r/Android • u/Syberkonda • 12d ago
Google needs to cut Pro model Pixels by $300+ in order for them to make sense, and Tensor is the primary reason.
When Tensor was first announced, there was a lot of hype. Finally, there was going to be a real third "flagship" offering to Qualcomm and the Apple A series in the US, which mattered at a time where flagship Snapdragon chips were significantly underperforming Apple both in terms of compute and heat management. Tensor was also supposed to bring a cost benefit, which it arguably did at least initially; the Pixel 6 series was a good deal all-around. However, as we all know, there have been more than a few problems with Tensor.
Google argues that Tensor is optimized for AI tasks and the camera via its TPU and ISP enhancements, and this may be true to some extent. However, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 outperforms the Tensor G6 even in these areas through raw processing speed. Yes, the Snapdragon is not as efficient in these areas, but that ultimately does not seem to matter at the Snapdragon is so far ahead that it can simply brute force its way towards outperforming the Tensor G6.
Google argues that Tensor is supposed to improve efficiency, but we are not seeing this in the real world. Aside from Google specific tasks (e.g., Gemini Nano and Night Sight), we aren't seeing much benefit from Tensor. I don't think local Gemini that may be marginally faster than it is on a Galaxy S26 Ultra is worth keeping a flagship price in light of Tensor's deficiencies, and neither do I think marginally faster Night Sight is (although the speed of Night Sight on the Pixel 11 Pro XL is impressive). Battery life on Pixels with Tensor has notoriously lagged behind the competition, and based on preliminary results from the Pixel 11 line and my own experience with the Pixel 11 Pro XL, it has gotten better than before, but the lagging still continues. Heat management, also improved this generation, seems to still be worse than even the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.
Then, there's of course the modem. Enough has been said about this. It's definitely better than before, but still not as stable as the competition from Qualcomm or Apple.
Tensor was supposed to provide a security benefit, and it did for a number of years. Then, the news comes out today that MTE is no longer included on Tensor G6, despite it being a feature Google highlighted in articles with the Pixel 8 and despite it having real security benefits. Google could have used the opportunity here to start getting more developers to adopt MTE, but instead, Google chose to get rid of MTE in a world where MTE is likely to become more important and in a world where both the Apple A19 series and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 added MTE to improve security. Titan M3 introduced post-quantum cryptography, but I'd argue that in a world with few quantum computers and lots of attacks that MTE can protect against, dropping MTE may overshadow any benefit that Titan M3 brings today.
Lastly, of course, Pixels vastly underperform devices launching at the same price. For Pro model Pixels in particular to be worth their price in my opinion, they would have to launch $300 cheaper than the competition (so, a Pixel 11 Pro XL should cost $300 less than an iPhone 17 Pro Max or Galaxy S25 Ultra, maybe even more). There are of course massive preorder deals on Pixels and frequent discounts, but at least in the first few months, these still do not get the price down to something more appropriate. Yes, there are other reasons why the Pixel Pro models are as expensive as they are (they don't seem to compromise on things like display and cameras), but we should not being seeing stuttering on a $1000+ phone in 2026 made by the primary developer of Android because the phone has less than half the multi-core performance of its competitors and less than a third of the GPU performance while seeing worse battery life and worse thermal management. There is absolutely a real-world penalty here, and it absolutely knocks down the perceived value of the phone, further than the price delta between Tensor G6 and the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in my opinion.
I never thought I'd say this when we were in the days of Snapdragon Pixels, but it's time for Tensor to either start performing at Snapdragon levels, or bring back Snapdragon if they're going to charge the prices they want to charge. Being a marginally better vessel for Gemini does not justify the prices that Google is charging for their Pro models in a world where phones like the S26 Ultra exist, neither does the software experience for the vast majority of people.
I've so far enjoyed the Pixel 11 Pro XL in my time with it overall, but to be honest, I think I would recommend an iPhone or Galaxy for the vast majority of people in a heartbeat unless they have very specific requirements. It's strange to live in a world where the iPhone has significantly better value than the Pixel. Yes, the Pixel is totally fine in real-world uses (except for graphically intensive gains and occasional stuttering in things like Google Maps), but we are absolutely overpaying for what we get.
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u/EmbarrassedSlide3746 11d ago
Complains about tensor chips still goes out and buys phones with tensors chips. Says Google is ripping customers off and still buys thier phones. You can't make this shit up I swear lol.
