Following the apparent success of last year’s Pixel and Pixel XL, Google is back, this time with Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. As you would imagine, given these are Google flagship devices, both of these phones were leaked and reported on for months ahead of the official unveiling, but thankfully, they really do live up to the hype.
Both feature a fantastic camera, great build quality, plus a smooth software experience that you really can’t find anywhere else. Now, are either of these phones good enough to top the best from Samsung, LG, and HTC? The competition is high this year, but so far, it’s looking pretty good for Google and we’ve still got a couple more months until Phone of the Year voting begins.
This is our Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL review.
The Good
Specifications
With exception to the overall in-hand size, display, and battery size, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 pack the same specs (official specs list), including a Snapdragon 835 processor, 4GB RAM, 12MP rear-facing camera, IP67 water and dust resistance, and rear-facing fingerprint reader. Other specs include Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, USB Type-C, dual front-facing speakers, starting base storage of 64GB, 8MP front-facing camera, and Android 8.0 “Oreo” straight out of the box.
For the Pixel 2, its 5-inch AMOLED display has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 (441ppi), while the Pixel 2 XL features a 6-inch POLED QHD (2880×1440, 538ppi) display. The Pixel 2 battery is 2700mAh and the Pixel 2 XL battery is sized at 3520mAh.
Sure, these new Pixel phones may not have some silly amount of RAM or dual cameras, but these phones feel like the first complete smartphone packages from Google. There really doesn’t seem to be anything missing, with a few exceptions that we have listed in this review below. However, Google has delivered water resistance, hardware that feels oh so good in-hand, plus dual front-facing speakers that everyone should enjoy.
Software
One of the main reasons anyone would want a phone from Google is the software, I would hope. You’re getting the latest build of Android, Oreo, right out of the box, 3 years worth of major OS updates in a timely manner straight from Google, and no skin that makes your phone feel sluggish and janky. It really is something to love.
Over the course of the past week that I have used the Pixel 2, I have forgotten about all other OEM skins and now all I ever want is Google’s custom Pixel experience. The software is smart and damn smooth. For the most part, you’re getting a minimal, yet feature-rich experience, with Google building custom tweaks on top of AOSP. Essentially, it’s like what Motorola was doing for a bit, adding minimal changes and software enhancements on top of a pretty plain OS. On the Pixel 2, Google nails this, providing helpful features on top of a Oreo.
The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL feature special things like Ambient Display (now with an always-on mode), a Night Light mode, Active Edge for quickly accessing Google Assistant, a revamped Pixel Launcher, intelligent theming whenever you change from a light to dark-colored wallpaper, Now Playing that automatically identifies songs playing in the background of your environment, as well as a polished Picture-in-Picture mode for select applications (YouTube, Google Maps, etc.).
The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL also come preloaded with the first iteration of Google Lens, which takes your existing photos, then basically runs a background check on them to deliver information straight from Google Search. For example, Google Lens can recognize dog breeds in a photo, types of trees, or landmarks. It’s pretty cool, but I feel as if I have little use for it in my daily life. Maybe if I was traveling abroad or something like that, it could be very helpful at identifying certain things.
Another important aspect of the new Pixel phones is Google Assistant. Accessible via the same long press of the home button or squeezing the sides of your phone with Active Edge, Assistant is becoming a very powerful tool. I truly thought Active Edge would be gimmicky, but it has surprised me. While it doesn’t do much, having quick access to Assistant is nice, plus it can silence your device if you have an incoming call. I think Google could incorporate a few more features to make it really, really useful, but this is a good start and I actually enjoy using it.
To put this simply, the Pixel 2’s software is the most refined feeling version of Android I think I’ve ever used. As I said, it’s smart, completely smooth and free of stutters, and there’s something about it that just looks and feels cool. You don’t have to worry about swapping themes or icons, because Google kindly allows for all of that natively in the OS and there’s plenty of fun features to play with because this isn’t some barebones AOSP build. This is a custom software experience built atop AOSP, and frankly, I don’t know if I could use anything else after this.
Hardware and Design
Pixel 2 (Tim)
Obviously, the first big difference you’ll see with the Pixel 2 and the Pixel 2 XL is the size and look of the devices. Unlike last year, the Pixel 2 isn’t just a smaller version of the 2 XL, and I can still say that I’m bummed about that move by Google. We have two completely different hardware designs going on here. Last year, I enjoyed having the option between a big and small version of the hardware I liked. With the Pixel 2, it’s much different from the 2 XL, with massive bezels holding dual front-facing speakers and a squared 5-inch FHD display. The Pixel 2 XL has a bigger 6-inch QHD display with rounded corners, plus very minimal bezel, similar looking to the LG V30.
At first, I really didn’t think I’d care for a phone with such large bezels. After all, I’ve been using the Galaxy S8, Galaxy Note 8, and LG V30, all of which have very minimal bezel. Coming from those phones, with rounded corner displays and glass all over the place, I didn’t quite know what to expect with the Pixel 2. As I began to the use the device naturally, I started to realize that bezels are not my enemy. In fact, it’s quite nice having somewhere to really hold the device when I’m playing a game or watching a video. Couple that with the huge, loud front-facing speakers and you have yourself quite the pocket-sized entertainment system. This isn’t to say I’d prefer the Pixel 2 not have smaller bezels, because I would, but I don’t want to get hung up on something I can’t change.
Point being, the Pixel 2 feels great in-hand, with a solid weight to it for how small the phone is, a brushed metallic backside that feels really nice to hold, and a perfectly placed fingerprint reader that makes me really wonder what Samsung was thinking this year on the Galaxy S8 and Note 8. The Pixel 2’s hardware just feels good and the bezels have grown on me. What can I say, I’m adaptable, I guess.
Pixel 2 XL (Kellen)
While Tim got stuck with the 2015-design Pixel 2, I did have the luxury of using the bigger, more modern Pixel 2 XL. Is it a beacon of beauty? Well, it’s no Galaxy S8 or V30, but it’s not bad! In fact, it’s mostly a joy to look at.
The bezel is minimal, just not on par with those two phones I just mentioned. So if you were looking for that full edge-to-edge design of say the Note 8, you won’t quite get that here. It does have a really nice curve to the top glass, though, a curve that almost adds this bubble effect when you look at the phone from a profile view. That subtle curve also adds a roundness where front and back meet the sides of the phone, since the back plate curves as well, leaving you without much of a sharp edge anywhere.
For sporting a 6-inch display, I’d point out that it doesn’t feel like a monstrosity in hand. That 6-inch display is encased by a metal body that is similar in size to the Nexus 6P, a phone with a smaller 5.7-inch display. So you can see that Google was able to go bigger in the display department without going, well, too big. Don’t get me wrong, it is still a very big phone and only slightly shorter than the Note 8. Keep that in mind.
Add in the front stereo speakers, a playful color-blocked combination of glass and metal on the back, and the Pixel 2 XL ticks the boxes for a phone in 2017. Not only that, it’s Google’s unique flavor of smartphone hardware that isn’t just another all glass and metal body combination. I like options.
Camera
Last year, Google really outdid themselves with the quality of photos and video the original Pixel and Pixel XL were able to take. I mean, seriously, everything before the Nexus 6P and 5X were pretty bad, but the company has only gotten better at delivering a solid shooter. This year, it’s like falling in love all over again, with the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL both able to take stunning photos in all sorts of conditions, and we have no beef with DxOMark ranking this as the best smartphone camera currently on the market.
To recap, both the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL use the same 12.2MP camera (f/1.8, 1.4um, OIS, EIS, PDAF, LAF). There isn’t a dual camera setup here like in most other top smartphones, yet that hasn’t held the camera back at all, since Google seems to really be finding a groove in how its phones process pictures. They might be the best in the business at it right now. Let’s also not forget that each phone has Google’s first custom chip inside called the Pixel Visual Core. This is an image processing unit that isn’t even turned on at this point, but will offer 3rd party camera systems access to Google’s HDR+ magic, as well as new future camera features, once it goes live.
To me, what makes this a special camera is its ability to really capture the same scene your eyes see. A lot of the time, you’ll have phones oversaturate or overexpose a scene, but from my experience on the Pixel 2, that just isn’t the case. In our recent camera shootout (Pixel 2 vs. V30 vs. Galaxy Note 8), you could actually tell that the Pixel 2’s shots were somewhat darker than the others, but in reality, that was much more close to reality than what the other phones were showing. Greens aren’t looking neon, purples aren’t on the verge of turning pink, and autumn leaves are just bursting with vibrance. Seriously, I could take pictures on the Pixel 2 all day and never get tired of it.
