Google Pixel 2 review

Synthetic benchmarks

The Pixel 2 shares a chipset with its big brother and most of the other flagships this year, for that matter - the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835. Google didn't do anything crazy with RAM, and there are 4GB on board.

We did our usual round of benchmarks, and got predictable results. Starting with GeekBench, we can see that the PIxel 2's CPU is on par with the Snapdragon 835 competition in both single and multi-core tests. The Galaxy S8 in its Exynos flavor edges slightly ahead of the Pixel 2, but it's the iPhone 8/X that's substantially more powerful.

GeekBench 4.1 (multi-core)

Higher is better

• Apple iPhone X
  10215
• Apple iPhone 8
  10214
• Huawei Mate 10 Pro
  6783
• Samsung Galaxy S8
  6656
• Sony Xperia XZ1
  6541
• Google Pixel 2
  6437
• Google Pixel 2 XL
  6428
• HTC U11
  6393
• Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
  6301
• Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
  5596

GeekBench 4.1 (single-core)

Higher is better

• Apple iPhone X
  4256
• Apple iPhone 8
  4234
• Samsung Galaxy S8
  1991
• HTC U11
  1919
• Google Pixel 2 XL
  1915
• Google Pixel 2
  1912
• Huawei Mate 10 Pro
  1902
• Sony Xperia XZ1
  1840
• Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
  1832
• Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
  1826

In Antutu, the Pixel 2 posts a virtually identical score as the Snapdragon Galaxy S8, and slightly behind the Exynos Galaxy. The Xperia XZ1 underdelivers here, while the HTC U11 and Huawei Mate 10 Pro (Kirin 970) outperform the Pixel 2. The Huawei P10, running the older-gen Kirin 960, is the weakest of this bunch.

AnTuTu 6

Higher is better

• Apple iPhone 8
  202645
• Apple iPhone X
  185147
• Huawei Mate 10 Pro
  178510
• HTC U11
  177343
• Samsung Galaxy S8
  174435
• Google Pixel 2 XL
  170407
• Google Pixel 2
  168648
• Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
  168133
• Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
  157075
• Sony Xperia XZ1
  144462
• Google Pixel (5.0)
  141193
• Huawei P10
  126629

In Basemark OS II 2.0 the Pixel 2 is again level with the Galaxies, but behind the iPhones. The Mate 10 Pro is a hair above the Pixel 2, but the bulk of S835 devices lag behind the google phone.

Basemark OS 2.0

Higher is better

• Apple iPhone X
  4708
• Apple iPhone 8
  3934
• Huawei Mate 10 Pro
  3425
• Google Pixel 2
  3387
• Google Pixel 2 XL
  3379
• Samsung Galaxy S8
  3376
• Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
  3319
• Sony Xperia XZ1
  2986
• HTC U11
  2970
• Huawei P10
  2910
• Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
  2818
• Google Pixel (5.0)
  2461

In the graphics-only GFXBench it is again the iPhones that rule - that is, the iPhones and the Xperia XZ1 Compact, which posts crazy fps numbers thanks to a pairing of top-end SoC and a 720p display. The Pixel 2 outperforms its bigger brother in onscreen tests - the advantage of a lower-res screen, but also beats the rest of the S835 crew, FullHD phones included.

GFX 3.0 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)

Higher is better

• Apple iPhone 8
  85
• Apple iPhone X
  81
• Huawei Mate 10 Pro
  65
• Google Pixel 2 XL
  61
• Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
  60
• HTC U11
  60
• Google Pixel 2
  60
• Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
  57
• Samsung Galaxy S8
  50
• Sony Xperia XZ1
  49
• Google Pixel (5.0)
  49
• Huawei P10
  29

GFX 3.0 Manhattan (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
  60
• Apple iPhone 8
  60
• Apple iPhone X
  59
• Google Pixel 2
  56
• Huawei Mate 10 Pro
  55
• Sony Xperia XZ1
  48
• Google Pixel (5.0)
  48
• Samsung Galaxy S8
  36
• Google Pixel 2 XL
  36
• Huawei P10
  35
• HTC U11
  35
• Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
  34

GFX 3.1 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)

Higher is better

• Apple iPhone X
  44
• Google Pixel 2 XL
  42
• Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
  41
• Google Pixel 2
  41
• HTC U11
  41
• Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
  39
• Sony Xperia XZ1
  39
• Huawei Mate 10 Pro
  38
• Samsung Galaxy S8
  36
• Google Pixel (5.0)
  33
• Huawei P10
  22

GFX 3.1 Manhattan (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
  60
• Apple iPhone X
  51
• Google Pixel 2
  43
• Sony Xperia XZ1
  40
• Huawei Mate 10 Pro
  35
• Google Pixel (5.0)
  34
• Huawei P10
  30
• Samsung Galaxy S8
  23
• Google Pixel 2 XL
  21
• HTC U11
  19
• Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
  18

GFX 3.1 Car scene (1080p offscreen)

Higher is better

• Google Pixel 2 XL
  25
• Samsung Galaxy S8
  25
• Google Pixel 2
  24
• HTC U11
  24
• Sony Xperia XZ1
  24
• Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
  24
• Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
  23
• Huawei Mate 10 Pro
  22
• Google Pixel (5.0)
  20
• Huawei P10
  14

GFX 3.1 Car scene (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
  50
• Google Pixel 2
  26
• Sony Xperia XZ1
  25
• Huawei Mate 10 Pro
  21
• Google Pixel (5.0)
  20
• Huawei P10
  16
• Google Pixel 2 XL
  13
• Samsung Galaxy S8
  13
• HTC U11
  13
• Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
  12

Basemark X measures raw power, without taking into account actual screen resolution, and here the Pixel 2 falls in the middle of the pack. The Exynos Galaxy S8 with its 20-core GPU outperforms everyone here, though you'll notice there are no iPhones in this chart.

Basemark X

Higher is better

• Samsung Galaxy S8
  42370
• Huawei Mate 10 Pro
  40232
• Huawei P10
  39433
• Google Pixel 2 XL
  39143
• Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
  38820
• Google Pixel 2
  38794
• Sony Xperia XZ1
  38583
• HTC U11
  38399
• Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
  34951
• Google Pixel (5.0)
  33023

The Galaxy S8 (Exynos) and Mate 10 Pro sit on top of the Android bunch in Basemark ES 3.1, with the iPhones above them. The Pixel 2 is on par with the Sony and HTC S835 implementations, and the Huawei P10 is slightly behind this bunch.

Basemark ES 3.1 / Metal

Higher is better

• Apple iPhone 8
  1690
• Apple iPhone X
  1385
• Samsung Galaxy S8
  1189
• Huawei Mate 10 Pro
  1183
• Google Pixel 2 XL
  874
• Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
  855
• Sony Xperia XZ1
  853
• Google Pixel 2
  839
• HTC U11
  836
• Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
  817
• Huawei P10
  716
• Google Pixel (5.0)
  626

The Pixel 2 is a solid performer, posting numbers to be expected from its high-end chip. It matches the Galaxy S8s of this world, but the current iPhones are in a league of their own. In use, the Pixel 2 feels snappy and never leaves you waiting.