I mean, a lot of the points are valid, but the Pixel phones are pretty great, Android is pretty great and getting better, and the Chromebook gamble is playing a really long term game where they could end up uprooting Microsoft if they play their cards right. From my understanding, US kids now on average know Chromebook OS better than Windows by far, and will probably prefer to continue using it if they could. If Google makes the OS more viable for professional use and flexible and play their cards right, they'd have a really good chance at uppending Microsoft's dominance, especially since Microsoft is seemingly trying to shoot itself in the foot with Windows.
I own a Pixel 7 and although not ideal, it's certainly better than most of the phones out there for me. The only downsides of daily driving a Pixel are battery drain and overheating. Granted, I live in a rather cold climate so I imagine it being not the most useful piece of tech for the folks near the equator...
It's been confirmed that Pixel 10 will finally get a non-exynos chip, so perhaps it can indeed become the pinnacle of Android smartphones, who knows.
This scenario still requires Google to play their cards right, however, but there's hope.
I went from a Galaxy S20 to a Pixel 8 and frankly I miss the S20. Build quality sucks. My screen creaks and I hate the camera ridge especially. Whole thing feels cheap and it's not even very root friendly anymore like Nexus phones, which is the whole reason I got it.
Pixel phones are garbage compared to Nexus line at the time. Android is garbage now too, like the OP said. Chromebook is gonna have to turn itself into a real platform with powerful machines and software to ever be relevant beyond disposal classroom computers. Frankly I think SteamOS has a better chance at making a comeback, and that's a long shot.
The camera sucks, Google doctors the resulting photos with AI but it looks like crap. The battery sucks, it also overheats easily. But that's not the worst part, the worst part is the ZERO FRICTION BACKING. It fucking slides off everything. Who the hell in their design department approved such a moronic idea? How are billion dollar corporations making such shit products while continuing to fail upwards?
I guess I should point out I live and work in coastal Georgia.
So I dunno why I have such a different experience. I'm on my phone a lot calling people and using GPS with no overheating issues unless it's in direct sunlight for too long.