Google unveiled new flagship: Google Pixel and Pixel XL

Google has presented its two latest smartphones at an event in San Francisco. Google Pixel, the Nexus successor. The smaller of the two Pixel smartphones with a 5-inch display should compel customers who are looking for a relatively compact smartphone with good features.

Google Pixel release date and price

The Google Pixel costs $649 if you opt for 32 GB of internal memory and $749 if you go for the model with 128 GB of memory. There are Google Pixels available in several colors: (Quite) black or (Very) silver. There is also a (Really) blue version available, though this may just be for the U.S. Both the Pixel and Pixel XL will be available in the U.S., Australia, Canada, Germany and the UK. You will be able to buy the Google Pixel from the Google Play Store.

Google Pixel design and build quality

The Google Pixel is donned with an aluminum body, while the back is covered in glass behind which the camera, flash and also the NFC chip are hidden.  The phone has Gorilla Glass on both the front and back, however the presenters and PR weren’t able to specify which version.

When conducting our hands-on test of the Google Pixel, the smartphone looked compact and felt comfortable to hold. Google and HTC designed the edges in a way that they feel smooth but at the same time allow you to easily lift the phone off of a flat surface, thanks to the slight angle on the long edges of the phone.

The Google Pixel looks quite light, finished to a high standard. In fact, the most baffling thing about the device was indeed its small weight. Google seems to have managed to reduce the weight in all areas, so the phones feel a lot lighter than expected.

Google forwent making the phone water- or dustproof, which makes it a bit inferior to its biggest competitors.

Google Pixel display

The 5-inch AMOLED display of the Pixel has a Full HD resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels. In relation to the display size, the resolution is more than sufficient for the content to appear sharp. The usual advantages of an AMOLED display are visible in this device: bright and vivid colors and a deep black.

Google Pixel software

Google pre-installed the latest version of Android on the Pixel, Android 7.1 Nougat. Prior to the launch, this version didn’t exist on any other smartphone. Some exclusive features, such as the system-wide integration of Google Assistant, are not to be found on older Nexus smartphones.

Another new software feature is its seamless updates. A second system partition allows Android updates to be installed in the background. These are automatically included in a reboot, sparing you the waiting time that was associated with updates until now.

The exciting thing about the new software is the deep integration of Google Assistant. In this way, Pixel devices provide a brand new usability experience to Android users. Searches are always performed according to context and are answered by artificial intelligence in a conversation-like form. The Google Assistant can be started by holding down the home button. Soon, we will be able to provide further details about how this system works in everyday life in our complete review when the test device arrives at our office.

Google Pixel performance

Snapdragon 821 is the fastest processor for Android devices after Samsung’s Exynos 8890. It has high computing and gaming performance and is optimized in contrast to the Snapdragon 820 for Daydream VR. With this, the Pixel is prepared for any kind of task without compromise. It has 4 GB of RAM to ensure multitasking performance.

Google Pixel camera

Google refuses to follow the dual-camera trend that Huawei, LG and Apple want to push. The simple 12.3 megapixel main camera is similar to that of its predecessor and should not disappoint. Google has promised the best camera yet in a smartphone. The rear camera has 1.55 µm pixel and an f /2.0 aperture. Laser focus, dual-tone flash and optical image stabilization are all present. In addition, you can shoot 4K videos.