Google Pixel. Everything you need to know about new smartphones. Google Pixel Specifications

As expected, Google today unveiled its new Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones. By and large, the company only had to confirm the characteristics published by the operators the day before, and during the presentation the main focus was on the new Assistant and the capabilities of the camera, which received the highest rating from the DxOMark team. No Nexus, no mention of partners. Pixel is Google. Let's move on to the details.

Google Pixel has a 5-inch AMOLED display with Full HD resolution of 1920x1080. Inside there is a powerful quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor with a frequency of 2.15 GHz, random access memory- 4 GB, and the flash drive holds 32 or 128 GB depending on the version. Memory card support is not provided. The main camera of the smartphone is 12.3 megapixel, with an f/2.0 aperture and large pixels measuring 1.55 microns. In Smart Burst mode, it takes several shots at once and automatically selects the best one, and the HDR+ function is enabled by default and works without delay. The camera records smooth 4K video, thanks to the gyroscope-based image stabilization system. Front-camera 8 megapixel. Google Photos allows you to store all your photos and videos in the cloud in original quality. 2770 mAh battery supports fast charging via USB port Type-C.

Google Pixel XL also received a metal body with a glass insert and a fingerprint scanner. The display diagonal is 5.5 inches with a resolution of 2560x1440. All other specifications are identical: Snapdragon 821, 4 GB of RAM and 32 or 128 GB of internal memory, 12.3 and 8 megapixel cameras. The battery capacity has increased to 3450 mAh. The smartphones are available in three colors: "pretty black", "really blue", which is available in limited quantities, and "very silver". As for Google Assistant, it takes into account the context and is called at any time by long pressing the “Home” button. Android 7.1 Nougat comes with a new Pixel Launcher skin. Pixel smartphones will receive updates operating system first.

The new items are the first smartphones to support the platform virtual reality Daydream. At the presentation, the search giant also presented the Daydream View VR helmet with a remote control. Another feature of the Pixel is that using the special Quick Switch Adapter included in the package, the device can be connected to an iPhone or Android device to transfer all data to a new gadget.

The price of Google Pixel and Pixel XL starts at $650 (and happiness was so close). Pre-orders for smartphones are already open in some countries.

The time has come when we abandoned third-party naming in our hardware products. So the first picture will be just with her logo:

At the same time, the brand, which pleased us with competitive devices year after year, retired. Not always, but in general this was the case. Despite the fact that its successor was presented back in October, there are very few high-quality printed reviews on the Russian part of the Internet. And there are reasons for this that will become clear by the end of the article.

The hero of the review is the Google Pixel, the search giant's first smartphone, which it calls “its own.” To quote, this is “the first smartphone made by Google.” And although we know that it is produced by HTC, the company with which it all began (remember the HTC Nexus One), there is no doubt that the guys from Google were responsible for the design.

And even though this gadget didn’t make it into our “Best Smartphones of 2016” nominees, it’s still worth considering. Moreover, I voted for him.

However, due to the rarity of this device in the vast expanses of the Russian Federation, it will not be possible to test it in action, as well as talk about impressions of the “pure” Android 7.1 OS - we managed to borrow the smartphone for only 24 sleepless hours.

Google Pixel Specifications

Model	Google Pixel
Device type	Smartphone
CPU	Qualcomm Snapdragon 821
Core Configuration	2 x 2150 MHz + 2 x 1600 MHz, Kryo
Video processor	Adreno 530
operating system	Android 7.0
RAM, GB	4
Internal memory, GB	32 / 128
Screen	5.0" AMOLED, Full HD (1920 x 1080)
Cameras, Mpix	12.0 + 8.0
Net	GSM 850/900/1800/1900
Number of SIM cards, pcs.	1
MicroSD support	No
Data transfer	Wi-Fi, WAP, GPRS, EDGE, NFC, HSDPA, 3G, LTE
aGPS/GPS/GLONASS/Beidou	Is/Is/Is/Is
Battery, mAh	2 770
Dimensions, mm	143.8 x 69.5 x 8.5
Weight, g	143
price, rub.	~50 000 / ~64 000

The smartphone has top-end hardware at the end of 2016. True, the Snapdragon 821 here operates at 820 frequencies, but this is really a modification of the MSM8996 Pro, no doubt.

The choice of resolution looks a little strange, given the bunch of lyrics about the arrival of VR content to the masses. With such a diagonal, the pixel density will be at 441 ppi, which is perfect for classic use, but catastrophically low for enjoying virtual reality. In this regard, the Pixel XL looks more interesting with its 534 ppi. It is also worth criticizing the dimensions, which are typical of almost 5.5" smartphones of the present time.