Another area we take seriously is the reaction time between us pressing the shutter and a picture being taken. Is there a delay? Does the camera stutter? For the Pixel 2, the answers are no and no. As soon as you launch the camera app, it is quick to focus on whatever is in front of you or whatever you tap on, then the shot is ready to be taken. As soon as the shutter button is pressed, the photo is snapped and you’re ready to shoot another. If you’re shooting pictures of a dog or child, this comes in handy when getting just that right moment to save forever.
For the software, Google has included Slow Motion (max of 240FPS), panorama, Photo Sphere, and Portrait modes. While all of this works just fine and dandy, I do wish Google incorporated a “Pro” mode or something with a bit more control over certain levels. This is something all the other OEMs are doing, such as LG and Samsung. The piece I really want is a shutter speed slider, which would allow for longer or shorter exposures for certain lighting tricks I like to perform. Since this phone is so good at cutting down noise in low lighting conditions, I really feel that a shutter speed dial could allow night time photographers to get some great shots of the sky. Maybe in the future Google could incorporate something like this. As for that new Portrait mode, well, it does work. I’m not huge on going around and asking people if I can take their portrait, but it seems to work fine on my dogs, so long as I can get them to stand still for 2 seconds.
To sum up my week with the Pixel 2’s camera, it’s the best photo-taking experience I’ve had on a Google phone to date.
Here are a few sample shots from the Pixel 2.
Battery
Pixel 2 (Tim)
Over the course of the past week, I have been nothing but impressed with the Pixel 2’s battery. It’s on the small side, just 2700mAh, but it lasts all day long. Even with my constant playing of Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes and taking pictures all over the place, I always have juice to spare at the end of the day.
My typical day is 7:30AM to about 10 or 11PM and I haven’t had to plug it in during the day a single time. It’s been pretty awesome. Now, there’s no way I’m going to get two days of battery life from this phone, but getting through one day with no troubles is fine for me. Not only does the battery last a solid amount of time, but the phone does support Rapid Charging, so if you do find yourself having to charge, it won’t take you too long to get a good amount of charge back into your phone.
Pixel 2 XL (Kellen)
Battery life on the Pixel 2 XL, with its 3520mAh cell, has been better than expected. Every year, Google tells us that they’ve built more battery efficiency into the newest Android version that ships on their new hardware, yet I’m not sure it ever lives up to the hype. This year, I think it might. Not once in testing (over a week now) have I had to plug the Pixel 2 XL in later in a day after taking it off the charger. That’s actually something to brag about.
I really hammered on this phone, too. For me, a typical day is 3-4 hours of screen on time, but I went extra hard on this phone for some reason and pushed it closer to 5-7 hours each day. Still, not once (just like Tim with the Pixel 2) did I reach for a charger before going to bed. While that’s not 2-day battery life, I’ll take it, especially knowing this phone can charge in a hurry if I need it to.
We did a complete battery overview for the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL that you can see here.
External Speakers
A Pixel phone with dual front-facing speakers? Dang, this is fancy! A feature I have been asking for, both the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL have dual speakers, perfect for bumping your tunes, watching YouTube videos, or playing mobile games. They aren’t on the bottom, meaning no covering the speaker by accident when holding the device, and they aren’t on the back, which was never good spot for them in the first place. Nope, you’ve got one on the chin and one on the forehead, perfectly placed for consuming audio goodness.
On the Pixel 2, the speakers are loud, but not overly bass-heavy, kind of like what you find on HTC devices. The Pixel 2 speakers are more catered to highs and mids, which is fine, but the sound can come across as a bit tinny depending on what you’re listening to. The point I can’t stress enough, though, is that they are loud. I’m afraid to go 100% volume because I don’t want the little things to explode. When just watching a YouTube video, I can listen comfortably at about 55-70% volume, which is a nice change from my experience on other devices from this year.
While the addition of these speakers appear to have resulted in Google having to intro a bit of bezels in the design, let’s just be thankful they were included in the first place, since neither of the new Pixels have a 3.5mm headphone jack. Don’t worry, we’ll talk about that, too.
Water Resistance
An IP67 rating is included on the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, meaning no dust/sand will makes its way into the device and the phones can be submerged into at max of 1 meter (about 3 feet) of water for 30 minutes with theoretically no damage to the device. To put it simply, you can use these phones in the rain, have them around your kitchen sink, or maybe even take a few underwater photos in the pool with no harm to the device. For Pixels, this is huge, as no other Google phone has had this type of IP rating. It really makes them more versatile and durable phones.
It’s almost winter time for Portland, OR, so the fact I have water resistance on this phone is a huge bonus whenever I leave the house.
Somewhere in the Middle
Display
Pixel 2 (Tim)
The Pixel 2’s 5-inch FHD display is fine, but nothing to get overly excited about. It’s a basic AMOLED panel, with decent colors and support for Always On software. I’ve had a few people ask if colors seem muted or tinted at all, and thankfully, I haven’t had any complaints in that department, but if you’re comparing it to the display on the Galaxy S8 or LG V30, you will see big differences. The colors just don’t pop as much as they do on those other phones, even with the option for “Vivid Colors” enabled under the settings menu.
Part of me would want the Pixel 2 to have a super colorful panel to take better take advantage of its great camera, but at the end of the day, it gets the job done well.
As for the 1080p aspect, that has not been an issue for me in daily usage, with exception to virtual reality. I simply can’t, even on phones with high resolutions. I used to be somewhat resilient to the effects of motion sickness, but with age has come an inability to sit down with a VR headset for anymore than 10 minutes without feeling sick. This isn’t a knock on the Pixel 2’s screen, but I’m pointing out that with the lower resolution of this display, the problem seems compounded for me. Everyone is different in this department, though.
Pixel 2 XL (Kellen)
The 6-inch POLED display on the Pixel 2 XL has found itself smack dab in the middle of a controversy. Is the display flawed or is this just the way Google tuned it? Is this a bad OLED panel or will it be perfectly fine for most people? I tend to fall in the latter of both of those categories.
For those not familiar with what I’m talking about, you should go checkout our full write-up on supposed Pixel 2 XL display issues. There’s even a fun little video to show you what the complaints so far have been about.
The basics are this – when tilted to anything not directly in front of your face, you may notice a blue tint to the panel on the 2 XL. Additionally, the colors have been tuned by Google (purposely) to a more natural, muted profile, which shows even with the included Vivid colors option turned on. Others have suggested that the display shows a gritty or dirty appearance when in extreme low light, but I haven’t necessarily noticed that on mine.
So what’s the deal, is the panel bad or what? I don’t think so, no. I’m not about to tell you that this display is of Samsung quality, though, but I think most will find it to be just fine. The viewing angles are decent for the most part, and the color profile probably won’t offend you unless you are directly comparing it to a saturated Samsung AMOLED display. Also, Google says they may introduce additional color profiles if they receive enough feedback.
As a big display, it’s actually pretty fun to consume content on. Brightness levels are OK in good light and really nice in low light, thanks to the ability to drop to a really dark setting, which I appreciate as someone who uses their phones in the darkness often. I even find touch responsiveness to be solid.
In the end, the Pixel 2 XL probably isn’t going to blow your mind, yet it’ll do the job.
The Not-so-Good
Missing Pieces
While the Pixel 2 and 2 XL is what we would label as the first complete phone packages from Google, they are missing a few things, some of which people may even see as deal breakers. We don’t, though, just to be clear.
The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL lack a headphone jack, wireless charging, and expandable storage. These are things we’ve talked about countless times, and if you’re pissed that Google didn’t include them, there are other phones out there that will suit your needs. While I’m not really upset or bummed at all with the non-inclusion of expandable storage or wireless charging, the lack of a headphone jack does somewhat irk me. I mean, looking at these phones, it’s not as if there wasn’t room for one, and since USB Type-C headphones aren’t included with the purchase, no company has really solved the problem that they created by removing the 3.5mm port. All we get is a dongle, easily losable, which would then need to be replaced for $9. I’m fine with using Bluetooth, but it’s not as if Google created some amazing alternative to a wired experience.
