Google Pixel 2 XL - Yakhlef Technology

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Sunday, 28 January 2018

Google Pixel 2 XL

Pixel 2 XL long-term review: Has the screen improved?

Despite being surrounded by controversy since its release in November 2017, the Pixel 2 XL remains my favourite Android phone on the market right now. This is true even when considering its issues with the display, speaker, and some units shipping without an operating system onboard.
To Google’s credit, numerous patches have been pushed out to fix the majority of concerns, notably for the display. The LG OLED panel came in for much criticism, and I agree that it wasn’t very good. However, a new vivid colour mode addresses some of the issues.
The blue-shift when you tilt off-axis is still there, and will remain, but this is only really noticeable when you’re looking for it. I’m fine with the screen, simply because the phone impresses so much elsewhere.




The camera is the best there is, capturing fantastic pictures in varying conditions. There isn’t another phone around that takes consistently superb shots, and Google’s picture processing remains the best. Nifty extras such as slick Star Wars AR stickers only add to the overall experience.
The software is a high point, too, as it always is on phones made by Google. Not only is it one of only a few handsets rocking Oreo, but you’ll be first in line for whatever Android P turns out to be later in the year. There are no ugly skins, dodgy icons or useless features here; just Android in the way Google intended it.
Battery life is holding steady at just over a day and a half, but the lack of wireless charging is more irritating now that it’s becoming more popular. Still, at least Google includes a fast charger in the box; this does an excellent job to quickly juice up the phone.





The Pixel 2 XL remains an excellent choice – and it has only improved since release.

What is the Google Pixel 2 XL?

For the second year running, the larger of the two Pixel devices released by Google is the more enticing, but it’s not without its faults.
While the Pixel 2 sticks to a familiar blueprint, the Pixel 2 XL takes mimics the Samsung Galaxy S8, iPhone X and LG V30 by slimming down the bezel and extending the display.
Google has crafted a fantastic phone with a stunning camera, but there’s still work to be done – especially will the slightly dodgy OLED display.

Google Pixel 2 XL – Design

It’s hard to cover the Google Pixel 2 XL’s looks without comparing it to the competition. For a long time, smartphones were rectangular slabs of metal with a big bezel running around the display and a prominent chin and forehead. All this changed when Samsung unleashed the Galaxy S8, which saw the slimming of that bezel right down and a screen that stretched edge-to-edge.
The Google Pixel 2 XL doesn’t really fit into either category. I’m sure some will claim that it features a bezel-less display – but in reality, it doesn’t. Like the LG V30 and Galaxy S8, the Pixel 2 XL has an 18:9 display with rounded corners – but unlike those devices, there’s still a prominent bezel around its sides. This makes the Pixel 2 XL feel big, and more comparable to the Galaxy Note 8 in terms of size.
At least the bezel serves a purpose in the Pixel 2 XL. Above and below the display sit decent-sounding, front-firing stereo speakers, plus Google has added pressure-sensitive edges that will invoke the Assistant with a squeeze of the sides.
Opting to make a bigger handset requires deeper thought with regards to the design considerations elsewhere. Samsung, LG and Huawei have all started to heavily curve the rear of their devices, helping them feel more comfortable in the hand. Google has done the same, but not to the same extent. As a result, the Pixel 2 XL feels more difficult to hold.

The back of the Pixel 2 XL is a mixture of glass and aluminium, although the glass features only sparingly in a shade covering the camera and flash. The aluminium is covered in a coating that gives a chalkboard-like feel; resistive, grippier and slightly textured. It’s an excellent finish that goes some way to add the grip lost by the Pixel 2 XL’s lack of curves. I only question how this coating will wear over time…
My review unit is the all-black model, but I prefer the Stormtrooper-esque black and white variant. It even has a small pop of colour in the form of an orange power key. This extra hit of colour adds a fun element to the phone.
Like most flagship handsets worth their price tags this year, the Pixel 2 XL is IP67-rated for water-resistance. This means you can submerge the phone in 1m of water for about half an hour without any resulting damage.





In the Pixel 2 XL, Google has also followed the trend to remove the headphone jack. I can only assume it was for waterproofing purposes – which is a shame, given that the company made such a point of keeping it last time around. There’s a USB-C to 3.5mm port dongle in the box and there are plenty of ‘Made for Google’ USB-C headphones coming soon – but it remains annoying.

