With today’s launch of the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, showcasing the new hardware and software to an invited audience in New York and many more on the livestream, Google pulled out all the stops. And those watching might have heard something that made them stop and think about the iPhone.
Whenever a new Pixel feature considered impressive and innovative was presented, Google’s presenting team announced that the feature was implemented “…in a way that only Google can.” The phrase was used more than once. It was a vocal exclamation point to illustrate that this was no average smartphone; it reached beyond Android’s default software and did not rely on off-the-shelf components. The Pixel is something special.
It’s also a phrase used by another smartphone manufacturer. Over the years, Apple has emphasised the new features in its product launches with “…in a way that only Apple can.”
Perhaps Google hopes this subtle echo of the elephant in the room will associate the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro with the recently launched iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro smartphones?
It can be hard to get a handset to stand out in a world full of smartphones with little to differentiate the hardware, software, or components beyond some alternate branding of similar features, depending on the manufacturers involved. Thanks to its stewardship of Android, Google is better placed than most to stand out while influencing the direction of the whole ecosystem. But code changes are not enough; the bytes need some Buck Rogers to evangelise the changes.
So Google has drawn attention to the AI capabilities of the Tensor G3 chipset, the Magic Editor using generative AI for image editing, a CSI-inspired Zoom and Enhance feature, and the seven years of support, updates, and new features for the device. All “in a way that only Google can.”
That’s something Apple can’t say.
Now read how the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro will help Google define the future of smartphones.
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