Google announces the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL

After the success of Google’s first self-branded smartphone — 2016’s Pixel and Pixel XL — the American search giant has come out in full force once again with the  announcement of the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL.

While HTC is responsible for manufacturing the smaller Pixel 2 and LG manufactures the larger Pixel 2 XL, the two devices are actually quite similar — excluding their size, of course.

It's here! Meet the new Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. Highest rated smartphone camera. Again. pic.twitter.com/8w9s8Z1VGd

— Made by Google (@madebygoogle) October 4, 2017

What’s on the outside

The Pixel 2 XL features a 6-inch Plastic OLED edge-to-edge screen, with 2880 x 1440 display resolution resulting in a 538 pixel density. The smartphone has rounded edges and corners. Naturally, the Pixel 2 XL also has very small top and bottom bezels.

Additionally the device supports and has an 18:9 aspect ratio, similar to the iPhone X and the Samsung Galaxy S8+. In contrast, the Pixel 2 shares a similar look to the original Pixel. It has a 5-inch display, square edges and features large — but still smaller than last year’s model — top and bottom bezel as well as a 16:9 aspect ratio.

Both devices are Daydream ready and both do not feature headphone jacks.

The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL earned a DxOMark score of 98, higher than any other camera ever. The device features a 12.2-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel front facing camera. The rear camera on both devices also utilize optical image stabilization and electronic image stabilization which should help with taking photos and videos. The device can take portrait photos like the iPhone X, however, it does so by utilizing two sensors instead of two lenses.

What’s on the Inside

The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL carry a Snapdragon 835 chipset with an Adreno 540 GPU and octa-core CPU. Additionally, the Pixel 2 devices come in 64GB and 128GB storage options, and 4GB of RAM which the XL is powered by a 3,520mAh battery. The smaller variant on the other hand had a 2700mA battery, though both are IP67 water and dust resistant.

New features

The Pixel 2 and  2 XL both feature pressure-sensitive frames, which allow users to activate the phones’ ‘Active Edge’ functionality. A squeeze of the the frame activates the Active Edge feature — similar to the HTC U11’s Edge Sense — which can activate the device’s Google Assistant even with case.

Both Pixel 2 smartphones also come with the newest version of the Pixel Launcher, which includes the Google search bar widget near the bottom of the display, with the calendar, clock and weather combined into one at the top of the display.

Search what you see: to help you interact with the world around you, Pixel 2 comes with an exclusive preview of Google Lens. #madebygoogle pic.twitter.com/lOMvNwWwBV

— Google (@Google) October 4, 2017

Google Lens can help users contextualize something they’ve just taken a picture of with their smartphone. Google Lens uses Google to search through a variety of images through the web. Users can take a picture of a dog they don’t know about and Google Lens can identify what’s in the picture.

Google Lens will first appear in Google Photos before making its way to Google Assistant at a later date. Google Lens will launch first on the Pixel smartphones.

The Pixel 2 smartphones are also in competition with the Shazzam and SoundHound with the announced ‘Name That Tune’ feature which will tell users what’s playing, and show the information on the device’s Always On display.

The Google Pixel 2 also features some new AR capabilities.

Coming soon, Pixel 2's augmented reality-optimized camera will put characters and objects at your fingertips with AR Stickers. #madebygoogle pic.twitter.com/5rCStABWYe

— Google (@Google) October 4, 2017

Colour-wise the Pixel 2 comes in ‘Kinda Blue,’ ‘Just Black’ and ‘Clearly White,’ while the Pixel 2 XL comes in ‘Just Black’ and ‘Black and White’. The device will also ship with Google’s newest operating system Android Oreo, and will receive updates for the next three years until Android R.

Pricing and Availability

The 64GB and 128GB Pixel 2 models cost $899 CAD and $1,029, respectively. As for the Pixel 2 XL, the 64GB  model cost $1,159 and the 128GB variation cost $1,289. Pre-orders are now open.

The Pixel 2 should ship by October 17th, 2017, while the Pixel 2 XL should ship by December 2017.

Generally on a two year Premium Plus plan the Pixel 2 with 64GB of storage will cost $199.99, while 128GB model will cost $329.99. The larger variant will cost $449.99 for the lower storage option and the 128GB model on the other hand will cost a hefty $579.99.

For specific carrier information click here.