The day before, sales of the first smartphones under the new Google brand began in the United States: Pixel and Pixel XL. The new products are collected by HTC, but the search engine positions them as its own product, developed by it from start to finish. How “pixel phones” were accepted by foreign experts was found out by reading the main reviews of Pixel and Pixel XL in the American media, Vesti.Hi-tech.
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Following like Apple and Samsung, Google offered the device in two versions: Pixel with a 5-inch AMOLED display (1080x1920) and its enlarged version XL with a 5.5" screen (1440x2560). Both models are equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, four gigabytes of RAM (LPDDR4 ), a 32-128 GB flash drive, a battery with a capacity of 2,770 (Pixel) or 3450 mAh (Pixel XL), as well as two cameras: a main 12.3 megapixel (f/2.0) and an 8-megapixel front camera ( f/2.4). The design of the devices is identical. Price: from $649 (for a “regular” Pixel with 32 GB of memory), like an “unlocked” iPhone 7, to $869 (for a Pixel XL, 128 GB).
iPhone on Android
Overall, Google's new product was more than a success. After the main threat to the iPhone is Samsung Galaxy Note7, Pixel was unanimously recognized as the best "Android" to date and the best alternative to an Apple smartphone. Describing impressions of the first Google phone, IT journalists did not skimp on epithets.
Dieter Bohn from The Verge called the new products "the best Android phones you can buy," and fellow columnist and veteran IT journalist Walt Mossberg labeled the Pixel as "definitely best android-phone I've ever tested." "The Pixel is the perfect phone, and that's what Android should have been all along," says Business Insider columnist Steve Kovacs. "Google has created the best Android phone," agrees Joanna Stern of The Wall Street Journal.
Reflecting on the appearance of the Pixel, not a single author managed to avoid comparison with the iPhone. Mossberg, for example, called the design of Google's smartphone "conservative" and "nice, familiar and feels good in the hand." “Almost everyone I showed the phone to thought it was an iPhone,” he wrote. But Kovacs was not inspired by the “two-year-old” appearance: Pixel “is strikingly similar to the iPhone 7 - so much so that one of my colleagues thought I had two iPhones on my desk.” In his opinion, the device looks too much like an iPhone, which is why it “looks outdated.”
Pixel, combining aircraft-grade aluminum and glass Gorilla Glass, from a distance it actually looks a lot like an Apple device. With the exception of the fingerprint sensor located on the back cover and the 3.5 mm audio port on the top end, they have almost the same design of the front panel, beveled corners, antenna lines and speaker placement. On bottom end"pixels" are USB port Type-C, microphone and speaker, on the left edge there is a microSIM slot.
The "back" of the Google smartphone, however, is not completely flat: it has a wedge-shaped shape, tapering from top to bottom. This makes the smartphone appear thinner when you hold it in your hands, notes The Verge reviewer. In addition, unlike the iPhone 7 and Galaxy S7 - and this is perhaps one of the main complaints of reviewers about the device - Google's new product is not waterproof.
Google inside and out
Pixel is the real Google phone. As the main developer of Android, Google independently designed the successors to the Nexus line, which allowed it to seize complete control over both hardware and software. As a result, the company, like Apple with the iPhone, has managed to optimize the performance of almost every Pixel component: from the camera to the battery.
“In a week and a half of testing the phones, I've gotten absolutely amazing battery life, especially on the Pixel XL,” Bohn writes. “Last Sunday, I streamed the Vikings-Texans game for two hours, used the phone throughout the day, and scrolled obsessively Twitter during the presidential debate. At the end of the day I was still at 30%. In his experience, a single charge of the Pixels lasts a couple of hours longer than an iPhone and Nexus of the same size.
On the Engadget test, when connected to Wi-Fi device with 50% screen brightness playing HD video in a circle, the XL version of the Pixel lasted 14 hours 12 minutes (seven minutes longer than the Note7). His “little brother” lasted 12 hours and 25 minutes. IN normal mode of use, said reviewer Chris Velasco, you can easily get one and a half to two days of work out of the Pixel battery. For two days, for example, the device easily “lived” with Brian Heater from TechCrunch. From zero to 100%, Stern found, the small Pixel charges in an hour and a half - an hour faster than the iPhone 7.
