Google Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL smartphones launched: Price, specifications, features

Google on Wednesday took the wraps off its new smartphones, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. Unveiled at an event in San Francisco, the new smartphones are successors to last year's Pixel series, branded as the "made by Google phones."

The Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL will be initially available in India, Australia, Canada, Germany, UK, US and other select markets. The base variant of the Pixel 2 starts at $649 (₹42,000 approximately) whereas the Pixel 2 XL base model is priced at $849 (₹55, 256).

Google last month acquired HTC's smartphone team that worked on the company's Pixel devices. With the $1.1-billion deal, the search giant acquired almost half of the Taiwanese smartphone-maker's employees and licenses to the intellectual properties.

The phone boasts an Edge Sense-like technology, which was previously seen on HTC U11. The technology allows you to squeeze the sides of the phone to perform different tasks, for example, the long squeeze can launch the Google Assistant.

The new Pixel lineup will be pitted against Apple's iPhone 8, Samsung Galaxy S8, LG G6 and other premium smartphones in the market. The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL retain the design language of their predecessors but have a few subtle improvements. While the Pixel 2 looks similar to last year's Pixel phone, it sports a more contemporary design, which includes an 18:9 display with slim bezels, like Galaxy S8, Galaxy Note 8 and LG G6 among others.

The two smartphones feature an aluminium body along with front-facing stereo speakers. The device comes with a Google Lens feature that allows the phone to extract text and other contextual information by clicking a photo, and using Google Assistant. Google cautions that the Google Lens feature is in its early stages.

Both the Pixel phones are compatible with Google's Virtual Reality (VR) platform DayDream. The company is also leveraging its recently announced ARCore platform for Augmented Reality (AR). The Pixel phones come with a slew of AR-stickers. The company at the event also demonstrated that users could project AR characters on real-life background.

Google Pixel 2: Specifications, features

The smartphone comes with a 5-inch full HD display. It runs Android Oreo out-of-the-box and is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 processor coupled with 4GB of RAM. It is available in 64GB and 128GB storage variants.

The Pixel 2 has a 12.3-megapixel rear camera with Optical Image Stablisation (OIS) and HDR. The smartphone comes with a Portrait mode, allowing users to achieve DSLR-like shallow-of-field effect. The camera uses software algorithm to deliver the effect using the single camera. The Portrait mode is also available for the front camera for the smartphone. The Pixel 2 has an 8-megapixel front-facing camera.

The smartphone also comes with IP67 certification for water and dust resistance. Connectivity options include Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, Wi-Fi, and GPS. The smartphone is powered by a 2700 mAh battery.

Google Pixel 2 XL: Specifications, features

The Google Pixel 2 XL comes with a 6-inch Quad HD display. It runs Android Oreo out-of-the-box and is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 processor coupled with 4GB of RAM. It is available in 64GB and 128GB storage choices.

Just like the Pixel 2, the Pixel 2 XL has 12.3-megapixel rear camera with Optical Image Stablisation (OIS) and HDR. On the front, it has an 8-megapixel camera. The smartphone is powered by a 3,520mAh battery.