very old pixel display screens manufacturer

Flat-panel displays are thin panels of glass or plastic used for electronically displaying text, images, or video. Liquid crystal displays (LCD), OLED (organic light emitting diode) and microLED displays are not quite the same; since LCD uses a liquid crystal that reacts to an electric current blocking light or allowing it to pass through the panel, whereas OLED/microLED displays consist of electroluminescent organic/inorganic materials that generate light when a current is passed through the material. LCD, OLED and microLED displays are driven using LTPS, IGZO, LTPO, and A-Si TFT transistor technologies as their backplane using ITO to supply current to the transistors and in turn to the liquid crystal or electroluminescent material. Segment and passive OLED and LCD displays do not use a backplane but use indium tin oxide (ITO), a transparent conductive material, to pass current to the electroluminescent material or liquid crystal. In LCDs, there is an even layer of liquid crystal throughout the panel whereas an OLED display has the electroluminescent material only where it is meant to light up. OLEDs, LCDs and microLEDs can be made flexible and transparent, but LCDs require a backlight because they cannot emit light on their own like OLEDs and microLEDs.

Liquid-crystal display (or LCD) is a thin, flat panel used for electronically displaying information such as text, images, and moving pictures. They are usually made of glass but they can also be made out of plastic. Some manufacturers make transparent LCD panels and special sequential color segment LCDs that have higher than usual refresh rates and an RGB backlight. The backlight is synchronized with the display so that the colors will show up as needed. The list of LCD manufacturers:

Organic light emitting diode (or OLED displays) is a thin, flat panel made of glass or plastic used for electronically displaying information such as text, images, and moving pictures. OLED panels can also take the shape of a light panel, where red, green and blue light emitting materials are stacked to create a white light panel. OLED displays can also be made transparent and/or flexible and these transparent panels are available on the market and are widely used in smartphones with under-display optical fingerprint sensors. LCD and OLED displays are available in different shapes, the most prominent of which is a circular display, which is used in smartwatches. The list of OLED display manufacturers:

MicroLED displays is an emerging flat-panel display technology consisting of arrays of microscopic LEDs forming the individual pixel elements. Like OLED, microLED offers infinite contrast ratio, but unlike OLED, microLED is immune to screen burn-in, and consumes less power while having higher light output, as it uses LEDs instead of organic electroluminescent materials, The list of MicroLED display manufacturers:

Sony produces and sells commercial MicroLED displays called CLEDIS (Crystal-LED Integrated Displays, also called Canvas-LED) in small quantities.video walls.

2015, sold to giantplus and tce photomasks, gen 3 still operated by giantplus, gen 4 line sold to giantplus, equipment sold and line demolished, remainder operated by tce

"Samsung Display has halted local Gen-8 LCD lines: sources". THE ELEC, Korea Electronics Industry Media. August 16, 2019. Archived from the original on April 3, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2019.

"Business Place Information – Global Operation | SAMSUNG DISPLAY". www.samsungdisplay.com. Archived from the original on 2018-03-26. Retrieved 2018-04-01.

"Samsung Display Considering Halting Some LCD Production Lines". 비즈니스코리아 - BusinessKorea. August 16, 2019. Archived from the original on April 5, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2019.

Herald, The Korea (July 6, 2016). "Samsung Display accelerates transition from LCD to OLED". www.koreaherald.com. Archived from the original on April 1, 2018. Retrieved April 1, 2018.

Byeonghwa, Yeon. "Business Place Information – Global Operation – SAMSUNG DISPLAY". Samsungdisplay.com. Archived from the original on 2018-03-26. Retrieved 2018-04-01.

www.etnews.com (30 June 2017). "Samsung Display to Construct World"s Biggest OLED Plant". Archived from the original on 2019-06-09. Retrieved 2019-06-09.

Samsung has dominated the manufacturing of OLED panels for smartphones and televisions, but recently, LG has closened the gap between the two Korean companies. The Google Pixel 2 notably features an LG-manufactured P-OLED panel, which we highly praised in our review. Samsung, LG, and even Sony have intensified their efforts to ship the best mobile OLED display on the market: Samsung with the Galaxy Note 9, LG with the V40 ThinQ, and Sony with the Xperia XZ3. With the release of the Google Pixel 3 XL, you may be wondering which company Google is sourcing their OLED panels from. As it turns out, it’s a Samsung made panel.