But Mossberg expected more from the Pixel's battery. His 5-inch smartphone never came close to 13 hours battery life, promised by Google for most device use cases. Playing a 90-minute movie from the Internet and music, the device “lived” only 9 hours, while iPhone charging 7 was enough for 12-14 hours.
The tight integration of hardware and software also contributed to the high performance of the pixels. Journalists came to the conclusion that the combination of the latest 4-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 chip and 4 GB of RAM makes the device Google fast and responsive. No one had any problems with multitasking, a slow interface or long loading times for pixels.
Velasco, for example, launched and switched between a variety of applications: Slack, Outlook, YouTube, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram, as well as the games Mortal Kombat X and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. “Nothing, nothing at all during the testing period made the Pixel or Pixel XL even sweat. Of course, they got a little warm from time to time, but their performance left me with no complaints,” he noted.
"Google Assistant makes Siri look stupid"
Pixels are currently the only smartphones on which Android 7.1 Nougat is available. An operating system free of unnecessary programs and interface add-ons, Pixel smartphones are complemented by some exclusive features and bonuses: a custom launcher with rounded icons, a new application menu that opens by swiping up from the bottom, as well as chat and technical support phone numbers, which are built right into “Settings.”
By pressing the button with the letter G, you can open a line for an Internet search, and if you drag the key from left to right, you can call the “smart” assistant Google Now. In addition, every Pixel buyer gets unlimited cloud space to store photos and videos taken from the smartphone.
There are not many changes in version 7.1 itself. The main ones: the ability to send images and “GIFs” directly from the keyboard, support for Night Mode, which reduces the intensity of blue light radiation and makes it easier to go to bed, as well as quick actions that are displayed when you long press the application icon (like 3D Touch in iOS 9).
According to Ars Technica's Ron Amadeo, the Pixel's integrated nature solves many of the problems inherent in other Android devices, including version silos and unguaranteed OS updates. And since Pixel is an independent Google product, the company guarantees prompt distribution of updates and the absence of unnecessary software, the installation of which is often the fault of telecom operators and manufacturers.
The Pixel is similar to the iPhone in many ways, but its main advantage over Apple's product is Google Assistant, a new intelligent assistant. To access it, you need to press the "Home" key or say out loud "Ok Google." "Assistant" can work with any Google online services: from the search engine and Gmail to a calendar and photo storage. The more often the user accesses its services, the smarter the assistant becomes.
Mossberg called Google Assistant "not perfect, but impressive, and much better than Apple Siri". New system, already familiar to users from the Allo messenger, can not only launch applications, create reminders, notes and play music, but quickly and clearly answer any question posed and even a series of questions related to the same subject: “What is the population of Maryland ?", "Who holds the post of governor?" or "Show me the state flag." By comparison, Siri was only able to answer the first question by reading an article from Wikipedia. She performed worse on subsequent assignments, producing a selection of references and a dictionary entry defining the word “governor.”
Dieter Bohn was most impressed by Assistant's ability to find images in Google Photos, be it "photos of my cat, the kitchen, friends even if I don't remember tagging them, selfies, locations and more." Assistant does this task better than Siri.
Kovacs also spoke highly of the new assistant: Apple should be ashamed of Siri, which appeared five years before Google Assistant, but does not live up to its skills. "My favorite example from the last couple of days: I asked an assistant when my next flight was and he gave me an answer, including the Delta flight number and expected departure time. I never told Google about my flight. It just knew based on the email from confirmation that Delta sent me when I booked,” Kovacs writes, “Show me the photos I took on my last trip to San Francisco. Done. Get the shortest route home. Remind me to talk to my boss when I finish work tomorrow. . Done. Play a Calvin Harris and Rihanna song. Done."
