The Google Pixel 2 follows the model set by last year's first-gen Pixel, combining top-notch specs with Google's software expertise. Powered by the latest Android 8.0 Oreo (with no bloat whatsoever), the phone offers a set of promising stereo speakers, a 5-inch OLED screen, water resistance and a rear-positioned fingerprint scanner. Its highlight, however, is the 12MP camera. While it is no slower than any other high-end camera, this shooter uses multiple frame processing to create photos with better dynamics range. Portrait mode is also on board. One thing that is missing, however, is a 3.5mm audio jack.
The Google Pixel 2 follows the model set by last year's first-gen Pixel, combining top-notch specs with Google's software expertise. Powered by the latest Android 8.0 Oreo (with no bloat whatsoever), the phone offers a set of promising stereo speakers, a 5-inch OLED screen, water resistance and a rear-positioned fingerprint scanner. Its highlight, however, is the 12MP camera. While it is no slower than any other high-end camera, this shooter uses multiple frame processing to create photos with better dynamics range. Portrait mode is also on board. One thing that is missing, however, is a 3.5mm audio jack.
The Google Pixel 2 follows the model set by last year's first-gen Pixel, combining top-notch specs with Google's software expertise. Powered by the latest Android 8.0 Oreo (with no bloat whatsoever), the phone offers a set of promising stereo speakers, a 5-inch OLED screen, water resistance and a rear-positioned fingerprint scanner. Its highlight, however, is the 12MP camera. While it is no slower than any other high-end camera, this shooter uses multiple frame processing to create photos with better dynamics range. Portrait mode is also on board. One thing that is missing, however, is a 3.5mm audio jack.
The Google Pixel 2 follows the model set by last year's first-gen Pixel, combining top-notch specs with Google's software expertise. Powered by the latest Android 8.0 Oreo (with no bloat whatsoever), the phone offers a set of promising stereo speakers, a 5-inch OLED screen, water resistance and a rear-positioned fingerprint scanner. Its highlight, however, is the 12MP camera. While it is no slower than any other high-end camera, this shooter uses multiple frame processing to create photos with better dynamics range. Portrait mode is also on board. One thing that is missing, however, is a 3.5mm audio jack.
Last updated at 06/09/2026 19:35:29
Google Pixel XL (G-2PW2200 128GB 4G LTE)
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
Google Pixel XL - 128GB - Very Silver (Unlocked) Smartphone
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
originally posted on bestbuy.com
While the Pixel XL is a top-notch phone that is a joy to use, it feels like Google is mostly playing catch-up with their competitors rather than innovating a must-have device. With some features lacking/missing, it seems appropriate for the Pixel phones to have been priced a bit more competitively than they were.The aluminum and glass construction looks and feels nice. While some opinions differ, I like the rear placement of the fingerprint sensor, which suits my usage patterns. The display is very vibrant--quite usable outside mid-day--and extremely responsive to the touch. The display's QHD resolution provides such high pixels per inch count that I suspect the details displayed are beyond what my vision is able to process. The top-notch processor and abundant ... MoreWhile the Pixel XL is a top-notch phone that is a joy to use, it feels like Google is mostly playing catch-up with their competitors rather than innovating a must-have device. With some features lacking/missing, it seems appropriate for the Pixel phones to have been priced a bit more competitively than they were.The aluminum and glass construction looks and feels nice. While some opinions differ, I like the rear placement of the fingerprint sensor, which suits my usage patterns. The display is very vibrant--quite usable outside mid-day--and extremely responsive to the touch. The display's QHD resolution provides such high pixels per inch count that I suspect the details displayed are beyond what my vision is able to process. The top-notch processor and abundant memory ensured a very smooth experience with all apps and games that I tested. The battery survives heavy usage throughout the day, and the fast battery charging feels snappy, an increasingly important convenience.The camera quality was obviously a huge factor in the design of this phone, and it will likely impress the majority of users. Despite the lack of optical image stabilizer, still images produced both outside and inside were of superb quality. The electronic image stabilization provides an impressive degree of jitter reduction when recording videos. The one point of disappointment, however, was that in-door videos had a huge plummet in detail--more than I was expecting--accompanied by a large presence of grain when compared to video recorded in out-door lighting, where the UHD 4K resolution really allowed details to shine.The single bottom-edge-mounted speaker provides adequate volume and reasonable quality for a phone, but is generally unremarkable. Mid to high range tones sound good without becoming tinny, but as is typical with speakers in mobile devices, low tones fall out with bass generally being inaudible. Fortunately the audio jack comes to the rescue when watching videos and listening to music. The microphone has good volume and clarity in-doors (not tested out-doors), with phone calls being clear on both ends.This phone is sorely missing a microSD card slot, a basic feature which I've come to expect in mobile devices; combined with a non-replaceable battery, it almost feels like Google is hoping users will treat these phones as disposable, quickly discarding them when newer Google phones become available. Also noticeably missing is wireless charging, a feature present in some competing phones. On paper, the Pixel's IP53 water resistance rating falls well short of competing phones.While I appreciate the improvements present in Google Assistant, I would like to have seen them implemented as advancement of Google Now, rather than being reserved exclusively to uplift Google's own phones, which I feel should be able to stand on the merits of their hardware and design; this feels like a rather empty gimmick to me. The back-end search of Google Assistant still shares many of the pit-falls of Google Now, leaving plenty of room for improvement. As an example, when I asked Google Assistant to navigate to the nearest hospital, it directed me to a pet hospital; not what I would hope for in an emergency.While I don't imagine this first generation of the Pixel will be swaying many Apple users over to Android, it sets a nice bar for the Android phone market and provides a top-notch experience for those wanting access to the cutting edge in Android developments straight from Google.
