March 28, 2024
9

google-pixel

Google Joins The Race

Google’s Pixel phone has officially joined the mobile market as of October 4th, 2016. It could not have been released at a better time with a second Samsung Note 7 recall in progress. This second recall has been a major blow for the Android fan and consumer. If you are not an iPhone user the options are rather slim right now when it comes to high-end phones. After years of having phone makers manufacture Nexus phones for them, Google has stepped out on its own. The Pixel and Pixel XL are created by Google 100% despite HTC assembling the phones. The Pixel phones are the latest additions to Google’s line of in-house products.  Google has provided promising design, features and hardware specs.

Design And OS

Right away you can notice the Pixel’s minimalist elegant design. The phones are completely made out of a mixture of aluminum and glass. You can see the glass is located on the top back of the phone and takes about 1/3. Both phones have no physical buttons on the front but rather digital at the bottom of the screen. The fingerprint sensor is located on the back within the glass area. It can be used to lock and unlock the phone as well as to Android pay. The headphone jack is located on the top of the phone. Dual speakers and a Type-C charging port at the bottom. There is a side power button and a volume button. The Pixel comes with Android 7.1 Nougat which has a list of impressive features including the new Google Assistant. 

google-pixel-pixel-xl-black

Price And Specs

Google Pixel is a little more expensive than previous Nexus releases. The Pixel sells for $649.99 and the Pixel XL for $769.99. The main differences other than price are larger/sharper display and more battery capacity. Both phones lack a microSD slot but can be ordered in 32GB or 128GB storage. They are also both rated at IP53 meaning splash proof nothing more. Here is the full list of specs for the Pixel:

Pixel
Software Android 7.1
Display Gorilla Glass 4 5″ FHD AMOLED (1920×1080, 441ppi)
Gorilla Glass 4 5.5″ QHD AMOLED (2560×1440, 534ppi) (Pixel XL)
Processor 2.15GHz Snapdragon 821 (quad-core, 64-bit)
Adreno 530 GPU
RAM 4GB
Camera Rear: 12.3MP (f/2.0, 1.55um), Sony IMX378
Front: 8MP (f/2.4, 1.4um), Sony IMX179
Battery Fast charging 2770mAh
Fast charging 3450mAh (Pixel XL)
Storage 32GB or 128GB
UFS 2.0
No microSD support
Other Fingerprint scanner, NFC, 3.5mm headphone, USB Type-C (USB 3.1)
Connectivity Bluetooth 4.2
WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2×2 MIMO, dual-band (2.4 GHz, 5.0 GHz)
Water/Dust Resistance IP53
Dimensions 143.8 x 69.5 x 8.6 mm 143 grams
154.7 x 75.7 x 8.6 mm 168 grams (Pixel XL)
SIM Nano
Colors Quite Black, Very Silver. Really Blue

Verdict

Google Pixel is a great alternative from Samsung for those Android fans. Although the price tag is a little higher than previous Nexus phones, it is completely justifiable taking material and specs into consideration. The waterproof might be a deal breaker for some but not for others. The lack of microSD card slot is made up by the 128GB model for those who need more storage. Being Google’s first 100% designed and engineered phone you can only expect a high-end phone with a smooth OS. Google Pixel brings great competition into the phone market at a critical time.

Leave a Reply

16 Comments on "Google Pixel – Pure Android"

Sort by:   newest | oldest | most voted
Kal-El
Rank
Senior
Kal-El

I am sure this is a great phone but I am too committed to the apple ecosystem to turn around now.

Gerson6868
Rank
VP
Gerson6868

Apple is to phones as Windows is to PC

Bane
Rank
Soph
Bane

My iPhone 7 is far superior to this phone. The ghost of Steve Jobs powers it. Apple > Android.

Gerson6868
Rank
VP
Gerson6868

Apple phone simple yet powerful even after 3 years of use and 10 MB available of space. Don’t know how they do it

CoolStoryBro
Rank
Fresh
CoolStoryBro

I prefer the Nexus lineup, especially if HTC is making it this year.

JohnWick
Rank
Senior
JohnWick

Thinking of trading in my iPhone 7 for this phone.

WilliamWallace
Rank
Junior
WilliamWallace

Always been a big fan of Google. Ive had a couple of Nexus phones and they have all been really good.

MadMax
Rank
Senior
MadMax

I’m going to wait for other models released by Google. They’ll get better.

Gerson6868
Rank
VP
Gerson6868

You will be waiting an eternity brother

Domo
Rank
Senior
Domo

They are only guarantee software upgrades for 2 years. I will be staying with my iPhone.

Joker
Rank
Boss
Joker

Really cool. I think Google phones will get better and better.

Demon
Rank
Senior
Demon

This phone looks amazing. Everything Google makes is good. It seems like they want to compete head on against Apple.

Gerson6868
Rank
VP
Gerson6868

There’s an iPhone and then there’s everything else

Christiantheman
Rank
Grad
Christiantheman

IPhone is overrated

Gerson6868
Rank
VP
Gerson6868

Being the King of phones is not overrated … the IPhone revolutionized what a true mobile phone could be. They even took down a titan single handedly, The Black Berry

Christiantheman
Rank
Grad
Christiantheman

This phone sounds pretty epic. I agree that this phone can be a big hit now with the whole issue of note 7. Plus you can never go wrong with Google. If I had Verizon I would definitely get this phone.

wpDiscuz