Google Launches Pixel and Pixel XL Smartphones; Pre-Bookings on Flipkart Start Oct 13 for Rs. 57,000 Onwards

Google had been mulling to launch its own smartphones for the sake of uniformity in Android and phones, and there were rumours that Google is replacing their Nexus line-up with Pixel line-up. Looks like Nexus line-up isn’t dead, but won’t be active anytime soon either.

California-based tech giant has just unveiled the premium Pixel line-up at the event on October 4. The two smartphones, named Pixel and Pixel XL will be available in India exclusively on Flipkart and Reliance Digital stores.

The only difference between the two smartphones is the fact that Pixel comes in a 5” display and a smaller battery, while Pixel XL comes in a larger display at 5.5” and a larger battery. These are the only two things different in the phone, rest everything is the same. We can’t stress over the fact that there is literally no difference between the smartphones except these two features.

Google had been very outspoken about the fact that they want to get into the hardware business as well and design their next phones completely in-house. So the Pixel and Pixel XL you see are inside-out made by Google, without looking out for a third-party smartphone manufacturer.

Google Pixel / Pixel XL Specifications

• Pixel comes with a 5” full HD display and Pixel XL comes with a 5.5” quad HD display
• Android Nougat 7.1 out-of-the-box with in-built Google Assistant on tap
• A redesigned UI that has better animations, icons and a quick slide-up app drawer
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 chipset coupled with 4GB of RAM and 32GB/128GB of onboard storage
• 12.3MP rear camera with a large 1.55 micron pixels and f/2.0 aperture, optical image stabilization and 4K video capture
• USB Type-C port and a 3.5mm headphone jack
• 2,770 mAh battery on the Pixel, 3,450 mAh battery on the Pixel XL

The smartphone’s design looks strikingly similar to that of the iPhones and there are huge chins on both sides, making the phone look big. The rear now only shows the Google logo with a ‘G’ instead of the Nexus logo at the back.

The smartphones will also come in some interesting new colours – Quite Black, Very Silver and Really Blue. Only someone very passionate about Android will purchase the Pixel or Pixel XL phones in blue colours, since the phones look very flashy.

Google Pixel with 32GB and 128 storage options will be available at Rs 57,000 and Rs 66,000 respectively, while the Pixel XL phone will be available at Rs 67,000 and Rs 76,000 for the 32GB and 128GB options respectively.

Pixel might fail the test against other smartphones

Throughout the event on October 4, Google took a jab at Apple and their latest product, the iPhone 7. Google advertised the headphone jack, the premium fit and feel on the phone and the ease of transferring iOS data to Android through a simple mechanism.

Even the colours, for that matter, have been named to mock the Apple smartphones. Ironically, the phone looks very similar to Apple’s phones and this implies that Google has released this smartphone in jest.

The pricing of the phones is kept too premium, almost close to that of the iPhones. However, a Rs. 10,000 increase to purchase a bigger phone with a bigger battery is unjustified, and even the two iPhones have some distinctions and still justify the price barrier.

Apple has always had its phones right at the top of the hierarchy in terms of pricing and thus the iPhones became a status symbol. On the other hand, Google’s phones have always been budget-friendly smartphones, including the Nexus and the Android One series, and it makes no sense for Google to price its phones so high.

That being said, Google also might lose some loyal Android fans that have been waiting for a phone similar to the Nexus 5X or the 6P, premium and yet not so expensive. Not many phones can counter Apple in its territory and the Pixel series might just fail the test of time.

Google’s justification for the pricing

Google claims that the smartphones have a premium-feel to it, and they feel much better to hold in hand that an iPhone. The phones have a semi-glossy back with no camera bump that make it better to hold. The fingerprint reader is better and faster and compares to that on the iPhones.

However, the biggest selling point for Google is the primary camera of the phone. It says that the camera takes the best photographs on any smartphone yet, and this is a big claim to make considering Samsung S7’s camera beats that of any other smartphone right now.

Even if you consider the Daydream VR headset and other gimmicks like live skins and covers, the smartphone cannot justify the premium price-point. The Nexus series had similar features and was priced significantly less than the Pixel series.

Finally, OnePlus Three boasts of all premium specs and is one of the most underrated smartphones. It offers top-of-the-line features at less than half the price of its competitors and this is something large smartphone makers should learn about.