With Google announcing two Pixel phones this year, the Pixel and the Pixel XL the question is what is the difference between them? From a specs perspective, it’s easy, they are almost identical, save for their obviously physical size difference, a smaller and lower resolution screen on the Pixel and slightly increased battery capacity on the Pixel XL they are essentially the same device.
Check out their specs below:
| Google Pixel | Google Pixel XL | Release date | October 2016 | October 2016 | Screen size | 5.0-inch | 5.5-inch | Screen technology | AMOLED | AMOLED | Resolution | 1,920 x 1,080 | 2,560 x 1,440 | PPI | 441 | 534 | Rear camera | 12.3mp | 12.3MP | Front camera | 8MP | 8MP | Chipset | Snapdragon 821 | Snapdragon 821 | Core config | 2.15GHz x 2 + 1.6GHz x 2 | 2.15GHz x 2 + 1.6GHz x 2 | Ram | 4GB | 4GB | Storage |
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| MicroSD | No | No | Battery | 2,770 mAh | 3,450 mAh | Battery removable | — | — | Connector | USB C | USB C | Headphone Port | Yes | Yes | Headphone Location | Top | Top | Speaker Configuration | Bottom | Bottom | NFC | Yes | Yes | Android OS | Android 7.1 | Android 7.1 | Vendor skin | — | — | Dimensions | 143.84x69.54x 7.31(Bottom) 8.58(Top) mm | 154.72x75.74x 7.31(Bottom) 8.58(Top) mm | Weight | 143g | 168g | Colours |
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But sometimes specs don’t tell the whole story, how did they feel, did they feel like the same device? I’d say Yes. Having briefly used both devices simultaneously they both responded and felt identical.
In fact, in contrast to last year, with both devices having the same internals and the 5.0″ Pixel driving a smaller lower res screen technically the Pixel should be slightly faster if anything. In our brief hands on this wasn’t evident, that is to say, they were both equally snappy.
So was the 5.0″ too small? Was the 5.5″ too big? Unfortunately, that’s a personal preference call. However, on the bright side, it won’t be long until you can hold one for yourself at either a Telstra dealer or in a JB HiFi store.
Check out our brief comparison video below where we show off the physical comparison between the two devices.
Duncan attended the Made By Google event in San Francisco as a guest of Google Australia. Ausdroid would like to thank HP Australia for supporting our coverage of the event.
Hey, can the people in SF told me how much storage the system used for pixel XL 32gb? Thanks.
How does the XL size compare to the Nexus 6p? The 6p is just a little too big for me, I’m hoping the XL will fit like a glove.
Pixel XL is slightly smaller than the 6P
There’s a typo in the screen resolution of the XL, it should be 2560×1440