Google’s event today saw the unveiling of its newest smartphones, Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. According to the company, the Pixel 2 camera has been “factory calibrated and optimized for AR.”

Google says its specially calibrated Pixel 2 camera enables robust tracking, even in low-light conditions, allowing the phone to track the environment and render AR objects at 60 frames per second (FPS).

Apple made a similar claim when they unveiled the iPhone 8 last month, saying that each camera is “individually calibrated, with new gyroscopes and accelerometers for accurate motion tracking.” The new iPhone line also boasts 60 FPS tracking.

image courtesy Google

Featuring a single 12.2MP camera with f/1.8 aperture lens, Google’s Pixel 2 nearly matches the same portion of the spec sheet as iPhone 8’s 12MP camera with f/1.8 aperture lens, putting the two on par in terms of AR rendering ability, at least on paper.

Google’s AR function, thanks to the ARCore SDK, is said to support “millions of devices” capable of running Android 7.0 Nougat and above. Apple, with its ARKit SDK, has also said they’ve pushed AR to “hundreds of millions of iPhones and iPads” capable of running its newest operating system iOS 11, which includes pretty much everything back to the iPhone 5s and even the 6th generation iPod Touch.

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Pixel 2 is priced at $649 (64 GB) and $749 (128 GB), with its XL-sized bigger brother selling for $849 (64 GB) and $949 (128 GB). Pixel 2 is slated to launch October 19th, and Pixel 2XL on November 15th.

Only user reports will be able tell just how Google’s flagship Pixel 2 stacks up with Apple’s iPhone 8 as it takes the fight to the realms of augmented reality.

Pixel 2 Specs

Spec Category Pixel 2 Pixel 2 XL
Display Cinematic 5.0 inch display / Cinematic 127 mm display
FHD (1920 x 1080) AMOLED at 441ppi
16:9
2.5D Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5
Always-on display
Fullscreen 6 inch displayQHD+ (2880 x 1440) pOLED at 538ppi18:93D Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5 Always-on display
Size and Weight 5.7 x 2.7 x 0.3 inches
145.7 x 69.7 x 7.8 mm
143 gm
6.2 x 3.0 x 0.3 inches
157.9 x 76.7 x 7.9 mm
175 gm
Battery 2700 mAh battery

Up to 7 hours of go with 15 minutes of charge

*Approximate battery life based on a mix of talk, data, and standby use with always on display off. Requires use of included charger. An active display or data usage will decrease battery life. Actual results may vary, see website for details.

3520 mAh battery

Up to 7 hours of go with 15 minutes of charge

*Approximate battery life based on a mix of talk, data, and standby use with always on display off. Requires use of included charger. An active display or data usage will decrease battery life. Actual results may vary, see website for details.

Design Aluminum unibody with hybrid coating IP67 water and dust resistant

**Pixel has a water protection rating of IP67 under IEC standard 60529. Charger and accessories are not water resistant.

Memory 4GB LPDDR4x RAM
Display Characteristics 95% DCI-P3 coverage100,000:1, super contrast ratio True black levelFull 24-bits depth or 16.77 million colors 100% DCI-P3 coverage
100,000:1, super contrast ratio
True black level
Full 24-bits depth or 16.77 million colors
Storage 64 or 128GB
Processors Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 8352.35Ghz + 1.9Ghz, 64Bit Octa-Core Adreno 540Security module
Rear Camera 12.2MP
1.4μm
Autofocus with laser + dual pixel phase detection
Optical + electronic image stabilization
f/1.8 aperture
Front Camera 8MP
1.4μm
f/2.4 aperture
Fixed focus
Video Rear Camera:
1080p @ 30fps, 60fps, 120fps
720p @ 30fps, 60fps, 240fps
4K @ 30fpsFront Camera:
1080p @ 30fps
720p @ 30fps
480p @ 30fps
Sensors Active Edge™ Proximity / Ambient light sensor Accelerometer / Gyrometer MagnetometerPixel Imprint – Back-mounted fingerprint sensor for fast unlockingBarometer Hall effect sensor Android Sensor Hub Advanced x-axis haptics for sharper / defined response
Charging USB Type-C™ 18W adaptor with USB-PD 2.0 18W charging
Ports and Slots USB Type-C™ USB
3.1 Gen 1
Single Nano SIM
Media Stereo front-firing speakers3 Mics Noise suppression
Connectivity Wi-Fi 2.4G + 5GHz 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2×2 MIMOBluetooth 5.0 + LENFC eSIMGoogle Cast
In box [GLOBAL]
USB Type-C™ 18W adaptor with USB-PD
C-C cable (USB 2.0)
SIM tool
Quick Switch Adapter
3.5mm to USB-C Headphone Adapter (aka Headphone Adapter)
OS Android Oreo
Hearing Aid Compatibility M4/T3 HAC rating
Google’s devices meet the hearing aid compatibility (HAC) requirements set by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Security Updates Minimum 3 years of security updates**[US and GLOBAL] Pixel’s software and security updates for three years. See website for details.
OS Updates Minimum 3 years of OS updates**[US and GLOBAL] Pixel’s software and security updates for three years. See website for details.
Daydream Ready Daydream-ready: Built for VR to work with Google Daydream View headset.
Newsletter graphic

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Well before the first modern XR products hit the market, Scott recognized the potential of the technology and set out to understand and document its growth. He has been professionally reporting on the space for nearly a decade as Editor at Road to VR, authoring more than 3,500 articles on the topic. Scott brings that seasoned insight to his reporting from major industry events across the globe.
  • MosBen

    So, other than a bigger screen, what is the reason for going for the Pixel XL 2? It seems like in most respects they’re identical other than one of them being quite a bit more expensive.

    • Foreign Devil

      Yeah the extra 200 dollars for the extra inch of screen?? XL seems overpriced.

  • Firestorm185

    60 fps, huh? I’ll be back later…

  • Lucidfeuer

    Too little, too late.