While evaluating the Pixel 3 XL, I discovered a calibration file called qdcm_calib_data_S6E3HA8_ 6.3_command_mode_panel.xml which references the same Samsung DDIC used in the Samsung Galaxy S9 series. The 6.3 in the filename matches the 6.3-inches of the display on the Pixel 3 XL. There"s also a firmware file for Samsung"s S6SY761 touchscreen digitizer.

This year’s Google Pixel 3 was developed quite differently than the previous two generations. The Google Pixel’s ODM was HTC for both the regular and XL model, while the Pixel 2’s ODM was HTC and LG for the regular and XL models respectively. After acquiring the HTC engineers who worked on the Google Pixel, Google decided to develop the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL entirely in-house using Foxconn’s factories for manufacturing. There were early rumors that Google would source notched OLED panels from LG Display for the Pixel 3 XL, but neither Google nor LG confirmed the news at launch time. Thanks to

We’ll hopefully do our own display analysis of the Pixel 3 XL in the near future. For now, we can share some of our thoughts based on hands-on previews of the device.

Relative to the Pixel 2 XL, the improvements in the Google Pixel 3 and Google Pixel 3 XL displays are impressive. Solid colors appear bright and inky, and no longer possess a grainy appearance like on the Pixel 2 XL. The absence of grain also helps text and curves appear sharper and smoother. One of the lesser-talked issues of the Pixel 2 XL display is that the top glass felt hollow, and the display itself seemed sunken in. On the Google Pixel 3 and Google Pixel 3 XL, the lamination of the OLED is now closer to the top glass, allowing the on-screen elements to appear closer to your fingertips when pressed, and tightens the feeling of touching the screen. The Pixel 3 family also opted to ditch the Pixel 2 XL"s 3D glass curves, which possibly resulted in its hollow display due to their inexperience with working with actual curved “3D glass." The angular color shift is also much improved for most of the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL units and falls in the acceptable range for flagship OLEDs. The smaller Pixel 2, which is commonly accepted to house the superior display panel, did not exhibit any of the above issues. However, just like last year, this year’s Google Pixel 3 and Google Pixel 3 XL do appear to have different characteristics between the two display panels.

In terms of brightness, the Pixel 3 full-screen (100% APL) brightness is similar to that of the Pixel 2 XL’s (and therefore brighter than the smaller Pixel 2), with the Pixel 3 XL slightly but noticeably edging out the two. Android Central claimed that the Google Pixel 3 and Google Pixel 3 XL displays reached a minimum of 400 nits for a full-screen image, however, we measured both the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL to have already achieved more than this for a full-screen image, so the 400 nits minimum is nothing to write home about.

The display calibrations are where the bulk of the display differences rise. Empirically, the Google Pixel 3 XL display calibration in the Natural screen color mode appears excellent and competes toe-to-toe with Apple’s latest iPhone display calibrations. The Pixel 2 XL display had near-perfect chromatic calibration but significantly overshot its display gamma, resulting in color tones that were too dark. The Google Pixel 3 XL improves upon the display gamma significantly, appearing to have a gamma very close to the desired target of 2.20, with colors remaining very accurate. However, the Pixel 3 does not seem to be garnished with the same improvement; color tones still appear to be a little bit too dark, with a display gamma visually in the neighborhood of ~2.40, like the Pixel 2 XL (2.42).

Google received harsh criticism last year for shipping their 2017 flagship phones with a color profile that targets accurate colors, a decision that most Android OEMs no longer follow, and one that Apple has always done for their phones. The Pixel 2 XL calibration wasn’t perfect, but many people attributed the color profile to resulting in the inferior panel. Many Android users are used to the punchy, over-saturated color profiles that OEMs ship with their displays, with Samsung phones being the most infamous example, shipping with their Adaptive display profile. For the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, Google caved in and defaulted the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL display panels to their new Adaptive color mode, which Google has not revealed much about yet so far. At a glance, the profile is actually different for the two phones. For the Google Pixel 3 XL, the profile seems to be similar to Samsung’s Adaptive display screen mode. The smaller Google Pixel 3, however, has an Adaptive profile that closely resembles the Saturated screen mode in the Google Pixel 2 XL. The Google Pixel 3 in this mode is noticeably more saturated than on its larger variant.

