Would you buy one?
October 4 is a few days away and once it rolls around we’ll finally be able to see what Google has been cooking up for the next iteration of their Pixel smartphones. While Google has a ton of hardware partners that spread the gospel of Android in their behalf, there’s still something magical about devices designed by the very people who developed the operating system it runs on.
Yet this year it looks like the Philippines will be left behind yet again when it comes to availability, since Google mostly offers the new Pixels via their Play Store in select countries. Google has mostly stuck to an online-only retail model for the Pixel which is commendable, but limits their expansion into other territories quite a bit.
Despite what many people will tell you, online sales is still lagging behind in the Philippines, and there’s still a lot of people hesitant to fork over the amount of cash Google is asking for the new phones for devices they haven’t held, seen or touched in person. That means for the Pixels to succeed, the search giant will need to offer their devices via a brick-and-mortar location, something that they’re probably unwilling to do.
If they really wanted to, Google could potential offer the new Pixels via HTC Philippines, the same way their Nexus 6P was offered through Huawei a few years back. This makes the most sense – HTC already makes the phones (Google only poached their engineers) and there’s already a link in the supply chain – all it takes is redirecting stocks our way.
But should Google even bother? The Philippines already has top-tier Android smartphones available for purchase, which the new Pixels will have to compete for sales. Aside from Google’s close involvement with the development of the device and a head start on Android Oreo, do the new Pixels offer anything that will entice the regular consumer?
