Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are Android smartphones designed, developed and marketed by Google. They were announced during a Google event on October 4, 2017, as the successors to the Pixel and Pixel XL. They were released on October 19, 2017, and serve as the second set of smartphones in the Google Pixel hardware line. The Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are currently carried in the United States by Verizon and Project Fi.
Video Pixel 2
History
In early March 2017, Google's Rick Osterloh confirmed that they would bring a "next-gen" Pixel phone later that year. He stated it would "stay premium" and that there would be no "cheap Pixel".
Google originally intended to use HTC to manufacture both their 2017 flagships, but later shifted to LG to manufacture the bigger Pixel 2 XL. The unreleased device that was supposed to be the Pixel 2 XL under the codename "Muskie", was later re-developed by HTC into the HTC U11+.
Maps Pixel 2
Specifications
Design
The back of the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL is made from aluminum with a thin "premium coating" of plastic and has a top section made from glass to provide wireless transmissivity.
Hardware
The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are both powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, coupled with 4 GB LPDDR4X RAM. They both come in storage options of 64 or 128 GB.
The Pixel 2 sports a 5-inch (130 mm) AMOLED display panel with 1920×1080 resolution, coming in at around 441 ppi, while the Pixel 2 XL comes with a 6-inch (150 mm) P-OLED display panel with a 18:9 aspect ratio and a 2880×1440 resolution at 538 ppi.
Both phones have a 12.2 megapixel rear camera capable of recording 4K video at 30 FPS, 1080p video at 120 FPS, and 720p video at 240 FPS. The camera also contains phase-detection autofocus, laser autofocus, and HDR+ processing. The Pixel 2 camera received a score of 98 from DxOMark, making it the highest performing mobile device camera that they have tested. Google chose to exclude features such as manual controls and raw image saving from the Pixel Camera app (although raw images can still be captured with third-party software); head of camera development Timothy Knight argued that manual controls would harm image quality because HDR+ is not used. Although the camera has optical image stabilization, it is unable to remove some high frequency vibrations that other smartphones are able to remove.
Pixel 2 models include an octa-core machine learning co-processor known as Pixel Visual Core, which was co-designed by Google with Intel. This SoC was dormant on launch, but is enabled by the neural network APIs added on the Android 8.1 update, which are designed to ""[provide] apps with hardware acceleration for on-device machine learning operations." Pixel Visual Core is primarily used by the camera software to enable faster HDR image processing.
The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL support USB Power Delivery quick charging, has a fingerprint sensor on the rear, has IP67 dust and water resistance and is Daydream-ready.
Software
The phones ship with stock Android 8.0 "Oreo" on launch. Google has promised three years of software and security updates, making it closer to the average four years of support that Apple provides for its iPhones.
The new Pixels also include a feature called "Active Edge". With this, the Google Assistant can be launched by squeezing the phone's sides, similar to the HTC U11's "Edge Sense" feature.
Reception
The Pixel 2 and the Pixel 2 XL received mixed reviews. The phone was praised for the camera quality and water resistance, but was criticized for the removal of the headphone jack, particularly after Google mocked Apple for doing the same with its iPhone 7 phone at the launch of the first generation Pixel phone. Google was also criticized for the price of the USB-C to 3.5 mm headphone adapter it sells, which costs US$20 while Apple's Lightning to 3.5 mm adapter costs US$9, as well as for not including headphones with the phone. However, news outlets noted that because USB-C is a standard interface, unlike Lightning, there are a variety of third-party adapters that retail for less than Google's official one. Due to this criticism, Google later dropped the price of the adapter to US$9, keeping the price in-line with Apple's offering.
YouTuber JerryRigEverything, who performs durability tests on various smartphones, criticized Google for their design choice with the antenna lines on the sides of the handset. When he bent the Pixel 2, it cracked at the antenna line near the middle of the phone, voiding its water resistance and warranty, while most other phones from competitors pass his bend test. This does not apply to the Pixel 2 XL.
The design of the smaller Pixel 2 was regarded as plain, and its big chunky bezels were not well received, considering that earlier 2017 phones like the Samsung Galaxy S8 and LG G6 had moved to nearly bezel-less screens.
The Pixel 2 XL screen became infamous for quality control issues, a flaw shared with the LG V30 which also has the same manufacturer and P-OLED screen type. The Pixel 2 XL has a blue tint visible on the screen when the phone is viewed at an angle. Many were dissatisfied and it was speculated that Google had installed the polarizer incorrectly. However, when Google addressed the tint, they stated that it was a design choice to have the blue tint to go along with the cooler color temperature used by the screen (it is calibrated to a D67 white point, which is 6700K).
Issues
Screen issues
Many users have complained of under-saturated and distorted OLED displays, and there have also been reports of screen burn-in on some Pixel 2 XL units.
The Pixel 2 XL also suffers from a "black smear" problem, which occurs when a group of black pixels transition to colored ones, and tend to linger for a while, before changing to their expected state.
Google conducted an investigation and said that a software update would be coming soon that would add a new mode for more saturated colors, reducing the maximum brightness of the Pixel 2 XL devices by 50 cd/m2 to reduce load on the display, and fading out the navigation bar after a period of inactivity. The November security patch came with three new screen modes that Google promised earlier, although Google has also said that further enhancements would be included in a separate software update to be released in December. Google also extended device warranty to two years for both devices worldwide.
Some Pixel 2 XL devices also fail to register touch near the edges of the screen. Android 8.1 fixes this issue.
Other issues
Hundreds of Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL owners have been complaining of high-pitched and clicking sounds coming from the phone. Google investigated the issue and recommended turning off NFC to temporarily fix the problem until a software update comes out. The November security patch fixed the clicking sound as well as the KRACK WPA2 Wi-Fi security issue, however, it did not fix the buzzing sounds heard during calls on some devices. Google has promised a fix in a future update.
Some Pixel 2 XL units suffer from poor audio recording quality. The recorded audio is high-pitched and distorted. Android 8.1 fixes this issue.
Some Pixel 2 XL devices were shipped to consumers without an operating system, rendering them unusable.
The Pixel 2 XL comes with a charger capable of fast charging at 18W, but the phone is not able to charge at more than 10.5W, taking two and a half hours for a full charge.
The Pixel 2 XL has an issue where the screen may flash randomly. It occurs when the phone is locked or unlocked.
There is an issue where Google Assistant does not work with some Bluetooth headphones.
Many users are reporting that unlocked devices have a locked bootloader. Google fixed the issue, but the solution includes factory resetting the device.
Multiple users reported that the microphone can randomly stop working. A possible solution is to blow into the microphone.
Some units suffer from Bluetooth connectivity issues.
The phones are known to randomly reboot. Google has promised a fix in the coming weeks. The random reboots are believed to be caused by the LTE modem. Google has not been able to fix this issue in the latest Android 8.1 release.
The Android 8.1 update introduces a regression in the Pixel 2 XL making the fingerprint sensor slower. Google is investigating the issue.
Some of the USB-C to 3.5mm adapters for the headphones do not work. In some cases, rebooting the phone can fix the issue temporarily. Google is offering replacements for the faulty adapters.
Some Pixel 2 XL suffer from speaker rattling when playing content or even during phone calls.
The phones have issues with Wi-Fi mesh networks, where disconnects are common. Google is already investigating this issue.
Sales
In the United States, Verizon and Project Fi are the exclusive carriers for the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL (the "Kinda Blue" version of the Pixel 2 is a Verizon exclusive). They are available direct-to-consumer for use on any wireless network through Google's online store, or from Best Buy and Target.
References
External links
- Official website
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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