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Google Pixel XL

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Learn More About the Google Pixel

Google Pixel Specification
Android version Android 8.0 Oreo
Screen size 5.5-inch FHD AMOLED
Resolution 2560×1440 pixels
PPI 534ppi
Primary camera
12.3MP, 1.55μm pixels, phase detection autofocus + laser detection autofocus, f/2.0 Aperture
 


Front camera
8MP, 1.4µm pixels, f/2.4 Aperture, fixed focus


Processor
Qualcomm® Snapdragon 821 ,2.15Ghz + 1.6Ghz, 64Bit Quad-Core


Storage 32GB or 128GB
Expandable storage up to N/A
RAM 4GB LPDDR4
Battery 3,450mAh (nonremovable)
Ports USB Type-C, headphone jack
Weight 168 g
Dimensions 154.7 x 75.7 x 7.3 ~ 8.5 mm
Other features Rear-facing fingerprint sensor
Color options Very Silver, Quite Black, Really Blue
Carrier availability Unlocked (all carriers), Project Fi, Verizon
Base price off-contract ~$770
In-box accessories USB Type-C™ 18W adaptor with USB-PD, A-C cable (USB 3.1 Gen 2), C-C cable (USB 2.0), SIM tool, Quick Switch Adapter

Android Nougat revisited: The birth of the ‘Pixel Experience’ [Video]

android nougat revisit

Back in 2016, Google embarked on a more prominent and marketable smartphone line in the form of the Pixel series. The direct successor to the Nexus series came with its own unique build of Android Nougat, something we have come to know as the “Pixel Experience” — not to be confused with the third-party ROM.

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Postmortem: Google’s original Pixel shows how far it’s come and how far it has to go

google pixel 2016 android smartphone

It’s only been three years since Google decided to go on its own and start building its own flagship Android smartphones. In that three years, we’ve gotten a handful of Pixel phones all with their own strengths and weaknesses, but now that the original Google Pixel (2016) is being laid to rest, we thought it’s about time to look back at the phone that started it all and see how things have progressed.


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[Update: Claims now open] Google to pay original Pixel owners up to $500 over microphone issue

The original Google Pixel is a phone many still look back at with fond memories. However, the device was the subject of a couple big flaws, the biggest of which was the microphone. A lawsuit was started over the faulty Pixel microphones, and now Google has agreed to pay some buyers up to $500 in a settlement.


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November security patch in ‘final testing’ for 2016 Google Pixel devices halfway through the month

One of the biggest reasons to buy a Google Pixel device of any generation is for software updates. Oddly, though, the original Pixel and Pixel XL are a bit behind in that department as the Pixel November update and its associated security enhancements have yet to arrive. According to Google, though, they’re on the way.


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Google Store and Project Fi no longer selling the original Google Pixel, Pixel XL

The Pixel in 2016 kicked off Google’s latest and most committed push into entering hardware. When the second-generation Made by Google phones launched last October, the original device was kept around with a $100 price cut. Today, those first phones are no longer in stock on the Google Store or Project Fi.


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Google facing lawsuit over ‘defective microphones’ it ‘knowingly sold’ in original Pixel devices

Google’s collection of Pixel smartphones have proven to be fantastic overall, but it’s clear in more ways than one that Google is still getting the hang of this whole hardware thing. Display issues plague the Pixel 2 XL, but another issue affected original Pixel devices and now, Google is being sued over that…


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Camera NX, a Google Camera mod, brings portrait mode to the Pixel & XL, Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X

One of the most essential features for most smartphone owners is the camera. Because of this, Google focused on image quality when it launched the Pixel 2 and introduced new features such as portrait mode. But while the search giant’s latest and greatest got new features, the original Pixel and the last Nexus devices were left in the dust.

Thanks to the developer behind Camera NX, PixelPixel XLNexus 6P, and Nexus 5X owners can now enjoy taking portrait mode photos by merely sideloading an APK…


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Pixel Week: Where the Pixel falls short [Video]

We’ve already compared the Pixel XL to one of the best phones of 2017, the Galaxy Note 8, and visited some of the reasons why it’s still one of the best Android phones on the market. Nothing is perfect, though, and to close off Pixel Week, we wanted to look at some of the ways the Pixel and Pixel XL fall short and where the Pixel 2 might be able to pick up the slack.


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Pixel Week: Where the Pixel still shines a year later [Video]

We’re just six days away from Google announcing the second-generation Pixel lineup (along with some other expected products, including some new Google Home devices), and in the meantime we wanted to revisit the original Pixel and Pixel XL. Too often, tech sites including ourselves get caught up in the craze of new devices and neglect to look at how well (and sometimes, how poorly) the older devices have held up.

The Pixel and Pixel XL were some of our favorite phones when they launched last year, and though we’ve since seen dozens of great new devices, we’re still terribly fond of Google’s in-house projects, which have aged better than just about any other Android phones we’ve seen.


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Pixel Week: Pixel XL vs. Galaxy Note 8 [Video]

We’re excited to see Google unveil the Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 next Wednesday, but the original Pixels are still some of the best smartphones on the market. With so many new trends like dual cameras and edge-to-edge displays popping up in 2017, we wanted to see how well the Pixel XL holds up against some of today’s modern flagships, in what we’re calling Pixel Week.


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