The Pixel series smartphones have found new life since Google has been putting his hand to its strategy last year, going to present the Pixel 6 (review) and 6 Pro, two devices that have obtained a unprecedented commercial success with regard to smartphones from Google.
In 2022, success was repeated thanks to the current Pixel 7 and 7 Pro, which are proving to be able to collect and improve the legacy left by their predecessors, as we also told you in the reviews of the 7 and 7 Pro. Now it is time to take a look at the future of the series and to give us some hints of what to expect in the next few years is a new report from Android Authority, which investigate the Pixel lineups of 2023, 2024 and even 2025thanks to the information shared by a very reliable source and – of course – kept anonymous by the site itself.
So let’s take a look at what could be the evolution of the Pixel series in the coming years, bearing in mind that what is anticipated is still subject to change by Google, therefore these are not decisions already set in stone. So let’s take them as indications on what the Mountain View house is considering for its near future, in order to understand what its next moves could be and how it intends to expand the Pixel range.
- 2023 – EVERYTHING AS PER SCHEDULE
- 2024 – LOOK AT THE PIXEL A SERIES
- 2025 – TWO ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES
- OUR COMMENT
2023 – EVERYTHING AS PER SCHEDULE
The details about 2023 don’t take us particularly by surprise, since all the information on next year is already widely anticipated by the rumors we’ve seen in recent weeks. The source of Android Authority confirms that during the year we will first see the launch of Pixel 7a and Pixel Fold in the period that should host the next Google I / O, while in the second part of 2023 the already awaited Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 will arrive Pros.
As for the Pixel 7a, the dollar price is expected to be exactly the same as the $449 of the current Pixel 6a (here our review), while for the Pixel Fold we expect a price list of around $1,799which puts it in the same bracket as Samsung’s foldables.
THE Pixel 8 and 8 Pro – respectively identified by code names shiba and huskies – will be equipped with the new SoC zoomi.e. the Tensor G3, and will introduce some slight changes to the lineup. In particular we talk about smaller size of Pixel 8 compared to the current Pixel 7while there will be no difference between 8 Pro and 7 Pro.
2024 – LOOK AT THE PIXEL A SERIES
Moving to 2024, this is the first year that Google’s strategy could change. According to the source, in fact, the Mountain View house is evaluating whether to reduce the update times of the Pixel A series, going from an annual release to one every two years, as happens at Apple for the SE line. The determining factor will be the sales of the Pixel 7a, on the basis of which it will be decided whether to release the Pixel 8a or whether to continue to keep the 7a on the price list. Should it go on the market, the Pixel 8a should see its price increase up to $499.
News also regarding the main series, given that in 2024 we could see an expansion of the range, since they could arrive no less than 3 Pixel 9. The first will be the traditional basic model to which they should be added two Pro variants with identical hardware and the only distinguishing factor identifiable in the different sizes. The smaller Pro will have a 6.3″ panel (caiman), while the larger one will still be 6.7″ (komodo). All three devices will be based on the SoC Tensor G4 (redundant).
Finally, 2024 could also bring a successor to the Pixel Foldalthough the plans for this category of device are not yet well defined and will be greatly influenced by the response of the public to the 2023 model.
2025 – TWO ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES
Finally we have 2025, the year in which total uncertainty still reigns, but which already promises to be very interesting. Indeed it seems that Google is also considering introducing a Z Flip-style foldable Pixelbut at the moment it is not clear if this project will come to an end or if it will be abandoned sooner.
Should the company choose to go down this path, the 2025 lineup will include a basic Pixel 10a Pixel Flips and the two variants of Pixel 10 Pro which will be the direct successors of the two Pixel 9 Pro of 2024. Alternatively Google will aim to expand the Base Pixel 10 series with a larger display modelgoing to imitate the same strategy adopted by Apple during 2022 with the iPhone 14 series.
Obviously, even in this case there is the possibility that Google will update the Pixel Fold series again, but the possibility of this happening is still linked to the commercial success that the series will have in 2023, so it is premature to make any assumptions.
OUR COMMENT
In the light of what has emerged, it is interesting to note what are Google’s priorities in the evolution of its lineup. It is already clear that the leaflet segment does not appear to be of particular interest to the companysince the strategy around these devices does not appear well defined and is all too tied to the commercial success of a single model, which will have the role of establishing whether the project can be carried forward or not.
Surely one would have expected more conviction from Google, especially considering that Samsung – now a historical partner of the company – has prepared the ground for several years and has accustomed the public to this kind of solutions, especially with the Flip format. The software has also matured a lot thanks to the intervention of Samsung – without which there would have been no Android 12L -, therefore it is not clear why Google hesitated so much when it made the decision to take the field with its proposal.
Also very interesting is the possibility of a slowdown for the Pixel A seriesconsidering that the package of the current Pixel 6a has convinced almost everyone and that the Pixel 7a is preparing to fill several gaps – including the 60Hz display – and it seriously could affect the sales of higher-end models. Probably the problem is precisely this last aspect, as the annual release of a Pixel A does not go well with the other novelty in the pipeline, or the expansion of the main Pixel series.
In all this there will also be a change of design over the next few years: will the camera bar pay the price?
The latter seems particularly sensible in 2024, since the current price difference between the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro leaves a gap that can easily be filled by a Pro model – maybe proposed to 749 dollars – that is able to offer all the most advanced specifications in a compact format. This way the base Pixel would get closer and closer to being a Pixel A on steroidswhich is why the annual presence of a device on the cheapest range may not be a winning choice from a commercial point of view.
Curious the possibility that in 2025 a Pixel 10 PlusSince this could mean a price increase for the Pro series. An eventuality that does not appear so strange if we consider the list price adopted by the equivalent models offered by the competition, but which could also negatively affect one of the main attractive factors of the Pixel Pro, or rather its accessible positioning after all. But 2025 is still far away and there are many if and maybe Meanwhile.
