Published Apr 25, 2026, 11:15 AM EDT Steve is a Senior Writer at AP, where he covers over 40 smartphones a year.  Steve has carried the latest and greatest around in his pocket for nearly 30 years, with everything from Motorola StarTACs to Samsung Galaxys crossing his path. Early appearances on TechTV fueled his love of media, and when he isn’t writing, you’ll find him ranting on YouTube as StevealiciousTech. I used to have reasons to grill Google every other day. There was a three-year stretch when the company couldn’t get out of its own way. Google lacked a coherent Pixel strategy. The phones changed way too much, and the software experience was a disaster. My Pixel 6 was awful at launch, and it took Google months to fix it. The first couple of Tensor chipsets were rough, too. Things were looking bleak. Then the Pixel 8 arrived, and things improved. The company made strides with Tensor, improving thermals and performance. I think Material 3 Expressive design is a winner.…