This October 4th, Google is set to announce its pure Android smartphones, Pixel and Pixel XL. Its quite evident that the name Nexus is no more and Google is adopting the Pixel branding which was initially used for its Chromebooks and tablets.
For now, the smartphones are exclusively manufactured by HTC and rumors has it that the search giant might be building their own phones directly.
Here are the 5 things you need to know about Google’s Pixel & Pixel XL
Launch Date
The phones are going to be unwrapped on October 4th at an event to be held in San Francisco confirmed by Google. Ahead of the event, Google has been putting advertisements literally everywhere! This sort of marketing was somewhat missing during the Nexus phones’ launching events
Cost
The most important factor.
There’s a high chance that the smartphones will be bearing a higher price tag compared to the Nexus phones released earlier. According to reports, the prices might start at $649 for the Pixel. What Google should avoid is a similar pricing strategy with Apple’s. If they do go for it, it won’t be a game-changing scenario.
Design
The Pixel smartphones will be bearing an all new design language and will not follow the design cues of the Nexus 5X or 6P.
Have a look at the leaked images below:
The smartphones seems to have a dual tone design featuring glass and metal combination at the rear. A presence of a fingerprint scanner is also spotted on the rear similar to that of the Nexus 5X and 6P.
In all honesty, at first glance, the devices reminded me of Samsung Galaxy SIII.
Features
Google’s Pixel XL will be featuring a 5.5-inch display while Pixel will have a 5-inch display. Both the devices will be armed with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 821 processor.
Pixel XL will be having a Quad HD Display with the Pixel having a Full HD Display. As for the camera’s the phone will be taking the features of HTC 10’s excellent 12MP Rear camera with f/1.8 aperture.
Software
You should be thinking that since these devices are getting released by Google, they must be the first to run Android 7.0 nougat.
Unfortunately, they wont.
Instead, they will be running the Android 7.1 Nougat already! With the update, the devices will be getting a Pixel Launcher which shrinks Google search bar into a G button only. The launcher will allow users to have only 5 default apps in the tray.
Let’s hope Google aces this event with a powerful device. Apple’s latest iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are not much of an upgrade and with Samsung’s new explosive device, Note 7, Google has a great chance to win the hearts of the consumers.
