Samsung and Google's partnership goes back a long way, with their connection emphasized at the Made by Google event in 2024, where many of the advanced features were coming to Galaxy phones, such as the Circle to Search and even Gemini Live, which were available to Galaxy users even before the Pixel 9 series. They maintain healthy competition and continue working on projects like Wear OS. Despite the tech giant working arduously, especially with the recent Pixel 9 lineup, it struggles to be among the top five global smartphone brands as per the market share. Google executives have recently revealed details regarding Pixel owners and where they come from.
Google executive reveals Google Pixel users rarely transition from Samsung devices
While Google and Samsung have partnered up on several occasions despite both companies being in competition, Google's executive has detailed the partnership in an interview and given us more insights into broader trends within the tech industry. Even though Google has not yet managed to grab the most market share globally in the smartphone industry, it does have a loyal user base. One might even assume that some users stem from Samsung users switching to Pixel phones but that is not the case.
As per the lengthy interview given to Stratechery that touched on various other topics, the Senior Vice President of Devices and Services at Google, Rick Osterloh, when inquired about the Pixel device owners and where they come from, suggested that Samsung is not behind many Pixel owners as users rarely transition from Samsung to Pixel. This is a surprise for many as Samsung is a global brand with vast numbers of users spread all over, and you would naturally be inclined to think that Pixel owners might have previously owned a Samsung device.
A follow-up question was then asked by the interviewer from Google's executive regarding where Pixel owners come from if not Samsung phones previously, to which we were explained extensively that they primarily come from Apple devices and those who are no longer in the smartphone market. He highlighted:
They’re coming from a large number of people, some of whom who’ve (sic) left the market and then also from Apple but ultimately, we think what we’re trying to do is we’re trying to gain Android share overall and that’s my principal goal is to try to improve Android competitiveness, improve our innovation, improve the problems we’re able to solve for users at all tiers. But we’ve certainly had issues in the premium space that we want to try to address.
This can be further backed up by the growing popularity of the Google Pixel phones in Japan, with local brands finding it hard to continue in the smartphone industry, such as what happened with Kyocera in Japan. Meanwhile, in the U.S., with LG leaving the market, Google's growth saw a massive spike. iPhone users have also been a target of Google marketing campaigns, and the migration could be attributed to the trade-in deals presented to make the transition.
Google is actively working on improving the issues with the Pixel phones and has been particularly focusing on bringing more innovations and making the user experience more seamless. To improve its performance massively, it intends to have a TSMC chip in 2025, which could lead to more enticing features and powerful performance, appealing to a larger pool of potential buyers.