Packaging and equipment Google Pixel

Google Pixel comes in a nice, stylish package. Moreover, from the outside it seems that the internal cavity is not fully inserted inside, although this is done for ease of opening.

Overall this is a classic dust jacket design.

An atypical delivery package awaits us inside:

• Charger;
• USB Type-C –> USB Type-C cable;
• USB Type-C -> USB cable (“male”);
• Adapter USB Type-C -> USB (“female”);
• Documentation.

This package is valid for smartphones intended for the Asian market. Now let's talk about everything in order.

Charger with plug for Asian countries. The main disadvantage of this gadget is that on its end is not the usual USB, but USB Type-C. That is why such a non-standard cable is included in the kit.

It supports fast charging technology with a maximum voltage of 9 V.

The USB Type-C -> USB adapter is needed not for connecting OTG-compatible devices, but for transferring contacts from iPhone and other smartphones using their standard cable.

The classic USB Type-C -> USB cable is needed to connect the gadget to the computer. Overall, they were too clever. Why this leapfrog was needed is unclear, if it was easier to do Charger with the usual USB connector.

Google launches its new smartphone Pixel XL, having created it yourself (although I still assembled the device HTC). How does it compare to last year's Nexus 6P, which involved more middlemen in its creation than it does now? Let's compare.

1 – size

The newcomer is lower and narrower by 3 percent, but they are equal in thickness.

2 – weight

The weight difference is 6 percent: the Pixel XL weighs 168 grams and the Nexus 6P weighs 178 grams. Thus, the new product has become at least more compact and lighter.

3 – building

Both bodies are actually made of aluminum, but the Nexus 6P also had a glass bar on the back that covered the cameras and hid the antennas. Design-wise, the old representative looks even more beautiful with its smooth, streamlined shapes. The new smartphone's plastic antennas on the body stand out too much.

4 – water protection

Both phones never received any protection from water.

5 – colors

Both then and now, Google offers a choice of black or silver. The new one now also has a blue color option, but the old school also offered gold and white colors.

6 – display

And here it turns out that reducing the height and width of the case affected the size of the display. The newcomer lost 0.2 inches, but thereby increased the pixel density per inch. After all, in fact, the resolution remains the same - 2560 by 1440 pixels. The screen type remains the same - AMOLED. There were no technologies added that could sense the force of pressing the screen. Simply put, the screen hasn't actually changed.

7 – cameras

The cameras haven't changed at all. All the same 12 and 8 megapixels. No dual cameras.

8 – battery

The battery capacity remains the same: 3450 mAh. Only for the previous model it gives up to 23 hours of battery life, and for the newcomer – up to 32 hours of talk time. Fast charging, USB-C connector and no wireless charging are attached.

9 – processor

How much faster has it become? Snapdragon processor 821 compared to the Snapdragon 820, it’s difficult to judge without tests, but the newcomer is definitely faster at handling everyday smartphone tasks.

10 – RAM

The Nexus 6P had 3GB of RAM, and the Pixel XL had 4GB of RAM.

11 – memory

Both devices offer 32 or 128 GB of memory. But the previous phone also offered a 64GB option. Both smartphones do not support an additional memory card.

12 – virtual reality support

Only the new Pixel XL will be able to work with the Daydream mobile virtual reality platform. The Nexus 6P, according to Google, is "underpowered."

13 – headphone port

Both smartphones have it.

14 – fingerprint sensor

Both smartphones have it on the back.

15 – mobile payments

Both smartphones offer Android Pay mobile payments.

16 – virtual assistant

New virtual assistant Google's Pixel XL can do more than the system Google Now.

17 – software

Google offers its smartphones pure android, and the Nougat version. Only the Pixel XL gets version 7.1 out of the box, and the Nexus 6P should update to it from version 7.0 over time.

18 – release, price

In October 2016, Pixel XL was released at a starting price of $769. In October 2015, the Nexus 6P was released at a starting price of $499.

19 – output

The difference in price between the devices is impressive – $270. Despite the fact that the displays of both smartphones are actually the same (the Nexus 6P has even more inches), the cameras are the same and the design of the Nexus 6P looks even better. The Pixel XL has a slight lead in terms of the amount of RAM and the new processor, but the gap is not so big that the company could refuse to support the “old man” for the Daydream platform. The company rather needs to show why the newcomer costs significantly more, although it is only half a step away from its predecessor. Daydream is one such tick of difference. Otherwise, it's still the same phone.

