Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro: Is Google taking its smartphone business seriously?

One step forward, two steps back

Google's history with hardware is riddled with great promises and unrealised potential. Ever since the introduction of Android in 2008, Google has tried to make an ideal showcase device for the software, a reference point for other manufacturers to take note of.

In the absence of big sales numbers, these phones amounted to little more than periodic flirtations from Google in the hardware space. The rapidly differing sales strategy between generations also confused the potential user base. Now with the Pixel 6 and the Pixel 6 Pro, Google is aiming at the high-end, but is it finally taking smartphones as a business seriously?

The Nexus era

Before the Pixels lit up Google's phone range, Nexus was the marquee brand. Starting with the Nexus One, a collaboration with HTC, Nexus differentiated itself from other Android manufacturers by being a pure Google experience. It ran stock Android with no frills and would be the first-in-line for software updates.

The phone was also powered by great hardware and received positive critical reception. Its failure to sell would become a template that Google would struggle to break free from. In hindsight, the problems were apparent. Poor marketing choices, unclear strategies and an aversion to stepping on the toes of other Android device manufacturers made it a tough sell. In fact, the Nexus One only sold 20,000 units in the first week.

The problems continued with the Nexus S and the Galaxy Nexus. While technology enthusiasts liked the idea of a pure version of Android, normal users did not seem to care. Worse, the explosion of Android devices on the market began diluting the Google brand. On paper, the Nexus phone offered great value but as a brand, poor marketing and an online-only sales model meant that there was no attachment with regular users. It was a weird disconnect, phones that were priced aggressively and meant to appeal to the price-conscious, couldn't find an audience.

Nexus 4 was hit with supply problems out of the gate that halted any momentum it might have had. It ended up selling less than 400,000 units in the first three months.

Nexus 5 is the only outlier in the series. Google did everything right with the phone, a strong marketing campaign that grabbed eyeballs and characteristically aggressive pricing, one that was seen as a bargain at the time. Production issues kept sales from being higher, but the LG collaboration was a runaway success. All Google needed to do was to follow this template for the next launch. What did it do? It went in a completely different direction.

Nexus 6 was a phablet developed in collaboration with Motorola that was pricier than the previous generation. Google was trying to make Nexus more premium but, production issues and general lack of interest meant that the company was back to square one.

The 5X and the 6P became the last phones in the Nexus line before Google gave up on the project.

The premium Pixel line

In 2016, Google introduced the Pixel. It was clear that Google wanted a share at the premium market with these phones. They were pricier and exquisitely built. One mistake Google made with the Nexus line was the absence of defining characteristics that set it apart from other Android phones.

It effectively killed itself when Google increased the price, which meant it funnelled prospective buyers further. With the Pixel and Pixel XL, Google came swinging out of the gate with a camera system considered one of the best in the industry. With subsequent Pixel releases, Google improved the camera even further.

While Pixel and Pixel XL sold well out of the gate, the momentum slowed down not long after that. India had been a strong market for Google phones but the price increase dramatically reduced potential customers. Production issues and tame sales expectations from Google themselves meant that the Pixel phones began tapering off after a strong start.

Like the Nexus phones, Pixel hardware has failed to credibly compete in the premium market. Worse, it has abandoned India as a market beginning, with Pixel 4.

Also Read: Google Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro launched at a starting price of $599; takes on the iPhone 13 series

So, what has been going wrong?

The main problem is Google itself doesn't seem to take its hardware seriously. It has had two line-ups of devices and over a decade of making smartphones with nothing to show for it. The marketing strategy has also flip-flopped massively between generations. What started as aggressively priced devices meant for developers has now morphed into a pseudo premium line that doesn't seem to have a clear strategy of what it wants to be. Poor advertising has also played a part.

Now, with the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, Google finds itself in the uneven middle ground, somewhere between premium and mid-range. At $599, the new phones undercut much of the competition.

With more than a decade of devices under their belt, Google still feels like it's experimenting to see what works. It continuously flip-flops between pricing and strategy with each release. At this point, it feels like Google is throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks.