For all of the smarts that Google’s Pixel line-up offers, there’s a drawback us privileged EU and US folks don’t often talk about: availability. Whether it’s countries where you can buy the Pixel 8 and those where you can’t, markets where Google disables 5G and forces you down to 4G, or locations where some of Google’s smartest Pixel-only features aren’t available, there’s always a limitation somewhere.
And while it makes sense to restrict some features to Google’s officially-supported markets on paper, there’s always the question of travel. What if you’re a Pixel user and you did the unthinkable act of crossing country borders with your phone? Do you dare expect it to work the same way it does in your home territory, or will features get disabled left and right?