originally posted on ebay.com
The Google Pixel XL is a marvelous cell phone, but little it isn't. It is a nice lightweight mini tablet with a hugh almost 3.5A-H battery. The Pixel uses an AMOLED type screen, and as such continuously displayed bright images will wear down the individual LED's, causing a retro image to remain as an inverse when a white screen is displayed. It is similar to the retro images your eye sees after looking at a very bright image for a while. It is only a problem on white screens. There are essentially two variations that exist for US use: Those that came from the Google Play store, or its equivalent, and those that came from Verizon... at a discount. The model numbers, and physicality of either is absolutely identical. As far as I can tell, the only real difference is ... MoreThe Google Pixel XL is a marvelous cell phone, but little it isn't. It is a nice lightweight mini tablet with a hugh almost 3.5A-H battery. The Pixel uses an AMOLED type screen, and as such continuously displayed bright images will wear down the individual LED's, causing a retro image to remain as an inverse when a white screen is displayed. It is similar to the retro images your eye sees after looking at a very bright image for a while. It is only a problem on white screens. There are essentially two variations that exist for US use: Those that came from the Google Play store, or its equivalent, and those that came from Verizon... at a discount. The model numbers, and physicality of either is absolutely identical. As far as I can tell, the only real difference is in a database that Google hosts of Verizon models. When the user opens up the Developer options, and selects the Unlock Boot Loader option on a google playstore phone, the phone will get onto the internet by way of WIFI, and it will check the database at Google, and if the IMEI is on it, as a Google playstore phone, it will allow the boot loader to be unlocked. If this is attempted with a Verizon phone, the option to unlock the boot loader will be grayed out. Be warned, once a verizon phone, always a verizon phone. The phone will be automatically unlocked for GSM carriers after the contract is finished profitably, but it will never be unlocked into being a Google playstore phone. It will never have its bootloader freed of the verizon apron strings. There is a way of hacking the phone (for now), but it would be better if all Pixel owners would mount a campaign with Verizon to have the curse lifted. Otherwise it is a fantastic phone... but the Verizon model should be 1/2 the price of the playstore model because of the inconvenience it represents. I run LineagOS on mine, after hacking the phone to unlock the boot loader, but I am forever reminded of what I have done whenever I start the phone, or try to use a secured application like Google Pay, and find it is forbidden. The Google PixelXL is a wonderful phone, but you might want to avoid the phone if it was provided from Verizon. Be warned, those
originally posted on vzw.com
From the experience all the way down to the aesthetics of the phone I love my pixel xl. The "pure Android experience" Google offers with their OS on their device makes everything on this phone smooth as butter. Battery life is amazing and had allowed me to stream Netflix for around 8 hours straight with 15 or so percent battery still left and when the battery does get low the phone charges in around an hour to full battery. The fingerprint scanner on this phone is also amazing and never has issues recognizing my print. On top of that it has fantastic placement that allows me to usually have the phone unlocked before it's even out of my pocket because my finger just naturally rests right on top of it. Finally one more feature I've noticed (of which I'm sure I will ... MoreFrom the experience all the way down to the aesthetics of the phone I love my pixel xl. The "pure Android experience" Google offers with their OS on their device makes everything on this phone smooth as butter. Battery life is amazing and had allowed me to stream Netflix for around 8 hours straight with 15 or so percent battery still left and when the battery does get low the phone charges in around an hour to full battery. The fingerprint scanner on this phone is also amazing and never has issues recognizing my print. On top of that it has fantastic placement that allows me to usually have the phone unlocked before it's even out of my pocket because my finger just naturally rests right on top of it. Finally one more feature I've noticed (of which I'm sure I will discover more being that I've only had it a week) is that this phone automatically detects spam calls and will alert you that a call may be spam so that you can easily know if it is safe to ignore a call you don't know the number for. The only real cons I have to say about this phone is google does ask for a lot of permissions and they're worded a bit weird sometimes which makes it sound scary to the untrained user and I dislike that I can't remove the weather/time and google button from my main page. These widgets are apparently a part of the launcher for the phone so unless I download a new one from Google play or somewhere else they're stuck there. Neither of these things were even enough for me to feel it was worthy of less than 5 stars though. Seriously if you're an Android fan or someone looking to make that switch this is the phone I would go with because most others just bog down the operating system with extra software that makes it slower and kills your battery. I have owned multiple androids some galaxy some not and even a few iPhones and this still takes the spot for the best phone I've ever had the pleasure of using.
Google Pixel XL (G-2PW2200 128GB 4G LTE)
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
Google Pixel XL - 128GB - Very Silver (Unlocked) Smartphone
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
While the Pixel XL is a top-notch phone that is a joy to use, it feels like Google is mostly playing catch-up with their competitors rather than innovating a must-have device. With some features lacking/missing, it seems appropriate for the Pixel phones to have been priced a bit more competitively than they were.The aluminum and glass construction looks and feels nice. While some opinions differ, I like the rear placement of the fingerprint sensor, which suits my usage patterns. The display is very vibrant--quite usable outside mid-day--and extremely responsive to the touch. The display's QHD resolution provides such high pixels per inch count that I suspect the details displayed are beyond what my vision is able to process. The top-notch processor and abundant ... MoreWhile the Pixel XL is a top-notch phone that is a joy to use, it feels like Google is mostly playing catch-up with their competitors rather than innovating a must-have device. With some features lacking/missing, it seems appropriate for the Pixel phones to have been priced a bit more competitively than they were.The aluminum and glass construction looks and feels nice. While some opinions differ, I like the rear placement of the fingerprint sensor, which suits my usage patterns. The display is very vibrant--quite usable outside mid-day--and extremely responsive to the touch. The display's QHD resolution provides such high pixels per inch count that I suspect the details displayed are beyond what my vision is able to process. The top-notch processor and abundant memory ensured a very smooth experience with all apps and games that I tested. The battery survives heavy usage throughout the day, and the fast battery charging feels snappy, an increasingly important convenience.The camera quality was obviously a huge factor in the design of this phone, and it will likely impress the majority of users. Despite the lack of optical image stabilizer, still images produced both outside and inside were of superb quality. The electronic image stabilization provides an impressive degree of jitter reduction when recording videos. The one point of disappointment, however, was that in-door videos had a huge plummet in detail--more than I was expecting--accompanied by a large presence of grain when compared to video recorded in out-door lighting, where the UHD 4K resolution really allowed details to shine.The single bottom-edge-mounted speaker provides adequate volume and reasonable quality for a phone, but is generally unremarkable. Mid to high range tones sound good without becoming tinny, but as is typical with speakers in mobile devices, low tones fall out with bass generally being inaudible. Fortunately the audio jack comes to the rescue when watching videos and listening to music. The microphone has good volume and clarity in-doors (not tested out-doors), with phone calls being clear on both ends.This phone is sorely missing a microSD card slot, a basic feature which I've come to expect in mobile devices; combined with a non-replaceable battery, it almost feels like Google is hoping users will treat these phones as disposable, quickly discarding them when newer Google phones become available. Also noticeably missing is wireless charging, a feature present in some competing phones. On paper, the Pixel's IP53 water resistance rating falls well short of competing phones.While I appreciate the improvements present in Google Assistant, I would like to have seen them implemented as advancement of Google Now, rather than being reserved exclusively to uplift Google's own phones, which I feel should be able to stand on the merits of their hardware and design; this feels like a rather empty gimmick to me. The back-end search of Google Assistant still shares many of the pit-falls of Google Now, leaving plenty of room for improvement. As an example, when I asked Google Assistant to navigate to the nearest hospital, it directed me to a pet hospital; not what I would hope for in an emergency.While I don't imagine this first generation of the Pixel will be swaying many Apple users over to Android, it sets a nice bar for the Android phone market and provides a top-notch experience for those wanting access to the cutting edge in Android developments straight from Google.
