Why bother with the new Google Pixel when Samsung is the Android king?
Apparently, Google announced a bunch of new devices a couple of weeks ago. The day it unveiled the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro came and went without much fanfare. Google might be getting serious about its hardware but even it’s unable to match Samsung’s dominance of the Android landscape.
Let’s not forget that these aren’t Google’s first devices. The company always gets cut some slack that since it’s only just seriously doing hardware, one must give it time to find its feet. Google has actually been making Pixel phones for several years now. While they certainly have their strengths, they have remained unable to capture the imagination of the vast majority of customers who are willing to spend the same or even more money on a Samsung device.
The idea is simple enough that it makes sense. Google must have its own series of devices to best showcase Android. It needs to give Android a platform to shine without any adulterations from OEMs. Full control over the software and hardware should enable Google to provide an experience that is clearly better than any other Android device. That hasn’t really been the case.
Google’s Pixel smartphones may have developed a small following of enthusiasts but its appeal in the overall market is still significantly lacking. There’s rarely any hype or anticipation leading up to the launch of new Pixel smartphones. The lack of interest becomes very striking when compared to the period just before a new Galaxy S or Galaxy Z foldable launch from Samsung.
Millions of people across the globe are interested in how Samsung pushes the envelope on innovation year after year. Even though the company hasn’t conducted an in-person Unpacked event since 2020, its online launch events continue to see record-breaking viewership figures from all corners of the world.
Samsung has shown everyone, particularly Google, that there is no Android without Samsung. There is no other Android OEM with the kind of global presence that Samsung has. The company accounts for over 35% of the Android smartphone market. The rest gets accounted for by Chinese OEMs that are increasingly being shunned in Europe and North America, two highly lucrative markets.
Given the difficulties that the Chinese OEMs face in these markets, it’s only Samsung and its devices that are giving Android a fighting chance against iOS. Apple would clean up the market since it doesn’t face any geopolitical risks in these markets like the Chinese. Samsung’s vast network across Europe and North America ensures that Android remains the dominant operating system.
The value of this contribution can’t be underestimated. Android is a way for Google to pull in users for the vast network of services that it offers. Countless people use YouTube, Google Search, Discover, Assistant, Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Maps, Photos, and much more through their Android devices. Android phones are one of the most important traffic sources for these services, and Samsung phones are bringing those users to Google by the truckload.
There’s also the question of whether people even care about an unadulterated Android experience? Most average customers don’t. It’s also pertinent to note that Samsung does more for Android than Android does for Samsung. Many software innovations that Samsung introduces with One UI eventually inspire Google to add them to future Android versions. There are plenty of examples even in the latest Android 13 release.
If Google itself remains unable to mount a challenge against Samsung’s hold over Android, what other OEM can? It’s certainly commendable how Samsung has been able to establish its authority over the Android smartphone market. Samsung is now the gold standard, the one to beat, and there don’t appear to be many that are capable of doing that.
So, if people don’t care about them for the most part and they’re unable to measure up to their Galaxy counterparts, why bother with Pixel phones? Google still has a long way to go before its smartphone sales can even register on Samsung’s radar. It was recently pointed out that Google will need half a century to sell as many phones as Samsung did in just 2021.
Samsung will only go from strength to strength, particularly due to the innovation it’s driving in the foldable smartphone. With Google’s penchant for giving up on projects (Stadia is its latest victim), who wants to bet that perhaps its patience with the Pixel brand will end in the not too distant future?
