Pixel 2 XL in 2021! By Damien Wilde

So, what you're looking at is the Google Pixel 2 XL, arguably the finest or at least the most loved pixel. Today I myself was not lucky enough to own one at launch, but I managed to pick one up brand new in 2021 to work out if it's worth using buy and I are even holding onto long term spoiler, it's very, very good, even after nearly four years before we continue with the video, though around 96 percent of you out there watching are not subscribers. So how about we change that by slapping all the buttons and notifications so that you can get more long-term looks up hardware, just like the pixel, 2 XL, and then plenty more surprises too. If you want to take the conversation further or just chat, more smartphones, then be sure to join the official channel discard where you'll find all sorts of wallpapers snippets behind the scenes, q, a's and more. On top. Let me say that I don't think I've ever used a smartphone that I've warmed to the design off so quickly, save maybe the Huawei Mate 20 pro the pixel 2 is a weird device, though, because, unlike the original pixel and pixel XL, it differs from the smaller and less popular pixel 2, with lg making the 2xl while HTC handled the pixel 2.

So while there are some similarities, the 2xl is objectively the better device to pick up. There are actually some major similarities between the pixel 2 XL from 2017 and the pixel 5 from 2020, because the older device comes with an aluminum frame that is covered with a painted finish, but wow the panda or black and white model is just so striking compared to many other smartphones released, even in the years since it's so unique because of the contrasting colors and naturally the iconic playful orange power button. You can just tell that google had fun designing the pixel 2 XL with lg, and I can now truly understand why it endeared itself to so many people. It just begs to be looked at, or at least shown off. It's all the little touches as well as the soft corners of the mixture of that glass, visor, plus the little metal poking around the ring of the capacitive fingerprint scanner, and it's just these little touches that endear me to this design having never really experienced it before in the flesh, I'm viewing all of this with fresh eyes, and now I think I really do deeply understand why people love the pixel, 2 XL, so much it's not perfect from a design standpoint, but it's just approachable compared to many of the devices at a similar age and with similar prices around the front.

The bezels are much larger than comparably priced 2021 flagship devices, but there are dual front-facing stereo speakers softening that blow I'd personally, take these over smaller bezels as you're gaining more than just a square inch of extra display, you're gaining some audio experience. The hardware looks and feels pretty good, but there are a number of long-term problems. I think you probably need to be aware of. If you were thinking of holding on or picking one up, the display does have a bit of an off-axis blue shift, which is noticeable at acute angles when viewing face on it's not really noticeable. Nor is it too distracting.

I don't really think this should be a reason to avoid the pixel 2 XL, but it is something to be made aware of if you do happen, to hold it at weird angles or put your phone off to the side and are wondering why it has a blue shift. So the pixel 2 XL does not have a perfect AMOLED panel, but it's better than many cheaper CDs, and it's still fairly good. Even after almost four years, it's sharp its updates, have tweaked and tuned those colors to be more accurate, and it's solid for its age. I have to also note that google's color tuning is usually very good. Despite those two issues, it's the same on the pixel 2 XL brightness could be a little better and I found that getting a decent screen protector seems to be a nightmare due to the very soft curves.

But overall, I really do like the display here, especially thanks to those stereo speakers at the sides. To be honest, this is a pixel. After all, which means the display is naturally just going to be a vehicle for the software clean unobtrusive software that feels fast, and smooth specifications have never really been the core selling point, but the pixel 2 XL has top of the line.2017 specifications, including the snapdragon, 835, chipset and 4 gigabytes of ram, the snapdragon 835 in terms of performance, is comparable to the 730g found in the affordable, Pixel 4a. The 835 still has the edge in a few areas, but it's just a sign of the overall hardware progression that a borderline budget chipset in a 730g actually competes here. I say this as it kind of gives you an idea of the performance levels you can expect from the pixel 2 XL, at least at this stage of 2021.

It helps that you can run the latest official android 11, build because save a few little tweaks and exclusive features found on the newer pixel series devices you're not really missing out or by staying put, although in the same breath android 11 is the final official full android build that this smartphone will actually receive. Naturally, lineage OS support is already there, so holding on is pretty easy, with a pixel simply as there are tons of post support. That will help increase longevity if you don't want to upgrade or switch to a different device. If you haven't already rooted your smartphone, though I think you probably should simply as you can slap a custom ROM on at a later date, and I think it's highly recommended that you do so. It's a shame, though, that the performance isn't exactly stellar beyond the basics, because the dual front facing stereo speakers really do help improve immersion way further than more recent pixel devices, modest gaming is more than fine, but emulation might be a little Jacky and 3d titles like Call of Duty, do run okay, but nowhere near to the levels of some newer or even some newer, low-end devices.

You can see that it's a fairly smooth experience considering the arena 540 GPU is utilized here. I think that semi-frequent gaming is an area where you won't have too many issues. It is a nice experience in reality, but it's not perfect, and your phone might get a little hot. On the rear panel. I've noticed a few slow-downs on the odd bit of lag.

