Google Pixel at 10: Successes, failures, and fun along the way [Video]
9to5 Google 2026-10-04 14:00:00
Context: Google's Pixel smartphone lineup has reached its 10-year milestone, with the company experiencing a tumultuous journey of successes, failures, and innovations. From its early days of partnering with HTC and LG to produce devices that often struggled with hardware issues, Google has gradually refined its approach, introducing distinctive designs and AI-powered features that have garnered a loyal following. The Pixel series has evolved significantly over the years, with notable improvements in camera software, custom silicon, and design.
Key Facts
- The original Google Pixel, released in 2016, was built in partnership with HTC and featured a wedge-shaped profile, Google Assistant integration, and HDR+ image processing pipeline for photos.
- The Pixel 2 series, manufactured by LG, debuted the Pixel Visual Core, single-lens Portrait Mode, and squeeze-to-activate Active Edge, but suffered from issues like blue shift and screen burn-in.
- The Pixel 3 introduced Night Sight, a game-changing low-light photography feature, but was also criticized for its "bathtub" notch design, RAM management issues, and poor battery life.
- The Pixel 6, released in 2021, marked a significant turning point with the debut of Google's custom Tensor silicon, a new camera bar design, and a two-tier lineup with a Pro model, but faced growing pains including a slow optical fingerprint reader and modem performance issues.