However, the capabilities of Google Assistant are not yet as wide as those of Apple's "concierge". “For example, he can tell me the date of the next debate, but he’s not smart enough to add his own response to the calendar,” Bon complained. He was also not satisfied with the poor integration with third-party applications and services: Google Assistant can book a table through OpenTable, but cannot call an Uber car. Moreover, the assistant can send letters and SMS, but not read incoming messages. It is expected that this function will appear before the end of the year.
How does it shoot?
The Pixel camera also benefits from Google integration. According to The Verge, the photo sensors of the Pixel, iPhone 7 and Samsung Galaxy S7 are generally comparable: "It's more a matter of personal preference than just image quality." "The camera app launches quickly and takes photos instantly," Bohn wrote, and processing of HDR images takes only "a few seconds." By holding your finger on the shutter button, you can take a series of photos, and Google Photos will automatically select the best shot and offer to create a GIF animation.
Photos taken with Pixel have greater dynamic range and richness. But pictures taken at night come out grainier than those taken on the Samsung Galaxy S7 and iPhone 7, noted WSJ's Joanna Stern. She also admitted that the dual camera of the iPhone 7 Plus with 2x zoom functions without loss of quality and background blur is superior to the Pixel “eye”, which is only capable of simulating the bokeh effect.
“Pixels capture fantastic images—detailed and clear, usually with just the right colors,” wrote an Engadget writer. He was also pleased with shooting in low light conditions due to the f/2.0 aperture (but not as wide as the iPhone 7). In addition, Google has brought back HDR+ mode (which enhances shadows and colors while reducing noise), which now works “much better” and faster than on the Nexus 5.
Pierce, who took hundreds of photos with the Pixel XL during a trip to Colombia, was very pleased with the smartphone's camera. "You won't have cool zoom or background softening iPhone functions 7 Plus, but your photos will turn out killer." According to him, the iPhone accurately reproduces the lighting, even if the scene is dull and dark, while the Pixel tries to improve the image quality slightly, making it a little brighter and more saturated.
The best alternative to iPhone
"Pixel is the best Android and best alternative iPhone. "Iron" is easy. Today anyone can release good phone, and even make it cheap. The real challenge is to teach it to do more through AI and others useful services. The Pixel is proof that Google isn't just solving this problem. He can beat his competitors on the first try,” concluded Kovacs.
"They definitely have their flaws, like boring designs, poor water resistance, and steep price tags. The point is, Google had to start somewhere, and the foundation it laid with these two phones has been surprisingly strong," he said. Velasco concluded.
"When your name is the only one on the phone, you need to be presented in the best possible light. Of course, the company had some help with production from friends at HTC, but the message is clear - sink or swim, the responsibility lies with Google. And in almost every respect, the company does not disappoint." - Heather said.
"If you're an Android fan who's ready to buy a premium phone, the Pixel is your answer. Again, hands down, this is the best Android phone I've ever tested," Mossberg concluded. iPhone user If you're thinking about switching devices, the Pixel will seem physically familiar, but you'll have to shake off the tenacious shackles that come with interacting with other iPhone owners: things like iMessage (which isn't on Google's platform and won't be in the near future) and " General access to iCloud Photos" (which Google is trying to copy)".
"This is Google's first phone, and for a first try it's surprisingly good. In almost every way - speed, power, camera, smart assistant - it's as good as or better than most best phones available on the market today," Bohn agreed with his colleague. According to him, in the US, users are too tied to the Apple iOS ecosystem, including iMessage and Siri, so the search engine needs to offer something more than a product of comparable quality. A killer feature could become Google Assistant, but its capabilities are still too raw.
Joanna Stern, a columnist for The Wall Street Journal, came to a similar conclusion: "The biggest barrier between me and an Android phone? iMessage. I use Apple's chat service to communicate with family, colleagues and friends. When I inserted a SIM card at Pixel, I found myself out of work. It’s easier to take the whole family to Disneyland than to drag them into a new chat service.”
Wired's David Pearce was the only journalist to admit that Pixels convinced him to ditch his Apple smartphone: "I've always been an iPhone loyalist, honestly. I've used every flagship Android phone ever released and always come back to Apple. Part of this was because I bought an iPhone 4S in 2011 and signed up for iMessage, and leaving it is a terrible headache."
