Google’s forthcoming smartphones have leaked more heavily than a rusty bucket, so here’s everything we’re pretty confident that we know about the larger of the two new handsets, the Pixel XL, ahead of the official October 4th unveiling.
What is the Google Pixel XL?
As you might have guessed from the name, Google may well have bid farewell to its Nexus-branded smartphones forever, instead, continuing to unify its Android and Chrome OS-based devices under the Pixel brand, a move that it’s already played with the likes of 2015’s Pixel C tablet.
Despite the name change, as before Google has partnered up with an established OEM (original equipment manufacturer) to make this year’s smartphone duo and HTC is the brand behind the shiny new hardware, which takes the shape of the Pixel and the larger Pixel XL.
As the name suggests the Pixel XL shares a lot of the same hardware DNA as its smaller sibling, but the larger size does bring with it some notable differences in specifications; namely with regards to screen size and resolution, weight and battery capacity.
Despite the larger size, both phones are unsurprisingly cut from the same cloth, with the same predominantly rounded aluminium design, a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor and both are expected to run the latest version of Android, 7.1 Nougat out the box, as well as being the first phones to offer native support for Google’s VR platform, Daydream.
Check out our Pixel XL hands-on review
Google Pixel XL rumoured/leaked specs
| Screen size | 5.5-inches |
|---|---|
| Screen resolution | QHD (2560×1440) |
| Weight | 168 grams |
| OS | Android 7.1 Nougat |
| Front camera | 8-megapixels |
| Rear camera | 12.3-megapixels w/ OIS |
| Processor | 2.15GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 |
| Memory | 4GB RAM (DDR4) |
| Storage | 32GB/128GB. Non-expandable |
| Battery | 3450mAh w/ fast-charging via Type-C USB |
Google Pixel XL UK price and release date
Check out our full Pixel XL UK pricing and deals guide to see how much this mighty mobile costs SIM-free an on contract here in the UK. It’s available to pre-order right now and will be released on October 20.
Should I wait for the Pixel XL or stick with the Nexus 6P?
If you haven’t yet checked out our Nexus 6P re-review, now would be a great time, as it reveals that there’s still plenty of life left in the stunning super-sized Huawei-made handset. The new processor is the biggest draw for making the jump to the Pixel XL, but at least on paper, there doesn’t appear to be a huge reason to say farewell to the 6P just one year on from the launch of the final(?) Nexus phones.
Read next: Google Pixel vs Google Pixel XL: What’s the difference?
Leave a Reply