Phones Google Pixel 2 / Google Pixel 2 XL

[Michael Goff]

It's actually not much larger than the non plus iPhone.

Removing the bezel on the iPhone is mostly aesthetic.

 

[v0lume4]

It's actually not much larger than the non plus iPhone.

Right. When you're viewing media such as photos and videos, you're limited by the shortest side. If you want to watch a video or view a photo at native aspect ratio, the shortest side is what dictates the size of the content. In the context of the iPhone X, the shortest side (the width of the screen when viewed upright) is only slightly larger than the width of the standard iPhone 8. Therefore, videos and photos (an example -- think about the photos you see when scrolling through Instagram) are only slightly larger than what you see on the standard iPhone 8.

It's the increased WIDTH that makes photos and videos so much larger when you pick up an iPhone 8 Plus or Galaxy Note 8 for example. Width that you do not have on the iPhone X.

I ponder how many Plus owners are going to be dumbfounded when they receive their iPhone X in the mail and hold it in their hand for the first time? Surely they know what they're buying into.

 

[spinedoc77]

Right. When you're viewing media such as photos and videos, you're limited by the shortest side. If you want to watch a video or view a photo at native aspect ratio, the shortest side is what dictates the size of the content. In the context of the iPhone X, the shortest side (the width of the screen when viewed upright) is only slightly larger than the width of the standard iPhone 8. Therefore, videos and photos (an example -- think about the photos you see when scrolling through Instagram) are only slightly larger than what you see on the standard iPhone 8.

It's the increased WIDTH that makes photos and videos so much larger when you pick up an iPhone 8 Plus or Galaxy Note 8 for example. Width that you do not have on the iPhone X.

I ponder how many Plus owners are going to be dumbfounded when they receive their iPhone X in the mail and hold it in their hand for the first time? Surely they know what they're buying into.

You know that most consumers can't really tell the difference, and I think a large part of this is how it's displayed next other phones. Unless it's a true picture, I overwhelmingly see side by sides with other phones not adjusted for size. So the X looks as big as say the Note 8, or the v30, when it's really not. That's a huge pet peeve of mine, if you are going to display 2 phones side by side in your news article or whatever, then resize them to the correct proportions next to each other. I see a lot of this on the carriers marketing and their websites, and that's a lot of consumers looking.
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Removing the bezel on the iPhone is mostly aesthetic.

It's hugely functional for my needs, it means a larger screen in a smaller package. Whether it's fitting it into my pants pocket or holding it one handed, it makes a big difference.

 

[Michael Goff]

You know that most consumers can't really tell the difference, and I think a large part of this is how it's displayed next other phones. Unless it's a true picture, I overwhelmingly see side by sides with other phones not adjusted for size. So the X looks as big as say the Note 8, or the v30, when it's really not. That's a huge pet peeve of mine, if you are going to display 2 phones side by side in your news article or whatever, then resize them to the correct proportions next to each other. I see a lot of this on the carriers marketing and their websites, and that's a lot of consumers looking.
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It's hugely functional for my needs, it means a larger screen in a smaller package. Whether it's fitting it into my pants pocket or holding it one handed, it makes a big difference.

The X is actually bigger in width and height than the regular 8. Not a lot, but if the 8 is too big the X will be too.

 

[spinedoc77]

The X is actually bigger in width and height than the regular 8. Not a lot, but if the 8 is too big the X will be too.

View attachment 724553

Sure, in overall physical size of the entire phone. But when matching up screens it's actually quite a different story. Width they match the same, 375 points across. Height the X is 20% taller, BUT that is actually less because 1) the notch (although some of that is regained by incorporating the status bar into the notch area), 2) dev guidelines have margins which are larger on the X due to the notch and rounded corners, and 3) you have a line indicator on the bottom (in portrait or landscape mode) that takes up space, that the regular iPhone doesn't have. So actual content is restricted from those areas, although the screen will seem larger because the app itself can extend out, you actually won't get any content there.

https://developer.apple.com/ios/human-interface-guidelines/overview/iphone-x/

 

[Radon87000]

Sure, in overall physical size of the entire phone. But when matching up screens it's actually quite a different story. Width they match the same, 375 points across. Height the X is 20% taller, BUT that is actually less because 1) the notch (although some of that is regained by incorporating the status bar into the notch area), 2) dev guidelines have margins which are larger on the X due to the notch and rounded corners, and 3) you have a line indicator on the bottom (in portrait or landscape mode) that takes up space, that the regular iPhone doesn't have. So actual content is restricted from those areas, although the screen will seem larger because the app itself can extend out, you actually won't get any content there.

