Google launched their Pixel smartphones last year. The mix of good hardware and intuitive software is what made them an absolute hit in the market. Google is trying to up their game this year with the new Pixel series of phones. It’s visible because not only did Google take HTC’s help in designing the phone, they also went ahead and acquired their entire smartphone division for $1.1 Billion. The end result is the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. Both phones feature more or less the same hardware, but the Pixel 2 XL looks like the one going with the current trend. It features a tall edge-to-edge display, bigger battery and even the pressure sensitive sides that are directly taken from the HTC U11’s arsenal. For all of this, it’s also the more expensive phone at Rs. 64,000* for the 64GB variant. What we’re more excited about the phone though, is the software. Pixel phones feature stock Android 8.0. There are plenty of new features added to the list. Let’s see if the Pixel 2 XL can recreate the experience its predecessor is known for, and do it better.

Design and display

The initial excitement of getting the new Pixel 2 XL dials down a little because of its design. Simply put, it’s a little plain. We get that design wasn’t Google’s first priority, but the Pixel 2 XL doesn’t match up with the likes of other fancy flagships phones we’ve seen this year. The phone is bulky and is pretty thick compared to its competition. There isn’t much to be excited about the Pixel 2 XL’s design. In a way, it’s also a little reminiscent of the older Lumia phones.

The back of the phone is pretty identical to last year’s variant. Google has decided to keep the glass portion at the back which seems like a good idea. In the white and black variant we used, the contrast of two colours really helps give the phone a distinguishing feature. The orange Power/Standby button is also nice touch. It has a good click to it, as do the volume rocker keys.

The mix of Aluminium and Corning Gorilla Glass 5, make the Pixel 2 XL a solid phone. Even though it’s hefty, the phone is comfortable to use, thanks to its round edges. We also like how the glass blends with the chassis at the front. The Pixel XL 2 is one phone you feel confident using without a case. Above that it’s also waterproof, so you can submerge the phone completely in water.

The massive screen is the only visual difference you’ll find between the Pixel 2 XL and its smaller sibling. Staying with the current trends, it features a taller screen with an aspect ratio of 18:9. The bezels on the side are pretty visible and the top and bottom are incorporated with the dual-speaker setup. Most of the pre-loaded apps are compatible with the screen. However, third-party apps show up with black bezels at the top and the bottom. Videos on the phone and YouTube can be resized to fit the screen but the image gets cropped a little.

Besides the size, the Pixel 2 XL also comes with a higher QHD+ resolution of 2880 x 1440 pixels. Google has also decided to go with a POLED screen, provided by LG. What’s important to know here is that the POLED screens aren’t any different than traditional AMOLEDs. They are both OLEDs. The only difference being that they feature plastic as a substrate instead of glass. It’s what helps in getting round edges that are featured on the Pixel 2 XL’s screen. It adds to the aesthetics, making apps and videos look a bit smoother.

The screen is sharp so text set to the lowest font size is easily readable and images look detailed. However, the phone lacks a little in terms of brightness. Compared to AMOLEDs featured on flagship phones, the output is a little dull, especially when you set the screen on Adaptive display. Viewing angles aren’t great and you get a bluish tinge on the screen, no matter which direction you move it in. However, the screen offers a good depth, something that really comes out in the Living wallpapers that are designed for the phone. It also makes for an immersive movie and gaming experience. In the recent light of events, there was also a question about the Pixel 2 XL’s POLED screen becoming more custom to burn issues. However, we’ve had the phone for more than a week now and haven’t noticed anything to be concerned about.

Camera

Unlike other flagship phones today, the Google Pixel 2 XL does not feature a dual camera setup. It instead comes with a single 12.2 MP rear camera featuring an aperture value of f/1.8. Google actually says that it doesn’t need a dual lens because its machine learning can help click better pictures. We have to say that it’s true for the most part.

The Portrait mode on the camera is really impressive. It blurs out backgrounds really well, while keeping subjects in focus. Even finer bits like strands of hair are well focused. The results aren’t any different to what a dual camera can present. In some cases, we even found them to look better. There are some downsides to it though. The results are majorly dependent on the lighting in the scene and the kind of light around as well. In some of the photos we captured, the transition between the subject and the blurry background looked very rigid. Though the effect works with objects, its best results are seen with people and some animals. Fortunately though, Google can fix all these problems with a few updates. We can also see results getting better over time.

On Auto mode, we noticed the white balance to go a little off. Even in brightly lit rooms, photos turn out with a bright yellowish tinge. Images generally look a bit softer. There is good amount of detail though. You can zoom into the finer bits in photos and still view things pretty clearly. The rear camera can record 4K videos at 30 frames per second. The optical image stabilisation works brilliantly. You can actually notice how well it works in shaky situations as compared to when it’s switched off. There is even a feature to stabilise videos after shooting them. It only works well with slight motions. For extremely shaky situations, it looks unnatural. That’s also something that might improve over time.

