The Google Pixel 9 series is the latest major smartphone family in town, having just launched with four models on August 13th. I tuned in for the launch event and in case you didn’t, one thing that set it apart from most other flagship launches was that Google didn’t seem to take much time to talk about its hardware.
The launch started by talking about Gemini and how it can make your life easier, and then it went into some of the major new software features being added to the Google Pixel 9 smartphones, such as Add Me and Pixel Screenshots. It is clear that Google’s strategy is to use its software to differentiate itself, but is that enough? Let’s talk about it.
The Flagship Market Is Insanely Competitive; Anyone Can Max Out The Spec Sheet
These days, the ceiling for specifications on a flagship smartphone is much lower than it has ever been. We’ve reached what I’ll call the “practical limit” on a lot of smartphone specs. For instance, Sony tried out 4K screens, which seemed like the natural next step to take after 1080p and 1440p, but practically speaking, as much as it enriches your spec sheet, its practical value is limited — in fact, with its power consumption, it’s net negative.
You can see that with screen sizes too, as bezels have shrunken greatly but phones haven’t pushed past the 6.8-inch mark because anything larger is too big. Sure, there are phones with 24GB of RAM, but most manufacturers really don’t need to go higher than 12GB or 16GB because that’s what is practically useful for most; even power users.
You can put the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra beside the Xiaomi 14 Ultra or the Oppo Find X7 Ultra, and using the spec sheets alone, you’ll see that these phones compete pretty tightly with one another. It isn’t rare for big manufacturers to be able to make expensive flagships that tick all the boxes.
Google Is Focusing On AI And Software To Set Itself Apart From The Competition
So, that raises the question: if you can easily max out a spec sheet for a phone that will cost more than $1,000, how can you set yourself apart from the competition? Google seems to think that the answer is the software, and I really can’t tell whether they might be on to something.
The Google Pixel 9 series launch event focused heavily on Gemini, Google AI, and a bunch of new software features coming to the new smartphones, especially related to the cameras. Apart from the cameras and the new Tensor chip, Google didn’t spend much time talking about batteries, screens, charging, and so on.
The truth is, Google’s software is among the very best in the game and it is a very major reason to buy yourself a Pixel instead of anything else on the market. For the people who are looking for a flagship phone that is quick and powerful but who don’t care for comparing numbers, the Pixel comes out near the top of the list because it is almost guaranteed to be a good Android experience with a lot of software magic on top.
Google Has Tried To Buck Trends Before And Eventually Gave Up
However, this brings me to my last point though. Google isn’t trying to push for super-fast charging, a CPU that can push out insane benchmark numbers, or even UFS 4.0 storage (that’s right, the Pixel 9 lineup still uses UFS 3.1). They’re making the software the main attraction, which is bold, but it might not work.
Consumers are simple people. We want a phone that fits our needs and provides the best value for our money. Few of us would buy a phone that we like if we feel like we’re getting $300 less value than a certain competitor provides — at least I wouldn’t. I’d learn to love a phone that gives me the best for what I pay.
Google has been in that position before and was forced to adapt. Remember how the company stubbornly stuck with a single camera for its earlier Pixels but eventually introduced multiple? Remember how they didn’t mind keeping massive notches but eventually went the way of the cutout? Google has tried to set itself apart from the crowd before, and failed. Only time will tell whether its software strategy will reach a similar end.
