Now That Google Has Bought HTC’s Pixel Team, What Happens Now?

Last week, Google had officially announced that it had signed an agreement with HTC in order to have some key members of the Taiwanese phone maker’s hardware division (specifically those with experience in building Google’s Pixel smartphones last year) join Google’s team. Under the terms of the said agreement, HTC will be getting a sum in the amount of $1.1 billion, while Google will have a non-exclusive license for the phone maker’s intellectual property.

Sure, it was not the takeover that many had sort of expected, but more like a migration of some of HTC’s very best hardware personnel to Google. According to Rick Osterloh, the senior vice president of hardware at Google, the overall objective is to have the right people to help the tech giant continue to offer innovative hardware offerings.

What about HTC? The company still has enough people to continue developing its flagship devices, which is what the phone maker is looking to concentrate on anyway in the years to come. Also, the mobile manufacturer will also try to keep expanding its Vive virtual reality brand, which has actually done pretty well in the last couple of years, while also continuing research and development efforts in key areas such as the Internet of Things, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence.

This may appear nothing more than a bigger company trying to help out another company with some cash infusion (it is no secret that HTC has been struggling financially in the last few quarters), while getting some expertise and IP licenses in return. But some industry watchers are thinking that in the grand scheme of things, this latest move by Google is a sign that it wants to be a bigger mobile player, perhaps one that can challenge Samsung and Apple.

Sure, Google is already a global brand in its own right, but when it comes building smartphone devices, it still has a lot to learn. With the momentum generated by last year’s Pixel devices, and the addition of some top level HTC talent, Google has put itself in a good position to further build on its mobile efforts. 

On the consumers’ side, this agreement could result to a more seamless Android experience. Google can boast of the most widely used mobile operating system in the world, but Android’s full potential is not always realized because the company has no complete control over how its OS is integrated to devices, even with its own Pixel and Nexus devices, which are manufactured by other companies. 

But this could change soon, now that Google has a dedicated hardware team of its own. And we are not just talking about smartphones and tablets here -- as we all head into a new decade, we could see other new connected devices become parts of our daily lives. And Google, with the help of selected HTC talents, will be right there in the thick of it.