Phones Google Pixel 2 / Google Pixel 2 XL

[Aneres11]

He also made the point of saying (I'm paraphrasing but I'm close) "if you're the kind of person that goes into a dark room with a gray image on your screen with the brightness turned all the way down to check for spots -- DON'T buy the Pixel 2!"

I know that is all tonuge in cheek, but with the way I personally use my phone I could be one of the people who would notice screen issues if the brightness is right down.

My partner goes to bed long before me every night, so when I get into bed it is always pitch black. I always go on my phone before I go to sleep and I have to have the brightness right down or it blinds me. I use dark themes on every app I can and use the Samsung browser which has a night mode built in, making the screen pretty dark greyish.

It would bug me if the screen had defects I could see in certain situations and not in others.
It's alright for MKBHD-brand though as he probably can't remember the last time he used his hard earned cash to buy a phone.

Don't settle, I say.

 

[Puddled]

MKBHD's review is OUT!

..... Brilliant review, one of my favorite from him yet.

I actually thought it was quite poor, and is more verge-esque than i would have expected.

Its a good overview, but not much more. Perhaps thats where we are these days with the dumbing down of society eh......


Anyway, the pixel is about the software, and that is so much more than a few of the smarts that google has woven into Oreo here. I would have like to see a review on the pixel with respect to how it works as a day to day driver, how it helps (or not) with productivity, email, messaging, video playback, cloud, etc.

Or perhaps those things are not relevant. Is the Pixel nothing more than a skeleton device for you to load up with your own tools?

Where a phone is so much about is skin, and so little about its hardware, i would have liked a bit more of a review.

hmm

 

[Tsepz]

Damn. Guess the RAM keeps the Pixel 2 from beating the Note 8. Still an infinitely better phone than the Note 8 anyway

Better for you.

That is sad it couldn't keep most of those apps in RAM.

One thing I have loved about Android is its multitasking prowess, but these newer 4GB RAM Androids seem to be slacking.

I am glad OnePlus and Samsung put more RAM in their products.

 

[Radon87000]

Ha! Quite the opposite indeed. Like Marques (MKBHD) said in his review: clearly this is a case of some people having issues, and some people not. In his case, he doesn't have any issues. He makes his reviews based solely off of his experience with the device.

He also made the point of saying (I'm paraphrasing but I'm close) "if you're the kind of person that goes into a dark room with a gray image on your screen with the brightness turned all the way down to check for spots -- DON'T buy the Pixel 2!"

Yup I am that kind of person. I do weird things like that with my new iPhones every time.

 

[widgeteer]

I actually thought it was quite poor, and is more verge-esque than i would have expected.

Its a good overview, but not much more. Perhaps thats where we are these days with the dumbing down of society eh......


Anyway, the pixel is about the software, and that is so much more than a few of the smarts that google has woven into Oreo here. I would have like to see a review on the pixel with respect to how it works as a day to day driver, how it helps (or not) with productivity, email, messaging, video playback, cloud, etc.

Or perhaps those things are not relevant. Is the Pixel nothing more than a skeleton device for you to load up with your own tools?

Where a phone is so much about is skin, and so little about its hardware, i would have liked a bit more of a review.

hmm

I was lamenting this the other day. These reviewers don't talk about using the phone anymore save for.photos. All you get is "performance is good!" most of the time. How is the email client? How is it as a phone? Etc.

 

[5105973]

I know that is all tonuge in cheek, but with the way I personally use my phone I could be one of the people who would notice screen issues if the brightness is right down.

My partner goes to bed long before me every night, so when I get into bed it is always pitch black. I always go on my phone before I go to sleep and I have to have the brightness right down or it blinds me. I use dark themes on every app I can and use the Samsung browser which has a night mode built in, making the screen pretty dark greyish.

It would bug me if the screen had defects I could see in certain situations and not in others.
It's alright for MKBHD-brand though as he probably can't remember the last time he used his hard earned cash to buy a phone.

Don't settle, I say.