"But I'm moving on. Seriously. I'm turning off iMessage, repurchasing apps, and warning my friends that I probably won't be receiving their messages for a few days," Piers admitted. "I've fallen in love with the Pixel. I love its camera, Google Assistant, the fact that I'll be using it with comfortable VR glasses, and that I'll finally have a version of Android that's both powerful and attractive."
Comparison best flagships 2016.
For the first time in its history, Google decided to release a smartphone completely developed within the company for its own use. software. The device boasts the latest version of Android 7.1 and the innovative Google Assistant voice assistant. Considering the obvious similarity of the Google Phone with the latest Apple flagships, many will be interested in direct Google comparison Pixel and iPhone 7.
Design
Google may not have copied every design element from Apple, but it's getting close.
Both companies offer their smartphones to users in two sizes. The younger Google Pixel model has a diagonal of 5 inches, and the iPhone 7 has a diagonal of 4.7 inches.
However, it's not just the size of the display. Refined Apple design gives us one of the most compact and functional smartphones on the market. Even if you're not an iOS fan, it's hard to deny that the iPhone 7 feels great in your hand. Home button has become touch sensitive, and its pressing is processed thanks to the Taptic Engine vibration motor, which is quite unusual at first, but over time you get used to it.
Google Pixel is good in its own way, but the design causes some controversy: the glass insert on the back panel will not appeal to everyone, and at a time when all manufacturers are trying to switch to a waterproof case, Google for some reason does not do this. In terms of size, the Pixel is larger than the iPhone 7. The angled bevels make it feel good in the hand, but it doesn't feel as sleek or light as the iPhone.
Display
Perhaps Apple will soon switch to AMOLED screens, but for now the iPhone has a familiar LCD matrix installed. The resolution is the usual 1334 x 750 pixels.
The 5-inch AMOLED display of the Google Pixel is not much larger than that of the iPhone, but the resolution is much higher - 1920 x 1080 pixels. To be honest, both screens are super sharp, and no matter how hard you try, it’s impossible to see the pixels.
There may be color accuracy issues on the Pixel, but this can be fixed in the settings. What really needs to be taken into account is visibility in the sun. The limited brightness on the Pixel leaves the smartphone far behind in this regard.
Interface and functionality
Even though Android and iOS are becoming very similar, this is still fundamental different systems. You can argue endlessly about which is better, but only personal preference and ease of use play a role here.
Google Pixel works with a redesigned interface and new features. As always, Android attracts with the possibility of customization. The iPhone 7 runs on iOS 10, which is also more customizable, but Android is still a long way off.
It is especially worth noting the work with voice assistants. Apple has updated Siri and opened up the SDK to third-party developers to allow them to integrate their apps, but the assistant still feels very familiar. Google has seriously updated its virtual assistant - Google Now has been replaced by Google Assistant with a natural conversational interface and many interesting features. In most cases, Google Assistant works properly and understands what the user wants from it, but not always, the company still has some work to do.
Both Android and iOS offer a multi-window mode, but Apple provides this feature only for the iPad; Google allows owners of tablets and smartphones to enjoy running two applications on one screen.
On both Google Pixel and iPhone 7, everything runs very smoothly and without lag. There is no clear winner, as it all comes down to personal preference.
Processor and memory
Both smartphones are quite powerful and neither of them will disappoint.
The devices run on the latest chipsets. In the case of the iPhone, this is the Apple A10 Fusion; in the case of the Google Pixel, it is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821. It is immediately worth noting that in a direct comparison Apple device works much faster thanks to the close interaction between the software and hardware, but in life you are unlikely to feel the difference.
The Snapdragon 821 is only slightly faster than the Snapdragon 820, so don't expect the Pixel to feel significantly more powerful than existing flagships. Despite this, it is the Google smartphone that leads the list of the most productive Android devices. Whatever you choose, there will be no lags or slowdowns in the interface.
The amount of RAM is 4 GB for Google Pixel and 2 GB for iPhone. On paper, Google Phone should reload applications much less often, but, as you know, Apple’s optimization allows the company’s smartphones to work better with memory than Android competitors. In practice, no problems were noticed with either the iPhone or the Pixel.
