Meet Pixel

Google’s Pixel phone features a sleek, thin design.
Picture Courtesy of  madeby.google.com

Okay Google, show us the latest new mobile device that won’t explode or need constant hardware replacement. You read correctly; Google has begun marketing their concept of what a smartphone should be, and the specifications are astounding to say the least. Meet Pixel and Pixel XL, Google’s first smartphone that stands up to the competition.

    As a basis for comparison, we will use the well-known Galaxy S7 specifications. For starters, let’s look at one of the biggest problems everyone faces with their phones: the battery life. Samsung’s Galaxy S7 gives about 18 hours of continuous usage, whereas Pixel boasts not only being ready for seven hours of usage after 15 minutes of charging, but a standby time of up to 19 days on the regular Pixel, 23 on the Pixel XL, and up to 26 and 32 hours of talk time for each phone, respectively..

    But what about all of your favorite pictures and apps? Pixel has you covered. Whereas the S7 has an internal memory of up to 64 GB with external storage of 256 GB using an SD card, Pixel has the S7 outclassed at up to 128 GB of internal storage. No more storage issues with Pixel.

    The other most important thing to nearly everyone when buying a phone is the camera quality, and Google doesn’t lie when it says that Pixel has the best camera ever. Having 12.3 megapixels with an f/2.0 aperture, Pixel’s camera is superior to the S7 by a small margin, but to an aspiring professional photographer, it could be enough to make a difference. 

    Pixel has much more to offer than just these specifications, however. Pixel has been imbued with technology originally designed by Google, such as the new back mounted fingerprint sensor to unlock the phone quickly and effortlessly while remaining secure. It also has an outer covering of aerospace grade aluminum that is light, durable, and has a glass covering to give a firm grip while being held. This will also be the first phone to have Google Assistant built directly into the phone, so now your Google account no longer needs to be managed by Siri or Cortana. And for those that still enjoy the Android OS, Pixel will be operating under the Android 7.1 Nougat and offers two years of OS upgrades from launch. And, yes, it will have a standard 3.5 mm headphone jack.

    One of the most forward-thinking aspects of this device is that it comes with a Quick Switch adapter. Switching over all your data from one phone to another can be an enormous hassle, especially if your data isn’t backed up on a cloud server. By simply plugging your phone into the Quick Switch adapter and hooking up to Pixel, you can choose what data you want transferred directly to Pixel and Pixel will automatically transfer everything you desire. No more lost photos or app data moving from generation to generation. 

    And finally, we reach the definitive factor which will make or break a sale: the price. Google has partnered with Best Buy in the pre-orders for this device, and prices are as low as $648 dollars and as high as $744 dollars for the phone by itself without a plan. This may seem steep, but comparatively, it might be better than having to buy new $160 airpods every time you lose them, and is actually no more costly than Samsung released the S7 for.

    Google seems to have hit a home-run with this new device, and it’s formal release date is today, October 20th, 2016. Innovation at it’s finest, Pixel is happy to greet you.