Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Here's what You need to Know about Google's Pixel Smart Phone

Read MoreHide Full Article

Today, Google (GOOG - Free Report) (GOOGL - Free Report) hosted a press event in San Francisco, where it presented and outlined features of its latest hardware and software products.  The most anticipated part of the event revolved around the company’s latest flagship phone line, known as Pixel. 

The phone comes in 5 inch and 5.5 inch versions with pixel densities of 441ppi and 534 ppi for the respective models.  Google’s latest handset is composed of a combination of glass and aluminum, and it will have an AMOLED display.  Pixel will run on Qualcomm’s (QCOM - Free Report) Snapdragon 821 processor and it provides users with a hefty 4GB of ram. 

The base model sports a 2770 mAh battery that can get up to 7 hours of battery life from just 15 minutes of charging, according to Sabrina Ellis, director of product management.  A full charge is expected to give 13 hours of life for the base model. 

At the press event, Google directed a lot of attention towards the camera on the Pixel.  The tech giant didn’t just say that this was the best smart phone camera it has ever made; it also insisted that Pixel has the best smart phone camera ever created.  The claim is well-warranted because DXOMark, a camera quality analysis firm, rated the Pixel’s camera an 89, which is the highest rating it has ever given to any smart phone camera.  Pixel has a 12.3 megapixel camera in the rear and it has an 8 megapixel camera on the front.  It is capable of recording video in 4K at 30FPS.  4K video consumes a lot of memory, so Google is giving Pixel users unlimited storage for photos and videos on Google Photos at full resolution. 

One segment that was reported on in great depth was Google’s AI interface.  The platform, known as Google Assistant, competes directly with Apple’s (AAPL - Free Report) famous Siri AI interface.  Google CEO Sundar Pichai says that Google Assistant allows users to have a “two-way dialog with Google”.  The AI software helps users accomplish several tasks such as making restaurant reservations, buying concert tickets, and getting directions by voice.  Pixel phones will be the first devices to come with Google assistant, and they will also be the first handsets to run Android’s latest version (7.1).  Verizon (VZ - Free Report) is the only carrier that will sell Pixel in the US, but you can also get an unlocked Pixel for $649 from Google.

The Zacks Rank is a truly marvelous trading tool.  Our ranking system has beaten the S&P 500, yielding an average return of 25% per year for the last 29 years!  Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >>