Phones Google Pixel 2 / Google Pixel 2 XL

[Lava Lamp Freak]

To echo was @Lava Lamp Freak has been saying, as well as what The Verge said in their review today, the "washed out" colors we are seeing are the result of the Pixel displays being sRGB calibrated. This is good for the fact that the colors you are seeing are in fact the TRUE colors that the app developers, web designers, etc., intend for you to see. Now, whether or not you prefer that is a different story. I prefer the saturated colors, but I digress. I'm probably just too used to my Nexus 6P's display.

But what I saw was only sRGB in Chrome. All other apps looked more saturated than my S8 in basic mode. All of the colors from icons, Gmail, Google Music, YouTube looked much more vibrant than they do on my S8. I actually feel like my S8 looks dull now. I liked that extra saturation. But as soon as I change to anything above basic on my S8 it doesn't look good. So, I really liked the added saturation on the XL 2 because it looks like it is saturated by design rather than as a byproduct of changing to a different color gamut. But I think we can get used to differences in saturation, so I don't think you'd notice after using it for a short period.

And a year from now I don't think this will even be a discussion any more. Considering iPhone X is doing the same thing as Oreo, I'd bet that all of next year's flagships are color-managed automatically and we don't even need display modes any more.
[doublepost=1508293037][/doublepost]Oh, and for anyone interested in buying from Verizon, the salesman tonight told me they have a room full at the store I was at. He didn't think there would be any stock issues for Thursday's launch.

 

[JPNFRK7]

Google Just hit my card. Guess my pixel will be going out tomorrow

 

[5105973]

I haven't seen all the reviews yet. I don't know this Vlad fellow so I don't feel obliged to pay him any more heed than anybody else. I'll make up my own mind about something as subjective as display preference after I've lived with it a few days under all kinds of lighting.

I am on a road trip with my S8+ and my 7 Plus. Both are battery beasts. The Pixel 2 XL battery will have a lot to live up to. It was good to see that Tom's article on the battery life this morning.

Meanwhile, I just finished watching Terminator: Genisys on my iPhone.

I'm now super paranoid that Google or Apple will usher in Skynet. If you don't see me for a few days I'll be busy converting the stormwater sewer system near my house into a bunker. I don't know any friendly Terminators who can help me so I'll have to work something out with the old AIBOs I have in storage.

Jeez that's a creepy movie!

 

[spinedoc77]

[doublepost=1508287595][/doublepost]I just spent 15 minutes with the Pixel 2 XL.

Unlike my last experience, I didn't notice any blue tint. It seemed perfectly white to me this time.

Saturation is definitely srgb. I compared websites side by with my s8 in basic and they looked identical.

All app interfaces look more saturated though and made my s8 look dull.

A new concern though is I noticed black crush in all images compared between 2 XL and s8. Shadow detail is sadly lost on the 2 XL. I can't understand why that would be.
[doublepost=1508287942][/doublepost]Oh one other thing... The 2 XL was clearly brighter than my s8 with both set to max.

A lot of this is most likely subjective, we'll have to wait for official reviews from displaymate. When I looked at a XL2 it had a very noticeable blue screen. This didn't bother me at all because IMO you get used to what you look at all day, I didn't see it as a defect. I didn't think the screen was very bright at all, unscientific eyeballing to me the screen seemed about as bright as the 7+ I had next to it in a brightly lit room, far from impressive and nowhere near as bright as a Note 8.

I do agree with others that the screen was definitely "dull", but the screen on my iPhone is somewhat dull as well. The XL2 screen seemed just a bit duller than my 7+, I'm not a color/tech guy so not sure what terms to use here, but generally that's how I perceived it. I honestly think that between the screen, the bezels and the back of the phone Google once again cheaped out on consumers. Now if a phone like the Note 8, the upcoming X or even the v30 (yeah I know its' the same screen) didn't exist at similar price points I wouldn't be so disappointed. As I've said before, it's still a great phone and leads the competition in some areas, although not necessarily by much. But it's not worthy of the price in my book.

 

[jamesrick80]

But what I saw was only sRGB in Chrome. All other apps looked more saturated than my S8 in basic mode. All of the colors from icons, Gmail, Google Music, YouTube looked much more vibrant than they do on my S8. I actually feel like my S8 looks dull now. I liked that extra saturation. But as soon as I change to anything above basic on my S8 it doesn't look good. So, I really liked the added saturation on the XL 2 because it looks like it is saturated by design rather than as a byproduct of changing to a different color gamut. But I think we can get used to differences in saturation, so I don't think you'd notice after using it for a short period.