The Google Pixel XL is a marvelous cell phone, but little it isn't. It is a nice lightweight mini tablet with a hugh almost 3.5A-H battery. The Pixel uses an AMOLED type screen, and as such continuously displayed bright images will wear down the individual LED's, causing a retro image to remain as an inverse when a white screen is displayed. It is similar to the retro images your eye sees after looking at a very bright image for a while. It is only a problem on white screens. There are essentially two variations that exist for US use: Those that came from the Google Play store, or its equivalent, and those that came from Verizon... at a discount. The model numbers, and physicality of either is absolutely identical. As far as I can tell, the only real difference is ... MoreThe Google Pixel XL is a marvelous cell phone, but little it isn't. It is a nice lightweight mini tablet with a hugh almost 3.5A-H battery. The Pixel uses an AMOLED type screen, and as such continuously displayed bright images will wear down the individual LED's, causing a retro image to remain as an inverse when a white screen is displayed. It is similar to the retro images your eye sees after looking at a very bright image for a while. It is only a problem on white screens. There are essentially two variations that exist for US use: Those that came from the Google Play store, or its equivalent, and those that came from Verizon... at a discount. The model numbers, and physicality of either is absolutely identical. As far as I can tell, the only real difference is in a database that Google hosts of Verizon models. When the user opens up the Developer options, and selects the Unlock Boot Loader option on a google playstore phone, the phone will get onto the internet by way of WIFI, and it will check the database at Google, and if the IMEI is on it, as a Google playstore phone, it will allow the boot loader to be unlocked. If this is attempted with a Verizon phone, the option to unlock the boot loader will be grayed out. Be warned, once a verizon phone, always a verizon phone. The phone will be automatically unlocked for GSM carriers after the contract is finished profitably, but it will never be unlocked into being a Google playstore phone. It will never have its bootloader freed of the verizon apron strings. There is a way of hacking the phone (for now), but it would be better if all Pixel owners would mount a campaign with Verizon to have the curse lifted. Otherwise it is a fantastic phone... but the Verizon model should be 1/2 the price of the playstore model because of the inconvenience it represents. I run LineagOS on mine, after hacking the phone to unlock the boot loader, but I am forever reminded of what I have done whenever I start the phone, or try to use a secured application like Google Pay, and find it is forbidden. The Google PixelXL is a wonderful phone, but you might want to avoid the phone if it was provided from Verizon. Be warned, those
From the experience all the way down to the aesthetics of the phone I love my pixel xl. The "pure Android experience" Google offers with their OS on their device makes everything on this phone smooth as butter. Battery life is amazing and had allowed me to stream Netflix for around 8 hours straight with 15 or so percent battery still left and when the battery does get low the phone charges in around an hour to full battery. The fingerprint scanner on this phone is also amazing and never has issues recognizing my print. On top of that it has fantastic placement that allows me to usually have the phone unlocked before it's even out of my pocket because my finger just naturally rests right on top of it. Finally one more feature I've noticed (of which I'm sure I will ... MoreFrom the experience all the way down to the aesthetics of the phone I love my pixel xl. The "pure Android experience" Google offers with their OS on their device makes everything on this phone smooth as butter. Battery life is amazing and had allowed me to stream Netflix for around 8 hours straight with 15 or so percent battery still left and when the battery does get low the phone charges in around an hour to full battery. The fingerprint scanner on this phone is also amazing and never has issues recognizing my print. On top of that it has fantastic placement that allows me to usually have the phone unlocked before it's even out of my pocket because my finger just naturally rests right on top of it. Finally one more feature I've noticed (of which I'm sure I will discover more being that I've only had it a week) is that this phone automatically detects spam calls and will alert you that a call may be spam so that you can easily know if it is safe to ignore a call you don't know the number for. The only real cons I have to say about this phone is google does ask for a lot of permissions and they're worded a bit weird sometimes which makes it sound scary to the untrained user and I dislike that I can't remove the weather/time and google button from my main page. These widgets are apparently a part of the launcher for the phone so unless I download a new one from Google play or somewhere else they're stuck there. Neither of these things were even enough for me to feel it was worthy of less than 5 stars though. Seriously if you're an Android fan or someone looking to make that switch this is the phone I would go with because most others just bog down the operating system with extra software that makes it slower and kills your battery. I have owned multiple androids some galaxy some not and even a few iPhones and this still takes the spot for the best phone I've ever had the pleasure of using.
