By now you’ve heard that Samsung has officially discontinued the Galaxy Note 7. Following a global recall, and then having to react to replacement units also catching fire, the company has finally seen fit to throw in the towel on its latest flagship phablet, which is the right move to make. Samsung is going to take a big hit from this, but they have to save the brand, and keeping phones that could potentially harm people on the market isn’t an option.
So, Samsung will look ahead to next year with its new flagships, and, hopefully, toss off the negativity encapsulated in the last few weeks.
But, for now, this time is for other companies. The fiery stories surrounding the Galaxy Note 7 could not have come at a worse time for Samsung, but for other companies it’s practically perfect timing. The Galaxy Note 7 was getting praised left and right, and now a major competitor has been taken off the ticket.
So, Apple’s seen solid sales with its iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, and, perhaps even more importantly, Google has its first “Phone by Google” with the Pixel and Pixel XL coming down the pipe. Later this month Google’s major push into smartphone hardware will finally arrive, and it won’t see Samsung’s heavyweight standing in the way.
Google has to capitalize on the opening, and one way to do that is marketing, obviously. The company’s Pixel XL doesn’t have a screen that’s as big as the Note 7, nor does it have a stylus, but that doesn’t mean it can’t sell that 5.5-inch display anyway. Or Android 7.1 Nougat with Assistant built in. Or the camera that it was so proud of during the announcement event earlier this month.
There is a lot to like with the Pixel lineup of smartphones, but there’s one thing to be less-than-pleased over: exclusivity. Google had its reasons for going with Verizon Wireless as the sole carrier option in the United States, and we may never know those reasons, but I think this is the one thing potentially dragging the Pixel down – and keeping it from true greatness.
There are a lot of customers on Verizon, and many that might even already be considering switching to the Big Red carrier soon, but an exclusive deal only limits the availability of the Pixel lineup. Sure, Google’s offering financing from its own online retail store, but if the Nexus line has shown us anything over the years, it’s that customers want choices. And buying a phone from their carrier of choice, including going into a store and trying out the device ahead of time, is a big bonus.
Google probably won’t change the launch plans for the Pixel, and the exclusivity deal with Verizon will probably stay in place for quite some time, but I honestly wish this is one thing Google would change immediately.
What do you think Google should do to capitalize on the Galaxy Note 7’s withdrawal from the market?