Ask more of your phone," is the question Google asked when it first started teasing the Pixel smartphones in September 2017. At its keynote event on October 4, Google CEO Sundar Pichai spoke about integration of AI technology in smartphones and how it's AI which will drive the future of technology. So, when the Pixel 2 XL smartphone came to us for review, Pichai's comments about AI and the question Google earnestly asked was obviously playing on our mind. We did ask more of the Pixel 2 for a few days and here's what we thought the phone answered. 

We played with the Pixel 2 XL for a few days and here is our review:

Design and display

Google has been in the smartphone business for a while now but it was only with the Pixel smartphones, it showed its intent to take on the powerhouses of the smartphone industry. The one thing which people expect the most - and Google lives up to it - is the camera of the Pixel smartphones. That's not to say that the smartphones lag behind in other aspects but camera is what really dazzles users and critics. Before we get into the camera, let's talk about the design and display.

In terms of looks, the Pixel 2 XL is a refined version of its predecessor. There's the familiar two-tone aluminium and glass back, however, this time the glass occupies less space of the handset. The fingerprint sensor is at the back of the smartphone and is located at a convenient spot. The Google branding finds itself at the back and is placed towards the bottom.

The smartphone has a matte finish - which despite the aluminium finish - gives it a solid grip on all four sides. The 12.2MP rear camera along with a flash finds a place on the right side of the rear end of the device.

The USB Type-C port - acts a charging port and the headphone jack - can be found on the bottom edge of the smartphone. With the Pixel 2 XL, Google has officially bid adieu to the usual 3.5mm jack. The single SIM card slot is on the left side whereas the power button and volume rocker are on the right side. The edges are pressure sensitive - a feature first seen in HTC U11 - and just with a squeeze you can activate the Google Assistant. There's nothing dazzling about the design yet it's beauty lies in the simplicity.

Pixel 2 XL is dominated by its 6-inch QHD+pOLED display - manufactured by LG - which has a 18:9 aspect ratio with a resolution of 2880 x 1440p and 538ppi. The 8MP front camera is situated on the left corner whereas the microphone sits at the top. The four-firing speakers can be found at the top and bottom edges of the smartphone. There's a Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protective layer atop the display.

Google has played a bit with the Display settings and added features like Night Light. What Night Light does is that it tints your screen amber at a time that you set, an Adaptive brightness that optimizes the brightness level for available light, Vivid colors toggle that increases the saturation by 10% and an Always-on ambient display that shows time, notifications and other information.

Google Pixel smartphones have come under fire from a lot of users in the last few days. One major issue has been around the display of Pixel 2 XL. Users have reported a "burn-in" - a condition where permanent discolouration happens at the bottom of the screen. This issue has been attributed to irregular pixel usage by the display. The other sore point reported has been about a perennial blue tint on the display even when the device is slightly moved and the screen is viewed from a certain angle. A few users have also complained about muted or dull colour reproduction on the screen.

We have good news and bad news regarding these issues. While there wasn't any screen burn-in issue with our review unit, there certainly was a very visible blue tint. The thing with the blue tint is that it's hard to overlook once you have noticed it. There weren't any issues about dull colour reproduction as the images were vibrant and colours very accurate and life-like.
Performance and camera

If a company has ambitious plans of taking over - or even considering toppling - giants like Apple and Samsung, it has to deliver a powerful performing phone. The Pixel 2 XL boasts of a 64Bit octa-core Snapdragon 835 processor SoC, paired with 4GB of RAM. There isn't external storage support and the smartphone comes with 64GB of internal storage. At its launch event, Google had announced that it will offer unlimited online storage for photos and videos. It's a welcome feature and allays any fears people might have about clicking and storing too many images.

The Pixel 2 XL ships with Android 8.0.0 Oreo out-of-the-box and Google assures of minimum three years of OS and security updates. This is a stock Android device and fans of the OS will certainly love it as there isn't any bloatware. Although, the Pixel isn't the first smartphone to ship with the latest Android, this is as pure as it gets.

