GoKawiilJoe Maring / Android Authority
The shift from Snapdragon processors to Google’s in-house Tensor chips inside Pixel phones brought a big advantage for Google. Vertical integration gave Google more control over the entire hardware and software experience, much like Apple has maintained all along.
We started to see the benefits of this deep integration when Google was quick to bring features introduced on newer Pixels to older models. It was a win-win situation, especially for older Pixel generations, where users would get access to newer features without being forced to upgrade. It was the biggest perk of owning a Pixel — that it would remain future-proof for a long time.
However, we have seen a shift recently with the arrival of the Pixel 9 and 10 series phones, which flips that long-standing notion of longevity on its head.
Would you use Pixel 9/10 features on older Pixels if they were cloud-based? 29 votes Yes, I don’t mind cloud processing 10 % Only if privacy is clearly handled 17 % No, I prefer on-device features 55 % Depends on the feature 17 %
The pre-Pixel 8 goodness
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
Pixel Feature Drops were a solid addition to the entire Pixel experience, because they brought all the new goodness even to older Pixels every few months. That was true until the Pixel 8 series came out. A lot of the features that the Pixel 8 lineup got as exclusives were soon brought over to the previous generation Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 phones — sometimes within just a few weeks.
Circle to Search and Magic Editor are the biggest examples of those golden days. Google quickly brought these perks to older phones without needing any hardware upgrades. Heck, Magic Eraser was introduced with the Pixel 6 series, the first Tensor-powered Pixel phone, and later trickled down to even Snapdragon-powered phones like the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4.
Those golden days meant that sticking with your Pixel phone for more than a couple of years didn’t mean you were stuck with older features.
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