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Comment by dmix | Hacker News Reader

It's quite obvious the Pixel is the "flagship" Android Google phone. And Pixel C is the "flagship" Android tablet.

The pixel is advertised everywhere as a Google phone. Who makes it doesn't really come up in their product communication much.

And the 'flagship' label is literally in the title of the Pixel products on Amazon. And on the website it's called "Pixel, phone by Google".

> People buy a low end Android phone and hate the entire ecosystem because the phone performs like crap.

This seems like an antiquated view of Android. I don't think people see Apple as having a monopoly on luxury/quality devices anymore. And considering the heavy OS modifications made by different companies and the entire UX experience of dealing with a company (customer service, website, accessories, etc), I don't really see why it matters if your mom thinks she has a "Samsung" or an "LG". There's more to Android phones than the base OS.

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For people on Hacker News, sure. But try asking your grandma what the flagship Android phone is and what the flagship Apple phone is. It is much more confusing for the average person than you'd think.

> I don't really see why it matters if your mom thinks she has a "Samsung" or an "LG".

Because when people ask if she has an Android she says "No."

> There's more to Android phones than the base OS.

I know, that's my complaint. It really adds nothing for the customer to have it be so fragmented.

In fairness, if you asked your grandma what the flagship Ford or Chevrolet car was, she wouldn't know, either.

From [1], the Ford Taurus [2]? Weird...

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Flagship_vehicles

[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Taurus_(sixth_generation)

And of course the answer changes depending on where you're from. Over here, you can't buy the Taurus, so I would probably say Ford Mondeo or Ford Edge.

> But try asking your grandma what the flagship Android phone is and what the flagship Apple phone is

Most people would just say 'iphone', not knowing which model is the 'flagship'.

It is also fairly obvious that the pixel will be abandoned in about 2 years max. Since it was previously obvious that the Nexus was their flagship.

It isn't as bad as it was 2 years ago, where the main google phone would get updates, but was nigh unusable with the latest operating system. I still fully expect my nexus 6 to be basically abandoned by them within a year or so now.

It's not obvious at all. It isn't even obvious if you spend 8 hours on research and are a techie.

What was the flagship before the Pixel? What was the flagship 2 years ago? The android market probably has a changing flagship every 6 months and even then it isn't obvious what it is.

Try typing "flagship android phone" into Google search. Pixel only comes up in 8-9 results out of 100.

The term 'flagship' is confusing for Android, as each manufacturer that ships an Android device typically has their own flagship phone as well.

However, I think most Android consumers don't care about whether a phone is flagship. I imagine most tend to be more interested in finding a comfortable balance between price and features.

"Android" is not a hardware manufacturer; each manufacturer has its own flagships, just like Apple does. That Apple is also their own (and only their own) OS vendor doesn't mean "flagships" apply per-OS.

Everyone knows that Flagship is a cheese.

I've not heard of the cheese, but the beer is very good:

http://www.sheltonbrothers.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/HO...

https://www.cheeserank.com/post/beechers-flagship-cheddar

You'll find it all around Seattle and at Costco in neighboring states. When you get off a plane at SeaTac they hand you a free sample.

Ok I was kidding about the free sample at SeaTac... Only a little...there is a Beecher's store and cafe there.

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