I loved this phone. I told everyone I knew to buy a Pixel. It was my favorite phone I have ever owned until Thanksgiving day. I was at Universal Studios to watch my senior daughter perform in what may be her very last and only(thanks to covid) high school dance performance. An hour before the performance, my camera suddenly stopped working. When I would try to open the app and nothing would happen. I frantically tried all of the trouble shooting steps. I even installed a new camera app. Nothing. Then, I read an article on Forbes and Reddit that explained that this is a huge problem with some Pixels after the latest Android update. What a disappointment at such a terrible time. I didn't have my camera for a once in a lifetime moment with my daughter or for the rest ... MoreI loved this phone. I told everyone I knew to buy a Pixel. It was my favorite phone I have ever owned until Thanksgiving day. I was at Universal Studios to watch my senior daughter perform in what may be her very last and only(thanks to covid) high school dance performance. An hour before the performance, my camera suddenly stopped working. When I would try to open the app and nothing would happen. I frantically tried all of the trouble shooting steps. I even installed a new camera app. Nothing. Then, I read an article on Forbes and Reddit that explained that this is a huge problem with some Pixels after the latest Android update. What a disappointment at such a terrible time. I didn't have my camera for a once in a lifetime moment with my daughter or for the rest of a very special trip. The whole reason I bought this phone was for the camera features. This really couldn't have happened at a worse time. I'm very disappointed with Google because apparently this happened with the Pixel 2s and there still isn't a fix. They are replacing some phones out of warranty only to get another phone with the same issue. We are home from our trip now and I will begin the process of getting this replaced. Huge disappointment.
The Google Pixel 4 XL 128GB surely is a staple in the mobile phone world, Google's persistence and keeping it simple makes setup a snap, I migrated from the Google Pixel 2 XL 128GB without any delays aside from 2 apps being unsupported in data backup via PC (app developers' fault.) It is a fast phone with a lot of user features, I love the simplicity of the facial recognition. I first thought early on that removing the fingerprint scanner would grow dislike on my end, but turns out that Google's facial recognition A.I. is reliable, no more sweaty finger prints when leaving the gym or ineligible prints on a cold day. The camera is a solid 6.5 out of 10, there's room for improvements, compared to Samsung's flagship S20 models and wide photographs, Google is behind. I ... MoreThe Google Pixel 4 XL 128GB surely is a staple in the mobile phone world, Google's persistence and keeping it simple makes setup a snap, I migrated from the Google Pixel 2 XL 128GB without any delays aside from 2 apps being unsupported in data backup via PC (app developers' fault.) It is a fast phone with a lot of user features, I love the simplicity of the facial recognition. I first thought early on that removing the fingerprint scanner would grow dislike on my end, but turns out that Google's facial recognition A.I. is reliable, no more sweaty finger prints when leaving the gym or ineligible prints on a cold day. The camera is a solid 6.5 out of 10, there's room for improvements, compared to Samsung's flagship S20 models and wide photographs, Google is behind. I would hope they compete within the next 2-4 years throughout that arena. Another fault is the limited storage options. Along with better cameras, comes larger storage usage - we need more capacity options. For protection, I recommend the vCommute case along with Zagg's tempered glass (anti-bacterial) screen protector.) Last worthy mention: We're still waiting for the Pixel Earbuds, WearOS is doing solid paired with Android, shoutout to @Fossil for the upgraded Gen 5! This device is an easy win for me.
