Google’s second-generation line of Pixel phones have been out for about nine months now, and the Pixel 2 XL has been my daily driver now ever since. In nine months, the phone has certainly grown on me, and I can confidently say that it’s still the best, but that’s not without the fair share of issues I’ve had with it.
Note: Although they are very similar, this review will focus solely on the XL variant of the Pixel 2.
Specs
| SoC | Snapdragon 835 |
| RAM | 4GB |
| Storage | 64 or 128GB |
| Display | 6-inch 2880×1440 pOLED |
| Battery | 3,520 mAh |
| Water and dust resistance | IP67 |
| Camera | 12.2MP rear camera (f/1.8 aperture and OIS/EIS), 8MP front camera (f/2.4 aperture) |
| Software | Android 8.0 Oreo (guaranteed updates all the way to Android 11.0 R) |
| Measurements | 157.9×76.7×7.9mm, 175g |
The Good
| Performance | The Pixel 2 XL is consistently fast and definitely still the fastest Android phone on the market right now. |
| Software | It’s Android at its best—pure, stock, Google Android. On top of that, you get guaranteed updates for at least three years. As of now, no other Android OEM offers that. |
| Design | I know that there are many out there that would strongly disagree, but is it bad that I like the design of this phone? |
| Fingerprint sensor | As long as it’s clean and your fingers aren’t dirty or wet, it’s super fast and accurate. |
| Camera | Yeah, yeah. You’ve heard it already, but you’ve got to see past DxOMark’s numbers. If you want the best phone with the best camera with the best post-processing and HDR+, this is the one. |
| Carrier unlocked | It’s unlocked and works on virtually all carriers—something that can’t be said for all phones nowadays. |
The Bad
| Headphone jack | Life isn’t fun without it. |
| Quality control issues | The Pixel 2 XL, manufactured by LG, definitely has a reputation for being a QC nightmare, and I can certainly say that’s true. |
| Battery life | Initially, I averaged around 5-6 hrs of screen-on-time. Months later, however, I usually only get 4-5. |
| Speakers | There’s clear distortion when playing music at max volume. |
| Software (again) | Three years of updates is great, but Apple, on the other hand, is doing five years for the iPhone 5s. It’s time to ditch Qualcomm, Google, and make your own chip. |
| Verizon and international availability | If Google seriously wants this phone in everyone’s pockets, they can’t keep doing Verizon exclusives and they’ve got to expand to more international markets. |
In-the-box
The phone, a USB-C to C cable, a Type-C fast charging power brick, a 3.5mm to USB-C headphone dongle, a “Quick Switch Adapter” which also doubles as a USB-OTG, and paperwork—that’s all that’s included in the box of your Pixel 2 XL. Yep, even when Google takes away the headphone jack, they still won’t throw in a pair of USB-C headphones.
Build quality
Design
I only used the Pixel 2 XL in black, so I can’t speak for the Panda variant of the device (although, I have heard that the Panda variant is supposedly less “grippier” than the black variant), and most of the time the phone was in a case with a screen protector, but I can say that it’s a fantastic matte black phone, and the same can be said for its look and feel.
You also get your signature glass-shade that was present on the first-generation Pixels, but it also eliminates the need for antenna bands on the phone. However, since the whole back isn’t composed of glass, you don’t get wireless charging. This isn’t necessarily a huge dealbreaker for me, but I know it is for some and with Apple including it in the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and X, Google is now a year behind.
The buttons are nice and tactile, which often is an underrated, overlooked component of smartphones nowadays. Moreover, a single USB-C port is the only kind of I/O you’ll find on this device, so be prepared to kiss your headphone jack goodbye and enter the world of dongles if you haven’t gone completely wireless.
The Pixel 2 XL also brings a camera bump, albeit small but still something that the first-gen Pixels did not have. It’s not as drastic as say the iPhone’s, but it’s there and if you don’t have a case on, the phone does wobble ever so slightly if you’re using it flat on a table.
While Google’s first Pixels lacked any water resistance rating, the Pixel 2 XL is IP67 certified, meaning you can submerge them for up to 30 minutes in one meter of water. However, to not have it IP68 certified like Samsung, while minor, is a definite hindsight by Google, especially considering the Pixel 2 has one less port than the Galaxies do (headphone jack).
Speakers
Although they are front-facing, they’re not superb as my unit had some relatively strong distortion when playing music at max or high volumes. It’s also super easy for any food, dirt, dust, or other debris to get in their grill and stay there.
Fingerprint sensor
As I said before, as long as it’s clean and your fingers aren’t dirty or wet, it works. It’s one of the fastest out there and of course, it’s accurate.