When it first launched in October, Google’s Pixel 2 XL was met with a ton of criticism — much of it coming from me — about its subpar display. Among the issues identified by reviewers were muted colors, a potential image retention problem, and, most obvious of all, a horrible blue shift anytime you were looking at the screen at an angle (a common issue to OLED screens that’s especially bad on the 2 XL). It was all serious enough to prompt Google to extend the Pixel 2 XL warranty by a year and issue a software update to recalibrate the phone’s colors. The one thing Google couldn’t fix was that blue color shift, but as it turns out, that problem isn’t universal to all Pixel 2 XLs: some devices out there don’t have it nearly as bad as others.

I was first alerted to this fact by the Jerome Ortega video above, wherein he demonstrates how his newer Pixel 2 XL has a warmer display that exhibits very little color-shifting when tilted at an angle. It is, by all accounts and appearances, just a much better display. I got hold of a newer Pixel 2 XL this past week and, sure enough, it too has a nearly total absence of blue color shift. It’s almost as good as looking at a modern OLED panel from Samsung, and you can see it pictured on the left in the image at the top of this article.

Doing a bit of digging around the subject, I’ve been able to ascertain that the display model and supplier haven’t changed: it’s still LG Display that’s providing the 6-inch OLED screen in all Pixel 2 XLs. Furthermore, this doesn’t appear to be a matter of the older phones having worse displays than the newer ones: the 2 XL that I have with a good screen was built in October, whereas commenters in an XDA thread about the Pixel 2 XL’s screen woes still report buying “distractingly blue” displays made in December.

Having spent a lot of time with the older, bluer Pixel 2 XL over the past couple of months, I can say that it’s usable even with its imperfect screen. You’ll never love the experience, but it’s an okay compromise to make for the sake of the awesome camera performance and battery life that this device provides. But here’s the thing: there are Pixel 2 XLs on sale that don’t ask for that compromise. My newer device is much easier on the eyes and makes me genuinely pleased to hold and play with it (in part because it also has the prettier panda colorway).

Ultimately, this situation appears to be another failure of Google’s hardware quality control. Beside having such a wide divergence in quality among its displays, the company also managed to ship out some Pixel 2 units without an operating system, some others with empty packaging, and another that literally failed a quality control test. I haven’t yet been able to get a satisfactory response from Google on this matter, but will update this article should one be forthcoming.

In an ideal world, only the nicer, better screens would be making it out to retail, and every Pixel 2 XL would look as good as the one I’m presently using. But we’re not living in that world, and for now at least, we’re mostly left hoping and guessing about exactly what sort of a display we’d get when ordering a Pixel 2 XL.

The Pixel 5 isn"t quite worth its high price, especially since its software support window ends soon (October 2023). Amazon currently sells the Pixel 4A 5G for the same price as the Pixel 6A, and while it"s a good phone, it should be cheaper. You"re better off sticking with the Pixel 6A. As for older Pixels, they"re not worth picking up. They"re just too old (and the Pixel 4 suffers from poor battery performance). Many of those devices will stop getting software updates soon if they haven"t already. Buy one of the newer models.

The revamped case for the Pixel 7 series feels more durable than ever before, and you can match them with your Pixel"s color. The thermoplastic elastomer feels nice to touch, and there are raised edges on the front to protect the screen. The Pixel 7"s case is made with more than 30 percent recycled plastics, and the polycarbonate shell uses 77 percent recycled plastics. There are metal buttons for power and volume and they"re 100 percent recycled aluminum. The cases for the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6A are similar but slightly different.

This is hands-down the best case if you frequently attach your Pixel to the handlebar of a bike or electric scooter. Peak Design"s mounting system lets you magnetically affix the phone to its Universal Bike Mount ($50) and it stays put—after nearly a year of testing, I"ve yet to have a phone fall off my ride using this mounting system. It doesn"t interrupt the Pixel"s wireless charging either. The company has several other magnetic accessories you can use, like a car mount. The case itself is nice; I just wish the edges were raised a bit more for better screen protection.

