It’s just days before the October 4th event – an event that is expected to give birth to the Google Pixel and Pixel XL phones, among other Google-made products.
The search engine giant is well known for what it is capable of when it comes to software matters. However, things are about to change with the upcoming products dubbed #MadeByGoogle. The upcoming Google Pixel and Pixel XL phones will be the first to come without the Nexus branding that has been associated with the company for years now.
This is a move aimed to stamp the company’s authority on its products, lining them up with the Pixel line of tablets that already exists. But to do this, Google will have to do more than just come in with mere successors to the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P. With this in mind, here are 5 features that we’d love to see come with the Google Pixel and Pixel XL phones when they are officially unveiled.
Exclusive software
There have been reports that Google will release the Pixel and Pixel XL phones preinstalled with Android 7.1 Nougat. Apparently, it is possible this iteration might remain unique to the Pixel lineup, with the addition of exclusive software tweaks made by Google. This is something that we’d love to see come with the phones. Of course, stock Android offers a great experience, however, if Google is building its own phone, having a customized version of Android Nougat that remains exclusive to the Pixels would be a welcome idea.
The basics
For a phone in 2016, it needs to have things like USB Type-C, Bluetooth v4.2, Quick Charge 3.0, wireless charging, water resistance and the standard 3.5mm headphone jack. The latter feature is facing extinction as major names in the industry shift towards other connectivity options such as the aforementioned USB Type-C and Lightning Connectors, in case of Apple devices.
Google needs to ensure that all the basic features are available on the Pixel and Pixel XL phones if it dreams of any major success in the coming year.
A great camera
We have seen the likes of Apple, LG and Huawei come in with dual-lens camera setups for their 2016 flagships. Samsung, HTC and Sony are also doing great jobs with their flagship phones’ cameras. If the Google Pixel and Pixel XL are to excel against this already established competition, the camera department will have to be a lot better than what is offered on the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P.
There have been talks of a 13MP main camera and 8MP secondary camera, but the specs are not yet confirmed. Furthermore, this is a rumor, which should be confirmed a few days from now.
High-end build
The Google Nexus 6P was the closest the company has ever come to building a phone with a high-end build. As for the Nexus 5X, the story is quite the opposite, but this is justified by the lower price tag of the handset. With many OEMs coming in with entry-level phones with premium metallic builds, we expect to see the same happening with the incoming Google Pixel and Pixel XL phones.
This will be a welcome move for many lovers of the Google phones as they’d finally get to buy two premium phones of different screen sizes, but of the same specs.
Better, faster fingerprint scanner
With Samsung Galaxy Note 7 having raised the bar to include an iris scanner and the iPhone 7 Plus featuring an even faster Touch ID, the only chance Google has in this department is to install an even better and much faster fingerprint scanner on the Pixel and Pixel XL.
What would you like to see on the Google Pixel and Pixel XL phones when they are announced on October 4th? Share your views in the comments.