Latest news with #PixelSuperfans
Forbes
12 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
Pixel 10 Pro Pricing Will Define Android's Future
Update, Monday June 2, 2025: This article has been updated with details on the early launch date of the Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro smartphones. Pixel 9 Pro XL As Google prepares to launch the Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro, it will be focusing on the story it tells to consumers. However, a deeper story is being told by the Pixel 10 family, revealing the direction Google is driving the Android ecosystem. Update, Monday June 2, 2025. 2024 saw the Pixel 9 family launch earlier than expected. The range was announced on Aug 13, with the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro XL available on Aug 22 and the Pixel 9 Pro on Sept 4. Google could be set to launch the Pixel 10 family even earlier. Details on a potential date come from invites sent out by Google through its 'Pixel Superfans' program: '25 Superfans will get the chance to attend a 1h 30m event in London, SE1 1UN, on the 27th June at 2.30pm , where they will get hands-on with pre-release Pixel devices and features, get treated to themed goodies, and sit in on a one-off interview Q&A session with Googlers." While the specific devices are not mentioned, the Pixel 10 smartphones meet all the requirements and are on the horizon. There is, of course, no mention of any embargo around the event, but that has to be a consideration. Given the mention of pre-release hardware, this could be a very early tease of the handsets weeks before a larger media event. However, with the public release of the next version of Android 16 expected by the end of June, these pre-release units could easily be the early Pixel 10 devices running Android 16; a noteworthy event that could easily be the opening shot of an influencer-led campaign ahead of a July launch. Pixel 9 lifestyle image The Pixel 10 may be the keystone in the conversation. There is an expectation that the base model will retain the $799 price point that the Pixel 9 was on sale at. That's a price point where many of the so-called flagship killer smartphones sit; devices which promise an experience close to that of the more expensive and higher specced handsets, without the associated increase in price. Of course, some specifications will be trimmed back, but notably, Google is expected to keep using the Tensor G5 across the Pixel 10 family. There's no undercutting the formula with a derated processor. Google will also be hoping that its offer of seven years of Android updates and security patches will be accommodated by other manufacturers. It's becoming common to see six years announced with new handsets, so the support windows are moving in the right direction. What Google won't want to see is the loss of the flagship killer space. The Pixel 10 will balance the need for high specs to run generative AI and more complex programs, with a need to keep an affordable yet powerful phone available at the $799 price point. If the price of the Pixel 10 were to rise, that would risk the flagship killer's space. Unlike other Android manufacturers (perhaps excepting Samsung), Google has a totemic relationship with the consumers through the Pixel line-up. They are seen very much as "The Google Phone", and recognition from consumers is more towards the Google side of the street than the Android side. The moves that Google makes with the Pixel devices are seen as indicative of any phones that "run Google." The moves it makes with the Pixel tell the story not just of Pixel, but of Android. What stories are Google planning to tell with the Pixel 10 family, and how will that shape the respective markets when they are launched? The expected sticker price of $999 is an important one. Staying below a thousand dollars, while delivering a full-on flagship, is the role of the Pixel 10 Pro. Much as the Pixel 10 will be used to stop power creep from bleeding into price creep, Google will draw a line in the sand that no one will pass when selling premium devices. Google is expected to push the entry-level price of the Pixel 10 Pro XL up by $100 to $1199. I'm curious to see if this is a direct price increase or if it is accomplished by dropping the 128 GB storage option and starting at 256 GB. If this approach is taken, the price for the 256 GB model remains the same as the Pixel 10 Pro XL. We're here for the story, though, and the story is one that pushes the Pro XL higher up the pricing curve. It's giving tacit permission for manufacturers to create more separation and maximise the margins further up the portfolio. Curiously, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is expected to see a price cut of $200, taking it down to $1599. That's still a hefty price for a phone, and I'm curious to see the offering that Google has and what compromises it has taken. It will be seen as an effort to bring down the expected price of a foldable, which will benefit many in the market. While the form factor has been around for some time, they still remain as smartphones for manufacturers to flex their innovation, rather than focus on mass market sales. There's no doubt that price plays a big part in that decision. Premium smartphones are expensive; adding in a "gee-whizz" feature such as a folding screen, and many will not want to take the risk. Bringing the price down reduces that risk by a small margin. The parts are still expensive, but the direction this market wants to go in is clear. No doubt the launch of the Pixel 10 family will touch Gogole's new hardware and lean heavily into Android 16 and the promise of the next-generation AI tools. However, the stroy underneath the story is just as interesting. Android is as much Google's as it is an Open Source project. It's the Pixel 10 that points out the direction that the Captain wants to take the ship. Now read the latest Pixel 10 Pro, Samsung S25, and smartphone headlines in Forbes' weekly Android Circuit news digest...