https://developer.apple.com/ios/human-interface-guidelines/overview/iphone-x/

View attachment 724559

In portrait mode it does show more content than the Plus depending on whether the usual iOS navigation bar on apps is there at the bottom or not. If its there like in Apple News, then the content will be lesser than the Plus because the gesture area remains a white space. But while you are web browsing in Safari and the bottom bar gets out of the way the X shows more content than the Plus albeit its smaller because the gesture area at the bottom is used. So its kinda complicated. But all things considered its display is smaller than the Plus and the S8 because almost all apps have the iOS navigation panel at the bottom

 

[spinedoc77]

In portrait mode it does show more content than the Plus depending on whether the usual iOS navigation bar on apps is there at the bottom or not. If its there like in Apple News, then the content will be lesser than the Plus because the gesture area remains a white space. But while you are web browsing in Safari and the bottom bar gets out of the way the X shows more content than the Plus albeit its smaller because the gesture area at the bottom is used. So its kinda complicated. But all things considered its display is smaller than the Plus and the S8 because almost all apps have the iOS navigation panel at the bottom

Maybe, we'll see how this works in practice. Since it is more narrow than the plus will line breaks be more frequent, will less text fit in a line? Just as one example. Keep in mind you have larger gutters because of the rounded corners versus the plus which has square corners. But I don't disagree, if devs can program full screen modes past those gutters and past the notch then they will be able to gain a bit of screen size, although it's questionable if Apple will be ok with this in anything other than apps where it makes sense such as a video player.

I just think many are going to be surprised when they first actually hold on in hand. I think it's a great upgrade to the non plus iPhone, but it's a more questionable upgrade to the iPhone plus IMO.

 

[jamezr]

Sure, in overall physical size of the entire phone. But when matching up screens it's actually quite a different story. Width they match the same, 375 points across. Height the X is 20% taller, BUT that is actually less because 1) the notch (although some of that is regained by incorporating the status bar into the notch area), 2) dev guidelines have margins which are larger on the X due to the notch and rounded corners, and 3) you have a line indicator on the bottom (in portrait or landscape mode) that takes up space, that the regular iPhone doesn't have. So actual content is restricted from those areas, although the screen will seem larger because the app itself can extend out, you actually won't get any content there.

https://developer.apple.com/ios/human-interface-guidelines/overview/iphone-x/

View attachment 724559

Kinda funny they compare the 5.8 iPhone X to the 4.7 iPhone 8 and not the 5.5 iPhone 8 Plus....

 

[Tig Bitties]

FYI, the iPhone X is the replacement for the smaller 4.7" sized iPhone. And there will be a X Plus next year with a 6.4" screen, being no bigger overall than the current iPhone 8 Plus sized phones.

Fall 2018 iPhone lineup, per all rumors and news I have read about the next gen iPhone's coming a year from now;

- 2018 iPhone X2 ( 5.8" screen ) replacing the iPhone ( 4.7" )

- 2018 iPhone X2 Plus ( 6.4" screen ) replacing the iPhone Plus ( 5.5" screen )

I doubt these will be named the X2, but I mean whatever next year's line up will be.

And also a rumor of a third 2018 iPhone, a 6" screen with LCD display, in case there's not enough OLED displays for the two main models.

 

[jamesrick80]

Kinda funny they compare the 5.8 iPhone X to the 4.7 iPhone 8 and not the 5.5 iPhone 8 Plus....

That's because you are effectively getting almost 4.7 inch of video watching area and screen viewing area when cropped unless you display it full with a notch taking over part of the video or photo. It is best to compare it to the 4.7 inch iPhone 8 so they were correct in that regard.
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FYI, the iPhone X is the replacement for the smaller 4.7" sized iPhone. And there will be a X Plus with a 6.4" screen, being no bigger overall than the current iPhone 8 Plus sized phones.

Fall 2018 iPhone lineup, per all rumors and news I have read about the next gen iPhone's coming a year from now;

- 2018 iPhone X2 ( 5.8" screen ) replacing the iPhone ( 4.7" )

- 2018 iPhone X2 Plus ( 6.4" screen ) replacing the iPhone Plus ( 5.5" screen )

I doubt will be named the X2, but I mean whatever next year's line up will be.

And also a rumor of a third 2018 iPhone, a 6" screen with LCD display, in case there's not enough OLED displays for the two main models.

Makes complete sense when cropped for videos and photos...you get nearly 4.7 inches with the 5.8 inch model and 5.5 inches for the 6.4 inch model.

 

[5105973]

Sure, in overall physical size of the entire phone. But when matching up screens it's actually quite a different story. Width they match the same, 375 points across. Height the X is 20% taller, BUT that is actually less because 1) the notch (although some of that is regained by incorporating the status bar into the notch area), 2) dev guidelines have margins which are larger on the X due to the notch and rounded corners, and 3) you have a line indicator on the bottom (in portrait or landscape mode) that takes up space, that the regular iPhone doesn't have. So actual content is restricted from those areas, although the screen will seem larger because the app itself can extend out, you actually won't get any content there.

https://developer.apple.com/ios/human-interface-guidelines/overview/iphone-x/

View attachment 724559

Oh my, that notch really is distracting for me. I’d rather have the bezels than have a lump cut into the view like that. Is there an option to zoom out of that view so there are some borders to square it off neatly?

