Right, but there is no SoC that can compete with Apple's A10 fusion SoC. Google just buys off the shelf Qualcomm parts, and they are far slower, especially when you take into account that the Google phones need even more horsepower because they run at much higher resolution.

No .. but Apple makes its rather hefty margin on hardware. I thought Google makes its margins on software and services. At these rumored price points, I'd rather go with an iPhone (and deal with stupid adapters). I bought a nexus 5x last year .. it had a weird screen issue. It was eligible for a change but I didn't want to go through the hassle of mailing it in. With Apple, I could have gone to a retail store. Not saying Apple is awesome .. they are acting like overlords these days (lack of Macbook refreshes, selling two year old hardware at premium prices such as the ipad air 2, etc.) but I guess they can do it because they have no formidable competition. This pricing is silly .. I suspect they will have big discounts by January.

So that this is not just a rant, here is how to fix the situation: I think Google needs to think different ;-) Compete on what Apple cannot give. Aggressive prices, expandable storage and removable batteries. It is sad that Android phones (Nexuses and others) have become more and more like iPhones when it comes to consumer hostility.

Just my personal opinions btw.