I use phones the same way at night. Lol, but I have to say using it with actual content on it, especially with night modes when available, is a big difference from going into a dark room with the brightness turned way down to look at a gray screen expecting to find fault. I wonder, if Erica had not heard of the controversy, if she would have noticed some of the things that infuriated her during the normal course of the kinds of testing she does. She is reputed to be thorough, so I suppose she would have.

I paid a lot of money for my Samsung with the pink stain problem. I can’t say it ever made me angry. It confused and befuddled me. In the beginning I couldn’t be sure if it was a perception problem or a natural outcome of how light is refracted and reflected by the curved edges and new extended display. Or if it was the hardware defect it actually turned out to be—though I don’t think Samsung ever explained what it is. It’s just such a weird defect. My feelings about it now are “chagrined.” I’m just relieved the software fix worked, even if it means being stuck permanently in Adaptive mode.

I’ve noticed actually that a lot of the Pixel 2s with the Samsung display exhibit pink shift and pinky warm tones, but I guess that’s “in” now because nobody is complaining about it. lol, I seem to have developed a bit of a horror of the color pink, so we shall see how I fare with this week. The Panda order remains in place.

 

[Septembersrain]

I was lamenting this the other day. These reviewers don't talk about using the phone anymore save for.photos. All you get is "performance is good!" most of the time. How is the email client? How is it as a phone? Etc.

Well, my calls don't drop or cut out anymore like with my 7 Plus on the V30. So I'm hoping the Pixel is as good, if not better. My apps do not refresh or slow down, so it's got to be better on the Pixel running vanilla android and all.

 

[jamezr]

Ha! Quite the opposite indeed. Like Marques (MKBHD) said in his review: clearly this is a case of some people having issues, and some people not. In his case, he doesn't have any issues. He makes his reviews based solely off of his experience with the device.

He also made the point of saying (I'm paraphrasing but I'm close) "if you're the kind of person that goes into a dark room with a gray image on your screen with the brightness turned all the way down to check for spots -- DON'T buy the Pixel 2!"

Yeah its one thing to use your phone in a dark room. I do it all the time. Its another to use a gray wallpaper and turn the display down to 10% and be in a dark room with a gray wallpaper....then you might notice it. I think most people would not notice it unless pointed out to them.

 

[AustinIllini]

The problem I have with the dark room thing is the blue. It gives me a headache. I put the Night Light mode on, but it just feels like an unnecessary workaround.

 

[jamezr]

The problem I have with the dark room thing is the blue. It gives me a headache. I put the Night Light mode on, but it just feels like an unnecessary workaround.

I have night mode set on all of my phones from 10PM to 5AM.
[doublepost=1508849431][/doublepost]MBKHD Review......
The smartest smartphone he has ever used...

 

[Suckfest 9001]

Better for you.

That is sad it couldn't keep most of those apps in RAM.

One thing I have loved about Android is its multitasking prowess, but these newer 4GB RAM Androids seem to be slacking.

I am glad OnePlus and Samsung put more RAM in their products.

Lol no just objectively better. The Samsung phones are just a bloated mess. The software running on the Pixels is excellent

 

[Tsepz]

Lol no just objectively better. The Samsung phones are just a bloated mess. The software running on the Pixels is excellent

Bloated mess for you.

 

[noobinator]

Samsung phones run amazing today compared to previous generations. My S8+ ran just as fast/fluid as my iPhone 7 Plus even after nearly 6 months. Yes, the Pixel will probably be a bit faster and more fluid but I had 0 complaints about the speed of my S8+.

Regarding the low light pixel issues. I too use my phone in bed before sleeping. But I won't be on a blank gray screen so I doubt I would notice any issue. If I noticed it on white screen (like the background of browser or something) then this might be a problem but from what I've seen the phones with bad grain are probably losers in the panel lottery. At this point I'm still taking my chances and holding out for my Panda model that ships in less than 2 weeks now.

 

[AustinIllini]

Bloated mess for you.

I mean, it's definitely more bloated than the Pixel. There's just a lot of bad software in the Samsung ecosystem.

 

[ultravegeta1981]

Lol no just objectively better. The Samsung phones are just a bloated mess. The software running on the Pixels is excellent

What bloat?

 

[JaySoul]

I was lamenting this the other day. These reviewers don't talk about using the phone anymore save for.photos. All you get is "performance is good!" most of the time. How is the email client? How is it as a phone? Etc.

