Google’s Pixel phone doesn’t hit shelves until Thursday but it’s already earned a big fan. Wired’s very own gadget guru David Pierce has said the Pixel has caused him alter his default answer to the question, ‘what phone should I get?’ Where he use to simply respond ‘get an iPhone,’ Google’s got him saying ‘buy a Pixel.’
With the smartphone market in a frenzy due to Samsung’s recent string of poor press and having to recall all their Galaxy Note 7’s, Google couldn’t have picked a better time to step up their smartphone game.
The Pixel and Pixel XL will be priced starting at $650 and $770 respectively. If you are able to secure one of the Google devices, which are currently back ordered, you will be able to pick between blue, black and silver. The phones will also come in two storage options 32 and 128 gigs but let’s be honest if you can get the 128 gigs you should get it.
Both Google and Version will be offering cellular plans for the Pixel devices. If you are going to pull the trigger go with Google, they will be your best bet for actually getting your hands on one of the phones.
Google Assistant
Meant to be the golden feature of the Pixel, Google Assistant outshines Apple’s Siri. The feature is essentially an AI bot that uses machine learning and Googles vast databases to quickly and efficiently answer any question you could think to ask.
As the name suggests it will also help y0u plan and organize your daily life. Assistant can handle anything from looking up facts and places to eat to setting alarms, give directions, translate phrases. And thanks to the machine learning aspect of the AI, in theory, Assistant will be increasingly sociable the more you use it.
Unlike the AI devices on products like Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa and Microsoft’s Cortana, Assistant will not cause you to resent your device. It was designed to be conversational, talk in your normal speaking voice, it will understand. It will even suggest follow up questions for you to ask or links to articles it thinks you may find interesting.
The Camera
Apple has been touting their iPhone 7 camera as the best camera available on a smartphone but as you may suspect from the name Google is pretty confident in their devices ability to compete. The Pixel offers a fast camera capable of capturing vivid focus and vibrant colors. The camera works just as well close up taking crisp and clear photos with ease.
The front facing camera works just as well. It has a wide lens so you can get many faces into your selfies. The camera will automatically adjust skin tones to make them more appealing but will not make them appear airbrushed. There are other apps for that.
Pixel Weaknesses
The main complaint about the Pixel and Pixel XL is that the display screen is too dim. Whether you are indoors or outdoors the device’s screen is constantly too dim. The camera has a Blur feature which isn’t exactly reliable. The Pixel is not water proof but it is splash proof. Lastly the Pixel is the most expensive Google phone to be released to date but it is also the most advanced device so far. You get enough bang for your buck.