A Long Term User Review Google Pixel 2

On October the 2nd Google unveiled two new smartphones the pixel 2 and the pixel 2 xl these were two of the most highly anticipated devices for 2017 Google was actually kind enough to invite me to get some hands-on time with both a pixel 2 and the 2 XLl and I was genuinely impressed with what they were able to offer I actually ended up pre-ordering the pixel to excel and was really looking forward to sharing my experience with you guys but that excitement level started declining after the huge controversy regarding the display issues that some users were experiencing namely the terrible blue shift in colors when viewing the phone at a slight angle along with burning issues and the list just kept going on I then cancel my pre-order which I still don’t regret because I realized that my phone wasn’t really worth the price given the concerns that it had but instead. 

I decided to give its younger brother the pixel to a chance and you know what if you’re looking for a smartphone with the best camera you know cleaner software experience and a relatively compact form factor with really good battery life I think the pixel 2 should be on the top of your list so in this video. I’ll be talking about my experience using the pixel 2 for the past few weeks and of course I’ll be talking about the design the build and some of the things that.

 I still just mmm can’t believe will did but yeah well just move on to the video but first a quick message from our sponsor check out the outstanding K7XX open style headphones by mass drop and AKG with beautiful design lightweight and perfectly comfortable with incredible sound signature any well rounded price to join the drop link below let’s get pricing and specs out of the way the pixel 2 retails for 650 dollars and that gets you a 5-inch 1080p AMOLED display snapdragon 835 CPU 4 gigabytes of RAM 64 gigabytes of storage that unfortunately isn’t expandable but there is a 128 gigabyte variant for an extra $100 there are three color options to choose from just black clearly white and kind of blue yeah that’s what Google decided to label them as anyways the one thing that took me a while to get over with was the design of the pixel 2 it’s not bad by any means. 

But it just doesn’t fit in with the rest of the competitors within the same price range on one hand you have the Galaxy s8 featuring that beautiful edge to edge display with then there is the recently announced oneplus 5t with that gorgeous design that promises to bring the best of Android to the forefront for just $500 the pixel 2 in my opinion shares a similar design language to the Nexus 6p with its larger bezels the dual front-facing speakers and the fingerprint reader located at the back which by the way is really fast and unlocking the device the build quality certainly feels a lot superior to the 6p the pixel 2 features a metal nobody construction and the body is covered in this premium hybrid coating material that feels softer to the touch and I like that it’s a lot better than glass backs that have encountered on some other smartphones but this material choice meant. 

That Google had to compromise on an important feature that some users cherish and that’s wireless charging and the lack of a headphone jack was a deal-breaker to me obviously because I use wired headphones all the time it is unfortunate but for users who have already adapted the wireless route shouldn’t find this daunting now you could take advantage of the USB-C adapter that’s included in the box but that can easily be misplaced so be prepared for that unlike last year’s pixel and pixel XL Google has finally decided to add ip67 water and dust resistant rating to the pixel - so you’re not losing out on a key feature that competitors have started implementing on their flash chips this phone comes with a 5-inch 1080p AMOLED display and unlike competitors that have started implementing 18x9 aspect ratio screens this smartphone sticks with the traditional 16x9 ratio which can’t be taken as a negative factor since mostcontent these days are only available in that aspect ratio.

 

I definitely enjoyed my time watching YouTube videos and a few TV shows on Netflix and on top of that you’ve got those dual front-facing speakers that sound amazing seriously they’re the best that I’ve come across on a 2017 flagship I definitely enjoyed my time listening to music here let’s take a quick listen now coming back to the display its only 1080p but that shouldn’t throw you off since its perfect for the size and you might not notice the smaller screen to body ratio if you’re coming from something like the 6b or an iPhone 7 but if you’re considering switching from a galaxy s8 or an LG G6 you’re certainly going to notice the difference and it might take some time to get used to now given that this phone uses an AMOLED panel the colors were surprisingly less vibrant to the eye when I first started using it until recently Google rolled out an update for both a pixel 2 and the 2 XL that enables users to boost the saturation of the colors personally. 

I never took advantage of that preset since I was more comfortable with the natural color profile either way watching content on this display was great given its fantastic black levels and good contrast color shift was barely noticeable unless you tilt the phone 90 degrees but that’s a common problem with every OLED display out there ok let’s switch gears and talk about the software because Google is taking a completely different approach unlike other brands by combining AI with software and hardware to create this seamless experience the pixel 2 comes with the latest operating system from Google currently its rocking 8.0 Oreo and its continually receiving updates I’ve been a huge fan of stock Android ever since the Nexus series there are no bloat ware applications pre-installed no custom skins which really contributes to the performance of the device the UI is clean simple and easier to understand so.

