Equipment are an necessary a part of any tech buy, and it’s an space the place Google Pixel has been missing. I actually hope to see a push from Google’s third-party companions this yr for extra Pixel telephone circumstances and Pixel Watch bands.
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Smartphone circumstances are fairly extensively used amongst consumers, however selections on Google Pixel have at all times been reasonably restricted. It’s not an issue that simply Google has, as in case you’re not utilizing an iPhone or Samsung Galaxy system, there are in all probability quite a lot of equipment that simply aren’t obtainable to your system.
Within the early years of Pixel, this was an anticipated drawback, and Google fortunately had ok first-party circumstances to the place that was by no means actually an issue. However because the “Made for Google” program grew, Google’s personal circumstances rapidly began to fall off, with the previous three generations of official Pixel circumstances being fairly terrible, resulting in third-party choices being extra engaging. In a ballot we ran this week, 9to5Google readers overwhelmingly mentioned they used third-party circumstances, largely from the Made for Google program.
However the issue there lies in that, whereas there are numerous case choices, Google Pixel telephones usually lack the “finest” these manufacturers have to supply. For instance, Bellroy has been a Made for Google companion for years, however you’ll solely discover the model providing leather-based circumstances for Pixel and never the pockets circumstances it gives for iPhone. Otterbox solely gives a handful of its Defender and Symmetry circumstances for Pixel 8 Professional, whereas there are tons extra choices for Galaxy S24 Extremely and iPhone 15 Professional. Even Spigen, a neighborhood favourite, has circumstances like Optik Armor and Cryo Armor (the one which survived falling out of a aircraft) that aren’t obtainable to Pixel house owners.
Google has partnerships with all of those manufacturers, and I simply want the corporate would push more durable for deeper accent assist.
The larger drawback, I’d argue, is with watch bands on the Pixel Watch collection.
There, first-party bands are just about the one possibility. There are low-cost third-party bands on Amazon (which often aren’t an amazing expertise) and there have been first rate third-party choices available on the market prior to now, nevertheless it’s a very barren panorama.
Google has a fairly wholesome assortment of watch bands for its smartwatch. There are sporty silicone/fluoroelastomer bands, stylish leather-based and steel bands, and even some cloth choices too. However once you step outdoors of Google’s (usually dear) choices, there’s not a complete lot on the market.
A glance by means of Amazon, as an example, reveals numerous super-cheap bands which have plastic connectors and cloth or silicone designs. There are only a few, if any, “premium” third-party bands on the market.
Once more, Google has the partnerships to repair this.
So many accent manufacturers make Apple Watch bands, however none of them make Pixel Watch bands! It may cost Google to place out some incentive for these to be made, but when the corporate desires the Pixel Watch to succeed, it wants to make sure clients have this added selection. The only drop of extra watch bands we’ve seen up to now (alongside Pixel Watch 2’s launch) merely isn’t sufficient.
Additionally, it will likely be tremendous necessary this yr for Google to actually cement how bands will work with the bigger Pixel Watch 3. I’m personally not tremendous hopeful that current bands will match a bigger casing, however I’d love to be proved fallacious. Google can’t surrender on its connection methodology, however I’d be shocked if nothing modified.
What do you suppose? Are there sufficient circumstances and watch bands for Google Pixel? What’s one kind or model you’d wish to see arrive this yr? Let’s focus on!
This Week’s High Tales
A trio of Google Messages updates
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Google Pixel’s March replace hits the US with an enormous repair
After rolling out internationally earlier within the month, US Pixel house owners obtained in on the March 2024 replace this week. The expanded rollout additionally helped reveal a long-awaited repair, as notification historical past on Pixel now works correctly.
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