This is one of the best clear cases you"ll find, especially at this price, for the Pixel. The buttons are clicky, the Pixel"s color comes through clearly, and the rear doesn"t feel too sticky, which can be a problem with some clear cases.Caseology Tempered Glass Screen ProtectorPhotograph: Caseology

Pixel phones don"t have a great track record with screen durability—they scratch easily. We tested this protector originally for the Pixel 5A, but it"s not available anymore. Caseology does sell it now for the Pixel 7, Pixel 6, and Pixel 6A. Installation is easy, and it includes a squeegee to get rid of air bubbles. You get two screen protectors for the price, including a microfiber cloth, a wipe, and dust removal stickers.

This is another easy-to-apply tempered glass screen protector. The Pixel 7 and Pixel 6 version comes with two protectors, but Spigen only includes one for the Pixel 6A. Boo. You get a whole cleaning kit to wipe down your phone, an alignment tool that helps you get the application right, and a squeegee to get rid of the air bubbles.

You get only one screen protector here and it"s very expensive. That"s because Zagg claims that the protector is five times as strong as traditional screen protectors. I haven"t seen too many scuffs on my Pixel 6A yet, but take this with a grain of salt. It"s easy to apply with the included application tool, but Zagg doesn"t include a squeegee at this price so you"ll have to use your fingers to push the air bubbles out. It comes with a dust sticker, a wet wipe, and a microfiber cloth.Google Pixel Stand (Gen 2)Photograph: Google

Of the Pixels we recommend in this guide, wireless charging is available only on the Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 7, and Pixel 7 Pro. Google"s very own Pixel Stand is one of the best wireless chargers around because it"s simple. The base doesn"t slide around, the phone stays put, and it enables some fun features, like turning the screen into a digital photo frame and quick access to Google Assistant. It"s made of 39 percent recycled materials, with mostly eco-friendly packaging too. Our Best Wireless Chargers guide has more options. It"s also available at Best Buy.

This charging adapter is all you need to recharge your Pixel, whichever model you have. The newest high-end Pixel phones don"t come with chargers in the box, so if you don"t have any spare USB-C chargers, it"s worth picking one up. This one"s prongs don"t fold up, but it"s still really compact.

These cases are pricey, but they have raised lips and offer decent protection around the edges. The buttons are clicky, and you get a few designs to choose from for the rear, including walnut, leather, bamboo, silver pearl, and aramid fiber. (I love the walnut.) What makes this case special is that it supports MagSafe—yes, Apple"s magnetic system for accessories. I"ve used the Mous Limitless 5.0 successfully with a few MagSafe accessories, like a Belkin wireless charger, to recharge the Pixel 7 Pro. You can also go with Mous" IntraLock case to use the company"s own magnetic accessory system to hook your phone up to its bike or car mount with more security.Photograph: Spigen

Want a kickstand to prop your Pixel up? This Spigen case has one built in and it does the trick, though unfortunately, you can keep your device up only in landscape mode—not great for hands-free TikTok. It has a thick bumper offering nice protection around the edges, though there"s not much of a lip sticking out, so you"ll still want to pair it with a screen protector.

Of all the Pixel cases I"ve tried, this feels the best. It has a wonderful texture that"s pleasant to touch, and the case keeps a slim profile. The buttons remain clicky, and the ports are well-exposed. It"s affordable, but the front edges aren"t raised. There"s a good chance the screen will hit the ground when you drop it.Photograph: Moment

The Pixels have great cameras, but you can take them further by using third-party lenses like these from Moment. Slap on a fish-eye lens for a fun, distorted photo effect. Use a 58-mm telephoto to get even closer to your subject. Whatever lens you pick, you"ll need a Moment case for the system to work. Unfortunately, the Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, and Pixel 6A cases aren"t compatible with the lenses. Still, I like "em because they have magnets embedded inside—they"ll work with Moment"s various MagSafe mounts, like one for tripods, video lights, and mics.