If you’re considering switching from an iPhone the pixel to should be at the top of your list Google assistant has also matured over time and it’s a lot smarter too having experienced Samsung’s Bixby on the galaxy s8 and the note 8 I’m a lot more comfortable using the assistants simply because I’ve heavily invested into the Google ecosystem a quick example would be home automation and how Google talks to those devices for instance I can trigger the assistant by simply squeezing the device and ask it to turn on the heater and set it at a certain temperature or I can ask it to turn on my studio lights and the list just keeps going on depending on the amount of smart devices you have connected at home the cherry on top of this is a new squeeze feature that I just mentioned. 

That triggers the assistant and I’ve taken advantage of that a lot of times to control my home devices now it can be accidentally triggered but the user has the option to adjust the sensitivity of the squeeze or turn it off completely either way the assistant is there when you need it and its one step shorter than having to hold a home button or yell out okay Google and I’m sure they must have triggered some of your smartphones so thank you another cool feature that I found on the pixel 2 and the 2 XL is the ability to identify songs that’s playing the background it uses machine learning to identify the song along with the artist and it instantly displays that info on the lock screen and it works just as it should it’s a subtle feature. 

But I’m sure a lot of people would appreciate what Google has done here quick note on performance this thing flies through a multitasking I’ve noticed that apps were quicker to respond with touch gestures and I think part of that had to do with the Snapdragon 835 pushing a 1080p display rather than a qHD panel and there are other Hardware optimizations that Google has built in to complete that user experience battery life was fantastic on the pixel too it only features a twenty seven hundred million power module which might seem a lot smaller when compared to the Galaxy S8 or the LG G6 but I was easily able to power through a couple of days with just a single charge again this shouldn’t be surprising since there are no bloat ware applications installed and the 1080p AMOLED display doesn’t require too much power to drive casual usage can get you roughly five-and-a-half hours of screen on time. 

But if you are a heavy user expect around four and a half to five hours of SOT which is still great given the excellent standby time do note that my usage normally consists of checking Twitter Instagram messaging responding to emails catching up on a few YouTube videos and that’s about it but that could vary from one user to the next okay so the last thing that I have to talk about is the camera its seriously the best in the business guys what you’re looking at is a 12 point two megapixel sensor with an F 1.8 aperture that’s capable of shooting 4k video at 30 frames per second 1080p up to 120 frames per second and 720p up to 240 frames per second the sensor also features electronic and optical image stabilization which should theoretically result in better low-light shots. 

As well as smoother video I left all the settings in auto mode with HDR turned on for the best possible results and as you can see they’re just stunning to look at there’s fantastic dynamic range and the sensor does a really good job exposing the highlights but at the same time maintaining the detail in the shadows as well. 

Google has also implemented portrait mode that blurs the background to make the subject stand out and here’s the most interesting part unlike other smartphones that utilize two separate cameras to emulate that portrait effect Google uses advanced depth mapping technology to trace out the subject and isolate the background and it works really well especially in low light the front facing camera can also take portrait pictures and the results once again were jaw-dropping here are a few more samples.

So this is the video test from the pixel to smartphone I’m actually just starting to walk to see how the image stabilization works in 4k I mean looking at it from my smartphone it looks pretty good I mean it does a really good job it’s pretty stable it’s not too shaky which is great so I think you could use this too maybe you should do some vlogging if you’d like there’s great range details as the present there’s a moving car and yeah I mean overall it looks pretty good super cool.

All right so I think it’s about time to wrap up my thoughts on the Google pixel 2 I really enjoyed my time using this device the design was something that took me a while to get used to especially you know coming from the Galaxy Sade and the LG G6 but the positive side towards these bezels is the implementation of dual front-facing speakers and they sound amazing the lack of a headphone jack is a deal-breaker to me personally. 

But it’s what it is we I guess we have to just live with it but if you desperately need a headphone jack you should probably avoid this phone and you know look towards something like the oneplus 5t I think what makes a pixel to stand out from the competition is the software experience Google has done a terrific job combining AI with hardware and software to give users this seamless experience the UI is cleaner it’s great.

There are no bloat ware applications it’s easier to understand and of course it’s fast it helps a lot with performance but most importantly the squeeze feature is great you can just squeeze the phone to activate Google assistant and if we have smart devices connected to your place you can control it seamlessly with just a few steps and that’s amazing it’s a lot superior than Bixby that’s for sure and the last thing that. 

I have to talk about is the camera it’s the best in the business the results really do speak for themselves and I’d love to hear your thoughts on that in the comments what really surprised me was the portrait mode on the sensor it just Google does a fantastic job just analyzing the edges around the subject and it isolates the background there are no weird artifacts.

Whatsoever I mean it’s a hit or miss sometimes depending on harsh conditions but most of the time you’re really gonna get an awesome image when you decide to use the portrait mode if you’re hardcore into mobile photography the pixel 2 is certainly for you and finally let’s talk about pricing because its $650 this is an expensive smartphone especially when compared to the oneplus 5t that retails for $500 but when you put this up against the Galaxy Note 8 that’s $1000 or the galaxy s8 plus that’s even a lot more expensive than the pixel 2 what really makes a smart phone shine over the rest of competition is the camera the battery life the software experience you are the first in line to receive updates so you

don’t have to worry about that in the long run.