What is a Google Phone!?! Reviewing Every Pixel/Nexus Ever!
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Promos
Reviewing every Google phone ever made! 0:00 What is a Google Phone? 1:06 The G1/Dream 3:30 Nexus One 5:35 Nexus S 7:00 Galaxy Nexus 8:40 Nexus 4 9:51 Nexus 5 12:00 Nexus 6 14:33 Nexus 5X 15:03 Nexus 6P 16:04 Google Pixel 18:16 Pixel 2 20:09 Pixel 3 21:30 Pixel 3a 22:44 Pixel 4 24:14 Pixel 4a 26:00 Pixel 5 27:24 Pixel 5A 28:03 Pixel 6 30:33 What is a Google Phone?! MKBHD Merch: shop.mkbhd.com Tech I'm using right now: amazon.com Intro Track: youtube.com Playlist of MKBHD Intro music: goo.gl ~ twitter.com @MKBHD @MKBHD
The video starts with a reflection on how smartphones have evolved, setting the stage for a deep dive into Google’s phone history. It frames the central question of what exactly defines a Google phone, noting that the answer has shifted over time from Nexus to Pixel. The G1 is introduced as the starting point, highlighting Google’s lack of in-house hardware until 2016 and emphasizing how software, not hardware, defined early Google phones. The early Nexus era is explored in detail, with the Nexus One by HTC described as a flagship for stock Android, featuring memory expandability and a removable battery that underlined Google’s software-first philosophy. The transition from Nexus to Pixel is explained, including Play Editions and the shift toward Google-designed hardware, culminating in the Nexus 5 and the birth of the more intelligent software experience with Android KitKat and Google Now. The Pixel era is analyzed as Google’s bid to own the hardware-software stack, introducing two-tone finishes, the reimagined camera stack, and the move away from headphone jacks, while Pixel 2 solidifies the camera leadership with HDR Plus and a highly praised single-camera system. The video then covers the more accessible Pixel 3A and Pixel 4A strategies, emphasizing budget versions that expanded Google’s reach, followed by Pixel 4’s mixed reception and Pixel 5 and 5A lines that balanced mid-range hardware with strong software features. It concludes by presenting Pixel 6 and Tensor as a turning point where Google designed both hardware and silicon, signaling a clarified, evolving concept of what a Google phone should be and prompting further questions about future lines like Pixel 6a and beyond.
Topics · technology · mobile devices · history · consumer electronics · camera technology · hardware design · software ecosystems
Questions answered
- What defines a Google phone in the Nexus era versus the Pixel era?
- In the Nexus era, Google phones were typically designed by partner manufacturers and sold with stock Android, emphasizing fast software updates and minimal bloatware. With Pixel, Google started designing both hardware and software in-house, introducing a distinct two-tone design, Google assistant integration, and later Tensor silicon that centralized Google’s computational photography and AI features.
- Which Pixel models marked turning points for Google hardware integration?
- Pixel 2 is noted as peak Pixel for camera and two-tone design, Pixel 3A introduced a successful budget strategy, and Pixel 6 introduced Google designed silicon Tensor and a camera system that leveraged ML accelerators, signaling a major shift toward full hardware-software integration.