And a year from now I don't think this will even be a discussion any more. Considering iPhone X is doing the same thing as Oreo, I'd bet that all of next year's flagships are color-managed automatically and we don't even need display modes any more.
[doublepost=1508293037][/doublepost]Oh, and for anyone interested in buying from Verizon, the salesman tonight told me they have a room full at the store I was at. He didn't think there would be any stock issues for Thursday's launch.

Seems you are tryin to make the Pixel XL 2 display seem better than what it really is. There are reviews of the display showing grainess, dim brightness, and washed out dull colors all of the place. Color management has not taken full effect yet especially on websites because most web designers/developers ignore it and just stick with the messy sRGB look. Adaptive mode on Samsung displays at least makes this more attractive. There is no getting around the Pixel XL 2 having a terrible display. And if you do your research, those display modes on Samsung devices do exactly what they say they do as proven by displaymate and they are excellent.

 

[5105973]

A lot of this is most likely subjective, we'll have to wait for official reviews from displaymate. When I looked at a XL2 it had a very noticeable blue screen. This didn't bother me at all because IMO you get used to what you look at all day, I didn't see it as a defect. I didn't think the screen was very bright at all, unscientific eyeballing to me the screen seemed about as bright as the 7+ I had next to it in a brightly lit room, far from impressive and nowhere near as bright as a Note 8.

I do agree with others that the screen was definitely "dull", but the screen on my iPhone is somewhat dull as well. The XL2 screen seemed just a bit duller than my 7+, I'm not a color/tech guy so not sure what terms to use here, but generally that's how I perceived it. I honestly think that between the screen, the bezels and the back of the phone Google once again cheaped out on consumers. Now if a phone like the Note 8, the upcoming X or even the v30 (yeah I know its' the same screen) didn't exist at similar price points I wouldn't be so disappointed. As I've said before, it's still a great phone and leads the competition in some areas, although not necessarily by much. But it's not worthy of the price in my book.

I think I'd be less twitched at the price if they either left the headphone jack in or gave a cheap set of USB-C earbuds to tide people over until we can afford their expensive fancy Bluetooth ones or the noise cancelling ones. The dongle is a nice add in though. My cat will be so happy to have another one to steal at unboxing time.

 

[michael9891]

There is no getting around the Pixel XL 2 having a terrible display.

I think that's being a bit harsh. Looked fine to me. I'm sure it's not as good as a note 8 but that doesn't make it terrible. I use basic mode on my note as I prefer it to adaptive.

 

[5105973]

Seems you are tryin to make the Pixel XL 2 display seem better than what it really is. There are reviews of the display showing grainess, dim brightness, and washed out dull colors all of the place. Color management has not taken full effect yet especially on websites because most web designers/developers ignore it and just stick with the messy sRGB look. Adaptive mode on Samsung displays at least makes this more attractive. There is no getting around the Pixel XL 2 having a terrible display. And if you do your research, those display modes on Samsung devices do exactly what they say they do as proven by displaymate and they are excellent.

That's not what @Lava Lamp Freak was trying to do. At least that's not how I took it.

Now the graininess does concern me. I didn't notice it in the store but I was there only once. I guess I will find out first hand, eventually. One thing, I did learn my lesson from having a basically sucktastic S8+ display problem. So I will return the Panda straight away rather than hoping for a software fix if I do notice a problem. As I said before I did try to return mine and Samsung's customer service was having a perfect storm of failure at that time.

The first Note 7 my husband had, had a horrible murky display. In a way we we're lucky there was a recall.

All phones are going to have bad individual displays and variances so a good customer service policy and an easy way to initiate returns is important no matter which model you choose. It's always going to be a bit of a lottery. I know the one I saw at the Verizon store a few days ago would have kept me happy.

 

[Lava Lamp Freak]

Seems you are tryin to make the Pixel XL 2 display seem better than what it really is. There are reviews of the display showing grainess, dim brightness, and washed out dull colors all of the place. Color management has not taken full effect yet especially on websites because most web designers/developers ignore it and just stick with the messy sRGB look. Adaptive mode on Samsung displays at least makes this more attractive. There is no getting around the Pixel XL 2 having a terrible display. And if you do your research, those display modes on Samsung devices do exactly what they say they do as proven by displaymate and they are excellent.