I've had my (refurbished) Pixel 2 xl for 2 weeks now. I had a Kyocera Duraforce Pro with Sapphire screen just before and an S5 before that. I also have an iphone 7 plus for work. The S5 didn't have enough memory, and then the Kyocera overheated after about 6 months and wouldn't charge. Verizon replaced it with this, which was a GREAT deal. The Pixel is very nice. This size is fine for my hands which are medium large. The screen has a very good image, absolutely no complaints. The camera is strangely good in that it seems to get a good picture when I would think there is no good picture to be gotten, specifically in low light and when the scene has bright and dark spots. I kind of like the 2x camera on the iphone, though, because you can get portraits with a flatter ... MoreI've had my (refurbished) Pixel 2 xl for 2 weeks now. I had a Kyocera Duraforce Pro with Sapphire screen just before and an S5 before that. I also have an iphone 7 plus for work. The S5 didn't have enough memory, and then the Kyocera overheated after about 6 months and wouldn't charge. Verizon replaced it with this, which was a GREAT deal. The Pixel is very nice. This size is fine for my hands which are medium large. The screen has a very good image, absolutely no complaints. The camera is strangely good in that it seems to get a good picture when I would think there is no good picture to be gotten, specifically in low light and when the scene has bright and dark spots. I kind of like the 2x camera on the iphone, though, because you can get portraits with a flatter look. You can double tap on the Pixel and get a similar flat digital zoom effect, but then you lose some sharpness. Most people would not notice. I also liked the wide-angle on the Kyocera but Google sells a case online with a non-wobbly built-in wide angle lens as an aftermarket product on their site which gets good reviews, so that may help me some with those kinds of pictures in the future. The optical stabilization on the movie camera is amazingly good. You can start the camera, even when locked,with a doubleclick of the power key, then almost immediately, click the shutter with the volume key right next to it and it reacts extremely quickly. If you continue to hold down the volume key it will take repeated pictures then will find the least shaky one in the group. So, the wait for this, wait for that can be reduced for benefit of your subjects. I definitely like the stock Google interface, including the widget capability. The battery life seems excellent, comparable to the iPhone 7 plus, much better than my other two previous phones. The stereo speakers on either side in landscape mode are nice. Not screaming loud, like the Kyocera at 100 db, but at least clearly stereo. Talking on speakerphone mode is good, but not as brilliant as either the iPhone 7 or the Kyocera. The one thing that Kyocera had was that it could be LOUD. I have mixed feelings about the lack of headphone jack. I have an external thumb-drive sized DAC, that I sometimes use, which works fine with this phone, so I am kind of used to earphone dongles, anyway. The sound with the built-in dongle with my own Bowers and Wilkins wired earbuds is fine, including bass, though a little better with my DAC dongle by way of the provided OTG cable. I bought wireless aptx BT 4.1 earbuds and they are very good and I also got a BT 4.1 car unit, because I only have AUX input on my older car, and that device works amazingly well, and it solves the playing/charging simultaneously issue I would have had with the hardwired AUX. With that device, when I start the engine, Google Auto starts automatically and Google maps offers the most likely trip home/work. All I have to do is turn up the volume on the car radio, since on my VW the volume drops down when you turn the car off. Then when I turn off the car, 10 seconds later, Android Auto shuts down. It does not charge quickly with "Quickcharge" chargers, it does better with "Power Delivery" which is what Apple uses. You can get an app that tells you what the charging amperage is and 1050 mA indicates it is doing well if you want to check your old chargers. It has no removable memory, but you can play music off of a micro SD with the included OTG cable and a usb adapter. You can always move movies to a usb based card to free up space, or of course, to the cloud. The screen is glass over plastic, so it has a plastic-y give when you touch it but it is slick and resists fingerprints, like glass, so thanks for that. People online seem dissatisfied with the available screen protectors as the screen is curved at the sides. The fingerprint reader on the back is better than those on the front, but I kind of liked the fingerprint on the side power button on the Kyocera. Not possible with a phone this thin. The haptic feedback is adjustible for the keyboard function so when typing it can be strong, however it is not adjustable in strength for the phone ringer. The default is very light. So, if you turn off the ringer and want to be notified by a vibration, you need to pay close attention. No phone's perfect, plus the Pixels seem to be on sale a lot of places, so, Recommended.
After I bought it from Verizon, I went to use the camera and it was blurry. The night sight setting, doesn't even work, it's just an insanely grainy photo. Trying to take videos, and it ends up blurry and grainy. I've had it for a little over a year, my phone keeps overheating, the internet stops working along with mobile data, can't watch anything on YouTube since it either goes basically frame by frame or jacks up the screen, the volume sucks, it's always to quiet even if it's all the way up. It keeps acting up and deleting photos or videos, before I can back it up on Google photos. I can't even watch Netflix or Hulu on it since it messes up that too. When I bought it I was told it was the best on the market, and that it was know for the camera being awesome. I ... MoreAfter I bought it from Verizon, I went to use the camera and it was blurry. The night sight setting, doesn't even work, it's just an insanely grainy photo. Trying to take videos, and it ends up blurry and grainy. I've had it for a little over a year, my phone keeps overheating, the internet stops working along with mobile data, can't watch anything on YouTube since it either goes basically frame by frame or jacks up the screen, the volume sucks, it's always to quiet even if it's all the way up. It keeps acting up and deleting photos or videos, before I can back it up on Google photos. I can't even watch Netflix or Hulu on it since it messes up that too. When I bought it I was told it was the best on the market, and that it was know for the camera being awesome. I honestly feel so disappointed with it, and don't plan on getting any pixel or goggle phone ever again. It's not just my phone having this problem, my mom and brother got the same type of phone on the same day and they have the same problems.
