One thing that you must have noticed in the US markets is that there is a lot of importance given to carriers. Also, the best way for a company to sell its phones more is to launch the phone tied up with a specific carrier. Talking about the US carriers, we have big names such as Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and others.
While a carrier can sell its network to the customers who already have a smartphone, it is the other way around in US markets. In the US, customers get attracted to a smartphone from brands based on whether they support their favourite carriers or not.
Now, the reason we are talking about this is due to a new report from Android Police which reveals something very interesting. This report, which cites a source familiar with Verizon’s plans, reveals that Verizon might be putting an “indefinite hold” on selling Pixel smartphones in the future.
As you might know, Google sells its Pixel smartphones with Verizon which is one of the biggest carriers in the US. Also, Verizon is responsible for a majority of the Google Pixel sales in the US which means that Verizon ending the deal with Google could be a big blow to the company’s future plans.
Coming to the reason why Verizon is breaking this deal, it is quite evident that the poor sales of Google Pixel phones are to be blamed. We know that the company has been touting about the camera on its Pixel phones but it is a fact that they have not been a commercial success. While these phones are bought by enthusiasts, it is a known fact that the brand’s visibility is quite poor outside of the enthusiasts and its fan-base.
The report also mentions that the possibility of Verizon selling the upcoming Google Pixel 4a, a phone which will be launched at I/O 2020, is “now zero”. Also, Verizon is unlikely to sell the Google Pixel 5 series which will be launched later this year. It is worth noting, however, that Google Pixel 3a was reportedly “sold well”. But even that has not been able to convince Verizon that selling Google’s Pixel phones is a good idea.
We also need to look at the impact this will have on Google’s Pixel division which acquired HTC’s engineers last year for improving its devices. It is not an overstatement to say that Verizon not selling the Google Pixel phones in the future could mean an end to Google’s Pixel lineup as well.
Note that the Google Pixel lineup was started by the company to have more control over their hardware and software components after they decided to stop making Nexus smartphones which were a combination of hardware made by Android OEMs such as HTC, LG, Huawei, Motorola and more paired with software from Google.
The reason why Google’s Pixel phones have done poorly is because of the price tag they have carried. While the Nexus phones were sub-$500 phones with flagship specifications, the Google Pixel devices have been priced much higher.