I mean the email client on a Pixel? What, you mean Gmail? Or Inbox?

Second point is fantastic: how is it as a phone?

Last year I used a Pixel and an S7 Edge side by side for a few weeks, and as a PHONE the Samsung was years ahead, far more mature and gave me much less day-to-day frustration. That's the main reason I sold the Pixel after a month. Yeah it's quicker when you're swiping around on it, but the call quality wasn't great, the Bluetooth was a mess, it didn't have Adaptive Sound (which is amazing) etc etc.

As a phone, the Galaxy S series simply doesn't get enough credit. Last night I was chilling with my friend who has always been iOS. He actually bought an S8+ simply as an offline content device and was blown away by how good it was.

I don't know how the Pixel 2 is, but I do know my S8 is an incredibly feat of engineering and it works well with all the faffy stuff.

 

[epicrayban]

Great article. I agree with most of it.

The Pixel 2 XL drama is undermining Google’s entire Pixel project

This isn’t about just one phone, it’s about what the brand “Google” means on a piece of hardware

 

[Aneres11]

So question for those using the Pixel (XL or normal).

How is that launcher treating you?
How is it with the search bar at the bottom of the screen within the apps?
I personally like the look of it, not sure how practical it would be.

Or have y'all just got rid of the launcher and moved onto something else?

 

[epicrayban]

So question for those using the Pixel (XL or normal).

How is that launcher treating you?
How is it with the search bar at the bottom of the screen within the apps?
I personally like the look of it, not sure how practical it would be.

Or have y'all just got rid of the launcher and moved onto something else?

I left my Pixel 2 (regular) on the stock launcher. It's fantastic. Everything is simple and clean, the auto theming with your wallpaper is terrific and tasteful, and I actually like the search bar on the bottom. It's not only easier to reach, but it overall makes the home screen look more organized.

My only one gripe is that Google still doesn't force apps to be the same shape.

 

[JaySoul]

Great article. I agree with most of it.

The Pixel 2 XL drama is undermining Google’s entire Pixel project

This isn’t about just one phone, it’s about what the brand “Google” means on a piece of hardware

TBH I found that article to be a gigantic overreaction, but then again I haven't spent my money on a 2XL. Vlad is acting like this is the Note 7 all over again but this is probably more down to LG messing up a batch of panels.

I agree that Google need to fix it, but I'm sure they are working on it.

 

[Aneres11]

I left my Pixel 2 (regular) on the stock launcher. It's fantastic. Everything is simple and clean, the auto theming with your wallpaper is terrific and tasteful, and I actually like the search bar on the bottom. It's not only easier to reach, but it overall makes the home screen look more organized.

My only one gripe is that Google still doesn't force apps to be the same shape.

Good feedback, cheers.

And yea that has always been a gripe of mine with Android.
Some icons look plain ugly but if they were at least uniform they wouldn't be quite as bad.

 

[5105973]

Mobile Tech Review Lady reviews the Pixel 2, but said she left without buying the Pixel 2 XL for now because the display units had such poor displays.

 

[jamezr]

Lol no just objectively better. The Samsung phones are just a bloated mess. The software running on the Pixels is excellent

Samsung phones aren't a bloated mess......
Why do you troll threads to stir up problems? You obviously like apple phones better than others...so why do you feel the need to to always go into threads of phones you do not like or ever have the intention of buying....just to post something negative?
It is one thing to discuss phones and their pros and cons.....it is another thing entirely different to always try to prod others with "my phone is better than yours" posts.

 

[JaySoul]

Mobile Tech Review Lady reviews the Pixel 2, but said she left without buying the Pixel 2 XL for now because the display units had such poor displays.

Lisa is one of the best reviewers out there!

 

[jamezr]

Great article. I agree with most of it.

The Pixel 2 XL drama is undermining Google’s entire Pixel project

This isn’t about just one phone, it’s about what the brand “Google” means on a piece of hardware

Vlad again and the hatchet job he wants to do with the Pixel 2. Is this his second article basically saying the same thing?
While his fellow Verge reviewers liked the Pixel 2.