ALPHABET’S Google said its new Pixel phones will deliver improved voice and camera features while bringing back facial recognition for unlocking the device as it seeks to better compete with Apple and Samsung Electronics. Writes Bloomberg.
The company’s Pixel 7 and 7 Pro devices offer more affordable prices than the dominant duo of the mobile market, coming in at US$599 and US$899, respectively, and introduce the second generation of Google’s in-house Tensor chip. The 6.7 inch Pro version has an additional zoom camera, better display and more memory than the 6.3 inch Pixel 7.
Google’s Pixel phones every year serve as the showcase for the company’s latest Android software and artificial intelligence (AI) based services, such as the Google Assistant. They demonstrate how Google hopes device-making partners will best use its operating system. Google continues developing its own hardware, which has only ever sold in small numbers, in part as insurance against missteps by Samsung, the only credible Apple rival in the US.
The Pixel lineup had only 2% of the North American market in the second quarter, whereas Apple’s iPhone commanded 52 %, data from technology market analyst firm Canalys showed.