10 Features We Want to See in Google’s New Pixel Smartphones

If Google introduces new Pixel smartphones on Oct. 4, as predicted, here are some of the features the phones will need to be successful.

According to several reports, Google is planning to offer a 5-inch screen in the Pixel smartphone and a 5.5-inch display in the Pixel XL. Those sizes make the smaller Pixel a bit larger than most standard smartphones, including the iPhone 7, and put the bigger version on par with some of the market’s most popular handsets, such as the iPhone 7 Plus. Google doesn’t need to go bigger than that.

Leaked images suggest that Google will play it safe with the Pixel designs, but that could be a mistake. The company should try to deliver something fresh in its Pixels, including different materials or refined designs that aren’t just curved smartphones. The Pixel smartphones need to stand out, and they can do that only if they offer something interesting in their designs.

Google likely will offer Android Nougat in its upcoming smartphones, and that’s a good idea. Nougat is the operating system Android shoppers want as it comes with several important upgrades, including enhancements to notifications and better security. If Google wants the Pixels to compete with today’s top smartphones, launching them with anything other than Nougat would be a bad idea.

Nexus devices have long offered high-end processors. The Pixel shouldn’t change tack. Again, if the Pixel and Pixel XL are to be top-of-the-line smartphones, they need to come with top-of-the-line components. And the processor arguably is the most important component. Offering a nice chip from Qualcomm, such as the company’s Snapdragon 821, would be a good first step.

Camera quality matters greatly in the smartphone market, so it’s important Google doesn’t skimp on the quality of that feature. The rear-facing camera should be close to digital-SLR quality and offer the kind of optical and digital zoom features one would find in a Samsung Galaxy Note7 or the iPhone 7. And, if Google can deliver a wide-angle camera with a good flash on the front of the cameras, selfie-takers should be satisfied.

In the Android ecosystem, fast charging has become a standard feature for both high-end and midlevel smartphones. That’s precisely why the Pixels should come with a USB-C port and support fast charging. A slow-charging Pixel won’t impress anyone. But a long-lasting, fast-charging Pixel will undoubtedly get user attention.

Hopefully Google delivers several hardware-based security features in its Pixels. To start, the smartphones should come with a fingerprint sensor that acts both as a lock button and the component that verifies a purchase through a service such as Android Pay. Although it’s not a likely feature, it also would be nice to see hardware-based encryption to further improve the device’s security.

Apple was the first major manufacturer to eliminate the headphone jack, but others shouldn’t follow its lead just yet. Wired headphones are still too popular, and there are some customers who still expect a headphone jack in their devices. Removing the feature from the Pixel and Pixel XL could make it more difficult for Google to compete with Apple’s iPhone 7. And the last thing Google should want is a more difficult fight with Apple.

Google can’t fall into the trap of locking its smartphones into certain carrier networks. Instead, the company should sell unlocked versions of its Pixel and Pixel XL that can work on the customer’s chosen mobile carrier. Offering devices that work anywhere will help Google sell more Pixel smartphones.

All the reports about the Pixels say that the smartphone line’s pricing will start at around $649 unlocked. As long as the price doesn’t soar from there for the XL version, the market should support that price point. At $649 unlocked, the Pixels wouldn’t be cheap, but they would be cheaper than some of the market’s top devices from Apple and Samsung. And that’s precisely where the Pixels should be priced to be successful.