It takes some effort to install this case on the Pixel, but once you do, it"s arguably the most protection you"ll find. There"s an inner two-piece polycarbonate shell that snaps over and under the Pixel, and then a thick synthetic rubber slipcover goes over for extreme durability. The buttons are surprisingly clicky, though the whole phone will be thicker, wider, and heavier. It"s made of more than 50 percent recycled plastic, and there"s a holster you can pop it in to carry your Pixel with pride on your belt. (The holster can double as a kickstand.)

There are some key features exclusive to Pixels that you won"t find on any other Android phone. Some of these are only available on select Pixels—the ones powered by Google"s Tensor chips are more capable since it"s the company"s own silicon. Here"s a quick breakdown:

You may be currently suffering from lower productivity, too much additional gear, limited workspace with a single-screen laptop while on the go. Study shows that with the utilization of multiple-screens can boost productivity.

We take care of shipping for every Mobile Pixels product. Now we are offering free shipping to the U.S. on all orders and to Canada on orders over $100.

Have a peace of mind in the quality and reliability of your Mobile Pixels monitors. Kindly supported by a 1-year limited warranty. An extended protection plan is also available.

Mobile Pixels Inc. delivers effortless, compact, multi-screen monitors on the go. Simply slide it out, plug it in and it"s ready to extend your vision.

Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro: Measured diagonally; dimension may vary by configuration and manufacturing process. Smooth Display is not available for all apps or content.

Maximum resolution and field of view with RAW image files setting turned on. Setting is turned off by default. See g.co/pixel/photoediting for more information.

Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel 7: For “24-hour”: Estimated battery life based on testing using a median Pixel user battery usage profile across a mix of talk, data, standby, and use of other features. Average battery life during testing was approximately 31 hours. Battery testing conducted on a major carrier network. For “Up to 72 hours”: Estimated battery life based on testing using a median Pixel user battery usage profile across a mix of talk, data, standby, and use of limited other features that are default in Extreme Battery Saver mode (which disables various features including 5G connectivity). Battery testing conducted on a major carrier network. For both claims: Battery testing conducted in California in early 2022 on pre production hardware and software using default settings, except that, for the “up to 72 hour” claim only, Extreme Battery Saver mode was enabled. Battery life depends upon many factors and usage of certain features will decrease battery life. Actual battery life may be lower.

Pixel 6a: For “24-hour”: Estimated battery life based on testing using a median Pixel user battery usage profile across a mix of talk, data, standby, and use of other features. Average battery life during testing was approximately 29 hours. Battery testing conducted using Sub-6 GHz non-standalone 5G (ENDC) connectivity. For “Up to 72 hours”: Estimated battery life based on testing using a median Pixel user battery usage profile across a mix of talk, data, standby, and use of limited other features that are default in Extreme Battery Saver mode (which disables various features including 5G connectivity). Battery testing conducted on a major carrier network. For both claims: Battery testing conducted in California in early 2022 on pre-production hardware and software using default settings, except that, for the “up to 72 hour” claim only, Extreme Battery Saver mode was enabled. Battery life depends upon many factors and usage of certain features will decrease battery life. Actual battery life may be lower.

Fast wired charging rates (up to 21W on Pixel 7 and up to 23W on Pixel 7 Pro) are based upon use of the Google 30W USB-C® Charger plugged into a wall outlet. Actual results may be slower. Adapters sold separately. Charging speed based upon testing with device batteries drained to 1% and charged with Google 30W USB-C® Charger. Charging testing conducted by Google in mid-2022 on preproduction hardware and software using default settings with the device powered on. Charging speed depends upon many factors including usage during charging, battery age, and ambient temperature. Actual charging speed may be slower. Wireless charging rates up to 20W (Pixel 7) and up to 23W (Pixel 7 Pro) charging with Google Pixel Stand (2nd gen) (sold separately). Up to 12W with Qi-certified EPP chargers (sold separately). Actual results may be slower.

Coming soon. Restrictions apply. Some data is not transmitted through VPN. Not available in all countries. All other Google One membership benefits sold separately. Pixel VPN offering does not impact price or benefits of Google One Premium plan. Use of VPN may increase data costs depending on your plan. See g.co/pixel/vpn for details.

