If you're one of the early birds to get the highly anticipated Google Pixel or Pixel XL, then you may want to take a look at the back of the SIM card tray. And before you get any ideas, the answer is no, it doesn't double as a microSD expansion slot.
Rather than a hidden feature, Google had numbers and letters engraved into the SIM tray. No, it doesn't lead to a stash of treasures.
Where it leads to is Google's headquarters. That's right, Google engraved its own HQ's address at the back of the SIM tray.
First reported by Android Police, the top of the tray has "1600 AMPHITHEATRE" inscribed while the bottom part has "MTN VIEW CA 94043." Venturebeat corroborates the report and revealed that aside from the Pixel, the Pixel XL also has a SIM tray with Google's engraved HQ address.
When Apple released the Apple Macintosh/Macintosh 128k, which came after the Lisa and Lisa II, signatures from members of Cupertino's Macintosh Division were engraved on its case. Google could be pulling something of that nature with the Pixel and Pixel XL.
Granted the handhelds' sizes, however, it would be hard to fit multiple signatures from people involved in their development and release. Hence, instead of the signatures, an address pointing to the HQ, which pretty much covers everyone that had something to do with the Pixel and Pixel XL, was listed.
Google is yet to release a statement on why the address was etched at the back of the SIM tray.
Phone By Google, Assembled By HTC
Some believe that the engraved address is a way of reiterating that the Pixel and Pixel XL are indeed the signature "Phones by Google," which makes sense. But while Google tagged both handhelds with the said branding, it should also be noted that they both came off HTC's assembly line. The only HTC branding it has, however, appears on the batteries.
Moreover, other major components such as the display, flash storage and mobile DRAM are from Samsung. The audio and NFC controllers are from NXP while the Wi-Fi controllers were sourced from another outfit.
The Google Pixel with its 5-inch 1080p display is now out, off-contract, for $649. Its bigger brother, the Google Pixel XL that has a 5.5-inch 1440p display, retails for $769.
Note that the prices listed above are for the Pixel and Pixel XL's most basic iteration: 32 GB. Getting the version with the 128 GB onboard storage means an additional $100.
Both smartphones will be running on Android 7.0 out of the box but will have an Android 7.1 update.
