Just recently Google announced it's new flagship Smartphones - The all NEW Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL. This brings another premium smartphone to a market that is already dominated by both Apple and Samsung. Will Google be able to steal away some of those die hard Apple and Samsung fans? Only time will tell.

Google Pixel Specs

There isn't much difference between the Google Pixel and it's larger brother the Google Pixel XL aside from the Display, the Size, and the Battery. Most of the internals are just about the same.

[Specs from androidcentral.com]

Overall the specs aren't too bad and place this phone among the more powerful smartphones on the market. The key standout features for Pixel are the Camera, The Unlimited Cloud Storage for pictures and Videos, the Battery, and the inclusion of Google Assistant.

How does it Compare

[Comparison Chart from cnet.com]

In terms of hardware, The Google Pixel can stand toe-to-toe vs it's competitors. There are, however, differences when looked at individually, that set each phone apart. Versus the IPhone 7, the Pixel has a bigger and sharper display, Is thicker but lighter, has a sharper camera, yet has slower processor performance. Matched up against Samsung's Galaxy S7, it has a slightly better processor, a sharper display, and a better camera. The Samsung on the other hand is slimmer and lighter, has a slightly larger battery, and has a microSD card for expanded storage. In the case of the Note 7, the phone also has an Iris Scanner.

Let's talk about the key features of the Pixel

The Camera
Google is pitching this as "The highest rated smartphone camera. Ever." The primary camera on the backside of the phone is 12.3MP and has an aperture of f/20 and 1.55 micron pixels making it great for taking pictures in low light situations. The camera is also flush so there is no bump. According to Google:

Pixel smartphones have "the shortest capture time on any mobile camera ever." The lack of OIS (optical image stabilisation) for still shots is compensated by gyroscope-based video stabilisation. But the rear camera in these phones have the highest ever scores of 89 in DxOMark.
Other notable features of the Pixel camera include PDAF, Laser AF, 4K video capture and broad spectrum CRI-90 dual LED flash. On the front side of the phones, there is an 8MP camera sensor with f/2.8 aperture and 1.4 micron pixels with Full HD capture.

[Image from Google]

Unlimited Cloud Storage for pictures and Videos
This is by far, my favorite feature. On both my IPhone and Samsung Phones, I always have to consider how much storage my pictures and video are taking up. Granted, storage for phones continue to increase in size, however, so do file sizes and the amount of space my music, photos, and videos take up. I personally have never come close to using up all of my storage, because I continuously backup my files to my PC. I do however have friends who have used up all of their phone storage because of the number of pictures and videos they have. When it came time for them to backup or transfer files, or if they had ever lost their phone and did not have backup's in place, this ended up being a nightmare.

Google's unlimited cloud storage solves this problem and allows you to use your phone's storage for other things. As Google shared:

Google Pixel phones come with unlimited storage for full-resolution photos and videos shot from their camera. This also holds good for 4K videos shot on the new phone, so there is really no need to worry about running short of memory after recording a lengthy video in a concert. Unlimited cloud storage compensates for the missing microSD card.

The downside however is that you need to be connected in order to access your files, which is also not a big issue nowadays.

[Image from Google]

The battery
The Pixels battery may not be the biggest at 2,770 mAh for the Pixel and 3,450 mAh for the Pixel XL, but what has me excited is the ability for the phone to charge in 15 minutes for up to 7 hours of use. On top of this, Google is saying that it should last all day, unlike both my Samsung and IPhone. This of course is still dependent on your usage of the phone.

Google Assistant and other software

According to Google

"Pixel is the first phone with the Google Assistant built in. With your Assistant, you can have a natural conversation with Google to find answers or get things done on the go. Say "Ok Google" or touch and hold the Home button and your Assistant is ready to help. Ask it for a brief update on your day or to play a video on YouTube. Look up traffic on the way home from work or when the nearest pharmacy closes. You can even say “show me my camping photos with Andrew” and it'll instantly display the photos you're looking for. Your Assistant can also offer help with what’s on-screen in any app. So if your friend texts you to meet up at a new restaurant, you can just say “navigate there.”

The speculation is that Google Assistant is more accurate and precise then Siri and can keep up with your natural speaking style to capture and convert everything you say to search, execute, and command the phone.

The latest version of Android (Android 7.0 Nougat) will also come bundled with the phone. Any software and security updates will be downloaded directly from Google and install in the background as soon as they’re available. Duo and Allo which are Google's video calling and messaging apps will be pre-installed which will allow you to contact anyone on Android or iOS.

The design of the phone is similar to the IPhone 7. So much that you can consider it a copycat. I think however, i like the design of the IPhone 7 a little bit better. I'll wait until Im actually holding one in my hands to make my final decision. The one thing that is noticeably different is that there is no home button on the front of the phone. Instead it has a touch sensor that is on the center back portion of the phone where you can comfortably interact with it using your finger. This is something unique and new, however I think if they were going to place it on the back, they should have gone ahead and utilized the entire front of the phone for the screen and not leave a blank space at the bottom.

[Image from Google]

The inclusion of a blue colored phone as an option is something that I have been looking forward to with the IPhone, so to see it being offered here makes me happy! Im not sure if I like the shade of blue that they used, but at least it's there. I would have preferred the metallic blue that is often showcased in some of the apple fan made mock ups seen below.

[Picture Source]

Anyways, I'm excited to get the phone and test it out. I have pre-ordered the Blue XL and should get it on the 20th when it is released and hope to test it out and write a full review on it.

Read more about the Google Pixel using the Links below

Meet Pixel, Phone by Google
Introducing Pixel Phone by Google Video
October 4th Full Announcement Video
Official Blog post for the Google Pixel

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