Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL launched: High-end cameras, improved UI and smarter user experience

Google has yet again returned with a new generation of Pixel devices.

| Updated: Thursday, October 5, 2017, 0:38 [IST]

When Pixel was introduced in the market it more or less took the mobile world by storm last year. It was basically the first Android phones that Google actually designed and put its own branding on.

Google Pixel 2 and 2 XL launched: High-end cameras, improved UI & more

However, now exactly after a year, the company has launched the much-anticipated successor to last year's Google Pixel and Pixel XL devices at an event in San Francisco. Well, it was Google's turn to reveal its flagship and the company has announced the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL which are a new generation of Pixel devices.

With the new launches, we are seeing how a year's worth of experience and user feedback taken has turned out. Besides, the two new devices as per the company will offer improved cameras, better build quality, water resistance feature, and a new bezel-free design similar to the Galaxy S8.

In any case, now that phones are official, here's what the smartphones have to offers.

Google Pixel 2

The Google Pixel 2 comes with a 5-inch AMOLED screen with 100,000:1 contrast ratio, 16:9 aspect ratio and a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. The display also comes with 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on top for protection from scratches. The display also comes with a new feature called circular feature.

The smartphone is powered by a 2.35Ghz + 1.9Ghz, 64Bit octa-core Snapdragon 835 SoC coupled with Adreno 540 GPU and 4GB of LPDDR4X RAM. The smartphone offers 64GB of storage. Pixel 2 is backed by a 2700mAh battery and it runs on Android 8.0 Oreo out-of-the-box.

As for the cameras, the handset is equipped with a 12.2MP rear camera with f/1.8 aperture, Auto-focus, and OIS as well as EIS technologies. Up front, there is an 8-megapixel camera with a f/2.4 aperture.

Connectivity options include 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type-C, GPS, GLONASS and NFC. Sensors on board include Active Edge, Pixel Imprint, a faster fingerprint sensor, Accelerometer/Gyroscope, Magnetometer, Barometer, Proximity sensor/Ambient Light Sensor, Hall sensor, and Android Sensor Hub.

The smartphone measures 145.x69.7x7.8mm and weighs in at 143 grams.

Google Pixel 2 XL

The Google Pixel 2 XL comes with a 6-inch P-OLED QHD screen with an aspect ratio of 18:9 and a resolution of 1440x2880 pixels at 538ppi. The display also comes with 3D Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on top for protection.

The smartphone is powered by a 2.35Ghz + 1.9Ghz, 64Bit octa-core Snapdragon 835 SoC coupled with Adreno 540 GPU and 4GB of LPDDR4X RAM. The smartphone offers 64GB of storage.

As for the cameras, the handset is also equipped with a 12.2MP rear camera with f/1.8 aperture, Autofocus, and OIS as well as EIS technologies. Up front, there is an 8-megapixel camera with f/2.4 aperture. The handset is backed by a 3520mAh battery and it runs on Android 8.0 Oreo out-of-the-box.

The smartphone measures 157.48x76.2x7.62mm and weighs in at 175 grams.

Other Key Features

The new Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL comes with an aluminum build, two storage variants (64GB and 128GB), features three mics (2 front, 1 rear) with noise cancellation.

The smartphones also feature single bottom-firing speaker and Adaptive audio amplifier to maximize speaker performance and durability. The Pixel 2 devices also get an always on display.

Some of the new features that are likely to be highlight of the new Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL include dual-pixel technology, motion photos portrait mode which may be a new feature linked to the camera.

Apart from that, the smartphones are now waterproof with an IP67 rating, has improved UI, is AR as well as Daydream ready and basically will deliver a smarter user experience.

Pricing and Availability

Pixel 2 (64GB) is priced at a starting price of $649 (approximately Rs. 42,233) and will be available in Just black, Kinda Blue, and Clearly White color options. Pixel 2 XL (64GB) is also priced at a starting price of $849 (approximately Rs. 55,248) and will be available in Just Black, and in a combination of Black and White colors.

The devices will be up for pre-order starting today and shipping will start October 19. Google did announce that the smartphones will be first available in Australia, Canada, Germany, India, U.K. and U.S. The company also announced that the devices will be coming to Italy, Singapore, and Spain later.