When Google abandoned the Nexus program, many die-hard fans of these devices couldn't understand why. Even when the Pixel series arrived, some people continued to puzzle over this question. Now, when after Android program One is about to start Android Go, Google's master plan has finally become clear.

Devices Nexus offered relatively high-quality specifications and were designed to best demonstrate Google's vision for the Android OS. For some time, these devices were very inexpensive, and their popularization was focused on affordability. At that time, this strategy was a win-win and did not require even more or less serious investments in advertising from Google. Somewhat later, the growing popularity of the Nexus program prompted Google to reconsider its ambitions and develop, making this area a priority.

The first Pixels were actually very similar to the Nexus phones, with the main differences being in pricing and marketing approaches. Google still worked with manufacturing partners to produce the disparate components that actually formed the smartphones. While the corporation positioned the Pixel as a “phone from Google,” in fact Pixel could more accurately be described as "Nexus by another name".

Google usually does not advertise sales data and shares this information only in relation to Chromecast, so we can't say to what extent the ad budget allocated to the Pixel contributed to demand activity. Just before the release of the new Pixels was announced, it turned out that the share of these first-generation smartphones was only 0.7% of the total number of devices sold in the United States. It turns out that by moving to the less crowded premium level, Google is positioning itself in the same orbit as Apple and Samsung in essence, but not in sales. It was different with Nexus...

Looking back at the rather chaotic history of the Nexus, we can trace how Google got to the Pixel line. First there were the cheap Nexus phones like the Nexus 4 and Nexus 5, then the more “flagship” ones like the Nexus 6 and , and then came the Pixel line. By the end of the Nexus program, Google had a clear focus on the market segment high-end phones. Of course, Nexus needed rebranding, since it previously had a large target audience, which could roughly include any person buying a smartphone. The transition to Pixel has narrowed this audience significantly, despite the fact that many still see Nexus phones under this name.

But what about the middle and middle markets? entry level, where do most manufacturers get most of their profits? They know exactly where they will get the “next billion” from. Google hasn't forgotten about the more accessible segments of the market either, it just doesn't serve them directly anymore. Just like Nexus was replaced by Pixel, Android One program adopted the specifics of the Nexus program, which has always been more focused on software than hardware. The difference is that Android One is open to any interested electronics manufacturer, meaning that they can all use their expertise combined with the platform's capabilities to mobile phones in their market segments. This opens up new and broad prospects for Google. The future of Android One now looks bright, as the program is being rolled out in devices of different price levels. And this is its very important difference from Nexus, along whose path it initially moved. Experts remember that after a disastrous start, Android One disappeared for some time. Now “pure” Android is back - with colorful banners and high-profile releases from Xiaomi, Motorola and HTC. The platform also appeared in the United States, providing what Nexus used: affordable smartphones with Android on board. Some smartphone models are sold by their manufacturers both like any other device in the product line and in version Google Play Edition. Marketing the Android One program makes them more visible and desirable by adding "Google-approved" software.

The Android One program is said to now aim to deliver a range of mid-range Pixels. Although, of course, it is unlikely that we will get a real average Pixel. As Android One moves up the food chain, its entry-level audience will be served by Android Go, a new strategy for mobile phones at a price up to $100. Just as Nexus rose to Pixel and Android One filled the vacated space in the mid-range segment, Android Go will soon come to replace Android One.

Android Go was introduced earlier this year and is original software from Google that addresses the hardware capabilities of entry-level devices. This is a super lightweight version of the OS designed for smartphones running with 1 GB of RAM or less. Oddly enough, Google hinted at such an outcome of the matter almost two years ago, only the words about software for “state employees” for some reason went unheeded. Now, Google has developed special versions of Go for its apps that run on the new lightweight version of Oreo to ensure optimal software experience no matter how strong the hardware specs. Starting in 2018, all low-cost Android phones will come with Android Go out of the box.

This strategy gives Google complete coverage of all segments. The corporation has a high-end device that it fully controls and can best demonstrate its vision of Android, and OEMs install software products from Google to its mid-range and entry-level devices. As a result, everyone wins: manufacturers “skim the foam” from sales. Google demonstrates its capabilities with the example of the high-end Pixel and delivers software, receiving a certain share of the profit for it. The corporation is also working on its image by distributing a “pure” version of Android - without add-ons, which often only complicate and slow down the operation of devices. Moreover, OEMs take on all the risk in terms of investment, but relieve themselves of the burden of responsibility for support software. What about consumers? They are perfectly happy to receive guaranteed updates and security threat fixes on both Google-approved hardware and software. What could be better?

