Google's $649 5" Pixel 2, $849 6" Pixel 2 XL smartphones want to be your main squeeze, wit...

Posted:
in iPhone edited October 2017
Google's second-generation Pixel smartphones, geared to compete with Apple's iPhone 8 and iPhone X, boast a new squeeze feature, where users can invoke the handset's assistant by applying pressure to the handset's bezels. And in a growing trend established by Apple's iPhone 7, the new Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL do not have a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack.




Unlike Apple's iPhone 8 lineup, both the 5-inch Pixel 2 and the 6-inch Pixel 2 XL boast the same features in each model.

"We don't set aside better features for the larger device," said Google VP Mario Queiroz in a clear dig at Apple, earning laughter and applause from the audience at Wednesday's keynote.





Preorders start today, and for a limited time each Pixel 2 purchase will come with a free Google Home Mini, priced at $49.

Squeezing the phone, in a motion known as "Active Edge," now invokes the assistant. In an onstage demo, Google showed how a user could simply squeeze the phone and then speak to it to take a selfie, allowing the task to be accomplished by using just one hand.

In another stab at Apple, Google bragged that its own "portrait mode" on the Pixel 2 accomplishes a similar effect -- with a higher score of 98 from DxO -- with just one camera lens, unlike the two lenses on the iPhone X and iPhone 8 Plus. Apple's smaller iPhone 8 and its single-lens camera not have Portrait Mode.




Google also showcased how both hardware and software optical image stabilization offers much smoother images with less motion blur. In a demonstration, footage of a person on a motorcycle was smoothed greatly from the original, unfixed capture.

A portion of Wednesday's unveiling also focused on new augmented reality tools capable with the Pixel 2 lineup -- a clear response to Apple's own ARKit, which launched for iPhone and iPad last month on iOS 11.

The handset features an "exclusive preview" of Google Lens, which recognizes objects and places in images and automatically returns search results.

In another demo, Google showed how the new phone will constantly listen for music to let users quickly see what is being played. Notably, the song is recognized through on-device machine learning, as Google says no data needs to be transferred back to the company for this to be accomplished.

Such information is shown through an always-on display in a low-power mode.

On the back, the Google Pixel 2 also has a centered fingerprint reader. Apple continues to offer Touch ID on the home button on the front of the iPhone 8, while Face ID will supplant the fingerprint reader on the iPhone X.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 77
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    Google does seem to have nailed the camera stuff in the last two generations of Pixels, but otherwise too much money for too little innovation IMHO. Not a product that interests me and I'm not alone. 
    lostkiwiSpamSandwichRonnnieO
  • Reply 2 of 77
    Seems a lot better than an iPhone...
    king editor the gratewilliamlondon
  • Reply 3 of 77
    So now everyone removes the jack after everyone had laughed at Apple for their "courage" to remove the jack first? These guys are such posers.
    edited October 2017 radarthekatdoozydozengeorgie01StrangeDayschiastarwarsbrucemcwatto_cobralostkiwi
  • Reply 4 of 77
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    It could come packed in Unicorn Fur and Pixie dust for all I care.  The fact it runs Android gives it a massive "F" in my book.  

    Sorry Google... with all your grandstanding, you're simply a knockoff with zero care for privacy and security.  Go back to the corner.
    edited October 2017 lowededwookielostkiwicaliradarthekatdoozydozenpeterhartericthehalfbeechiawilliamlondonstarwars
  • Reply 5 of 77
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,419member
    No headphone jack....NO BUY
    anton zuykovpujones1cropr
  • Reply 6 of 77
    cpsrocpsro Posts: 3,192member
    "Free" photo storage comes with a perpetual, world-wide, royalty-free license for Goople to store and use your data for any purpose, even after you've deleted it and cancelled your account.
    lostkiwianton zuykovradarthekatdoozydozenpujones1chiawatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 77
    Does it include an FM radio?
    GG1tmaylostkiwiboeyc15lkruppking editor the grateanton zuykovradarthekatdoozydozentallest skil
  • Reply 8 of 77
    "We don't set aside better features for the larger device," said Google VP Mario Queiroz in a clear dig at Apple, earning laughter and applause from the audience at Wednesday's keynote.

    So you have a mediocre phone in a small case and a lot of wasted potential in the larger case?

