**** The Official Google Pixel 2/Pixel 2 XL Thread ****

[michty_me]

My 2XL seems to have developed a new issue.

The scrolling randomly becomes very choppy / sluggish, almost like its running at 5 or 10 frames per second. Fixed with a reboot when it first happened (yesterday), but its happened again today.

Anyone else seen anything like this?

I've never seen anything like that at all. Is it getting full or can you see how much RAM etc it's using at the time?

 

[FishLicker]

I've never seen anything like that at all. Is it getting full or can you see how much RAM etc it's using at the time?

21Gb free storage. Guess I’d need a 3rd party app to check RAM but weird thing is it seemed to be choppy mainly on the home screen but using a different home launcher made no difference. Hasn’t done it today so far.

 

[michty_me]

21Gb free storage. Guess I’d need a 3rd party app to check RAM but weird thing is it seemed to be choppy mainly on the home screen but using a different home launcher made no difference. Hasn’t done it today so far.

Hmm that is odd. I can't say I've ever seen an issue like that. Not too sure what to suggest to be fair.

 

[DJMK4]

There is defenatly a slow charging issue on my pixel 2 XL on Android 9 with latest updates.

I was going to hold off on the RMA charge port but may proceed with RMA just to be sure ? Thoughts ?

 

[izzop]

So how is everyone who has one of the first batches of pixel 2 battery holding up? Looks like I am only getting 12-14 hours out of a full charge. Is it still Worthing reinstalling OS every so often?

Mines about the same now, gone downhill pretty rapidly the last couple of months.

Glad it's not just me then, recently I've noticed that if I'm out for the day the battery can't last the full day. Yesterday being a prime example, left for a day out in Bristol 9 in the morning and battery didn't last long enough to see me make it home just before midnight, and that was with relatively low usage when out.

When I first had the phone the longevity used to amaze me, certainly no longer the case.

Still pleased with the phone overall, although this puts a a dampener on it. Seriously considering investing in a portable charger, slim as possible, anyone have any recommendations regarding these?

 

[FishLicker]

There is defenatly a slow charging issue on my pixel 2 XL on Android 9 with latest updates.

I was going to hold off on the RMA charge port but may proceed with RMA just to be sure ? Thoughts ?

Mine has charged slow when under 20C since I got it. Is that what yours is doing?

Glad it's not just me then, recently I've noticed that if I'm out for the day the battery can't last the full day. Yesterday being a prime example, left for a day out in Bristol 9 in the morning and battery didn't last long enough to see me make it home just before midnight, and that was with relatively low usage when out.

When I first had the phone the longevity used to amaze me, certainly no longer the case.

Still pleased with the phone overall, although this puts a a dampener on it. Seriously considering investing in a portable charger, slim as possible, anyone have any recommendations regarding these?

Yes I have to agree, the battery life is now acceptable rather than good.

When I was away with my mrs her (admittedly nearly brand new) Galaxy S9+ absolutely destroyed my Pixel 2XL for battery, I was on 15% in battery saver mode at the end of the first day while she was still on over 50%. I did/do use my phone more heavily, but certainly nowhere near to account for the difference.

It did last acceptably well in my trip to Amsterdam at the weekend though.

Overall though I can't see me keeping this phone for 3 years like I had planned originally. Its really starting to look its age now. The design looks really dated now, it has a tendency to lag and slow down more than ever (although weirdly still has moments where it goes like a scalded cat), I continue to have minor but irritating bugs, the battery life is not as good as said, and it lacks wireless charging. Even the camera, which is still excellent, is starting to feel like its lacking in features in these days of ultra-wide angle and telephoto lenses.

I'm seriously looking forward to seeing whats around in Q4 this year as I'm 99% sure I'll be jumping ship then whatever happens.

 

[FishLicker]

Well I've said it before but I think I mean it this time, enough is enough with this phone. I'm sick of having problems with it. Like Bluetooth just deciding it's not going to connect, or it's not going to charge, or it's not going to save my photos, or it's going to lag like crazy for no reason.

What a shame as I really liked the idea but it's just too unreliable , it's been the worst phone I've ever owned since the galaxy S1 and I've reached the end of my tether with it.

So the question now is whether is sell it, settle the contract and take a new one out on something else or sell it, buy something worth more or less the same value and then when it gets to November see what's around then. Sadly I don't think I can bring myself to buy another pixel phone unless truly out of this world but they seem to be getting worse every year not better so....

 

[michty_me]

I would be inclined to say your phone is defective with the amount of issues it has given you. I've not noticed any other users with the same issues as yourself so must be fairly isolated to the device.

