As bezels shrink and buttons vanish, each time Google refreshes the Pixel phone over the next few years it will have to decide whether the flagship Android phone should embrace the future or do today"s tasks better than the rest. The Pixel 2 and 2XL look like they"re playing it safe, but they"ve got some neat features rolled into the new hardware and Android Oreo (oh, and neither phone has a headphone jack, boo). So, are the Pixel 2"s solid and satisfying or too-safe and boring? Here"s what the reviews say:
Squeeze Sides Aside, The Pixel 2 Phones Are Fairly Plain In Terms Of Hardware Design
The new devices don’t mark a major depart design-wise, but do bring some welcome changes. That two-tone back is still in place, but this time the company has opted for a much sturdier aluminum unibody design that gives the phone some added heft, without making it overly bulky. As with the previous models, the Pixel XL isn’t flashy compared to premium devices like the Galaxy Note 8 and iPhone X, but it’s a sturdy device that feels comfortable in hand.
Pixel 2 won"t win any awards for creativity or futuristic design. But most people don"t need or likely even want a $1,000 glass phone. They need a sturdy, reliable phone that can withstand being tossed in a bag, dropped on the ground, or doused in water. That"s the Pixel 2.
Squeeze the phone to open Google Assistant and tell it what to do. (This is in addition to launching Assistant by saying "OK, Google" or long-pressing the home button.) You can also squeeze the Pixel 2"s sides to silence your ringing phone, but that"s it. In general, I didn"t use the squeeze-feature all that much, and it would be better if you could program the squeeze to launch an app of your choice. Out of habit, I mostly launched Assistant through the Home button.
[CNET]
The Screens Are Nice But You Might Not Like How The 2 XL Is Adjusted For Color
The $649 Pixel 2 includes a 5-inch, 1920-by-1080 pixel display, while the pricier $849 XL version has a 2880-by-1440 pixel screen. The XL edition"s nearly edge-to-edge screen is far more impressive. As nearly borderless screens become common on flagship smartphones, the standard Pixel 2"s thick frames make the phone look outdated.
[TIME]
Google opted to tune the display to sRGB (the Galaxy S8, by comparison, offers four gamut options), so it looks a little more like the iPhone"s screen. But more than that, on the 2 XL the colors look muted in a way that many Android users I"ve shown it to found distasteful (even with the "vivid colors" setting turned on). I think many Android phones, especially from Samsung, are so vivid as to be phantasmagoric, so Google"s choice was to make this more "naturalistic."
The Two Sizes Share A Lot Of Components In Common, But The XL Is Just A Little More Impressive
The two Pixels have the same Snapdragon 835 processor, same 4 gigs of RAM, same 64 or 128 gigs of storage. Same waterproof body, which can handle a shower or pool. Same camera. Google didn’t make two phones, it made one in two sizes. And two prices: $650 for the Pixel 2, $850 for the XL.
[Wired]
If you can afford the bigger Pixel 2, consider making the jump. It"s pricier, but you"ll get everything on the Pixel 2 packaged in a larger display, which makes video and web browsing more immersive. Plus, that higher resolution is especially advantageous when using a VR headset.
[CNET]
Battery Life Seems Solid But If Wireless Charging Is What You Want, You"re Out Of Luck
I get a day from the battery, though I have a few times taken advantage of the phone’s quick-charging ability to get a couple more hours of life in about 15 minutes of charging. I do wish the Pixel could be charged wirelessly, even if I understand Google’s argument that wireless charging isn’t yet fast enough.
[Wired]
In the few days I"ve spent using the Pixel 2 XL as my primary phone, I never ran out of juice. By the end of my workdays, around 7:00 p.m., I usually had about two-thirds battery charge left. Your mileage may vary, as always given different usage profiles: if you"re a heavy Bluetooth user, leave the brightness cranked up to high, or record a lot of video, the battery will drain quicker. If you opt for the basic Pixel 2, which has a smaller battery, you"ll run out of charge sooner as well.
[TIME]
As Google Says "So Long" To Headphone Jacks (And "Hello" To Dongles), At Least Their Bluetooth Is Speedy
For a phone that so clearly puts an emphasis on practicality, it"s a stupid and annoying change. There is a USB-C dongle in the box, but no headphones are included. I"m well aware that the desire for a traditional headphone jack is viewed by many as backwards-looking — if not quixotic — but not having one is still a near-daily hassle for many.
With the Pixel 2, you either have to use Bluetooth headphones or use an adapter to connect your wired headphones. Those are crummy alternatives that almost no one likes, and it"s disappointing Google followed Apple"s path.
I know other Android phones have headphone jacks, but I hate Google less for excising it because the Pixel 2"s have a sweet "fast pairing" technology that makes pairing "Made for Google"-certified Bluetooth headphones as seamless as turning them on and tapping on a notification on the phone. I tested Libratone"s new Q Adapter Wireless On-Ear headphones with the Pixel 2s and the pairing process couldn"t have been easier. It"s as fast and frustration-free as pairing AirPods with an iPhone.
