Google's post-Nexus Phones

Pixel and Pixel XL unveiled: Google's post-Nexus phones come out swinging (hands-on)

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Google decided it's time to bring its phones out of their shadowy niche and duke it out directly with top manufactures such as Samsung and Apple. Welcome to the new Pixel phone era.

With premium features exclusive to Pixel phones and a sales plan that means you might actually find one in a store, the company is showing significantly more ambition than it did with the last six years of Nexus-branded phones.

The 5-inch Pixel and 5.5-inch Pixel XL are officially called "Pixel, a phone by Google" and have a "G" on the back, signifying how Google designed the phones on its own instead of tweaking another company's product into a Nexus. Google is now the one picking components, providing support and promoting the phones.

If you aren't the most careful of phone users, Google wants you to know its new handsets are somewhat forgiving when it comes to exposure to the elements.

The Pixel and Pixel XL, which Google unveiled Tuesday, offer protection against some exposure to moisture and dust, thanks to an IP53 certification. A device's International Protection Rating, more commonly referred to as an IP rating, is a standard set forth by the International Electrotechnical Commission as a "system for classifying the degrees of protection provided by the enclosures of electrical equipment."

The numeral 5 in the code indicates that the device has "partial protection from contact with harmful dust," while the second numeral represents protection against liquids seeping into the device. In this case, "water falling as a spray at any angle up to 60 degrees from the vertical shall have no harmful effect" on Google's phones.

What this essentially means is that you're safe to use one of these handsets in the rain, but it's probably best to leave it with your towel when you go swimming or take a shower.

The 5-inch Pixel and 5.5-inch Pixel XL will arrive in stores and online on October 20.

At an event this morning, Google announced a slew of new products, including the debut of the Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones. The phones have the same design, same processor, same storage and same camera. So with all this sameness, what are the differences?

Well, there are not many. And that's good, because even if you get the smaller one, you're not missing out on any cool features. The real differences are in battery and screen size, as well as the resolution and price.

• Screen size: Despite the Pixel XL having a larger screen with more resolution, the smaller Pixel still sports a very respectable 1,920x1,080-pixel display.
• Battery: The Pixel has a 2,770mAh battery and the Pixel XL a 3,450mAh battery. Until we test the phones, we can't be certain how much more battery life, if any, the Pixel XL will get.
• Price: For a 32 GB model, the Pixel starts at $649 and the Pixel XL at $769. Both are available for preorder today -- except the blue version, which is sold out.

The Pixel and Pixel XL come built-in with Google Assistant and support for Google's Daydream VR platform. Google touts that the camera on the Pixel series is better than on any other smartphone. DxOMark, a camera-testing website, gives the Pixel's camera a score of 89 -- the highest for any smartphone.

Hands-on with Google's Pixel and Pixel XL phones

Check out the full specs for both phones below, and take a look at our hands-on video of the Pixel and Pixel XL.

GOOGLE PIXEL AND PIXEL XL SPECS

	Google Pixel	Google Pixel XL
Display size, resolution	5-inch; 1,920x1,080 pixels	5.5-inch; 2,560x1,440 pixels
Pixel density	441 ppi	534 ppi
Dimensions (Inches)	5.66x2.74x0.34 (at its thickest)	6.09x2.98x0.34 (at its thickest)
Dimensions (Millimeters)	143.84x69.54x8.58 (at its thickest)	154.72x75.74x8.58 (at its thickest)
Weight (Ounces, Grams)	5.04 oz; 143 g	5.92 oz; 168g
Mobile software	Android 7.1 Nougat	Android 7.1 Nougat
Camera	12.3-megapixel	12.3-megapixel
Front-facing camera	8-megapixel	8-megapixel
Video capture	4K	4K
Processor	2.15GHz + 1.6GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 821	2.15GHz + 1.6GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 821
Storage	32GB, 128GB	32GB, 128GB
RAM	4GB	4GB
Expandable storage	None	None
Battery	2,770mAh	3,450mAh
Fingerprint sensor	Back cover	Back cover
Connector	USB-C	USB-C
Special features	Google Assistant built-in; unlimited cloud storage; Daydream VR ready	Google Assistant built-in; unlimited cloud storage; Daydream VR ready
Price off-contract (USD)	$649 (32GB); $749 (128GB)	$769 (32GB); $869 (128GB)
Price (GBP)	£599 (32GB); £699 (128GB)	£719 (32GB); £819 (128GB)
Price (AUD)	TBD	TBD