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Pixel 2 XL for a month now...

Started Jan 10, 2018 | User reviews
R Stacy
R Stacy Veteran Member • Posts: 3,143
Pixel 2 XL for a month now...
3

So far there isn't a phone on the market I would trade for it at any price. And so far not a single hickup. The system control has a depth to many functions that can be turned on or off and none of the Google basic apps provided have any ads laid in.

The screen, the quality of the photos especially in low light is in another dimension to anything I've owned. I should point out my last phone was a 3.5 yr old HTC One M8 and though decent for its time anything Android 5.9 or below generally sucked, as do most OEMs product apps including HTC. This baby is unlocked and no bloatware.

I refused to even transfer any of the apps from the HTC. Google Play has your entire history of apps so I just picked the few I wanted and downloaded those. Did you know Google not only has your entire app history from the store, it includes the bloatware from previous phones as well. I deleted them all, one by one just to be on the safe side!

I have had zero issues with the Pixel 2 XL, nothing like I found in a few reviews.  It did update to Android 8.1.0 half a day after bringing it home, but again, not a hickup.  Android 8.1.0 so far for me is the best OS yet.  The phone is clean and fast and again the camera is just remarkable for a phone.  The speakers aren't bad when you need them but I wouldn't recommend trying to impress your friends with Mozart or Springfield.  Battery life is excellent but the phone can be power hungry with too many apps running, BT, wifi, etc.  USB C is worth mentioning, fast charging capable and no more fussing with which end is up or down.  Nice.

One could almost laugh at how good this phone really is overall though, compared to just a 3 year old phone. And it is now no wonder why compacs are on the decline.

 R Stacy's gear list:R Stacy's gear list
Sony a7 II Sony FE 24-70mm F4 OSS Google Pixel 2 XL
Google Pixel 2 XL
6 screen • 12 megapixels (rear) • 8 megapixels (front)
Announced: Oct 4, 2017
R Stacy's score
5.0
Average community score
5.0
technotic Contributing Member • Posts: 792
Re: Pixel 2 XL for a month now...

Personally I love your review. Very cool. Anyone upgraded to the 2 XL from the Nexus 5X - was it worth it?

philzucker
philzucker Forum Pro • Posts: 10,390
Re: Pixel 2 XL for a month now...

technotic wrote:

Personally I love your review. Very cool. Anyone upgraded to the 2 XL from the Nexus 5X - was it worth it?

Migrated from the 5X to the non-XL version, the Pixel 2 (same camera AFAIK). Totally worth it. The basic picture quality (using HDR on both phones) is not that much better with the Pixel 2, because HDR mode is working wonders on the 5X already. But the (compared to the 5X) incredible processing speed and tons of other features like portrait mode, "rapid fire" series and motion photos really are impressive. The Pixel 2 is a tiny bit smaller than the 5X (screen loses .2 inches), but I got used to that very quickly.

Phil

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technotic Contributing Member • Posts: 792
Re: Pixel 2 XL for a month now...

philzucker wrote:

technotic wrote:

Personally I love your review. Very cool. Anyone upgraded to the 2 XL from the Nexus 5X - was it worth it?

Migrated from the 5X to the non-XL version, the Pixel 2 (same camera AFAIK). Totally worth it. The basic picture quality (using HDR on both phones) is not that much better with the Pixel 2, because HDR mode is working wonders on the 5X already. But the (compared to the 5X) incredible processing speed and tons of other features like portrait mode, "rapid fire" series and motion photos really are impressive. The Pixel 2 is a tiny bit smaller than the 5X (screen loses .2 inches), but I got used to that very quickly.

Phil

I went with the XL and am very happy with it. The screen is so much nicer than the 5X - seems much more neutral colours. Camera is great and I like the slightly larger screen. All the issues reported earlier are totally non-issues for me, so far at least.

PhotoFactor Veteran Member • Posts: 4,171
Re: Pixel 2 XL for a month now...

technotic wrote:

Personally I love your review. Very cool. Anyone upgraded to the 2 XL from the Nexus 5X - was it worth it?

My Nexus 5x bootlooped so I bit the bullet and got the 2XL. The camera is even better than the 5x and that's saying something. The screen is fine. The speed is like butter. The squeeze for Google Assistant is very convenient. The fingerprint reader is in just the right place and is lighting fast. I'm very pleased with the phone, except that I would have gone a bit smaller. But I didn't like the large bezels on the regular 2.