Active edge
With the Pixel 2 phones, Google brings what it calls “Active edge.” Simply put, you squeeze your phone to activate the Google Assistant. It’s definitely more of a gimmick than a feature. Firstly, it’s almost useless when your phone is locked. Google Assistant still needs a way to just take basic commands like “what’s the weather” from the lock screen without needing your pin or fingerprint. Secondly, it’s not remappable. I’d probably still leave it set to launch Google Assistant, but it’d definitely be nice to have options to launch different things, and I’m sure many other users would agree. Fortunately, Google does let you customize the sensitivity of the squeeze in Settings so you don’t accidentally trigger it.
Display
When the first reviews came out for the Pixel 2 XL, not one of them didn’t mention the quality of the display. It seems like an eternity since then, but the display issues of the Pixel 2 XL, in my opinion, were definitely blown out of proportion. But also that isn’t to say that I didn’t have any issues with mine initially (more on that later).
It’s a 6-inch LG-made QHD pOLED display—rounded corners, Corning Gorilla Glass 5, 76% screen-to-body ratio, 2880×1440 resolution, 18:9 aspect ratio, and 548 ppi density. Then there’s also a special coating on the display that’s supposed to make it more visible with sunglasses, but as a side effect, some units end up with a blue tint. Almost all OLED displays have some form of a blue tint, but the Pixel 2 XL’s definitely seems to be a bit stronger and more noticeable than others. However, this is in no way a deal breaker, as it’s only noticeable when tilting or viewing the phone at an angle. It’s really a non-issue.
The colors of the Pixel 2 XL’s display were also a bit of a controversy at launch. Google opted to go for a more natural approach to color accuracy, and after hearing user’s complaints about the dull look to the displays, they pushed a software update with a couple different color options. The photo above depicts all three modes (excuse the poor image quality). Personally, I picked the Saturated mode and have stuck with it ever since. I know some users might prefer Boosted, or even Natural, but it’s good to have options.
The bottom line is if you want the best display on a phone, this is not the one. However, if a decent to good display works, this is fine. The Pixel 2 XL’s display is fine.
Cameras
I’m sure by now you’ve heard of how incredible and capable the Pixel 2 is at taking some impressive shots, and I’m not here to tell you any different. This single lens system does it all.
On paper, the Pixel 2’s camera doesn’t exactly wow. It’s a 12.2MP rear camera (f/1.8 aperture and OIS/EIS) and 8MP front camera (f/2.4 aperture). Pretty average stuff for a flagship today. But where it really shines is Google’s camera software and post-processing. Google’s HDR+ is like magic, and with just one lens, it’s able to take even better portrait shots (front and rear) than the iPhone X and Galaxy S9. And unrelated to the camera, but something that’ll even catch the attention of iPhone users is unlimited storage for photos and video at full resolution in Google Photos.
All the photos below are unedited unless explicitly stated.
Performance and software
Powered by Snapdragon’s 835 chip and 4GB of RAM, the Pixel 2 XL gets an 1806 single-core score and a 6174 multi-core score on Geekbench. However, numbers don’t do it justice: It’s probably the fastest, low-maintenance Android phone I’ve ever used. And it’s not just fast—it’s consistently fast, meaning even after several months of use, it still feels just as smooth as the day you unboxed it. Rarely, if ever, will you encounter any hiccups on this device.
Moving on to the software, this is where the Pixel shines. It’s pure Android 8.0 Oreo (no bloatware), with a few exclusive additions such as “Now Playing,” where your phone will listen for nearby songs and tell you the name of the song—all done offline, without sending any data to Google. You get Day 1 software updates and security patches for at least three years—something you won’t find on any other Android phone.
My only gripe here is that, even though it’s an improvement over last year’s Pixel and Nexus phones’ two-year major Android version updates, it’s still not at the same level of what Apple offers. The iPhone 5s, released in 2013, is getting iOS 12. That’s five years of support. If Google even just wants to deliver four years, they’ve got to ditch Qualcomm and start making their own in-house chips.
Battery
Battery life with my Pixel 2 XL has been, for the most part, a bit inconsistent. On good days, I get around 5—sometimes closer to 6—hours of screen-on-time. The same could be said for when I first got the phone. Now, however, the Pixel 2 XL’s relatively large, 3,520 mAh battery only gets me around 4 to 5 hours of SOT, even after updating to Android P beta with all its supposed battery improvements.
