Google Pixel 8 Pro is an iPhone 15 Pro in disguise? Tech titans in big face-off

tech.hindustantimes.com:

After months of anticipation, Google finally took the wraps off its Pixel 8 series at the Made by Google 2023 event on Wednesday, October 4. It is Google's latest entry into the smartphone race, and perhaps a late one, with the aim to offer the best smartphone in the market - a race that is joined by several competing brands such as Apple with its iPhone 15, and Samsung with its Galaxy S23 series.

This year's Pixel 8 and 8 Pro are closer in price to Apple's counterparts, have similar flat-edged screens and can make payments with face identification. Alphabet Inc.'s Google introduced its new lineup Wednesday — including fresh smartphones, watches and earbuds — and raised the starting price of its phones by $100 each.

The Pixel 8 Pro matches the iPhone 15 Pro at $999, while the Pixel 8 costs the same as the iPhone 14 at $699. The new prices reflect the upgraded displays and cameras used in the latest devices, which are still “punching above our weight class,” according to Google product manager Patrick Hennessey, suggesting that consumers are getting more for their money.

The Pixel rollout is Google's latest attempt to make a dent in the market. Though its Android operating system runs the majority of the world's smartphones, the company's own hardware accounts for just a fraction of sales. In the US, Google had 3% of smartphone shipments during the second quarter, according to Counterpoint Research. That compares with 55% for Apple.

Google has sold phones under its own brand for more than a decade, but the introduction of the first Pixel in 2016 deepened the effort. Despite the phones struggling to gain commercial traction, Google's camera and AI features have stood out. Last year, the company expanded its lineup with the