Google Pixel 2023 Year in Review: Fixing old mistakes & dealing with growing pains

Ben Schoon | Dec 24 2023 - 9:00 am PT

Seven years into the Google Pixel series, 2023 marked Google’s biggest year yet with six new devices released. It was a year where Google fixed a lot of mistakes, but also introduced some growing pains to the lineup. Let’s take a look back.

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At the beginning of 2023, Google was coming off of a year of refinement for its big reboot. The Pixel 7 series was pretty darn similar to what came before, but took a lot of steps in the right direction. And the Pixel Watch, Google’s first new Pixel form factor in years, set the stage for the company to build out its mobile ecosystem.

2023 really felt all about building out that ecosystem, and it all started at Google I/O.

Pixel 7a – The affordable flagship we’ve been waiting for

The first new release of 2023 for the Google Pixel series was the Pixel 7a. The $499 smartphone continued on what was for a while the most successful part of Google’s hardware endeavour, and also moved towards perfecting the idea.

As Kyle Bradshaw explained in our review, the Pixel 7a delivered on the promises of Pixel in an affordable package.

This can even make sense from a frugal perspective. Between build quality, performance, and update schedule, a flagship phone is built to last for multiple years. By comparison, some mid-range phones begin to show their age far earlier, leading customers to upgrade sooner.

The Google Pixel 7a is all the phone you really need. Its premium design, near-flagship-level specs, and exceptional camera quality all add up to far more real-world value than the $499 asking price

And, largely, I agree. The Pixel 7a at $499 is a stellar release with its new camera, improved display, and addition of wireless charging. But, I also think it showed some struggles Google was still dealing with. Pixel 7a’s Tensor G2 chip really had a hard time with heat in my use, and performance was a super mixed bag for me over the Summer when I was using it – more so than the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro were, probably because Google’s lesser device has a slightly different version of the chip.

Still, it was a way better release than the comparable Galaxy A54, and remains a big highlight in Google’s lineup from 2023, especially with the discounts we’ve seen over the holidays.

Pixel Tablet – The one you probably forgot

Announced alongside the Pixel 7a at I/O, the Pixel Tablet introduced Google’s first tablet since the Nexus days. The 11-inch tablet was positioned not like an iPad, but as something new. A combination of a smart home hub and a tablet was a pretty compelling idea, and Google’s execution was also quite good.

As Abner Li explained in our review, Pixel Tablet was fundamentally a good Android tablet, and the Nest integration was handled pretty well.

Google fundamentally had a unique idea with the Pixel Tablet. Get people to use Android on large screens more by appending the beloved photo gallery-showing Smart Display form factor.

The Pixel Tablet is the best way to experience Android’s progress on large screens, from the core UI to first- and third-party apps. The $499 128 GB device feels better than it looks, and my takeaway is that you won’t regret getting this instead of a Galaxy Tab or even an iPad. The Pixel team’s take on a large-screen OS is more thoughtful than Samsung, and it starts to approach Apple’s ecosystem cohesiveness. The extra kick over both is the Smart Display layer, Hub Mode. You will get meaningfully more utility as it turns a large screen into a key part of your smart home thanks to the included dock.

Several months later, I’ve been using the Pixel Tablet as a part of my office. I’ve found it wonderful in place of my previous iPad Pro as an occasional second PC monitor over Duet Display, as well as serving as a great media hub for watching videos while working, all while it still handles voice commands through Google Assistant instead of a Nest Hub. And while I love the ideas Google has in the Pixel Tablet, I do think it’s fallen short of what it should have been, and I think that as a result, most folks have forgotten about it. But as a foundation, it’s solid and I can’t wait to see sequels.

Pixel Fold – Important, but overshadowed

I think the most unexpected addition to Google’s portfolio in 2023 was the Pixel Fold. The $1,799 foldable was leaked pretty heavily, but it was a device that really needed to be seen to believe. It’s still pretty crazy that Google of all brands was the first to really challenge Samsung’s dominance.

In my review of the Pixel Fold, I really felt like Google had a lot of good to offer, but issues with Tensor and the high price tag really dragged the device down.

