It’s all but confirmed – Google will be holding an event on October 4th. Even though the tech giant has not mentioned what will indeed be going down, the many ads around New York City suggest that the company will be launching several “made by Google” products in the market.
Among the most anticipated ones are the Google Pixel phones, which include the standard Pixel and the larger Pixel XL. Like any other Google-owned phone, these two should come preinstalled with the latest Android OS, which is currently v7.0 Nougat. However, there are emerging reports that suggest these two may come with an advanced version of Nougat, probably v7.1.
So, what would this Android 7.1 Nougat add to the Google Pixel phones? Apparently, one feature that is set to make a highlight on the upcoming Pixel and Pixel XL is the inclusion of Google Assistant. A virtual assistant that made its debut with Google Allo, Assistant is expected to be baked inside the Google Pixel phones. Inside Allo, the new Google Assistant allows users to fetch or rather ask for any kind of information without leaving the app. This Assistant can be summoned at any time, be it when chatting with a friend, in a group chat or even when there is no one to chat with.
Android 7.1 Nougat is expected to deeply integrate Google Assistant into its functionality, allowing users of the two Google Pixel phones to summon it from whatever screen or page. This will be adding to the Google Now on Tap service that enables users to pull out any information regardless of the screen open.
As pointed out earlier, Google has not confirmed that the Pixel phones will be unveiled at the upcoming October 4th event. However, given that this will be a year since the Google Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X were announced, it is a no-brainer that the successors to last year’s handsets will be unveiled at the same event.
Just as a heads up, the Google Pixel is rumored to sport a 5-inch Full HD screen and a Snapdragon 820 SoC under the hood, paired with a 4GB RAM. There will be a 12MP snapper at the back and an 8MP sensor on the front for selfies. The phone is rumored to come with a 2770mAh battery unit and 32GB of onboard storage. The Google Pixel XL will probably keep the same camera configuration as well as RAM and processor. There is word that a 128GB storage option could be available for the Pixel XL alongside a 3450mAh battery to power the larger and more demanding 5.5-inch QHD screen.
With USB Type-C already available on the Nexus 6P and 5X, expect it to continue featuring on the Google Pixel phones alongside a fingerprint scanner as well as the standard 3.5mm headphone jack.