Personally when I buy a phone I want a simple stress-free texting and calling experience with great reception, cellular service, and battery life.Strengths:1. Simple layout especially after downloading Android Pie! Previously I had the Samsung Galaxy S5, and at the time I thought that was simple, but this phone opens new basic options to me I never thought of! It gives me a Do Not Disturb icon (next to Bluetooth). Holding it down opens a menu that lets me configure it so that my starred contacts beep for texts and all my contacts ring for calls (easy to personalize however you want!). I no longer have to worry about random phone numbers ringing while I am at work, if I ever forget to turn off the volume! Instead, I just keep Do Not Disturb on! The phone also ... MorePersonally when I buy a phone I want a simple stress-free texting and calling experience with great reception, cellular service, and battery life.Strengths:1. Simple layout especially after downloading Android Pie! Previously I had the Samsung Galaxy S5, and at the time I thought that was simple, but this phone opens new basic options to me I never thought of! It gives me a Do Not Disturb icon (next to Bluetooth). Holding it down opens a menu that lets me configure it so that my starred contacts beep for texts and all my contacts ring for calls (easy to personalize however you want!). I no longer have to worry about random phone numbers ringing while I am at work, if I ever forget to turn off the volume! Instead, I just keep Do Not Disturb on! The phone also appears to be bloatware free, unlike Samsung, which shoves apps at you that cannot be uninstalled. Additionally, I am happy to be able to use apps like Smart Keyboard by Dexilog without any issues (makes texting super quick with compact mode which is even better than T9 word function on flip phones!)!2. The camera appears to be pretty good and pictures automatically upload to the cloud and will do so for the lifetime of the phone from what Ive read! I think I may actually start using my smartphone as a camera occasionally!Neutral:1. Google Fi appears to run smoothly (switched from Verizon one month ago) with a few unfortunate quirks that require the user to make a few adjustments to optimize call quality and texting. Incoming call quality is always crystal clear no matter what setting you use. The problem is initially my outgoing calls resulted in fuzzy reception on the other end (an issue I didnt have with Verizon). Luckily, AFTER enabling data and Enhance network BETA (Fi tool), the call quality they received improved significantly. When Im away from WiFi, having data enabled also allows me to receive all my texts. Keeping data on, all my calling and texting issues were resolved, and I can also surf the internet and open an Google Maps occasionally for traffic updates for only 37 cents (37 MB of data) for my first month of Fi. The problem is I know several people who arent tech-savvy at all, they dont use the web and wouldnt think to enable data for basic things a phone should do flawlessly without it (calling and texting), and theyd just assume the person on the other end of the call wasnt able to understand them and texts werent always coming through because the phone was flawed. And indeed the software, in this one instance, can be optimized to be more user friendly!Weaknesses:1. Battery life is only 2-3 days (with 2-3 hours screen time per day)! About 10 years ago I had a flip phone that got 4 weeks battery life, then I downgraded to the Samsung Galaxy S5, which got 3 weeks battery in Ultra Power Savings Mode. Sadly, the Pixel XL does not have Ultra Power Savings Mode so its battery life is absolutely terrible. I like to be able text as much as I need to and not have to worry about remembering to charge it so frequently!2. The Pixel XL does not have a removable battery. I dont know why they keep on making these metal phones! Plastic doesnt heat up as much, Ive also read cellular signals go through plastic better (glass fronts and backs are almost as good reception-wise Ive read), and it is easier to design so that batteries can be removed, which gives amazing peace of mind in case something ever goes wrong and a new battery is needed! I think a few people like these ultra thin things, but plastic is so much more practical! Ive also seen several shattered screens on metal phones, while everyone I know who owns a plastic phone (including myself) has never had this experience. Whenever I dropped my S5 it simply bounced, as plastic does, and my screen was perfectly fine.