 

[AustinIllini]

Oh my, that notch really is distracting for me. I’d rather have the bezels than have a lump cut into the view like that. Is there an option to zoom out of that view so there are some borders to square it off neatly?

Apparently not. I would have just letterboxed it in video play. I can't understand how a company like Apple would tolerate that level of imperfection.

 

[Lava Lamp Freak]

Same here...there are some that want to be the first to report a problem that may or may not exist and rile everyone else up....
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That link is for boot looping issues on some LG phones. It has nothing to do with the displays. Saying that the Pixel 2 XL will have the same issues as any other LG phone is like saying the V30 has the same camera as the Pixel 2. You can't just lump them all together. I have had G6 and V20 that had excellent displays and never boot looped.
You don't know it is 99% the same screen.....Google has a to say about the manufacturing and specs involved in making he Pixel 2.

So should we then ASSUME the iphone X has the same display quality as the Note 8? Since Samsung made the displays for Apple on the iphone X? Weren't you the same person that argued against those kind of assumptions in other threads here on MR?

It appears to be the POLED display tech that is at fault. Some of the hands on videos I watched last week commented that there was noticeable banding even under the bright lights.

It's doubtful that there would be an improvement in the Pixel 2 XL screen compared to the V30 since it's the same LG POLED tech.

 

[v0lume4]

I'm just not certain the banding is going to be that big of an issue, save for the pickiest of folks. Unless the issue truly makes the screen look like garbage, then this probably won't be much different than the light bleed on my iPad 2, or the discoloration of the screen on my iPhone 5.

The screen SHOULD be perfect, but if it's only 95% of the way there, that's fine for me, and probably most other folks too.

Again, let me add the disclaimer: if the banding is truly noticable and makes the phone experience noticably worse, then that's a no no. But we are just going to have to wait and see what the real world reviews say.

 

[Radon87000]

I'm just not certain the banding is going to be that big of an issue, save for the pickiest of folks. Unless the issue truly makes the screen look like garbage, then this probably won't be much different than the light bleed on my iPad 2, or the discoloration of the screen on my iPhone 5.

The screen SHOULD be perfect, but if it's only 95% of the way there, that's fine for me, and probably most other folks too.

Again, let me add the disclaimer: if the banding is truly noticable and makes the phone experience noticably worse, then that's a no no. But we are just going to have to wait and see what the real world reviews say.

It’s mostly invisible at normal brightness and it becomes noticeable once you lower the brightness levels when it’s dark. I have OCD when it comes to screens so I will check out the pics once it’s out in the wild before considering it for purchase.

 

[5105973]

It appears to be the POLED display tech that is at fault. Some of the hands on videos I watched last week commented that there was noticeable banding even under the bright lights.

It's doubtful that there would be an improvement in the Pixel 2 XL screen compared to the V30 since it's the same LG POLED tech.

This would be unfortunate but if there’s a screen lottery I will play it or see about getting the little Pixel 2. Either way, I am determined I’m going to try “pure Android” this year.

2017 is a weird year for displays, with pink stains and banding and notches.
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It’s mostly invisible at normal brightness and it becomes noticeable once you lower the brightness levels when it’s dark. I have OCD when it comes to screens so I will check out the pics once it’s out in the wild before considering it for purchase.

I don’t have OCD per se, but certain types of display irregularities can trigger my migraines. I quite like the little Pixel 2 very much, even with the big bezels, so I remain hopeful I can get a Pixel of some kind with a nice even display.

 

[epicrayban]

Downgrading on the display experience from the s8 is one of the reasons why I don't think I'll switch. I have two Pixel 2's coming my way and neither are for me but it'll allow me to really compare the two first hand.

Can that camera be worth the trade in for the screen experience? That's the major question. And can stock Android make a difference enough to give up wireless charging?

Questions that need answers. I can't wait to get the Pixels.

 

[5105973]

Apparently not. I would have just letterboxed it in video play. I can't understand how a company like Apple would tolerate that level of imperfection.

I thought the notch was cute and had a quirky charm when I was looking at the leaked photos with the displays turned off. It’s part of a cute, unique overall shape for the iPhone X as a whole. But when I see screenshots of actual apps running on it, my eyes are constantly drawn to the notch. I hope the reality of using it proves the notch isn’t as distracting as it seems on paper.
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Downgrading on the display experience from the s8 is one of the reasons why I don't think I'll switch. I have two Pixel 2's coming my way and neither are for me but it'll allow me to really compare the two first hand.

