“Our big hit” – with the Pixel 6, Google challenges Apple

Redwood City Rick Osterloh has been responsible for Google’s smartphones for five and a half years, but he says: “This is actually our first big hit.” The hardware director of the Silicon Valley group is holding the Pixel 6 – the sixth edition of the company’s own Smartphones.

Google and smartphones – that is an amazing failure story so far. With Android, the technology group controls one of the two relevant smartphone operating systems and many of the most successful apps in the world. Senior Vice President Osterloh’s team has also already enjoyed success with other devices such as the Chromecast streaming adapter or the Nest Audio smart loudspeaker.

However, the market share of the Pixel is homeopathic: According to the web analysis company Statcounter, Google had a market share of between 0.5 and 1 percent on the German smartphone market, and global market researcher Counterpoint estimates 0.3 percent. Production of the last two models ceased before the new model hit the market.