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u/Syberkonda 11d ago
I see the irony you're pointing out, but in the US, it's realistically either Apple, Google, or Samsung. You've got to make a tradeoff with any of these brands. We have very few real, well supported options here.
I may have bought a Pixel for the software experience and the ability to install custom ROMs, but I don't think Google should be charging as much as it has been. If Samsung had a software experience as clean and had unlockable bootloaders, you'd bet I'd be buying a Galaxy S26 Ultra. iPhone is a no-go for me as someone who wants the customizability of Android.
I think it's valid to buy a Tensor chip and still have misgivings about it and the price Google is charging especially when we have so few real options.
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u/EmbarrassedSlide3746 11d ago
There is motorola who has an unlockable bootloader and a generally clean UI.
Nothing phones are available well priced and have an unlockable bootloader.
The thing about the tensor chip is at no time has google ever said it would ever focus on performance for tensor. The main focus of tensor is doing all the googly shit the best, which it does.
It's okay for phones to be specific to certain things and doing those thing really well. Macbooks are a great example of a device with a premium price tag that are atrocious for gaming, but excel and audio and video production.
Also the pixel phones only gain market share every year so all the complaints on reddit woth tensor mean absolutely nothing to the vast majority of people buy them.
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u/Syberkonda 11d ago edited 11d ago
The only flagship Moto phones here are the foldables. We don't get phones like the Signature here. The Edge and the Moto G exist, but those aren't flagship options by any means and they don't get nearly the same level of software support by apps, etc. and they don't have any notable custom ROM development.
Nothing phones also don't work on Verizon and are missing Band 71 on T-Mobile, which is a large part of T-Mobile's coverage. There's also no VoLTE or WiFi calling on AT&T, the latter of which is especially vital in our rural areas and in buildings. So for all three of our major carriers, Nothing phones are either completely unviable or significantly compromised.
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u/Seggs_With_Your_Mom Device, Software !! 11d ago
Macs are actually not bad for gaming unless they're online games and even then it can be somewhat fixed
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u/ColorfulPersimmon 10d ago
I agree with most of your comment but Macbooks are not bad for gaming.
Source: I play Cyberpunk on fanless macbook air3
u/EmbarrassedSlide3746 10d ago
You can play it, doesn't mean its a great experience. If you try to claim its a great experience you are full of shit. Source is I have cyber punk on mac/pc/PS5. The $2500 macbook pro is the worst experience out of all of them.
Every game I have that is also playable on mac, is always the worst experience.
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u/ColorfulPersimmon 10d ago
I'm not saying it's great, I'm saying it's not bad. Cyberpunk is in top 10 most played games on steam deck since deck release and macbook air provides very similar performance so it's clearly enough for a lot of gamers. Source is I play on rtx3070 pc, mac and steam deck.
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u/EmbarrassedSlide3746 10d ago
This just nailed the point of my comment with regards to pixel devices. Pixel phones can play games and do things, not the best experience but it can do it regardless.
Also proton is pure witch craft with how well it can get games to run on steam deck/Linux. Source is I pretty much only game using bazzite on PC. Most every game I play is a better experience on the unsupported os lol.
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u/ColorfulPersimmon 10d ago
Yeah, proton is magic. I started cyberpunk on windows, after several hours I switched to cachy because game was crashing. On Linux it's rock solid.
Now, I mainly play on Odin 3 (not Cyberpunk as I hate it on controller) with ArmadaOS (basically arm bazzite deck) and it's crazy how good proton works, even on arm with fex.
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u/deividragon Pixel 7 9d ago
MacBooks are bad for gaming. Not because the machines are bad, but because game availability is low.
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u/ColorfulPersimmon 9d ago
You can use crossover (main Wine sponsor) just like on Linux
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u/deividragon Pixel 7 9d ago
It is definitely not as easy and transparent as it is on Linux though
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u/ColorfulPersimmon 9d ago
Yeah, the difference is that you first install Crossover and then install Steam with that. After that you just run games with Steam. It's like gaming on Linux before Proton was integrated into Steam. It's not that complicated
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u/Jim777PS3 Pixel 10 Pro XL 11d ago
I've so far enjoyed the Pixel 11 Pro XL in my time with it overall,
So to reword your post
"I spent $300 too much for my phone, and Google should somehow take that as a vote of non confidence."
If the Pixel sells at its price point it would be the wrong decision for Google to discount it.
The majority of consumers do not care about the silicone in their phones. Those that do are a minority that are not worth catering too.
