From Nexus One to Pixel 2- The evolution of Google Smartphones

Brand News #16

The Pixel and Pixel XL are Google's answer to what the original Android can do. There are many phones that are shipped to our shores donning the Android name that comes with custom built UI's or skins that works on top of Android. These phones are notorious for slowing down within a few days since there is very poor software optimization. This was bringing bad name to Google and they desperately wanted to build on the goodwill that Android once had. Enter the Pixel/ Pixel XL and their recently launched updates

Lets have a look at the range of Google Smartphones to understand their evolution.

Nexus One

The Nexus One was released n February 2010 and marked Google's entry into the smartphone market. It was manufactured by HTC Corporation, a company that Google had strong ties with. The handset was powered by the Qualcomm S1 processor, ran Android Eclair and supported 3G networks. The small 3.7" screen had rather modest resolution when compared to the iPhone 3GS, but Google considered it as a starting point.

Nexus S

Manufactured by Samsung, the Nexus S was released in 2010 December. It came with Android Gingerbread and had the same specs as the predecessor except for the processor which was Hummingbird. It offered 16 GB internal storage and was the first near field communication supporting Android.

Galaxy Nexus

Released in 2011, Google took a giant leap with the Galaxy Nexus. It has a larger 4.6" AMOLED display with a resolution of 1280x720p, supported Android Ice Cream Sandwich and was powered by a dual core processor. It also came with 1 GB RAM and 16 GB storage.

Nexus 4

Manufactured by LG, Nexus 4 had a beautiful design encompassed by a glass back. It had a 4.7" LCD screen and ran on Android Jellybean. The snapdragon processor made its entry to the range in this model with the dual core S4 Pro processor with 2 GB RAM.

Nexus 5

The plastic bodied Nexus 5 was a step down from it predecessor in terms of an aesthetic design. But it was the first 5" phone fromt he Nexus range and had a resolution of 1920x1080p. It ran on the Android KitKat and was powered by the famous Snapdragon 800 chip. It had another first in the form of 4G network support.

Nexus 6

And then came the 6 with the large 6" screen manufactured by Motorola. Considered a major leap in terms of hardware, the 6 was driven by the Snapdragon 805 chip with 3GB RAM and came in 32 GB and 64 GB guises. It was arguably the best designed Nexus phone with a curved back and a seamless form factor.

Nexus 5X

The Nexus 5X launched alongside the Nexus 6P was the smaller variant with a 5.2" screen. Made by LG, it had a plastic body similar to the Nexus 5 and came with 2 GB RAM. 

Nexus 6P

The bigger variant with 5.7" screen was the flagship model by Google with Snapdragon 810 processor and 3 GB RAM. The metal bodied smartphone made by Huawei looked much more premium when compared to the 5X and had the best camera ever in a Nexus phone with a 12 MP Sony sensor with aperture f/2.0.

Pixel and Pixel XL

Google went the non-nexus way for the first time in 2016 with the Pixel and Pixel XL. Both of them ran the Marshmallow, were powered by the Snapdragon 821 quad-core chips and came with 4 GB RAM. The pixel came in 5" size and the XL in 5.5" size. Both of them have metal body and a 12.3 MP camera with aperture f/2.0.

Well it has sort of been the story for all smartphone manufacturers that they have to launch a new variant every year and hence, this month saw the launch of the Pixel 2 models.

Google introducing its own range of phones is certainly a good move and will be a big hit among its hardcore loyalists. Whether or not it will make any serious dent in the iPhone business is a story worth watching though. 

"Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower"

                                                                                                              - Steve Jobs