This year, Google is facing tougher competition, not just from Samsung and Apple. Indeed, manufacturers of less known Android devices are also present on the market.
These small manufacturers take risks, such as Huawei, which is developing a foldable phone, while others offer high-end equipment at unbeatable prices, such as OnePlus. Major brands, like Apple and Samsung, all have at least one feature that sets them apart from their rivals.
If reports on the potential release of a collapsible Samsung smartphone, or on a fingerprint reader integrated on the screen on the Galaxy Note 9 are proven, then Google will have to live up to it. There are very few leaks or rumors around Pixel 3, apart from the fact that it could come out in three models this year, instead of two. Google must take things in hand.
But what should Google do if it wants to compete with its competitors?
Review Pixel Buds
The Pixel headphones, Pixel Buds, were extremely disappointing, and that's the least we can say. It is rare to see an expected product with so much kindness, to be so much criticized after its release. The defects were actually very numerous: bad sound, too expensive, atrocious design, no noise reduction, very little autonomy, and so on.
The concept was however well found. This product is a good idea but it can actually be improved. The assistants in the headphones are very ingenious in general, and who better than Google can do that. These headphones could also benefit from small changes that really make the difference. They could reduce the surrounding noise, be more ergonomic and be equipped with controls in order to be able to pass the songs easily. If Google wants to adopt an aggressive marketing strategy, it should sell its Pixel 3 with Pixel Buds.
The jack
Google should back away from this decision, and quickly enough.
The search giant had made a hay saying that his original Pixel had a jack, unlike the iPhone 7, released at the same time. But that did not stop the brand from removing it discreetly on the Pixel 2 XL. The abandonment of the 3.5 mm audio port had to be offset by the output of Pixels Buds, but given the feedback from users, this strategy did not work at all.
Since other Android manufacturers have no intention of getting rid of this jack, such as OnePlus, LG, or Samsung, Google should reintroduce this feature on these future devices as quietly as it had deleted. Users are eagerly awaiting the return of wired headphones.
Thinner screen edges
Revisiting the screen edges of Pixel 3 down is essential, it would be even better to delete them entirely, or almost. This is what consumers expect, a smartphone in the style of the iPhone X, with a total screen.
In a year, when Samsung and Apple will offer phones with screens without any edge, Google's Pixel 2 will be completely obsolete. Let's hope that Google is ahead of its time in 2018, with its mysterious third device coming soon.