Google releases new Pixel phones

Google releases its newest smartphone and iPhone 7 competitor

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Published October 5, 2016 9:10 am AEDT

Google's new Pixel phones have arrived.

The Pixel and Pixel XL come in two different sizes as you might expect, and three different colours running Google's latest Android operating system Android 7.1 – codenamed Nougat.

Like previous Google phones, the Pixels are made by another phone manufacturer – this time its HTC – but are clearly branded as "Made by Google".

The Pixel phone features 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 4 on the front display and the back glass panel surrounding the camera lens, and what Google calls an aerospace grade aluminium body. Some of the key features of the new phones include:

fingerprint sensor on the back
3.5mm headphone jack (Hello Apple!)
up to 7 hours battery life from a 15 minute charge
Google Assistant (the answer to Apple's Siri)
Google Duo (think Apple Facetime video calling)
A rear-facing 12.3MP camera that has been rated the best ever smartphone camera with a DxOMark Mobile score of 89
A front-facing 8MP camera
Unlimited cloud storage for photos and video – a significant benefit over Apple's iCloud offering
The Pixel features a 5-inch screen (slightly larger than Apple's iPhone 7), while the Pixel XL features a 5.5-inch screen (same size as Apple's iPhone 7 Plus)
A choice of memory storage of either 32GB or 128GB
Unlike Apple and Samsung's latest smartphones, the Pixels aren't waterproof
Pricing is almost the same as Apple's iPhone 7, whether you buy it outright from Google, distributor JB Hi-Fi Limited (ASX: JBH), or as part of a post-paid plan from Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS).

The base model Pixel with 32GB costs $1,079 while the top of the line Pixel XL with 128GB of storage costs around $1,419.

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