Google’s true “enemy” is Samsung, not Apple: Can Pixel turn into the default Android phone?

Google’s true “enemy” is Samsung, not Apple: Can Pixel turn into the default Android phone?،

THE Pixel 8 Pro it looks great; it offers a cleaner software experience (which I like) and it's less expensive than Samsung's most premium flagship. Even now (thanks to Google's Black Friday sales), you can get a brand new Pixel 8 Pro for just $800 despite being released less than two months ago – the deal may or may not be available when you read this.

so how come Google continues to fail to turn its flagship into the “default” Android flagship that the Pixel should be?

Given that Google was the pioneer of Android and after years in the phone manufacturing business, how much time does Google need to convince people that the Pixel is the main event in the Android world?

Well, there are two points of view when it comes to answering the question “Where did Google go wrong”: Google's point of view and the user's point of view:

Without getting too philosophical, I'd say that Google's biggest mistake was not trying as hard (as it does today) early on, since the days of the Nexus phone.

Maybe instead of relying on different manufacturers like Samsung, HTC, Motorola, LG and Huawei to make what should always have been “the Google phone”, Google should have done exactly what Apple did: be 100% autonomous and take control of both the software and hardware of the Nexus, which had incredible potential. But what is (not) done is done…

Now, from a user perspective, the current state of the Pixel is what really matters, and while I prefer the Pixel 8 Pro above Galaxy S23 UltraThe truth is that there are a few crucial aspects of the Pixel experience that don't live up to the $1,000 starting price of the Pixel 8 Pro:

Even during the third iteration of the Tensor chip, Google's internal SoC (made in partnership with Samsung) clearly remains the Pixel's biggest weakness; I'm not a gamer, but you don't need to play games to notice that the Pixel takes longer to do some simple tasks like editing and saving a photo/video compared to the Galaxy S23, and especially to the iPhone 15 Pro.

But the biggest drawback of Tensor is not that it is as powerful as a mid-range chip, but the efficiency of the Tensor SoC; Although the Pixel 8 Pro's battery should last a day for most people, it's significantly less reliable than the Pixel 8 Pro's. Galaxy S23 Ultra and the iPhone 15 Pro Max's, which can even push it to two days; THE Pixel 8 Pro is also noticeably weaker than the iPhone in sleep mode (when you're not using the phone)

Do not believe it, the Pixel's camera it's not what it used to be and it's not just Google's fault; sure, the Pixel takes photos with tons of artifacts and noisy videos at night, but also, the competition has largely caught up with Google; while the Pixel 2 and Pixel 3 could easily be called the “best camera phones” of their time, that's not the case with Pixel 8 And Pixel 8 Pro, which might not even make the top five (Chinese flagships included); I would choose it iPhone 15 Pro Max above Pixel 8 Pro as a main camera phone 10/10 times – something I couldn't say about the iPhone X vs Pixel 2 in 2017

And last but not least, the Pixel bug history will give users a little less certainty than something like a Galaxy or iPhone; of course, I haven't encountered any major bugs with my Pixel 8 Pro (especially compared to my Pixel 6 Pro) but reputation matters in the world of telephony, and Google's has been a little tarnished after the Pixel 6 series bug fiasco

Google now plays in the “pro league” of flagship phones, but the $1,000 Pixel 8 Pro still runs on a mid-range SoC, which offers decent battery life. Is it time to return to Qualcomm?

Google's real 'enemy' is Samsung, not Apple: is the Galaxy S23 really the default Android phone?

Google continues to mock the iPhone for its lack of the Pixel's AI camera features, but (in my experience) the iPhone takes better photos and videos in most cases.

However, the other reason the Pixel is struggling to take over the Android world, and one that isn't really under Google's control, is Samsung's strong hold on the Android market. Of course, I can give you the numbers and tell you about Samsung. 25% market share in the United States compared to 3% for Google, and Samsung is number one in the world, while Google doesn't even appear in the rankings, but it's obvious at this point.

What strikes me most is that when asking me what phone I have, many “normal” people answer “do you have an iPhone or a Samsung”, instead of “iPhone or Android”. In other words, for many people, Samsung is the same as Android and vice versa, and this has been the case for many, many years. And that's a real advantage that Google will struggle to overcome.

What doesn't help is the relatively homogeneous Android scene in the US and Europe, which no longer has as many mid-range and flagship Chinese phones as before (partly due to the ban on Huawei).

So, yes, the Galaxy S23 series is (arguably) the default Android flagship for many people (especially in the US), which means Google should probably focus on competing with Samsung instead than Apple. However, if you look at Google's Pixel marketing campaign, you will only see videos aimed at “mocking” the iPhone. But the joke currently revolves around the Pixel.

Can the Pixel or any other 2024 flagship challenge Samsung's image as the “de facto Android phone”?

Can the recently announced OnePlus 12 become the default Galaxy challenger in 2024 instead of the Pixel 8 Pro?

In short, yes, I think Google can challenge Samsung in the long run, but as cliché as it sounds, Google has a lot of work to do, because it has a lot to prove. If you're not Apple, becoming a successful Galaxy competitor is a complicated recipe that requires the right metrics and ingredients. Google may need to control its prices (in fact, it's possible that the Pixel is already a little too expensive now); transfer Tensor production from Samsung to Qualcomm; and we strive to make Pixel the most stable android phone in the world.

The bad news for Google is that the Pixel doesn't exist in isolation. Nothing now attempts to create a better “flagship killer” than the Pixel; the iPhone has a better camera (in my experience); and OnePlus' next flagship could put the Pixel 8 Pro in a very awkward position.

And while I don't see the Pixel becoming a significantly better flagship than the upcoming Galaxy S24 Ultra for most people, is there a phone that can do that? Well, outside of China, where Samsung is far behind phones from Huawei, Honor and Xiaomi, the only real challenger to the Galaxy S24 coming to the global market (other than the Pixel) might be the OnePlus 12.

Of course, I'm only referring to the quality of a phone OnePlus 12 announces itself rather than as a sale. Still, if you're looking for the best Android phone on the market for now or in a few months, I might keep an eye on the Galaxy S24 and the recently announced OnePlus 12.

Because judging by the excellent OnePlus 11, OnePlus could for the moment take Google's place as “Samsung challenger” by default, and that's not a shabby title.