Google's First Smartphone Is A Real Threat To The iPhone 7
Apple, better watch your back.
By John Lim — 05 Oct 2016, 01:08 PM
It's been a long time coming but Google has finally announced its very own line of smartphones - the Pixel and Pixel XL!
The tech giant unveiled its line of smartphones in San Francisco on 4 October, Tuesday during its Pixel event.
Calling it the "first phone made by Google inside and out", the Pixel is poised to take on the iPhone 7 with a slew of impressive new features
The Pixel line of phones consists of the 5-inch Pixel and the larger, 5.5-inch Pixel XL. Both devices boast 4GB of RAM, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, a fingerprint sensor, and a 12MP rear-facing camera.
The Pixel comes with a decently sized 2770mAh battery, which can quick charge up to seven hours in 15 minutes. The XL, however, features a much beefier 3,450mAh.
Oh, did we mention that both phones have a headphone jack? :)
The devices - that run on Android 7.1 Nougat, Google's latest mobile operating system - come with a built-in AI assistant, Google Assistant
Like Apple's Siri, users can ask the Google Assistant to perform various tasks, which range from booking a reservation, finding for specific photos, and of course, send text messages.
Design wise, both devices are constructed with polished aluminium and a really-prone-to-scratch glass back panel
The Pixel comes in three colours - Very Silver, Quite Black, along with a limited edition Really Blue. We can't help but wonder if the names were inspired by a particular smartphone manufacturer. Hmm.
Google is also claiming that the camera on the Pixel is "the best smartphone camera"
The camera offers a number of features that include a Smartburst mode that's designed to take several shots in quick succession, while the Lens Blur feature offers a similar bokeh effect as the one found on the latest iPhone. The phone is also capable of capturing 4K video.
With the Google Pixel, the tech giant is certainly gearing up to bring the smartphone battle to Apple. Let the games begin!
As for pricing, the 5-inch Pixel retails at $649 (about RM2,700) and $749 (approximately RM3,115) for the 32GB and 128GB variants respectively, while the bigger 5.5-inch model goes for $769 ( around RM3,195) for 32GB of storage and a hefty $869 (about RM3,610) for the 128GB variant. Pretty similar to the prices of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
The Pixel can be pre-ordered in the US starting on 4 October. No word yet as to when it will be released in Malaysia.