- Google launched the latest Pixel smartphones Wednesday, betting on its first custom processor and a new Android operating system to lure customers away from Apple Inc. s iPhone.
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The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro differ slightly in size, memory and camera specs, with both built around Google's Tensor system-on-chip, a custom semiconductor that took four years of development. Tensor is optimized for Google's strengths in image processing and AI, helping deliver faster and more accurate speech recognition with better battery life.
While Google's Android is the top mobile operating system globally, Alphabet Inc. has a minuscule market share in mobile handsets. Apple has now redesigned the company to stand apart from competition by including its own processor, partnering with Apple in making such a move.
The majority of phone platforms depend on Qualcomm Inc. for processing and MediaTek Inc. to a lesser extent, Samsung for other CPUs, which leads to a relative lack of differentiation. In addition to Google s new devices are the firm s Titan M 2 security chip, which is tasked with handling tasks like passcode protection, encryption and secure transactions in apps.
Android 12, the latest version of the software, marks what Google calls the biggest design change in its history. It features personalization through color palettes and redesigned widgets, and privacy indicators signal when an app is accessing the device's microphone or camera. Its safety features will ensure Google s audio and language processing occurs exclusively on the device.
The 6.4-inch Pixel 6 costs $599 while the 6.7-inch Pixel 6 Pro comes in at $899, both of which go on Oct. 28 for shipping to France and Austria. The pricier device increases memory to 12 GB from 8 GB, includes an extra 3x zoom camera and has a larger battery. The iPhone 6 Pro also has an adaptive refresh rate, much like the iPhone 13 - - scaling from 120 Hz for fast-moving on screen action or animations down to 10 Hz to preserve battery life.
Another commonality with Google, which introduced a cinematic mode for video recording on its newest iPhones this year, is Apple's push of creative imaging extras. It is adding a long exposure feature, which blurs moving objects such as vehicles passing through an intersection, as well as an action mode that does the reverse, blurring the surroundings of a subject in motion.
Google and Apple are competing in a much-changed smartphone market this year, as Chinese Android vendors from Oppo to Xiaomi Corp. have improved significantly in the chase to fill the gap left by fine-stricken Huawei Technologies Co. Vivo, for instance, has collaborated with Carl Zeiss on its lenses and the recent launched X 70 Pro flagship has four camera-stabilized gimbals on its front.
Google must still prove that the Pixel can be more than a niche for an audience reliant on its products and loyal to its services. The personalised silicon, the more affordable Android software and the comparatively affordable price points may help advance the company case to a broader market.
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