This week, Google's Pixel Tablet, Pixel Fold and Pixel 7a are the most prominent products, but another Pixel device is the one that needs to pivot the most.
On Wednesday, the company's yearly event was especially packed with big news, including a trio of new gleaming Pixel products as well as a plethora of upcoming Android innovations centered on Android 14.
However, the important announcement is being lost among all the other more interesting information and is going almost entirely neglected.
Let's begin with the Pixel 7a first. Simply put, the Pixel 7a is a fantastic phone. Thanks to a loaner review unit of Google, I've been trying it for the last week, and let me tell you: It's a really lovely gadget.
The Pixel 7a has a premium appearance and feel. Google's mid-range model of Pixel is seriously erasing the distinction between a highest-ranking flagship-caliber smartphone and a more reasonably priced middle-of-the-road alternative, following a trend that we've been witnessing develop for a few years.
The Pixel 7a comes with a number of characteristics that are generally only found in the highest-end goods, surface-level luxuries and all. I truly can't underline enough how great this phone feels. It supports the biometric standard - Face Unlock , has an extremely fast refresh rate and even features wireless charging. Additionally, it has an updated camera system with image hardware that has never before been found in a midrange device.
It's an absolute value at $499 in the US and unquestionably the best Android experience currently offered within that range of prices. It's basically simply a bit less expensive version of a flagship-caliber smartphone, but at a much lower price.
This most recent Pixel, which costs $499, is $50 higher in price than the Pixel 6a model from 2022. And going even farther back in Pixel history, it costs $150 more compared to the $349 priced Pixel 4a from a couple years ago — a significant increase, to put it mildly.
In the beginning, I was hoping Google would be able to bring the price of Pixel "a" line downward into a more affordable territory — if that were not realistic, introduce a lower-end Pixel "b" device to fill the void and offer the Pixel's unrivaled all-around customer service and post-sale software assistance promise to a wider range of people.
However, it appears like Google has a perhaps even more clever strategy to achieve the same result. And this is where the Pixel 6a from last year comes into play.
Google may just be able to halt the bleeding and persuade those looking for a budget-level phone to take that route rather than slinking over to the dark side by maintaining its previous-version Pixel 6a on hand and trading it for a lower price rather than just toss it aside, like Google typically does when an update comes along. Although $349 still doesn't equal $160, the firm still has some work to do on the advertising and message front, it's just a start. It also represents a positive move.
In the end, if Google truly wants to stake a substantial claim to the Android market and persuade the budget-conscious audience to remain in its corner, I suppose an even more inexpensive Pixel "b" line phone is likely at some time.
It's a fascinating strategy, though, and also one that may undoubtedly have a greater effect than any other of the company's much more attention-catching I/O announcements, to market the Pixel 7a for its high-level performance for a medium price while positioning the Pixel 6a as a more cheap alternative.