Following months of leaks, rumours and meetings at dodgy crossroads, Google’s latest iteration of its flagship smartphone was revealed yesterday. Gone is the Nexus name, with it being replaced by the Pixel brand as Google seeks to refresh its smartphone business. The Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL smartphones are similar in nearly every aspect other than their displays and their size. Both boast the veritable plethora of flagship specifications to go along with the premium price tag attached to the smartphones.
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The Pixel features a 1080p 5-inch screen whilst the Pixel XL boasts a slightly larger Quad HD 2,560 x 1,440 AMOLED 5.5-inch display, similar to the Nexus 6P. The displays sit inside an aluminium body that’s covered in 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass. The result is polished, refined appearance. While HTC has built the phone, Google takes full credit for the design with their “Phone by Google” slogans.
Both devices are powered by Snapdragon 821 processors, feature 4GB worth of RAM and come with either 32 or 128 GB of RAM. That’s quite the disparity between storage sizes and unfortunately, there won’t be expanded storage for either Pixel smartphone. However, Google has a quick fix when it comes to storage; the Cloud. Google will enable free unlimited storage for full-resolution images and videos shot with either of the Pixel phones. That’s much like the standard Google Photos backup ability, but takes off the size limit and compression, even on 4K video shot with the new phone. Right off the bat, I can already see that this feature may result in many opting for the 32GB version.
The reason both smartphones feature the meaty Snapdragon 821 processors is due to the processing power required to run Daydream, the virtual reality platform select Android Nougat smartphones will feature. Google have also announced the Daydream View VR headset to help immerse yourself in the VR content you can view from the Pixel smartphones.
Both Pixel smartphones also feature a fingerprint sensor on the back, dubbed “Pixel Imprint”, which aside from letting you unlock your phone can also be used to view notifications by swiping against it. The smartphones also feature a USB-C port and the fast charging that goes along with it; you can get up to 7 hours of usage on a 15 minute charge.
Both the Google Pixel & Pixel XL are the first phones with the Google Assistant built in. Google Assistant is Google’s version of “Siri”; it’s been in the works for quite some time. Say “Ok Google” or touch and hold the Home button and your Assistant is ready to help. You can do things such as asking it for a brief update on your day or to play a video on YouTube. Look up traffic on the way home from work or when the nearest pharmacy closes. You can even say “show me my camping photos with Andrew” and it’ll instantly display the photos you’re looking for. Your Assistant can also offer help with what’s on-screen in any app. So if your friend texts you to meet up at a new restaurant, you can just say “navigate there”.
But perhaps the biggest feature about the Google Pixel smartphones are their cameras. Both feature a 12.3MP rear-facing camera, featuring an f/2.0 aperture and big 1.55-micron pixels, letting you capture a lot of detail in low light situations. Google states that the camera has “the shortest capture time on any mobile camera ever”. Furthermore, the camera also features a gyroscope-based video stabilizer. Google has no qualms boasting about the camera; it received a score of 89 on DxOMark Mobile, the highest ever.
Other tidbits about the phone include having Google Duo preinstalled as well as the availability of 24/7 support, in addition to getting all the latest software updates first.
Pricing starts at $649 for the smaller 5-inch Pixel with 32GB of storage, available for preorder today. That number scales up to $749 with 128GB of onboard storage, $769 for the larger Pixel XL with 32GB, or $869 for the XL with 128GB.
And yes, both phones feature a 3.5mm headphone jack unlike a certain other phone.
