Pixel 2 Reviews: Iterative Update Lacks 'Wow Factor' But Still 'Best Android Phone You Can Buy'

Looks like the Pixel 2 XL’s screen is a dealbreaker. https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2017/10/18/16489756/google-pixel-2xl-awful-lg-oled-screen

Now we know why Samsung is Apple’s sole supplier for OLEDs.

 

Another thing to take into account is that Google still has an ace up their sleeve with their dedicated ISP that isn't even active yet.

 

Apple fans be happy and appreciative that Apple got their iPhone X displays from Samsung. Look at this mess. #ColorGate

https://www.imore.com/pixel-2-colorgate-and-oled-hard

 

CNET does a good job. The iPhone 7 pictures look better overall than the Pixel 2 in real world usage looking at the photos.
https://www.cnet.com/news/pixel-2-vs-iphone8-plus-which-camera-is-better/

 

Isn't Apple switching to LG for their OLED panels...?

 

In 2019 or 2020, that's when the true display lottery begins again sadly. People will crave the Samsung displays.

 

I used to go to different T-Mobile stores alot to check out phones or pay my bill before its due date. I remember out of all the phones I had, the Pixel was always the one asked by a T-Mobile employee to check out. Weird how they would ask to check out my phone when I'm the one going there to check out their phones on display.

The ugly af Pixel with no wow factor drew the most curiosity. I guess everyone seen too many iPhones and Galaxies to not even care. One guy would ask, can I see it? Is it your favorite? Wow. Cool. Another guy would tell me he is thinking of switching to it because he is tired of his iPhone and loves about my Verizon-bought Pixel had no bloat.

The design of the Pixel 2 still isn't amazing. I would even tell those T-Mobile guys it's an ugly phone but I still like it because it's so smooth and gets the job done. Camera ranks in the Top 3. Battery life was still solid when it was on 7.1.2 and internal audio was excellent. The rear design will grow on you for its distinction.

For the panda Pixel 2 XL, I'd give it an 8/10 at the front and maybe 7.5/10 on back. It scores higher on the back than the iPhone X and about the same on the front. It will never win any beauty awards. I'm going to check it out tomorrow on Verizon though. The 2 XL is pretty narrow and shorter than my V20.

Marques Brownlee said the Pixel XL from last year was his favorite gadget. Maybe MKBHD gets paid by Google being a YouTuber, but he loved it. He did a blind camera test and the Pixel XL won most shots in my opinion. Krystal Key believes it the Pixel series to be a major player someday in the future. Even iJustine (diehard Apple fangirl) owns a Pixel XL!

Baby steps for now. It may never really outsell a Galaxy S, Note, or iPhone, but it's the only brand worth choosing if you're an Android purist that loves fluid UI and fast updates that can now last three years. But you got the pay the premium if you want the premium Android UI experience.

If you are in long time iPhone, you may NOT like it. Stick to what you know. If you are familiar with Android for years but only been using Samsungs, it will be quite a revelation for how ridiculously smooth and fluid it is coming from a heavy skin that will lag over time. You won't be disappointed. For Android purists, stick to the Pixel line for life.

Android turns 10 and Google turns 20 next year. I hope the next year's Pixels will be even more AWESOME!

 

Played with the Pixel XL 2 today. Awesome and it's gorgeous. Also silky smooth

 

Wonder if Google can fix the lousy screen on the XL with a software update?

Update: Google announced that they are investigating giving consumers more color display choices via a software update. hmmm.

 

My bad. I thought the 2 XL had dual cameras for some reason but only has one. But what a camera! I checked The Verge review and I'm kinda digging the all-black 2 XL mainly because it has a black theme. It isn't a glossy black or all-glass black to make it a fingerprint-magnet.

When I checked SuperSaf's camera comparison, I tried not reading all the comments because so many Apple haters on there. But most of them were right. Pixel 2 XL destroyed iPhone 8 Plus' camera in still photos.

Where I saw iPhone win was in video recording which they generally excel in. But still shots, I didn't check to see all of them but the Pixel 2 XL won each one I saw. The 8 Plus just looked bad. I felt the 7 Plus front camera for video recording and low light was far superior.

I'm going to wait for the Mr. Mobile (Michael Fisher) review. The only honest tech reviewer on YouTube. Looks like a great phone, guys. Nothing fancy but it's the little details throughout the day that makes you notice its brilliance.

All-black LG-made, Pixel 2 XL. If iPhone X has any weird -gate issues, this is the one I would get. Still a better design than the space gray iPhone 6 and 6s. And a clear winner against iPhone 7 and 8 in still photos.

