How To Buy Google’s Pixel And Pixel XL In Australia

The highly-coveted Google Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones are now available in Australia. Here’s everything you need to know about buying the device, including specs, outright pricing, available mobile plans and how to purchase overseas.

There are several ways to buy the Google Pixel and Pixel XL in Australia. But before we dive into the available options, here’s a quick overview of why the phone is worthy of your consideration.

Google’s ‘First’ Smartphone

The Pixel is being billed as the first smartphone “made” by Google. In reality, it’s a Nexus in all but name with manufacturing duties handled by HTC. (You won’t see HTC’s name anywhere on the device, though — this is a Google product through and through.)

Arguably the Pixel’s biggest claim to fame is the integration of Google Assistant, a digital assistant steeped in advanced machine learning and AI. Google Assistant is designed to become smarter the more you use it and is able to follow conversational voice commands. No more talking like a robot when giving directions to your phone.

If Google can be believed, the Pixel’s 12.3MP camera is the best ever. It received a DxOMark score of 89 which is the highest score that has ever been given to a phone. As befits a smartphone camera, the hardware and software have been optimised for taking automatic snaps — so you don’t need to fiddle around with the settings to get the best shot.

This is largely thanks to Smartburst; an AI feature that takes a series of photos and automatically selects the best one. This is nothing new of course, but Google’s software engineering chops should ensure it actually works well. In addition, the camera boasts HDR+ for clearer and more vivid photos with zero shutter lag. Naturally, there’s also 4K video recording, with optical stabilisation. Best of all, the handset features unlimited cloud storage in Google Photos so it won’t run out of memory to store photos and videos.

These are just a few of the Pixel’s standout features. You can read more on what makes the range so special here.

Google Pixel Specifications

Not sure which version to buy? Here are the specifications for the Google Pixel and Pixel XL, side by side:

Google Pixel Google Pixel XL
OS Android Nougat Android Nougat
Dimensions 143.8mm x 69.5mm x 8.6 mm 154.7mm x 75.7mm x 8.6 mm
Weight 138g 168g
CPU Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 Quad Core 2x 2.15GHz/ 2x 1.6GHz Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 Quad Core 2x 2.15GHz/ 2x 1.6GHz Processor
Memory/Storage 32GB/128GB, 4GB LPDDR4 RAM 32GB/128GB, 4GB LPDDR4 RAM
Display 5-inch Hi-Definition AMOLED display 5.5-inch Hi-Definition AMOLED display
Resolution 1080 x 1920 pixels (~441 ppi) 1440 x 2560 pixel (~534 ppi)
Camera 12.3MP with large 1.55um pixels and f/2.0 aperture (rear), 8MP f/2.0 (front) 12.3MP with large 1.55um pixels and f/2.0 aperture, 8MP f/2.0 (front)
Colours Quite Black, Very Silver Quite Black, Very Silver
Additional features 3.5mm headphone jack, Pixel Imprint fingerprint sensor, Bluetooth 4.0 3.5mm headphone jack, Pixel Imprint fingerprint sensor, Bluetooth 4.0

Buying Google Pixel Outright

The 32GB Google Pixel will retail for $1079, while the 128GB version comes in at $1229. The larger Google Pixel XL will sell for $1269 and $1419 for the 32GB and 128GB versions, respectively. It’s worth noting that the Pixel smartphones do not have MicroSD card slots — so you should probably stump up the cash for the higher capacity version.

Both phones will be available to buy from JB Hi-Fi or directly from Google. You can pre-order both online now at the above links. Otherwise, simply walk into a JB Hi-Fi on the day of launch.

From October 20, you should also be able to pick up the phones on eBay or via third-party resellers based overseas. If you go down this route, the usual “buyer beware” caveats apply. Don’t expect to save much money either — especially when shipping is added to the equation. With that said, purchasing overseas is the only way to get the fetching “Really Blue” version, which is not officially available in Australia.

Buying Google Pixel On A Plan

In Australia, Google has decided to sell its Pixel range exclusively through Telstra, which means you’ll need to buy the device outright if you’re with another provider. Boo-urns.

The phones are available on a range of Telstra Go plans with prices starting at $85 per month. As per usual with Telstra, the data allowance on entry-level plans are pretty meager. 3GB of data — which is the bare minimum most users will be able to get by on — will set you back between $94 and $114 per month.

Here’s a rundown of each Telstra Pixel plan’s pricing and inclusions. (Click on the ‘More’ buttons for more info.)

You can pre-order the phones through Telstra here.


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