Well, it’s been a good run.
The original Pixel and Pixel XL have not received the recent November security patch, marking the end of official patch support from Google. The search giant has one last update slated for the devices before the end of the year.
The 2016 flagship launched with a promise of two years of software updates and three years of security patches. The former guarantee got extended, and the Pixel received Android 10. However, Google did not extend the security patch promise.
MobileSyrup reached out to Google regarding the update, as sometimes older devices don’t receive updates as quickly as new devices. In a statement, a Google spokesperson said that Pixel and Pixel XL users didn’t get the November update, but would get one final update before the end of the year.
“In October 2016 at the launch of the Pixel and Pixel XL, we announced that the devices would receive two years of software updates and three years of security updates. Pixel and Pixel XL users did not receive the November OTA, but will get one final software update in December that encapsulates a variety of updates from both monthly pushes.”
The Pixel, very much an HTC-made device, kick-started Google’s smartphone line and set the design language for the first few phones. It had the distinctive split glass and metal design on the back and both the regular Pixel and the XL looked identical save for the size difference.
Further, the phones both sported Google’s unique colour names for the first time: ‘Very Silver,’ ‘Quite Black’ and ‘Really Blue.’
The OG Pixel also sported an unusual wedge design. The phone was thicker up top and thinner at the bottom, allowing for no camera bump and it felt excellent in hand.
A Snapdragon 821 and 4GB of RAM powered the device. It came in 32GB or 128GB of storage. The Pixel has a 5-inch AMOLED screen at 1080×1920 pixels with a 2,770mAh battery while the XL had a 1440×2560 pixel display with a 3,450mAh battery. Both phones had 12.3MP rear cameras and 8MP front cameras.
All in all, it was a good device, and it kicked off the Made by Google line. The Pixel and Pixel XL were great first steps from Google.
Update 11/05/2019: Added a statement from Google regarding future updates for the original Pixel line.
Source: 9to5Google
