Google Pixel 2 review By TechCrunch

(fun music) - The Pixel 2 has arrived. Google's flagship phone of 2017 brings Android Oreo to a big new audience and ships with some features like Lens, that will make it's camera smarter than any other. The device hasn't changed much hardware wise, but there are a few new shiny things on the software side to make good on the company's promise of bringing Google Assistant deeper into the heart of Android. First off, let's take a look at the beautiful new display on the Pixel 2 XL. The new 2880 by 1440 quad HD OLED display has gotten a bit of a facelift with the chin and forehead bessels getting dialed down on the XL. It's missing the true edge to edge brilliance of the iPhone 10, but you don't have to worry about a notch either.

A new hardware feature called active edge allows you to squeeze the device to call up Google Assistant. It's a simple thing, but makes calling up the AI helper that much easier for users that don't want to be shouting at their phone. Build wise, there's a lot to love about the new Pixel 2 XL, but it feels pretty damn similar to what came before it. It feels just as solid as the original Pixel did, but the new display packs more into what feels like a tighter package. The lack of a headphone jack is a bit of a pain, but it ships with an adapter.

The original Pixel's camera was one of the best. The updated version brings better low-light photo taking and more effective video stabilization, along with some pro tools, like focus and exposure lock. There's a good deal of catch up here with iOS. Google's AI assisted portrait mode helps users blue backgrounds to take some pretty nice looking pics. It's nowhere near as powerful as Apple's, and it suffers in low-light, but does well, considering its single camera set up.

Speaking of Apple, Google's Live Photos copycat Motion Photos is also available on this device. It works pretty similarly, and it's just as fun to play around with, giving you some video context for your photo stills. One of the big points of the camera photo set up here is how Google is approaching bringing computer vision wits to Google Assistant, using the camera as a way to feed it. Google Lens is just the beta launch for Pixel 2, and is only in the photos app for now, though it's coming to the camera soon. In practice, it can identify albums, works of art, movies and video games.

But in real life, it's use cases aren't quite as clear. The payoffs for AI tools like Assistant and Lens reside more in the platform long game, but that's not as easy an argument for selling devices today. Overall, there really seems to be a lot of catch up with iOS on the Pixel 2 XL. Google didn't cut any major corners on this device, but it also is clear they could have pushed the limits on hardware a bit more. Google Assistant and Lens offer some major promise for Google's smartphone strategy, and they're at their best on the Pixel 2, but there's still aways to go.

The Pixel 2 starts at 649 bucks, and the Pixel 2 XL stars at 849, and you can preorder both devices starting today.

Source : TechCrunch