Google may introduce a 5-inch Pixel handset tp compete with the iPhone 7.
The invites have been sent and in just two weeks' time, Google CEO Sundar Pichai will be taking to the stage to unveil two new smartphones that drop the Nexus moniker in favour of a new Pixel brand. But will consumers go dotty for the new handsets?
According to the reports, leaks and rumours surrounding the event, the internal specifications that the handsets will boast will be as good as -- if not better than -- anything currently found inside an Android smartphone, so 4GB of RAM and Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processors sitting behind either a 5-inch or 5.5-inch display depending on whether it's the Pixel or the Pixel XL.
Since Google launched the Android operating system, it has also been collaborating with smartphone companies to create what it calls reference designs -- the best set of components to get the best out of Android's features -- and they've been called Nexus phones. And the best thing about these handsets is that despite their top-of-the-line specifications they have been affordable options when compared to the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S range.
However, the Pixel handsets will change all of that. Google has been involved in the manufacturing -- it's partnering with HTC -- as well as engineering process, and the resulting phones will be premium in terms of materials and price tag, too.
According to Android Police's David Ruddock, the 5-inch Pixel handset with 32GB of onboard storage will retail for $649 (roughly Rs 43,500) in the US, which makes it exactly the same price as the iPhone 7.
But as well as a price increase, the Pixel phones are expected to come out of the box with something other than ‘stock' Android and will instead boast extra features on top of what other handsets running Nougat can deliver.
However, though there have been plenty of leaks since February regarding Google's plans, we won't know for sure exactly what's coming until the event kicks off at 9am PT on October 4 in San Francisco. And, Google being Google it will use the show to showcase devices other than just phones so we could get to see the first demonstrations of its VR platform, a new Chromebook and some smart home and IoT kit
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