Google’s Pixel smartphones were able to make a big leap in the past quarter and, according to the company, have achieved a veritable sales record. So far we have not given any absolute numbers, but now the Google Play Store gives an insight into the spread of pixel smartphones. If these values are correct, which one can assume, it would be a real house number.
Just a few days ago, when the quarterly figures were announced, Google CEO Sundar Pichai spoke of record sales for the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, which should hardly have surprised anyone given the hype last year. But how many devices are we actually talking about? A self-set record is of course easy to create with your own weak template. But that doesn’t seem to be the case at all, as several million Pixel smartphones could have changed hands in Q4 2021 and Q1 2022.
The Security Hub app, which was moved to the Play Store last year and is used as a pixel-exclusive app in the security settings area, gives an indication of the actual distribution. This app has now surpassed 10 million installs, suggesting it can be found on 10 million active Pixel phones. That includes all fourth through sixth generation Pixel smartphones. Pixel 3 and Pixel 3a and the first two generations are not included.
Another detail: The app only broke the five million installation mark in November 2021. That would mean five million Pixel smartphones have been added since then. Has Google actually already sold five million Pixel 6 and Pixel 5a? I think that’s too high, but I wouldn’t rule it out. It was known from the start that Google’s hardware department wanted to ramp up production of Pixel 6 smartphones.