Pixel boss says ‘very few’ Pixel users come from Samsung phones

Google’s Pixel phones don’t make the top 5 in terms of global market share, but they certainly have some rabid fans. But where do these Pixel owners come from? Well, one Google executive says they don’t actually come from Samsung.

Rick Osterloh, Google’s senior vice president, said Strategy in an interview (spotted via 9to5Google) that “very few” Pixel owners own Samsung devices. This is a particularly interesting claim because Samsung is the world’s leading smartphone brand, so it would be reasonable to assume that many Pixel owners previously owned Galaxy phones.

The Pixel chief explained in a follow-up response the direction Pixel owners are taking:

They come from a lot of people, some of whom have left the market and some of whom have left Apple, but ultimately we think what we’re trying to do is gain market share on Android. My main goal is to try to improve the competitiveness of Android, improve our innovation, improve the problems that we’re able to solve for users at all levels. But we’ve certainly had problems in the premium space that we want to try to solve.

Pixel phones have made great strides in Japan, primarily because local brands are struggling. In fact, local manufacturer Kyocera announced its intention to exit the consumer phone market just over a year ago. Google’s rise in the US in recent years has also partly coincided with LG’s exit from the smartphone market.

Still, it’s no surprise to learn that some Pixel owners have migrated from iPhones. Google has long courted iPhone users with its marketing and attractive trade-in offers.

It’s also worth noting that Osterloh acknowledged “issues in the premium segment.” He didn’t elaborate on those issues, but the company’s phones have long been criticized for their overall underwhelming performance compared to rival devices as well as unreliable connectivity. Google has sought to address the latter issue with a new modem, though. The company is also expected to switch chipmakers from Samsung to TSMC in 2025, which could translate into performance and battery life gains.