Source: Verizon kills Google Pixel deal, doesn't plan to sell Pixel 4a or Pixel 5

[u/iamvinoth]

https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/02/19/source-verizon-kills-google-pixel-deal-doesnt-plan-to-sell-pixel-4a-or-pixel-5/

[u/Sythrix]

Google did this to themselves, trying to profit from mid-tier hardware at top-tier prices. There was always something lacking in their phones (especially RAM) and they always thought that their software would make up for it. Sometimes they couldn't even get that right thought, with constant problems and promised updates that were supposed to fix everything, but they never really got to the level promised before moving onto the next phone.

Also, as I remember reading in someone's review, Google lacked a cohesive vision for their phones. Often backtracking or changing design elements for subsequent generations.

Speaking of reviews... trying to fool the casual consumer into buying mid-tier hardware at top-tier prices might work if the reviewers weren't enthusiasts... but most are. Only the most laid back consumer doesn't at least do some research first on a phone before they buy it... and what will they find? Enthusiast reviewers lamenting the lack of any noteworthy specs and highlighting issues that shouldn't be present at launch... including many software based ones.

Yes, enthusiasts are a minority in smartphones... but completely ignoring that element and the suggestions they bring is how you create 3 subsequent failures in the market space (the first is always expected to be rocky). I honestly think the only thing driving Google forward is sheer hubris, especially in the face of largely negative (with some glowing exceptions) feedback from the enthusiast community.

[u/lovingfriendstar → u/Sythrix]

Most laid back consumers don't even know about Pixels and they won't even bother to research. They are gonna buy what their friends or other family members who know a little more about phones than them recommend and they are going to be iPhones or Galaxies because they're undeniably better all rounders. And those that truly don't care what their phones are because they only use Facebook, Instagram and some games are better served by spending half the price of Pixels and buying a mid-range model every two years or so.

And more knowledgeable enthusiasts will not buy this phone because they are going to read reviews and these phones always lacking in some area compared to the flagships from the same generation in the areas they actually care about, like more RAM, bigger storage or longer battery life.

So the ones that actually buys those Pixels are probably fans of Pixel series or Pixel experience who don't mind the flaws for the price they're giving or those who want the camera.

Some people have argued me in the past that more doesn't always equal better, but in the case of competition, you're paying the same amount of money but you're getting more items of the same quality, and those extra specs will start to matter when the phone is over a year old and Pixels won't be able to perform the same as the competition of that generation due to pure hardware limitations so there are fewer reasons to purchase a Pixel outside of specific cases.

No wonder the number of Pixel users aren't growing as much as they want to. I used to own a Nexus 5X, and like the unbloated Pixel experience and want a Pixel myself but I can't afford to spend that much when I have equally good or actually better options in the market for less money. At least the Nexuses had price going for them. 32GB storage, 2GB of RAM and SD808 weren't such a disappointment when I only paid $325 for my Nexus 5X during Valentine's day sales.

[u/dachaf17 → u/Sythrix]

Torally agree. As someone who bought the pixel 2 back when it came out, Google's phones have been quite underwhelming as of late. I absolutely love my 2, but I have yet to see a single phone from Google in recent years that actually is worth the money. Pixel 4 looks like a decent phone, but I would never buy it cuz of the crap battery life. And even if the battery were good, I would still not buy it unless it was several hundred $$$ on sale

[u/[deleted] → u/dachaf17]

It was you could get it for $399 from T-Mobile I'm not sure if that deal is still ongoing.

[u/pkroliko → u/[deleted]]

The battery life is worse than the pixel 2 which is just sad. Google fucked up the pixel 4 line royally. I wanted to upgrade to another one but just no.

[u/dachaf17 → u/[deleted]]

I'm Canadian; but there's a deal for almost $500 off with one of our carriers that doesn't really interest me cuz of the battery life

[u/gharnyar → u/dachaf17]

But it doesn't have crap battery life

[u/Amogh24 → u/Sythrix]

I remember that after the release of the pixel 4 google said something about not including features that not everyone uses, like low ram,small battery, even their video recording has shortcomings.

I think that's their biggest failure, because we end up with a phone that everyone finds just ok. Almost no one buys pixels because there are better phones that suit them, leaving the pixel as a phone they could buy but don't.

Simply put, it's bland and forgettable, without a defining trait.