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| Photos: Google |
The much awaited 2017 flagship smartphones from Google that will succeed the successful Pixel and Pixel XL from last year; the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are finally here . And as expected, the second generation Pixel smartphones, unveiled at the "Made by Google" hardware event in San Francisco yesterday come with the best of the best in terms of specs and a few other features that you may or may not like, depending on your mileage.
Let me start with the number one highlight of the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL; the cameras. Google has made significant improvement in this area, so much so that the camera modules on the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL has been crowned "the best cameras in any smartphone" by independent camera experts DxOMark with a staggering score of 98, dusting away the iPhone 8 Plus and Samsung Galaxy Note 8 that were previously tied at the top of that ranking with a score 94.
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| Pixel 2 XL (White variant) from the back |
The 12.2 megapixel 'dual pixel' camera on the back of both the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL comes with loads of additions. Aside the fact that we expect the cameras to perform extremely well in both good lighting and low light conditions --going by that rating-- it now comes with the 'bokeh' effect that gives portrait photos a blurry background for better and detailed portrait shots.
This is a feature that is also on the iPhone 8 Plus, and even the Galaxy Note 8 (with dual cameras), but only that Google has achieved this on the new Pixel smartphones with just a single sensor. The so called 'dual pixel' sensor means that the individual pixels, that are 1.4μm each in size have each been split into two, so the split pixels act like a second lens that enables the camera capture a second image that differs a little from the first. By so doing, Google 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. According to Google, this portrait effect will work for objects, as well as humans and it is also enabled for the 8-megapixel camera on the front, even though it doesn't feature the split pixels. The 'dual pixel' sensor should also provide faster autofocus.
The camera also ships with Optical and Electronic Image Stabilization, Motion photos (a 3 secs video clip captured alongside the photo) and unlimited storage space in Google Photos to store all your photos in its original quality, which means no photo compression anymore and no limited storage like before. Also coming with the new Pixels camera is support for various augmented reality features, letting you add various emojis and 3D characters to photos and videos which moves around while capturing great moments. All of these, Google achieves by loads of new machine learning (ML) and AI added to the system.
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| Pixel 2 XL (front) |
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| Pixel 2 (front) |
In terms of build and display, the Pixel 2 looks similar to last year's Pixel, at least from the front, retaining the 5-inches display, squared-off corners and thick bezels. The Pixel 2 XL, however sees some changes in design, most obvious of which is the display size that is now 6.0-inches from 5.5.
The 18:9 display also takes up almost the whole front, leading to shrunken down bezels, mostly on the sides. The display on the smaller Pixel 2 is a Full-HD OLED panel (1080p), with a pixel density of 441 ppi,. while the one on the Pixel 2 XL is a Quad-HD P-OLED panel (2880 x 1440 resolution) with 538 ppi.
The back of both phones now feature a smaller glass accent as it no longer holds the fingerprint sensor (which Google claims is the fastest in any smartphone), the camera can be seen with a bump, and right next to it is the LED flash. Both phones also come with front facing stereo speakers.
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| The Pixel buds next to the Pixel 2 XL |
The internals are as expected on the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL; Snapdragon 835 CPU, Adreno 540 GPU, 4GB of RAM and 64GB or 128 GB storage options. What might not resonate with some is the lack of a headphone jack on the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, but Google also released a wireless headphone, called "the Pixel buds" that will peg you back an extra $159 😏, or you can opt to use the USB-C headphone dongle that is included in the pack. Incase you lost that dongle, just know it will cost an extra $20 to get a new one.
On the software side of things, Google has also added a few neat features to the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. Both phones now come with an always-on display feature that gives you a glance at notifications, time, battery power and more without touching the power button. You will also be able to see what you are listening to while playing music, even from radio.
The homescreen on both phones have been retouched. You now find the Google search bar just above the on-screen nav keys and at the top is information about events you
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| Google Lens in action |
Google also added what it's calling the 'Google Lens'. When active, you can use the camera to take photos of landmarks or books, which Google will automatically pull up information about it on the web. It will also be able to scan Wifi passwords and email addresses and put it to use accordingly.
The sides of the phones are also now 'squeezable', like on the HTC U11, and by simply pressing a little hard on the sides for instance, you can launch the Google Assistant. Other functionality for the squeezable frames should be added as time goes on.
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Both phones are IP67 certified (dust and water resistant), will ship with Android Oreo and Google has promised 3 years OS update for the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL exclusively.
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| Pixel 2 colours |
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| Pixel 2 XL colours |
The Pixel 2 will come in three colours; Black, White and 'Kinda Blue' and will start at $649 for the 64GB variant, while the Pixel 2 XL which will come in only Black and White (the white variant has a black glass accent at the back and an Orange Home button with neon lighting), will start $849 for the 64GB variant. Pre-orders have commenced and the phones will start shipping by October 19th.
What do you think about Google's new Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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