03/04/2017
Google Pixel Review
Google spent 6 years with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to manufacture NEXUS
phones. Last two smartphones with Nexus brand were Nexus 6P (made with Huawei) and Nexus
5X (made with LG). After hiring Rick Osterloh as New Hardware head (formerly of Motorola
Mobility), Google initiated development of an ecosystem of in-house products and
platforms, including the Google Home ecosystem, Google Assistant, and Google Daydream.
Google has now came up with Pixel Phone which was launched on 25th October, 2016. Though
Google is claiming to be marketing and producing this phone in house, but company used HTc
as its contract manufacturer.
Lets now talk about the specification, Pros and Cons of Google Pixel.
Specifications:
Pixel used Aluminium chassis with a glass panel on the portion of the rear housing the
Camera and "imprint" fingerprint sensor.The phones have a USB Type-C connector supporting
USB 3.0, for power and data exchange. The phone features a 3.5 mm headphone jack, which
received media attention for being a contrast to competing smartphone Apple iPhone 7,
which does not feature the port.The Pixel and Pixel XL both use the Qualcomm Snapdragon
821 system-on-chip, with 4 GB of RAM.They are offered with either 32 GB or 128 GB of UFS
2.0 internal storage.
The two models are differentiated by screen and battery size; the standard Pixel's display
measures 5 in (130 mm) 1080p AMOLED with a 2770 mAh battery, while the Pixel XL's display
measures 5.5 in (140 mm) 1440p AMOLED with a 3450 mAh battery.
Pixel features a 12.3-megapixel rear-facing camera, which uses an f/2.0 aperture, and a
Sony IMX378 sensor with 1.55 μm pixels. The camera uses a digital image stabilization
system tied to the phone's gyroscope and motion sensors at a sampling rate of 200 Hz. To
improve capture speed, 30 frames are continuously captured per second while the camera is
active. When a photo is taken, up to 10 of these frames are composed to form a single
image
Pixel and Pixel XL ship with Android 7.1 "Nougat", an update to 7.0 that was initially
exclusive to the Pixel.
Pixel supports Google Assistant, and provides live technical support services integrated
into the OS. Similarly to Nexus devices, it receives Android updates directly from Google.
Pixel also supports the Google Daydream virtual reality platform. All Pixel smartphones
include unlimited full-resolution Google Photos backup for the life of the device. A
November 2016 update added additional motion gestures, including double-tapping the screen
to show alerts, and raising the device to wake the screen and raise-to-wake features.
Pros:
1. Stunning camera - Though the Camera is 12 MP but the picture quality is excellent. It
shoots by default on HDR Auto mode and you can choose different modes with just a flick of
the wrist. Overall the Images on pixel looks clear, sharp and vivid.
2. Google Assistant - This feature gives you one of the most natural, human approaches to
answering your voice
3. Good size for one-handed use - 5 inches screen helps you to reach all corners of the
phone using one hand and it is very manageable.
4. Super fast - With 4 GB RAM and best version of android (Android 7.1 "Nougat"), this
phone functions with a rocket like speed. Very Smooth and a treat to use.
5. Launcher Short Cut Feature - This feature helps you get more info once you do a long
press on any application
6. Video Stabalization Feature - This helps you get a stable video when your phone is
getting shaky if you are walking or running while recording. But it gives your video a
surreal, almost DRONE like quality.
7.Day Dream Ready
8. Color Tone - 2 color tone is very Jazzy and it gives Pixel a different cool look.
CONS:
1. Very Expensive - This phone is priced at Rs53000 (32 GB version) in India, $745 in US
and £699 in UK.
2. No microSD card slot, one has to either choose 32 GB or 128 GB. Price variance is very
high between the two versions.
3. Now it should at least come with a 2K display. Watching videos through VR headsets on
the regular full HD screen is not a good idea as individual pixels are clearly visible
4. No Waterproofing - Google Pixel is splash resistant rather than dunkable. We are
bringing this point here because we are comparing this with other phones with the same
price range and all of them has waterproof feature
5. Screen get dim in direct sunlight - The screen looks pretty dim when exposed to direct
sunlight. Shooting photos becomes very difficult in the broad day light.
Verdict:
With lots of Pros ranging from Stunning Camera, Google Assistant and Super Fast Speed, we
also could not ignore the Cons i.e. Very expensive, Dim screen in sunlight and no
waterproofing. We would like to give this phone a rating of 8 out of 10
Pixel has the highest rated smartphone camera ever. A battery that lasts all day. Unlimited storage for all your photos and videos. And it's the first phone with the Google Assistant built in. The first phone with the Google assistant built in. Know when local places close, if it's still going to...