Estimated battery life based on testing using a median Pixel user battery usage profile across a mix of talk, data, standby, and use of other features. Battery testing conducted on a major carrier network in California in early 2022 (for Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, and Pixel 7 Pro) and mid 2021 (for Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro) on pre-production hardware and software using default settings. Battery life depends upon many factors and usage of certain features will decrease battery life. Actual battery life may be lower.

Your Pixel will generally receive Feature Drops during the applicable Android update and support periods for the phone. See g.co/pixel/updates for details. Availability of some Feature Drops may vary.

Available only in the US. Includes YouTube Premium, Google Play Pass, and Google One. Does not include carrier service plan. Monthly subscription price varies by plan. Monthly subscription price varies by plan. Upgrades may change monthly price. If you cancel during the 24-month cycle, you will be required to pay the remaining value of your Pixel device at a non-discounted price, and your access to bundled services will terminate. Device protection includes an additional year of coverage for mechanical breakdown (in addition to the one-year manufacturer warranty), and up to four claims of accidental damage for two years (limit 2 per rolling 12-month period, beginning with the date of first repair or replacement). Claim coverage subject to deductible(s). See g.co/pixelpass/tos for full terms.

Trade-in values vary based on eligibility, condition, year, and configuration of your trade-in device, and are subject to change upon inspection. Credit card refund only available if a Pixel phone is purchased on that card. Phone trade-in credit will be issued as a refund back on the credit card used for the phone purchase at Google Store or in the form of Store Credit if the purchased phone has already been returned. Refund is based on (and paid after) phone received matching the description provided at time of estimate and will be issued to form of payment used for order. Phones sent for trade-in must be received within 30 days of initiation of trade-in process, provided the purchased device has not been returned during that time. Additional trade-in and store credit terms are located here: store.google.com/intl/en-US_us/about/device-terms.html.

OLED (organic light-emitting diode) screens are used in most premium smartphones. Pixel phones have OLED screens that can display bright, high-quality, and accurate colors.

All OLED screens show some color shift when seen at certain angles. The Pixel 3 and 3a minimize the color change through color calibration in the manufacturing process.

The display cutout, or notch, maximizes the Pixel 3 XL"s screen size. The screen also includes 2 cameras, a light sensor, an earpiece speaker, and a microphone.

You can change the display cutout setting in Developer Options. Keep in mind that turning on Developer Options could change other phone settings. Learn about Developer Options.

Pixel screens are designed and tested to reduce burn-in as much as possible so that it doesn"t affect how you use your phone. But when the same image stays on your screen for a long time at a high brightness, it can affect the colors or cause burn-in.

Earlier this week, Google launched its newest flagships, the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL. Both devices joined the rather sparse list of devices to offer 90 Hz OLED displays. The Pixel 4 XL, in particular, has been hailed for its great display, but there hasn"t been any official information on the company behind the phone"s display.

There are three major display makers: Samsung Display, LG Display, and BOE. No Pixel phone has used a BOE panel, as the Chinese company usually sells hardware to its fellow sino-corps like Huawei. Both the Pixel 2 and Pixel 3 lineups used LG and Samsung displays, so that narrows down the list.

Thankfully, there are other means of finding out, and some research from before the launch of the phones have the display driver listed as the "dsi_s6e3hc2_cmd_display". That"s a Samsung IC, which tells us what we need to know. The nature of displays makes it rather unlikely to get a panel and an IC from different manufacturers, so it"s more likely that the panel was also made by Samsung.

In fact, that driver is apparently the same used on the OnePlus 7 Pro—a phone with a similar 90 Hz QHD+ AMOLED display that has been confirmed to be made by Samsung.

All of these point towards Samsung Display being the company behind the Pixel 4 XL"s display. The smaller Pixel 4 is a different matter, though. The Pixel 2 and Pixel 3 phones had alternating displays—one by LG, and the other by Samsung. For example, the Pixel 3 had an LG display, while the 3 XL sported a Samsung one, and vice-versa for the Pixel 2 siblings.