I leave adaptive brightness on and usually, it’s set between 25 and 50%. Always on display is enabled as is Bluetooth and WiFi/Bluetooth scanning, and I also have a few Beta apps installed. “Apps” 9 times out of 10 was the main battery drainer, which is fine, but there were also a few instances where, for whatever reason, “System” was at the top, and it left me with days like this:
Fortunately, days like this were very rare, and I was always able to get through a full day without needing to recharge. The Pixel 2 XL’s battery life isn’t the greatest, but it’s acceptable, and by tweaking some settings, you can easily extend it if it’s not suitable for you.
Vaunted Google QC issues
If you’ve read the entire review until here, you’d probably be shocked if I told you that the Pixel 2 XL I’m using right now is my third one. I’ve had to RMA my unit twice already: one within the first week when I got my initial unit way back in early November and another just a couple days ago (although, I won’t say whether or not that motivated me to finish this review).
RMA #1: Dead pixels and a defective USB port
I had been using my new Pixel 2 XL for just a couple days when I encountered my first issue: dead pixels.
I hadn’t really even noticed these dots (nor do I know if they were actually there initially), but one day, after using my Daydream View for about 30 minutes and upon taking the phone out, I noticed this pixel that would flicker green for about 5 seconds when the phone’s Always on display kicked in. After the AOD would dim more, the pixel’s flickering would stop.
After about 5-10 minutes of witnessing this behavior, it finally stopped. Although, I think it could have subsided after the phone cooled down after Daydream, but I wasn’t able to confirm this.
I further investigated, and I noticed there were two “dead” pixels on my display. They weren’t super noticeable in daily use, but they were there and in certain apps with dark, non-AMOLED UIs, they were a bit more visible (ie. Twitter).
And to make matters worse, the top quarter of my display had an ever so slightly orange tint which was especially noticeable when using apps with lighter UIs.
And to make matters even worse, a few weeks later of using the same phone, my USB port started to malfunction.
Basically, one morning, I went to plug in my Apple EarPods that were already connected to the dongle into my Pixel 2 XL and attempted to play some music. Nothing was playing, so I figured that maybe my volume was off. And it was, so I increased it a couple notches and it took me a couple seconds to realize that my music was playing from the speakers.
Naturally, I tried replugging them but to no avail. Occasionally, I would get these strange notifications saying things like “USB power delivery” or “This analog accessory is not supported.” In addition, I had been using the dongle ever since I got the device and had not had any issues with it until then.
I tried several reboots, including a reboot into safe mode, but nothing changed.
And yes, I tested the EarPods (without the dongle) with a PC and another phone and they did work. And yes, I even tried blowing air into the USB-C port and into the dongle like Google Support said when troubleshooting.
After further testing, it seemed to be an even worse problem. I couldn’t even use the USB port to transfer files or use it as a USB OTG device. I contacted Google again and went through an RMA without any issues.
RMA #2: More USB port issues
Just last week, after a good 8-9 months of using the second device, my USB port starting giving me issues again.
All of a sudden, charging my Pixel 2 XL from the stock USB-C to C cable became very inconsistent. I noticed it after I woke up one morning to a nearly dead phone.
Sometimes, it would start charging on the first plug-in, but at other times, I would have to replug it a couple times or even try flipping the cable for it to charge. Sometimes, it would just charge and disconnect continuously.
I tried it with multiple cables and got similar results. Moreover, plugging in my headphones with the USB-C dongle was also inconsistent as a result. The phone would recognize them sometimes and sometimes it wouldn’t. It was really hit and miss.
Conclusion
Now, after reading the previous section, you must be thinking: you’d be mad to buy this device. And I can’t blame you for wanting to think that, but I’m going to have to disagree—even after all the issues I’ve gone through. They make it seem like the Pixel 2 XL is a bad phone, when, in reality, it’s the exact opposite.
The Pixel 2 XL is the best Android I’ve ever used. Combined with solid build quality, excellent performance and software, and a best-in-class camera, these make the Pixel 2 XL such a great phone to use.
Over two generations, it’s clear that Google’s Pixel phones don’t exactly “wow” on paper in terms of raw specs and numbers, and if the mainstream consumer were to see this side-by-side in-store next to an iPhone X or a Galaxy S9, they’d probably instantly go for the iPhone or Galaxy—even just based on design and not past experience. But for one to actually fully understand how good and capable the Pixel is, you’ve got to actually use the phone for an extended period of time.
Of course, the Pixel 3 and 3 XL are coming soon this fall, but if you can’t stand a possible notch, I can confidently say that if you were to pick this phone up right now (as long as your unit has no manufacturing issues), you won’t have any regrets.
Purchase Google Pixel 2 XL on the Google Store (reg. $849, now $749)
