Robert Triggs / Android Authority
Google recently announced the Pixel 10 series, and these phones excel on the software front. This includes seven years of updates, a slew of AI tricks, and some nifty Pixel-only features. However, Pixel phones tend to lag behind rivals on the hardware front in several ways.
I have a pie-in-the-sky solution that would allow smartphone buyers to pair the best software with the best hardware. There’s just one problem: it almost certainly won’t happen. Say hello to phones like the OnePlus 13 Pixel Edition and Xiaomi 15 Ultra Pixel Edition.
Would you buy a Pixel Edition phone by a Chinese brand? 88 votes Yes, absolutely 32 % Maybe, it depends on the model/price 27 % No, but I'd buy a Pixel Edition Samsung phone 23 % No, I wouldn't buy a Pixel Edition phone 18 %
The best of both worlds
Joe Maring / Android Authority
Pixel phones offer a fantastic software experience. I’m a big fan of features like Now Playing, the Pixel Recorder app, and the recents menu. Google also offers other great features like Call Screening (in supported markets), scam detection functionality, and the Pixel Screenshots app.
However, these phones generally fail to deliver on the hardware front compared to Chinese rivals, in particular. Pixel devices generally offer less advanced camera hardware, smaller batteries, less base storage, and slower charging speeds. Then there’s the fact that Tensor chips lag behind MediaTek and Qualcomm chips in terms of performance, efficiency, and heating. It also doesn’t help that Google clearly has battery problems on some phones. Even with the latest Pixel 10 Pro, it still falls short of the performance and battery life of competing flagships.
On the other hand, some of my favorite flagship Android phones have truly excellent hardware. The vivo X200 Pro has a powerful Dimensity 9400 chipset and a 200MP periscope camera with macro capabilities. The Xiaomi 15 Ultra sports a 50MP one-inch main camera and dual tele cameras (including a 200MP periscope camera). The OnePlus 13 offers a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and a great screen. All three phones also have larger batteries and faster charging speeds than Pixel devices.
Robert Triggs / Android Authority
As great as that is, these phones also leave me wanting when it comes to the software experience. Android skins like OxygenOS and HyperOS have plenty of features, but they typically don’t match Google for update policies or update speed. Some Android skins have an iOS-style aesthetic too, along with pervasive ads on some phones, prompts to install unwanted apps, and more bloatware. Most of these problems aren’t an issue on Pixel devices. Furthermore, these phones lack Pixel-exclusive features. I really miss Now Playing and the Recorder app when switching from a Pixel.
On one hand, we have Pixel phones with great software and limiting hardware. On the other hand, we have phones from companies like OnePlus and Xiaomi with annoying software but top-notch hardware. The solution? Merge them together.
Google phones have fantastic software but ho-hum hardware, while Chinese flagships have meh software but fantastic hardware.
Give me a phone like the OnePlus 13 with its Snapdragon 8 Elite, two-day battery life, and 80W wired charging, paired with Google’s unmatched Pixel software. In other words, the best of both worlds in one package. A “Pixel Edition” phone, if you will. It sounds like the perfect combo to me, and I imagine I’m not alone in thinking that.
Another reason why I’d be excited about a Pixel Edition phone is that Google has a small geographical footprint. So if it doesn’t want to bring Pixels to my own country, then I can buy a Pixel Edition phone instead. And I wouldn’t have to deal with the lack of 5G, missing VoLTE support, and other issues when importing a Pixel. A somewhat similar situation happened with Google’s Nexus phones, as Samsung brought the Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus to our shores. No Google hardware presence needed.
There’s a precedent for this
If you recall, this wouldn’t be the first time we got third-party phones running Google’s preferred version of Android. Google teamed up with OEMs in the mid-2010s to offer Google Play Edition devices. Google partnered with Samsung, HTC, and LG to launch Google Play Edition devices based on popular smartphones of the time, such as the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4. These devices were identical to their original releases but swapped out the software for pure Android.
A major benefit of this approach is that Google Play Edition phones were updated faster than their skinned counterparts. This sluggish pace is still an issue for non-Pixel phones today, with a months-long gap between the availability of stable Android and its actual release by OEMs.
You could previously buy the Galaxy S4 and HTC One phones as Google Play Edition models, featuring pure Android.
A big downside to Play Edition phones at the time was that stock Android was extremely barebones in the mid-2010s. You lost out on many features by swapping Touch Wiz or Sense UI for this unfettered take on Android. You also generally had to use the extremely basic Google Camera app instead of your OEM’s feature-filled app. But base Android has gained many additions since then. Furthermore, the Pixel UI skin introduces a ton of fresh features and perks.
Google also exerted greater control over the device experience with Play Edition phones. This control allowed it to prominently position its own apps and experiences. Google could theoretically enjoy a similar level of control with a Pixel Edition phone, particularly in the age of Gemini and various subscription plans (e.g. Google One, YouTube Premium). So there is perhaps a financial or strategic argument for a Pixel Edition phone concept.
Why this will never happen
Robert Triggs / Android Authority
Unfortunately, I can see several reasons why Pixel Edition phones based on third-party devices are unlikely to happen. Perhaps the biggest reason is that Google has its own smartphone division now, unlike in 2014 when it was relying on LG, Samsung, and others to produce Nexus phones. After all, it probably doesn’t make fiscal sense to have a phone division and not use it to produce, you know… phones.
Furthermore, Google has jealously guarded its Pixel-exclusive features for years now. That likely ties into the fact that it has its own smartphone unit. By bringing Pixel-only features to third-party devices, the company would basically help sell rival phones at the expense of its own devices.
It seems like the idea of a Pixel Edition phone made by OEMs is indeed a pie-in-the-sky concept right now. Unfortunately, the death of the Pixel Experience ROM and Google’s continued crackdown on tinkering mean even unofficial solutions are under threat.
As such, my dream of a Xiaomi 15 Ultra running Pixel software will have to remain just that. But wouldn’t it be cool?
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