Thursday, 5 October 2017
Key Features
- Review Price: £799
- 6-inch QHD+ display
- 12-megapixel camera
- Snapdragon 835
- 4GB RAM
- 64GB or 128GB storage
- USB-C
Google Pixel 2 XL price
Pricing for the Google Pixel 2 XL starts at £799 for the 64GB model and rises to £899 for the 128GB option.
Google Pixel 2 XL release date
The Google Pixel 2 XL is available to pre-order now, with a release date in November.
Hands-on with the Google Pixel 2 XL
Of the two Pixel phones Google has just announced, the Pixel 2 XL comfortably feels like the more exciting option. The smaller Pixel 2 feels like a typical generational evolution, but the Pixel 2 XL actually seems like a flagship worthy of taking on the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and iPhone X.
The biggest difference between the two Pixel devices is the design. The Pixel 2 follows the blueprint of the original, but the Pixel 2 XL goes in a more modern direction. Like the LG V30 and Galaxy S8, it slims down the bezel surrounding the display and pushes that panel right to the edge. Not only does this look more slick, but it also gets you a bigger screen in a body that’s a similar size to the older XL.
Google has slightly updated the back of the phone, too. The contrasting glass panel that covers the camera is still present, but it’s shorter than before – and I doubt the reaction to it will quite so contrasting. It also no longer covers the fingerprint sensor. Hopefully, it won’t get quite so grimy as it did before.
The Pixel 2 XL is a good-looking phone, which is comfortably better than its predecessor, featuring a full-screen front and decent sounding front-firing speakers. These do, however, come at the cost of the headphone jack. You’ll either be using a USB-C dongle or a pair of Bluetooth headphones – the excellent Bowers and Wilkins PX, for example – with the Pixel 2 XL.
Look past the design, and there isn’t much that separates the Pixel 2 XL from the smaller Pixel 2. There’s a Snapdragon 835 paired with 4GB of RAM, plus either 64GB or 128GB of internal storage. In my short time with the device, it felt fast –but I wouldn’t expect anything less. The real test will be how it performs over an extended period of time. The first Pixel handsets impressed in this regard, so fingers crossed that the same is true with these new devices.
The bump up in storage is welcome – the older Pixel XL started with just 32GB – but the lack of a microSD card will no doubt irk many. The phone is at least IP67-rated for water-resistance, plus it features new pressure-sensitive sides that can be squeezed to open up Google Assistant.
The two real strengths of the original Pixel were its excellent camera and clean software, and I’m hoping both will impress on the new model. Google has once again layered a Pixel Launcher over the top of Android 8.0, adding in a few new tricks that will probably trickle down to other Android phones soon. The search bar now sits below the icons – an odd move, I must say – and there’s a new calendar widget that dynamically changes to show upcoming events and weather.
Android in its purest form, as seen on these devices, is still the best way to experience it. Samsung and LG’s skins might have a greater number of features tacked on, but the smoothness and lack of bloatware make unskinned Android so much slicker.
I have high hopes for Google Pixel XL 2’s rear camera, but I’ll need to spend more time with it to see just how it has changed. The 12-megapixel sensor now benefits from optical image stabilisation – a big addition – plus a wider f/1.7 aperture that will let more light into snaps. There’s also a portrait mode that uses machine learning to blur the background behind the subject.
There’s a 3575mAh battery inside, plus fast charging. No wireless charging, though.
Opening impressions
The most significant thing to hold back the first Pixel XL was its bland design. Thankfully, with the Pixel 2 XL this is no longer the case. This is clearly the phone Google is hoping will go toe-to-toe with the iPhone X.