The base models of both devices have 32 GB of internal memory. Google also offers the smartphone in a 128 GB version, and Apple – 128 and 256 GB. It is worth keeping in mind that there is no option to install a memory card.
Camera
Cameras in smartphones are improving every year, and this seems to be the first time Google has surpassed Apple.
There is probably nothing more controversial than a camera. Some people like natural iPhone colors, others – embellished pictures of Samsung.
First, you should take a look at the characteristics. Both devices are equipped with a 12-megapixel camera with a sensor from Sony, the iPhone has a larger aperture – f/1.8, while the Pixel – f/2.0. In addition, the iPhone 7 has optical image stabilization and a 4-LED flash, the Pixel boasts electronic stabilization and dual LED flash.
In terms of specifications, Apple has surpassed Google, but in reality it's not quite like that.
Most of the photos are very similar, and it is quite difficult to choose a clear winner. In good light conditions, the Pixel loses less detail, but the iPhone handles shadows better. Cameras Apple smartphones have always been distinguished by more natural colors, and the iPhone 7 was no exception; the Pixel suffers from oversaturated green, but this is a matter of taste. When zooming, the result is much clearer with Google, while Apple greatly blurs the photo. In low light conditions, both devices performed well, but the Google Phone had more noise.
As for the video, we again have almost the same result. However, on Pixel the video turned out a little darker, although still very detailed. In addition, the Android smartphone performed better when recording sound.
Video examples:
Autonomy
Incredibly similar results. The only thing that matters is the charging time.
The battery capacity of Google Pixel is 2770 mAh, iPhone 7 – 1960 mAh. The display operating time is approximately the same - 7 hours 25 minutes and about a day active use. But it's worth keeping in mind that the Pixel charges slightly faster thanks to fast charging technology. Unfortunately, neither device supports wireless charging.
Results
Google and Apple made it impossible for us to determine the winner, because both devices are good in their own way. But there are things that set them apart from their competitors. Apple has great design and ergonomics. Pixel appearance very unusual, but it’s immediately clear that this is not one of the Chinese smartphones.
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. 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 how it was declared on paper, but in fact almost everyone new Google Nexus was a copy of a specific smartphone from a specific 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 Google history"pixels".
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: 2770 mAh (3450 mAh), supports Qualcomm QuickCharge 3.0 fast charging technology
- 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)
The new Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL smartphones 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”:
- These are the first smartphones with Google Assistant pre-installed.
- These smartphones take very good photos.
- With these smartphones you get unlimited storage Google Photos
- Pre-installed Google Duo and Allo services
- Daydream VR support
What do we have in practice?
Google Pixel design is controversial. This is not another Samsung, which can only be criticized for copying itself, not Meizu or Xiaomi, which can be criticized for imitating Apple and also copying itself, 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, powerful charging block(18 W) 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 Google Pixel and $770 for Google Pixel XL are quite “flagship” prices, approximately Apple level 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 developer versions of the OS, “play” with the device. With the release of the Pixel, Google abandoned the idea of smartphones for developers. Moreover, on the official website in Google specifications Pixel is marked “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!
Six hundred, *****, fifty ****** dollars! Did Good Corporation make an iPhone? It turns out yes. More precisely, with the help of new smartphones, Google plans to compete with Apple in the US and, possibly, European markets.
iPhone competitor?
How can Google Pixel compete with iPhone 7?
This piece of glass on the back panel, which is completely irrelevant here? Those huge frames and empty square centimeters above and below the screen, characteristic of smartphones from three years ago? Google Pixel is 2016's champion of unintelligible design.
Compete with Apple... Apple is an image cult, a sect, the legacy of the great Steve Jobs with an ideology, a closed ecosystem and an army of loyal fans who get what they expect at about the same price year after year. The most popular connector is being taken away from them, and they are setting new records for purchased iPhones. No one else can do this, least of all Google. Authority is incomparable.