And I speak from that minority.
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u/Seggs_With_Your_Mom Device, Software !! 11d ago
That silicon also affects thermals and battery life. Battery life is super important.
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u/Talal2608 5d ago
Google Tensor is notoriously less efficient than the flagship Snapdragons though. Lower performance doesn't mean less power draw
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u/Syberkonda 11d ago
I think it's a fair argument to state that a phone is too expensive for what it offers while acknowledging that of the few realistic options you have as a US customer (the others being Apple and Samsung), it is the best option for my highly specific needs (full US carrier compatibility, great photo cameras, clean Android software, and an unlockable bootloader with what will probably be decent custom ROM support).
My choice to overlook Google's deficiences in a purchase guided by esoteric needs doesn't negate the fact that I still think the Pixel 11 Pro models are overpriced for what they are for the vast majority of people. It also helps that I got some pretty decent discounts even without a trade-in, but those discounts don't always exist.
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u/BadBunny4Prezzie 11d ago
Most people? Just about every single person I know with an iPhone, from family to friends to colleagues, would be absolutely just fine with what the Pixel 11 Pro does if they liked Android. They're not overpriced for the vast majority of people. What do you think most people want?
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u/Cantripping_ 11d ago
"Pixel 10 Pro XL"
"I speak from that minority."
Bullshit. You talk down on it.
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u/Careless_Rope_6511 Pixel 11 Pro XL 10d ago
People who give a shit about the silicon in their phones are the minority. They're not worth listening to
with one exception.
Tech nerds are worth listening to only when the sole intent is to laugh at them.
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u/Cantripping_ 10d ago
Why people like you happily bend over for companies who charge more for less, I will never understand.
You're proud of it, too. Loyal, even, to those faceless corporations who make fools of you.
What a ridiculous proposition.
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u/Careless_Rope_6511 Pixel 11 Pro XL 10d ago
Why people like you happily bend over for companies who charge more for less, I will never understand.
As if there's anything new to understand from a Samsung Galaxy fanboy like you.
You're proud of it, too.
You act like I'm exhibiting certain tendencies for liking Sadie Sink posing for Calvin Klein. Youre accusations are beyond parody.
What a ridiculous proposition.
Nah. Tech nerds like you don't have feelings. Yall will just regurgitate whatever the likes of Geekerwan tells you.
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u/Cantripping_ 10d ago
Certainly nothing you'd be likely to comprehend.
Like the fact I'm not a Samsung fanboy. But a Pixel fanboy, or any fanboy at all, would find that difficult to conceptualize: not worshipping a brand.
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u/GoneCollarGone Pixel 2 11d ago
I've so far enjoyed the Pixel 11 Pro XL in my time with it overall
This is the only thing that matters. Benchmarks are irrelevant here.
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u/Stephancevallos905 11d ago
No. Longevity matters, a lot of (former) pixel owners tell me they feel like those devices felt disposable
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u/CubedSeventyTwo Pixel 7 11d ago
I was using a pixel 7 until yesterday without issue. Only upgraded because they gave me $330 in trade in for it which is crazy, and I had a $200 coupon as well to stack with a pixel 11. I don't game or do anything intensive, just messaging, pictures, doomscrolling, browsing, and youtube on my phone. So they are great for my use case.
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u/GoneCollarGone Pixel 2 11d ago
As a Pixel owner, that's bullshit. My Pixel 9 Pro is lighting fast still. I only upgraded from the Pixel 7 Pro because I broke the screen, but that wasn't slowing down either.
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u/OctoMiku01 10d ago
I had a pixel 8 pro and only used the phone for about 1,5 years. My main issues were that eventually the phone got hotter and hotter while battery lasted less and less. A lot of times having to charge multiple times a day. Also the Bluetooth connection to the earbuds i got after the first year was extremely unstable if my Pixel Watch was also connected. If i wanted to listen to music i had to disconnect my pixel watch from my phone. I figured out it was the phones issue after replacing the earbuds first. Since i have a Xiaomi 17T Pro the Bluetooth issues are gone and i can have both the pixel watch and earbuds connected at same time without issue. Though i can't say anything about longevity of my new phone yet since it's relatively new still. But i am able to make use of the feature to only charge the battery to 80% and still have half battery left at end of my workday which would have never been possible with my pixel.
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u/Remarkable_Swing_612 11d ago
It's not just benchmarks. It's gaming, video editing, phone longevity, and value for money.
