Everything you need to know about Google's PixelS

After spending months and months on the rumour mill, the Google Pixel and its XL variant has finally stepped into the realm of reality. This phone is a big deal and a huge shift in strategy for Google. Cause this phone hammers the final coffin nail for the Nexus brand, Google's previous pure Android device. But before you hit that pre-order button though, here are some quick things to know about the Pixel and the Pixel XL:

Totally Left Field

The materials used for the device has gone towards the left of the periodic table as the Pixel is an aluminum unibody phone with a slab of glass on the upper section of the rear panel. Also gone are the boring and robotic sounding names like "arctic silver" or "matte black". There are three colours for these devices, amusingly named "Very Silver", "Quite Black", and "Really Blue".

Snaptastic

Hardware bragging, surprisingly has taken a back seat during its release. Not to fret though as they haven't really skimped on anything. It's powered by the latest Snapdragon 821, an AMOLED screen, 4GB RAM and 32/128GB storage. The one bit of hardware that caused quite the fanfare though was the camera, 12MP unit with higher pixel sizes. Oh and guess what? The headphone jack is present and up top. Not all revolutions are good after all.

Google is King

This year, Google took full control of the hardware, and made sure to optimize the software properly with the new hardware as well as adding many innovative software features, which are a definite step up from the barebones Android releases in past Nexus devices. Things like Google Assistant is a perfect example. It scours the screen for search terms, responds to users' questions and queries with conversation-like candour, and is way more contextually aware than Google Now.

All are not equal

 Three main differences: the Pixel has a 5" Full HD display and a piddling 2770mAh battery. The Pixel XL, on the other hand, has a 5.5" Quad HD display and a much more reasonable 3450mAh battery.

Daydreaming

VR was already quite the big thing for the whole of 2015 and 16, but thanks to Google, its set to get even bigger with their new Daydream VR platform and headset, announced alongside the Pixels.

Pretty penny

As Google is taking the flight to the all the Samsungs and Apples of the world, they have built it and priced it as such. Prices are currently hovering around the Tk 60,000 to Tk 70,000, far far above what the Nexus was usually priced at.

Overall, Google has brought out the device that they hope will populate the Android user landscape with its refocused attention to user experience rather than the simple hardware game, and a killer camera setup.