Google: Oct. 4 – What We Know About the Google Phone So Far

Published: 23 September 2016

A brand new teaser video named Google: Oct 4 suggests all will be revealed on Google’s new smartphones on October 4th. Watch the teaser here.

There’s been a lot of rumors surrounding the upcoming Google phones this year. Whoever’s in charge of Google’s previous Nexus range has finally figured out that by dropping the Nexus name, and focusing on creating a truly Google-branded smartphone, the company’s market reach is going to grow significantly.

No More Nexus

If you’re a fan of smartphones you’ll already know that the Nexus devices have always been backed by Google. Despite their part in it, Google has often kept their name away from anything to do with the Nexus devices. As a result consumers will be eager to see what the ‘Google phone’ is all about.

To many, it is a very new concept and because Google has dropped the Nexus moniker and stepped up to own their own smartphone line (and publicly associated themselves with it) it has created a lot of newfound attention. In many ways, the Google phone has the potential to spark as much attention as some of the older iPhone releases.

It’s Still Android

Despite the rebranding, the new Google smartphones, which are rumored to be named the Pixel and the Pixel XL, are still Android devices. In fact, I don’t expect there to be any huge difference between the new Pixel smartphones and any other android device on the market.

Blurred Google Pixel

This blurred Google Pixel image showcases the back plate on the Google Pixel.

What we can expect is a smartphone with top-end hardware, a high-performance camera, and a high-resolution display. We anticipate that hardware-wise Google Pixel smartphones will be perfect (after all this is 2016!). It would be unfortunate if it didn’t live up to standards already set by other 2016-released flagship smartphones and have bleeding-edge hardware.

Perhaps one area to get excited about is the software. Whilst Android will be the core OS, Google may introduce a bespoke range of features for the Pixel smartphones. Alternatively, the phone might offer a stock Android experience using some of Google’s recent apps from Google Play Store.

Perhaps the introduction of apps like Google Duo and Google Trips wasn’t for nothing. In fact, Google already has created their own Google-branded apps to make an entirely new user interface for Android overnight.

Here’s to hoping that they pull out all the stops on the software front when their devices hit the shelves on October 4.

But it Looks Like an iPhone

 

Whilst the Android software is apparent, recent image leaks show the Google Pixel and Pixel XL look very similar to the latest iPhone devices. It’s hard to create a unique-looking smartphone that is streamlined and comfortable without ending up with what looks like a competitor’s product, so I’m not trying to antagonize the Pixel team here, but the similarities can’t be ignored. The images can be seen below for you to form your own opinion.

Google Pixel Front Facing Image Leak

The front of the Google Pixel looks eerily similar to that of the iPhone 7.

Physical appearance can really help to sell a smartphone though, so it would be a shame if the Pixel and Pixel XL truly do turn out to be iPhone 7 and iPhone 7S clones. Just consider how well received the Galaxy S6 Edge was, or the number of awards the original HTC One got for its physical form factor alone. So far we have only seen the front and blurred backs of the Pixel smartphones.

Premium Phone, Premium Price

Render of the Google Pixel

This particular render shows that the back plate may look more unique than previous leaks.

Rumors abound that suggest the pricing for the Google Pixel phone will start at $649. Larger storage options will bump up the price and the Pixel XL, which has a larger display, will cost considerably more as well. Interestingly, this falls in line with the iPhone 7 starting price point.

Perhaps Google is going all out against Apple with this latest line of smartphones. Or perhaps the Google Pixel lineup will be some strange tongue-in-cheek joke.

Maybe Google is just poking fun at Apple by launching what’s essentially an iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus clone and hoping that they can sail their product through solely on the power of their brand name alone. Wouldn’t that be an interesting turn of events, especially remembering that Windows 8 was launched on the same argument…and see how that turned out?

For now, we’ll have to wait it out to see what actually comes out of the Google Pixel lineup.

 

Ollie

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