Google Pixel 2 XL long-term review

03 January 2018
This long-term review is going to take a deeper dive into what it’s like to actually live with the Pixel 2 XL, as the main and only phone, for a few weeks (three, to be precise). We’ll try to answer the questions you might have about the device, regarding things that aren’t covered in our proper review. For example, can you actually get used to that screen? Learn to enjoy it even? Is the Pixel 2 XL a huge improvement over its predecessor? Does it really take such amazing pictures? (OK, so you probably know the answer to the last one). We’ll also cover how easy it is to set up and let you know about any niggles and issues we’ve encountered in day to day use. Let’s jump in and find out if the Pixel 2 XL really is worth your hard earned cash.

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  • AnonD-696746
  • 4mr
  • 09 Jan 2018

Anonymous, 07 Jan 2018The best in terms of software upgrades and security fixes, ... morenexus and pixel never had SD card btw so they cannot return to having one ;)

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    • AnonD-696746
    • 4mr
    • 09 Jan 2018

    Anonymous, 06 Jan 2018The Pixel 2 XL is the most iphone-like android phone. Ipho... moreWait a second you seem to like contradictions.

    Battery life on the pixel 2 xl is on par with S8+ and note 8 ( based on GSM arena test wich are not biased ) its a tad worst than V30 but much better than iphone X and better than iphone 8 plus. stop smoking its bad for you. ( beside iphone they all have gigabyte internet lol )

    most phone have those new aspect ratio now even mid ranger are getting it so good luck with cocacola bottle lol.

    So i recommend you take a chill pill :)

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      • AnonD-696746
      • 4mr
      • 09 Jan 2018

      Anonymous, 06 Jan 2018Still the best phone with best screen (IPS) .False.

      the IPS screen on the essential PH-1 has better colors reproduction and contrast than iphone 8 but a tad less brightness.

      Got to love apple fanboy..

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        • AnonD-696746
        • 4mr
        • 09 Jan 2018

        Trump Fan 1980, 05 Jan 2018 I think it's ironic that LG phones embrace 3.5 mm headphon... moreMaybe because its was google that chosen to stay with no 3.5 mm jack ;)

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          • AnonD-696746
          • 4mr
          • 09 Jan 2018

          .alpha, 05 Jan 2018-Check your transferred text messages. Only history newer t... more1- i had client transfert 100% of all text messages they had in the pixel to the pixel 2 ( more than 5 years of text )
          2- iphone X screen is better that i agree but iphone 8 plus and older iphone screen look like crap compared to the pixel 2 xl sorry.
          3- you can use an app to replace built in night mode many pretty good one around that you can easily make it look the way you want. this is not a limited iphone.
          4- gaming you are so full of crap never had a game go under 60 fps with any of the current android flagship running SD 835. Also even compared to iphone X its has more pixel to push as well and some game look better on iphone others like World of tank blitz look way better on android flagship.
          5- Camera is not too cold at all its the most colors accurate camera ever put on a smartphone but as you are using a too warm iphone camera its might seem this way to you.

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            • AnonD-696746
            • 4mr
            • 09 Jan 2018

            DonAlduck, 05 Jan 2018Thank you for sharing your experience. Sounds convincing! H... morenothing to complain i used a tripod to take pictures of street ect and the light effect from moving car ( using lower speed shutter ) was simply out of this world and fully supported HDR+ so its was a win win situation.

            I highly recommend it.

              sachi, 04 Jan 2018Pixel 2 vs Iphone 8: Pixel 2: 1. Display not the best 2.... moreYou are really serious? Yes, the screen may have some minor issues(not like many have mentioned), but overall, it is better phone. Better audio? I did believe iPhone did not have so good audio in the recordings. Camera? You really can't compare. Pixel wins all the way. Software? That depends on your preferences. You get what you get in iPhone and that is all. Android you can customise.