 

The camera has me intrigued, the screen is a letdown (from what I read). Idk that it’s worth the price. But we have a $1k iPhone around the bend soooooo tough to judge.

 

David Pierce (formerly on The Verge and Apple fanboy) loves the Pixel 2 XL too. Best Android phone he claims.

https://www.wired.com/2017/10/review-google-pixel-2/



I had the first iPhone. I had the first Nexus and Pixel. I will be there for iPhone's 10th this year and Android's 10th for next year. You don't need to pick a side. They are just tools to help us during the day.

My only wish is I do wish Pixel 2 XL had two lens. That Telephoto just like wide-angle are both useful. My perfect 2017 cameraphone combination would be V30 and iPhone X.

Design-wise: Pixel 2 XL > iPhone X
Yes, the all-black and panda 2 XL beats both color options of the X. Sorry, Apple fans. No camera hump. Trimmer glass strip. No notch.

Video recording: Pixel 2 XL < iPhone 8 Plus
Still photos: Pixel 2 XL >>> iPhone 8 Plus
Price: Pixel 2 XL, $150-$200+ cheaper

I will still wait on the iPhone eX though. Special year for iPhone.

#respect
#gratitude

Next year, I hope Google makes a special anniversary edition Pixel for Android's 10th with an even more awesome Pixel 3. Google did an admirable job for a 2nd gen Pixel.

 

The OLED panel is the most expensive part in the phone by a long shot. I'm not happy with phones approaching $1000, but the price difference of the XL, Note 8, and iPhone X makes sense given the display quality difference.

That's under the assumption that LG can get their OLED quality up and have it be consistent.

I want the best display, no matter where it comes from. I was hoping that it would be non pen tile, but I don't think anyone is capable of that yet at a high resolution.

 

Thanks for your reply, it's not just that the security update of the software that bothers me, it's the hardware security specification for fingerprint security that bothers me even more. I don't know if Google specifies hardware specific security equivalent to Apple's 'Secure Enclave' for fingerprint based authentication.

 

I think we're in agreement with non-Google OEMs for Android. Unfortunately, in order to make Android ubiquitous, Google sold its soul to other manufacturers. Problem is, now it can't "unsell" its soul

 

Thanks for the article. Didn't think it would be that bad

 

Fortunately, your opinion is nothing more of that of a failed assertion on a tech forum, Which really does amount to anything, when you're clearly not in charge of marketing for a phone that doesn't seem to be failing based on what evidence?

 

This is a false assertion and a misconception. Apples competitors actually release their hardware/software long before the iPhone or other features even demo. Once Apple releases their specific features, it doesn't necessarily translate into other competitors copying Apple. Not to mention, you have to factor research and development for a feature or capability for a smart phone that can take as long as the year before Its even ready to be implemented, which doesn't mean that it's copying. Unless you have direct evidence that a competitor is copying Apple, please provide support of your statement.

 

Really?

Two "copying bad ideas" examples that spring to mind are the proprietary 30-pin connector (imagine an iPod 30-pin connector, paint it black, but don't make it compatible) that Samsung used on their early tablets (for no adequately explored reason) and Google dropping the headphone jack from this year's Pixel 2 - something that everybody knew was going to happen on the iPhone 7 long before it launched. Then there are disappearing features like SD card slots and non-replaceable batteries that were "courageous" features of the first iPhone.

It is also very well established that Apple's competitors copied the iPhone - e.g:

http://bgr.com/2012/08/08/apple-samsung-patent-lawsuit-internal-report-copy-iphone/

Companies look at their competitor's products all the time. Of course, it's one thing to copy an idea, it's quite another thing to provably violate a valid and enforceable copyright or patent (last I looked, the lawyers were still arguing and appealing) so don't mistake "copied" for "stolen and should be punished".

The timing actually works out perfectly. The biggest culprit for blatent-iPhone-look-alike, the Samsung Galaxy S, didn't appear until Summer 2010 - 3-and-a-half years after the original iPhone demo. The pre-iPhone Android prototype was a Blackberry-like device that looked nothing like the iPhone, and even 18 months after the iPhone launch the first available Android phone was nobody's iPhone clone. It was only the second generation of Androids - over 2 years after the first iPhone demo - that started to get more iPhone-like (e.g. total reliance on the touch screen).

The Galaxy S really took the biscuit ...even going so far as to make the Android "back" and "menu" controls either side of the home button invisible until they lit up, so it looked like the phone just had a single home button... plus all those publicity photos showing the iPhone-like App Drawer instead of the actual Android home screen (despite the Android home screen being an improvement over iOS).