Finally, a complete and convincing plan for Android has been developed. Now Google is moving towards becoming the first company to develop the direction A.I.(artificial intelligence). As such, the corporation will need the tightly integrated network of high-performance hardware, software and AI that Pixel provides to make this dream a reality. Android One allows Google to focus on the future while leaving the here and now for someone else. And Android Go is working to make Google's next billion with Google-endorsed Android apps on entry-level devices. This is exactly how the corporation sees the process of further promoting “Android-as-Google-want-it”. Well, for those who are not fans of Android, most Android devices One are available in a version with a platform from the manufacturer, for example, .

This is not the first or second year that Google has been producing its smartphones, but perhaps for the first time it has decided to take this process under greater control than before. Where are such conclusions from?

Firstly, the new models are coming out under a completely new name – Pixel. The Nexus line, created back in 2010, could well continue its development now, but there was one problem with it. From year to year, “nexuses” were produced by different manufacturers. At one time these were HTC, Samsung, LG, Huawei, Motorola, and it so happened that each brand brought some kind of zest to the series from itself. More precisely, this was declared on paper, but in fact, almost every new Google Nexus was a copy of a certain smartphone from a certain manufacturer. Here's what it looked like in the early years:

• Google Nexus One = HTC Desire
• Google Nexus S = Samsung Galaxy S
• Google Galaxy Nexus = Samsung Galaxy S3
• Google Nexus 4 = LG Optimus G
• Google Nexus 5 = LG G2

With the Nexus 6 model, the situation began to change, and we can say that further “nexuses” began to get their own face and individuality. Google Nexus 6, Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P were no longer copies of certain smartphones from manufacturers. However, the connection to the manufacturer still remained, and if you now try to search, for example, Google Nexus 6P or Nexus 6, you will find Huawei smartphones Nexus 6P and Motorola Nexus 6. It would seem like nothing terrible, but the original idea of ​​Google has long been transformed over the years, and today a smartphone from Google should be exactly a smartphone from Google, which brand makes it is a completely internal story. Therefore, abandoning the name “Nexus” and choosing another, “Pixel” is the correct and logical decision.

Secondly, the company produces two devices with standard parameters, differing, by and large, only in screen diagonal and some small details. Everything from the platform, memory capacity, cameras to design is exactly the same for Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL. The choice comes down to the size of the display and the size of the smartphone itself, respectively.

Let's take a look at the first "pixels" in Google history.

Specifications of Google Pixel (Pixel XL)

• Case materials: metal, glass
• Operating system: Android 7.1 (Nougat)
• Network: GSM/EDGE, WCDMA, LTE Cat 6 (nanoSIM)
• Screen: AMOLED, 5", 1920x1080 pixels (441 ppi), automatic backlight level adjustment, screen temperature adjustment, Gorilla Glass 4 glass (AMOLED, 5.5", 2560x1440 pixels (534 ppi), automatic backlight level adjustment, screen temperature adjustment, glass Gorilla Glass 4)
• Platform: Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 (MSM8996)
• Processor: Dual-core 2.15 GHz (Kryo) and dual-core 1.6 GHz (Kryo)
• Graphics: Adreno 530
• RAM: 4 GB
• Storage memory: 32/128 GB
• Main camera: 12 MP, pixel size 1.55 microns, f/2.0, phase detection autofocus, dual LED flash, 4k video recording
• Front camera: 8 MP, pixel size 1.4 microns, f/2.4, video recording in FullHD
• Interfaces: Wi-Fi (a/b/g/n/ac) Dual-Band, Bluetooth 4.2 (A2DP, LE), USB Type-C connector (USB 3.0) for charging/synchronization, 3.5 mm for headset, HDMI (via Type-C), DLNA, NFC
• Navigation: GPS/A-GPS, Beidou, Glonass
• Additionally: fingerprint scanner
• Sensors: accelerometer, position sensor, light sensor, gyroscope, barometer
• Battery: 2770mAh (3450mAh), support fast technology Qualcomm chargers QuickCharge 3.0
• Dimensions and weight: 143.8 x 69.5 x 8.6 mm, 143 grams (154.7 x 75.5 x 8.6 mm, 168 grams)

New Google smartphones Pixel and Google Pixel XL are manufactured by HTC, in fact, this is where the mention of the Taiwanese brand ends. It’s impossible to draw parallels with the HTC 10 here; as I said above, the Pixel is not something similar to the “ten”, these are completely different devices.

