Google's 2017 Flagships: Pixel 2 & Pixel 2 XL

Google just announced its 2017 flagship lineup - meet the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. Design-wise, both smartphones drew inspiration from their predecessors. They are made of aluminum with some glass accents. While Google has not yet joined the bezel-less display bandwagon, its Pixel 2 XL in particular is now sporting a screen aspect ratio of 18:9, same as that of the LG G6 and LG V30. The smaller Pixel 2 comes with a 5-inch OLED display of 1080p Full HD resolution. It is about 7.8 mm thin and weighs 143 grams. Meanwhile, the Pixel 2 XL packs a much larger 6-inch OLED display of Quad HD+ (1,440 x 2,880) resolution. Unlike last year's models, both devices are now IP67 certified for dust and water resistance. At the back of both smartphones, the dual-tone color scheme is still present. One can also find the lone main camera along with a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner.

Image by Google

Under the hood of both Pixel smartphones is an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset with 4GB RAM and 64GB/128GB of non-expandable storage. Both Pixel smartphones also run pure Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box with a promise of timely software updates. They also come with the new Pixel Launcher with Active Edge technology. Active Edge is similar to HTC's Edge Sense, where you can squeeze the frame of the phone for quick actions. The Pixel duo is also the first two smartphones to have access to Google Lens, a new image recognition feature designed to display helpful information based on what you point the camera, similar to Samsung's Bixby Vision. The Pixel 2 is equipped with a rather small 2,700 mAh battery while the Pixel 2 XL comes with a bigger 3,520 mAh battery. Audio-wise, you'd be disappointed to know that Google decided to remove the 3.5 mm audio jack for both Pixel smartphones. Google has decided to go the wireless route and has produced its own wireless earbuds, the Pixel Buds, with a 5-hour battery life and costing $159. Thankfully, the Pixel 2 XL comes with front-facing stereo speakers with its earpiece doubling as a speaker.

Image by Google

When it comes to camera, both the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL pack a single rear-facing camera with a 12-MP sensor, an f/1.8 aperture, dual-pixel auto-focus, optical image stabilization (OIS), 4K video recording capabilities, and dual-LED flash. Google has also promised better dynamic range and a more accurate color reproduction through HDR+. Google has also promised Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL owners free unlimited Google Photos storage for full-resolution photos and 4K videos. There's also a rather generic 8-MP camera in front.

Image by Google

Wondering how much Google's latest smartphones cost? The Google Pixel 2 starts at $650 and tops put at $750 while the Google Pixel 2 XL will retail starting at $850 going up to $950. Both smartphones are already on pre-order and will arrive as early as October 17, 2017. The Pixel 2 smartphones will be available in the US, Australia, Canada, Germany, India, and the UK. The Pixel 2 Plus, in particular, will also launch in Italy, Singapore, and Spain.

Image by Google

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Til then...

xoxo Nash