[Mashable]
Oh, and as for the speakers:
The speaker grilles are well-positioned for watching YouTube videos and the like — and they get pretty loud, as advertised. That said, I’ve yet to encounter a pair of phone speakers I would recommend for anything beyond watching a quick video, and the Pixel XL’s don’t really do much to buck that trend.
The Camera Specs Might Not Blow You Away, But With The Post Processing Features They"re Among The Best
I find the Pixel 2"s photos to be way sharper than the iPhone 8 and the Note 8 — almost to a fault in a couple of cases. HDR shots are equally impressive. I prefer the Pixel 2"s images overall, even though occasionally it goes a little overboard. Colors are a little bit more subjective: Google seems to lean toward the iPhone"s more naturalistic look more than Samsung"s vivid colors. But even then, it"s worth pointing out that the primary screen you actually look at the photos on is likely going to be your phone"s screen, so the Pixel 2"s photos are going to look a little less vibrant, especially on the Pixel 2 XL.
In general, the Pixel 2’s camera ranks among the best I’ve seen on a phone. It’s fast, it’s sharp, it’s amazingly dynamic. It’s particularly impressive in low light, where Google’s post-processing chops can really shine. I took lots of photos not expecting to get anything usable at all, and wound up with lots of slightly fake-looking but completely usable shots.
[Wired]
Google"s tuned the cameras to take cooler photos while the iPhone 8 shots are warmer. Reality is somewhere in-between and I"m disappointed neither nails life-like color reproduction. In most cases I preferred the Pixel 2"s photos, even though the iPhone 8 photos had greater dynamic range with better highlights.
[Mashable]
One great feature is its ability to take portrait photos with blurred backgrounds. It"s a capability that"s similar to the portrait mode on the iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 8 Plus. But Apple"s phones can only take portrait photos using their rear cameras. The Pixel 2 can take such shot with both its front and rear cameras.
Google"s Assistant Continues To Get Better With Oreo And It"s Pixel-Specific Integration
I"m convinced it"s the best smart assistant around. It can perform simple tasks in response to commands, such as "take a photo." It can also figure out what to do if you give it a more complex command, such as "play a makeup tutorial from YouTube." And it can answer nuanced questions, such as "What are some nearby restaurants that are open on Sunday?"
A squeeze of the side and a tap of the keyboard icon inside the Assistant window offers a way to interface with it without using your voice at all. That could ultimately prove helpful in, say, a loud environment, or if you don’t want to be “that guy” (or lady) on a crowded public bus asking, “Okay Google, what’s that smell?”
Android phones have been promising that voice experience for years now, but the truth is that it never really worked all that well. The Pixel 2, with its loud speakers and clearly improved microphones, practically feels like a Google Home smart speaker to me.
The Always-On Notifications And "Now Playing" Feature Are Passive But Impressive
Two features I do love, one big and one small. The big one is the always-on display, which constantly shows the time and new notifications. It’s like having a superpowered desk clock, and it’s wonderful. The small one, Google calls “Now Playing,” automatically identifies whatever song is playing nearby.
[Wired]
That always-on feature is a product of the device having an OLED screen. Unlike traditional LCD displays, such screens can light up individual areas or even pixels while keeping the rest off.
Whenever the phone picks up a song (for example, in a store or a car), it"ll look up the artist and song and list it on your lock screen. This feature works offline and on Airplane Mode, and if you"re uncomfortable with your phone "always listening" you can disable it.
[CNET]
Lens Is A Neat Addition In Need Of More Use Cases
Lens is just a button inside the Google Photos app. You tap it on a photo you"ve already taken and it will attempt to identify the object. Google is only supporting kind of obvious stuff at first: book covers, album covers, popular artwork, landmarks, etc.
I tried Lens on paintings, books, albums and business cards (which Lens can auto-populate a Contacts card from). For the most part, it"s accurate and works well. I"ll gather info quickly, but there were times when it called up info for a similar-looking-but-ultimately-wrong painting, or it didn"t generate an "Add to contact" icon after scanning a business card.
[CNET]
The system them presents a dialog box from Google Search offering up additional context. I was pretty impressed with its capabilities at this early stage, drawing upon Google’s vast knowledge base, and it’s sure to only get better as more and more people us it.
TL;DR
Overall, the Pixel 2 is a great choice for Android fans that care about camera quality and having an easy-to-use interface above all else. Yes, nothing about the Pixel 2 sets it apart from Apple and Samsung"s phones. But while Google"s rivals are setting the stage for what"s to come by incorporating potentially trendsetting new technologies like facial recognition and iris scanning, Google is quickly catching up.
[TIME]
Even Shorter TL;DR
It does not suck. You will not feel embarrassed around your iPhone friends.
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