Google has been coming up with some pretty exciting announcements at its ongoing event. After the Pixel Slate tablet, Google has unveiled two additions to its Pixel flagship smartphone lineup – namely, the Pixel 3, and the Pixel 3 XL devices. Coming with several unique features, the devices stand poised to compete against Apple’s iPhone lineup, in the premium smartphone niche.
The two variants have dimensions of 5.5-inch for Pixel 3, and 6.3-inch for Pixel 3 XL. Color wise, you have three options, namely Just Black, Clearly White, and Not Pink. So folks looking to purchase the Pixel lineup will have 6 options to choose from.
Let’s take a look at some of the cooler, Pixel 3 features.
Superior Pictures:
The Pixel devices come with a brand new feature called Top Shot, that leverages AI to ensure that you can capture the perfect snap. Without going too much into the technicalities, what Top Shot does, is that it analyzes all the images right before and right after you press the shutter. Out of these, the feature will quickly find the best picture in terms of where everyone is smiling, have their eyes open, and are facing the camera. You can then save that particular frame.
The feature is reminiscent of Apple’s live photos, which operates in a somewhat similar manner although there, you have the option to manually save your favorite frame. The Pixel 3 lineup camera also has Super Res Zoom which basically, is a computational photography technique, that preserves details even when you are zooming in. Selfies are also better with the Group Selfie feature, which according to Google, gives you 184% more room to get everyone in the frame.
Google has also improved upon the good old smile shot feature that became really popular a few years ago. As the name implies – you smile, the shutter snaps. There is a new portrait mode as well, that can do things like blur the background, change focus of picture once you have taken it, make the subject stand out, and so on and so forth. Finally, there is a brand new Night Sight mode, that improves photos taken in dark by a significant margin.
Pixel 3 lets you take natural-looking photos in dark surroundings, all without a flash. With Night Sight, you can take bright, detailed, colorful shots around the campfire, in a moonlit forest, or a selfie as you’re headed out of that dimly-lit club.
Google is giving everyone who buys a Pixel 3 or Pixel 3 XL device, unlimited storage for their photos and videos. So no need to worry your head about which picture you want to keep, and which you must delete. Keep them all!
AI at the Helm:
AI will have a much more visible role to play with the Pixel series as well. From photos, to messages, the Pixel 3 lineup has artificial intelligence at the front and center. Alongside smart compose, which aims to make you type less, the Google Lens feature will allow you to use the metaphorical elevator instead of taking the stairs in a lot of situations.
If you want to know more about something you’re looking at, use Google Lens, built right into your Pixel 3. To scan and translate text, find similar styles of clothing, or identify popular plants and animals, you can now long press in the Pixel 3 camera to easily invoke Lens. When you point your camera at information you want to remember or don’t feel like typing in—like a URL or QR code on a flyer or an email on a business card—Google Lens suggests what to do next, like calling a number, going to the website, or creating a new contact.
The Google Assistant of course is also there, and will tie in neatly with other Google products including, its Home series of smart speakers.
In order to ensure that you are able to maintain a balance between the digital world and the real world, Google has also launched a suite of tools labeled as Digital Wellbeing. These tools are basically intended to help you keep track of the time you are spending with your smartphone, and where exactly you are spending it. Again, this feature seems like an ode to the Screen Time feature that came to various Apple devices with iOS 12.
Coming to power, the Pixel 3 comes with an 18 Watt fast charger in the box, which can give you seven hours of use in merely 15 minutes of charge. Google has also launched Pixel Stand, a new, Qi compliant wireless charge. You can buy it for INR 6,900, and it helps unlock the full potential of your Pixel 3 devices. How? Get a load of this:
While charging in the Pixel Stand, your phone turns into a smart speaker and smart display powered by the Google Assistant, a photo frame, a control panel for your smart home, and much more. If you set an alarm, your screen will gently brighten over 15 minutes before your alarm goes off, mimicking the sunrise and helping you wake up naturally.
This feature is actually really sweet, and I can see folks picking up the Pixel Stand just to be able to convert their smartphones into the smart display/speaker hybrid. The Pixel 3 lineup is powered by Android 9 Pie, and as can be expected, will be on top of the list when it comes to receiving system updates or security patches.
Secured by a Titan:
Under the hood, you will find a newly designed Titan M chip. According to Google, Titan M provides a significant boost to security by protecting things like your unlock credentials, disk encryption, app data, and the integrity of the operating system code. It must be effective, because Google has already branded the Pixel 3 lineup as it’s most secure devices, ever.
The devices will be available for customers from the 1st of November, although you will be able to place pre-orders from the 11th of October, 2018 on Flipkart, Reliance Digital, Croma etc.
The devices are premium and the prices easily reflect that. The Pixel 3 64GB version will retail for INR 71,000, while the 128GB variant is expected to set you back by INR 80,000. The XL devices on the other hand, are priced at INR 83,000 and 92,000 for the 64GB and 128GB versions respectively.
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