an article comparing it to an iPhone.

Exactly. And we must bear in mind, this is Apple Insider. The name speaks for the inevitable bias. The Pixel has a good balance of specs, comparative to other phones in its bracket, and makes up for shortcomings with software.

 

[anon(596177)]

Yeah, I opened that article, saw apple Insider, glanced at like three paragraphs and was done when I read the whole "running a weaker processor to push more pixels" baloney. Absolutely horrible bias.

Yes, the iPhone has a second camera for that neat zoom feature. It has stereo bottom firing speakers (does this really matter all that much if they are both on the bottom, and thus on one side of the screen?) But in the end it's all about how the software runs on top of it all and if history is any evidence I'd be willing to bet my weight in donuts that the newer Android versions will run better on the pixel as the years go by than the newer versions of IOS run on the ip7.

 

[KemoKarem8ali]

Yeah the price is the same but apple's quality is too much better

 

[bobpatseels]

First of all, it has the BEST CPU in any android phone right now. Also they have enough RAM. Secondly, google is trying to sell the hardware, but their main focus is the software.

 

[Richard Servello]

Apple insider isn't biased in any way. We all know they are the authority on Android.

 

[11ingrad]

I think something fundamental like the dual camera in the iPhone is immediately enough to make people feel weary about the price comparability with Pixel :/

 

[raqball]

Yeah the price is the same but apple's quality is too much better

You have a Pixel in hand? Photos please!

 

[russell1997]

Android needs something as premium as the iPhone.

Android has many competitive advantages however it's viewed by the general public as the "budget" phone.

As much as I hate this jacked up price it's needed for the platform.
As soon as google re-stocks the XL 128GB, I'm getting one because I want a Premium Android and I'm as serious about Google as Apple users are about theirs.

 

[Richard Servello]

Android needs something as premium as the iPhone.

Android has many competitive advantages however it's viewed by the general public as the "budget" phone.

As much as I hate this jacked up price it's needed for the platform.
As soon as google re-stocks the XL 128GB, I'm getting one because I want a Premium Android and I'm as serious about Google as Apple users are about theirs.

Nobody would call a Samsung "budget"

 

[wanttowin1688]

Nobody would call a Samsung "budget"

Exactly. Samsung and iPhones are not budget. And pricing the phone the pixel at $500-$650 would not be considered a budget phone but more in line considering it's limitations. I need a water proof phone for a phone that costs more than $600.

 

[Richard Servello]

Exactly. Samsung and iPhones are not budget. And pricing the phone the pixel at $500-$650 would not be considered a budget phone but more in line considering it's limitations. I need a water proof phone for a phone that costs more than $600.

There was no such thing as waterproof consumer phones until this year. Yet pricing was the same. I'd rather have a killer device than a gimmick.

 

[Daniel0418]

"Half as fast" is so silly. Look at Nexus 6P vs iPhone 7 in app launch times and moving around the OS. Outside of loading huge games, the 6P is faster. I don't believe the Pixel will perform slower than a 6P. Bench marks aren't everything. The Pixel will be the fastest android phone to date and the way Android works, at least until Apple releases a new version, Android will feel faster than iOS on this Pixel hardware.

 

[Daniel0418]

The Sony phones were. And I don't think waterproof is a gimmick. I think it is a legitimately helpful feature. However, your point stands. The iPhone 6S wasn't water proof and was $650 until September this year.

Most of the Pixel hate is that people can't afford it and it stresses them out. Jealousy and Envy. Do all you can to knock down a phone you can't afford. I wish it was cheaper too, I hate spending money. But, it is certainly worth every penny and am happy to buy pay for this high quality device.

 

[cjbrigol]

You know at first I thought this was stupid and they should have priced it lower, but with the current "0 down pay x per month" I think people are paying less attention to the price of phones and it won't matter as much.

 

[anon(9227267)]

Most of the Pixel hate is that people can't afford it and it stresses them out. Jealousy and Envy. Do all you can to knock down a phone you can't afford.

Well said....well put...Truth

 

[dsignori]

You know at first I thought this was stupid and they should have priced it lower, but with the current "0 down pay x per month" I think people are paying less attention to the price of phones and it won't matter as much.

I agree. Even though everyone ends up paying the same amount, the articles are all written as though everyone is going to plop down $1000 tomorrow. Some pay that way, but most consumers either use discounted pricing, or payment plans. As such, the price differences are a factor, but less so than for folks buying outright. For folks using payment plans, perhaps they now pay $23 per month for a $550 phone, it is easier to justify moving to $39 / month for the $950 phone. It might be harder for some to plop down that much out of pocket at once to buy the phone outright, but not as hard to justify paying $16 more per month , for example.

Of course every one is different, and everyone sees value differently, so YMMV ..

 

[anon(464338)]

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