The Google Pixel 2 and the IPhone X; Smartphones are changing!
The smartphone industry is constantly evolving; the newly released Google Pixel 2 and the upcoming IPhone X highlight some of the major changes in the industry in 2017.
2017 has proven to be a great year for smartphone innovation; features such as VR support, bezel-less displays, dual cameras, IP 67 water and dust resistance,iris scanners, and fast charging have all been a major success. These features have started to be seen as requirements that all flagship phones must have in order to compete in the market, other features such as the squeezable sides, introduced by HTC in their new flagship HTC U11, are not as popular, and have not garnered the same amount of interest among users. Smartphone manufacturers have also started to remove the 3.5mm headphone jack from their models as seen in the newly released Google Pixel 2, the IPhone 8, the HTC U11 and the upcoming IPhone X.
The newly released Google Pixel 2 is somewhat odd in this aspect. While the larger version of the handset, the Pixel 2 XL, features a bezel-less display, Google opted to go for a display with large bezels and dual front facing speakers for the smaller Pixel 2. The large bezels may appeal to some fans; however, the Pixel 2 seems slightly outdated and looks like a flagship phone from 2016. The Pixel 2 XL; however, features a bezel-less display and front facing speakers. The Pixel 2 also lacks a dual camera setup; however, the single sensor in the Pixel holds its own vs other flagships. The camera scored a DxOmark rating of 98, the highest ever for a smartphone. Tests were built around everyday situations where lighting, contrast, colors and focus were varied. Other than the display and the camera the Pixel 2 ticks most of the boxes of a 2017 flagship smartphone; it has VR support, fast charging, IP 67 dust and water resistance, 4 GB of ram, a top of the line Snapdragon 835 processor, and sadly no 3.5 mm headphone jack. The Pixel 2 is a great smartphone for anyone looking for a fast, clean, purely stock android experience, and is also a great phone for users who are looking to switch to android from IOS.
Apple just released the brand new IPhone 8; however, nobody seems to have paid it much attention. Famous tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee has also recommended that users skip this model. This is mainly because the IPhone 8 is an IPhone 7 with updated internals and a new camera, and all eyes are fixed on the upcoming IPhone X; Apple’s take on the 2017 bezel-less display flagship smartphone. Although there is no headphone jack, it features an 82.9 percent screen to body ratio, dual cameras, IP 67 certification, and fast charging. Users will now also be able to wirelessly charge their IPhone X using Qi wireless charging (3 years late but finally here). Apple, has labelled these features as “revolutionary” and is charging $999 for the base model. Only time will tell how well the new IPhone will stack up to the android flagships in the market, and whether the handset will be worth the hefty price tag that comes with it.
All in all though this year has been a great one for smartphone enthusiasts; the release of brilliant phones such as the Galaxy S8, the LG G6, the LG V30, the Note 8, the Huawei Mate 10 and Mate 10 pro, and the upcoming release of the IPhone X prove that the smartphone industry is constantly evolving.
