Google Pixel 2 XL review

30 October 2017
Google has come a long way since the days of Nexus smartphones. This is only the second iteration of the Google Pixel and it shows how much Google’s software and hardware have evolved in the past year. Both Pixel smartphones got a refined, yet simpler appearance. This review is specifically for the larger Pixel 2 XL. We’ll be reviewing the smaller Pixel 2, separately.

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  • AnonD-712179
  • Tfk
  • 31 Oct 2017

Hello, thanks for the very thorough review!

Question, why wasn't camera speed mentioned or compared?

    Nice phone ruined by bad screen

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      • AnonD-699490
      • LUj
      • 31 Oct 2017

      Best phone ever!!

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        • AnonD-510098
        • amb
        • 31 Oct 2017

        lagos, 31 Oct 2017Why isn't the HTC U11 included in the recommended alternati... moreNo one cares about HTC now, especially since they dont have headphone jacks.

        The same reason this phone wont sell either

          lagos, 31 Oct 2017Why isn't the HTC U11 included in the recommended alternati... moreActually U11 is quite good competitor for camera comparison to pixel2. Same 808. Is there any other phone with camera coprocessor?

            • ?
            • Anonymous
            • JpF
            • 31 Oct 2017

            TheProperGentleman, 31 Oct 2017The "default" is what Google decide it is. LG sends a displ... moreExactly what I say.
            It is 8000K by choice.

            Pixel 2016 was warmer

              • l
              • lagos
              • v3B
              • 31 Oct 2017

              Why isn't the HTC U11 included in the recommended alternative devices?

              IMO it is the only device that can challenge the Pixel 2 XL in every spec, EXCEPT the camera & stock OS. However the screen, dual speakers (personally prefer it, because you can still have the fingerprint sensor in the front), zoom recording, edge sense, headphones, expandable storage & excellent build quality... HTC U11 beats Pixel there.

              HTC is underrated and deserves more credit. Both Apple & Google takes inspiration/cues from them.

                s4f786, 31 Oct 2017What is it with companies charging high prices and can't ev... moreBecause there are people who are willing to pay. You see, smartphones these days give their makers huge, unprecedented profit. Is there really a phone that deserves over 700$? IMO, no. The Note8, the iPhone X, the Pixel 2XL, all doesn't deserve their prices. You can come and tell me about R&D and the build materials or the OLED displays or anything, but unfortunately, it still doesn't explain the high cost. These phones doesn't cost 600 or 700$ to make. They barely cost over 300 or 400$ to make.

                Do we see a huge and noticable improvements each year? No. Do they perform 60% better than last year? No. Are the cameras 10 times better than last year? No. They simply don't deserve their cost. But again, there are people who are willing to pay.

                  Anonymous, 31 Oct 2017Default mode is almost 8000k The "default" is what Google decide it is. LG sends a display that is not calibrated so Google can do it the way it likes. Look at the V30's display, people only complain about the blue shift, but not dull colors. The V30 uses the same display as the pixel 2 XL which means the it's Google's fault, not LG's.

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                    • AnonD-80334
                    • MiF
                    • 31 Oct 2017

                    AnonD-594740, 31 Oct 2017Last year Google: lololololol we have a 3.5" jack!!!!111 ... moreNope, they just want to annoy you with dongles so that you buy or at least consider to buy Pixel Pods, their 160$ crap, which co-incidentally they launched this year too....

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                      • AnonD-463101
                      • Lax
                      • 31 Oct 2017

                      Overpriced , overhyped , fugly as hell, crap Display. So why buy it ? oh ye you will get android 9 or 10 on it ... that will be full of bugs like all previous models. Wifi battery drain on the 6P, android system battery droin on the 6P for example.

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                        • lagos
                        • v3B
                        • 31 Oct 2017

                        Ok, so let me get this straight... this is the greatest purest Android phone which the fans stand by:

                        1.stock software with NO customisation/bloat/fluff/features/gimmicks AT ALL
                        2.great camera
                        3.no wireless charging
                        4.no headphone jack
                        5.no expandable storage
                        6.no removable/replaceable battery
                        7.sub par/low quality screen
                        8.overpriced

                        Wait isn't this an iPhone?