 

[V_R]

Same here. It's either a dodgy unit or user error in my opinion. Sorry.

 

[FishLicker]

User error - I like it, I guess 20 years in IT has failed me

I actually don’t believe its faulty either. These are all just daft bugs which sometimes get fixed with updates but then a new one will come along.

I will agree though, I am inclined to believe I got a Friday afternoon job for absolute certain. Then again, I am well known within my circle of friends of having possible THE worst luck with technology ever! I have friends with Pixel phones and they’re quite happy, which makes me really quite sad TBH

Given that there’s no Androids I really like the look of at the minute, I’m just gonna get myself an XR through work. My iPad Pro has been by far the most reliable piece of tech I’ve ever owned (in fact I’m onto my second now, had a 10.5 and now a 12.9, both flawless).

Just for a laugh I’m tempted to go through all my past postings just to see the extent of the problem.

Unless the Pixel 4 blasts it out of the park then I wont be back anytime soon, and given Google’s track record with this so far, I won’t hold my breath; although knowing my luck, now that I’ve decided to move away, it’ll probably be the best phone ever

 

[michty_me]

Hopefully you can get a phone that you are happy with soon!
It is a royal pain when you spend a large wedge of money on a bit of equipment and it doesn't perform as how we would expect. All it leaves is a bad memory and a likelihood of not purchasing from the manufacturer again.

 

[AndyCr15]

User error - I like it, I guess 20 years in IT has failed me

To be fair, weren't you at one point claiming it kept unlocking itself in your pocket, to then find out it was you unlocking it yourself

 

[FishLicker]

Hopefully you can get a phone that you are happy with soon!
It is a royal pain when you spend a large wedge of money on a bit of equipment and it doesn't perform as how we would expect. All it leaves is a bad memory and a likelihood of not purchasing from the manufacturer again.

Thanks!

TLDR: Lots of waffle, resentment and bitterness.

You know what makes me sad? It's the fact that I've been a fully paid up google 'fanboy' (I hate that word but can't think of anything better) for so long now. I have been the owner of 2 Chromebooks, a Pixel C, a Sony Tablet Z3, 2 Chromecasts. I use all their services virtually. Phone wise, I've owned a Galaxy Nexus, a Nexus 4 and Nexus 5 before migrating onto other Androids (for various reasons), but I always missed Google's devices, then comes 2017 and I get the chance to own the 2XL which, at the time, wireless charging aside, appeared to be the perfect device for me at the time. Given my fondness for all things Google, surely most people must 'get' why I am so peed off about this even if they've had no trouble themselves.

I can see others have a good experience, but at the same time, I can also see that I'm not the only one who's had a lot of trouble with these phones and it points to poor quality control, both on a hardware and software level. It's a phone I still actually love when it works, but it just doesn't work often enough, and although many of the problems are relatively minor, the sheer number and frequency has just increasingly grated on me to the point where, honestly, I can't even stand looking at the thing anymore.

That's before I also admit I'm unsure of the direction Google is heading. Killing apps like Inbox, implementing an awful gesture based system on Pie, dumbing down the OS, and then there's the software bugs; why are the nav buttons white on white on the assistant screen? Why can't I search my GOOGLE Keep Notes from the search bar on the device when I can do so from the spotlight on an APPLE device. I mean really?! I can search a Google app from the main search of a rival device but not on a Pixel?! Everything just seems half baked, a situation that only gets worse when you look towards rival Android competitors with their bloatware and even worse software.

I've always had a love / hate relationship with iOS. I've always respected how polished, fast and secure it is, how long they support their devices for, but I've never really warmed to it due to its restrictions, but honestly its getting better every year and I'm actually enjoying it, and I'm looking forward to seeing how iOS 13 moves the game on

The XR from work is a bit of a none gamble at this stage. It cuts my monthly costs by £20 a month, and gets me some money in the pocket and to forget the experience. I can hand it back at any time and my only punishment would be having to wait till my next upgrade cycle to get one again.

Frankly, none of the Android alternatives are doing it for me either. The P30Pro has the camera of my dreams but I've read you only get a digital zoom between 1-5x and I'm definitely not a fan of EMUI which is worse than Samsungs, talking of which the S10 models, not keen on theirs, ditto LG but moreso, HTC lol no way, Sony, OnePlus meh dont fancy a massive camera downgrade either.

Honestly though, I am truly disappointed and slightly gutted that my phone 'hero' was anything but, they do say you shouldn't meet your heroes!

