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

Trifid said:
Excellent, will check it out this weekend.
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I had a play with the Pixel 2 XL at the Indian spicy food named shop on Tottenham Ct Rd near Warren Street. As I mentioned the other day, they have redesigned the Google Store there and have great displays to allow you to play with both Pixels, the Google Home Mini and the Pixelbook. They have a couple of chairs to sit and watch the full Press launch on screen. My impressions on the things that matter most to me on the Pixel 2 XL:

The phone seemed lighter and easier to manage than my Pixel XL. Reaching the search bar with one hand for example was easy, now that it is relocated at the bottom of the screen. The response times were blazing fast, an improvement over the XL with their higher spec Snapdragon processor. I was told that the battery would give at least as good a daily performance as my XL because the processor manages it better. They were getting a full day of use from their heavily used demo models.

The design was really nice. The smooth edges are delightful to the touch. The P-OLED screen seemed gorgeous compared to my already really nice XL screen. They only had the black, not the Panda style (white) that I ordered.

I played a couple of songs from YouTube on each. No comparison. The two front-facing speakers on the 2 XL leaves last years sound in the dust. The treble and bass notes are clear and full, even in the noisy store environment.

I took a couple of still pictures with both the XL and the 2 XL. The 2 XL is in another league. The colours, the clarity, the depth perception, even in a low light environment for the 2 XL is the best I have ever seen.

Played with Google Lens through Google Photos too and the results were impressive. It identified the type of cactus they had in their plant pot!

Bring on the delivery date.
 
The 2 XL is in another league. The colours, the clarity, the depth perception, even in a low light environment for the 2 XL is the best I have ever seen.
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Maybe it looked better on the XL display but I'm pretty sure it's the same optics in both phones, so the 2 XL shouldn't have any advantage.
 
Reasonably sure it's a different sensor, as that's how they're doing portrait mode. Two sides to each pixel etc. Also, a lot of Google's camera's magic goes on in the post process, so again, they would likely look different.

I'm thinking to get to have a play with a Pixel somewhere. What's the score with the Google Store? It's just at the one on Tottenham Court Rd? I might make a specific journey in, just to check the whole thing out (and make a video of course). Alternatively, there is a CPW nearer to me. Do they all have demo Pixel 2s in now?
 
Yes new camera sensor this years vs last. New sensor is actually smaller.

And yes Pixel 2 and XL2 both share the same camera specs.
 
OMG OMG OMG

Finally Google.....Just added the clock icon to the homescreen and it tells the right time! Yes, the clock tells the right time

Only taken 8 major versions

Well done, now you just have to fix bluetooth (no pressure)

2ibffyr.png
 
xb8browney said:
Well I've cancelled my order after having a play with the xl 2. Just wasn't a fan of the black border. (Keeping my s8+) till the new snapdragon phones come out now.
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That's a shame. I kept thinking that something looked 'off' about it and then as was pointed out somewhere on this thread it's the curved corners on the screen! They can't be unseen now!

I would still like to see one in the flesh before I totally pass judgement but the pic that Dangerous posted doesn't fill me with a lot of hope. The whole thing does look a little plasticky and cheap, maybe in the hand it's better. That was one thing that the Pixel XL had was that regardless of what people thought about the looks it felt premium in hand, the metal back and glass are very nice.
 
My xl 2 order is hanging on by a thread

Machine learning won't get really good for another year yet so hopefully the pixel 3 will have sorted everything which is bugging me

Basically I don't want to spend £800 on an almost phone.
 
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GMac11 said:
That's a shame. I kept thinking that something looked 'off' about it and then as was pointed out somewhere on this thread it's the curved corners on the screen! They can't be unseen now!

I would still like to see one in the flesh before I totally pass judgement but the pic that Dangerous posted doesn't fill me with a lot of hope. The whole thing does look a little plasticky and cheap, maybe in the hand it's better. That was one thing that the Pixel XL had was that regardless of what people thought about the looks it felt premium in hand, the metal back and glass are very nice.
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It feels light and plastic :D
 
JamesM said:
Didn't realise the BT issue was a known problem. My Pixel XL used to take ages to connect to my car, skip tracks, etc. Glad it's not just me!
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GMac11 said:
Yeah it's a real pain, so much so I'm considering going back to Samsung (which I hate the thought of) but I have an Amazon music unlimited subscription and it worked seamlessly with by in car Bluetooth until the Oreo update. If I knew the Pixel 2 was going to work I'd hold out for it but there's no knowing yet. Likewise if Google would just finally pull the finger out and admit there is a problem and fix it! On the live chat they weren't interested.
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Yep the battery drain and bluetooth issues on Oreo are a PITA.

I flashed Nougat back on my Pixel XL and happy days again. I'll upgrade to Oreo once those two issues have been fixed.
 
AndyCr15 said:
Reasonably sure it's a different sensor, as that's how they're doing portrait mode. Two sides to each pixel etc. Also, a lot of Google's camera's magic goes on in the post process, so again, they would likely look different.

I'm thinking to get to have a play with a Pixel somewhere. What's the score with the Google Store? It's just at the one on Tottenham Court Rd? I might make a specific journey in, just to check the whole thing out (and make a video of course). Alternatively, there is a CPW nearer to me. Do they all have demo Pixel 2s in now?
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If you can I recommend a visit to the one on Tottenham Ct Road, at the Warren St Station end (one minute walk from Tube stop). It it is Store within a store and their section has a couple of chairs and a table where you can view the 2 XL at your leisure. I sat with one of the salesmen from the Google Store who handed me his pre-release 2 XL and I had all the time I wanted with it. My comments above were all about the design, the screen, the camera and the sound. There are also two other 2 XL's on the table but they are bolted down. So to have a good chance of filming it, you would probably be best served to chat up the assistant with their phone to lend you. I would certainly look forward to your comments once you have had a chance to put it through its paces. They also have the Google Home Mini and the Pixelbook on the same display tables.
 
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