BackGoogle Pixel 3, 3 XL coming to India, but not everything else
The Google Pixel 3 starts at 71,000 for the base 64GB variant while the Pixel 3 XL starts at 83,000. The phones go on sale on 1 November with pre-orders starting on Thursday, 11 October
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Google on Tuesday launched the third generation of its flagship smartphones, the Google Pixel 3 and 3 XL, at the Made By Google event in New York. Alongside the new smartphones, the Pixel Slate, Pixel Stand and the Google Home Hub were also launched. But here’s the thing—not everything launched at the event will come to India.
What’s coming to India
The Pixel 3 and 3 XL
The Google Pixel 3 is priced at ₹ 71,000 for the 64GB internal storage variant while 128GB variant is priced at ₹ 80,000. The Pixel 3 XL starts at ₹ 83,000 for the 64GB variant while the 128GB model is priced at ₹ 92,000. Pre-orders for the phones start online on 11 October on Flipkart and Airtel stores as well as offline partners including Reliance Digital, Croma and other leading stores across India. The phones will be available for sale starting 1 November.
What’s new about the phones
The two phones have a notched OLED display, the Pixel 3 sporting a smaller 5.5-inch screen with a resolution of 2160 x 1080. The Pixel 3 XL on the other hand has a display 6.3-inches tall and has a resolution of 2960x1440.
Both phones are powered by Qualcomm’s top-of-the-line processor, the Snapdragon 845, that might get outdated in a matter of 3 months. This is paired with 4GB of RAM while the storage options vary between the two phones. The Pixel 3 is backed by a 2915mAh battery while the Pixel 3 XL packs a 3430mAh battery.
The Pixel line-up is known for its AI-enabled camera performance and Pixel 3 and 3 XL take it a bit further. At the back of both phones is a 12.2MP dual-pixel camera with optical and electronic image stabilization while at the front are two 8MP wide-angle and normal cameras. The wide-angle camera provides a field of view of 97 degrees.
Google claims that its AI-enabled camera modes will make the photography experience even better. New modes include Top Shot which recommends the best shot (in case you have photos with people smiling with closed eyes), Photobooth mode that automatically detect and capture smiling faces, group selfie that allows more people to squeeze in the frame and new AI stickers which include Marvel’s Avengers characters and Childish Gambino.
Both smartphones run Android Pie 9.0 and come with all the new AI and machine learning features that were announced during the Google I/O event held earlier this year.
For our first look at the Pixel 3 XL, click here.
Pixel Stand
The Pixel Stand is a Qi-compliant wireless charging dock for the new Pixel smartphones. It will be sold separately at ₹ 6,900. The new Pixels will turn into a smart speaker and smart display powered by the Google Assistant, a photo frame and a control panel for your smart home when connected with the Pixel Stand.
What’s not coming to India
Pixel Slate/Chrome OS Tablet
The Pixel Slate is a tablet with a 12.3-inch display and 8MP front and rear cameras running Chrome OS for tablets. It also has dual speakers at the front of the device, but no headphone jack. It also has a fingerprint scanner at the top and comes with two accessories—Pixel Keyboard and Pixel Pen. Both devices can be connected to the Slate via Bluetooth. The Pixel Slate is priced at $599 and its stylus and keyboard will have to be purchased separately.
Google Home Hub
The Google Home Hub is essentially a Google Home with a display. It’s display integrates with Google Photos, Google Assistant and YouTube (with six months of free access to YouTube Premium). The Home Hub can connect and interact with smart home devices via voice and touch controls and can control and schedule them according to your routines.
It turns into a smart display when not in use, showing information to such as time, weather, calendar appointments, and commute times.
The Google Home Hub is priced at $149. It’ll be available first in the US, UK, and Australia.
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