Google admits trouble selling expensive Pixels, but it’s got a cheaper one coming soon
Google admits trouble selling expensive Pixels, but it’s got a cheaper one coming soon Google has a simple, yet subtle, reason for its anticipated push into the midrange smartphone market: there’s too much competition in the high-end one. Next month, on the first day of its I/O developer conference, Google is expected to show off its new, cheaper Pixel 3a and 3a XL. And on an earnings call with reporters today, Ruth Porat, the chief financial officer of Google parent company Alphabet, said that industry-wide pressure on high-end phones led to fewer Pixel sales last quarter compared to this time a year ago. Porat specifically cited “some of the recent pressures in the premium smartphone market.” While Porat didn’t specify what those pressures are, we can assume she’s referring to increased competition from Apple and Samsung, as well as high prices driving down consumer demand and leading smartphone owners to hang onto their devices for longer than the...