After months of speculation and rumours Google have finally lifted the veil off their latest smartphone, the Google Pixel. This is the first time Google have released a smartphone since the Nexus range, and a lot has changed since then.
Here are 6 things you should know about the new Google Pixel smartphone
It goes on sale very soon.
Pre-orders have already opened for the U.S, U.K and Australia with the device hitting store on October 20th. Unfortunately, there’s no word on when the Google Pixel will be arriving on South African shores, but if other big global smartphone releases are anything to go by, we can be expecting a local release early next year.
It could be the first phone to support Google Daydream.
Given the Pixel’s robust hardware including a quad-core processor and AMOLED display, it meets all the minimal specifications required to run Google’s virtual reality headset.
The new smartphone will also be running the latest version of the Android operating system, Android 7.0
It will be the first phone to use Google Assistant.
Similiar to Apple’s Siri, the Google Assistant is a brand new AI that uses the Google search engine to answer user questions or be used to navigate through the phone.
The Google Assistant can be activated by saying the words “OK Google”, or by holding down the home button. You can then ask specifics like “where is the closest restaurant”, or find files on your phone by asking things like “show me the photos I took yesterday.”
It has a headphone jack.
One of the most controversial moves made this year in the smartphone industry was Apple’s decision to remove their headphone jack in favour of wireless connectivity for their earphones.
Given that the Pixel will be a direct competitor to the likes of the iPhone 7 and Galaxy 7, this could be a deciding factor for some buyers.
It claims to have the “best smartphone camera ever”.
According to a score from DXOMark, a website that analyses image and video quality for cameras, the Google Pixel scored 89, making it the “best smartphone camera” ever according to the website.
The camera does have some impressive specs though; it has a 12.3-rear megapixel camera, a small megapixel count, a larger sensor and an overall 1.55 micron pixel size.
It will come with unlimited free storage space
The Google Pixel will come with access to Google Photos, a service that allows you to backup photos and videos to a cloud storage. Another great feature is that you can upload full HD photos or 4K video without having to compress them first.
Oh, and the service is entirely free.
