IDC: Google sells as many Pixels in a year as Apple sells iPhones in a week
Video: Google just can't seem to sell many Pixel phones, but it's not giving up
Google launched the first Pixel phone in October 2016 and followed it up with the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. The Pixel phones are excellent, but Google just doesn't have much success in selling them.
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According to a recent tweet from Francisco Jeronimo, research director at IDC, Google Pixel shipments doubled to 3.9 million units in 2017. For comparison, Apple typically has sales stats showing over a million iPhones sold per day.
The first Pixel and Pixel XL were rarely in stock, so buyers either had to have an extensive amount of patience or moved on to other devices. Google has done better with the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL stock, but the phones are also quite expensive. There is a partnership this year with Verizon and more visible marketing, but it seems this hasn't translated into massive sales.
The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL had some problems during the first couple of months of release that have mostly all been resolved with software updates released by Google. I've had both the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL in hand for a couple of weeks, and if you want an Android phone with the latest software updates and one of the best cameras on a phone, then the Pixel 2 is the way to go.
Read also: Android security: Google details Pixel and Nexus vulnerabilities in December bulletin
However, with limited official carrier support in the US, it is Verizon customers and informed consumers that buy the Pixel phones through the Google Store that are the current market for sales. It would be great to see Google get more official carrier support with the Pixel 3, if it wants to sell more Pixel phones.
Given the recent Google purchase of HTC engineers, Google has shown it is committed to the Pixel phone hardware, and we can look forward to more solid smartphones from the company.
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