Google Pixel XL ( Snapdragon 821) Geekbench test.

Superior Screen: Possibly. Will want to see the numbers on the AMOLED screen used by the Pixel. The pixel certainly has a bigger screen, which can be counted as a positive, until you get to the Plus vs XL (same screen size). The biggest thing people forget are that these AMOLED screens are pentile and only have two subpixel elements per "pixel", compared to 3 for RGB LCD. Breaking down the subpixel density: iPhone 7: 978sppi vs 880.7sppi for Pixel 7 Plus: 1200sppi vs 1069ppi for XL.

So what we see is that the iPhones actually have a higher effective subpixel density despite their lower resolution screen. That is they have more individually controlled light elements per inch. The screen quality gap between phones is minor and is essentially limited to black levels only.

Best Smartphone Camera: This is premature for now at best. It lacks Optical Image Stabilization, so I doubt it can be the "best" in all scenarios. It may be better, but the leap over competitors isn't going to be large.

Rapid Charging: An actual valid feature over the iPhone... but one that brings negatives. The heat from rapid charging is going to do your battery no favors over it's lifespan. Adding the option is certainly something to add to the list, but from a cost comparison is "free" because its part of the processor that they are inheriting.

Headphone Jack: A nice option, but not a cost differentiation. E.G. you can't point to the headphone Jack to explain why the phone costs so much. Waterproofing adds much more cost than a headphone jack, so this is facetious in a cost argument.

Free VR Headset: The only thing to take into account. If you are going to use the VR headset, then by all means, calculate the cost of the headset into the total phone cost. If you aren't interested, then it's a pointless free extra.

And this is all against the iPhone. Your argument falls apart when compared to Galaxy phones for example.

Galaxy Phones: EVEN BETTER Screens. Similar quality cameras. Rapid charging. Headphone Jack. Free VR headset at launch. Better hardware design, better form factor, waterproofing, etc. Fact is, Google is overcharging for the hardware they are including. Simple.

The only differentiator they bring is software. There hardware is NOT cost competitive. End of story. Are you all about the software? Then great, Pixel is for you. But if you don't think the Software justifies the cost when the Nexus line has traditionally been cheaper, then you realize Google bumped the price for one reason only: because they could do it to make more income.

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