Google showed the new Google Pixel 2 smartphones. The new devices come with 6-inch and 5.5-inch displays. The Pixel 2 will launch in “kinda blue,” “just black” and “clearly white.” The 6-inch Pixel 2 XL features a plastic-OLED curved display that runs nearly to the edges. It looks an awful lot like the LG V30 smartphone it’s based on. The Pixel 2 XL will ship in black or black and white.
Google said users will get the same experience on both except when it comes to the screen sizes. The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL feature an always-on display that shows notifications and the time even when the device is locked. The phones can also always detect any music playing in the background and will show the phone song right on your lock screen. Neither phone offers a headphone jack.
Also, you can take a selfie by squeezing the phone. The squeeze motion can also be set to perform other tasks. The phones run “pure Android Oreo,” Google said.
Google said developers are already taking advantage of its ARCore augmented reality tools to provide augmented reality apps on Android. This is similar to what Apple is doing with ARKit and iPhones and iPads. Like the new iPhone 8, Google said the cameras on the Pixel 2 smartphones are specially tuned for augmented reality.
The Pixel 2 will also support Portrait mode, which Apple introduced on the iPhone 7 Plus last year and updated on the iPhone 8 Plus this year. Portrait mode applies blurring to the background to offer a more professional-look to pictures. Google uses a single camera lens instead of two, like Apple does. Portrait selfies are supported by the front camera, too.
Both phones promise water resistance and all-day battery life.
The Pixel 2 will start at $649 and pre-orders open today.
The Pixel 2 XL will start at $849 and pre-orders begin today.
