This is no leak story. It is not based on rumors or speculations either. At an official press event held in San Francisco, Google finally announced the long-rumored Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones. Yes, the Pixel branding is in full swing here, suggesting that the Nexus brand will be no more. But we'll get to the topic later.

So, what's so special about the Google Pixel and Pixel XL? Well, to sum it all up, these are phones developed with a very important task in mind – to bring the best of Google to our fingertips. These are devices built by Google – both on the outside and on the inside. They are designed to be powerful, yet easy to use; good-looking, yet inviting and simple in nature.

Designed by Google

Now that we've touched on the topic of design, the two phones are made of polished aluminum, with glass covering the front and the upper part of the back. Speaking of the back, there's a touch-type fingerprint reader, while the camera lens lies flush with the handset's surface. The curves and subtle wedges on the sides are there to make the handsets easier to handle. Furthermore, the Pixel and Pixel XL will come in three peculiarly named colors: Quite Black, Very Silver, and Really Blue. Keep in mind that the last color option will be available in the US only. Live cases will be sold at the Play Store, in case you're wondering.

As you can probably guess, the Google Pixel will be the smaller of the two handsets. It is equipped with a 5-inch display of the AMOLED variety. As for the larger Pixel XL, its front is graced by a 5.5-inch AMOLED panel. Both are protected by Gorilla Glass 4 and are labeled as "Hi-Definition" displays, whatever the latter is supposed to mean. Exact resolution figures should become clear pretty soon.

Under the hood

Hardware specs were far from the highlight of Google's event, but we should include them here anyway. The "brain" of the Pixel phones is a Snapdragon 821 SoC, paired with 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM. Both will come with either 32 or 128GB of storage - non-expandable, to no surprise.


Curiously, there's a Type-C to Type-A USB connector in the box. It can be used to connect various devices to the Pixel handsets, including USB drives and pointing hardware. The purpose of the adapter, however, is to make it easier to transfer data from your old phone over to your new, shiny Pixel phone.

By the way, the Pixel and Pixel XL feature 3.5-millimeter audio jacks. Just saying.

Software perks: Google Assistant, Daydream VR support, and more

Software is a key selling point for the Pixel and Pixel XL. Google's Phones will launch with Android 7.1 Nougat, as expected. On top of it will be Google's own launcher, and Google's Assistant comes baked into the experience. Think of the latter as Google Now on steroids, with the ability to interact with the user in a natural manner. You can ask it to send texts, to provide directions, to make reservations, and a ton of other cool stuff. And the more you use it the better it gets.

Both the Pixel and Pixel XL are compatible with Daydream VR, making them the first phones to support the feature. What this means is that software and hardware work in tande
m to produce a next-generation mobile VR experience – with greater precision and responsiveness.

That's not the only software perk coming with the Pixel phones. The fingerprint scanner, for instance, will show your notifications if you swipe down on it. Also, icons have this new circular shape, which is a rather odd change, if you ask us. In addition to that, we noticed that the Google Bar permanently stuck on the top of the home screen has been removed.

Camera: Smartburst, HDR+, unlimited storage for all your photos

Camera quality is a priority for most smartphone users, and Google brags boldly about the imaging capabilities of its Pixel and Pixel XL. The image sensor at the back has 12.3 megapixels at its disposal and, at least from the looks of it, is controlled by some mighty powerful software. Smartburst is a new feature that has been baked in. As the name implies, it selects the sharpest, clearest images when shooting bursts – nothing new per se, but still nice to have out of the box. Meanwhile, the refined HDR+ algorithms capture a series of images at multiple short exposures, fusing them into a single, enhanced image. As HDR+ produces no shutter lag, it is on by default.

Price and release date

The Google Pixel and Pixel XL will launch in the US as Verizon exclusives. They will also be available at the Play Store – unlocked and ready to work with a carrier of your choice. Pricing will start at $650. In addition, retailers like Best Buy and Flipkart will carry the phones in their brick and mortar stores. Rogers, Telus, Bell, Deutche Telekom, EE, and Telstra will be among the international carriers to have the phone in stock.

This is a developing news story. New information will be added as the Google event unfolds.