Google smartphones no longer have uniqueness, no individuality. Now it's another Samsung, and even worse. Not only unreasonably expensive, but also faceless, unclearly targeted at whom, with ambitions that do not correspond to reality. “Pixels” will get lost among the same unnecessary overpriced flagships whose sales have failed.
I understand that even a corporation like Google cannot afford to endlessly churn out cool devices without regard for profit, but why be so radical? Yes, I live in a poor country, but, in addition to per capita income, there is also common sense, experience and heritage.
Guys, you can't throw away the philosophy you've been promoting for six years just by changing the name of the device. Yes, smartphones are now called Pixel, but in the minds of users it is still Nexus. Nobody cares what your marketers now position and call them, because it's still Nexus.
Remember what a real Nexus is? Nexus is a balanced smartphone reasonable price with reference Android from Google and guaranteed to receive all the latest versions and updates of the operating system immediately after their release. I'm not talking about last year's "half-nexuses" 5X and 6P, who were already showing symptoms of a fatal disease. No, I'm talking about Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 4, Nexus 5 - best smartphones of its time. What's left of this?
New Android?
Okay, did you see latest version, which is called and goes under number seven? I use it on my Nexus 5X and haven't noticed much of a difference when switching over. How is it different from the sixth? There were really noticeable changes in “marshmallow”, and “nougat” sparkled with a two-window mode, which has already been implemented by some other manufacturers, and several minor improvements. All.
Android hasn't changed fundamentally for a long time. Cosmetics, minor fixes and improvements that are easy to live without. Each a new version less and less different from the previous one. Now you can comfortably sit on the “five”. And on the “six”. And on the “seven”. The average user will not notice the difference, especially under some kind of launcher.
Top-end hardware?
In 2016, this is not an argument, because the capabilities of hardware have long outstripped the needs of users, systems and applications. Of course, everything will fly on the Snapdragon 821, but everything will fly on the cheap Mediatek MT6750 too.
Qualcomm and company are churning out new chips because they have to sell. A whole generation of “enthusiasts” has already grown up, cringing at the numbers in the characteristics and synthetic tests. To be honest, I myself am one of those people, otherwise I would have already bought it for 7 thousand rubles or something similar and not written about this suffering, which will still be crap in the comments.
I understand that there is no logic in gigahertz, gigabytes and ppi, but I can’t help my nerdy nature. What difference does it make whether a smartphone scores 70 or 100 thousand points in AnTuTu? In both cases, the performance is excessive, but the battery somehow lasts a day.
And Google still hasn’t realized that a front-facing fingerprint sensor is more convenient. Apple understood right away. Meizu understood. Xiaomi has already shown a model with a front sensor. Everyone understood, but Google didn’t.
One of the best cameras according to DxOMark?
Have you heard anything about this before Google marketers started talking about it? Are you familiar with analysis methods? How applicable are they in real user scenarios? There was always only one test that was indicative: I took a photo, looked, and evaluated it. And guess what? All flagships now have excellent cameras. Absolutely everyone.
Who, besides aesthetic mobile photographers, cares about the small nuances of a particular photo sensor, if in the end the photo is mercilessly compressed and ends up on a social network or viewed from the screen of a smartphone, on which little can be seen at all?
High quality optical stabilization, nimble smart trick - these are really good things, and the status “ best camera according to someone out there,” like other marketing noodles, will never break through the barrier of sanity of a reasonable person.
Humor?
Oh, Google is such a jokester! We tried to play with the names of the colors. “Pretty black,” “very silver,” “really blue.”
They would have said: “We can’t do black, because metal sucks when anodized with this color. Silver was a great success, because aluminum itself gives a good metallic shine. Blue will be expectedly unclaimed, but it turned out to be a better color than black!”
Now I'll joke too. I had a dream. I ended up at the “Field of Miracles” game, ended up in the “prize” sector, and Yakubovich began to sell me a certain amount of money so that the contents of the black box would remain a secret. I go into complete refusal, the mustachioed man understands that there is no point in bargaining, he opens the box and takes out.
My next smartphone will indeed be from a Chinese brand, and I will most likely go for the Mi5s unless Meizu releases something even more attractive by the time it goes on sale.