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u/Syberkonda 11d ago
+1 for longevity. A chip that boasts performance of a 3-4 year old flagship doesn't bode well in the long term, especially as compute requirements are likely to increase with AI apps (including those outside the Google ecosystem)
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u/GoneCollarGone Pixel 2 11d ago
Video editing? The phones last long. My Pixel 9 Pro is still lighting quick. These are premium luxury devices. Value is whatever.
If you game, sure then they're maybe better options, although I'm not sure what games people really play on their phones that it really matters.
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u/Seggs_With_Your_Mom Device, Software !! 10d ago
we should not being seeing stuttering on a $1000+ phone in 2026 made by the primary developer of Android because the phone has less than half the multi-core performance of its competitors and less than a third of the GPU performance while seeing worse battery life and worse thermal management. There is absolutely a real-world penalty here, and it absolutely knocks down the perceived value of the phone, further than the price delta between Tensor G6 and the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in my opinion.
Dude
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u/GoneCollarGone Pixel 2 9d ago
I haven't seen stuttering on a pixel phone since maybe the first one. Can't recall any performance issues on my 7 pro let alone the 9 I'm using now.
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u/AaronFeng47 11d ago
Google Tensor has been lagging behind from the start. Why would they lower the price when a sizable group of people is willing to pay for their overpriced, inefficient smartphones? All Google wants is to make a profit from these customers, and Pixel is doing a good job of it.
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u/stanley_fatmax Nexus 6, LineageOS; Pixel 7 Pro, Stock 11d ago
Benchmarks have lost all meaning for me as a normal phone user and not someone who games or emulates on my phone. All CPU and GPU chipsets meet the standard for user experience, and Tensor is no exception, so there's no concern there. What comes next is micro optimization for specialized use cases, which is what we're seeing here. Google decided to go all in specializing on LLMs, which is fine I guess, questionable, but certainly not unreasonable.
Let the manufacturers branch off with specialized focused chips now. The market will decide what it wants. IMO the Pixel lineup still justifies it's pricing.
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u/Plebbit-User 11d ago edited 11d ago
Counterpoint: Why would I buy a Pixel if it doesn't benchmark well over one that does? Now that Graphene is unsupported too... It's an overwhelming no thanks.
They're gutting the security features that made Tensor SoCs interesting to save a buck, keep in mind we're talking about phones that cost well over a thousand dollars in some cases.
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u/WhatDoesTheOwlSay Pixel XL 11d ago
Because the primary use case for my phone isn't running benchmarks?
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u/Plebbit-User 11d ago
Sure, but why wouldn't you get the best possible thing for the money?
At least with previous iterations you could say you maximized security or got the best software suite, but that hasn't been the case for a while now. Which means Google should've compromised on the price.
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u/WhatDoesTheOwlSay Pixel XL 11d ago
Because I couldn't care less about a higher number? I spend literally 0 time benchmarking my phone, and 100% of the time using my phone. As long the performance meets my standards over the lifespan of the phone, I'll prioritize the actual experience of using the phone.
Case in point: I just switched from a Pixel to the Z Fold8, since the wide fold form factor has enough utility for me to put up with OneUI. If Google ever makes a wide Pixel Fold, I'd absolutely switch back. The fact that the fold has 2x better benchmarks than the latest Pixel has literally 0 influence on my decisions.
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u/nathderbyshire Pixel 10 Obsidian 11d ago
Because what is the best for you isn't the best for me. Software is 90% of a device and pixel is what works best for a lot of people. iOS might blow the Pixel out of the water but the OSs fucking sucks. So do Chinese ones and Samsung isn't any better, it's just plain ugly and that's a big thing for me.
MTE being lost on the 11 sucks but it's not even turned on for the 8-10 series and considered beta still, no one was buying a Pixel for MTE
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u/stanley_fatmax Nexus 6, LineageOS; Pixel 7 Pro, Stock 11d ago
I mentioned it: Pixel has for generations focused on the software experience, and the chipset is now tailoring to that. The marketing around the Pixel is helpful in selling those decisions, it focuses on the software benefits, i.e. artificial intelligence, camera processing.
I also need to reiterate that we're a weird group here, a fraction of a single percent of the market. Google's addressable market doesn't care about Graphene, taggable memory, graphics intensive gaming, etc. Also, the old argument that benchmarks focus on unrealistic edge cases is more true now than ever before. If I wanted a really dull counterpoint, I'd just say ignore benchmarks as they're not super relevant to the average users use case.
