Google unveiled the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, two of the most advanced Android smartphones in the market. Both phones are designed to compete with the best smartphones around, including the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Note 8 and Apple's fancy new iPhones. The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL show the company's approach towards combining the hardware and software together. The Pixel 2 costs Rs 61,000 for 64GB storage and Rs 70,000 for 128GB, and will come out on November 1, while the Pixek 2 XL costs Rs 73,000 for 64GB of storage and Rs 82,000 for 128GB, and will come out on 15 November. Google claims it tried to improve the camera and battery on the two smartphones, but they also feature some nifty software features. We list out five unique software features on the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. Google Lens Although a beta feature, Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL owners will be able to experience the feature. First announced at I/O in May, Google Lens lets you identify objects by pointing your phone at restaurants, and using your location data, it tells you information like reviews. Google Lens is a result of advanced machine learning and AI capabilities. Google Lens will show up in Google Photos and the Assistant. There's no word on when Google Lens feature will launch for other Android phones, though it should go live later this year. Active Edge Both phones offer Active Edge, which lets you “squeeze” phone's sides to wake up the Google Assistant. This feature ends up a software trick - more than the job of the hardware. Active Edge feature seems to be a nice addition. However, the feature isn't new as HTC introduced the same feature in its U11 flagship smartphone. Portrait feature Both Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL have a single camera lens, but still they can add a bokeh effect behind a subject. Through machine learning and software excellence, the single camera lens manages to blur out the background. And it even works with the front-facing 8MP shooter. So yes, both phones have a 'Portrait' mode' without actually sporting two sensors. AR stickers Google has announced that its AR stickers is coming to its Pixel smartphones with the rollout to begin later this year. Essentially, they use Google's ARCore, which is designed to be an easy way to port augmented reality experiences to as many as Android smartphones. The AR stickers are built-in into the camera app on the Pixel smartphones. In true sense, AR Stickers is a new way to make augmented reality a fun experience from the camera app itself. Android 8.0 Oreo with new Pixel Launcher Google Pixel smartphones have always been the first phones to get the latest Android update, and the Pixel 2 series is no different. Both phones run Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box. But the experience has been further enhanced with a new version of the Pixel Launcher. Though not much has changed, but now the search bar is at the bottom of the screen. And yes, it's no longer a widget. Of course, Google Assistant is also a key part of the Pixel 2 smartphones. Disclaimer: The author is in San Francisco at the invite of Google India for the Pixel 2 launch event.