Why Xiaomi Mi5s? Let's just compare it head-to-head with the Google Pixel in key parameters, and everything will become clear.
That is, instead of one Google Pixel, I will buy two Xiaomi Mi5s - one for myself, the other for my wife - and there will still be $49 left for external batteries or new headphones.
Not for Russia
While I was writing this text, information appeared in the news that Google Pixel smartphones would not be officially sold in Russia. Well, it didn’t hurt and I wanted it. Topic closed.
Assistant interacts with WhatsApp, Viber and other messenger applications. Will it work with more apps than Siri?
It's time to talk about the camera - 89 DxOMark points, which is a very significant indicator. Smartburst allows you to take a range of shots at once and tell you which one is the best. The time required to take a photo is the shortest of all previously tested smartphones. Also, the video stabilization ability is incredible. This works thanks to the movement of the gyroscope 200 times per second.
Pixel users have unlimited free storage to store full-resolution photos and videos.
You can charge your phone for a maximum of seven hours in just 15 minutes. Pixel supports automatic updates. This new feature Nougat. installed in a separate partition.
The smartphone comes with a small USB-C adapter, to which you can connect old phone to transfer content. There are a lot of offers for the phone beautiful covers. The Pixel will come in 5- and 5.5-inch versions. In this case, both will be characterized by the same technical characteristics.
It will be offered to users in three colors - “absolute black”, “rich silver” and “true blue”. In the United States, the Pixel will be exclusive to Verizon's network. But unlocked phones will be offered in Google Store, and the new product supports Google Project Fi.
The price of the minimum configuration will be 649 US dollars. Pre-orders begin today in the US, Australia, Canada and the UK.
The dimensions of the 5-inch Pixel phone model in millimeters are 143.8 x 69.5 x 8.6. Weight - 143 grams. SIM card format is Nano-SIM. The 5-inch screen occupies 69% of the panel surface and has a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels (441 pixels per inch). Protection is provided by Corning Gorilla Glass 4. The phone's battery is non-removable and has a capacity of 2770 mAh.
The phone with a large screen size (Pixel size XL) has the following dimensions (in millimeters) - 154.7 x 75.7 x 8.6 and weighs 168 grams. Its differences from the smaller model relate to the screen, which has a resolution of 1440 x 2560 pixels (density - 534 pixels per inch) and a more capacious 3450 mAh battery.
Other characteristics are the same for both models released.
Their operating system is Android 7.1 Nougat and is powered by Qualcomm MSM8996 Snapdragon 821 chipset. CPU phones - quad-core (two 2.15-GHz Kryo cores and two 1.6-GHz Kryo cores). Their GPU— Adreno 530.
Storage capacity - 32/128 gigabytes (depending on version). RAM is 4 gigabytes.
The main camera is 12-megapixel with f/2.0 aperture, phase detection autofocus and dual-LED (dual-color) flash. Sensor size – 1/2.3″; 1.55µm pixel size, geotagging, touch focusing, face detection and HDR panorama. Shoot video at 2160p resolution at 30 frames per second.
Additional camera new products - 8-megapixel with f/2.0 aperture, sensor size - 1/3.2″, pixel size - 1.4 µm and shooting with a resolution of 1080p.
Google's new products presented during the presentation are not limited to smartphones. The company also presented a soft and flexible, not at all gadget-like Daydream View - the first “Daydream-ready” device virtual reality, which has a slot for the controller, preventing you from losing it. The device supports Netflix, HBO and Hulu and will be available in November 2016 for $79.
Wi-Fi management devices have also been released and will begin shipping in December 2016, priced at $129 for one and $299 for three.
Chromecast Ultra now supports HDR, Dolby Vision and, of course, 4K. Ethernet port on the power adapter. Will begin shipping this November for $69.
Google Home is a home entertainment center that will be offered to users for $129.
Without a doubt, information about new products will not be limited to the above, and soon more and more details about technical specifications and design features of long-awaited devices - both smartphones and other devices presented by the company.
Do you like the ones presented? by Google models Pixel smartphones?
Based on materials from theverge.com and gsmarena.com
