

Pixel 2 XL 'black and white' edition with its distinctive power button Google Especially when combined with some nice colour options like ‘Slightly Blue’ (Pixel 2) and ‘Black and White’ (Pixel 2 XL), dubbed ‘Panda’, which feature bright, funky power buttons. There is one downside to this (more in the Battery Life section), but there’s no denying the two tone finish means Google has created something distinct.

With Apple’s new iPhones and Samsung’s new Galaxies featuring fully glass backs, there’s more durability here (plus the catch-up addition of IP67 dust and water resistance) and the Pixels’ aluminium is textured so they are less slippery in hand. The new Pixels also stand out by retaining their distinctive split aluminium and glass backs. The compensation for the bezels that do remain on both is the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL feature front firing stereo speakers, a real differentiator from the competition and a welcome return for a feature missed from the original Pixels after proving popular on the Nexus 6 and Nexus 6P. Google Pixel 2 in Almost Blue cannot hide its large top and bottom bezels Google While the Pixel 2 disappointingly retains the large top and bottom bezels of the original Pixel, the Pixel 2 XL cuts them away though notably not by as much as the Galaxy S8 (83.6%), LG V30 (81.2%) and iPhone X (82.9%) Pixel 2 XL - 157.9 x 76.7 x 7.9 mm (6.22 x 3.02 x 0.31 in) and 175 g (6.17 oz)Īs both its name and display size implies, the Pixel 2 XL is significantly larger than the Pixel 2 but it also has a much more modern design.Of course the other big difference between the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL displays is their screen-to-body ratio and that brings us to design: Google's Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL offer Always On displays GoogleĮlsewhere both the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL support HDR which is fast being adopted by Netflix, Amazon Video and Google Video, while they also add support for an always-on display (popularised by Samsung) - an option to always see the time and notifications in monochrome when the phones are in standby.
