Some Pixel Superfans are getting gifts from Google

It was August 2020 when we told you about Google's secret Pixel Superfan club. To join, you have to be 18 years of age, a U.S. resident and have been invited to join by Google. The invitation was part of an online survey that Google sent out at the time to consumers who have purchased multiple Nexus or Pixel devices. The survey asked which Google products you owned, and what your hobbies are.Google sought to add more Superfans a few months ago before the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro were unveiled. Last year, Pixel Superfans received prints of deconstructed Pixel 5, Pixel 4a 5G, and Pixel 4a units for being such loyal fans. According to Droid-Life, this year, some are receiving Pixel 6 Pro socks and a Google Tensor sticker. The Tensor, of course, is the first chipset designed by the company and made just for the Pixel.

Even with all of the usual issues that affect a Pixel post-launch, there is still an excitement that follows the phones approximately three weeks after being unveiled. Has Google created a phone that deserves to be included whenever the conversation turns to the iPhone 13 Pro and the Galaxy S21 Ultra? It would sure seem so and in fact, the new Pixels are closer to challenging Apple and Samsung than any LG phone you can think of.

Grab the Google Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro

Previously the Pixels brought you the best of Android but this software was stuck inside a package of half-assed hardware. Yours truly really loved the Pixel 2 XL, but the build quality was nowhere near Apple's and that continued as the years went on. This made Google appear as though it was not quite ready to take on Apple and Samsung. We had thought that things had changed with the Pixel 4 series, but it was the same old song as Google threw some questionable features that added up to a massive disappointment.

Some will tell you that Google's goal all along was to showcase stock Android. Remember, the larger-screened model was called the XL (extra large) which is really about size, not quality. It wasn't until word leaked that there would be a Pixel 6 Pro (instead of a 6 XL) that people sat up and realized that there was a change in Google's thinking this year.

...and a Google Tensor sticker

But this all changed with the Pixel 6 line. Finally the Pixel handsets have quality hardware to match the software. And if you're a Pixel Superfan, you now have a lovely pair of socks to keep your feet warm while you engage with your Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro.

Before there was the Pixel there was the Nexus

Google started the Pixel line after ending the Nexus program. Nexus phones were designed by other phone manufacturers and Google would provide the stock Android software. The Nexus One was released in January, 2010 and was made by HTC. Like the Pixel, the Nexus phones were first to receive an Android update.

And so it begins. T%he HTC produced Nexus One arrives in 2010

The Nexus One was followed by the Nexus S, made by Samsung and released in December 2010. In November 2011, Samsung once again created the next Nexus phone which was called the Google Nexus. The launch was timed to coincide with the release of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

In November 2012, the Nexus 4 was launched, manufactured by LG. The latter was back the next year to drop the Nexus 5 in October 2013. It was the first phone to run Android 4.4 KitKat.

A year later, the Nexus 6 was unveiled by Motorola which was making its Nexus debut. On September 29th, 2015, Google introduced two new handsets, the Nexus 5X and the Nexus 6P made by LG and Huawei (!) respectively. Both models suffered from bootloops, draining batteries, and other issues that led to a settlement of a class action suit.

Along the way there were also tablets including the Nexus 10 produced by Samsung and released in November 2012. The next Nexus slate was the Nexus 7 made by Asus and announced by Google in June 2012. A bit more than a year later, Google made the Nexus 7 second-generation tablet official. This was also manufactured by Asus. The Nexus 9 tablet was created by Google and HTC and introduced in October 2014.

Perhaps the issues with the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P led Google to end the Nexus program and create the Pixel. The first Pixel series was released in October 2016.

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