If you’re someone upset that Google excluded any of this, I’m sorry, but if you love everything else about these devices, then give them a try. I used to think no headphone jack was insane, but you just get used to it and adapt.
Availability and Pricing
The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are available unlocked via the Google Store or through Verizon as Google’s exclusive wireless carrier partner. Regardless of Verizon being the only carrier you can directly purchase these devices through, the phones have the necessary bands to work on virtually any carrier in the US. They’ll work on Project Fi, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, or basically anywhere else. If you have a specific carrier you want to use the Pixel 2 on, but aren’t sure if they support it, hit up their customer service.
The Pixel 2 starts at $649 for 64GB, with a 128GB model available for $749. The Pixel 2 XL is priced at $849 for 64GB and $949 for 128GB. For colors, the Pixel 2 comes in either Just Black, Clearly White, or Kinda Blue. The Pixel 2 XL comes in two options: Black and White (aka Panda, aka Penguin) or Just Black.
The pricing of these phones confirms that we are long past the days of what we’d label as competitive pricing. Google wants to compete with Samsung and Apple, and really, these phones can do it. They have great hardware, insanely good cameras, and a software experience that you won’t ever get tired of. It’s a justified price for a solid Android experience.
Other Notes
- Pixel Imprint – Not only is the fingerprint reader in a good spot on the backside, but it’s super fast. Last year’s Pixel was also quite good at reading fingerprints, so I’m happy to report that it’s the same story this year.
- Active Edge – I wanted to quickly point out that I am a fan of squeezy sides. At first, I figured this was a gimmick, but it’s actually very useful to access Google Assistant when wearing gloves. Super handy to have onboard, but I do wish you could customize it to do more. Maybe in a future update?
- Pixel 2 Girlfriend Impressions – “Wow, look at these bezels. Phone feels really nice in-hand, though. No headphone jack? That’s so stupid.”
Videos
Unboxing
First 10 Things to Do
Gallery
The Verdict
The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL deliver smartphone packages that are arguably the best in all of Android. The cameras here are so good, the designs are refreshingly unique enough in a sea full of competitors’ phones built entirely out of fragile glass, their performance is as good as it gets, and the software experience is a tastefully improved Google version of stock Android that you know will always be two steps ahead of everyone else when it comes to updates. You also get choice in size of phone without giving up anything and access to whatever new Google features are introduced over the coming years.
These phones aren’t without flaws, but in our view, the flaws aren’t dealbreakers and the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are going to be hard to pass on. While they may not be the easiest to get, thanks to a ridiculous Verizon exclusive and frustratingly low levels of stock of select versions, closely watching Google Store availability is something you’ll have to get used to.
Do we recommend the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL? Absolutely.
Buy Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL:
- Verizon
- Best Buy
- Google Store
Hello… late to the game here I know. Question, do y’all prefer using the new Pixel Launcher or are you still using a 3rd party like Nova, Action, etc? Thanks
Just received my XL2 yesterday. I was worried about the screen after hearing all the updated reviews, but I think the colors definitely look better and more natural than anything before. If the retention is there, then that is ok because that is a normal thing to happen with most screens. Burn in makes me a bit more worried but that is why I have the insurance plan.
Now that I’ve had my pixel2 XL for a few days, the screen doesn’t even bother me.
The biggest annoyance I have are the speakers. The top speaker becomes distorted once the volume is turned up and the whole top half of the phone is vibrating…
Still have a week until my Pixel 2 XL ships and I see $250 off the Verizon Note 8 at Best Buy right now. Dammit Google, I so wanted this phone, but things aren’t looking good.
Hey. At least you have a plan b. I wanted to like it as well. Canceled my ordered. Note 8 for while longer.
Does anyone with an old school unlimited data plan know if the Mobile Hotspot works on Verizon with the unlocked version Pixel 2 XL? I upgraded through Verizon last week, and I got my phone, but that feature doesn’t work, I have to subscribe, with my Nexus 6P I was able to use it with no problems? Any thoughts? TIA!
I got my XL 2 tonight and I’m really happy with it. I have no uniformity issue and the colors look great to me. Colors are more vibrant than my Nexus 5X in a side by side comparison and that’s with vibrant color mode off. I do see the blue tint but it doesn’t bother me that much. Overall very happy.
Heres hoping the Pixel 3 is the google phone i been waiting for…until then, s8 all dayy…far superior hardware outweighs the software of this guy
how is the hardware far superior?
Yeah, the Pixel actually beats it in some benchmarks. And the cameras are worse. The only thing that’s better is the display.
Display, expandable storage, headphone jack, wireless chraging….
How isnt it
Waiting for new version
“I started to realize that bezels are not my enemy. In fact, it’s quite nice having somewhere to really hold the device when I’m playing a game or watching a video.” Finally someone gets it! I discovered this using the 6p with no case. No bezels is not at all what it’s cracked up to be, and Google seems to be the only ones that gets it.
I went with the V30. Similar to the 2 XL but with a wide angle camera. Which I think is much more useful than a zoom second camera that everyone else is using. Everyone wants to take hiking pictures. Wide angle better. Big group pictures in small locations. Wide angle better. To me its far more practical than a zoom lens, when you can zoom in the app.
No headphone jack, I could care less…. But, I use Sony studio monitors and Sennhieser headphones and the DAC really makes a difference with these headphones that draw a lot more power than earbuds.
I never noticed the blue hue till it was mentioned about the pixel. It’s definitely there, but I never look at my phone off angle soooo Don’t care.
I see the grungyness and stuff low light. and theres streakiness on pure white screen. but I dont ever really notice or care in use of the phone. I only notice it when I look for it. When I’m using for daily life, reading text or looking at pics whatever, I dont notice it because its not my focus.
Squeezy sides? I’d rather have my microSD slot.
Display compared to Galaxy??? Seeing as I’d never buy a Samsung phone with all the crap they add to it, and all their Samsung apps they try to make you use, and I’d never be sitting comparing the two screens together I’d could care less.. Moot point.
Rumors of what is the iPhone X really had me debating on switching but the release of the iPhone X killed all that.
No fingerprint scanner, no home button. and instead being forced to pick up your phone and look at it everytime you need to unlock it and having to do all these stupid gestures that take way longer and more of a pain than just tapping your finger on a capacitive or onscreen button. tapping all round your phone and then having to physically press a home button is unerginomical. swiping your finger across an entire 6 inch screen is even worse. Apple went so backwards with this phone. Nope.
Essential was totally going to be my phone. I just about had it purchased, but all the software hiccups. Nope.
I don’t like the size of the V30, but its better than the iphone 8, pixel XL, and even galaxy s8+. It’ll do.
Is it just me or is the clock not all the way to the right and the first notification icon not all the way to the left at the top of the screen on the pixel 2? Doesn’t that look weird or is it just me. It seems like they should be all the way to the left and right ?
I think it would be helpful for you guys to highlight nuances introduced by the 2:1 aspect ratio displays vs the 16:9. From my personal experience, a 6″ 2:1 display is really just a 5.5″ 16:9 display stretched vertically. I got caught up in this magically larger screen in a smaller body thing too, but I was really bummed out when I realized the actual usable area hasn’t changed, per se. Sure, you see more contently VERTICALLY, if it’s useful or supported. But it’s not the same as a jump from 5.5″ 16:9 to 6″ 16:9. In fact, you literally get a smaller screen physically when switching to a 2:1 ratio.
and yet, another “Just Black” Pixel XL review…I can’t wait to read about the Panda. And yes the two will be different in that they are not made on the same manufacturing line…here’s why….It’s truly perplexed. Not once during the pixel announcement conference or the immediate reviews that followed it (the day after the conference, and those who had received their review units a week ahead) complained about the display! Not once!!! I think the reason is this. Google sent all reviewers the Panda! What was on display and avialable for hands on during the Pixel announcement? The Panda. So this is what I am thinking. For one, we have yet to see any Panda reviews post-google pixel announcement release, those received by everyday people like you and me. I believe they get shipped this week. I believe these issues are related to the Just Black XL version. Obviously something is seriously wrong with the Just Black XL manufacturing line. Thoughts? has anyone seen a Panda XL being reviewed and showing the same issues?