The idea of ​​Google Pixel is a simple and understandable smartphone for everyone. The company itself identifies five main advantages of “pixels”:

1. These are the first smartphones with a pre-installed service Google Assistant
2. These smartphones take very good photos.
3. With these smartphones you get unlimited Google Photos storage
4. Pre-installed Google Duo and Allo services
5. Daydream VR support

What do we have in practice?

Google Pixel design is controversial. Is not another Samsung, which can only be criticized for self-copying, not Meizu or Xiaomi, which can be criticized for imitation of Apple and also self-copying, not HTC or Sony. In all these cases, there are complaints about the design, but it can hardly be called controversial and ambiguous; everywhere there is balance and a sense of beauty, a certain universality. Google Pixel doesn't have it. You will either like the smartphone and find it amazing, or you won’t like it at all. There are unlikely to be neutral assessments here. I don't really like the Pixel. It has a strange “patch” of glass on half the body at the back, it has huge indents at the top and bottom of the screen, where there are no elements and it is unclear what causes them, it has no zest. Apart from the controversial issues described above, of course.

The body materials are all excellent here. A combination of metal and glass Gorilla Glass 4, what could be better?

Screen – Pixel uses AMOLED with a 5" diagonal and a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. Pixel XL has AMOLED with a 5.5" diagonal and a resolution of 2560x1440 pixels. I can't judge the quality.

Platform – everything is good here, Snapdragon 821, 4 GB of RAM, 32 or 128 GB of internal memory.

The moment with the cameras is still unclear to me, to be honest. At the “pixels” presentation, it was said that smartphones had the highest camera ratings on the DxOMark portal, which is already a bad sign. At various times, the top cameras on dxomark.com were: Sony Xperia Z5, and Moto X Style, and all this if they were current at that time Apple iPhone 6, Samsung Galaxy S6 and LG G4, let me remind you. So I don't know. The camera characteristics of the Google Pixel don't excite the imagination at all: 12 megapixels and an increased pixel size, but that's all. There is no optical stabilization, no laser focusing. The aperture value is f/2.0, which is also quite ordinary and unremarkable for the second half of 2016. Front 8 MP camera with f/2.4 aperture, no special features here either. Perhaps Google has made every effort and the camera is capable of producing masterpieces thanks to the software, but, to be honest, it’s still hard to believe.

I won’t talk about working hours, the topic is fertile for debate. Google claims 13 hours of operation in Internet or video mode. Eat fast charging, a powerful charging block (18 W) for it is included in the package, which is good.

To be honest, while preparing this text, I find myself trying to think of something else to talk about in relation to the Google Pixel. And I don’t find it, except for the background history of the emergence of the Pixel brand itself. There is nothing in the devices that you can cling to, and this is upsetting. $650 for the Google Pixel and $770 for the Google Pixel XL are quite “flagship” prices, roughly on par with Apple and Samsung. But why buy Google Pixel when there are proven Apple and Samsung? Yes, there used to be a good reason - new Android versions, the ability to install development versions of the OS, “play” with the device. With the release of Pixel Google company abandoned the idea of ​​smartphones for developers. Moreover, on the official website in the characteristics of Google Pixel there is a note “Operating system updates for 2 years.” Of course, this does not mean that exactly on October 4, 2018, “pixels” will stop receiving the latest versions of Android, but the very fact of such a comment is indicative. This is not a smartphone for the elite, Google fans and developers, it is a smartphone for the masses. From Google's point of view.

From my point of view, Google Pixel is a strange smartphone for everyone and no one. There are no two cameras, there is no curved glass, there is no “smart” multifunction key, the thinnest body, sleek design, incredibly capacious battery, and so on. This is just a smartphone with strong characteristics and a pure Android OS. And they will choose it specifically for Android, as it seems to me, because there are no other “wow” features here.

P.S. Zhenya Vildyaev will talk about Google Assistant and other new things, but I want to grumble just a little. The company took its Google service Now, renamed it Google Assistant, added a couple of features and is rolling out as something new. And for the past year, the presentation has shown us how cool it is to book a table in a cafe, get directions from point A to point B, send a message by voice, or schedule an event on the calendar. Hello, Google, you already showed all this a year ago!