              Overall, I would not go for any of those phones as they are overprized. I like both, but one is really limited, the other is overprized for what it is. If I would have to choose, Pixel all the way...

                • ?
                • Anonymous
                • IW@
                • 08 Jan 2018

                Anonymous, 08 Jan 2018LOL. You are unhappy because there is no removable battery ... moreYou don't get it. The pixel wants to be the iphone of the Android world but it fails miserably in sheer features comparison to other android flagships. It is one of the most expensive but it is the most crippled android phone bar none. I'm not talking only of the lack of headphone jack and removable battery. It also doesn't have true dual sim functionality and sd card support which are almost universal/basic features in android phones. The pixel wants to be different by being the most crippled yet the most expensive android phone. Just like Apple's iphone really. But the iphone has got the goods because it is the only one that can deliver ios and the appstore experience/ecosystem. Exclusive. Nothing quite like it. As for Google's pixel? You can get the same premium android feel and the ubiquitous playstore from phones costing half to one third the pixel is selling. Result? Flop again and again. Despite repeated flops, Google somehow hopes it will be different next time. That people will move on and stop using sd cards, stop using dual sims, stop using wired headphone connections, etc. That is insanity. Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results everytime.

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                  • AnonD-569198
                  • YdS
                  • 08 Jan 2018

                  Anonymous, 08 Jan 2018Yes, of course. A phone doesn't have to appeal to the masse... moreExactly!

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                    • AnonD-448221
                    • pqq
                    • 08 Jan 2018

                    "And yes, the Pixel 2 and the iPhone X Are the best phones on the market now."

                    False.
                    The best phones on the globe now are the S8, S8+ and the Note 8.
                    They are light years ahead of everybody else.
                    Try one!

                      • ?
                      • Anonymous
                      • 0cL
                      • 08 Jan 2018

                      Anonymous, 07 Jan 2018The best in terms of software upgrades and security fixes, ... moreLOL. You are unhappy because there is no removable battery or a headphone jack?!

                      The world has moved on and doesn't really care....

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                        • Zekrom
                        • G}T
                        • 08 Jan 2018

                        Everybody keeps saying that the blue shift is not only on the 2 XL but also the other OLED phones, simply no, the panels that LG makes are pretty terible, I’ve used several Galaxy and even the smaller Pixel 2 which have OLED panel made by Samsung and none of which I notice the blue shift that reviewers said “characteristics of OLED panel”and I notice it as soon as I pick it up at Verizon store which is Bs tbh burn in, poor calibration, blue shift none of it I have trouble with SAMSUNG made displays, except for burn that I see in some retail Galaxies because it has been running the the same clip over and over again, other than that no problems. So at $850 you expect Google to deliver best of the best but the display truly disappointing

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                          • Anonymous
                          • IW@
                          • 08 Jan 2018

                          AnonD-728733, 08 Jan 2018A phone doesn't have to appeal to the masses to be a great ... moreYes, of course. A phone doesn't have to appeal to the masses to be a great phone. But the Pixel doesn't appeal to the affluent/rich buyers either. How can it be a great phone if it doesn't appeal to both the rich and the middle class or the lower income market (the masses)? As I said, the prestige/luxurious pricing and marketing Pixel is trying to attract iphone and Samsung flagship owners but it just wont work. There is nothing special, exclusive, prestigious or great in an expensive phone that shares an operating system with Samsung flagships and other cheap Android phones and worse, even lacks many of the basic features (headphone jack, sd card, dual sim, etc.) that are almost universally offered in all Android phones from the cheapest to the most expensive. Iphone can lack all those features because it has true exclusivity: it is the only one with ios and the appstore, hence, can attract the affluent market with its prestige pricing and prestige marketing. The Pixel phones? Without headphone jack and sd card support? And costing as much as Samsung flagships with even more features? Its going to be a flop. As I said, Google never learns, and that is insanity - doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results every time.

