The Pragmatic and the Futuristic

What is your choice?

Last week, Google has released two new devices at their Google Pixel 2 event. With Pixel 2 and its big brother on the table, we now finally have all the contenders for the contest that is the best mobile phone of 2017. While there are better outlets to find a literal answer to that question in many aspects, I want to write a little bit about the underlying philosophy that led for these devices to exist.

For the sake of the article, I’m only considering three devices, Galaxy S8, iPhone X, and the newly launched Google Pixel 2 XL.

2017 was a good year for mobile phones. Samsung kick started the year with the release of Galaxy S8 and its beautiful ‘Infinity Display’. The 18:9 aspect ratio and 83.6 % screen to body ratio on the Galaxy S8 has paved the way for flagships of the year to leave behind the traditional 16:9 aspect ratio and aspire to a more bezel less design.

Later in the year, Apple has launched the much awaited iPhone X. The flagship from Apple also sports the taller aspect ratio instead of the traditional 16:9 aspect ration. iPhone X also sports a near bezel less design with 82.9 % screen to body ratio. However, this came at a cost. iPhone X no longer supports Touch ID. While this may be a drastic change, Apple promises that Face ID which replaces Touch ID can handle the change.

With late week’s launch, Google has made it clear that it was clearly not going for the highest body to screen ratio on a device. Pixel 2 retains the traditional 16:9 aspect ratio and with huge bezels at the top and the bottom. While Pixel XL 2 has the taller aspect ratio of 18:9, it is nowhere as bezel less as other devices on this list. Instead, their direction was a little more pragmatic. Google has focused more on the software improvements with it’s AI first philosophy.

One more important aspect to notice about Google Pixel 2/XL is that the phone does not have a dual lens system that many manufacturers have moved to for their flagship devices. Google instead is using something called “dual-pixel sensor,” which apparently divides every pixel in two. This allows Google to do things like a faster auto-focus and a ‘Portrait mode’. As a bonus, Pixel 2 also has the capability of taking ‘Portrait Mode’ photos using the front camera.

So, here are the final thoughts: All the three devices, namely Galaxy S8, iPhone X and Google Pixel 2 XL have excellent hardware and equally good software. However, both Samsung and Apple are trying to create a futuristic device with a bezel less design and Iris Scanner, Face ID respectively to secure your device. Whereas Google, taking a more traditional approach to the design of the device, is trying to solve problems by improving their software with their AI first philosophy.

I personally lean toward Google’s approach and cannot wait for Samsung and Apple to make me rethink my decision. Which one are you leaning towards? The Pragmatic or the Futuristic?