Two companies on two different continents ruined Google's surprise, but that doesn't mean we can afford to ignore the official presentation of the Pixel smartphone. Both models symbolize the beginning of a new era, and the end of the Nexus line, with Android Nougat at the forefront and the Daydream ecosystem attacking virtual reality. For many colleagues, the Pixel represents Google's first "legitimate" attempt to compete with Apple and Samsung in specifications and price. Will it be so?
The end of the Nexus era
No more doubts, rumors, and leaks. Google has two new smartphones in the Pixel family. The launch marks the apparent end of the Nexus series, which, although it fulfilled its mission (serving as the 'front line' of devices to receive the latest Android updates), never developed the international impact we expected. Unfortunately, the Pixel will not completely escape that, but improvements in distribution and availability are expected. Both phones, the Pixel and Pixel XL, are a kind of 'window' into Google's strategy for its mobile future: a pure Android experience, first-line updates, greater integration with Mountain View services, and a more robust artificial intelligence assistant.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/Rykmwn0SMWUSpecifications
The hardware specifications on both smartphones are exactly the same as those published with yesterday's leak. You can review the content here if you wish, but at the heart of the devices we find a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 821, 5-inch (1080p) and 5.5-inch (1440p) screens, and internal storage options divided into 32 and 128 gigabytes. A 'leap of faith' by Google is the inclusion of a USB Type-C port, which enables faster charging of the integrated battery (Google talks about seven hours in 15 minutes). Unlike its direct rivals, the Pixel was not presented as resistant to liquids and dust (IP53 is the maximum), but many users will welcome the decision to maintain a dedicated 3.5mm headphone jack to use all kinds of headphones and amplifiers. Who deserves a special mention is Google Assistant, the new artificial intelligence system we already saw integrated into the Google Allo app, and which promises to leave Siri spinning like a top. Where is the fingerprint reader? On the back of the phones, just like in previous Nexus devices.
Price and availability
What about price? Up to now, everything that had circulated was a handful of rumors. Well... the rumors were correct. The 5-inch Pixel with 32 GB costs $649, and jumps to $749 for the 128 GB version. For the Pixel XL, Google wants $769 for the 32 GB model, and $869 for the 128 GB one. Pre-orders are already open, but the process will initially be limited to the United States (where Verizon is the exclusive carrier), Canada, Germany, Australia, and the United Kingdom. First deliveries arrive on October 20.
Official site: madeby.google.com/phone