I never thought it would be completely plain sailing, and I've heard that some long time owners are starting to get more software problems which are likely, or at least partly down to the aging internals, apps and games, do take a little while to load, and you can't have quite as many apps in the recent app draw and powering on is pretty slow, you're in and around the low to mid-end range in terms of overall performance levels. So, at this point in time it's about on par with the Pixel 4a, which is actually my default device at the minute. So I'm actually quite happy with how things run on the pixel 2 XL. Will it be good for the next couple of years, though I think maybe with a custom ROM, I'm sure you'll get better performance day-to-day, but I'd, consider the pixel 2 XL, at least in 2021, to be the baseline of what you should expect, or at least accept from a smartphone and that's a pretty big deal considering. This is almost four years old at this point.

Another great benefit is the fingerprint scanner at the rear, and it's still fast and fluid, and probably in the best possible position for quickly unlocking your device. The speakers themselves. They sound great sure the screen isn't perfect, but it's pretty well tuned and android.11 is clean, fairly fluid and arguably the best way to experience google's mobile OS anyway. You've even got access to the awesome squeeze to activate feature for the Google Assistant which disappeared on the Pixel 4a and newer, and I really do love it, even if it is a bit of a massive gimmick, and you might not use it all the time. Let's talk the PS3 resistance of the pixel 2 XL, though, and simultaneously one of the major problem areas in 2021 the camera.

So here's the good news, the camera still hangs in there, despite having just one focal length for you to play with images, have excellent contrast, color tuning dynamic range, and they're sharp and clean, despite only being 12 megapixels, the Google camera app is well laid out organized and the new additions, including night sight, are simply sublime. Google's computational photography capabilities are insane. I'm not confident enough not to say that they are the outright bests anymore, but boy do photos taken on the pixel.2 XL hold up well better than well, actually that's all great to hear, but there are some growing reports of issues with the camera from long-time owners. Again I cannot say I've experienced any of these because I've not actually owned the device for long enough. Nor have I used and abused it longer than the two-month period.

I've had it for it's frustrating as if a device is effective, apps like Snapchat, Instagram or more or less anything that can access the camera will or potentially could have issues for those of you out of the loop. I wonder what I'm talking about. If you have the issue when launching the camera app, it will very briefly show the Google camera UI. Then the app might do a number of things. It will show a black viewfinder refuse to open properly or just crash continually.

I'm not sure just how widespread this problem is, but sometimes a simple app, restart or device restart fixes it and recent google camera app updates have lessened the problem. According to what I've seen and read, that said, this won't help if you are still affected. Does this diminish the camera experience? Well, it kind of does, but when the camera app does work, I can honestly say that the pixel 2 XL really holds up. Exceptionally, it nails the shot most off more often than not, and so long as you're, not having camera app issues. It's dependable, even when your lighting conditions fail thanks to nightlight, which itself is exceptional as an addition.

The unlimited original quality google photo storage was an awesome selling point when this phone launched, but as of June 2021, it will count towards your 15 gigabytes of free storage. That said, I don't actually use original quality, as I find the difference between photos. Isn't that noticeable at least to me? But it's definitely something to know if you think you might be able to game the system for free lifetime photo storage by picking one of these up. So, beware: if you do go out and buy one, so, let's talk battery before we wrap up, and I'm not entirely sure just how you'll fare, even with longevity when it comes to running android 11. , I'm seeing around five to six hours of screen on time, which is owed to the pretty fresh 3520 million power battery.

The only downside I found is the lack of wireless charging plus the fairly slow 10.5 watt charging speeds. Maybe this is a good thing for the battery lifespan, and it reduces the overall degradation. It's tough to really say how a properly used or refurbished device might offer or differ, though, if you're looking at picking one up, it might be worthwhile going for a reputable reseller or going refurbished with a new battery to ensure you do get the best battery experience possible. Plus, I would say, go get a slow charger as fast charging might do some damage here. Honestly, overall, I can't understate how impressed I've been with the entire pixel 2 XL.

As I've mentioned, I've never really had the opportunity to use it when it came out in 2017. I've read all about the problems all about why people love it so much, and I can see just why it is a cult classic. I like pixel phones, my favorite is definitely the Pixel 4a. Furthermore, I feel now, though, why many people adore the pixel 2 XL, it's far from perfect, but boy is it held up well in 2021 and if you can get it cheap, it's still a great option, especially if you're happy to slap on a custom ROM. So that's it.

That's a pixel 2 XL in 2021, an absolute cult classic and maybe the best pixel to date. If you believe the internet, it probably is, but let me know how is treating you if you have held on remember to sub. If you enjoyed this look back at the pixel 2 XL, probably the fan favorite from Google over the last few years. If not, though, I will be here plugging away so until next time, I'll catch you in a bit, you.

Source : Damien Wilde