This year, Google has replaced its Nexus series with the brand new Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones. The freshly launched handsets are the first to feature deeply integrated Google Assistant. They are already available for purchase in the USA, UK, Australia, Canada, and Germany. The Google Pixel and Pixel XL is set to release in India on October 13 with a starting price of Rs. 57,000. The phones will be officially sold through Reliance Digital, Flipkart, and Croma.
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Google Pixel and Pixel XL are flagship devices with high-end hardware placed inside a space grade aluminum unibody. Apart from the size difference, both the smartphones look exactly similar to each other. Pixel is the smaller one with a 5-inch display while the Pixel XL features a larger 5.5-inch panel. The former sports Full HD (1080 x 1920) resolution, while the latter features a higher Quad HD (1440 x 2560) screen. Both the displays are based on AMOLED technology. Corning Gorilla Glass 4 shields the 2.5D curved screens from physical damage.
Moving on to the internal components, each of the new handsets packs in the same hardware. Qualcomm’s latest and greatest Snapdragon 821 SoC lies inside the Pixel and Pixel XL. The flagship 64-bit quad-core processor can run at a maximum clock speed of 2.15 GHz. The Adreno 530 handles graphics rendering. This is complemented by 4 GB of LPDDR4 RAM and 32 GB or 128 GB of inbuilt storage. Additionally, with the Pixel phones, Google is offering unlimited cloud storage for photos and videos.
The brand new handsets run on the latest Android 7.1 Nougat Operating System. Just like Nexus devices, the Pixel phones are also entitled to receive OS upgrades for two years along with security updates for a span of three years from Google. The Pixel and Pixel XL sports some advanced Artificial Intelligence with inbuilt Google Assistant and other advanced utilities.
Speaking of camera hardware, Google claims the new phones to be among the best in the industry. Each of the latest smartphones features same camera set-up. At the back, lies the 12.3 MP primary shooter with an advanced dual LED flash. This is the top end Sony IMX 378 module. The main camera sports a large f/2.0 aperture with 1.55 μm pixel size. Both PDAF (Phase Detection Auto Focus) and Laser Auto Focus are present to assist the rear camera. The front shooter is a fixed focus 8 MP Sony IMX 179 unit with f/2.4 aperture.
Video recording capability is top notch in the Pixel and Pixel XL handsets. The primary camera supports 4K 2160p shooting at 30 fps along with Full HD 1080p at 30 fps or 60 fps. Similar to the Nexus 6P, the latest smartphones can shoot slow motion HD 720p footages at 240 fps and 1080p videos at 120 fps. The rear shooter boasts enhanced optical image stabilization. The selfie camera can shoot only up to Full HD 1080p movies at 30 fps.
Google Pixel comes with a 2770mAh battery while a 3450mAh cell juices up the Pixel XL. These supports fast charging and can last up to 7 hours if plugged with just 15 minutes of charging time. Both the smartphones can only take in a single SIM card and are compatible with a broad range of 4G spectrums. The Pixel phones support up to Cat 11 4G LTE along with VoLTE which means it can be used with Reliance Jio.
Connectivity wise, Google’s latest smartphones have got a USB 3.0 Type-C port, 2 x 2 MIMO dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v4.2, NFC, and GPS. The 3.5 mm headphone jack in present in both the handsets. The fingerprint sensor sits at the back just a bit above the center.
The Pixel smartphones come in three color variants namely Very Black, Quite Silver and a limited edition Really Blue. In India, the new devices will be available for pre-order on October 13 at Flipkart, Croma and Reliance Digital. Shipping shall commence in late October. The pricing details are mentioned below.
Google Pixel and Pixel XL Prices in India
- Google Pixel 4GB/32GB – Rs. 57,000
- Google Pixel 4GB/128GB – Rs. 66,000
- Google Pixel XL 4GB/32GB – Rs. 67,000
- Google Pixel XL 4GB/128GB – Rs. 76,000
The costs are pretty hefty considering Google sells them internationally at a starting price of $649 or around Rs. 43,199 which is almost Rs. 14000 lower than that in India.
