The firm is using the new high-end smartphones and Android Oreo operating system to demonstrate its prowess in combining hardware and software, using exclusive features to attempt things other manufacturers including Apple cannot.
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The two phones both have the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, 64GB of storage as standard, front-facing speakers, water-resistance to IP67 standards, and new 12-megapixel cameras on the back, but with different sized OLED screens – and, following the iPhone’s lead, no headphone socket. The Pixel 2 has a traditional 5in screen with large bezels at the top and bottom and costs from £629, while the Pixel 2 XL has a modern design similar to the Samsung Galaxy S8 and LG’s G6, with an elongated 6in screen and small bezels, costing from £799.
In a direct swipe at Apple, Google’s vice president product manager Mario Queiroz said: “We don’t save cool features just for the large device. You get all the goodness with both phones, so the only choice you have to make is what size you want.”
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Google says the phones also have 10% longer battery life and faster charging than the 2016 Pixel smartphones. “We’ve focused on super-fast charging, so you can get around seven hours of use out of a 15-minute charge. And we supply the fast charger in the box,” said Christiaan Prins, product manager at Google – another jab at Apple, which does not include a fast charger in the box with the iPhone 8 or 8 Plus.
To take the iPhone on, Google has focused on fine-tuning the combination of hardware and software, from intelligent features to super-smooth operation. The camera is the most obvious element.
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The depth information is used to create a portrait mode, which identifies what’s in the foreground to artificially blur the background simulating the look of a high-end digital SLR camera – a feature that has proved popular for dual-camera phones such as Apple’s iPhone 8 Plus.
Google is also using the depth information for augmented-reality experiences, similar to that offered by Apple, calibrating each camera at the factory before shipping it for greater accuracy. There is also a new smart-camera feature called Lens, intended as a demonstration of what Google’s AI can do when integrated into a camera, detecting landmarks and book covers.
