For years now Google's phones have been a critical success but a sales flop. At £599, Google Pixel 5 looks like one of the best value phones on the market, while the Pixel 4a is similarly inviting, providing a top contender for the best camera and software for any phone under £400.
The Pixel doesn't and can't sell as well as the two biggest competitors simply because it is not Google's business plan. Instead, the Pixel is intended for a more niche user that values flexibility, durability, and getting the most out of their Android phone.
For instance, Google has never broken out sales numbers or revenue for its Pixel phones, though we know they were struggling for a while, and the frequent sales ever since the Pixel 4's launch haven't been a promising sign.
iPhone sales
| Year | Sales |
|---|
| 2017 | 216.7 million |
| 2018 | 217.7 million |
| 2019 | 187.2 million |
| 2020 | 196.9 million |
By my estimate, between October 1, 2018, and September 30, 2019, Google sold no more than 12.8 million devices from its Pixel 3 family, and the actual total might well have been well under 10 million.
It's unlikely that the Pixel 5 will arrive early, as the Google Store typically ships via two-day shipping. And with FedEx and UPS both being over capacity right now, it's unlikely to arrive sooner than two days. In the US, the Pixel 5 is a mmWave model, instead of having two models like with the Pixel 4a 5G.
Special features. Both the Pixel 5a and the Pixel 4a 5G support 5G. However, the 5a supports only the slower/longer distance sub-6Hz band of 5G, whereas the 4a 5G also supports the faster mmWave band only if you're on Verizon.
Samsung sold more than 235 million phones in 2020, compared to Apple's sales of almost 200 million.
In addition, there is no high-end SoC below the 2340 x 1080 resolution OLED display with 90 Hz, but only the mid-range Snapdragon 765G.
Comparison Devices.
| Model | Google Pixel 5 SD 765G, Adreno 620 |
|---|
| Drive | 128 GB UFS 2.1 Flash |
|---|
| Size | 6.00" |
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| Resolution | 2340x1080 |
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| Best Price | Alternative specs USD 59.17 |
|---|
Samsung smartphone sales – how many phones does Samsung sell? Global smartphone sales reached 1.38 billion units during 2020, but are expected to recover for 2020 to similar figures as 2019 at around 1.54 billion units. In the fourth quarter of 2020, Samsung sold 62.12 million smartphones to end users worldwide.
Sales figures PixelLast year, Google sold 7.2 million Pixel smartphones. An increase of roughly 50 percent from 2018, when only 4.7 million Pixel smartphones were sold. In the first six months of 2020, Google sold just 1.5 million smartphones.
Google pips OnePlus sales, 7.2 million Pixel phones sold in 2019.
Indeed, the average market share of 16.3% for the past four quarters is above Apple's typical 14% share, skewed higher by an incredibly successful fourth quarter, when the company's share of the smartphone market surged to 23%.
Co-founder Carl Pei told Forbes that OnePlus has now sold 500,000 smartphones and is aiming for one million by 2015. So why hasn't OnePlus just opened the floodgates already?
OnePlus emerged as the 5G leader in the premium 5G smartphone market segment with 48 per cent share in India.
TECHNOLOGY COMPANYHeadquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, OnePlus is a Chinese smartphone brand founded by former Oppo vice-president Pete Lau and Carl Pei in December 2013. The company is one of the three subsidiaries of BKK Electronics, the other two being Oppo and Vivo.
Google only sold 2 million Pixel 4 units in six monthsIn an extensive reported published by The Information today, recent market data by IDC corresponding to Q4 2019 and Q1 2020 was cited. It also sold an impressive 3.5 million Pixel 3 flagships in the first two quarters despite the lukewarm response from customers.
Pixel 5a (5G), 5, 4, 3, and 2 phones are designed to be water-resistant. But normal wear and tear can reduce water-resistance.
The smartphone comes with a 6.3 inches P-OLED capacitive touchscreen and 1800 x 3200 pixels resolution. The screen of the device is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
Battery SpecificationsPixel 4: Up to approx.25 hours of Usage Time when Always on Display (AOD) is off.
Pixel 4
| A diagram of the Pixel 4 |
|---|
| Codename | Flame (Pixel 4) Coral (Pixel 4 XL) |
|---|
| GPU | Adreno 640 |
| Memory | 6 GB LPDDR4X |
| Storage | 64 GB or 128 GB UFS 2.1 |
The Pixel 4a costs $349 in the US, where it's available in only one size, one color, and one storage configuration. It competes with the iPhone SE, the OnePlus Nord (outside the US), the Samsung Galaxy A52, and a slew of other affordable phones from brands like Xiaomi and Realme.
Minimum update & support periods
| Phone | No guaranteed Android version updates after | No guaranteed telephone or online support after |
|---|
| Pixel 4a (5G) | November 2023 | November 2023 |
| Pixel 4a | August 2023 | August 2023 |
| Pixel 4 XL | October 2022 | October 2022 |
| Pixel 4 | October 2022 | October 2022 |
Google designs the latest Pixel and has the phone manufactured in China. When these phones are shipped into the U.S., Google is forced to pay the import tax.