The latest issue – screen burn in after a few days of use…
https://www.androidcentral.com/google-pixel-2-xl-screen-burn
https://9to5google.com/2017/10/22/google-pixel-2-xl-burn-in/
I hope I don’t get swept up in the “oh, it’s so new and fast” when I get my device this week, and have the stones to return it if these issues come to pass…
I cancelled my XL and got the regular Pixel 2 instead. It is identical to the XL except for display and battery.
Nice job on the review- thanks for being reasonable regarding the 2XL screen. Looking forward to getting my 2XL next week. Not sure why all the squawking about the headphone jack. It is not like you cannot use headphones. Also the wireless charging crowd. I have used it and like it but by no means is it a big deal to me, especially given how quickly the Pixel 2 can charge. Get a phone with all the features you want, there are so many choices. For me, smooth software performance, quick updates and great camera are my most important features I also cannot stand bloatware. Also, I passed on the Samsungs because of the location of the fingerprint sensor and bloatware (bixby)…not going to support stupid design.
Will there be a video review as well?
The review covers the quality of the Pixel 2 speakers, what about the XL, are they exactly the same.
I love my Pixel 2 XL and I’ve been using the squeeze function more than I thought! Camera/Portrait mode is sick of course.
As soon as I get in my car, I put my phone in my holder. Will the squeeze sides cause the assistant to open every time I put it in the holder?
After what I’ve seen from Erica Griffin and JerryRigEverything, these phones are a total fail in my eyes. Not only are they missing a lot of features, hardware and software, that are tangible and useful for many people out there, such as a headphone jack, but the features they do have are lackluster. For the price you’re paying, these phones are not competitive, and frankly not worth it. $850+ tax for the XL and you’re getting a bad screen, a bad plasticy design, no headphone jack, wireless charging, SD card slot, S-Pen, Quad-Dac, really anything to set it apart from other phones at all… For what? Stock Android? There is no benefit here, people. Spend your money on a Note 8 or a V30 instead. Hell, if you’re dead-set on a barebones experience you’re better off with an iPhone, honestly. At least Apple knows how to build decent quality phones that don’t snap in half (anymore).
I cancelled my pre-order. I hate to be that guy, but I feel like this review from Tim and Kellen is terribly biased. If the display issues, poorly painted frame, etc were on any other device they’d have roasted it. But because it’s a Google device, they praise the crap out of it.
And I say this as a fellow Google fanboy.
I can’t see spending 1,000 on the 128gb XL2 model. I use the headphone jack & wireless and also enjoy micro s/d support. The display appears in question but may be blown of proportion. I do like the performance & updates. The camera seems to be in a league of It’s own. But I feel if I don’t like the display I will be stuck with it. I guess too many questions to pull the trigger. And a thousand dollars isn’t chump change!
Erica is an expert when it comes to displays. If she notices it right away and seems concerned, it’s a phone to avoid. I’ll be contacting Google in the morning to cancel my order. Man, I was so excited for this phone too. But I’m not paying $1000 for a garbage display.
https://youtu.be/0JjbMT_x6CM
She’s an expert when it comes to displays why exactly? The blue tint when you move it on an angle is the only thing that I’ve noticed and if it wasn’t reported I would have never known. The screen is gorgeous and the colors are accurate. Opening up my Bank of america app (Which use to show up as bloody red on the OG XL) was actually red. I’m impressed by the sceen
To each his own. Glad you are enjoying the phone. I’ve already cancelled my order.
Regarding Erica, maybe “expert” was the wrong term to use. But her in depth analysis of displays is something I trust.
I thought that video was very insightful and balanced.
Somebody help me decide which phone to get: LG V30 or Pixel 2 XL?
If you want speed, get the Pixel. I don’t think you can go wrong with either.
Garbage display on the Pixel. Don’t get it.
well.. both have the same display made by LG which is actually not that great going by all the reviews.
yea but I’m only deciding between these 2.
If you want hardware features such Micro SD, headphone jack and the Quad Dac, wireless charging, manually oriented camera experienceand don’t mind a glass back, go with LG
If you want the Pixel experience, software updates for three years, and a fantastic automatic camera get the Pixel.
Thanks for the help, I’ve decided to go with the LG V30.
For the price of the 128GB Pixel 2 XL, people would be better off getting the Note 8. It offers more RAM, a second camera on the back, wireless charging, a headphone jack(!), and better build quality.
I reserved my XL. But I’m concerned with some reports on build quality (bending, scratching). If more comes out until release date (Canada December) I will switch to the v30 or something else.
Since this is a text review…
Obligatory, TL:DR comment, Where’s the video review!
Sad that they did the full review for this before the V30. I honestly think the v30 beats it hands down, for me. Also, the v30 is practically indestructible compared to how easy the Pixel XL 2 snaps apart with first application of pressure. You can bend the v30 as hard as you can and the body doesn’t separate like the Pixel XL 2. I digress…..
did you see the bend test video? the dude took a frickin utility knife and metal punch to it! i don’t use metal punches or knives on my phones, and if anyone else does, i’ll beat the $850 out of them.
for bending, the guy had to intentionally bend it backwards, hard, to get it to break. I don’t think you could ever accidentally recreate this force in a real life situation. the only possible way i could envision is if you put your phone in your back pocket with the screen facing away from your ass (which no one does), and have extremely deep pockets for for the whole phone to slide into, and have the pants be so tight, and the ass so rock hard, that there’s absolutely no give whatsoever. if that’s a realistic scenario, then that person has way more problems than a “bendable” phone. and if you can envision a realistic scenario in your life where bending it with enough force causes it to break, then either: 1) money is no object, and you shouldn’t care if you break your phone, or 2) you are far too absentminded and irresponsible to own an $850 phone….
That was the 2, not the 2XL. I don’t see those antenna lines on the 2. So maybe as strong as V30.
Can anyone on Verizon comment on hotspot data with unlocked vs verizon version? On my Moto G4 it doesn’t appear to report data as coming from hotspot and working towards my hotspot limit. Curious if this does the same.
Kinda missing android right now & need a big screen for viewing. Stuck between the OG XL, U Ultra, or a Z/Z2 play. Sub $450 & close to stock as possible are my 2 needs.
Hey Tim you left out the word XL in the firstsentence of the Good part
I got my phone today and talk about night and day versus my original Pixel XL. Hopefully, this is the year I truly keep it for more than one year!!
Why is it night and day?
The screen is so much nicer to me, it’s much faster, software wise and camera wise. Dual speakers sound amazing..it’s not massive like note 8…it’s perfect for my hands. I’m 6 foot with normal size hands..i had every Nexus device since the Samsung Nexus, so I’m a fanboy. Nexus 6p and pixel XL had a baby!
You mean, your aren’t freaking out and overreacting to the supposed screen issues?? What is wrong with you, sir?!
Dude, IMO, it looks amazing..it feels awesome too..it’s not slippery like my pixel XL
Glad to hear it’s better than you thought. ????
I’m eagerly waiting for November 13th to arrive so Google gets my penguin shipped out. Of course, i wouldn’t object if it shipped earlier than that. ????
I tried to get the panda right at the moment it went live but it was glitching…I’m happy with all Blk, BBC this year!????
hey guys, thanks for the review. I’ve been an iPhone-user for many years and have grown tired of it and the IOS. I’m going for the Pixel 2/Pixel 2 XL as my first Android experience. Is it possible for you guys to make a video about people like me that are switching from IOS to Android? you know like “essential things to know about android” or sth like that? that would be much appreciated guys. thanks.
I don’t think you’ll really have many issues with picking up Android. All your apps are in alphabetical order in in the app drawer that you swipe up from the bottom to get to. You can drag apps from there to your home screen. Tap and hold on an empty spot on the home screen to get at settings and widgets. There’s a search bar in the settings app so if your looking for a setting that will be your best friend. Double tap the multitasking button to quick switch to the last app and tap and hold it to use split screen. The back button always takes you back so if you click a link in a text message and it opens in chrome and you hit back it will take you out of chrome and back into your texts. The quick settings are accessed by swiping from the top of the screen twice and you can rearrange them with the pen which is next to the settings gear. If you do a half swipe on a notification it will have a settings and snooze and swiping down on a notification will separate them so you can access a specific text when your talking to 2 people. Also find yourself a really black wallpaper to save some battery (black pixels don’t emit light) and to make the UI turn black in some spots. Everything else should be pretty obvious by just tapping or tapping and holding on things.