                            Well, i like in some way this report, pretty cool, and just as a comment it could be nice If we know how does the reports even If is just 1 or 20 is nice, i like that in the other pages i read, ok, and going back to the Pixels, so yeah they are good enough, smooth enough, powerful enough but, i don't know i think the are missing something, maybe style?, first of, then i think they also miss something in the fit'n'finish department with all those unfinished details here and there, is just my opinión, and of many other people 'cause If that was not like that they could sell even better, it's not for it's pricetag 'cause more expensive phones sell more, but, i'm not saying they are not good, they are pretty good, but not enough to make everyone fall in love with them, maybe next year Google, maybe next year, you are doing good

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                              • AnonD-728733
                              • TL{
                              • 08 Jan 2018

                              Anonymous, 07 Jan 2018The best in terms of software upgrades and security fixes, ... moreA phone doesn't have to appeal to the masses to be a great phone. With your logic, McDonald's makes the best burgers because of over a billion served.

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                                • Best IPS
                                • Kir
                                • 07 Jan 2018

                                Anonymous, 06 Jan 2018Still the best phone with best screen (IPS) .Sorry but nokia got the best IPS now

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                                  • AnonD-215676
                                  • utI
                                  • 07 Jan 2018

                                  Anonymous, 07 Jan 2018The best in terms of software upgrades and security fixes, ... moreVery true

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                                    • Anonymous
                                    • IW@
                                    • 07 Jan 2018

                                    The best in terms of software upgrades and security fixes, YES. But other than the up-to-date Android software and security fixes, it offers much less than the rest in the flagship Android world--- and for an iphone-like SKY HIGH price just because it is 'Made by Google', the 'original, pure, unadulterated Android'--- the 'creator' of Android so to speak. Well, this doesn't sell. This type of marketing just doesn't work with Android users and will never succeed. Good luck Google! I'm sure the Pixel 2 phones are going to have the same miserable sales figures as the original Pixel phones.
                                    The only way for Google to get away with CRIPPLED features the way Apple does with its iphones (no sd card, no headphone jack, etc.) is to ensure EXCLUSIVITY first. PRESTIGE requires EXCLUSIVITY. If Google PROHIBITS all other manufacturers (not possible) from using its Android operating system, it can go on and set new trends, however crippled they may be, like Apple does with its iphones (NO headphone jack, NO sd card, etc.) and still sell very well.
                                    Other than making android exclusive which is no longer possible, Google can only compete by offering extensive feature set in its Android based - Pixel phones the way other android phones are competing on (SD card support, dual SIM, bigger batteries, continued support for headphone jack, etc). --- Or, it could launch a new, exclusive mobile operating system in future Pixel phones. If the new OS succeeds, (Samsung’s Tizen didn’t), then it will truly be exclusive and therefore be perceived as premium, a true Apple iphone equivalent. G-sheep will then don't care about what direction Google will be taking with its Pixel phones (remove headphone jack, add display notch for face scanning, etc.) just like i-sheep. Until such time, Google's Pixel phones will remain a trying hard Apple iphone copycat but without much following or sales figures to show. It has to at least outdo Samsung. Putting back the headphone jack, a dual SIM, an SD card expansion, a bigger (or better yet, removable) battery will be an excellent start. Until such time, Google’s stubbornness to correct its mistakes will result to the same miserable Pixel sales year after year. After all, it is ‘insanity’: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. (usually attributed to, but not quoted by Albert Einstein).

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                                      • Anonymous
                                      • 0cL
                                      • 07 Jan 2018

                                      Anonymous, 06 Jan 2018The Pixel 2 XL is the most iphone-like android phone. Ipho... moreYou sort of got it right, for the wrong reasons.

                                      Yes, the Pixel 2 IS like the iPhone of the Androids.

                                      And yes, the Pixel 2 and the iPhone X Are the best phones on the market now.

                                        A very tempting phone but way too many issues for a daily driver. Maybe Pixel IV google will get it right..