There are plenty other features to play around with. This year, Google has also added Motion, a feature similar to Moments on iOS. It helps provide context to your photos. There are also HDR+ and HDR+ enhanced modes which can help produce more accurate colours and better contrast in images, especially in low-light situations. There are even a ton of editing features available, after clicking the picture. We like the pre-set filters available. There are a few subtle and simple filters that come handy on a day-to-day basis.

The front camera uses an 8MP sensor, with an aperture of f/2.4. At 27mm, it provides a wide perspective for photographs. It’s also good to see that all the modes that are available for the rear camera are also available for the front camera. Selfies look astonishingly good. Compared to the rear camera, portraits images here look much sharper. There is a scary amount of detail in the selfies. Finer details can be spotted easily, but skin tones aren’t particular accurate when clicking selfies indoors. Video taking capabilities here are limited to 1080p at 30 frames per second.

Operating system and features

The Pixel 2 XL offers a stock Android experience that you’re not bound to get with any Android phone. The Google Pixel 2 XL comes with Android 8.0 (Oreo) out of the box. However, the phone recently received the Android 8.1 update which added a few of the interesting features to the mix. Google even promises software updates for the next three years. Things still look and work the same way as they did in Android 7 (Nougat) version. The control centre and notifications can all be dragged from the top, while the app drawer can be slide from the bottom. However, there plenty of changes made in the backend. As a result, the interface feels slick. The phone is deeply rooted with Google’s ecosystem, so the pre-loaded apps are the only ones you’ll find in Google’s suite on the Play Store. Allo and Duo have been added to the list as well.

The Settings menu has gone through an overhaul. Features have been segregated into specific categories to make the app look simpler. If you want though, you can still get much deeper into the Settings menu and explore features related to display, battery usage, and storage amongst others.

Google Assistant is also included right off the bat. However, there is new way to summon her on the Google Pixel 2 XL. Just like the HTC U11, the Pixel 2 XL also features pressure sensors on the sides. Google calls it Active Edge. So all you need to do is squeeze the phone and Google Assistant’s interface pops up. It’s a pretty cool feature to see in action. You can even adjust the pressure sensitivity of the sides to your liking.

Google Assistant also gets a new add-on in the form of Google lens. Now you can not only interact with voice, but also get information related to objects, people, and addresses by clicking a photo on the camera. It’s still in its beta stage so it doesn’t work flawlessly with every search. When we tested it with some consumer electronics, it managed to recognise a few products and in some cases even the brands. What impressed us more was its ability to guess the breed of dog or cat buy just looking at their pictures. With Google’s massive database, we can only see this feature improving over time.

There are a few nifty features included. For example, Now Playing is a new addition that recognises the song playing in the background and displays the name on the screen, even when the phone is on standby. There’s also added security features with Google Play Protect. It regularly checks up on all the apps installed and notifies if they behave abnormally. The Pixel XL 2 will also tell you the battery percentage of the Bluetooth speaker that’s it’s connected to. These small features might not sound like much, but together they have a great impact on the overall experience. It’s what makes the Pixel 2 XL a serious competition for other flagships.

Performance and other features

The Google Pixel 2 XL comes with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor and 4GB of RAM. The performance is really good. Running multiple applications is easily handled on the Pixel. The interface feels smooth and light. The phone boots up in merely 13 seconds. Thanks to the new Adreno 540 GPU, heavy games like Asphalt 8: Airborne or 4K videos play without any glitches.

The 6-inch screen bundled along with the dual-speaker setup, makes media experience really enjoyable on the Pixel 2 XL. The dual speakers are definitely worth the extra bulk. They are loud and have a clear enough output to eliminate the use of headphones. While playing games though, they sometimes get muffled because of the hand placement.

You get two storage options, 64GB and 128GB. The former should be enough for most people, but if you’re really planning on loading the phone with games and movies, then we recommend the 128GB variant. It will set you back Rs. 74,000*. We’re a little disappointed with the missing headphone jack. The phone only comes with a Type-C port. An adaptor is provided to connect headphones. However, this eliminates the possibility to use headphones while charging, unless you’re using wireless ones. The Pixel 2 XL also features the latest wireless connectivity features though, including the Wi-Fi AC and Bluetooth 5.0. NFC is also part of the package.

The Pixel 2 XL features a battery capacity of 3,520 mAh. It’s enough to easily last a day on full charge with some gaming. Standby times are also good. Qualcomm’s Quick Charging 3.0 is supported. Google claims to give you 7 hours of charge in just 15 minutes. That number seems to be a little exaggerated though. In our test, we noticed the phone charged to 30 per cent in 30 minutes.