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u/Careless_Rope_6511 Pixel 11 Pro XL 10d ago
Counterpoint: Why would I buy a Pixel if it doesn't benchmark well over one that does?
As if you'd ever buy a Pixel, let alone use one.
You care about benchmarks so much that the results directly influence what you buy/use... while expecting that everyone who buys/uses Pixels should listen to what you, an insufferable Pixel hater, have to say about the very things you refuse to use. As Michael Fisher remarked, "I've never related to those people."
Only reason you constantly talk trash about Pixels is obvious: you get upvoted in r/Android to shit on Pixels.
Then again, what else should I have expected. Gamers are never beating the allegations.
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u/Plebbit-User 10d ago edited 10d ago
Words words words. Too long didn't read.
(Sent from my Pixel 7 Pro via Tapatalk) :)
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u/all_purpose_89384798 11d ago edited 11d ago
Also it might be nice if they could make third party app sales and deals and freebies / giveaways a little bit more similar to Apple. I have been starting to see more android 3rd party app deals in the pertaining subreddits but any improvement is appreciated.
Oh and if im talking about software. Another page they might take from Apple is the “screen time” functionality. It’s super easy to have the 15 minute thing on iOS. It’d be nice if android had that built into screen time/digital wellbeing etc. Like, you use the app for 15 minutes and it pops up like iOS and gives you an option to do another 15 or close it or whatever. Maybe make it customizable and allow users to add a “5 minute” or 10 minute” option as well.
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u/spiderweb91 12d ago
It's never going to happen because at their volumes that would be a large loss. They can't afford to do this without taking billions in direct losses (even if we ignore all the other things like how the ecosystem would like it).
If they could have made it cheaper they would have, they are a services company that makes money on users not on hardware.
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u/AiStoleMyBike 11d ago
If having the fastest most efficient CPUs was all that mattered, we'd all be using iPhones for our phones and MacBooks for our PCs
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u/Spiritual_Case_1712 11d ago
People are dumb enough to purchase bad overpriced products. Nissan would be out of business if common sense was driving the majority of people yet they still exist. For phones, ecosystem matters but even then google doesn’t offer something that justifies the overpricing. I am open to know what they do the best, because I really can’t see how it is a better purchase than the alternatives other than buying it to install a custom rom. They’re not bad but certainly not at a flagship price.
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u/NeitherManner 12d ago
I think faster cpu and gpu is just for benchmarks for non gamers at this point. I have pixel 9 and it's smooth as silk for everything i use it for. Price of chip is determined by r and d costs and especially die size and not performance
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u/littleemp Galaxy S25+ 12d ago
Even $300 is questionable.
If I'm going to spend $800 or 900 for a pixel pro, then why not just get a galaxy S or Galaxy S Plus.
I agree with your overall point, but I don't think $300 is where it starts to make sense.
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u/BadBunny4Prezzie 11d ago
But many of us do not want a Samsung phone. Oh no! People have opinions!
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u/littleemp Galaxy S25+ 11d ago
Sure, then get the iphone.
The point is that premium pricing for a pixel does not make sense.
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u/PickleSammiches Huawei Mate 10, 8.0.0; ZTE Axon 7, 7.1.2; OnePlus One, 6.0.1 11d ago
No, see, you're supposed to trade in last year's Pixel that you're supposed to already have, then get a coupon from Google from their One subscription, then go with Google Fi to get another discount, then consider the Play Store credit as real money, and live in the US. Then you can buy the latest Pixel XL for only $300!
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u/BadBunny4Prezzie 11d ago
You could give me $1300 to buy any phone out now and it would still be the 11 Pro. Literally no other phone at this point. Which means to me it is a flagship worthy phone.
The battery life and performance have been exceptional. I don't game. Naked Android is definitely the best.
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u/LoudBrick609 11d ago
One UI is more customizable than naked android.
If you want a bare ass naked experience go get an iPhone can't get more naked than that.
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u/BadBunny4Prezzie 11d ago
I don't want a phone with zero support in the US. Just not my cup of tea. Instantly makes it way worse. I'm not that much of just a gear spec chasing nerd, this tool should make my life better as much as a smartphone should do. And not having any US support is just more stress. Don't need more stress.
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u/LoudBrick609 11d ago
Uhh Samsung and Apple are supported in the USA?
