Google Pixel 2 Review: Top 5 Features! By Andru Edwards

- Google has just released the second generation of its own flagship smartphone, in the Google pixel 2 and Google pixel 2 XL. In this video we take a look at the top five features of the Google pixel 2 and pixel 2 XL. What's going on Tech Squad, Andrew Edwards here, editor in chief of GearLive. com If this is your first time here this channel is all about tech, gadgets and gaming so if you're into that kind of stuff feel free to hit the Subscribe button down below along with the bell notification icon so you don't miss any future videos. As I said today we are focusing in on the Google pixel 2 and Google pixel 2 XL. I have an XL here in my hand in particular and we are gonna be talking about the top five features of these smartphones.

Every feature that I'm going to be talking about today does apply to both the pixel 2 and the pixel 2 XL with the exception of one of them which I'll be mentioning when I get to that one. Before I jump into the features I know a lot of you're wondering about the display of the Google pixel 2 XL in particular. I have a separate video coming on the display itself. There are some problems with it some people see it as a major issue some people don't see it at all. So it's really going to be a personal preference but needless to say this is one of the most polarizing features of the pixel 2 XL but we're not going to be covering the screen in this video because quite frankly I don't think the screen fits into the category of one of the top 5 features but what does fit into that category quite frankly is the cameras on these devices.

Both the rear camera and the front camera. So that's the feature that we're going to jump off with right now. The main camera on the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL is a 12.2 megapixel sensor with an F1.8 aperture. It features optical image stabilization along with electronic image stabilization and autofocus with laser dual pixel face detection. What that means is the camera performs amazing in daylight as well at in the night.

If video is your thing you can record 4K at 30 frames per second, slow motion up to a 120 frames per second 1080p. And up to 240 frames per second if you bump the resolution down to 720p. Now talking about the camera up on front you've got a 8 megapixel camera with an F2.4 aperture but one of the biggest things about these cameras both front and back is the fact that they support portrait mode despite the fact that there's only one camera on each side. So compared with other smartphones like the iPhone 8, X, and Samsung's Galaxy Note 8 we've seen portrait mode on there as well but it's required two cameras in order to achieve the effect. What Google's done instead is a dual pixel design inside the camera.

And what that's allowed them to do is use the very microscopic distances between the two subpixels that exist in each sub pixel of the camera to determine where things are and the depth between them. As technical as that sounds you can forget the tech and just focus on the end result because these pictures look amazing. It's even more amazing when you consider that the front camera selfie camera can achieve the same effect that you're typically used to getting on other smartphones with the requirement of two cameras. So despite the fact that there's only one camera on each side for the Google pixel 2 and 2 XL sport one of if not the best smartphone camera you can get today. Moving on to the next feature that I think is fantastic is quick access to the Google Assistant.

Of course you had access to the Google Assistant before and still do just by using voice commands, the Hey Google voice commands. Allows you, actually I just said it. And the assistant just came up just by me saying 'hey google' to the camera. Right now. But however here in 2017 we're not at the point yet people are just comfortable talking out loud to the smartphone especially if they're in public.

So what you used to do with swipe up and sometimes you had to do with a few taps to get to the Google Assistant but now it has a built-in feature called Active Edge. What that means is all you do is take your pixel smartphone and just squeeze right here and the assistant comes right up. Who's the president of the United States? - The president of the United States of America is Donald Trump. - So again the Active Edge may not be a huge technical feature but it really allows you quick access to the Google Assistant when you need it and Google's built-in and updated the Google Assistant multiple times over the course of the year. The Google Assistant may very well be the best smartphone virtual assistant out there and getting quicker access to it is a plus in my book Fast access to the Google Assistant is super convenient and it's convenient enough for it to make my top 5 features list.

Before I get to feature number 3 I want to thank the sponsor of this video, Tech21. These phones are very expensive the displays are expensive the hardware is premium these phones need to be protected Tech21 sent over a couple of the Google pixel 2 and Google pixel 2 XL cases. Here you can you can see the light and dark versions of the Evo Check case and Tech21 protects your phone drop after drop. They do it by using scientifically proven impact materials, innovative design and a rigorous testing methodology they developed in partnership with the National Physical Laboratory. Tech21 cases are drop tested 20 times to ensure durability and long-lasting protection able to withstand the multiple drops that occur in the everyday use of a smartphone.