As such wouldn"t be surprising to find out that the Pixel 4 features an LG P-OLED, although there hasn"t been a 90 Hz LG-made display on any smartphone until now. There"s a first time for everything, though, right?

The Pixel 7 offers the best version of Android, with guaranteed security updates through fall 2027—plus the best Android smartphone camera we’ve ever tested. It also has excellent build quality and costs half as much as Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Ultra.

Google’s Pixel smartphones have always offered the best Android software experience, but the Google Pixel 7 proves that Google is taking the hardware seriously, as well. It has a crisp 6.3-inch OLED screen and a solid wrap-around aluminum frame. The Pixel 7 also offers the best camera performance of any Android phone save for its sibling, the Pixel 7 Pro, and Google’s custom Tensor G2 processor holds its own against the high-end chips in other phones. In addition, the Pixel 7 is more likely to remain secure for years longer than most Android phones thanks to its five years of guaranteed monthly patches. And at $600, it costs hundreds less than other Android phones that won’t last as long or perform as well.

The Google Pixel 7 Pro is similar to the Pixel 7 but adds a larger OLED screen with a higher resolution and refresh rate, more expansive 5G support, and a 5x telephoto camera. These improvements bump the price up to $900, so the value isn’t quite as strong as with the Pixel 7. But the Pixel 7 Pro is a more capable phone with the same excellent software and five years of update support.

For quite a bit less, the Pixel 6a offers the same excellent version of Android as the Pixel 7 with updates through 2027, and it has the high-end Tensor processor that debuted in the Pixel 6. The camera is a step down from those in new flagship Pixels, but it’s still better than those in some phones costing hundreds more.

The Google Pixel 6a is priced $150 lower than the Pixel 7 but still has almost every feature you might expect from a high-end phone. The Pixel 6a runs on Google’s clean, fast version of Android 13, with five years of guaranteed security updates. It also offers camera performance that surpasses what you can get from phones that may cost twice as much, though it’s not as good in that regard as the Pixel 7. On top of that, the Pixel 6a’s screen lacks the high refresh rate of the Pixel 7 and Samsung Galaxy S22 displays, so it doesn’t scroll as smoothly and isn’t as bright.

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is essentially a Galaxy Note by another name. It has the biggest, brightest screen of any smartphone you can buy, and the included S Pen can help you take notes, mark up documents, and create art in ways you can’t do on any other phone. It offers the best build quality of any Android phone, with a custom aluminum-alloy frame that wraps around the edges, and the matte glass repels fingerprints. The S22 Ultra also has the best camera hardware in a phone, including a 10x “periscope” zoom lens and manual controls for more experienced photographers. Its primary drawback is its high regular price of $1,200—for $300 less, the Pixel 7 Pro is better at most things. While the S22 Ultra has better camera hardware, the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro’s camera software helps them produce great photos without the need for fine-tuning. The S22 Ultra is ideal if you demand maximum versatility from your phone, but you should buy it only on sale—we recommend purchasing when it’s closer to $1,000, or if you have an older Samsung phone to trade in.

The Galaxy S22 has the same powerful processor as the S22 Ultra, but its compact frame and smaller display make it easier to use, even if you have only one hand free.

Now, sure - after numerous attempts, Google stopped selling their last Google Play edition phone in January 2015 (the HTC One M8). However, this doesn’t change the fact that the idea of a “stock” Android Samsung-made flagship was very appealing to certain users, who wanted to have the best of both worlds - great Samsung-level hardware, and fast and reliable Google software - instead of... TouchWiz.

In case you didn’t know, the full specs of Google’s Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro/XL devices have leaked, and we can already see the big role Samsung’s played in their development. Let’s split this into three sections about the processor, display, and camera, and give them the deserved attention.

We deep-dived into the Google Pixel 6 & Google Pixel 6 Pro/XL processor in this article. In a nutshell - the custom “Whitechapel” chip is developed under the Samsung Semiconductors system large-scale integration (SLSI) division.

In other words, this is a custom-made SoC by Samsung, and similar to the Exynos 2100 found in the Galaxy S21 series, but unique and tailored to Google’s needs. "Whitechapel" is expected to elevate the user experience compared to the Google Pixel 5, which, as you might recall, was powered by the mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G.