Lastly and probably most importantly disable iMessage otherwise you won’t get any messages from your iPhone using friends. Here’s Google official switching from iOS link: https://www.android.com/switch/
Thank You so much Tyler. Means a lot.
Tyler has a great tip below, remember to turn off iMessage before you swap. I work with mobile devices at work and several users “forget” to do this when they swap and they end up going back b/c “fixing” the problem is a royal pain in the a$$. A buddy swapped from an iPhone 7 to a Pixel XL and he loves it. But he knows Android well, it’s not his first Android phone. He swaps back and forth on occasion.
It was a GREAT tip. Would have been a great pain in the a$$!
Loving my Pixel 2 XL, does the screen turn a bit blue off axis, yes, but I can handle it, as for the graininess people have noticed, I haven’t seen any of that myself. One of my co-workers messed with the phone for a bit an even remarked, “that screen is gorgeous” so I have absolutely no problems with it. I always kept my Nexus 6P ins sRGB mode for the more accurate colors, I hate the cartoon look of most other screens, give me accurate colors over blown out colors any day.
How dare you sir.
You said it yourself. You prefer accurate over saturated. Others are coming from Samsung displays which are gorgeous and the change to comparatively muted colors is a big adjustment. For me, I expected the Pixel 2 XL display to be at least as good as my current Pixel XL. I still really want the phone but I’ll wait and see if Google can tweak it a bit. Then everyone will be happy.
I can’t even use my phone until I can root it. How sad is that. I wish I could be a normie and just use my phone out of the box. Doesn’t suit my needs until rooted.
Why? I feel like Android has been fine unrooted since Lollipop.
it is. it’s not like the “old days” when it was almost necessary to root and rom to get decent performance and added features. however, it is still fun to do it. also, TiBu is a great feature to have for backups, and Viper4Android is almost a necessity for audio – and you can only get those with root.
Really such a shame the Pixels are really the only way to get stock android, but yet lack headphone jacks and microSD slots, both dealbreakers for me…
It still baffles me that SD cards are an expectation with any Google phones. They haven’t had one since the Nexus One from January of 2010. The Nexus S, Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, and Pixel 2 XL haven’t had them. It’s not gonna happen.
I get it, you’re allowed to want one. But if not having a microSD slot is a “deal breaker” for you, then you were never actually considering the Pixel 2… or any Google phone for that matter.
the SD card part is nothing new for about 3 years. It shouldn’t shock you anymore.
a lot longer than that…
and, I still haven’t seen anyone give a cogent explanation as to why a sdcard is needed. i see a lot of people complaining that their isn’t one, and i see a lot of people rejoice when a phone has one – but i’ve never seen anyone explain why they are mad about the absence (or glad for the presence) of one, or explain the need for one in 2016 or 2017.
–not for photos and videos – Google has free storage for those, which lets you access them from different devices.
–not for music. everyone has streaming services now, and if you need music offline, you can download without taking up too much space. I have 750 songs from Google Music downloaded, for plane trips, and that takes up 5 gb out of 64 gb.
–not for documents. i download huge document files for work from my email, but i don’t need to keep them after i review them because they are always saved to our system.
what am i missing??
Loved the review gentlemen … happy to see you’re still doing in depth write ups. Camera looks crazy good, super pumped about front facing speakers and water resistance.
I do disagree with your opinion that the xl display is somewhere in the middle though. I get that some people might not care and it didn’t bother Kellen too much but on an 800+ phone in 2017 having that many display “issues” seems like a big con. I do think google will update the software to put the display back on the punchy end so I’m not too worried about that ….BUT with the graininess and display uniformity it sure seems like your playing a lottery when you buy this phone. I hope Google is bracing for a lot of RMAs. Currently crossing my fingers for when my black xl shows up next week.
Agree the blue shift seems over blown but again … its an expensive phone … and Google’s flagship android device. Hard not to scratch your head about the display decision.
The XL is a very good contender in the flagship world, addressed nearly every complaint I had about the original. The 2 on the other hand needs to go back the drawing board. I wouldn’t pay $649 for a phone with a design straight out of 2013.
I still wouldn’t buy either one because I am not a huge Google fan, but hats off to them for the XL at least.
Just curious, is everybody else on Sept 5 Security Patch date on Pixel 2 XL too?
Looking on Reddit, that appears to be the case.
i am on my Pixel 2. just checked and it says system is up to date.
I cancelled my Verizon Pixel 2 XL. I would not be happy with the display for 2-3 years, and I have seen some durability concerns being raised as well. Skipped last years flagships, skipping this years. In my view, Google made a lot of fatallly bad decisions with this phone. The experience and camera are awesome, not doubt and I want that, but the hardware choices they made are just bad. Hopefully they learn and do better with the Pixel 3, though if they are smart they will not wait an entire year to bring out a new model. Google is ALL about their software and machine learning, to truly push that the hardware needed to be without glaring flaws. It does not need to be the best looking phone. In fact you could argue that the phone would be better positioned looking more pedestrian, but whoever OK’d the display, and getting rid of the headphone jack should be fired. Guess I will see what I can get at BF to last me till next years flagships.
When I first saw these I really wanted the XL, after seeing videos and reviews, the standard is really growing on me.
FYI, I’m with Tim on the bezels of the Pixel 2. I dunno if it’s because of all the hubbub that’s been made about ’em, but when I actually got the phone in hand and started using it, any issues I had with them melted away. It’s literally a shrunken down Nexus 6P. While I do hope we get smaller ones next year, I’ve gotta say there’s still something striking about the Pixel 2. It’s a chic, small, but monolithic slab of a phone.
i like mine alot. when held up to the Pixel 1 (or orig, or OG, whtevs) it’s only 1 or 2 mm longer on each end. I think the more squared corners incidentally make it appear “more” bezel too.
Pixel 2 kinda blue and loving it. This thing simply flies
Did you buy in store at Verizon? I ordered during the keynote and not gonna get it for another week or so…
Pre-ordered on the 18th. Showed up at work the next day, it’s the 64gb version if that makes any difference.
When I initially ordered during the keynote (10/4) it gave me a 10/18 ship date but when I got email confirm it said a 10/25 delivery day. Now it’s a 10/26+ delivery date. FML
Anyone seen a Panda in-person yet ?
0/2 so far with their Pixels, I think in 2-3 more years they’ll get a real contender out and hopefully earlier in the year so it’s not going up against the heavy hitters. Does the squeeze functionality have issues if you use a case on the phone?
My wife has a two piece case (TPU/Plastic) on he Pixel 2 and squeeze works fine.
November 1 needs to get here so I can have my Pixel 2 XL in Black and White.
Am I the only one on the planet who doesn’t give a rats rear end about bezels? I have NEVER, in 6 years of using Android phones (first being the HTC Evo 3D in 2011) have ever even noticed the bezels. In fact, now that I think about it, I don’t think any of my close friends/family who use Androids ever mentioned them either.
To me…people complaining about bezels is like….a child crying that there is only 5 sprinkles on their ice cream instead of 6.
The screen issue is valid, but the bezels? Oy vey.
I dont really get it either. I think it comes from the fact that since there are so many limitations in designing the appearance of a phone, that Bezels make the phone look like old technology regardless of what’s inside.
Two words, Samsung Marketing
There bezels, used properly, give you speakers and a place to hold it while in landscape. It also keeps you from having to reach down to far with your thumb on your screen. The Pixel 2 looks to be a great evolution to my aging Xperia.
I agree on bezel size; they themselves don’t really matter. However, I (and most others) prefer larger screen sizes. By shrinking bezels, phone manufacturers have been able to cram in ~1″ larger displays in the same form factor. For the Pixel 2, it’s almost identical in screen/device size to the 2-year-old Nexus 5X, which already had a dated design. Why wouldn’t I prefer thinner bezels like the S8/V30/iphoneX, since it means larger screen in the same device size?
I purchase smaller phones because i prefer one-handed use. i don’t have tiny hands, but i don’t large hands either. 5″ to 5.2″ is to my liking. 5.5″ or more, you still have to shift the phone around in your hand to reach all parts of the screen, which increases chances of drops. no matter the size of the bezel, the 6″ screen at the top is still quite a far reach. Shimmy is necessary.
have you ever used nova? just wondering because with gestures you rarely have to actually reach for those extremes. swipe down anywhere, reveals notifications.. swipe up and there goes your ap drawer.
and your stated screen sizes don’t mean much when you take in consideration bezel sizes. 5 to 5.2 with the iphone/pixel bezels… or 5 to 5.2 with the v30 bezels are two dramatically different sized phones.