The case allows you access to your function buttons, to your camera, to your charging port and fit perfectly If you want to pick up a Tech21 case for yourself I will have links down in the description below. Third on my list for the top five features are these two front facing high-definition speakers. It's a rarity these days to find speakers on a smartphone that sound great. Both the pixel 2 and the pixel 2 XL has stereo front-facing speakers one on top one on the bottom so let's say when you're watching content, watching YouTube video of mine perhaps you got a left and a right channel. The speakers sound good and they have some good bass to them as well.

They are not perfect, they are not amazing. They are after all smartphone speakers but that said Google did a great job and get front-facing speakers where the sound comes at you instead of shooting out of the bottom towards the floor or if you're holding it sideways shooting that way instead of this way is a nice bonus. One caveat there because some people are all about that bezel-free life adding in the speaker's adds some bezels and that's why you see a very small bezel along the bottom and the top here on the Google pixel 2XL you see even bigger bezels on the regular pixel 2. Those are necessary to house the other components alongside the smaller display. While the body's a little bigger to fit everything else in that phone.

All right number four on my list of the top five features of the pixel 2 and pixel 2 XL. This one isn't even a feature of the phone so much as a feature of owning the phone and that's the fact that Google is offering you free, unlimited, original quality storage of all your photos and all your videos that you take on the Google pixel 2 or Google pixel 2 XL. That's right you can store everything that you shoot everything you take everything you record in full quality including 4K 30 frames per second video as much as you can shoot in Google Photos for free forever. Now, it's not unlimited as in you can buy the phone and just keep taking photos for the rest of your life and having them store it there for free so let me read you what Google says about this. They say it is free unlimited original quality storage for photos and videos taken with pixel through the end of 2020 and free unlimited high quality storage for photos taken with pixel afterwards.

So notice the difference that you've got between now near the end of 2017 and the end of 2020. So just over 3 years anything you record and any pictures you take will be stored in original full quality on Google Photos for free forever or until you remove them. After 2020 if you still on the exact same phone they will then upload unlimited high-quality storage so it's not the original quality but it's high-quality so after that it's going to be a compressed quality but quite honestly the high quality these days is so good and it's 3 years from now so if you're still using this phone it's going to be even better so it might as well be similar to original quality but still buying a phone and having unlimited access to everything you shoot and record in the cloud is amazing. And the fact that it's included in the price Is something that no one else is doing Amazon tried to do a few years ago with the Fire Phone but the Fire Phone flopped. Apple hasn't done it yet and I'm waiting for them to do so with the iPhone now the difference is Apple make their money by selling you devices and services while Google make their money by selling advertising to you so there is a little bit of a difference there but still I have to applaud Google for giving people unlimited backups high quality and original quality backups of what most people will think to be some of their most prized possessions.

And last on my list number 5 of my top 5 features for the Google pixel 2XL in particular this one does not pertain to the regular pixel 2 this is only for the 2XL because I was blown away by it and that feature is battery life. The battery life on the pixel 2 XL is insane. I'm getting consistently about 7 hours maybe a little more 7 hours 15 minutes of screen on time that's actively using the phone with the screen powered on I can get a little over 7 hours just doing that which is crazy now the even crazier part is they also got a fast charging bolt. You've got the USB C port on the bottom, no headphone jack here by the way. Not one of the top five features but something you should know.

There is no headphone jack. Now the USB C they do include a dongle in the box if you want a headphone jack. But the point of this is USB C that supports fast charging. Your battery dies and you plug in your fast charger in 15 minutes you get 7 hours of usage. That's not 7 hours of screen on time but 7 hours of general usage from a 15 minute charge is pretty much unheard of.

Just so you know the Google pixel 2 XL sport a 3520 milliamp hour battery but that's not the important part. The important part is that they optimized the hell out of that battery and all the hardware here because the screen on time here and the usage you get out of that battery is pretty amazing. There you have it guys. That is my picks for the top five features of the Google pixel 2 and Google pixel 2 XL. I'm curious what you think though what are your favorite features of the phone.

Drop down in the comments below. Are you considering picking up a pixel 2 or haven't done it yet or is the display keeping you away from this phone or did you return a phone because of that display. I've got a video coming up very shortly about the pixel 2 XL display in particular so watch out for that by the way if you want to stay up-to-date on all future videos be sure to click or tap on my face when it appears here at the bottom of the screen so you don't miss anything in the future and of course the subscribing is absolutely free. If you wanna pick up the Techsquad shirt and rep with me the link will be down in the description below thanks so much for watching. As always I appreciate your support.

I'm Andrew Edwards and I'll catch you in the next video.

Source : Andru Edwards