Telstra customers will be among the first in the world to get their hands on the first phones designed end to end by Google when Telstra launches Pixel and Pixel XL in Australia on 20 October 2016.

Andrew Volard, Director of Devices said Telstra’s exclusive telco partnership with Google in Australia is set to deliver benchmarks for smartphone data speeds and will help change the way people use their mobile by placing an intelligent digital assistant in the palm of their hands.

“With Pixel, we are bringing together the best of what Google does with software, and now hardware, with one of the world’s most advanced mobile networks to give our customers the most personal and useful smartphone experience yet.

“We’re particularly excited that the Pixel will be the first smartphone to feature Google Assistant – intelligent software that will allow our customers to have a natural conversation with their phones to get advice on everything from the fastest route to the theatre to suggestions for the best place to enjoy a meal after the show. We think it’s going to make the smartphone an even more central part of Australians’ lives.

“Thanks to the latest 4G LTE technology in the Pixel phones and Telstra’s ultra-fast mobile network, we can offer our customers the fastest mobile data speeds in Australia when using these phones on the Telstra network, helping to make the Google Assistant an even more powerful, real-time companion,” Mr Volard said.

The phones are driven by the latest Cat 11 4G LTE technology which allows customers to tap into typical download speeds from 5Mbps to 200Mbps in 4GX areas – a third faster than any other phone in Australia. On top of super-fast mobile web speeds, Telstra customers will also benefit from next-generation voice calling (Voice over LTE) which delivers high-definition quality and faster call set up times.

Other Pixel phone features customers will love include a camera that can capture crisp images even in low light, that’s also quick to launch and fast to shoot. And, there’s no need for owners to delete an old memory to capture a new one thanks to unlimited online storage for photos and videos taken on Pixel, stored at full resolution in Google Photos (data charges apply).

Both smartphones will be available in Very Silver and Quite Black on a range of Go Mobile Plus and My Business Mobile plans in 32GB and 128GB variants. For example, customers can take up a 5” 32GB Pixel smartphone on a $95 Go Mobile Plus or My Business Mobile plans with 10GB (8GB + 2GB bonus) of data to use in Australia and $4/mth handset repayments when customers stay connected for 24 months (min cost $2376).