Introduction

What differentiates iOS on Apple’s devices from Android?

The answer to that is alarmingly simple because it’s the simplicity of the OS itself. The reason I’m bringing up this is that Android market has a lot of saturation and as such comes in as being decentralized. The trouble with that is that the device UX differs from manufacturer to manufacturer. This saturation is often a cause for controversy because Apple uses this to their advantage in promoting their OS adoption rate. But unlike Apple, Android as an OS is adopted by lots of manufacturers, big and small ones. Therein comes the philosophy of a centralized device from the stables of Google themselves named the Pixel. In many ways, it is Google’s answer to the dictatorship of Apple’s iPhones and their device philosophies. 

Google introduced their Pixel line of devices back in 2016, and in many ways, it is centralizing the high-end Android market. The device was well appreciated by the community and fast forward to 2017, we have the successor named simply as the Google Pixel 2. But why should Apple be concerned about this? Let’s find out.

Design and Display

Right out of the box, the Pixel 2 comes as a youthful yet mature looking device. It has a glass and aluminum build with prominent bezels at the top and bottom. For some reasons, Google has decided to opt out of the bezel-less approach for this device, but the front bezels do serve the purpose of housing speakers at the top and bottom, and these are perhaps some of the best speakers on the market right now for a phone. The side has three buttons for the volume rockers and power, covered in a fun fluorescent orange color contributing to its fun appeal. Incidentally, Google tries to humor Apple in the color scheme names too because the Pixel 2 comes in three colors named ‘Kinda Blue, Clearly white and Just Black.’ Coming to the back, it has the fingerprint sensor and a two-tone finish for the glass and aluminum. The phone grips well due to its industrial aluminum finish and the glass back aids wireless charging. 

The Pixel 2 houses a 5 inch AMOLED panel with a 1080p resolution. This is a key aspect of the device because the AMOLED panel is required for Google Daydream VR to work. The display has warm and saturated colors but oddly no option to calibrate it. 

Performance

Since the Pixel 2 is a flagship device, Google wisely decided to give it the beans with the fastest Android SoC available at the moment, namely the Snapdragon 835. It is an 8 core chip with Snapdragon’s own Kyro cores which are extremely efficient and incredibly fast. The device also comes with 4GB of RAM which is less than what you might find in the Samsung Galaxy S8 but RAM management is one of the USP’s of stock Android, and the Pixel 2 doesn’t disappoint.

The GPU in the device is the Adreno 540 which is a beast of a chip. It takes on gaming and graphics intensive tasks with ease, and it is only rivaled by the latest 6 Core GPU from Apple found in the A11 Bionic.

Software

Complying with the norm, when you buy a Google device, you automatically get signed up to the elite club of users who are the first ones to receive updates and the Pixel 2 is no different in this regard. The Pixel 2 runs on Android Oreo 8.0 with absolutely zero bloatware. It is a plain vanilla Android experience and is a complete joy to use and comes only with the standard Google Apps installed. The device also comes with Google assistant built in which can be summoned by squeezing the device even when the display is off. However, some practice is required before getting used to this because you might find yourself accidentally activating the Google assistant while picking up the device. The good thing is that the device allows you to actually adjust the pressure sensitivity so the presses aren’t unintentional. This is a relatively minor add-on but there is no going back to get used to this.   

Camera and Storage

Google has gone a completely different route with the Pixel 2’s camera. Unlike the rest of the competition which seems to be going the dual camera way, Google has refrained from doing that and instead uses AI to enhance the imagining capabilities of the device. The result, the Pixel 2 has the highest DxO mark score (98) ever recorded with a smartphone. The rear camera of the Pixel 2 is a 12.2MP unit with a f/1.8 aperture and the front camera is an 8MP fixed focus unit with a f/2.4 aperture.

Thanks to Google’s unique post-processing, the phone can take some really beautiful images with natural colors and decent detail and the two-way image stabilization makes for an exceptionally stable shot.

The Pixel 2 comes in two variants - 64GB and 128GB. It is not expandable; however, Google does give you unlimited storage for your photos and videos when you buy the Pixel.

Battery and Connectivity

The Pixel 2 comes with a 2700mAh battery which is fast charge compatible. It isn’t the biggest battery in a device of this proportion, but thanks to Google’s efficient software it manages it extremely well. Also, the does have support for wireless charging thanks to its glass back.

The Pixel 2 also supports all major Indian network bands with 4G VoLTE. It also has Bluetooth v5.0, Wi-Fi, MIMO, and GPS with A-GPS and GLONASS support built in.

Conclusion

Coming to grips with the Pixel 2 is the easiest thing ever. Android in itself isn’t a complicated OS but most skins by other manufacturers disrupt the pristine feel for what is a very pure and simple Android device. The Pixel 2 is primarily aimed at people looking for the best Android experience out of the box and who care about Android updates. The device is also built like a tank because it has IP67 rated for dust and water resistance. The Google Pixel 2 Price in India starts from around Rs.58000 for the 64GB model which is on par or cheaper than other manufacturers, particularly Apple. Looking for details! Visit 91mobiles.com to stay tuned for the latest updates!