Google stops selling first-gen Pixel smartphone

The original Pixel was a breakthrough in smartphone camera performance. (Source: Google)

Google has finally called time on the original Pixel smartphones first released in 2016. It had continued to sell the Pixel and Pixel XL alongside the next-generation models following their launch last year, but this has now come to an end.

by Sanjiv Sathiah, 2018/04/11

Google has officially discontinued the original Pixel smartphone it first launched in October 2016. Both the standard and XL variants are now no longer available for sale through its online store. Instead, the company is now solely focused on shifting its successor, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL.

The original Pixel broke new ground for smartphone camera photography by utilizing an original Google imaging method based on one of the company’s famous algorithms. The device is powered by a Snapdragon 821 SoC, the immediate predecessor to the Snapdragon 835 found in the Pixel 2 models. The Pixel 3 is currently in the late stages of development and is expected to arrive in (or before) October and will be powered by a Snapdragon 845.

The Pixel and Pixel XL can still be found on sale through a variety of other channels, with its price dropping down to around US$549. It retains a 3.5mm headphone jack, but misses out on water resistance. Although falling behind in outright performance, it is still a solid mid-range contender and will remain relevant for the next 12 months with a planned update to Android P coming later this year.

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