A month with Pixel 2 XL In the waning days of summer, I began my search for a new mobile phone. Purchasing an Essential PH-1 shortly after its release was an odd experience. I decided to send it back and write about my experience here. I waited until Google’s newest Pixel 2 XL was released in early November, and then I made the purchase. After roughly a month of use, my thoughts and opinions are presented in this essay.( Pixel 2 XL Used) The planning. Google has never been very strong in this area, and in my own ranking of organizations able to produce something
both convenient and aesthetically pleasing, it ranks closer to the bottom than the top. Seeing the Pixel 2 XL for the first time in Best Buy made me wonder, “Come on Google, why?” I don’t understand how you could make the LG V30 look any worse. I couldn’t stomach the thought of buying a phone in 2017 that didn’t have any bezels. After a month of use, I’ve gotten used to them and no longer have any dissonance, but certainly, they’re ugly, especially next to my nearly faultless in appearance Essential phone.Even though the chassis is composed of aluminum, Google has chosen to cover it with a second sheet of plastic. So, the reverse side has a plasticky texture. To avoid scratches and to conceal the metal plate used for the magnet phone holder in my car, the back of my phone is never seen or touched.Once I got beyond the initial “getting used to it” period, I thought the phone looked fine, but it wasn’t flawless. Audio equipment with stereo sound. I don’t know what’s going on, but there seems to be a lot of buzz about the speakers. While they are likely an improvement over single-driver speakers, your smartphone’s tweeters are still rather terrible. I would never contemplate listening to music through them
because they sound so terrible in comparison to headphones or an external speaker. In fact, my Amazon Kindle 3rd generation was the only mobile device I owned with excellent built-in sound, and I have no idea how they accomplished it. It was a true stereo system with bass, and in my opinion, it was superior to many budget headphones.If the Pixel 2 XL had a headphone jack or a larger battery, I wouldn’t think twice about ditching the dual speakers. Input for Headphones It has become trendy to lament the disappearance of a headphone jack. Apple, Google, and the rest of the industry are taking the heat for closing this crucial loophole. For me, this is not a problem because I own a high-quality set of wireless headphones. But only yesterday I came across an instance when the jack for headphones was indeed absent:
Display The press made a big deal about how bad the Pixel 2 XL’s screen was. The blue tint problem when the phone is tilted and screen burn-in are the two most common complaints. I would agree that the first one is real and easy to spot, but only if you know what to look for. In everyday use, I have no issues with it. But because I am aware of its existence, there are moments when I do take note of the tint and get the impression that my phone is less than ideal.I don’t think anyone outside of the nerd community has ever experienced burn-in. It’s true that xOLED displays have this problem; I just used a white-screen app on my dated Nexus 6P and saw the faint traces of the home button still visible. As time goes on, I expect the same will be true of my Pixel, but seriously, you need to be in a controlled environment to see it. Outside of the app’s white background, you can’t see it. The Positive Aspects Reading the first part of this review, you could get the impression that I didn’t care for this phone, but that’s not the case. The aforementioned issues are, in reality, minor
ones. In my opinion, these limitations do not hamper the following primary functions of a modern smartphone: Surfing the Net Using a camera The use of electronic messaging systems Driving in unfamiliar territory Using the phone Using several apps for entertainment purposes And for this purpose, there are merely four things a phone has to have: Fast and durable boast a high-quality camera and a large screen.
