Apple’s iPhone X may have been the talk of the town in recent weeks, but another high-end gadget from a major tech company might interest those looking to upgrade their smartphones: introducing Google’s Pixel 2 XL.
For the first time in Singapore, and in Southeast Asia, Google’s 6-inch flagship phone will make its debut in an exclusive partnership with Singtel. Local pricing for the device has yet to be announced, although customers can register their interest via Singtel’s website.
And there are plenty of goodies to look forward to. Both Pixel phones (yes, there’s a smaller 5-inch version) will come with a function called “Active Edge” – a feature that allows you to squeeze the sides of the phones to launch Google Assistant, similar to HTC U11’s Edge Sense feature.
Both iterations of the Pixel smartphones come with either 64GB or 128GB of storage, as well as run on the latest Android 8.0 mobile operating system. In terms of picture taking, both phones have incredibly powerful 12-megapixel rear cameras with high dynamic range (HDR) and optical image stabilization (OIS).
Users can also enjoy shooting with a “Portrait Mode” feature that softens backgrounds to give a fake “bokeh” effect, the difference from rival phones being that the Pixel’s camera uses machine learning instead of dual cameras to pull off the effect.
Equally as impressive is the Google Lens feature, which allows users to glean information off random images taken by the phone’s camera, by adding them into various apps – for instance, dates and timings for Google Calender, or a business card’s details for a phone contact.
Google has rather surprisingly removed the headphone jack for the Pixel, after poking fun at Apple.
However, everything else is to be expected of a top-tier flagship gadget – the new phones are certified water- and dust- resistant with an IP rating of 67, while a localized version of Google Assistant that can understand Singlish will be launched later this year.
For now, only prices in the United States have been revealed – the Pixel 2 XL will cost US$849 for the 64GB model and US$949 for the 128GB model, while the Pixel 2 will cost US$649 for the 64GB model and US$749 for the 128GB model.
The smaller Pixel 2 will be available from October 19 onwards, while the Pixel 2 XL will be available from November 15.
For more information, visit www.singtel.com.
Images: Google
You must be logged in to post a comment.