After the presentation of the new "pixels", Google explained how the Pixel line differs from the old Nexus devices. Since 2016, the company has been releasing Pixel - devices whose development the search giant controls independently. Nexus was created by other Android manufacturers, and Google only set general requirements. This did not allow the ambitions of the "corporation of good" to be realized.
Google Vice President of Product Management and a member of the original Pixel team Venkat Rapaka shared details in the Made By Google podcast. He noted that the constant change of partners for the release of Nexus interfered with the implementation of ideas that require more than one year to develop.
Rapaka cited his own process for creating Tensor chips as an example. He emphasized that developing your own hardware is a long-term project that is difficult to implement with an annual change of equipment and partners. Full control over all processes gives Google more freedom in long-term innovation for Pixel.
During the Nexus program, the company partnered with a variety of OEMs, including LG, Samsung, HTC, HUAWEI, and Motorola. This approach made it unprofitable for manufacturers to invest in ideas that wouldn’t appear in their next Nexus or would end up on competitors’ devices, limiting Google’s ability to experiment over the long term.
