Google Pixel 2 & 2 XL: Price, Release Date & More

The Google Pixel 2 and 2 XL were announced today during Google’s Pixel event. While most of the specs did leak beforehand, we now know all we need to know about the phones. To create the Pixel phones, Google partnered up with HTC and LG.

Much like the previous version of the Pixel, these phones look like they’ll be known for their incredible cameras. For photos and videos, Google offers unlimited storage to Pixel users on the cloud. This includes storage space for 4K HDR video.

The phones are going to be shipping starting on October 17. The phones hit stores on October 19. If you pre-order a Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL now, the phones are expected to ship in 5-6 weeks.

Board member Rick Osterloh said at today’s event that smartphones are reaching parity on the specs, meaning that all smartphones released will have similar specs. He said that Google will be focusing on AI improvements rather than the actual software in the product.

Osterloh also mentioned that while Google may not have been the first to many of their products, including search and Gmail, they instead focused on how to make the best tech designed for the users and delivered useful products.

Both phones have all-aluminum bodies with gently-curved colored glass. The fingerprint sensor is placed where your finger naturally sits on the phone.

Both the Pixel 2 and the Pixel 2 XL are equipped with Portrait Mode, which blurs the background and lights the main focus of the shot. The Pixel 2 has portrait mode for both front-facing and rear-facing cameras. The camera will also support motion photos, which allows you to take a burst of shots that turn out looking like a video. Both video and stills feature image stabilization.

The speakers are front-facing to deliver the best volume without muffling audio with your hand. There is no headphone jack, but Google does include an adapter for any current headphones. Because there is no headphone jack, Google has created new wireless headphones called “Google Pixel Buds.” These headphones also use Google translate that allow you to have conversations with people who may speak a different language than you. The Pixel Buds provide up to 5 hours of playing on one charge. They are $159 and will be available in November. You can pre-order the headphones here.

Google will be offering financing options to pay the phones off over 24 months, which is good because they come at a somewhat high price point. The phones are available for preorder today. You can preorder the phones here. The phones will come with a promo code for a free Google Home Mini.

Both phones are equipped with the Google Assistant, which can be synced with other Google devices including Google Home Mini and Max and the Google Pixelbook, which were all announced today. The phones are both equipped with Active Edge, you can give your Pixel a squeeze and then tell your phone what you want it to do, and it will do it. This will even work when your phone is in a case.

The Google Pixels will launch with a preview Google Lens. The lens can identify things that are in the phone’s view. For example, pointing your camera at a flier with an email address can open your email so you can send an email to the address listed on the flier.

The phone will also launch with Augmented Reality stickers. At the event, a “Stranger Things” sticker was demonstrated. The stickers interact with each other and their environment. There will be stickers from SNL, the NBA and Star Wars along with others being added after launch.

Both devices come equipped with the same features and are dust- and water-resistant. The phones also have the ability to use Always-On Display, which can show notifications, time and also using its database to determine what song is playing at any time. You can add the song to your library by just clicking on the song on your lock screen.

The main difference between the two devices is the screen size. The Pixel 2 XL will have an inch on the original Pixel. Neither of the phones will launch with a headphone jack, which is a surprising move since Google poked fun at Apple for removing its headphone jack in last year’s Pixel Commercial.

Analysts expect low sales for the devices because of the underwhelming technology compared to competitor phones releasing this year.

The original Google Pixel sold less than 3 million units since November of last year. To compare that to Apple sales, the iPhone 7 reached over 300 million sales in the first quarter of 2017.

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