The Pixel 2 XL performs everything an A+ smartphone should, which is why I consider it to be “The Essential.” Hardware and Software The phone has good specs for 2017. All you really need to know is that it runs all of your apps quickly, regardless of whether or not you care that it has a Snapdragon 835, 4GB of RAM, or a 3520 mAh battery.Pure OS is a consideration for me because of my negative past experiences with vendor-customized versions of Android (particularly Samsung’s). I’m really impressed with the Pixel’s performance with stock Android, and there’s really nothing wrong with it. It’s also fantastic to be able to get updates (and I don’t mean having to wait a year for Samsung or HTC to finish testing before getting them). Google puts a
lot of time and effort into developing Android, so these updates — especially important ones — really do improve performance or add new features. SEE ALSO : A Comprehensive Guide To Digital Marketing For Contractors Comparison of camera-only vs. smartphone sales As smartphones have nearly supplanted point-and-shoot cameras, the ability to take visually appealing photos is a must-have feature for any smartphone in 2017. The camera on my Nexus 6P was fantastic, and I had a blast using Instagram. The major reason I sent back my PH-1 was because I wasn’t ready to settle for a lower-quality camera in 2017. I had no complaints about Pixel 2. In comparison to the original Nexus and Pixel, this is an enormous step forward. Pixel 2 has an excellent camera. It shoots quickly, captures vibrant colors with a broad dynamic range, performs admirably in dim lighting, and offers a very remarkable software-based portrait mode. Selfie and portrait settings
As a software corporation, Google relies solely on computation to achieve its goals. The Google Camera app will post-process all of your photos and may even upload them to Google’s servers to be enhanced with HDR+. It doesn’t appear really special before any editing, so I wouldn’t expect the Pixel’s camera technology to be significantly better than that of any other smartphone. The functionality of Google Camera is now unavailable to thirdparty apps as well. They understand the overall concept, but not the processing that went into it. New APIs and a Google-built image processing processor, both of which were inactive in Android 8.0 but will be enabled in Android 8.1 (remember that ability to get updates?). Compressible Corners At first, I dismissed it as yet another strange experiment that needed to be turned off immediately. After a month of use, though, I notice that I squeeze my phone multiple
times a day. Google Assistant helps me with basic tasks like searching the web, initiating a navigation, converting units, checking the weather, and more. Squeezing the phone appears to be the simplest way to activate it. I’ve never liked the concept of shouting “OK, GOOGLE!” into your phone in public, and it takes too much time to do it when you press the home button instead of the search bar. The simplest method is to simply squeeze. IP67. Finally, the Pixel 2 is waterproof. Neither have I ever dropped my phone in the toilet, nor do I intend to shoot photos in a pool, but I have managed to ruin more than a few other electronic gadgets by submerging them in water. Skiing, shooting in the rain, or being in close proximity to large water reservoirs are all activities where I don’t want to be concerned about my phone. With a built-in SIM card for Project Fi I’m a fan of Google’s Project Fi, so the fact that the Pixel 2 has an e-SIM as standard equipment is a nice addition. Therefore, if you’re using Project Fi, you can forego the SIM card altogether. I was wondering whether I could use
a SIM card from my home country’s provider to keep in touch with family and friends the entire way back. When I next fly, I will double-check. Power reserve After after about a day and a half of use, my Nexus 6P’s battery was already dead. I tried changing the battery, but it had no effect. Despite my current addiction to a silly online game, Pixel has made it through an entire day (counting the time spent sleeping). I expect the battery life to be comparable to the Nexus in two years, but I’m pleased with how long my current device lasts. The only thing I’d add is…
Previously, I owned not one but two Galaxy Note smartphones. Even though I’ll spend the rest of my life whining about TouchWiz, I really like using the stylus with those phones. Right now I’m working on my own project, which means I’m always meeting new individuals and taking notes. As a result, I find myself longing for the stylus. The 64GB model costs $850 plus tax on the Google Store. This is comparable to the cost of other high-end smartphones. Unopened, I purchased mine off of Craigslist for $700. I hope these individuals aren’t stealing, but it was a fairly good deal nonetheless. You can save a little more money by bundling the plan with one of the operator’s offerings, but I didn’t want to leave Project Fi. Conclusion While the Google Pixel 2 XL isn’t perfect, it’s still a fantastic smartphone. A month of use has convinced me that this is a fantastic product. Even if the LG V30 and Galaxy S/Note 8 have their own advantages — better design, more power, and a few extra features (the stylus! — I choose the Pixel 2 XL because of its excellent camera, pure Android experience, and compatibility with Project Fi. SEE ALSO : Google Pixelbook 12in
Please let me know what you think of my review in the comments below.