ISSUE 45 • ANDROID ADVISOR 67FEATUREwill choose the Pixel for what it brings to Android. And
this year, it’s in the form of apps and features, not UI
tweaks. In fact, the Pixel 2 doesn’t technically run a
new version of Android Oreo at all. But compare it to
the version running on a Nexus 6P, and the differences
are clear. The Launcher has been tweaked to put
the search bar in a logical position and spotlight
upcoming events. There’s an exclusive preview of
Google Lens. A squeeze-to-launch-Assistant gesture.
And it has a neat camera app trick that simulates
bokeh with just a single lens.
Mind you, none of these things are groundbreaking.
Other manufacturers have done background blurring
without the use of a second camera. Widgets let you
put your calendar entries on your home screen. Bixby
Vision uses the camera for identifying books, wine,
and buildings. But none of those features are as well
integrated as Android is on the Pixel. Samsung may
have built a Bixby button into the 2017 Galaxy phones,
but I guarantee more people will be squeezing
their Pixel phones to launch Assistant. It’s Android
as Google intended: fully integrated with Google
services in a seamless, fluid manner.
The ultimate updater
The best feature of the Pixel didn’t even get a mention
on the stage yesterday. According to the tech specs
for the Pixel 2, the phones are guaranteed to get three
years of OS updates, a jump from the previous Pixel’s
two-year promise. That means when Android Rolo
or Ring-Dings launches in 2020, today’s Pixels will be
able to install it on day one.