Google on Wednesday announced the second generation of its Pixel smartphones. The Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL is the latest addition to Google’s Pixel line-up.
They will be going head to head with the Apple’s latest iPhones to Samsung’s latest Note 8. The spec sheet here is pretty obvious for a 2017 flagship device except for Google’s software optimization part, let’s quickly jump into that.
Google Pixel 2 Specification:
- 5-inch Cinematic (1080×1920) (~441 PPI pixel density) with 3D curved Corning Gorilla Glass 5
- IP68 certified – dust/waterproof
- Dimensions- 145.7 x 69.7 x 7.8 mm
- Weight- 143 g
- Android 8.0
- Snapdragon 835 & Adreno 540
- 64/128 GB, 4 GB RAM
- 12.3 MP, f/1.8, OIS and EIS (gyro), phase detection autofocus, dual-LED (dual tone) flash
- Video- 2160p@30fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, 720p@240fps
- Front- 8 MP, f/2.4, 1/3.2″ sensor size, 1.4 µm pixel size, 1080p
- Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
- USB 3.0 Type-C 1.0 reversible connector with fast charging
- Non-removable Li-Ion battery 2700mAh
- Colours- Quite Black, Very Silver, Really Blue
Google Pixel 2 XL Specification:
It has the same specification as Pixel 2 with some changes here and there listed below.
- P-OLED 6.0 inches 1440 x 2880 pixels 18:9 (~538 PPI pixel density) with 3D curved Corning Gorilla Glass 5
- Dimensions- 157.9 x 76.7 x 7.9 mm
- Weight- 175 g
- Non-removable Li-Ion 3520mAh battery
Google 2nd Gen Pixel Keynotes:
Pixel 2 XL now became close to bezel-less.
The two smartphones aren’t too different from each other, the display and battery being the biggest differences.
They each have front-facing stereo speakers.
Sadly, No 3.5mm headphone jack.
Both phones also support “Active Edge,” which means you can squeeze their sides to trigger certain actions. By default, it’ll launch the Google Assistant and silence phone calls.
According to Google the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL offer the industry-best camera sensors. DxOmark has given the new camera on Pixel 2 a score of 98. For comparison, the iPhone 8 Plus comes with a score of 94.
Google now offers portrait mode just like other flagships, without including a second camera. This became possible as Google is using a dual-pixel sensor, which is supposed to divide every pixel in two.
The split pixels act like a second lens, letting the camera capture a second image ever-so-slightly offset from the first. Using that data it can create a depth map and use that to help it identify the foreground and background of a photo and blur out everything but the subject.
8-megapixel front-facing camera will also able to capture the portrait shots.
The Pixel camera will also support AR.
Google has made some minor tweaks to the phone’s home screen as you can see from the image.
The phone will support an always-on display to show the notifications and time.
Always-on microphones to listen for music to display what you’re listening to on the screen.
Pixel phones will also be the first to get Google Lens. You can now take pictures of books, posters, landmarks anything like this and Google Lens will be able to automatically pull up information on them.
Price & Availability:
- Pixel 2- $649 for 64GB and $749 for 128GB
- Pixel 2 XL- $849 for 64GB and $949 for 128GB (will be available in just two colors, black and white)
- Google Pixel 2 price in India starts from Rs.61000 (64GB)
- Google Pixel 2 XL price in India starts at Rs.73000 (64GB)
- The Google Pixel 2 XL 128GB variant is priced at Rs.82000.
For India pre-order start from October 26. The Pixel 2 will then go on sale on November 1 and the Pixel 2 XL will go on sale on November 15. The smartphones will be available from over 1,000 offline stores and will be exclusively available online via Flipkart.
Seriously speaking I still prefer the Apple iPhone 8 and 8 Plus over the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2