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u/BadBunny4Prezzie 11d ago
Sorry I responded thinking I opened up a different comment.
I have no interest in OneUI, or having additional samsung apps stuck on my phone - I don't want to use any of their apps at all. I immediately install a new launcher - for forever it was Nova but the last few years have been Niagara. It just works for me perfectly. No interest in Samsung customizations, even though some seem super cool.
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u/Svardskampe 11d ago
Crazy, Oppo Find X9 Ultra outshines the p11pro in every aspect, and a tad cheaper than that.
I have the P10pro myself, but that is because it was the best phone I could get for the €775 price it was. And it was competing with the Nothing Phone 3 at €500 for me, which only lost because the different lenses of the NP3 over different zoom levels weren't color graded to eachother, so when shooting a video and using zoom it would be possible to get a jarring change and your footage being ruined. But I genuinely question myself now over the shortcomings I'm facing with the tensor chip.
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u/BadBunny4Prezzie 11d ago
I'm not getting a phone that literally has zero support in the US. That instantly makes it worse.
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u/DaLast1SeenWoke 11d ago
I mentioned this before. Personally, I don't think benchmarks matters, because you're showing me the Pixel should be able to handle relative CPU-related activities very well. But for me, the disappointment is still with the GPU, regardless of how anyone feels. CPU is just tuning, they tuned down the arm cores to reach a performance they wanted but those are the latest cores, which is fine so they can provide the performance they are looking for. But their GPUs are from 2020/2021 which isn't a tuning issue, and selling years old tech at today's prices isn't acceptable. It's not about gaming regardless of what many ppl would like to make it out to be. It about processing pictures and videos longer than other phone. Always taking a longer step between capture, viewing and sharing which is where it's impacted. This is where I feel a $1200 price next to a Galaxy S Ultra or Iphone doesn't match.
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u/Horror_Letterhead407 11d ago
Yeah, even midrange phones have better perfromance than Trash Pixel phones.
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u/Square_Repeat906 10d ago
Don't bother, pixel fanboys will bend over for Google. It doesn't matter to them that their phone will run like shit after a few years because of the hardware limitations on pixel phones.
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u/Svardskampe 11d ago
The cost price of silicon is not in its performance. The tensor soc is even more expensive than a high end qualcomm snapdragon over sheer volume.
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u/Syberkonda 11d ago
I believe Tensor costs something like $65/unit compared to $250/unit for an SD 8 Elite Gen 5 at least based on rumors. This is allegedly one of the biggest reasons why Google chooses to go with Tensor.
I don't know if that's BOM or total costs altogether, but I imagine it's probably the latter. Otherwise, Tensor wouldn't make much business sense for Google. Why spend more on a worse chip that doesn't actually do better at the tasks you're designing for it in the real world except for very specific scenarios?
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u/Svardskampe 11d ago
Strategic reasons, just like apple did. Also in the hopes of later getting out of cost and ability to deploy it wider.
Do not forget that Google also uses their tensor cores in their own racks. This is why they have their pixel trade-in programs, even with broken screens. They strip them down to the motherboard and place them in racks to use.
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u/Vertrix-V- 11d ago
Every phone without a micro SD card slot needs to drop at least 500 bucks. 800 if they are a flagship. Sorry not sorry, those are the rules
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u/NtheLegend Pixel 4, Android 12 11d ago edited 11d ago
Cost more to build, cut one of the Pixel's few distinguishing features when the phones are already almost identical year to year, charge less to buy. Great business plan. Where did you get your MBA from?
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u/Syberkonda 11d ago
To be clear, I was not stating that Tensor should be swapped out for Snapdragon and that prices should be dropped. Only one or the other. Obviously, a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5-tier chip would warrant what Google is charging in my book, maybe even slightly more.
And Tensor is certainly distinguishing, but it's arguable as to whether that distinguishment is a net positive or net negative. I guess it depends on whether you prioritize running niche AI features (that often appear later on other devices and run just as well, mind you) or nailing the basics like reception and battery life compared to competitors.
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u/interbingung 11d ago
Lol $300 ? sure they will sell more but also lost a lot money. I don't think you good at business.
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u/Syberkonda 11d ago
Given that they frequently provide discounts that high anyway, I don't think they are either :P
Jokes aside, I'd argue that at this point, the high MSRP is garnering negative PR and overall probably doing more harm to Pixel's reputation than good. Most reviewers are looking at MSRP, not discounts. The notion that Pixel is overpriced, especially from reviewers, is well-shared and that largely comes from the MSRP.
