The new Google Pixel is a phone we really
want to love, but we've not fallen head over heels for it just yet. The design
and price are questionable – but there's an awful lot of potential under the
hood.
Nexus is dead. Pixel is king. Say
hello to the Google Pixel, a handset ushering in a new era of the search
giant's smartphone range.
It arrives alongside the larger (and even more expensive) Google Pixel XL,
as the firm doubles up on devices for another year.
The Pixel takes over from 2015's Nexus 5X as the smaller offering in Google's lineup. The thing is,
it hasn't inherited its predecessor's price point, with the new Pixel sporting
a decidedly more premium tag.
It comes in two variants, 32GB and 128GB, with the smaller
storage option costing you a lofty $649, £599, AU$1,079. Meanwhile the Google
Pixel price for the
128GB model is a staggering $749, £699, AU$1,229, pitching it against the likes
of the iPhone 7, Huawei P9, HTC 10 and Samsung Galaxy
S7.
In the US, it'll come exclusively to Verizon on contract for
$27.08 if you don't want to pay full price, and it'll get all the day one updates,
too. Don't worry, the unlocked Google Pixel at full price will be sold on the
Google Store for everyone else.
Previous Nexus devices had a leg-up over the competition with a
slightly lower price tag, which
helped users overlook a couple of shortcomings, but in 2016, with the new Pixel
brand and a brave new price point, there's nowhere to hide.
If you've owned a Google-brand smartphone in the past you'll
appreciate the no-nonsense stock Google interface – and you'll be glad to know
it's business as usual on the Pixel when it comes to the Android Nougat operating system
For those who are new to Google's
handsets, things may be less clear. While HTC is the firm that has actually
built the device, the search giant has had a big say in what goes into the
Pixel, and how it operates.
These handsets are aimed to showcase the best of Google and
Android. They pack new features not seen before on the platform (Google
Assistant and a best-in-class camera in the Pixel's case), and you'll be first
in line for an update when a new version of Android is launched – usually
weeks, if not months ahead of the likes of Samsung, LG, Sony and co.
The Google Pixel sports a first for Google's smaller smartphone
– a full glass and metal body – along with a 5-inch full HD display, Snapdragon
821 processor, 4GB of RAM, 12MP rear camera, fingerprint scanner and 8MP front
snapper.
On paper at least then, the Google
Pixel looks to be a flagship contender – but can it live up to the hype in real
life?
The design is premium, if not slightly odd. There's a metal body,
but Google (and manufacturer HTC) has added a block of glass around the
fingerprint scanner and camera on the rear. While it gives the Pixel a
different look, the glass finish does look and feel a little like plastic.
That detracts from the overall appeal of the phone slightly,
although the bottom portion of the handset is cool metal – and that's the bit
which will be in contact with your palm most of the time.
The power/lock key and volume rocker fall nicely under thumb and
finger on the right side of the Pixel, while the nanoSIM tray is the only
blemish on the left. There's bad news for expandable storage fans though, as
Google continues to shun microSD on its latest phone.
There is a silver lining, however, as Google now offers free
unlimited cloud storage of all your photos and videos – at their full
resolution – which means you don't need to worry about them taking up vital
space on your phone.
You can pick the Google Pixel up in three colors – Quite Black,
Very Silver and Really Blue. Google's had an obvious pop at Apple with the
names, after the iPhone 7 arrived in 'Black' and 'Jet Black'.
Really Blue is limited edition, although Google is yet to reveal
how you'll be able to get hold of it. Currently pre-orders on its site are only
for the black and silver models.
There's also good news for audiophiles – Google has kept the
headphone jack on the Pixel. Its placement at the top of the handset isn't our
favorite location – but at least it's there.
Moving to the screen and you're greeted by a bright, clear full
HD display. It's pleasant to view and everything looks great – but there
are likely to be some envious looks cast by owners towards those who pick up
the QHD-toting Pixel XL.
Another slight mark against the display is the fact that the new
Pixel is Daydream VR-ready, which means it supports Google's new virtual
reality platform. The fact that it supports Daydream isn't the issue – we're
actually excited about that and the Daydream VR headset – but the display
resolution isn't optimal for VR.
Those who pick up the larger, higher-resolution Pixel XL will
get a better Daydream experience, simply because the display can pack more
pixels into your eyes for a more immersive view. It's not a deal-breaker, and
it won't result in a terrible experience if you do opt for a Pixel, but there
will be a difference between the two phones.
Performance is impressively smooth
however, with the powerful Snapdragon 821 processor and 4GB of RAM providing
more power than you'll need on your smartphone.
The pure Android 7 Nougat interface runs smoothly, and while
some Android fans may mourn the loss of the traditional app drawer, it's simply
been moved – you now slide up from the app dock at the bottom of your home
screen.
It's actually a nice action which works well, and the vertically
scrolling app list is just as intuitive. Something else Google has tweaked are
the app icons, with Google's own applications sporting round images, while any
you download from the Play Store will appear square.
One of the big new features for the
Pixel is the inclusion of Google Assistant. Only the Pixel and Pixel XL
currently have the firm's new-look helper on board, which aims to give you your
very own personal Google in your pocket.
It'll continually learn what you like, where you go and what you
need, to provide you with useful answers to even more commands than previous
incarnations of the technology.
Triggered by saying the 'hot word' (which is "Okay
Google" by default) or long pressing the home button, Assistant can
understand complex commands, is contextually aware to what you're viewing on
screen and where you are in the world, and can follow the flow of a
conversation with you.
It's all very impressive, but we can't see too many people
rushing out to buy the Pixel based on Google Assistant alone. This is just the
beginning though, as Assistant will follow you to other devices – such as Google Home and Android Auto – making sure it's always there when you
need. Watch this space.
Turning to battery life and the Google Pixel squeezes in a
non-removable 2,770mAh power pack. That's bigger than the iPhone 7's, but
smaller than the batteries found in the Samsung Galaxy S7 and HTC 10 – but it
should be enough to see you through a day without having to recharge.
We'll be putting the battery through its paces during our
in-depth review to see just how well it holds up. But if you do run low, the
new Pixel boasts fast-charging, giving you up to seven hours of usage from a
15-minute blast.
The 12.3MP rear camera is another
big talking point for Google, which claims the Pixel has the best-rated camera
(according to a DxO result) on the market.
We've found in the past that the DxO ratings don't always
translate into excellent camera performance day-to-day, so the jury is still
out on that for now.
There was talk in the build up to the Pixel launch of a new pro
mode for the camera, but alas this has not materialized. Instead you get HDR+,
which brightens up areas in shadow and reduces blurring – which should help in
low-light settings.
During a brief play with the Pixel camera in the dimly lit event
space we found performance was acceptable – especially when we reduced the
brightness (the one setting you do have access to). It didn't blow us away, but
we'll need to put it through a proper test before we can have a final say on
the quality.
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