A trip down memory lane with Google Pixel: The biggest changes to Google’s Android flagship series

The Google Pixel 7 series is just around the corner, and the company’s devices have taken several turns over the years. We wanted to take a trip down memory lane and explore each of the Pixel smartphones that have been launched over the years and talk about some of their standout features when they were launched.

Google’s Pixel series has had a long and strange journey to get to where we are now, with some of the series’ original devices being utterly unrecognizable from what we know of the series today. The focus on software features has always been steadfast, but the company has made some odd decisions along the way.

Google Pixel

The Google Pixel 1, as the name suggests, is the first pixel smartphone ever launched. It has an all-new design compared to previous Nexus devices in the series and the beginnings of Google’s smart software. We’ve seen one of the best cameras in a smartphone yet, the introduction of EAS ahead of the rest of the competition for fast and smooth scrolling, and a Google Assistant built into Android for the first time. This camera aspect got even better as users were promised lifetime unlimited original storage on Google Photos.

Of course, it wasn’t without problems either. It was more expensive compared to previous Nexus smartphones, and the display was a bit dim to read in sunlight. Still, it set the tone that Google wasn’t there to play around and was beginning to take its smartphone business seriously as a truly mainstream product.

Oh, and Google natively supported the Daydream View VR headset. By the way, this product (and Daydream in general) is now dead. The last update this device received was in December 2019, leaving it on Android 10.

Google Pixel 2

The overall theme of the Google Pixel 2 was intended to improve upon the first pixel, and it did so in several key areas. For starters, there actually was two Variants offered – a regular version and an XL for those who prefer a larger phone screen. The smaller variant was made by HTC and the larger one by LG, with the larger variant further developed by HTC into the HTC U11 Plus.

In terms of improvements, the company has doubled down on both the camera experience and the Google Assistant. It introduced an “Active Edge” that lets you call Assistant at any time by squeezing the side of your phone, and it also introduced the Google Lens app. Even better was the introduction of Now Playing, a feature akin to an always-listening Shazam. To this day, it’s still one of my favorite Pixel-exclusive features, although you can now get it on any device thanks to a mod.

Looking back, one of the biggest and most interesting features introduced was the introduction of the Pixel Visual Core. It was a custom image processor dedicated solely to photography and video, and laid the groundwork for the company that years later would move into custom chipsets. Nowadays we see companies like OPPO and Xiaomi doing this, but Google was one of the first.

The last update both devices received was a December 2020 security patch that left them on Android 11.

Google Pixel 3

Things started to go downhill for Google with the Google Pixel 3, and there were a few reasons for that. The first is entirely design related and to be honest I’m not sure why Google didn’t see the issue when designing the Google Pixel 3 XL. That hack was gigantic.

While the rest of the phone was pretty good at launch with better pictures, a dual front camera, loads of camera features and more, a lot of issues were discovered over the lifecycle of this product. Still, this phone was a big deal when it launched. It introduced Night Sight, Super Res Zoom and Top Shot for the first time, while taking advantage of the Pixel Visual Core introduced in the Pixel 2 for better quality photos and videos.

These devices also introduced wireless charging to the Pixel series for the first time and were launched alongside the Pixel Stand with support for up to 10W.

Google Pixel 4

The Google Pixel 4 continued the decline of the Pixel lineup in the eyes of enthusiasts, although it again included a number of improvements. This time, however, there were a lot of issues that the Pixel 4 faced. Between the removal of a fingerprint sensor in favor of Soli, the company’s Face Unlock tech, poor battery life, and the removal of Google Photos’ Pixel-exclusive unlimited, original-quality photo storage, we could see Google backing off a bit. The Pixel 4 XL also had a larger top bezel than the bottom, which looks out of place when it’s usually the other way around.

But it wasn’t all bad. The 4 XL saw a 90Hz display in a Pixel for the first time, Motion Sense which allowed you to use gestures via the phone’s Soli sensors (although they didn’t always work), and a second telephoto camera on the rear. What was particularly annoying about Soli was that because it used the 60GHz spectrum for radar, it needed a license in the countries to work or it was geoblocked.

What’s particularly interesting now is that the Pixel Neural Core followed the Pixel Visual Core on this device. Google was short on details, but basically it was an improvement over the Pixel Visual Core. This phone may also have just received its latest update as the official support window recently ended. It currently has Android 13.

Google Pixel 5

This phone really ruffled some feathers at launch, and for a number of reasons. The main reason is that, with the Pixel 5, this was the first phone in the series not to feature a flagship chipset. The Google Pixel 5 came with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G, which is top-of-the-line middle class chipset. However, the company kept the same software features it has always had while introducing a few more.

However, there’s no doubt that this was an odd entry into the Pixel lineup. It dropped the Pixel Neural Core, Soli, and Active Edge, went straight to Qualcomm for a mid-range chipset with no changes, and called it a tag. The Pixel 4 was still a better buy in the eyes of many. While I loved the Pixel 5 and still think it totally deserved the flagship nickname, it was a bit of a joke that its predecessor was probably a better phone in many ways.

However, this is where Google started doubling down on some exclusive software features, introducing Call Screen and the Personal Safety app. It also brought Extreme Battery Saver and was basically an all-around good phone. The Pixel 5 is expected to be supported until 2023.

Google Pixel 6

The Google Pixel 6 dates back to last year, and this is where Google basically reinvented much of its smartphone ecosystem. The Pixel 6 series got an all-new design with updated camera modules, a custom chipset, and a much larger software support window. The company also ditched “XL” variants, making a Pro and a non-Pro instead.

With the Pro, you also get a telephoto camera that supports up to four times the zoom. You get a 50-megapixel primary sensor and a 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor on both the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. Both devices feature wireless charging, the latest versions of Android, and high refresh rate displays.

The future of pixels

The future of the Google Pixel series is currently unknown, although leaks of the Pixel 7 series suggest that this time around the Pixel 6 series will be much more iterative than another radical reinvention of the wheel. We’ll wait to see what the company comes up with during its launch event, and we’re excited to see what the future holds for the Pixel series and what Google suggests next.