Google sent a big message to its competitors with a flagship smartphone launch last year and didn’t shy away bringing out the second series of its already noteworthy smartphone. Boasting the latest tech and all of the extras we were excited, to say the least.
After spending some quality one-on-one time with the Google Pixel 2 XL and testing all that it has to offer, I’m able to give you the low-down on every intimate little detail about Google’s latest mega device.
Setup
This was an incredibly easy and pain-free process and should be when swapping any device in this day and age. I was transitioning from iOS and this took me roughly 15 minutes and all of my contacts, meetings and Google Drive data was merged onto the device and BOOM I was ready to go! It’s also probably worth noting that this could be done in a fraction of the time if you were using an Android device and not an iPhone.
Build
The phone feels solid in my hand and has a nice painted aluminium finish to it, which makes it feel somewhat worthy of the expensive price tag. The removal of the headphone jack is still a bit of a frustration for me, but the included headphone to USB-C adapter has been working just fine and will get the job done (unless you want to charge the device while your headphones are plugged in which is impossible.) The device is pretty big (as the name XL suggests) so does require two hands at times, but I have to say it’s all worth it once you get used to the quality of the display.
RELATED: MH Tech Review: Google Pixel 2
Camera
This has been the standout for me so far with the Google Pixel XL 2, it has an incredible depth of field, great colour processing and definitely the sharpest images I’ve ever seen on a smartphone. It’s now quite obvious to me why everyone has been claiming this is the best camera on a smartphone to date.
Display
The Pixel 2 XL boast an edge-to-edge QHD OLED display produced by LG which has seen some criticism since the release of this flagship device. I’ve found the display to have above average colour and great clarity, but it could probably be a bit more vivid and pack more punch. It’s worth noting there are a few settings where you could toggle to boost the saturation and colour, but it doesn’t really produce a strong difference.
Battery
Bonus points to Google on this one, coming from the iPhone I cannot believe that I can now go almost 2 days without recharging the phone, even with all the services and background tasks running.
The round-up
If you have the coin and are looking for a new smartphone that can do it all and then some, this is definitely the device for you. If you aren’t a convert yet it’s also worth noting that you can get the same experience with a slightly smaller display on the Pixel 2 for a few hundred dollars less.