There have been some other notable changes as well. For instance, the search bar on the Home screen has been moved to the bottom. The picture-in-picture mode makes multitasking easy wheresas the traditional app drawer and keeps the home screen clutter free. The notification channels allows developers to classify notifications which apps can send to different groups, depending on the priority.

The performance of Google Pixel 2 XL is top notch and it's hard to find an Android phone deliver it with such consummate ease. You won't see any lags, heating issues - throw anything at Google Pixel 2 XL and in terms of performance it stands tall and delivers. The IP67 rating makes the device both water and dust resistant. While we weren't too adventurous with it, the Pixel 2 XL worked fine when it came in contact with a few water splashes.

The Active edge works seamlessly and responds as soon as you summon it. A word about the fingerprint sensor as well: it's among the fastest sensor you'll come across and makes instant recognition with fingerprints.

A big-screen device like the Pixel 2 XL ought to handle multimedia playback well and the smartphone doesn't disappoint at all. The audio output is excellent - dual speakers at work - and even on Bluetooth earphones it worked very well. You can play 4K video content and the

Pixel 2 XL is appreciably good in handling that.
We ran Antutu and GeekBench 4 tests on our device. While the phone scored 1,66,519 in Antutu Benchmarks, the single-core and multi-core scores on GeekBench 4 were 1889 and 6390 respectively.

The Pixel 2 XL is backed by a 3520mAh battery that easily lasted us for more than a day of average use that included playing games and browsing social media apps, with Wi-Fi turned on.

As pointed earlier, Pixel smartphones biggest talking point has always been the cameras. It won't be too inaccurate to say that it is considered one of the best - if not the best - cameras on a smartphone. On paper, the camera specifications do raise an eyebrow or two. For starters, unlike other smartphones in the category, Pixel 2 XL gicves the dual rear camera set up a complete miss. Instead, it comes with a 12.2MP rear camera with an f/1.8 aperture and an 8MP selfie camera with f/2.4 aperture. This is where Google earns it stripes as it easily outclasses most dual rear camera smartphones. The depth of field effect captured from the rear camera is excellent. In addition to it, there isn't any lag or stutter and the images we clicked during daylight were outstanding. Vivid colours, accurate details, the Pixel 2 XL camera captures it all. Take the Pixel 2 XL in low-light conditions and the camera doesn't disappoint there either. It's a winner all the way when it comes to the camera. Mercifully, there isn't any annoying beauty features added to the front camera and the images it clicks are very good.

The Pixel 2 XL can record 4K video at 30fps or 1080p at up to 120fps. Meanwhile, the front-facing camera can do 1080p at 30fps video. There have been reports of audio quality in recorded videos to be very high-pitched, but when we put it to test, it was just fine.
Verdict

It hasn't been the kind of start Google would have anticipated with the Pixel 2 smartphones. They can't be called teething troubles exactly but in its defence, the review unit we got didn't suffer from most of the reported issues and problems. Google has sprung into action - as its known for its responsiveness - and already offered extended warranty for two years for Pixel 2 users. The blue tint on the display is the only sore point for us.

Rest assured, this is one powerful Android smartphone that packs in a powerful processor and a brilliant camera.
Keeping all that aside, the Pixel 2 XL is one powerful Android smartphone. It has an excellent camera and powerful processor. The Pixel 2 XL price starts at Rs 73,000 for the 64GB model and 128GB model comes at Rs 82,000. At this price, the biggest competition it faces is from Apple iPhone 8 Plus. Those who are Android devotees might like to go for the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 or the Galaxy S8. There's little to separate the Pixel 2 XL from competition - which isn't a surprise as it's always the case with most flagships. It will come down to why you want to buy a flagship. If the camera is the tilting factor, don't look further than the Google Pixel 2 XL.

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