I've read the displaymates article on the Note 8, and I guess I took away something different than you, because from the way I perceived it they said to stay in basic mode for most content since that's what most content was created in.

I still have my concerns with the XL 2 display. I noticed shadow detail being crushed, and I'm not sure whether it's my S8 showing too much detail or if there is something not right with the XL 2. I'm also aware of the graininess people have seen with this display.

But all of the complaints about the XL 2 being dull is a subjective issue for those who have become desensitized to garish, oversaturated displays.

 

[Septembersrain]

I don't think the display would be the bad part. For me it's the darn bezel. I've been spoiled by this V30. At first I was all for bezel because most of the smaller bezel devices came with insane edge screens. Accidental touches were very irritating. I think LG hit my comfort zone just right with this phone.

I don't know how I'll ever buy a heavier device either.

 

[Lava Lamp Freak]

I don't think the display would be the bad part. For me it's the darn bezel. I've been spoiled by this V30. At first I was all for bezel because most of the smaller bezel devices came with insane edge screens. Accidental touches were very irritating. I think LG hit my comfort zone just right with this phone.

I don't know how I'll ever buy a heavier device either.

Yeah, that's still a concern for me too. I held the V30 for the first time tonight. And then there is my S8, which I still love the size of. But I no longer like the curved edges on my S8, and I prefer stock Android. The V30 with stock Android would definitely be preferable. But I may just end up waiting for the S9 and next year's other flagships.

 

[5105973]

I don't think the display would be the bad part. For me it's the darn bezel. I've been spoiled by this V30. At first I was all for bezel because most of the smaller bezel devices came with insane edge screens. Accidental touches were very irritating. I think LG hit my comfort zone just right with this phone.

I don't know how I'll ever buy a heavier device either.

I’m really happy the V30 is working out so well for you. I wish the Pixels had been based more closely from the V30 hardware. Sigh. So fabulous!

 

[Radon87000]

The muted colours do not affect me as much as the light bleed like effect and graininess which ars technica's unit showed. AndroidPolice's unit didn't have this so seems the degree of quality variances with LG's oleds are worse than that of Samsung. A screen lottery will have to be played here.

 

[5105973]

The muted colours do not affect me as much as the light bleed like effect and graininess which ars technica's unit showed. AndroidPolice's unit didn't have this so seems the degree of quality variances with LG's oleds are worse than that of Samsung. A screen lottery will have to be played here.

The funny thing about that Ars Technica picture— when I described my husband’s Note 7 screen as murky, that’s exactly the look it had.



So even Samsung had a screen lottery with an outcome that could be that bad!

I’m not trying to bash Samsung, because when you get a good Samsung display it’s not just good, it’s great. But I’m just putting it out there that the OLED panels in general do have their dramatic variances for some reason, no matter who makes them. It does remind me of the cat pee yellow LCD screen lottery of years past with Apple. I won’t deny the possibility though that LG is issuing more than their fair share of clunkers.

 

[KingslayerG5]

I’m really happy the V30 is working out so well for you. I wish the Pixels had been based more closely from the V30 hardware. Sigh. So fabulous!

Agreed.

But that Pixel 2 XL in panda color really is growing on me after seeing an ad. The orange button doesn't bother me at all.

Best Android mix would be V30's hardware with Pixel's software fluidity. I used both Pixel (Verizon) and V20 (T-Mobile) with the former being able to use T-Mobile. I generally loved both of them equally until Oreo ruined my standby time on Pixel by about 15%.

Since I need to tether for my other phones, my Pixel battery used to be about 30% to only 15% left going home. Doing DoorDash and GPS on all day, even 15% degradation is a deal breaker. Planning to keep my G5 and V20 because I am supporter for removable batteries.

Then I sold the Pixel to someone who already had a Nexus 6P. Google Nexus/Pixel really are the iOS experience of the Android world. Seeing that Pixel XL 2 ad is extremely tempting as of late. I can buy it outright at Verizon and then use the T-Mobile promo that can give me a rebate card.

LG manufactured two of the most intriguing Android flagships of the year. Just wished both had 6gb of RAM. I feel like Twilight Zone watching a Samsung Galaxy Note8 beat iPhones in a speed test. Samsung finally got the last laugh after losing so much in 2015-2016 on PhoneBuff's speed tests.

Moroccan blue V30 vs Panda Pixel 2 XL is a close call where you still win with either choice. Better hardware, V30. Better software, Pixel 2 XL.

 

[5105973]

Agreed.