Google Pixel 2 XL – Screen

At 6 inches, the screen on the Pixel 2 XL is the biggest seen on a Google-branded handset since the Nexus 6. The display on that phone was one of its weaker features, and it’s a similar story here.
It isn’t bad. But it simply isn’t in the same league as the panels manufactured by Samsung and used in its own flagships.
Instead of using one of the fantastic Super AMOLED panels from Samsung, Google has opted for a plastic OLED, or P-OLED, from LG. LG isn’t as experienced as Samsung when it comes to building smartphone displays, and it shows.
In terms of colours, the screen lacks punch and whites are often tinged blue. If you’re looking at a website that’s primarily white, the colour isn’t uniform and is frequently streaked with grey. It’s also a very cool display, meaning you’ll feel it in your eyes when you’ve been staring at it for long periods. This is made worse by the fact that Google doesn’t offer any way to alter the temperature of the screen, so you’re stuck with how it comes out of the box. Viewing angles are also quite poor. Tilt the phone to either side and ugly banding will appear, altering the colours.

It isn’t all bad news, however. With a quad-HD+ resolution, there’s plenty of detail and movies look great. This screen isn’t being touted as an HDR display, but Google has worked some software trickery to allow it to playback HDR-enabled clips from YouTube – and the extra contrast looks fantastic.

Google Pixel 2 XL – Performance

Judging a phone’s performance after only a few days using it doesn’t provide an accurate view of how it will behave over time. The majority of phones are fast out of the box, before you really start to fill them up with apps and data, but then proceed to slow down.
Even high-end devices – the Samsung Galaxy S8 being a perfect example – feel far slower following a few months of use.
First impressions of the Pixel 2 XL are that it’s fast – of course it is – and I have no doubt this device will offer the fastest and most reliably smooth Android experience of the year. The pairing of a Snapdragon 835 CPU and 4GB of RAM is tried and tested, plus Google has the advantage of working directly with both the hardware and the software. The original Pixel has also stood the test of the time well, barely losing any of its initial speed in the past 12 months.
Each and every app and game from the Play Store should run fine;, I certainly haven’t had any issues with any title thus far.
Above and below the 6-inch display there are two front-firing stereo speakers. Normally, you’d get a single speaker on the bottom that would easily become obstructed by your hand – but here the sound is pushed directly at you. It’s good and crisp, with distortion kept to a minimum, even at full volume. I don’t believe the speakers perform as well as those of the iPhone 8 for music, but they’re great for watching videos on Netflix or YouTube.
Wi-Fi performance is decent, as is call quality – and in some regions the Pixel 2 XL will ship with an eSIM that will allow you to switch networks without having to pry open the SIM-tray.

Google Pixel 2 XL – Software

One of the biggest reasons to choose a Pixel 2 XL over a Samsung Galaxy Note 8 or LG V30 is the software. Instead of layering Android with bloatware and proprietary apps – we’re looking at you, Bixby – Google sticks with a very basic version of Android 8. You’ll also get first dibs on the next three big yearly Android updates, something that’s unlikely with much of the competition.
Android 8.0 on the Pixel 2 XL is clean, well designed and has a sprinkling a surprisingly handy changes. Take the iconic Google search bar, which now sits below the lowest row of icons and can easily be accessed without having to reach up the display. It’s a minor change, but it makes a huge difference on a screen of this size.
There are plenty more thoughtful touches dotted around, too. If you allow it, the phone will constantly listen for music playing in the background and throw it up onto your lockscreen. There’s also a new homescreen widget that shows weather and calendar appointments depending on your schedule.

Announced at the developer I/O conference earlier in the year, Google Lens scans your photos and brings up information on what it finds. Take a picture of an iconic monument or DVD cover, and Lens will bring up search results from Google. It will find numbers and websites in pictures and offer up more information about artwork on those occasions you’re wandering around a gallery bemused. Lens is very similar to Samsung’s Bixby Vision, but having spent time with both, I’ve found Google’s attempt much more accurate. Point Lens at some doughnuts and it won’t just bring up a search, it will also accurately pull out the right colours and use that to decide which images to display.
Google Assistant can now be summoned via a tight squeeze of the Pixel 2 XL’s sides – and it works even in the phone’s locked state. This is an interesting addition, but one that feels wasted. This is mainly because you can’t change the action that’s engaged on squeezing the device; it’s either the Assistant or silencing an incoming call. If you don’t plan on using the Google Assistant, then this feature is about as useful as the Bixby button on the Samsung Galaxy S8.

