Google announced in late September that it would be holding a press event in San Francisco on October 4th, where a new flagship phone will likely be announced. The event was publicized in the form of a YouTube video that shows Google’s logo morphing into an outline of a phone, fueling rumors of a Google-branded phone being released by the end of this year.
Those rumors were correct, and the Pixel and Pixel XL were announced October 4th.
Google already has a line of Nexus phones, but relied on a myriad of other companies (HTC, Samsung, Motorola, Huawei and LG, to be precise) to manufacture those smartphones.
Though the Nexus name has been in use since 2008, Google will be departing from it, according to Android Central. Android Police reports that the new Google phones, previously referred to only as Sailfish and Marlin, will be called the Pixel and Pixel XL.
The Pixel and Pixel XL draw a line in the sand: a new era, leaving the Nexus brand behind. Google would be creating a new flagship, using its own technology.
Specs & A First Look
UK company Carphone Warehouse, through some error, listed the Pixel and Pixel XL online (with photos!) two days before Google’s event. This confirmed all of the specs that were previously leaked, and made a wide range of much more detailed Pixel photos available:
The early posting of the Pixel and Pixel XL confirmed all of the previously leaked specs. (Carphone Warehouse)
Carphone Warehouse’s early release of the Pixel and Pixel XL sheds some light on the phones before Google’s event. (Carphone Warehouse)
Google’s Pixel and Pixel XL will be made exclusively by Google, unlike the Nexus line. (Carphone Warehouse)
Google’s Pixel, previously seen only through vague leaks, has been posted for sale early. (Carphone Warehouse)
Some of the specs, according to Android Central, include the Android 7.1 Nougat, 4GB of RAM, fingerprint scanners, USB Type-C ports, 32GB and 128GB storage options, and the brand-new Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 chip.
And, yes, there will be a headphone jack.
Google officially announced the phones October 4th. The handsets will be available for pre-order October 4th and start at $649 or $27/month.
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Google Pixel and Pixel XL: Phone Specs and Images leaked