Google Pixel 2 Specs News: First Phablet to Come With Lens AI software
Google unveiled the highly-anticipated Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL on Wednesday at the company's autumn event. The units, the first to feature the tech giant's Lens AI software, will be hitting shelves on Oct. 19.
Google Lens is like a search engine that uses images and videos instead of text. Through Lens, users can get information about the subject of the photo they present, for instance.
With the new camera application, users will be able to grab information such as email addresses and phone numbers from photos. They can then add the data to an email, their contact list or they can simply copy the text.
With the Google Lens, Pixel users will also be able to identify and execute actions using art, books, movies, albums, and more.
The phablets also come with new augmented reality features, including the ability to add animated AR tickers to videos and photos. Some of the stickers are based on well-known properties such as NBA, "Saturday Night Live," and "Stranger Things." In time for "The Last Jedi," this December, "Star Wars" stickers will be made available.
The Pixel 2 comes with a 5-inch OLED display while the Pixel 2 XL has a 6-inch screen. Both devices are equipped with a single 12.2-megapixel lens on its rear, which is said to have outperformed Apple's iPhone camera. While most tech giants make use of dual cameras to produce the effect of sharpening the subject while blurring its background, Google uses an algorithm to create such an effect using only a single camera. Its selfie camera has 8-megapixels.
The Pixel 2 is currently available for pre-order. The 64 GB configuration is priced at $649 while the 128 GB variant costs $749. The Pixel 2 XL starts at $849 for the 64 GB unit while the 128 GB variant costs $949.