Google’s Pixel smartphones are now available for pre-order in a number of regions including the UK, where a local retailer, Carphone Warehouse, is offering both the Pixel and Pixel XL unlocked or alongside a monthly payment agreement. To make matters more interesting for prospective customers, those who are willing to pre-order the Pixel smartphone will also receive a Google Play Store voucher worth £50.
Carphone Warehouse is Google’s exclusive retail partner in the UK for the Pixel smartphone series, but the devices will work across all major networks in the country. Prospective buyers can acquire the 32GB Google Pixel model, unlocked, for the price of £599 and the 128GB model for £699, whereas the larger Pixel XL carries a price tag of £719 / £819 SIM-free. Otherwise, the smartphones can be purchased on a £42 / £62 monthly payment plan with Vodafone, in which case the upfront prices for the Pixel and Pixel XL drop to £79.99 and £159.99, respectively. To further sweeten the deal, Vodafone couples the smartphones with 6GB of data for the price of 3GB but keep in mind that the £50 Play Store voucher is offered by Carphone Warehouse for both on and off-contract purchases. The Pixel and Pixel XL are now available for pre-order, and both flagships are estimated to be shipped starting on October 20. Buyers can choose between two colors, namely “Very Silver” and “Quite Black”, and indeed the “Really Blue” flavor is not available since it is exclusive to the U.S. market, at least for the time being. Either way, it’s worth noting that the Carphone Warehouse will also offer the Google Daydream View VR headset from early November at the price of £79.99.
The Google Pixel and Pixel XL share the same characteristics save for the screen size, resolution and battery capacity. They are equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 System-on-Chip featuring four Kryo CPU cores and an Adreno 530 graphics chip, 4 GB of RAM, a 12-megapixel main camera coupled with an 8-megapixel front-facing sensor, and run Android 7.1 Nougat. The smaller Pixel packs a 5-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 and a 2,770 mAh battery, while the Pixel XL carries a 5.5-inch 2560 x 1440 AMOLED panel, and a more generous 3,450 mAh battery.