In a rapidly evolving tech landscape, the longevity of a smartphone has become a topic of considerable discussion. The Google Pixel 8, with its promise of seven years of major OS updates and new features, raises the question: How long is too long for a phone to stick around? Let’s delve into this and explore how the Pixel 8 stacks up against the smartphones of 2030.
A Look Back Seven Years: 2016’s Smartphone Lineup To understand the context, it’s essential to revisit the smartphones of 2016. This year marked a significant milestone in the world of mobile technology. Samsung introduced the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, firmly establishing its position as a leader in the smartphone industry. Apple unveiled the iPhone 7, the last flagship iPhone with a home button before the groundbreaking iPhone X arrived the following year.
2016 also marked Google’s transition from the Nexus brand to the new Google Pixel lineup. Breaking ties with Huawei, who had crafted the Nexus 6P the previous year, Google sought to create its own phone from the ground up. The Pixel and Pixel XL were introduced, coincidentally, just a month after Apple’s iPhone 7.
If Google had extended the same promise of seven years of support to the original Pixel as it has for the Pixel 8, the original Pixel would now be receiving its final software update. The question arises: Could an original Pixel phone effectively handle Android 14? Let’s take a closer look.
Seven Years of Transformation: What’s Changed The past seven years have witnessed remarkable changes in smartphone technology. In 2016, the Galaxy S7, with its 5.1-inch display, was among the largest phones. The iPhone 7 featured a 4.7-inch screen, while the Pixel was launched with a 5-inch display. Both the Pixel and Galaxy utilized OLED technology, while the iPhone stuck with a high-quality IPS LCD.
The Galaxy S7 set a display standard with its impressive 577 ppi (pixels per inch) density, outshining the “Retina” display on the iPhone 7, which offered only 326 ppi. Even the modern Pixel 8, with its impressive Actua display, stands at 428 ppi, highlighting that higher pixel density wasn’t as necessary as previously thought.
While the Galaxy S7 and the original Pixel boasted headphone ports, the iPhone 7 marked Apple’s departure from this beloved feature, altering the course of the consumer electronics industry. The move to a Lightning connector and microUSB for the Galaxy S7 was eventually unified with the adoption of USB-C by major phone manufacturers.
In terms of battery size, the smaller phones of 2016 featured smaller batteries. Today’s Pixel 8 boasts a substantial 4,575 mAh battery, whereas the original Pixel housed a 2,770 mAh battery. As technology advances, larger batteries may become a trend within the next seven years.
Can a Seven-Year-Old Phone Run Android 14 or iOS 17? The performance of these phones today is a critical consideration. The iPhone 7, updated for five years, reached iOS 15 before retiring. Although it had only 2GB of RAM, Apple efficiently managed its RAM utilization. However, iOS 17 introduces numerous Bluetooth and UWB (ultra-wide band) technologies for advanced sharing and location features, which older iPhones may struggle to support.
On the Android side, the outlook is less promising. The Galaxy S7 started with Android 6 and was updated only to Android 8. The original Pixel, the first Android 7 phone, received updates only up to Android 10, offering three years of support. Notably, the original Pixel had 4GB of RAM, a specification found in today’s budget phones. Nevertheless, newer processors may outpace its performance.
Storage presents a potential bottleneck. The 2016 phones typically came with 32GB of storage on the base model, a capacity that would be considered inadequate by today’s standards. Modern operating systems, such as Samsung’s One UI on the Galaxy S23, can consume more than 16GB of storage space. Additionally, higher-resolution photos and videos, larger games, and data caching in apps have grown, demanding more storage.
In the future, a 128GB Pixel 8 may struggle to offer effective performance running Android 21 by 2030. As OS sizes increase linearly, phones may need to provide 512GB of storage or more.
While Google’s commitment to extended software updates for the Pixel 8 is commendable, there’s another promise that could enhance its longevity further. Building more durable flagship smartphones that can withstand military spec testing, like the Lenovo ThinkPhone, could be a transformative innovation. Creating phones that resist breakage may be the key to ensuring they remain functional for years to come.
