When Google announced the Google Pixel, it was pretty clear they wanted this brand to be a premium name. When the first Google Pixel hit the internet for purchase, many Nexus users had sticker shock and many refused to buy it. The Google Pixel 2 has now been confirmed to be releasing sometime in 2017 with no confirmation if it will be October as the previous device was. Rick Osterloh, SVP of Hardware at Google and thus the big boss for the Pixel project, confirmed with Android Pit that the Google Pixel 2 will indeed surface this year.
Osterloh said, “There is an annual rhythm in the industry. So, you can count on us to follow it.” He then follows up more concretely by saying, “You can count on a successor this year, even if you don’t hear a date from me now.” This also makes it clear that the Pixel was by no means a one-off experiment, but that it will remain a fixed quantity in the smartphone world.
He also confirmed that the Pixel will be at home in the upper price segment. “Pixel stays premium,” explains the hardware boss of Google. Also, he stuck to his answer through repeated questioning by various round table participants: there will be no cheap Pixel. Google will continue to leave lower price segments to other manufacturers.
There has been some hope that perhaps Google would introduce a lower-priced Pixel phone more akin to Nexus devices in terms of price. From Osterloh’s comments above, it doesn’t look like Google wants to play any part in the lower-end of the Android device world. For many that will be disappointing news as they have felt that their Nexus devices were solid performers that were already premium.
When do you think the new Pixel will be announced? Do you think Google should release a lower-priced Pixel? Let us know your thoughts and comments below or on Twitter, Facebook. and Google+.
[button link=”https://www.androidpit.com/google-pixel-2-coming-2017-staying-premium” icon=”fa-external-link” side=”left” target=”blank” color=”285b5e” textcolor=”ffffff”]Source: Android Pit[/button]
