Wednesday was supposed to be a big day for Google, Android, and the announcement of the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. While the Pixel 2 isn’t much of a change from the 2016 Pixel, the new Pixel 2 XL adds some important things, according to BGR .
“Unlike the Pixel 2, the XL features a massive 6-inch pOLED display that stretches close to the edges of the phone. Most of the other specs are the same, but the Pixel 2 XL looks more like a phone from released in 2017.”
The Pixel 2 XL also runs on 4GB of RAM, has the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, runs Android 8.0 (Oreo), and comes in storage options of 64GB or 128GB. The pre-orders for both new Pixel devices started today, though they won’t start arriving until October 20. Judging by comments from tech fans and journalists, Google may want to forget shipping their new smartphones.
Jean Baptiste Su of Forbes claims that the new phones are huge disappointments .
“With such a dull smartphone lineup, Google stands no chance to compete against the world’s top smartphone makers like Samsung, Apple, Huawei or LG,” Baptiste Su claims, adding that they can even face stiff competition from smaller competitors such as Essential, a new startup started by the creator of Android.
USA Today asks if Google’s new smartphones can lure away Apple fans . They note that despite good reviews for last year’s Pixel and Pixel XL, both devices flopped, and a lot of this was due to distribution problems rather than hardware or software issues.
There is at least one fan of the new Pixel smartphones. Napier Lopez of TNW says that although he was skeptical of the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, his hands-on experience left him impressed.
“But at the very least, Google is setting a standard for the pure Android experience and the new AI that powered it. If battery life and the camera hold up in the real world, there’s a lot to look forward to later this fall.”
Still, reactions on Twitter have been overwhelmingly negative.
Google hopes that 2018 is better for their Pixel smartphones than 2017 was. The release of the Pixel last year was a disaster. Although many people wanted it at first, Google didn’t make enough smartphones to live up to the demand. By the time the phone was in stock again at the Google Store, Verizon, or even Best Buy, barely anybody purchased it. Sales of last year’s phones have been called “disastrous,” but Computerworld said that sales numbers don’t indicate the full story .
Google certainly has a lot of competition on their hands. Apple just released the iPhone 8 and the iPhone 8 Plus. The flagship iPhone, called the iPhone X, will be released on November 3. Android lovers have the Galaxy Note 8, which has received excellent reviews, to fawn over.
Do you think the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL have a chance in the marketplace? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
[Featured Image by Ramin Talaie/Getty Images]
