Google announces Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2, its cheaper, squeezable alternatives to iPhone
They're finally here. Google just announced the new Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL smartphones today at a special media event in San Francisco.
The new smartphones are set to compete directly against the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, in addition to other premium Android phones like the Note 8 and OnePlus 5.
The Pixel 2—the smaller of the two new phones—has everything you'd expect from a premium smartphone in 2017. It's water and dust resistant and runs the recently released Android Oreo (version 8.0). It shares all of the same hardware as the larger phone except for the screen.
The smaller Pixel 2 is equipped with a 5-inch OLED display that has a resolution of 1080x1920 pixels, which should be enough to compete with the iPhone 8 and competing Samsung phones. The Pixel 2 costs $649 and is available for pre-order today.
The Pixel 2 XL phone has a larger 6-inch OLED display with a resolution of 1440x2560 pixels. It shares most of the same components with the smaller phone including 4GB of RAM, 64GB of memory, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor. The Pixel 2 XL costs $849 and is also available for pre-order now.
One of the weirder features included in both phones is the ability to squeeze the sides to activate the Google Assistant, its artificial intelligence feature that can answer basic questions and run basic commands. You can, of course, turn it off if you're worried about triggering it during an inopportune moment — but it could actually prove to be a very helpful way to trigger the AI assistant.
Google also spent a large chunk of the presentation touting the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL's camera. The camera itself scored an unprecedented DxO Score of 98, according to Google, meaning that the photos should look immaculate regardless of conditions.
It's important to note, however, that the Pixel phones are missing a second telephoto camera, which is something that other premium phones like the Note 8 and iPhone 8 Plus employ.
Another interesting improvement to the Pixel's camera is its ability to use the company's new augmented reality platform, ARCore. Google announced it's adding "AR stickers" to the phone's camera that allow people to superimpose digital graphics and images into videos and photos. The stickers are exclusive to new Pixel phones.
During the presentation, a Google executive showed how she could, in real time, add digital characters from the Netflix show Stranger Things to the scene she was standing in. It's unclear how many of these ARCore-powered stickers will be available at launch, but it's safe to say Google will be aggressively rolling more out.
Finally, there are a couple of other cool perks included with the purchase of a Pixel phone. Google is still offering unlimited storage on Google Photos with the purchase of one of its phones. It's also offering a free Google Home Mini with the purchase of every Pixel phone. Both are pretty sweet deals and could actually deter some customers from buying an iPhone.
Of course, it's still too early to say exactly how well these phones stack up against competitors like the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and Note 8. And we haven't even bothered to mention the iPhone X, which includes cutting-edge technology like a front-facing 3D camera for its new Face ID technology. It's a competitive market, and although the Pixel phones look great, it will be interesting to see if they can actually make some headway competing against Apple and Samsung phones. For context, last year's Pixel phones barely put a dent in Samsung's and Apple's dominant market share.
Topics Google
