Google’s ‘helpful’ Pixel 3 phones could be the start of something bigger

The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL will come with the kind of integration that will let Google even predict what the smartphone user is up to and suggest answers even before a query has been entered

Google, Google Pixel 3, Pixel 3 price, Google Pixel 3 XL, Google Pixel 3 price in India, Google Pixel 3 XL price in India, Pixel 3 features, Pixel 3 XL features, Google Pixel 3 specifications, Google Pixel 3 sale

The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL will come with the kind of integration that will let Google even predict what the smartphone user is up to and suggest answers even before a query has been entered.

The Google Pixel smartphones are almost like the reference design for what is a perfect Android device. And yesterday, as Google showed the world its latest Google Pixel 3 smartphones, it became obvious that this, at least for the maker of Android, was becoming more about perfecting the tango between hardware and software.

The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL will come with the kind of integration that will let Google even predict what the smartphone user is up to and suggest answers even before a query has been entered. Artificial intelligence will work overtime at the back and understand everything from behaviour patterns to locations and offer suggest and answers relevant to the moment. This is why Google is calling its new Pixel 3 series the most helpful phones ever.

Driven by Google Assistant, this ‘assisted computing’ experience will gradually become more unique and tailor-made for the user. Even as Google analyses the insight from the hundreds of millions of Android, it will end up making each Pixel phone technically different in what it does.

Story continues below this ad

This could actually be a new way to sell the phone. In fact, Google’s Pixel 3 phones are not really a big jump when it comes to hardware, but the phone itself does more than its predecessor without a 7nm processor or RAM upwards of 8GM. This is symbiosis and this could well be the future of smartphones.

Also read: Google Pixel 3 XL first impressions: Android’s poster boy

If Google’s keynote was any indication, the tech giant seems to have reached a point where it can safely say its phones are capable of achieving camera goodness or processing greatness without much help from hardware. It will all be software and cloud driven. Not a new concept, but Google doing it is significant.

Google’s Pixel 3 phones are not really a big jump when it comes to hardware, but the phone itself does more than its predecessor.

Story continues below this ad

This made me wonder if in a couple of years we could veer towards a zero client phone, one that has minimum hardware capabilities but can achieve anything the user wants by doing it off the cloud. With 5G networks just round the corner in many markets, I don’t think this would be so hard. Also, the opportunities here are endless, like bringing down the cost of the device across the board.

While the software and cloud might be capable of achieving this, we might still be a bit far off from being able to pinpoint a hardware base on which anything can be done. But yeah, I don’t mind a world where you pay for the processing power or camera capabilities you need and not for what comes in the box.

Nandagopal Rajan

Nandagopal Rajan writes on technology, gadgets and everything related. He has worked with the India Today Group and Hindustan Times. He is an alumnus of Calicut University and Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal. ... Read More

Tags:
Google Pixel 3