Google Pixel Review:

A More Personal Understanding
In recent years, Google have tried to worm their way into the smartphone industry but have they always made a good job of it? The answer to that is; no, not really. Now don’t get me wrong, the string of Nexus phones were fantastic phones, the Nexus 6P sparked the real interest in Google phones, with some still saying it is a better value for money than the Pixel itself. However, this argument has caused great controversy among phone lovers. This review is not a way to fire shots at the other Google phones but to give you, the reader, a greater understanding as to why the Google Pixel may now be the best phone on the market.

Design
Let’s begin with the design. Google has shaped and formed the pixel to have such an elegant design. You can purchase the Pixel in either Black or Silver, regular size or XL. The regular pixel comes with a 5” display whereas the XL is a considerable 5.5” display. Although the 0.5” difference doesn’t sound like much, it pays off with the higher resolution and the extra width and length, making the overall grip a lot more comfortable. The regular pixel is comfortable to hold but the extra size just feels that bit better. On the rear of the phone, you will find that it is separated into two sections; a metal section and a glass section at the top. On this glass section, you will find the embedded fingerprint scanner. When holding the phone, your finger should naturally slot into this scanner.
Overall in comparison, it does look very much like an iPhone. A little friendly competition was put into the building of this, mainly to outshine the style and performance of the iPhone 7 and even the Samsung Galaxy S7. Its outranked both. The Google Pixel may be a little on the thick side but this makes it a lot more comfortable than the blocky iPhone. It has a very similar shape and form to the Galaxy S7 with the side of the phone having a bit of a chamfer, and without this, it would be bland but this little effect manages to change the whole appearance into a modern plain with a slick masterpiece.
Display
As mentioned before, the Pixel comes in two sizes. With the different sizes, the resolution must change. The regular 5” display comes with a 1920 x 1080 resolution however; the XL has a 5.5” display along with a whopping 2,560 x 1,440 quad-HD resolution. Because of the added resolution on the XL, the pixel density is far greater than the regular size to make up for the added display size. In comparison, the quality is equally fantastic with little to no differences. The colours on the Google Pixel are so vibrant when held next to both the S7 and iPhone 7. You will notice specifically that when the brightness is decreased on the Pixel, the colours still look amazing.

Features
So probably the most anticipated part of the Google Pixel release was the all new Google Assistant. The Pixel is the first smartphone to capture this magnificent new bit of tech. It is very much like Apples Siri and Samsung’s… well, Samsung’s nothing. Since most of us know how to use computers, we probably do everything via Google (search the web, emails, YouTube etc) there is still a fair few stuck in the olden days who still use Yahoo and Bing, but let’s not get into that. The fact that so many of us use Google, having their very own assistant on the Pixel has to be one of the most fantastic things about it. It can grab searches and requests directly from the web as well as performing basic tasks for you such as making a phone call or texting a friend. The hands-free option is excellent for those travelling by car as you can even alter the settings to unlock your phone by saying the simple words “OK Google”. The Google assistants voice recognition is far better than any other I have tested and it especially exceeded my expectations when it could easily gather what I was saying in a large loud crowd.
One of the things that everyone loves to do now with their phones is taking pictures, whether it is of themselves, a special moment or spectacular view. Google have kindly allowed people who own the Pixel to do this as much as they want, by providing unlimited Photo and Video storage. Now this is slightly unrelated to the actual phone, I think it is a handy little touch especially since the camera on the Pixel is by far the best on the market of smartphones today.

Performance
The Google Pixels are incredibly fast phones with the new quad-core Snapdragon 821 processor and 4GB of RAM. The new Snapdragon processor does pack a punch, running at consistently fast speeds. It even restarts extremely fast which is always a plus. But in everyday use, whether it is browsing the web, opening apps or watching anything – the pixel is up there with providing the smoothest experience.
As discussed above the Pixel camera is of great quality, a major bonus of the Pixel. With a 12.3-megapixel camera, it performs exceptionally well in low lighting but even better in normal lighting, when taking pictures, you can notice that the colours are very vivid. It also supports 4K video capturing and exceptional image stabilisation making even the shakiest footage watchable. It is earning the title that Google has put on it as the best smartphone camera on the market.
The battery is fantastic. A full charge can easily last a day even when watching the occasional video. Non-stop streaming will cause this like any other phone to lose battery very fast but it can, without doubt, last all day performing basic tasks. Both Pixels come with the fast charging feature which is a huge bonus, because well… it doesn’t lie. The phones charge very fast, they can easily charge to 100% within the hour, varying sometimes but usually very reliable. The XL has a larger battery than the regular although they are equally as powerful and reliable, the XL will last that little bit longer.

Summary
So, I guess this time we could say Google have nailed it. They have come far from the Nexus, completely forming a new phone composed from the many errors competitors have made. Google took the boring build of the iPhone 7 spiced it up a little and turned it into something that’s actually beautiful. The sadness and dullness of Samsung nurtured into a brighter and happier face. When you hear the name Google Pixel it even sounds happy.
My point that I am making is that it has changed the market, bringing the fastest android phone on the market with an excellent display and the first phone to come with Android 7.1 Nougat. The Google Pixel has sparked a new flame in the smartphone industry and I’m sure we are all excited for what comes next.