The Google Pixel 2 XL may be one of the most debated smartphones in 2017. There are tons of news and comments about the phone, from the pOLED display to the coated aluminium metal body. Its high price tag (MSRP: $849 USD) seems to attract more attention from everyone than its predecessors. Let’s take a look at the Google Pixel 2 XL’s packaging first.
Specifications
The Google Pixel 2 XL ticks almost all the boxes for a late 2017 flagship device in terms of specifications. It is equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC, with the Adreno 540 GPU. Paired with the 835 are 4 GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 64/128 GB of UFS 2.1 internal storage, running on the latest Android 8.0 Oreo. However, it does not have a 3.5 mm headphone jack and its 3520 mAh battery is not removable.
Unboxing
Inside the shipping package, a green Google Project Fi leaflet comes alongside the Pixel 2 XL box. It contains instructions to set up the internal e-SIM if you are using a Project Fi data plan.
The Pixel 2 XL’s box is unexpectedly simple. You will not find any specifications or features. At the front, you get the Google Logo and the “Pixel 2 XL” name, as well as a partial photo of the phone. Nothing is printed on the back, except for the #teampixel hashtag. On one side of the box, it tells you that Google Assistant is built-in with Google Lens, while a side view of the Pixel 2 XL is shown on the other side.
Lifting up the lid, the Pixel 2 XL is sitting right at the middle, wrapped in protective plastic film. All of the accessories are located underneath the phone tray.
Of course, there are the quick start guide and the warranty/regulatory information in different languages. A SIM eject tool is included, in case you are not in any e-SIM compatible data plans.
The 18-watt power adapter is able to output power at 5.0 V and 3.0 A (15 watts) or 9.0 V and 2.0 A (18 watts), with USB Power Delivery support. The Pixel 2 XL, iPhone 8 and iPhone X are both using USB-PD for fast-charging. A one-meter USB-C to USB-C cable, a USB-C to 3.5 mm headphone adapter and an OTG adapter can also be found in the box.
Google Pixel 2 XL
A brief description of the Google Assistant is printed on the plastic film. The Pixel 2 XL boots up really quickly even for the first time, probably the fastest boot-up I have ever experienced.
The 12.2 mega-pixel rear camera is accompanied with a dual-LED flash. It uses both laser and dual pixel phase detection for fast and accurate autofocus. The camera is equipped with optical image stabilization (OIS) and electronic image stabilization (EIS) at the same time to minimize effects of shaking. It is rated as the best smartphone camera by DxOMarkat a record-breaking 98 marks.
The Pixel 2 XL also features a dual front-facing stereo speakers that can get reasonably loud without much distortion.
The power/sleep button is on the same side with the volume button.
First Impression
After using the Pixel 2 XL for a couple days, I really enjoy using the phone. Android 8.0 Oreo operates extremely snappy and no noticeable lags on all those flagship hardware. The camera takes beautiful photos and HDR processing is quick, but the stock camera app lacks any manual control options.
The highly discussed pOLED display do shows slightly muted colors out of the box, but Google already released a software update that added saturated mode. The blue color shift for the display is only observable in off-angle (about 10 degrees or more) and on a light background. You will not be able to see it, unless you deliberately look for it.
Overall, the Pixel 2 XL does most of the thing right. And we will be testing the phone more thoroughly before coming into any conclusion.
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