The Pixel and Pixel XL are as Google as it gets, and built from the ground up as super-premium products, to be sold at super-premium prices. They also lack external storage, and come in two variants that are alike except for size and display resolution. A design which many initially saw as Google’s attempt to supplant the iPhone and attract those who aren’t iOS loyalists, but instead want a super high-end phone. While the similarities between the Pixel and the iPhone were plain to see, Google never officially commented on it. That is, until now as Hiroshi Lockheimer, the overseer of all things Android and Chrome OS, made an appearance on Twit.TV’s All About Android show recently and said so himself.
Lockheimer went on to say that Google has done a lot, both with the devices themselves and with their marketing, to “cater the message around iPhone users”, indicating that the Pixel devices are meant not only to sit at the top of the Android pile as a beacon for Google’s vision for the platform, but also to present a valid alternative to the iPhone and Apple’s ecosystem. Lockheimer also said that the Pixel devices highlight some of the best things about Android, giving those thinking of making the switch a clear look at what they would be putting down their Cupertino-born tech for.
The mentality shift between the Nexus lineup and the Pixel lineup is made quite clear in the fact that, though the Pixel phones serve largely the same niche as the Nexus lineage did, they’ve dropped the beloved Nexus namesake. While this could have been disastrous, choosing Pixel tied the phones into the existing Pixel ecosystem which included a few other high-end Google devices, and made it clear that this was different from the Nexus series. Nexus entries had a good amount of hardware input from their manufacturers, and this can be seen quite plainly in LG’s Nexus 4, a clear LG Optimus G clone, and in Motorola’s Nexus 6, essentially a larger Moto X. The Pixel is full-on Google from top to bottom, despite being manufactured by HTC, and is indeed the iPhone competitor of the Android world with tight control over software and hardware, super premium vibes and a price and software experience to match. Those interested can check out the full interview with Lockheimer by heading through the source link below.