Why bother with the new Google Pixel when Samsung is the king of Android?

Apparently, Google announced a bunch of new devices a few weeks ago. The day it was discovered Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro came and went without much fanfare. Google may be getting serious about its hardware, but even it can’t match Samsung’s dominance of the Android landscape.

Let’s not forget that these are not the first Google devices. The company always gets a little slack that since it’s only serious about hardware, it needs to be given time to get back on its feet. Google has actually been making Pixel phones for a few years now. Although they certainly have their advantages, 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 Samsung device.

The idea is simple enough to make sense. Google needs to have its own series of devices to best showcase Android. It has to give Android a platform to shine without any fakes from OEMs. Full control over software and hardware should allow Google to deliver an experience that is clearly better than any other Android device. That was not actually the case.

Google’s Pixel smartphones may have developed a small following of enthusiasts, but their overall market appeal is still significantly lacking. There is rarely any excitement or anticipation leading up to the launch of new Pixel smartphones. The lack of interest becomes very striking when compared to the period immediately before the launch of the new Galaxy S or Galaxy Z foldable Samsung.

Millions of people around the world are interested in how Samsung pushes the envelope for innovation year after year. While the company hasn’t held an in-person Unpacked event since 2020, its online launch events continue to record record viewership numbers from around the world.

Samsung showed everyone, especially Google, that there is no Android without Samsung. There is no other Android OEM with such a global presence as Samsung. Company accounts for over 35% of the Android smartphone market. The rest is covered by Chinese OEMs who are increasingly shunned in Europe and North America, two very lucrative markets.

Given the difficulties Chinese OEMs face in these markets, only Samsung and its devices give Android a fighting chance against iOS. Apple would clean up the market because it does not face 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 cannot be underestimated. Android is Google’s way of attracting users to the vast network of services it offers. Countless people use YouTube, Google Search, Discover, Assistant, Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Maps, Photos and more through their Android devices. Android phones are one of the most important sources of traffic for these services, and Samsung phones are driving those users to Google in droves.

There’s also the question of whether people even care about the unadulterated Android experience? Most average shoppers don’t. It is also relevant to note Samsung is doing more for Android than Android for Samsung. Many of the software innovations that Samsung introduces with One UI eventually inspire Google to add them to future versions of Android. There are plenty of examples even in the latest Android 13 release.

If Google alone still can’t fight Samsung’s grip on Android, what other OEM can? It is certainly commendable how Samsung has managed to establish its authority in the Android smartphone market. Samsung is now the gold standard, the one to beat, and there don’t seem to be many who are capable of it.

So if people mostly don’t care about them and they can’t 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 has recently been pointed out that Google will need half a century to sell as many phones as Samsung only done in 2021

Samsung will go from strength to strength, especially because of the innovation it uses in the foldable smartphone. With Google’s penchant for abandoning projects (Stadia is its latest victim), who wants to bet that his patience with the Pixel brand might end in the not-too-distant future?