Google’s new Pixel Smartphones, as well as Android, compete with Apple’s iPhone.

Google unveiled its latest Pixel smartphones on Tuesday, relying on its first custom-designed system processor and a new version of Android to entice customers away from Apple Inc.’s iPhone.

The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are nearly identical in terms of size, memory, and camera capabilities, as both are based on Google’s Tensor system-on-chip, a proprietary semiconductor that took four years to build. Tensor is built on Google’s image processing and artificial intelligence strengths, allowing for faster and more accurate speech recognition as well as longer battery life.

Despite the fact that Google’s Android is the most popular smartphone operating system worldwide, the Alphabet Inc. unit has a tiny part of the mobile device industry. The corporation is now attempting to differentiate itself from the competition by developing its own processor, joining Apple in doing so.

At the company’s debut ceremony, Google Silicon Senior Director Monika Gupta said, “Mobile chips simply haven’t been able to keep up with Google research.” “Instead of waiting for them to catch up, we decided to make our own.”

Both the 6.4-inch Pixel 6 and the 6.7-inch Pixel 6 Pro will be available on October 28 for $599 and $899, respectively. When customers tried to order the new devices right after they were announced, Google’s online store crashed.

Most smartphones, with the exception of the iPhone, rely on Qualcomm Inc. and, to a lesser extent, MediaTek Inc. for their processors, resulting in a lack of distinction. In addition to the Tensor, Google’s latest devices feature the Titan M2 security chip, which is responsible for tasks such as passcode protection, encryption, and safe app transactions.

Android 12, the most recent version of the OS, is the “largest design shift in Google’s history,” according to Google. It has color palettes and redesigned widgets for customizing, as well as privacy indicators that indicate when an app is accessing the device’s microphone or camera. Its security safeguards ensure that Google’s audio and language processing takes place only on the device.

“A large portion of the population is still unaware that Google makes phones, or that Android is a Google product,” said Ben Wood, principal analyst at CCS Insight. “Google is clearly enthused about the chip it’s including in the Pixel, but experience has proven that mass market consumers aren’t interested in proprietary silicon.”

The 6 Pro model has a larger battery and increases the memory to 12GB from 8GB on the Pixel 6. It also has an extra 4x zoom camera.

The larger gadget, like the iPhone 13, has an adjustable display refresh rate that scales from 120Hz for fast-moving on-screen activity or animations to 10Hz to conserve battery life.

Google’s push for creative image extras shares another feature with Apple, which launched a cinematic mode for video recording on its newest iPhones this year. It’s getting a long-exposure mode, which blurs moving things like cars going through a junction, as well as an action mode, which blurs the surrounds of a moving subject.

This year, Google and Apple are competing in a drastically different smartphone market, with Chinese Android suppliers ranging from Oppo to Vivo to Xiaomi Corp.

have made considerable progress in the race to fill the void left by sanctioned athletes. Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. is a Chinese technology company. Vivo, for example, has partnered with Carl Zeiss on its lenses, and the X70 Pro+ flagship features four gimbal-stabilized cameras on the back.

Google still has to show that the Pixel can be more than a niche device for a customer base that is devoted to its products and services. According to the Nikkei, which cited sources familiar with the business’s intentions, the company has asked suppliers to quadruple their output of the Pixel 6 smartphones this year to more than 7 million devices.

The company’s major pillars for persuading the larger market that it’s serious about becoming a hardware contender are bespoke silicon, more personal Android software, and comparatively low pricing points.