Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL come with stereo speakers, Active Edge and more

The #MadeByGoogle event kicked off with another appeal from Google CEO Sundar Pichai on how artificial intelligence will bring us into the next consumer frontier globally. In transitioning from “mobile-first” to “AI-first,” Google will need fresh conduits into the neural network and the first of those new conduits was just revealed.

Hardware SVP Rick Osterloh says that specifications have become “table stakes” — though you can see them anyways right here — and advancement hits an event frontier, Google has taken another route to hardware innovation — by making it more useful, less often.

“It’s this combination of AI, software and hardware working together to provide a better experience for users,” Osterloh said. “What if smartphones got smarter and simpler?” product management VP Mario Queiroz wondered aloud.

It’s time to officially meet the wholly unsurprising Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, available in oft-leaked 5 and 6-inch screen sizes. Both new handsets look… predictable yet premium, with all-aluminum bodies, save for extended “visors” made of matte glass.

The fingerprint sensors are located “where your finger naturally falls” (nice Samsung burn), while on the front, audiophiles get powerful stereo speakers. No conventional headphone jack, though. Sadly, the standard Pixel 2 doesn’t look all that different from its compact predecessor, thick bezels and all, with the 2 XL substantially narrowing the screen borders but nowhere near the point of invisibility.

There’s a big difference in display resolution (Full HD vs QHD+), a 16:9 to 18:9 aspect ratio distinction, and even a difference in color options. The Pixel 2 comes in “just black”, “kinda blue” and “clearly white”, whereas the Pixel 2 XL goes for “just black” and black and white flavors.

“Active Edge”, aka Edge Sense, squeezability is a major common selling point, with various (mostly experimental) augmented reality features added to the main Pixel 2 camera.

Developing…

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from Pocketnow http://pocketnow.com/2017/10/04/google-pixel-2-pixel-2-xl-official-announcement