After a very simple yet affective teaser campaign last month, Google has finally announced the new Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones. The biggest development of yesterday’s announcement was, as suspected, that Google has finally made a phone entirely in-house both inside and out, ditching brands like HTC and Sony, who previously made their devises.
Designed using aerospace grade aluminum body and 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 4 on the front and back, the Pixel comes in two sizes 5” or 5.5” in three colours: Quite Black, Very Silver, and a US exclusive Really Blue. They’ll be bringing back their Live Cases with exclusive artist designs by Justin Maller, FriendsWithYou, and photographers like Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield. You can also customize your case with photos and places.
Created with the newest Android operating system, Android 7.1 Nougat, the Pixel and Pixel XL will be able to install software and security updates in the background as soon as they’re available, so you can keep using your phone instead of having to wait around for the update. It also features increased battery life that lasts seven hours and fifteen minutes and charges super quick.
The Pixel is also equipped with Google Assistant, which you can access by saying “Ok Google” anytime or clicking the home button. You can ask it anything you’d likely Google, have it play a video, find something like a photo on your phone, or give you a brief overview on your schedule.
The Pixel also features an all new 12.3MP camera that has a DxOMark Mobile score of 89, the highest rated camera on a smartphone anyone has ever made. Spec wise the camera features a f/2.0 aperture and big 1.55 micron pixels so you’ll be able to capture in any light or setting whether you’re moving or standing still. The camera is also equipped with Smartburst, which allows you to take sets of rapid fire shots, automatically selecting the best, as well as Lens Blur technology that allows for a shallow depth of field and bokeh effects to really make your portrait photos pop, and finally new exposure controls allow you to take dramatic landscape shots.
Pixel and Pixel XL will be available starting October 20th in 32GB and 128GB for $649 in Canada, the U.S., U.K., Germany and Australia.
Check out a couple of videos of the phone in action from the Keynote below.