Of course I’ve heard of Nova. I use it on my daily driver. Did you know gestures only work from the home screen? Which means you still have to reach all the way to the top while using any other app. Um, a 5″ screen is 5″ no matter how much bezels. Larger bezels do not require me to reach further in either direction.
No you’re not. The bezel crowd is one of the squeakiest minorities in our little tech enthusiast community.
It is an issue now though with phones like the S8/Note 8. The Pixel XL 2 just looks bad compared to those. In terms of the bezels. I would still get a Pixel XL 2 though if I could but I am holding out.
I’m starting to feel the same way. I LOVE to have at least some bezel. The sides can be as thin as the manufacturer would like. I personally would still like some bezels on each end just like the Nexus 6P and Pixel 2 have. Just looks right to me. Especially if there are FF speakers on each side.
The same thing happened with flat screen TVs. Bezels got smaller and smaller, and the older models with wider bezels began to look outdated. If I’m spending over $500 on a device that I’ll use fevery day for the next 2+ years, I’d like it to look & feel modern. A big factor for modern design is slim bezels.
I didn’t really think much of it at the time, but the ahead-of-its-time screen to bezel ratio of my Moto Nexus 6 was a big factor in keeping rather than upgrading to the Nexus 6P and Pixel XL. I wouldn’t necessarily have a problem with larger bezels on my next phone, but given the choice, I’d prefer to maximize the screen-to-body ratio.
did you contradict yourself? maybe not on purpose, but its possible. “every day for the next 2+ years, I’d like it to look & feel modern”. when it comes to tech like this, modern doesn’t last longer than 6 months. if you look at just one line of devices, no more than 1 year. Though i see your point, if it comes out now, it should be part of the “now” modern. but keep in mind if you keep a phone for 2 years, it wont be modern for the entirety of the 2 years. Cheers!
I understand how quickly things change, but my emphasis was that I want it to “look and feel” modern. That’s pretty ambiguous, but I see “slim bezel” screens becoming pretty much standard over the next few years. If every phone in 2 years has a bezel-less display, but I’m still using a phone that has a five-head and Jay Leno chin on each side of the screen, it’s going to stick out more.
Part of the reason I still like my Nexus 6 so much is that it still “looks” relatively modern with its massive screen and relatively small bezels and “feels” pretty fast because of stock Android. It just doesn’t have a guaranteed Oreo update or security patches coming along.
The changes in the actual hardware are generally pretty incremental. The only big change I see moving forward is a move to slim-bezel form factors. Since I happen to love the look of the G6, V30, S8, Note 8, Essential, and Pixel 2 XL, I’d prefer for my next phone (which I plan on keeping for a couple years) to have a big screen with tiny borders.
Your TV analogy is solid. Same applies to computer monitors, especially if you’re using a multiple-screen setup. Sure, you can argue small bezels serve more purpose in those examples than phones because you don’t hold them, but I agree with your point–once you get used to minimal design it becomes what you desire and feels modern.
Personally, I don’t care what is “modern” I want smaller bezels because I want a bigger screen without holding onto a massive device. The Nexus 6 has a 5.96″ display, while the P2XL has 6.0″, yet the N6 was called “whale”. The P2XL has more screen and smaller size because less bezel.
Nexus 6 is a bigger screen. The P2XL is taller. But for the majority of content which is 16:9 the Nexus is bigger.
Not trying to argue when I’m trying to agree, but the P2XL screen is 6.0″ while the Nexus 6 is 5.96″. The screens are near identical, but the P2XL smaller than the Nexus 6 in every dimension.
Nexus 6: 159.26 x 82.98 x 10.06 mm
P2XL: 157.9 x 76.7 x 7.9 mm
I want a thin LG Wallpaper TV with nice thick bezels. It helps keep the focus on what you’re watching. The thinness is what’s impressive, not the bezel size – on this very specific application.
Totally Agree, I could care less.
no, you’re not the only one. moronic YouTube “reviewers” are jumping on this bandwagon and everybody follows like sheep and starts crying about bezels. it’s a joke. if you seriously care about what your phones aesthetics are, you have a problem. if you think you’re being judged on how your phone looks, you should jump off a bridge.
The complaints about the 2 Xl not being bezel free are especially ridiculous!
Agree on this. The 2xl is fine. I do see where can have some issue with the 2 though. Smaller screen in bigger body. To me it’s all about maximizing screen size without making the body too big, but I think the XL that sweet spot of leaving just enough bezel for you to grab onto the phone still without triggering screen accidently.
For me, it’s about footprint. There are certain size footprints that work and that don’t. When I was considering the G2 to replace my Galaxy Nexus going from the 4.65 to 5.2 inch screen concerned me. When I saw the G2 in person and found the phones were the same size, that’s when I realized the smaller the bezel the better simply because you could fit a bigger screen. Just my take.
I agree, to an extent. Personally, I prefer having some type of bezel around my phone to have something to grip it with. Yes, if you can reduce the bezel, I’m all for it, but I’ve been working on some Samsung S8 phones the past few months, and every once in a while I seem to have false presses while working on them or presses I didn’t intend to make. I prefer enough bezel to be able to grip a phone comfortably.
I didn’t until I had the S8+. Still going to make the switch to the Pixel 2 XL, but the bezel on the smaller Pixel is horrible looking after having the S8+
i’m cool with them too. the speakers sound great to me. Pixel 2, not 2XL.
Agreed. Hated my S7 Edge cuz either I’d inadvertently touch something or when I’d hand someone the phone to take a picture or show them a video they’d hit something. The S8+ was a better design but the glass was so damn fragile and there was still barely any place for someone else to grab it when I’d hand it to them. I bought a Z2 Play and it rocks, despite the awful camera. I could care less about bezels since it’s perfect for holding the phone.
Also, with as much criticism as these manufacturers got for “all looking the same” how many of these phone cycles will it be before “the same, tired design” gets mentioned with phones that all look the same on the front. Essential and iPhone X are really the only two doing the giant screen thing differently. I actually think the Pixel 2 is unique that they want to give people bezels.
Only reason I’m waiting is cuz I want to see the U11 Plus in a few weeks. But I’m probably going the Pixel 2 route.
Your not, I’m all for maximum screen size in the smallest form factor possible, but after using the Galaxy s8 and constantly accidentally triggering touches on screen because of lack of space to hold the device, I think Google got it just about right with the pixel 2 xl. The bezels on that didn’t bother me at all when I test drove it in the Verizon store. The pixel 2 bezels are to big though. Would’ve been nice if they both looked like the xl but at different sizes.
I have an iphone 8 and have a Pixel 2 on the way.. Bezels do not bother me in the least… If having a phone with no bezels means running Skinned software, I don’t need it..
For the bezels, you should wait this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5kCZrwmP-U
That looks sweet! Especially when I crack the entire face of the phone by putting on my desk!
I can care less about bezels, after a week of use, you get used to them anyway, But what’s funny is that the Pixel XL bezels are not that big. They are just slight bigger than Samsungs! I love bezels, I can hold my phone without the palm of my hand touching the screen. In fact, my daughter has a hard time with thin bezels (she’s 7), especially when taking pictures. Her palms keep hitting the screen and either changes the camera mode or jumps to another screen. As for the non-XL, the bezels are bigger, but then again, screen size is not measured by bezel.
Only reason I care about bezels is larger screen in smaller package. I hate big phones. I’ve been forced to use big phones because the small ones just suck.
But no bezels can be annoying since you have nothing to grab on too. I used to unintentially hit things on my Moto X with minimal bezels and its even more so now on the V30. Its hard to put a screen protector and case on at the same time because the case pushes up the sides of the protector. they make case friendly protectors which just means its smaller so it looks wierd as it doesnt cover the edges of the screen.
Iphones always had massive bezels and they still sell by the bagillions. Only tech bloggers and enthusiasts care. No one else in the world does.
