Last year, Google launched its first in-house developed smartphones that would replace the Nexus brand and become some of the best Android smartphones money could buy – theGoogle Pixel and Pixel XL. Stacked with the latest in hardware and excellent cameras to match, the two phones quickly gained traction and popularity in the Android world, despite some drawbacks, such as the lack of waterproofing on both and their not-so-cutting-edge designs.
This is now changing, however, as Google just announced this year's successors to the Pixels – the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. And while the sequel to last year's 5-inches retains much the same form factor and all-around design as its predecessor, the Pixel 2 XL is Google's take on the recent trend of thinning bezels and elongating displays.
Google Pixel 2 XL: high-end tech in an elegant enclosure
With its 2017 flagship lineup, Google is covering all bases. It offers a smaller, more traditional-looking phone for those who are not ready to embrace the bezel-less future just yet, while also catering to all the "futurists" with a device that follows the latest trends in smartphone industrial design (read, tall display and slim bezels). Ditching the standard 16:9 aspect ratio of years prior, the Pixel 2 XL sports a beautiful 6-inch OLED display with a native resolution of 1440 x 2880 and an aspect ratio of 18:9, akin to those found in the LG G6 and more recently the LG V30.
With its 2017 flagship lineup, Google is covering all bases. It offers a smaller, more traditional-looking phone for those who are not ready to embrace the bezel-less future just yet, while also catering to all the "futurists" with a device that follows the latest trends in smartphone industrial design (read, tall display and slim bezels). Ditching the standard 16:9 aspect ratio of years prior, the Pixel 2 XL sports a beautiful 6-inch OLED display with a native resolution of 1440 x 2880 and an aspect ratio of 18:9, akin to those found in the LG G6 and more recently the LG V30.
Speaking of LG phones, the Pixel 2 XL features a 3D Arc Glass display and sports a design that's somewhere in between the LG G6 and the Galaxy S8 Active, as far as the front panel and bezel thickness are concerned. However, the Pixel 2 XL is thinner than either and also makes good use of its top and bottom bezels by introducing front-facing stereo speakers, with the one on top doubling as an earpiece.
Around the back, the Pixel 2 XL retains the dual-material design aesthetic of its predecessor, sporting a metal-and-glass back panel, although it spices things up with a dual-tone color scheme. Google has also reduced the size of the glass plate for this year's lineup, leaving the rear-mounted fingerprint scanner surrounded by metal. The glass portion of the back now houses a more prominent-looking single camera than last year's model, coupled with an LED flash module next to it, as well as two "dots" beneath, which house the transmitter and receiver for the laser autofocusing system.
NO CORNERS CUT WHEN DESIGNING THIS YEAR'S PIXELS
Under the hood, the Pixel 2 XL is no slouch. It's far from it, in fact, as it is powered by Qualcomm's latestSnapdragon 835 CPU clocked at 2.35 GHz and coupled with a powerful GPU in the form of the Adreno 540, with 4GB of fast LPDDR4X RAM on the side. Yes, the phone doesn't come stacked with tons of RAM like some of its competition, which may be disappointing to certain audiences, but it should be more than enough to ensure a buttery smooth user experience, considering its running pure Android. The phone is also equipped with a 3520 mAh battery, slightly larger than last year's 3450 mAh battery that powered the Pixel XL.
Last year's Pixel models did not feature any form of water- or dust-resistance, because Google had been working on the designs for quite a while, before scrapping everything toward the end of 2015 and start from scratch, leaving engineers a mere 9 months finish work and be ready for launch. Given this time constraint, Google naturally had to cut some corners, and one of the compromises it decided to make was to not make the Pixels resistant to the elements. This changes with the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, however, as both are IP67-certified, meaning they are dustproof and water-resistant, so they can withstand some light showers and uh... some mud-diving?
It's a bit strange, considering how Google last year took a jab at Apple for removing the 3.5mm jack in the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, but this year's crop of Pixel phones do not offer this commodity either. Instead, Google has decided to go the wireless route and has developed its own wireless earbuds, called Pixel Buds. Cute. Promised battery life for the buds is 5 hours, 24 hours in the case. The Pixel Buds start at $159 and will be available for shipping in 6-7 weeks.
Similarly to the HTC U11, the Google Pixel 2 XL will have squeezable sides, meaning that you'll be able to launch Google Assistant by giving your phone nice squeeze. We don't know yet whether this feature will offer some sort of customization freedom to users, as was the case with HTC U11, but we do hope that we would be able to assign app/action shortcuts to it. We don't need yet another way to launch assistant. Squeeze remains active when the screen is off and can also be used to silence incoming calls.
Price and release date
The Google Pixel 2 XL is available for pre-order now and will ship within 2-3 weeks. Pricing starts at $850 for the 64GB version and $950 for 128GB model. Google's also running a trade-in program, where it'll refund you up to $410 on a Pixel 2 purchase if you trade in your old Pixel smartphone. Both phones are available in Australia, Canada, Germany, India and the U.K, while the Pixel 2 XL will launch in Italy, Singapore and Spain later this year. In the U.S., Google is teaming up with Verizon and Best Buy to make the new Pixels available nationwide. Of course, you can also snag one from the Google Store online.
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