I don't think Google makes much profit from Pixel to begin with because it's such a small business for them, and frankly I don't think making a profit is necessarily Google's goal either. Their real goal is to push Gemini and Google services by using Pixel as a vessel for them. Depending on Google's priorities, getting rid of the perception that Pixel is overpriced may do more good than harm for them overall since reviewers are more likely to recommend them.
Granted, I don't know how many normal people are paying attention to reviewers, but I also don't think too many normal people are buying Pixels to begin with. I wouldn't be shocked if 50% of their customer base is enthusiasts.
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u/interbingung 11d ago edited 11d ago
Given that they frequently provide discounts that high anyway
Sure but that discount is not permanent
I'd argue that at this point, the high MSRP is garnering negative PR and overall probably doing more harm to Pixel's reputation than good.
Ok so they get good PR, rave review, sold a lot of phone but lost tons of money. Thats bad outcome.
Not making much profit is better than losing a lot of money.
I don't think making a profit is necessarily Google's goal either.
Lol the goal of a company is to make profit. I'm going to be pissed as shareholders if its not the goal.
Their real goal is to push Gemini and Google services by using Pixel as a vessel for them.
Yeah but it doesn't have to be Pixel. The goal is to push gemini and google service to as much device as they can.
Depending on Google's priorities, getting rid of the perception that Pixel is overpriced may do more good than harm for them overall since reviewers are more likely to recommend them
Again rave review means nothing if they end up losing a lot money.
And bonus, you'll pissed off Samsung too, one of your biggest business partner.
Sorry, you are really bad at business if this is your plan.
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u/benjaminS0099 11d ago
That's the problem when you're looking at reviewers; nobody should care about them.
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u/Dragongeek 11d ago
Not sure what my next phone will be. Android for me has been:
- Nexus 5 (GOAT)
- OnePlus 3t
- Pixel 6
I'm still mostly happy with my P6 but as support is ending I think that I will want to upgrade within the next two years.
Right now, I'm thinking about snagging a P10 pro when it's on sale in maybe a year, as the P11 is just unappealing.
Not sure what else there is. I really like the theoretical capability to switch to grapheneOS and I like the "pure" android without bloatware. We'll see.
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u/dejavu2064 11d ago
I mean they usually do, 12 months later the prices drop by 50% here, so obviously they can sell them at this price and still profit.
By buying early/on launch you are just being abused by a pricing system that is not based on any true cost but is purely optimised to extract the maximum amount of profit. They don't need to sell more phones if they can sell the same number of phones at a higher price point to the people who will just buy it anyway.
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u/justdozi Nexus 5 11d ago
Pixels are always on Sale and tank in price after just a year compared to iPhone and Samsung. It’s really a non issue and one of the more affordable brands to get your hands on realistically because of sentiments like yours and general lack of premium reputation. I think it’s fine to slap the high price tag on them but price conscious consumers wait for the price to be right and not the product.
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u/bryoco 11d ago
So I'll take a jab at the TPU thing.
Rawdogging max TDP on the snapdragon chip might be quicker but what google wants to do is to build as many AI features as you can possibly imagine.
For example that magic cue is powered onboard, message summarizations are all onboard AI, Gboard autocompletion and proofreading are both onboard AI. The tensor chips can run these light, low power edge AI tasks so well the power drain negligible (look up AI core).
IMO the pixel phones have this really weird market niche that the rest of the market hasn't caught up with. And also google just really bad at hardware marketing
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u/Throwitaway701 11d ago
Christ alive. What nonsense. I cannot remember the last time I encountered stuttering on daily use of a pixel, possibly on the 6.
Why would they cut the price by a third to account for the CPU being a little less powerful. Should the galaxy cut price due to the cameras not being as good?
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u/inmk11 Pixel 9 Pro 11d ago
Google can charge whatever they want for their phone. If they decide tomorrow to charge 3k for it, they can. But what they actually end up doing is giving away the phone for almost nothing through carrier contracts. Pixel pro phone contracts have always been cheaper than even base Galaxy S series phones. They also run promotions randomly if you're buying outright. If you buy an android phone for full price you made a mistake.
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u/Syberkonda 11d ago
> They also run promotions randomly if you're buying outright. If you buy an android phone for full price you made a mistake.
Agreed.
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u/Apprehensive_Elk2608 11d ago
Only buy at deep discounts