GSM Arena
3 days ago
- Business
- GSM Arena
Pixel Superfans invite hints Pixel 10 phones could launch earlier than their predecessors
Google unveiled the Pixel 9 series smartphones (except the Pixel 9a) last year in August, and if you expected the Pixel 10 lineup to follow the same launch timeframe, that might not be the case since the Pixel Superfans invite hints at an early launch of the Pixel 10 series. Google Pixel 9a The folks at Android Authority shared an invite sent by Google to the Pixel Superfans for a 1.5-hour Pixel Penthouse event in London on June 27, where "they will get hands on with pre-release Pixel devices and features." Google's Pixel Penthouse event invite for Pixel Superfans The invite doesn't divulge anything about these pre-release Pixel devices, but if we had to guess, these would be the Pixel 10 smartphones. Google says the Pixel Penthouse is "this year's exclusive pre-launch event," hinting at an earlier-than-expected launch of the Pixel 10 series, possibly by the end of July. Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold's leaked renders (Source: Android Headlines) Remember that Android 16 is also slated to get a stable release earlier than Android 15. Google confirmed that it would be released in Q2 2025, meaning before the end of June, so the launch of the Pixel 10 series sometime in July is very much possible. Source
Android Authority
3 days ago
- Business
- Android Authority
Pixel Superfans invite hints at a shockingly early Pixel 10 launch
TL;DR Google is inviting Pixel Superfans to apply to attend a June 27 pre-launch Pixel event. Last year's Pixel 9 launch was in early September, following years of October launches. With Android 16 expected for early June, a late June/early July Pixel 10 launch feels plausible. If you're not already a big fan of Pixel smartphones, this is the year to start changing your tune. Google's move to having TSMC produce the Tensor G5 chip that will power its Pixel 10 series has the potential to be the most impactful change we've ever seen when it comes to Pixel performance. And we're already quite excited about Android 16, which is likely just days away from hitting stable. So with the software nearly here, when can we expect the hardware to arrive? We still don't have a precise date, but a new Google teaser has that launch looking like it's coming sooner rather than later. Google's Pixel Superfans program is exactly what it sounds like, and offers the most voracious Pixel enthusiasts a chance to feel closer to the action than many smartphone users could ever dream of. That means occasionally getting access to some exclusive events, and earlier today we became aware of a new message hitting the inboxes of Superfans: Google Google invites them to apply for a shot at winning one of 25 slots to attend a pre-release Pixel event scheduled for June 27. And while Google doesn't out and say 'Pixel 10' anywhere here, there's not really a long list of alternative devices we could be talking about. You may remember that most recent Pixel launches have taken place in early October, although last year saw Google slide things up considerably to the start of September for the Pixel 9 series. That seems to be a pattern that's continuing, from the early release of the first Android 16 previews, to the March launch of the Pixel 9a — two months ahead of the Pixel 8a's debut the year before. As such, it's not crazy to think about a late June/early July introduction of the Pixel 10 family. We'd been kicking around August as a possibility before, but based on what we're seeing today, it feels like Google's timetable could be even more advanced. Of course, it's possible that Google's coyness here could conceal a bigger secret, and maybe it really does have something that's not the Pixel 10 to show off. But based on the momentum we've witnessed over the past several months of Google sliding release schedules up earlier, the Pixel 10 is definitely the safe bet here. Hopefully we'll learn something a little more concrete as June gets started. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
