The Google’s biggest annual event is finally over, and the company has launched a few exciting tech and their flagship smartphones for this year, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. These devices will be competing against the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, Lg V30 and the iPhone X.
In case you missed the event, we have summarized the biggest announcement here so without further ado lets get started:
• Google Pixel 2 And Pixel 2 XL:
The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are successors to the last year Pixel phones. Internally both the devices share the same specs, they are powered by the latest Snapdragon 835 processors with 4 gigabytes of RAM and 64 and 128 gigabytes of internal storage to choose from.
The Pixel has a 5 inch OLED Display with 1080p resolution, while Pixel 2 XL has a slightly bigger 6 inch screen with a Quad HD Display. Both the phones follow the trend of longer display and offer 18:9 display ratio which we have seen in some other recent smartphones by manufacturers.
They have the same camera specs from last year, a 12.2 megapixel shooter with laser autofocus, dual pixel phase detection and electronic and optical image stabilization. The company has ditched the dual lens setup which we have seen. and most flagship smartphones, according to Google their single lens system is so good that it will outperform other smartphone cameras with dual lens setup.
Both phones also have a front facing 8 megapixel camera with fixed focus. The back camera has blur mode which works on algorithms and senses depth and tracks down faces to get you that bokehlicious effect. This effect only works best with people as it has to track the face.
Google also ditched the headphone jack which might be disappointing to a lot of people but I guess we are heading towards a wireless future. However, there is an adapter included. The company has brought back Fast charging to their phones and uses USB Type-C, but don’t offer Wireless Charging.
The only difference between the two phones is the screen size and the battery, Pixel 2 XL has a slightly bigger battery for its larger screen and more resolution. The Pixel 2 on other hand is slightly slimmer and lighter than the XL.
The only down point of the phone is its design as it looks slightly aged compared to other smartphones with the edge to edge displays. There are two front facing speakers located at the top and at bottom of the display.
Other than screen to body ratio both the phones have a pretty minimal and clear design. It uses Corning Gorilla glass 5 and is IP67 certified water resistant ( 3 feet – 1 meter for 30 minutes water resistant) means you don’t have to worry if you drop it into a pool or spill water on the table.
They come with the core part of the Pixel phones the Google Assistant, some software improvements including the active edge which basically means that if you slightly squeeze the side of the phone it will launch Google Assistant.
The phones come in 3 colors: Clearly White, Just Black and Kinda Blue. The pre-orders are available and the price for the Pixel 2 starts at $649 and Pixel 2 XL starts at $849 for 64 GB variant.
• Google Pixel Book:
Google also continued its Chromebook series by introducing the new Pixelbook which according to the company “re-imagines the laptop experience”. The Pixelbook still runs Chrome OS with Play Store and Google Assistant built-in.
The Pixelbook is a pretty attractive looking laptop which weighs only about a kg and is only 10 millimeters thick. It is a convertible laptop means that it can be used as a traditional laptop, table stand and as well as tablet.
It has a 12.3 inch Quad HD touch display with two-tone glass inlay like the pixel phones. The internal specs are pretty decent, it is powered by Intel i5 or i7 with 16 gigabytes of RAM. It has 512 gigabytes SSD for internal storage.
There is USB Type C which is capable of fast charging and provides 2 hours of battery in just 15 minutes. The battery claims to last up to 10 hours on a full charge.
Pixelbook comes in three configurations and starts at $999, you will have to pay $99 extra to get the Pixel pen which is similar to the Samsung’s S-Pen. This Laptop will be hitting the market on October 31st and the pre-orders are available.
• Google Home Mini And Max:
Google announced two smart home devices at the event, the Home Mini and Max. It is a little bit similar to Amazon Echo and you can listen to songs, news or podcasts. It can perform the various task by listening to your voice commands like if you say “Goodnight Google”, it will turn off the lights, set the upcoming alarm, reminds you about the next appointment and arm your security.
The devices will be available in three colors: charcoal, chalk and coral pink. The Home mini costs about $49 and will be hitting the market on October 19th.
The Google Home Max on other hand is a great quality stereo speaker with two 4.5 inch subwoofers and is said to be 20 times more powerful than the original Google Home. It will cost about $399 and will be available in December. The buyers of the Home Max will receive a free 1 year membership of the YouTube Red.
• Google Daydream:
The company also announced a new VR headset which is an upgrade to the last headset. It has similar colors to the Google Home and is available in gray, black and coral pink.
It provides even more field of view to give you more immersive experience, the lenses have also been improved. It is available for sale now and is available in different textures like fabric and costs about $99.
• Google Clips:
Google also launched an Artificial Intelligence based camera that will capture intimate moments on its own which you’re unable to capture. It senses family moments like a baby’s laugh, a camera shy dog and automatically takes pictures of that moment. You can clip this camera anywhere you like. It senses the known faces and interesting objects and moments.
It has a 130 degree field of view and has a 12 megapixel sensor that takes photos at 15 FPS. It has 3 hours of continuous battery life and lastly 8 gigabytes of built-in storage. The device comes in two tone colors and costs about $249.