San Francisco/New Delhi: Betting big on the best combination of artificial intelligence (AI), software and hardware, Google on Wednesday launched Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL smartphones and refreshed Daydream View virtual reality (VR) headset for India.
Pixel 2 comes in black, silver and blue colors while Pixel 2 XL has just black and black and white variants.
Pixel 2 will be priced at Rs 61,000 for 64GB variant and Rs 70,000 for 128GB. Pixel 2 XL 64GB will cost Rs 73,000 and Pixel 2 XL 128GB will be available for Rs 82,000.
The pre-orders commence on October 26. The devices will be available in over 1,000 stores across the country and on Flipkart starting November 1 (Pixel 2) and November 15 (Pixel 2 XL).
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Pixel 2 comes with a 5-inch and Pixel 2 XL with a 6-inch Full-HD OLED displays with Portrait Modes on both rear and selfie cameras.
Rated 98 by independent camera testers DXO, the rear camera comes with Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) and Electronic Video Stabilisation (EVS) technology to remove shaky photos and videos.
The camera can also click "Live Photos" by recording up to three seconds of footage.
![Google Pixel 2 Google Pixel 2](https://img.onmanorama.com/content/dam/mm/en/news/business/gadgets/image/2016/Oct/4/google-pixel-2-xl.jpg.image.470.246.jpg)
It also has AR Stickers and Pixel users would get free unlimited storage on Google Cloud to store photos and videos in the original quality. The devices have IP67 rating making them water and dust resistant.
Both phones come with "squeeze" interaction technology called "Active Edge" that opens Google Assistant, USB-C charger and front facing stereo speakers. The company claims it has the fastest fingerprint scanner in a smartphone.
The devices have Google Lens -- a new set of visual features that help you learn more about the world around you and get things done.
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Currently, in its early stages, Google Lens builds on Google's advancements in computer vision and machine learning, combined with Google knowledge graph which underpins Google Search.
At the start users can look up landmarks, books, music albums, movies, and artwork, right from Google Photos on your Pixel.
Both phones have Snapdragon 835 processors and 4GB RAM. Though there is some bad news as the headphone jack is gone.
The phone will support an Always On Display this year, to show the notifications and time.
![Google Pixel 2 Google Pixel 2](https://img.onmanorama.com/content/dam/mm/en/news/business/news/images/2016/Oct/21/google-pixel-xl2.jpg.image.470.246.jpg)
Pixel 2 devices will take advantage of the phone's always-on microphones to listen for music and display what you're listening to on the screen, even if it's something on the radio.
And if you ever need a quick boost, it can give charge up to seven hours in just 15 minutes.
Google made it easy to switch to Pixel and people will be able to copy their contacts, apps, messages, photos and more from their old phone in 10 minutes or less.
Further, Google also announced a refreshed Daydream View VR headset which can be paired with Pixel 2 or any Daydream-ready phone. It sports a premium fabric that makes the headset soft and light and will be available in Charcoal colour for Rs 7,999 on Flipkart.
Read more at: Latest in Business | Google launches Mini Home, Pixelbook, and PixelPhones