The only reason bezel size matters to me is overall phone size. My ideal phone is one I can actually use with one hand. If a phone is still too big to use it with one hand then I don’t care about bezel size. I got the Pixel 2 XL since the large bezels of the Pixel 2 made it unusable with one hand so I figured that if one handed use wasn’t possible anyways I might as well get the bigger screen. I also didn’t like the battery size on the Pixel 2.
Great review, but there’s no reason for me to upgrade from my Nexus 6p with a new battery in it to these phones. Maybe when they come down to $500-600 next year but Google dropped the ball on the XL2 screen after seeing it in person next to my 6p. If I’m replacing my 128GB 6p I am dropping >$1000 on a phone, it better have the best damn screen on the market and this simple falls short even next to my 2+ year old 6p. Don’t even get me started on this sRGB nonsense that Google is forcing in Oreo. If I’m a consumer I should have the choice of what I do with my $1000 phone screen and how it displays colors- especially if its a AMOLED/ OLED. Android is heading the way of Apple it seems which is sad, less choice and less caring about their end consumer and more about their bottom line. I had a iPhone 6s for work for over a year and its screen was boring as anything. Also how in 2017 do these phones not have wireless charging even though 3 generations of Nexus’s had them (4,5,6)? Google’s product decisions are insane.
LG V30 review please!!!!…. not interested in the pixels … no wireless charging… no SD card … No thanks
It’s up next!
Thanks .. really trust your opinions on the phones and I am deciding between the V30 or a S8 plus or Note 8… either way waiting for Black Friday to get a good deal!!
Very much looking forward to your/DL’s impressions on it. A Verizon kiosk near me has one and I had a chance to check it out last weekend. Honestly I had to say I wasn’t impressed. The overall experience wasn’t as fluid or smooth as I would have expected a phone to be with that kind of hardware. That was only after handling it for a few minutes… what would it be like after a few months?
I owned one for a week and a half before returning for a display problem.
Screen – If you get a uniform one, it’s very nice. I did not really notice any color shifting when tilted, though there may be some.
Cameras – Main camera is very good, and the manual options are nice. It is also very fast and accurate to focus. It’s not as good at HDR as the new Pixels (per in store testing) and/or the dynamic range is not as good. The wide angle camera is cool, but the quality is not as good as the main shooter. The front facing camera is not great, particularly in low light.
Headphone Jack – Is legit awesome. The quad dac adjusting to match the impedance of your high quality headphones is something I’ll probably miss (decided to get a Pixel 2 standard). Though I understand the power output from the Pixel 2 standard is pretty decent through the dongle.
Battery Life – Came from a Moto Z Play, so it’s not that good, but nothing is. I never reached the end of the day worrying about it. It’s a definite upgrade from the Nexus 6P, which I previously used.
Wireless charging – Didn’t test and it’s not really that important to me.
Software – LG’s “skin” is fine. You can modify it to not be intrusive, so it’s just not that big a deal. My bigger concern long term is updates, both OS and security. Pixel 2 is promised 3 years of OS updates, and I’d be shocked if the V30 made it past Android P (currently on Nougat).
Overall, it’s a great phone, particularly if you get a good screen. You just have to be willing to run the risk of not having long term security and OS updates. Also, the resale value (if you do that) will be nowhere near the Pixels in a year.
Thanks .. looking for opinions… really like having expandable memory and wireless charging. probably Note 8 if not the V30.. but I oved my g3 back in the day until I had a dead spot on the screen. then moved to the g6 edge and now 7 edge. i like the curved screens. want to give lg another shot but dont want an inferior phone!!
I came from a G3 and V20, and the V30 is great! I love it. I don’t worry about update/security because eventually XDA will come through with something like “Dirty Santa” to flash custom ROMs. Problem solved! Its a winner in my book!
I have the Note 8 and if you can handle the size then it’s the phone to have imo. It’s camera is on par with the new Pixel’s, the screen is better/brighter, checks all the boxes like SD card support, 3.5mm, wireless fast charging, and premium build quality. The S-Pen is also something that I use daily. The update schedule is concerning but that’s the case with every non-Pixel device. To me all of the advantages outweigh that one drawback. Love this phone!
Thanks… I was leaning to the note until I went and saw both at Verizon. Like the v30 in hand … probably would get used to the height of the note .. still researching and waiting for Black Friday for the deals.
Nop, google compromised on the main component of a phone the display and is asking 1000 bucks for it and the icing on the top, no headphone jack. Hope the s9 doesn’t drop it too
Great review guys. Just loving my 2 XL. The performance has been nothing but fast and smooth, battery life has been great and the camera is awesome.
Hmm sounds like I’d be happiest with a simple pixel 2 even if the bwzela make it ugly.
Good review. I am so conflicted on this phone. Google made some poor decisions with this phone, especially the headphone jack. The marketplace is just not really ready for it yet, the adapters are in need of a global specification and interopertability, and leaving it off frankly pisses people off. It is a deal breaker for some, and it is close to one for me.
I am going to go look at the display again today. I get all the explanations and rationalizations but unlike most here, I will likely use my next phone for close to 3 years. (Still using the Note 4). And having an inferior display for 3 years while paying almost $50 a month with a protection plan could become a major issue. I do believe that Google is essentially forced to issue some sort of fix (and soon) but how much it will improve it remains to be seen. I have read that Orea forces apps into sRGB mode unless they specifically request wide gamut, and even Googles won apps don’t do this, so even with more video tuning selections it might not really noticeably change the display.
I could choose the V30, but the experience pales to the Pixel and same display. LG essentially screwed up two major flagships with this display.
A large part of me really wants to wait another year, but my Note 4 essentially does not work (camera shot, lasts about an hour of screen time) and have no idea what to get as a one year filler phone.
I honestly believe with a Samsung level display and a headphone jack, Google could have made big inroads against Samsung and converted some Isheep, but as it stands and with the display-gate in full force I am worried this gen will be a miss for Google.
I think I’m going to find a Pixel XL on craigslist to use until the P3. Hoping to find one around $350.
I am considering that option as well. Also thinking that Verizon might blow out whatever new ones they have left in a Black Friday deal
I just received my V30 yesterday and then I hear about all this screen stuff.
Of course initially I’m thinking oh no I may need to return it and get the Note 8.
However, I’ve yet to notice a problem with the display.
So I find a white background, turn the brightness down and tilt the phone. Doing so I notice a slight color difference.
It is such a minor thing I would have never noticed it if I had not read all this stuff. Nor do I ever turn my brightness down like that anyway.
I can only assume the Pixel XL 2 has it’s display tuned differently than the V30.
I will be critical of my new V30 while in my return timeframe. But so far I am pleased with it.
I didn’t want the curved edges but the Note 8 would be my next choice. I would have considered the Pixel but after the experiment of the first year they still don’t want to sell it anywhere but Verizon.
P.S. I just switched to jump on demand and plan to use it 🙂
Since my XL 2 won’t arrive until after Nov 20th, I’m planning on browsing for Black Friday deals on the original XL. If the screen is a dealbreaker, and there’s a good enough deal, I might return the XL 2 and stick with last year’s model.
If I’m being honest, I doubt that the screen is going to be bad enough for me to return it. Besides, it’s not like I’ll be comparing it side-by-side with a better screen for 2-3 years.
Gonna be a no for me, dawg. Hard pass on these very expensive Nexuses.
(Also, is this the first winter Portland is ever getting? Decent WR is suddenly important now that muh Pixuhl has it?)
K you haven’t put a ring on that yet? It’s been years now hahaah
Tell that to Tim I’ve been married for 8 years now. ????
Are we sure it’s been the same girlfriend all along?
Great write up. I’m currently writing this from my pixel 2 and I’m just blown away by it. It does every little thing right. From being able to delete notifications from the always on display to the camera..
Wow. Perfection.
“perfection”. Ok. Sure.
Someone hates their life.
He’s not drinking the kool-aid so he hates his life?
????????
Being able to delete notifications? lol please explain
Delete items and interact with them while the screen is in the always on display. It’s extremely convienent.
Remember when the LG G5 got slammed for having that layer of primer painted on top of metal? Yeah, that’s exactly what’s going on with the Pixel 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVKnt7H4zVc&t
I greatly prefer metal backs. I think all glass phones are essentially idiotic. The screen needs to be glass, but the rest needs to be something else that won’t shatter. Whether it is just a rubberized powder coating or not, I think it feels decent and will be more durable in a real world environment unlike the above. One of the positives of the phone for me.