 

[FishLicker]

To be fair, weren't you at one point claiming it kept unlocking itself in your pocket, to then find out it was you unlocking it yourself

Yep admittedly that was me, but that is also what I would class as bad design; it should be able to detect being in a pocket (the OnePlus I believe has this feature) and not trigger the fingerprint reader when not needed. The fact that I had to delete my dominant finger from the phone and use my other hand from that point forward was a valid but inconvenient workaround. Thanks for pointing that out, and also thanks for making me look forward to using Face ID on the iPhone

 

[AndyCr15]

I do love Face ID on my Mate 20 Pro. It's one of the reasons I stuck with it over the Pixel 3 XL and Note 9. So much quicker and easier. It can almost be annoying sometimes when you just want to see you notifications, you press power and you go passed the lock screen, straight in to the actual phone!

 

[MrRockliffe]

User error - I like it, I guess 20 years in IT has failed me

I actually don’t believe its faulty either. These are all just daft bugs which sometimes get fixed with updates but then a new one will come along.

I will agree though, I am inclined to believe I got a Friday afternoon job for absolute certain. Then again, I am well known within my circle of friends of having possible THE worst luck with technology ever! I have friends with Pixel phones and they’re quite happy, which makes me really quite sad TBH

Given that there’s no Androids I really like the look of at the minute, I’m just gonna get myself an XR through work. My iPad Pro has been by far the most reliable piece of tech I’ve ever owned (in fact I’m onto my second now, had a 10.5 and now a 12.9, both flawless).

Just for a laugh I’m tempted to go through all my past postings just to see the extent of the problem.

Unless the Pixel 4 blasts it out of the park then I wont be back anytime soon, and given Google’s track record with this so far, I won’t hold my breath; although knowing my luck, now that I’ve decided to move away, it’ll probably be the best phone ever

Sounds like you're having similar issues to me - I've struggled to find the perfect phone for years. Can't stand any skinned version of Android, even Sony's, and the pixels aren't good enough. OnePlus would have done the job, but the cameras aren't up to par, and they're a tad too big.

I'm currently on an iPhone XS, and on the whole, it's flawless. It's the closest I've gotten to the perfect phone. Lots of things about iOS annoy me still, but I couldn't get used to the new Pixel launcher, so even if I went Pixel again, I'd resent it in minutes.

I highly recommend the OnePlus 6T though if you're happy to settle for a sub par camera experience, as my OnePlus one is the best Android phone I'd owned.

 

[AndyCr15]

I've read you only get a digital zoom between 1-5x

No phone has an actual zoom though, does it? So unless you're on the 1x, 2x or 3x, or whatever the second lens is, it's going to be digital on everything in between and after?

 

[FishLicker]

No phone has an actual zoom though, does it? So unless you're on the 1x, 2x or 3x, or whatever the second lens is, it's going to be digital on everything in between and after?

Yeah correct, but with the likes of the Samsung phones only having 2x telephoto it's possibly a bit usable? It's not often I want to zoom in to really distant objects which is seems to be the forté of the likes of the P30 Pro.

Sounds like you're having similar issues to me - I've struggled to find the perfect phone for years. Can't stand any skinned version of Android, even Sony's, and the pixels aren't good enough. OnePlus would have done the job, but the cameras aren't up to par, and they're a tad too big.

I'm currently on an iPhone XS, and on the whole, it's flawless. It's the closest I've gotten to the perfect phone. Lots of things about iOS annoy me still, but I couldn't get used to the new Pixel launcher, so even if I went Pixel again, I'd resent it in minutes.

I highly recommend the OnePlus 6T though if you're happy to settle for a sub par camera experience, as my OnePlus one is the best Android phone I'd owned.

Yeah I did think about the OnePlus 6T but it seems a bit overpriced seeing as it's an outgoing model and the camera thing would be hard to swallow. In all honesty though, I feel like I fancy a change, at least for a bit.

 

[MrRockliffe]

No phone has an actual zoom though, does it? So unless you're on the 1x, 2x or 3x, or whatever the second lens is, it's going to be digital on everything in between and after?

Yep, you nailed it. They just have cameras with different focal lengths, and there's a noticeable drop off in quality when you take a photo in 2x on the XS, as the telephoto camera isn't as good. Colours are quite different too

 

[AndyCr15]

Yeah correct, but with the likes of the Samsung phones only having 2x telephoto it's possibly a bit usable? It's not often I want to zoom in to really distant objects which is seems to be the forté of the likes of the P30 Pro.

Yeah, I guess it depends what you need at the time. I've found my 3x quite useful, but I guess 5x might be pushing it a bit.