I probably would have waited another year except for the failure of my 5x. Google gave me a credit of $115 for the old 5x.

 PhotoFactor's gear list:PhotoFactor's gear list
Sony a6400 Sigma 30mm F2.8 EX DN 7artisans 25mm F1.8 Sony E 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 OSS Sigma 56mm F1.4 DC DN | C (X-mount) +3 more
technotic Contributing Member • Posts: 792
Re: Pixel 2 XL for a month now...
1

PhotoFactor wrote:

technotic wrote:

Personally I love your review. Very cool. Anyone upgraded to the 2 XL from the Nexus 5X - was it worth it?

My Nexus 5x bootlooped so I bit the bullet and got the 2XL. The camera is even better than the 5x and that's saying something. The screen is fine. The speed is like butter. The squeeze for Google Assistant is very convenient. The fingerprint reader is in just the right place and is lighting fast. I'm very pleased with the phone, except that I would have gone a bit smaller. But I didn't like the large bezels on the regular 2.

I probably would have waited another year except for the failure of my 5x. Google gave me a credit of $115 for the old 5x.

Yes mine bootlooped as well but just within the 2 year warranty and LG fixed it. The Pixel 2 XL is fabulous though. The screen is way better than the 5X who was way too warm.

forceofnature
forceofnature Contributing Member • Posts: 831
Re: Pixel 2 XL for a month now...

have you had any issues with bluetooth connectivity?  I just got the Pixel 2 XL and some wireless Bose soundsport free ear buds and they drop connection within a few minutes to a few seconds.  My note 8 seems to hold on.  Maybe its the earbuds issue and not the phones just not sure.

 forceofnature's gear list:forceofnature's gear list
Sony ZV-1 Nikon Z7 II Nikon Z 24-70mm F4 Nikon Z 14-30mm F4 Nikon Z 85mm F1.8 +2 more
PhotoFactor Veteran Member • Posts: 4,171
Re: Pixel 2 XL for a month now...

forceofnature wrote:

have you had any issues with bluetooth connectivity? I just got the Pixel 2 XL and some wireless Bose soundsport free ear buds and they drop connection within a few minutes to a few seconds. My note 8 seems to hold on. Maybe its the earbuds issue and not the phones just not sure.

I've had no issues and I use multiple Bluetooth devices all the time.

 PhotoFactor's gear list:PhotoFactor's gear list
Sony a6400 Sigma 30mm F2.8 EX DN 7artisans 25mm F1.8 Sony E 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 OSS Sigma 56mm F1.4 DC DN | C (X-mount) +3 more
PhotoFactor Veteran Member • Posts: 4,171
Re: Pixel 2 XL for a month now...

technotic wrote:

Personally I love your review. Very cool. Anyone upgraded to the 2 XL from the Nexus 5X - was it worth it?

My Nexus 5x bootlooped. I really liked that phone.

The Pixel 2 XL is a bit too large for me but I didn't want the regular 2, given the larger bezels. I think a Pixel with small bezels and a 5.5 inch screen would have been perfect.

The 2XL is worth it to me but definitely much higher priced. The OIS in the camera makes a large difference in video stabilization. The phone is a lot snappier than the 5x and the camera is a lot faster. I actually thought the photo quality of the 5x was quite good as well, but the Pixel 2 XL is better of course.

I really like the squeeze for Google Assistant function, and the automatic music recognition.

Compared to my wife's Note 8, the camera is better, the fingerprint sensor is faster and much better located, and the phone has IMHO a lot better ergonomics. Also of course you get really instant updates, an area where Samsung lags badly.

 PhotoFactor's gear list:PhotoFactor's gear list
Sony a6400 Sigma 30mm F2.8 EX DN 7artisans 25mm F1.8 Sony E 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 OSS Sigma 56mm F1.4 DC DN | C (X-mount) +3 more
forceofnature
forceofnature Contributing Member • Posts: 831
Re: Pixel 2 XL for a month now...
1

thanks for the response I exchanged the earbuds and all is good now!!

 forceofnature's gear list:forceofnature's gear list
Sony ZV-1 Nikon Z7 II Nikon Z 24-70mm F4 Nikon Z 14-30mm F4 Nikon Z 85mm F1.8 +2 more
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