GoKawiilShimul Sood / Android Authority
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The Pixel lineup has visibly matured in the last few years. Gone are the days when Google would change its physical design every single year, making the camera bar a recognizable and stand-out feature. Google has made it easy to spot Pixels in a sea of iPhones at places like airports. And it’s the same tale with the software, which has become quite stable as a platform, and something you pick up a Pixel for.
However, that stability comes along with decelerating growth. We’ve been seeing little meaningful innovation across Pixel generations, which seem to be getting refreshed annually just for the sake of it. Even if you skip a couple of Pixel generations, you won’t feel that big of a difference. And that is making Pixels feel boring — to the point that you’re actually better off skipping a few generations or even jumping to another brand or form factor (like a flip phone).
Google can indeed bring the excitement back to the Pixels, but to do so, it will need to address and change a few fundamental things.
What would make you excited about buying a Pixel again? 40 votes Better performance 20 % Better AI 8 % Exciting hardware features 20 % Lower prices 25 % Longer-lasting battery 28 %
De-fragment AI
Adamya Sharma / Android Authority
With every Android release, Pixel Drop, and handset launch, Google announces a bunch of AI tools scattered across the entire phone. Some of them bring some fancy tricks to the camera while others let the phone control itself. However, the problem is that they all end up feeling like fragmented pieces hovering separately in space rather than part of a single cohesive system.
Each feature has a separate branding and distinct interface. It’s still easy to keep track of when there were just a handful of them, but the growing count and closely spelled monikers are only adding to the confusion. That’s when Google is already leaning heavily into the Gemini Intelligence branding (it replaced the Android boot screen!) and could’ve been the single place to find and tinker with all AI tools on the phone, but Google clearly fumbled here.
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