Nexus is history, and though that's a bit of a sour note for all of us, Google is still giving us their 'pure Android experience' in a new form. But more than being a developer benchmark for Android, the Pixel phones are gunning straight for the ultimate user experience, even if it comes at a premium price. But is this a justified step, or is Google overshooting?
Let's start with the device itself. We had the larger Google Pixel XL for review, which is identical in features with the regular 5-inch Pixel, only with a larger 5.5-inch quad-HD display. Straight up, it's not the most aesthetically appealing device, which is an instant red flag, considering that it is one of the most premium smartphones in the market. The front has a pretty big chin that doesn't seem to serve any real function like a home button, or even space for capacitive buttons – both of which the device doesn't have. This makes the phone feel big in an awkward way, which is a shame considering how 5.5-inch has started to feel so comfortable in the competitions' handsets. Moreover, the device isn't exactly slim at 8.5mm thickness.
Design aside, the phone does have a Snapdragon 821 SoC married to 3GB of RAM - Not the most stellar of specs, but that does take a backseat to what the Pixel really has to offer.
The camera is the most interesting part about the Pixel XL. It's straight-up phenomenal. We were impressed with the camera offerings of the iPhone 7, and Samsung S7, but the way Pixel incorporates HDR+ into every shot, makes it by far the best snapper in the market today.
Unlike HDR seen on other smartphones, this one does a lot more than just even out the colours. It manages to catch a more true-to-life colour palette, and amazing contrast levels without sacrificing on the details.
We tried shooting fireworks with the camera, which is objectively one of the toughest things to photograph. Even in situations where any other camera would have given me burnt-out bright spots, the Google Pixel camera managed to capture subtle details and even colour gradients.
Google isn’t kidding when it says that this is the best camera on a smartphone ever. It really is.
Besides taking great shots, Google has also ensured that you’ll be able to back them without a fuss. With the purchase of a Pixel phone, you also get unlimited full-resolution cloud backup on Google Photos. For free.
That’s a game changer of sorts, considering that you’d normally have to pay for a service like that. There are some other exclusive features on offer as well, like a direct access to customer support anytime you need it, and of course, it’s the first device to support Google’s new Daydream VR format.
Another major feature that Pixel boasts is the Google Assistant, which is a much smarter and conversational version of Google Now that you may have been using so far. Like Siri on iOS, you can have a conversation with the Google Assistant, ask it to order a Pizza, book an Uber for you and more in a much more natural manner. In our direct comparison to Siri, we found that the Assistant was much smarter in understanding follow up questions, like asking who the prime minister of India is and then following up with “What’s his age?”, rather than “What’s Narendra Modi’s age?”
The phone’s interface too has been tweaked by Google to make the icons more rounded, and the 3D backgrounds are just gorgeous. But all this comes at a price. The Google Pixel costs Rs. 57,000 in India for the 32GB version and the Pixel XL starts at Rs. 67,000. From what we’ve seen within a month from the launch, a lot of the Pixel exclusive features like unlimited full-res backup and Google Assistant will be coming to other devices as well, making this kind of markup pricing quite hard to justify, especially for a device that doesn’t feel as premium.
Samsung S7 Edge which comes for roughly around the same price point feels a lot classier, performs well and has an excellent camera as well. Even the iPhone may be ridiculously expensive in India, but you do feel like you’re buying a premium product at the end of the day. The Pixel fails to invoke that feeling, which is its biggest problem. If you’re fine with that, then there is no better Android experience and camera than the ones Google Pixel have to offer.
Let's start with the device itself. We had the larger Google Pixel XL for review, which is identical in features with the regular 5-inch Pixel, only with a larger 5.5-inch quad-HD display. Straight up, it's not the most aesthetically appealing device, which is an instant red flag, considering that it is one of the most premium smartphones in the market. The front has a pretty big chin that doesn't seem to serve any real function like a home button, or even space for capacitive buttons – both of which the device doesn't have. This makes the phone feel big in an awkward way, which is a shame considering how 5.5-inch has started to feel so comfortable in the competitions' handsets. Moreover, the device isn't exactly slim at 8.5mm thickness.
Design aside, the phone does have a Snapdragon 821 SoC married to 3GB of RAM - Not the most stellar of specs, but that does take a backseat to what the Pixel really has to offer.
The camera is the most interesting part about the Pixel XL. It's straight-up phenomenal. We were impressed with the camera offerings of the iPhone 7, and Samsung S7, but the way Pixel incorporates HDR+ into every shot, makes it by far the best snapper in the market today.
Unlike HDR seen on other smartphones, this one does a lot more than just even out the colours. It manages to catch a more true-to-life colour palette, and amazing contrast levels without sacrificing on the details.
We tried shooting fireworks with the camera, which is objectively one of the toughest things to photograph. Even in situations where any other camera would have given me burnt-out bright spots, the Google Pixel camera managed to capture subtle details and even colour gradients.
Google isn’t kidding when it says that this is the best camera on a smartphone ever. It really is.
Besides taking great shots, Google has also ensured that you’ll be able to back them without a fuss. With the purchase of a Pixel phone, you also get unlimited full-resolution cloud backup on Google Photos. For free.
That’s a game changer of sorts, considering that you’d normally have to pay for a service like that. There are some other exclusive features on offer as well, like a direct access to customer support anytime you need it, and of course, it’s the first device to support Google’s new Daydream VR format.
Another major feature that Pixel boasts is the Google Assistant, which is a much smarter and conversational version of Google Now that you may have been using so far. Like Siri on iOS, you can have a conversation with the Google Assistant, ask it to order a Pizza, book an Uber for you and more in a much more natural manner. In our direct comparison to Siri, we found that the Assistant was much smarter in understanding follow up questions, like asking who the prime minister of India is and then following up with “What’s his age?”, rather than “What’s Narendra Modi’s age?”
The phone’s interface too has been tweaked by Google to make the icons more rounded, and the 3D backgrounds are just gorgeous. But all this comes at a price. The Google Pixel costs Rs. 57,000 in India for the 32GB version and the Pixel XL starts at Rs. 67,000. From what we’ve seen within a month from the launch, a lot of the Pixel exclusive features like unlimited full-res backup and Google Assistant will be coming to other devices as well, making this kind of markup pricing quite hard to justify, especially for a device that doesn’t feel as premium.
Samsung S7 Edge which comes for roughly around the same price point feels a lot classier, performs well and has an excellent camera as well. Even the iPhone may be ridiculously expensive in India, but you do feel like you’re buying a premium product at the end of the day. The Pixel fails to invoke that feeling, which is its biggest problem. If you’re fine with that, then there is no better Android experience and camera than the ones Google Pixel have to offer.
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