GADGET ENTHUSIASTS might
b e a l i t t l e c o n f u s e d b y G o o gl e’s
marketing of the Pixel, especially
the company’s decision to brand it
“the first phone by Google.”
That’s because Pixel replaces
the venerable (in smartphone
terms) Nexus line, which began
in 2010 with the Nexus One. Like
Pixel, the Nexus phones were also
branded with a G, although the
hardware manufacturers were
also allowed a logo on the device,
something HTC doesn’t get today.
So maybe that’s the difference.
Pixel is a new direction for
Google, though, a technological
showcase for presenting Android 7
in t h e b e s t p o s sib l e l i gh t.
Beyond a beautiful display
and what Google boasts has
been independently assessed by
DxOMark as the “best smartphone
camera ever”, Pixel brings boosted
personal assistant functionality.
In fact, the system is now
straight-up called Assistant and
can be invoked with an “OK Google”
at any point: when the screen is off,
when using another app, wherever,
as long as the phone is powered on
and connected to mobile data.
Android 7 uses slightly thinner
fonts now, which take advantage
of higher display resolutions (the
Pixel XL is 2560x1440, the Pixel is
1920x1080) and allow much more
information to be presented in
notifications, even on the lock screen.
In f a c t , i t ’s r ar ely n e c e s s ar w y t o
actually open your weather, traffic
or Gmail app now unless you want
to reply (and you can hit “reply” or
other actions on some notifications
to go straight to relevant screen.)
And above all this, the Pixel
is FAST, at least out of the box
before it gets clogged up with apps.
It responds to taps and swipes
without a hint of delay, and loads
web pages as quickly as your
connection will allow.
Lovers of the simplicity of
Apple’s iOS may find the sheer
amount of information that
Android 7 can present somewhat
overwhelming. But being Android,
it’s possible to tweak notification
settings, widgets and more to get
the level of info you want.
There’s a reason both Pixels are
relatively expensive ($1079 for the
b a s e 3 2 G B P i xel , up t o $141 9 f o r
the top-tier 128GB Pixel XL) - this is
a super-premium phone, from the
Apple-level fit and finish through to
the blazing performance.
We’ll take a closer look at
Google’s new Assistant and what it
can do, in the next issue.by
Anthony
FordhamENTERS THE
SMARTPHONE
MARKET...
AGAIN
RELIABILITY WINS
THE PRIZE?
While the exact details of HTC’s deal
with Google to build the Pixel will
probably never be released, we’re
sure it’s no coincidence that our Goo-
gle Nexus One - built by HTC in 2010- is one of only two Nexi we own that
still works. The other is the Samsung
Galaxy Nexus, but the Nexus 4 (LG)
and Nexus 5 (also LG) both died
within two years. Similarly, the Nexu
7 tablet by ASUS refused to turn on
again after 18 months of use, while
our battered old Nexus 10 tablet
(Samsung) just keeps on rocking.
6 POPULAR SCIENCE
The Pixel is built by
HTC, like the original
Nexus One (box image)