Another annoyance I have with the software is the lack of manual tuning on how apps work with this elongated aspect ratio. The majority of Android apps are designed for 16:9 displays, but the extra height here means you’re going to run into some dodgy-looking black bars. The isn’t really an issue with apps, since most can dynamically shift to fill the screen. However, many of the games I’ve tried don’t fit the screen. Other 18:9 phones have got round this issue by letting you manually stretch apps to fit the whole screen; this isn’t something Google offers, however.

Google Pixel 2 XL – Camera

One of the biggest annoyances with Apple’s phones is that the company always differentiates between its two flagship models by giving the larger model additional features in the camera department. I really like that Google hasn’t followed suit, ensuring both the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are on parity.
Google also steers clear of enhancing the rear camera of the Pixel 2 XL with dual-sensors – but don’t let that put you off, though, since this is a stunning snapper. The 12-megapixel camera is now optically stabilised, has a wider f/1.8 aperture for better low-light shots and a new Portrait mode for effectively blurring the background.
Those specs may not sound groundbreaking – and, on paper, there isn’t much here we haven’t seen before. But Google’s skill is in the software and the processing tricks it applies after the shot has been taken.
Its Auto-HDR+ function – which will require you to take a deep dive into the settings to turn it off – is what makes everything tick along. This levels exposure when the sun is harsh, taking multiple snaps every time you hit the shutter and combining all the images thereafter. The results are truly stunning, with natural-looking colours and fantastic dynamic range. Photos display a real depth, which makes this camera great for taking scenic landscapes and city shots.
Photos captured are also some of the most detailed I’ve seen from a phone. Everything from the expressions on distant faces to intricate details in a flower’s petal are visible.
The f/1.8 aperture gives a nice blurry background

The focus system is fast and great for macros

Photos are colourful and vibrant

Landscape shots have lots of depth
The majority of premium phones in 2017 are capable of taking excellent shots in sunny conditions, but the Pixel 2 XL impresses even in lighting that isn’t quite so ideal. Low-light photos are bright, have good exposure and still manage to capture subtle colours and shadows. The addition of OIS is clearly at play here, but that wider aperture helps too.
The f/1.8 lens is great for naturally blurring the background in macro shots, but a dedicated Portrait mode artificially adds even more blur around a subject. It works well, with both the front and back camera, but it does struggle to accurately blur around hair.
Video capture is another strength of the Pixel 2 XL. The camera uses both optical and electronic stabilisation to help avoid jankiness, resulting in a smoother image. Footage is recorded up to 4K 30fps, but you’ll probably want to stick to 1080p at 60fps if you’re shooting anything with a lot of motion.

Google Pixel 2 XL – Battery life

There’s nothing revolutionary or noticeably poor about the 3520mAh cell in the Pixel 2 XL. It’s a perfectly fine battery that’ll get you through the day.
I’ve easily managed to make it through the day without reaching for the charger, comfortably going from morning until night with 15-20% remaining. If you’re a lighter user then you’ll probably have enough power left to last until midday the following day – but to stretch to two days will require close management of your settings.
Screen-on time matches that of other similarly sized phones – the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, for example – at around five to six hours, while an hour of Netflix streaming (Wi-Fi on, brightness set to 50%) consumed around 10% on average.

Google includes a 5A USB-C to USB-C charger in the box, which, through rapid charging will boost battery to 50% in 30 minutes. You’ll be looking at around 1hr 10mins to charge your device from zero to 100%, but that’s still impressive.
There’s no wireless charging, however – no phone with a metal backplate has yet to manage this – but that’s more of a luxury than an essential feature.

Why buy the Google Pixel 2 XL?

It might not be the best Android phone available in every area, but the Google Pixel 2 XL is the one I would buy. It has a stunning camera, the best version of Android and I love the texture Google has put over the metal back.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 and LG V30 both have more features and the OnePlus 5 is a lot cheaper, but the Google Pixel 2 XL shines when you actually use it. Take a picture with it and you’ll forgive the lack of a headphone jack, or the odd front bezel.
My only major criticism is the display. LG’s OLED panel is dull and muted and that’s a shame. Still, this is easily one of the best phones of the year.

Verdict

A stunning camera makes this the current Android champion.
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