    The people were right to laugh... At how deluded Google really is.
    edited October 2017 lostkiwicaliradarthekatdoozydozenStrangeDayswatto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 77
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    cpsro said:
    "Free" photo storage comes with a perpetual, world-wide, royalty-free license for Goople to store and use your data for any purpose, even after you've deleted it and cancelled your account.
    *cough* FUD-worthy *cough*

    What's yours remains yours.... 
    singularitymuthuk_vanalingam
  • Reply 10 of 77
    calicali Posts: 3,494member
    "We don't set aside better features for the larger device," said Google VP Mario Queiroz in a clear dig at Apple, earning laughter and applause from the audience at Wednesday's keynote.

    So you have a mediocre phone in a small case and a lot of wasted potential in the larger case?

    The people were right to laugh... At how deluded Google really is.
    Who was laughing? The audience during the keynote?
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 77
    calicali Posts: 3,494member
    I’m gloating so much today against the morons who criticized Apple for removing the headphone jack and praising this knockoff. Lol
    radarthekatgeorgie01anton zuykovchiawatto_cobralostkiwi
  • Reply 12 of 77
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    No headphone jack....NO BUY
    So what do you plan to do when all  smartphones have no headphone jacks anymore? 
    doozydozencalichiawilliamlondonRonnnieOwatto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 77
    rogifan_newrogifan_new Posts: 4,297member
    "We don't set aside better features for the larger device," said Google VP Mario Queiroz in a clear dig at Apple, earning laughter and applause from the audience at Wednesday's keynote.

    So you have a mediocre phone in a small case and a lot of wasted potential in the larger case?

    The people were right to laugh... At how deluded Google really is.
    Doesn’t the non-Plus model of iPhone have OIS now? As far as I can tell there wasn’t some major design change to accommodate it. Seems more likely than not that it was exclusive to the Plus model as an upsell. 
  • Reply 14 of 77
    canukstormcanukstorm Posts: 2,695member
    gatorguy said:
    Google does seem to have nailed the camera stuff in the last two generations of Pixels, but otherwise too much money for too little innovation IMHO. Not a product that interests me and I'm not alone. 
    From what I've read, yes they have. Along with Gmail, Maps, Assistant, Search, Google Drive, Photos
  • Reply 15 of 77
    boeyc15boeyc15 Posts: 986member
    Does it include an FM radio?


    I know this was said in jest, but I always thought it would be a nice to have feature and AM. I never heard a good argument why not--- please share if anyone has a good analysis. I do understand that it is NOT always a trivial undertaking though, but certainty not new/exotic/extreme engineering to design in if there was a desire to do so.

    https://www.cnet.com/how-to/unlock-the-secret-fm-tuner-in-your-android-phone/

  • Reply 16 of 77
    boltsfan17boltsfan17 Posts: 2,294member
    Pretty ironic how Google mocked Apple last year for removing the 3.5mm headphone jack and now they have done the same thing. 
    doozydozencalichiawilliamlondonstarwarsbrucemcwatto_cobralostkiwi
  • Reply 17 of 77
    rogifan_newrogifan_new Posts: 4,297member
    Pretty ironic how Google mocked Apple last year for removing the 3.5mm headphone jack and now they have done the same thing. 
    Didn’t Phil Schiller once mock wireless charging? All companies mock something until they do it.
    gatorguyavon b7doozydozendasanman69cecil444williamlondon
  • Reply 18 of 77
    badmonkbadmonk Posts: 1,285member
    No OLED
    No FaceID
    No Apple A11 chip prowness
    The camera differences will turn out to be debatable....

    They'll sell millions, not tens of millions...

    But ultimately the scale of manufacturing of Apple and Samsung will doom them.
    caliwatto_cobralostkiwi
  • Reply 19 of 77
    Removing the jack isn’t the problem. At least they’ve included an adaptor. 
    The problem is they’re being cheap asses and not including any earphones in the box at all. 
    Can you imagine if Apple had launched the (truely wireless) AirPods at $159 and had no normal earphones in the box with the phones? Yet no one is complaining. 

    No dual cameras. Fake software depth mode will look average. No wireless charging. “Up to 3 years of software updates*” Well I’m running iOS 11.0.2 just fine on my 4 year old iPhone 5s. With AirPods and Apple Watch. 

    Hey - isn’t this site Apple Insider? Why all the google press release posts?
    radarthekatpeterhartcaligeorgie01randominternetpersonStrangeDaysbrucemcwatto_cobralostkiwimike54
  • Reply 20 of 77
    tmaytmay Posts: 6,311member
    Can't seem to find the spec for the video codec; is it VP9?
    watto_cobra
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