Well after much anticipation my Google Pixel XL arrived.Inside the box you will find the Pixel, wrapped up in a protective plastic wrap, a 30A wall plug, a USB A to C cable for the charger, a USB C to C cable and a USB C to USB A dongle. All nice inclusions since most phones don’t include any other cables or dongles. There isn’t a headset included but I really don’t care about that as I prefer my own brand of headsets and the OEM ones always stay in the box unused.Upon handling the Pixel XL it feels pretty good in hand, it feels smaller than the Nexus 6 “it is”, and just a tiny bit lighter. The back of the phone is sort of different with a two tone glass top 1/3 and a dull matt metal finish on the lower 2/3s.In the glass upper part there is a finger print ... MoreWell after much anticipation my Google Pixel XL arrived.Inside the box you will find the Pixel, wrapped up in a protective plastic wrap, a 30A wall plug, a USB A to C cable for the charger, a USB C to C cable and a USB C to USB A dongle. All nice inclusions since most phones don’t include any other cables or dongles. There isn’t a headset included but I really don’t care about that as I prefer my own brand of headsets and the OEM ones always stay in the box unused.Upon handling the Pixel XL it feels pretty good in hand, it feels smaller than the Nexus 6 “it is”, and just a tiny bit lighter. The back of the phone is sort of different with a two tone glass top 1/3 and a dull matt metal finish on the lower 2/3s.In the glass upper part there is a finger print reader that works pretty well, it seems plenty fast and unlocks the phone almost instantly.On the right side of the phone you will find the usual power button and the up / down volume lever “button”. I prefer having the power button on the side, as my last phone integrated the power button with the fingerprint reader and you had to pick up the phone to unlock it, which got annoying after a while.Upon booting the phone you go through the normal setups and the main interface is Google Launcher, not my favorite as I love to customize everything so I’ll be using Nova from now on, and it works perfectly on the Pixel.Speed wise the phone seems really fast, I don’t see any hesitation going through home screens or launching apps, using either Nova or the Google Launcher are plenty fast and I noticed no difference between them.I have around 75 apps I always keep on my phones and use, and after loading all of them I still have 29.7gb free, and this is after shooting a dozen or so full resolution pics, “no video yet”.I’ve only been able to test the back camera a little and so far from what I’ve found, outside it’s a decent camera but does not beat my current L branded phone, even friends looking at the pictures always picked the other over the Pixel, especially when it comes to fine detail when zooming in on a picture.On indoor and close up shots the Pixel was the winner, not by much but you could clearly see more detail in the lower light images and the close up images showed a fair amount more detail in them than the L branded phone.I’ve only had the phone for a few hours so far and it’s pretty impressive. I’ll keep testing and trying it out to see how well it works and how it compares to my other phones. Right now I’m very pleased with Googles new Pixel XL phone.
The Pixel XL has a 5.5-inch Quad HD AMOLED display that pops, its a high quality screen and matches that of other well known Amoled devices, its that good.Rocking the new Snapdragon 821 processor and 4gb of ram you wont find anything but smoothness when using this devices, from the moment you use it you will see just how fluid everything, and credit to google for making the software to take advantage of the hardware32gb of storage or 128gb, kinda sad we didn't get a 64gb option also as 128gb is more than ill ever need and 32gb is just not enough for me personallyGorilla glass and like most phones its a fingerprint magnetFinger Print sensor on the back works liek the previous Nexus with an added bonus, you can now slide your finger down the scanner to lower ... MoreThe Pixel XL has a 5.5-inch Quad HD AMOLED display that pops, its a high quality screen and matches that of other well known Amoled devices, its that good.Rocking the new Snapdragon 821 processor and 4gb of ram you wont find anything but smoothness when using this devices, from the moment you use it you will see just how fluid everything, and credit to google for making the software to take advantage of the hardware32gb of storage or 128gb, kinda sad we didn't get a 64gb option also as 128gb is more than ill ever need and 32gb is just not enough for me personallyGorilla glass and like most phones its a fingerprint magnetFinger Print sensor on the back works liek the previous Nexus with an added bonus, you can now slide your finger down the scanner to lower the notification shade on the phone12.3mp camera with large pixels at the back and 8mp at the front, this is another place Google have nailed it, the camera is amazing. Crisp clean images to rival any other handset. For video this is where Google may just stand in a league of there own, not only is it great at capturing detail but by placing the camera with the gyroscope it has created some of the most amazing stabilization ever seen, it has to be seen to be believedUSB C with fast charging of course.Only a single firing speaker but in my opinion the best you can get for a single fire system, it has some good sounds for what it isAt 3,450mAh, the Pixel XL's battery is among the largest we've seen in a flagship Android phone this year.Aesthetically the Pixel XL is a little bland, with a very large chin thats there for no reason other than symmetry, it feels great in hand but lacks that visual pop you get with some of itsNot only does this device work great on Verizon, but i have also used this on T-Mobile with no issuesSo to sum it up, the Google Pixel XL is the greatest phone i have ever used, its slick, its easy to hold, its a pleasure to navigate, while it may not be a looker on the outside its Googles magic on the inside that really makes this device shine and for me is a glimpse of the future. for a first generation true #MadeByGoogle device its really remarkableOh and Google assistant is great... and tell it "Im feeling lucky" for a really good surprise