Moving on - it’s not a secret to anyone that Samsung makes some of the best smartphone displays available. They sell panels to many smartphone-makers. Of course, Samsung’s most notable customer when it comes to displays is... Apple - for the iPhone.

However, a few days ago, reputable tipster Ross Young took to Twitter to reveal that both the Google Pixel 6 and Google Pixel 6 Pro/XL will also use Samsung-made panels from Samsung Display.

On the other hand, Jon Prosser’s specs leak says that the Pixel 6 will indeed use an AMOLED screen (made by Samsung), but also suggests that the Pixel 6 Pro/XL will make use of a P-OLED display. P-OLED is a display technology developed by LG - the same LG that manufactured the Pixel 2XL for Google, which happened to come with all sorts of issues.

Whether history will repeat itself and Google will use different manufacturers for the two different Google Pixel 6 devices or not… we’ll have to wait and see. But it appears that we’ll certainly get at least one Google Pixel 6 featuring a Samsung-made panel, and hopefully zero problematic displays. Looking at you, LG!

It"s still not exactly clear if the Pixel 6 & 6 Pro/XL will be using Sony or Samsung sensor(s), but there"s a total of three of them on the 6, and four on the 6 XL.

In the above-listed specs come from Jon Prosser it’s said that the Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro/XL will use a 50MP Sony-made sensor for their primary camera. Bear in mind that the “Sony” bit comes from a separate rumor dating back to May, which hasn’t been fully confirmed by another leak of information just yet.

Even if the main camera sensor on the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro/XL turns out to be made by Sony, this is in no way bad as Sony makes some of the best and most popular smartphone camera sensors. At the same time, this doesn’t mean that at least some of the remaining two (Pixel 6) and three (Pixel 6 Pro/XL) back/front camera sensors aren’t made by Samsung.

Therefore, there’s a good chance part of the camera system of the Pixel 6 might also be powered by the Korean tech giant! We’ll follow up with more information on that whenever it becomes available. If you are curious about the four cameras on the Google Pixel 6 Pro/XL, check out our elaborate story on them here.

Sure enough, the Google Pixel 6 and Google Pixel 6 Pro/XL probably won’t be manufactured by Samsung or rebranded Google Play Galaxy S21 devices, but this is about as close as it might get!

The Pixel 6 series seems to take every quality Samsung component - the display, chip, and perhaps certain camera sensors, and add the “Google sauce” - five years of fast and smooth Android OS updates and Pixel camera processing (beloved by many), to make a one-of-a-kind device that will finally give Android fans Samsung-level hardware with Google-level software magic!

If a year ago, when the mid-range-like Pixel 5 came out, someone told you that next year Google would make a true flagship phone with some of the best components available, would you"ve believed it? I don’t think so...

Google"s Pixel 7 and 7 Pro both support face unlock, unlike last year"s Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. If you own a Pixel 7 and haven"t set it up yet, you can do so by launching the Settings menu and tapping Security. Tap Face and fingerprint unlock and enter your PIN. From there, choose the Face Unlock option to register your face to your phone.

We"ve all been there. It"s 6 a.m., your alarm starts blaring and you barely have the energy to reach for your phone. Google makes this a little easier on the Pixel lineup by enabling you to pause or dismiss an alarm by simply saying, "Snooze" or "Stop" without requiring the "Hey, Google" trigger phrase. You can do the same for phone calls by saying "Answer" or "Decline" without having to grab your device.

Both of these features are accessible from the Pixel"s phone app. Hold For Me works on the Pixel 3 and later, while Direct My Call is available on the Pixel 3A and later. Open the Phoneapp and tap the three dots in the top right corner to get started. Choose Settings and you should see Hold for Me and Direct My Call under the Assistive section.

Certain Pixel devices can boost their refresh rates to enable faster scrolling and smoother animations, which makes the software generally feel more responsive. The Pixel 7 can bump its refresh rate up to 90Hz like the Pixel 6, while the Pixel 7 Pro can go up to 120Hz just like the Pixel 6 Pro. But since this feature increases battery usage, there are times when you might want to turn it off.