When we first heard that Google was making a foldable, I was eager to buy one for myself. Finally, a foldable that gives me the form factor I want combined with the cameras I can’t give up. But, really, I’d rather spend my money on the polished hardware that Samsung provides than what Google has here, even if that means compromising on the camera.

But, that said, this first Pixel Fold is a very solid foundation. When inevitable improvements to Tensor and a price cut finally arrive, they’ll make future Pixel Folds a much better sell. In the meantime, this is product that I can’t actively recommend to most people, but I do know that those who try it will probably still love it.

More than that, the following months really left the Pixel Fold forgotten to a certain extent. The OnePlus Open was just so much better than the Pixel Fold on a hardware level. That’s not to say the Pixel had no redeeming qualities. I still love the software experience Google has going, and the compact outer display on Pixel Fold is truly delightful. There’s a reason that our Andrew Romero picked the Pixel Fold as his favorite foldable.

Google’s Black Friday pricing also made the Fold a lot more appealing, but all-in-all, I think the Fold was overshadowed on a hardware level by the OnePlus Open, and on a software level by all of the super cool new features announced for the Pixel 8 series that aren’t coming to the Fold. But, like with the Tablet, I think Pixel Fold serves as a great foundation for future foldables. And, as far as foldables go, this was an outstanding first generation.

Pixel Watch 2 & Fitbit Charge 6 – A new generation of Fitbit

In the wearable segment, the Pixel Watch 2 was a smartwatch basically identical at a glance to the original Pixel Watch. It was a device that was all about refinement, bringing a new chip for better performance, updated hardware, and fixed the biggest problem in battery life.

In our review, I said:

The Pixel Watch 2 is the best smartwatch you can get on Android, at least for me. But that’s the thing about smartwatches, they’re incredibly personal. Some people want every little tiny detail of their workout. Some want a really big screen. Some want to avoid charging for several days at a time. It really all depends on what matters most to you.

But if you want simple and easy health tracking, wide support for apps, clean and fast software, and a day’s worth of battery, I think you’ll be super happy with the Pixel Watch 2.

But the Pixel Watch 2 wasn’t Google’s only new wearable. The Fitbit Charge 6 delivered a welcome update to Fitbit’s iconic tracker, and with Google’s smartwatch, went a long way in showing the future of Fitbit, “Fitbit by Google.”

Seemingly gone are future Fitbit smartwatches (Versa and Sense), and Fitbit’s whole ecosystem is moving towards closer Google integration. For example, both of these new wearables required moving away from a traditional Fitbit account, and arrived alongside Google’s stronger control over Fitbit as a whole.

I think that, overall, both of these products are really good, and the Pixel Watch 2 remains the smartwatch on my wrist every day. It’s still a smartwatch that’s either a perfect fit or something that just doesn’t appeal to you, but I think the current iteration is pretty fantastic.

Pixel 8 & Pixel 8 Pro – The next big step

Rounding out the year, Google’s next generation of flagship phones, the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, were all about solving problems and setting up for the future.

In terms of solving problems, the Pixel 8 was, as our Abner Li’s review brought out, was a stellar small phone without major compromises on hardware. The same display refresh rate and brightness, the same specs, and many of the same features too. The Pixel 8 Pro delivered on Google’s full vision, though, with more features on board and through updates, such as the on-device Gemini Nano AI model. Tensor G3, on both devices, made huge strides in improving performance and heat management, even if it’s still a ways behind the Snapdragon chips in most other flagship Android phones. Google continued to push AI as a selling point, too, and it’s resulted in some really useful experiences and just overall really good smartphones.

I said in our review:

Pixel 8 Pro is the biggest leap Google has taken in smartphones since the first Pixel device, and really for the first time in years, this is a device that feels like it’s not just waiting on a better future but is ready for customers today.

A couple of months into using the Pixel 8 series, everything is holding up quite well. Performance is still excellent, the camera remains useful, and Google’s first Feature Drop brought some great new features such as Video Boost. I think that the big sales we’ve seen around the holidays have also made these phones especially appealing.

To me, all of the improvements made on the Pixel 8 series added up to more than simply a new generation. Despite having just rebooted the series on the Pixel 6 series, the Pixel 8 felt like another soft restart ahead of a new era of Pixel devices.

2024 will tell us how that all actually sticks the landing, though, and I can’t wait.

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