Well I don’t think Google is hiding this fact. We had to pry that info out of LG, while Google has said from the beginning that it is coated.
Woof. Not so durable…
Not so durable? He’s attacking it with a heavy duty utility knife, for crying out loud. Pretty much any phone not made of ceramic or glass will get beat to hell like that.
Agree – it’s a silly test. But, this fairs much poorer than the other recent flagships due to the coating/paint. And the simple bend test showed that the antenna placement was poor in terms of structural integrity.
I figured the structural integrity was going to be a problem where the Active Edge sensors are. Would never have guessed the weak point would be where an antenna placement would be.
Got the Pixel 2 XL yesterday and returned it for a replacement today. It’s an amazing phone with fantastic features as your review states. While the screen seemed like it had a blue tint, it wasn’t until I compared an amazing picture taken from the Pixel 2 XL on its screen to viewing the picture on the Pixel XL that I knew there was an issue. The picture looked amazing on the XL but on the 2 XL it looked like my daughter had jaundice and was sick. It’s a shame but hopefully sometime next week the replacement will come and the image will appear the way it should appear. Google said I had a defective device and that “this is not an issue with every device, you can be assured.” We’ll see…
Here’s a comparison photo. Eyes blacked out to respect my daughters privacy. Pixel 2 XL screen on left. Pixel XL screen on right. Same screen brightness. Photo taken by the Pixel 2 XL. Note 5 took this comparison photo. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/78b09aa0f8904948c0b5c3b48757ac8556cee3b6a350599062f22facbba0fb77.png
Better definition and clarity on the 2 XL (Look at plaid pattern). Is it more dim the OG XL? Probably. Does it matter? Nah.
So true. It really is as simple as showing your wife or daughter the picture and when they say that’s not her, you know there’s an issue. It’s a great picture on the Pixel XL, computer, or even my wife’s Note 5 but it looks different viewed from the Pixel 2 XL. If it can take amazing pictures but has trouble displaying them the way it took them, there’s an issue. Shocked that they didn’t notice this issue on their side before releasing the phone!
This is exactly what the Verge reported a couple days ago. This doesn’t seem like an isolated incident and I’m afraid this is just how all the current P-OLED displays work for now.
https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2017/10/18/16489756/google-pixel-2xl-awful-lg-oled-screen
It’s funny that the camera is the best ever, but the display doesn’t do it justice at all. When most other phones have had the exact opposite problem. We’ve had displays figured out for a few years now; why Google decided to use this first-gen (sans G-Flex phones that didn’t look much different) display type now is beyond me.
The one on the left looks muted – but it actually looks more natural (at least on my screen at work). The one on the right is definitely more vibrant. What might be a better comparison is having that photo printed professionally with NO retouching, and then placing the printed photo between the two screens. If the 2 XL is closer to what is actually printed, then maybe Google is on to something with their “natural” color statement.
…Or it’s a load of total BS and the 2 XL screen sucks.
Yeah it’s the same thing with calibrated TVs. You have some people say that it looks muted/drab/boring/dull/etc and what they basically want is “fake” color that is over-saturated and appears more vibrant, but is actually less accurate when looking at a delta test in the colorspace for which the display was calibrated (sRGB rec2020, etc), which is what Google is trying to hit.
If every other manufacturer’s phone is tuned to be more vibrant but less accurate (the right screen) then Google can stamp their feet all they want and assure everyone that their phone is actually doing it the “right way” but no one will listen because they are the outlier.
Obviously I’m not here to tell this dude that his daughter looks more like the left screen in real life, because who tf am I? But it is possible that this whole thing is due to Google trying to be more accurate instead of more vibrant.
I remember during the reveal Google said the phone had polarized glass so the display was easier to see while wearing sunglasses.
Has anybody tested this? Is that why the display might seem “off”, especially when view from an angle? I’ve not seen any mention of polarization in any of the reviews. (maybe I misheard what I thought I heard)
This would totally make sense regarding the blue tint.
Drive with polarized sunglasses inside a car…you see all sorts of tints on passing car windshield, etc.
From my one day of use (to and from work, using navigation–Pixel 2 non-XL) and a quick “rotation test” while wearing my polarized sunglasses I found that the “dark point” happens at about 45 degrees of screen rotation in either direction when looking at it straight ahead. It does seem to fade back to normal a bit closer to that point than on my old Pixel and previous phones. Of course, none of this is very scientific.
Nah, still ain’t worth it
Man I really want this phone. Solid looking review. I almost got an old 6p just to save some bucks. Is anyone with a pixel upset they got a Verizon version? I have a grandfathered UDP and have to root for hotspot so im split in Verizon or Google variant.
I definitely would not get the Verizon version in your case, the unlocked phones that have Verizon compatibility have native tethering (no root needed) out of the box – i.e. my Nexus 6p.
I think this extends past the realm of “you may notice” if we’re being real for second:
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6d86d8588569bc27c4a1daa48100ddffc12256850ad89e87524e05dfb5de96a3.png
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/53d9d069dca380a1c251367261b70cb9ea177aeb5c366eb81357924dc91b746b.png
Whether or not you CARE is a different story. To me, I do care and I also just prefer a smaller, more hand-friendly phone, so the Pixel 2 was what I went with because you nailed everything else about the phone. The camera on this phone is crazy good, the software is somehow faster and smoother than the OG Pixel, but by far the biggest surprise for me has been the battery life of the smaller Pixel 2.
It is SO good especially for being slightly smaller than the OG Pixel which had so-so battery life for me. I’ll upload some pics later, but needless to say I’m easily getting 4.5 to 5 hours or more of SoT a day before the phone hits the 20-15% mark. The only slight issue I have is with the speakers. On mine the top speaker sounds a little louder than the bottom. Anyone else notice this?
I agree, it is definitely noticeable. Fortunately, it doesn’t bother me any where near enough to be a deal breaker so I’ve decided to keep my 2 XL. I can certainly imagine how it could be a deal breaker for many though. Battery life has been pretty awesome on my 2 XL so far also.
Man, every time I see those side-by-side shots I find myself regretting the decision to buy this phone. I won’t cancel my order, as I want to see it first hand. But as of right now I plan to return mine and get an iPhone 8 Plus.
Who stares at their phone from the side?
Well, I have mine sitting on my desk most of the day and reply to texts and stuff easily while it’s sitting there, so it’s not like it’s some crazy, uncommon thing to do. Also, I’m coming from a Pixel XL so it just feels disappointing to see that and know that the panel isn’t of the same caliber.
The display is right up there with the camera and battery life of a phone to me, and any successor phone that regresses in either of those categories from the first model deserves to be called out. Ya’ll. Tore. IN. To the HTC M9 when it did a similar thing but I guess we’re fine with here because OK, Google.
Not from the side, but not always 100% square from the front either.
I’m sitting in my living room, reading this from my OnePlus 3T, holding it in one hand that’s resting on the arm of my chair. My laid back, relaxed posture means I’m looking at it at a slight angle. Based upon your video yesterday, this slight angle will result in the bluish color. With tax I will have paid over $1000 for the phone. If it’s obvious to me in person, I’m not settling for this defect.
You never just look down at your phone on the desk? You always pick it up? At that angle the blue shift will be really noticeable on the Pixel. I may still get it though. I cancelled because I do think that I would be annoyed at the display over the next couple of years when I am shelling out $46 every single month for the phone and protection plan. It’s a big purchase for me. But then I looked at it logically. Google phones are not that popular anyway and with the press on this issue the discounts on this phone in a short period of time would be significant. If I remember the original Pixel was 50% on BF, this will likely be too. At $400 I can use it for a year and maybe upgrade to the Pixel 3 that hopefully doesn’t make these same mistakes. But I do not need to be an early adopter of this phone.
How is this even remotely a problem?
It doesn’t look natural. Whites go blue-green, colors get muddy, I really can’t believe I have to explain this. It just doesn’t look good. But again, some don’t care about viewing angles. That’s fine. Regardless, this not normal performance, especially when the shift happens at such minimal angles (first pic).
Great review guys, keep it up.
meh
Sums up your comment/contribution perfectly.
He’s another troll. For someone who’s not interested in the Pixels, he sure loves to comment on all the articles about them. “Hey look at me”. Smh