But that Pixel 2 XL in panda color really is growing on me after seeing an ad. The orange button doesn't bother me at all.

Best Android mix would be V30's hardware with Pixel's software fluidity. I used both Pixel (Verizon) and V20 (T-Mobile) with the former being able to use T-Mobile. I generally loved both of them equally until Oreo ruined my standby time on Pixel by about 15%.

Since I need to tether for my other phones, my Pixel battery used to be about 30% to only 15% left going home. Doing DoorDash and GPS on all day, even 15% degradation is a deal breaker. Planning to keep my G5 and V20 because I am supporter for removable batteries.

Then I sold the Pixel to someone who already had a Nexus 6P. Google Nexus/Pixel really are the iOS experience of the Android world. Seeing that Pixel XL 2 ad is extremely tempting as of late. I can buy it outright at Verizon and then use the T-Mobile promo that can give me a rebate card.

LG manufactured two of the most intriguing Android flagships of the year. Just wished both had 6gb of RAM. I feel like Twilight Zone watching a Samsung Galaxy Note8 beat iPhones in a speed test. Samsung finally got the last laugh after losing so much in 2015-2016 on PhoneBuff's speed tests.

Moroccan blue V30 vs Panda Pixel 2 XL is a close call where you still win with either choice. Better hardware, V30. Better software, Pixel 2 XL.

I like the Panda’s look and feel. I just wish it had the V30’s dual cameras with real glass lenses, the quad dac and headphone jack, cinematic capabilities and the stereo audio recording capability. I am fine with a metal body without wireless charging.

And I heartily agree on the RAM. I also think iPhones could benefit from a boost to 4 GB these days with AR and think it’s stupid to stick to 3 for iPhone X and iPhone 8 Plus. Iphone 8 still has only 2. We know the iOS and apps have gotten more ram hungry. For Androids in 2017 it should be 6GB especially if we hope for the phone to be viable for a full 3 years of os updates.

 

[JPNFRK7]

Been reading reports that Google is using Ontrac to deliver the Pixels. Anyone know if they require a signature or if you can presign?

 

[deany]

"There is no question that the Google Pixel 2 XL is the best Android experience money can buy. It is the fastest-feeling, slickest and smoothest Android has ever been, putting it well on par with the quality of iOS."
Guardian UK review 5/5

https://www.theguardian.com/technol...l-review-big-screen-android-camera-battery-ai

 

[jamezr]

Seems you are tryin to make the Pixel XL 2 display seem better than what it really is. There are reviews of the display showing grainess, dim brightness, and washed out dull colors all of the place. Color management has not taken full effect yet especially on websites because most web designers/developers ignore it and just stick with the messy sRGB look. Adaptive mode on Samsung displays at least makes this more attractive. There is no getting around the Pixel XL 2 having a terrible display. And if you do your research, those display modes on Samsung devices do exactly what they say they do as proven by displaymate and they are excellent.

I have seen the Pixel 2XL and held it in my hands right next to my 8 Plus and V30 and it does not have a terrible display.
It might not be on par with a Samsung display......but it's not terrible. At least they got the fingerprint scanner in the right place. That and the overall user experience.......and I would choose the Pixel 2 XL over the Note 8 all day long........
Most reviews have said it is the best Android phone you can buy right now.....

 

[Mark316]

Let's be honest though, if the pixel 2 and xl 2 were just random HTC and LG phones with their own version of Oreo they wouldn't be getting the scores they are now. In the reviews it sounds like they are getting great scores despite of the hardware, and because the user experience and cameras are so good. That's not a bad thing at all but for the price I really wish it was top notch in every aspect.

 

[AustinIllini]

Been reading reports that Google is using Ontrac to deliver the Pixels. Anyone know if they require a signature or if you can presign?

FedEx is giving me no indication that a signature is required.

But then again, this isn't iPhone launch day, where everyone of consequence knows that a box from AI means Apple, Inc and the contents are an iPhone.

 

[epicrayban]

Still no shipment even though my order says shipping Oct 17. Lame.

EDIT: Finally got the email this morning. Arriving tomorrow Oct 19th. w00t.

 

[co.ag.2005]

Been reading reports that Google is using Ontrac to deliver the Pixels. Anyone know if they require a signature or if you can presign?

I'm not sure, mine is coming via FedEx and it doesn't look like it requires a signature according to the tracking page.

 

[noobinator]

I've never had to sign for a Nexus or Pixel.

 

[epicrayban]

Fedex here as well.