Google Pixel: The Review

So, this a pre-release review and I haven't used the phone, so, whatever I say is only based on research and tech specs on paper.

Pros:

Display 

Pixel is 5 inch Full HD AMOLED and Pixel XL is 5.5 inches Quad HD AMOLED. Both are awesome. 

Camera 

• 12MP Rear, 8MP Front. f/2.0, 1.55µm pixel size, HDR+ = Better exposure to light and better low light pics
• The Camera is supposed to be the best in the market right now according to the DXO Mark score of 89 which is 3 ahead of iPhone 7. 
• Digital/Software Image Stabilization, not Optical. Now, the demo they showed regarding this in the keynote was great but in a real situation, hmm, we'll have to see about that. 
• FYI, the higher score does not mean your pics are suddenly gonna turn out better than the ones taken with other phones like iPhone or Note 7. A good pic depends on a lot of factors. So, it just means you probably have a better chance at getting a good pic.

Unlimited Photo/Video Storage

- You can upload all your photos and videos into the Google Photos with absolutely no loss of quality.

Build

• The build is premium. 
• Its aluminum body on the back with a glass panel at the top along with the finger print sensor. 
• No Camera bump
• The G logo down below (that's awesome)
• 2.5D Gorilla Glass 4 in the front. 

Snapdragon 821 Processor and 4GB RAM

• This does not mean its the fastest phone. 
• The new 821 processor, it will be as fast as the other Android flagships out there but more efficient and with less heat generation.
• No, its still not as fast as the iPhone 7

Android 7.1 and Pixel Launcher

• Clean, Vanilla Android look which is Simple and smooth.
• No App drawer button. Which means an extra slot for app shortcuts. The app drawer is available with am upward swipe.
• The google search bar is hidden inside a small button on the top left now. 
• The icons are rounded and even.
• The Google Assistant replaces Google now (We'll talk more about this below)
• Advanced Doze i.e the phone is intelligent enough to shut down background processes when its idle or when it's moving and is in your pocket/bag. This means a much longer Standby time.

Battery & Fast Charging

• Yup. With 15 mins of charging, you can get 7 hours of usage time extension.
• Good Battery. With the Advanced Doze feature, it should easily give a whole day of standby time without charging, if not more.

Google Assistant

• Now, this is probably the biggest thing on the Pixel phones. Now, I know that, to a person who is not tech savvy or into the tech, this may not mean anything. But it does.
• Google along with it's search engine and knowledge base has access to so much information that this is an area where they can never be beaten. 
• Google Assistant can have a two-way dialogue with you.
• It can make your daily life much, much easier if you actually start using it (which lot of people don't)
• The voice recognition and speech to text is scarily accurate
• Check these below videos, you'll get a feel of what it can do.
• Google Assistant Intro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWiIWyCeZso
• Google Home: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPfQMVf4vwQ
• Google Assistant Demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVo_M63IYPM
• Google assistant essentially learns your habits, your hobbies and everything it can about you to bring you the most relevant info/utility at your disposal
• And with Google Allo app, you can have a conversation with friends and have Google Assistant help you out, to find restaurants, movies etc.

Headphone Jack

I can't believe I have to mention this explicitly

Cons:

Dust/Water Resistance

-Nope. No water resistance. So you better not go swimming with your Pixel phone.

Design

• Its Clean and Simple but not great. 
• The design of Pixel looks similar to iPhone design, which is kinda good but also sucks because Google could have tried something new. They could have come up with a better design
• The Chin in the front is just not acceptable, especially since there are no front firing speaker or a hardware home button
• The color choices are nice though

Price

Yeah, here it comes. The deal breaker.

• Pixel  ($649 / £599) and Pixel XL ($769 / £719)
• And India the price for Pixel is going to start at 57,000 INR and Pixel will start at 66,000 INR
• That is very costly
• I feel like, Google, in the process to compete with Apple, became like Apple.
• This price range sucks and essentially screws over all the Nexus/Stock Android loving fans (including me) who were expecting a really awesome affordable phone from Google.
• Great Job Google. You just lost a hell lot of loyal customers.

No Wireless Charging

The phone is as costly as the other flagship phones out there now but they all have wireless charging. So, Pixel not having it doesn't make sense.

Verdict

• Google has finally entered the Smartphone market in a Simple yet Elegant way.
• Both Pixel and Pixel XL are really great devices with really great capabilities. 
• It's definitely the best of what Android offers
• But there is nothing Earth Shattering about them. So, the pricing seems unfair.
• The Android universe was waiting eagerly for this device with a lot of expectations and these devices, do live up to the expectation in a lot of ways.
• The pricing of the phone has screwed over a lot of Stock Android fans.

Overall, I feel that Google has set up the platform for something great and they have produced a really great competition for Apple but I personally expected Google to do something different rather than become Apple II. 

"Well, the Pixel is not gonna save your kidney"