Can that camera be worth the trade in for the screen experience? That's the major question. And can stock Android make a difference enough to give up wireless charging?

Questions that need answers. I can't wait to get the Pixels.

My display experience with my S8+ was marred by weeks of dealing with the iridescent pink stain and now resigning myself to living with curved edges. So to me, even the smaller Pixel feels like a lateral move as long as the colors and brightness are decently even across the display.

Stock Android, if it’s all I’ve heard it to be, is definitely worth it to me to give up on wireless charging. Wireless charging is a nice convenience, but I’ll trade it for that AOD that tells me what song is playing.

 

[v0lume4]

I thought the notch was cute and had a quirky charm when I was looking at the leaked photos with the displays turned off. It’s part of a cute, unique overall shape for the iPhone X as a whole. But when I see screenshots of actual apps running on it, my eyes are constantly drawn to the notch. I hope the reality of using it proves the notch isn’t as distracting as it seems on paper.

Same here. Prior to the iPhone X announcement, the rumors of the notch had me thinking, "I'm really not sure about this." After the announcement of the iPhone X, shiny object syndrome kicked in and I oohed and aahed over the design for a few days. Then, once reality set back in, I really just couldn't understand it. The notch is okay (read: only okay; make no mistake) when viewed in portrait mode, but any time that the phone is turned sideways I just can't believe what's before my eyes. It's truly bad. Minimal bezels with square corners* a la the Note 8 would have looked significantly better in my opinion.

*Square corners referring to the device itself, not the screen

 

[jamezr]

It appears to be the POLED display tech that is at fault. Some of the hands on videos I watched last week commented that there was noticeable banding even under the bright lights.

It's doubtful that there would be an improvement in the Pixel 2 XL screen compared to the V30 since it's the same LG POLED tech.

Weill we have a couple more weeks to find out for sure. It is not the same camera or software as the V30 so hopefully Google took care of the display specs too.

 

[v0lume4]

Weill we have a couple more weeks to find out for sure. It is not the same camera or software as the V30 so hopefully Google took care of the display specs too.

Agreed. FWIW, I saw a gent on Reddit say that he has a V30 and has no screen issues.

Now, a sampling of just one individual means very little. But it's a reminder that like all phone issues, it's not 100% widespread.

Heck, Samsung phones may not have uneven backlighting, but they have had all sorts of crazy color hues this year if I'm not mistaken. I think @GrumpyMom said that she experienced this.

 

[jamezr]

Agreed. FWIW, I saw a gent on Reddit say that he has a V30 and has no screen issues.

Now, a sampling of just one individual means very little. But it's a reminder that like all phone issues, it's not 100% widespread.

Heck, Samsung phones may not have uneven backlighting, but they have had all sorts of crazy color hues this year if I'm not mistaken. I think @GrumpyMom said that she experienced this.

Yeah I have seen a lot of people on other forums that have the V30 and report no boot looping or screen issues. It just goes to show how some want to be the bearer of bad new for phones they don't intend to get.

We have 2 more weeks before we all get our Pixel 2s in our hands!

 

[Tig Bitties]

I would think the Pixel 2 XL screen will be just fine. Maybe early test units had issues, but would think Google would make sure production units are great.

Really looking forward to everyone's personal reviews once they get one. I'm about to get one, but want to see the forum members hands on reviews, as I trust the group in here more than some Android website review.

 

[spinedoc77]

Oh my, that notch really is distracting for me. I’d rather have the bezels than have a lump cut into the view like that. Is there an option to zoom out of that view so there are some borders to square it off neatly?

Yeah the notch is terrible. But the solution isn't rocket science, they just need to black out the areas to the left and right of the notch in software, no need to extend the notch physically. This way they can keep the status bar on the sides and save screen space.

No one really knows why some of these design decisions are made. IMO Ive and his team are simply out of touch on many levels. It's like their blinding white on off white theme with no option for a dark theme, it just boggles the mind design can be that terrible. I think part of it is that Apple also wanted something iconic to differentiate themselves, something that at a glance would tell you someone was using an iPhone, and I guess the notch was what does that. Otherwise I cannot fathom the slightest inkling of why such a terrible design decision was approved.

 

[jamezr]

I would think the Pixel 2 XL screen will be just fine. Maybe early test units had issues, but would think Google would make sure production units are great.

Really looking forward to everyone's personal reviews once they get one. I'm about to get one, but want to see the forum members hands on reviews, as I trust the group in here more than some Android website review.

There is a Google tester on another forum that has had the Pixel 2 XL for a couple of months. He said the XL has no screen issues at all. That the camera is truly amazing and that is all he can say.........