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                          • AnonD-660652
                          • Mt6
                          • 31 Oct 2017

                          As for me, camera is not that remarcable as it is advertised. Last year's Pixel did worser than majority of contenders in LL photos (in terms of sharpness, the colours were great though). And this year's pixel is not quite there in BL conditions, at least compared to LG's V30 or G6. Though I do like the balance between noise and details pixel delivers, the photo comparison tool shows huge advantage of the V30 and Note 8 in terms of noise and keeping details up. Yeah, cam is great. But with all the contenders being stronger this year, google seems like the one company which didn't do much improvemt over the year in terms of LL photography

                            And that folks, is why I still stand myself correct, that OLED ISN'T THE FUTURE, and IS NOT BETTER THAN IPS LCD.

                            Samsung made the best OLED screens on smartphones, but even those are still prone to burn ins (yes they are, people, they fvck1ng ARE). The best IPS LCD screen title still belongs to the XZ Premium with the 4K HDR quality, then the runner-up is the regular version of it, the XZ1 with 1080p HDR quality. Heck, even the LG G6's 2K HDR is proven great and could give OLED a run for their price. I don't like Apple either, but the way they manipulate IPS LCD screen is phenomenal. Sure, not a match for Sony (obviously, being a top TV manufacturer), but way better than anyone that uses IPS LCD besides LG.

                            What makes me not like Samsung is their use of Diamond PenTile pixel matrix. 2K on that matrix look nothing 2K; even the LG G4, V10, G5, and V20's 2K Quantum IPS displays with RGB pixel matrix look sharper.
                            And that's not to say that OLED is bad. Of course IPS LCD is no match against it in regards to color reproduction/accuracy, contrast, brightness, black levels, sunlight legibility, thickness (or thinness), flexibility, pixel response time, and of course the efficiency.
                            While those things are really intriguing to get over an IPS LCD display, its goodies are gonna be pointless when they would die earlier than IPS LCD. The main problem to it is that it costs for about 2x more, and it's barely better than the best IPS LCD screens made today on most flagships. I used to use a LG G4 before it boot looped, and man, the display is simply stunning for an IPS LCD. Blacks are amazingly deep, that I didn't even notice that it was a display when showing a black content (most especially on the navigation keys where I set it to black color). Yeah, it's not as bright as AMOLEDs, but I don't need it even if I have it. It was perfectly visible outdoors, and the screen quality is still top notch even in today's standard, with 98% coverage of the DCI-P3.

                            And before I end it, I thank you for going this far to my novel.

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                              • dudecool
                              • uKf
                              • 31 Oct 2017

                              Jason Melling, 31 Oct 2017Meh. It's a phone, just like the thousands others out there... moreChinese phones are cheaper for a reason, the quality is half of what it is from Apple, google or samsung.
                              Would gladly pay extra for a non chinese phone.

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                                • AnonD-501105
                                • q97
                                • 31 Oct 2017

                                Looking forward to my Pixel 2 XL getting here. Think the biggest negative with this phone is Google just can not seem to make them fast enough and that is frustrating. For me it is worth waiting 4 weeks to get the best phone but think others are not willing.

                                Hopefully with the Pixel 3 Google will have ramped up production to better meet demand.

                                  s4f786, 31 Oct 2017What is it with companies charging high prices and can't ev... moreYeah. They put stereo speakers there for us to hear a mono audio recording lol.

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                                    • AnonD-625430
                                    • gNS
                                    • 31 Oct 2017

                                    Oh wow! A 3.5mm jack adapter. Surprise, surprise. There wasn't a need to remove the 3.5mm jack. The colourshift issue is most likely LG's fault, since the V30 also seems to suffer from the same. Google messed up this time with their Pixel line-up. For the camera, it's excellent. I like Google's post processing algorithms which retains the details despite having some noise. It's better than oversharpening for noise reduction as the details are lost. No manual mode for that excellent camera is a shame.

                                      • ?
                                      • Anonymous
                                      • J7J
                                      • 31 Oct 2017

                                      Anonymous, 31 Oct 2017Yup! Like the latest mate that uses it's NEURAL PROCESSING ... moreTaking pictures using beauty mode turned on and wondering where the details are.

                                        What is it with companies charging high prices and can't even put stereo audio in video recordings, I mean how much of a job is that to implement!

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