I received my 128GB Pixel 2 XL on Friday, and as of Saturday night, it was already back in the box and the return submitted. I REALLY wanted to love this phone. Ordered it knowing about the potential for a less than stellar display. Even though I already have a Galaxy S8+, and I don't really have many complaints about it, Samsung bloat is a very real thing, and it affects the phone in many ways. So I loved the idea of pure Google. I had a Nexus 6 many phones ago, and even with its issues it was great.
It doesn't take much for me to justify the purchase of a new gadget, I'm kind of an addict. And I don't have ANY brand loyalty, though I am definitely an Android fanboi in general. I loved pretty much everything about my Huawei Mate 9 - if that phone had waterproofing and an OLED display I’d probably still have it. I use my phone as my alarm clock at night, so the always-present backlight of LED displays is a killer for me. Need them OLED blacks!
So without further adieu - my P2XL observances, in no particular order:
CON: Display blue shift - the blue shift wasn't a deal breaker in and of itself, but it was definitely noticeable and intrusive for me. I may have gotten used to it, but combined with everything else.....
CON: Speakers - I expected more quality from the speakers. I remember the Nexus 6 sounding much better than the P2XL, and the Mate 9 even sounded much better with pseudo-stereo speakers.
CON: Ambient Display - VERY minimal and not as useful as Samsung's. Changing tracks, notifications, even having a photo on there is pretty nice.
CON: Fingerprint sensor - Not even close to as sensitive as the Mate 9. Even though the positioning on the P2XL was 942% better than the S8+ fingerprint sensor (especially since I use my phone left handed), I just couldn't get the Pixel sensor to quickly and reliably unlock each time. I was very much looking forward to having a usable fingerprint sensor. Better than the Samsung, but just positioning, not performance.
CON: Burn-in - I didn't personally notice any burn-in, but I didn't look for it either as I was pretty sure it would be there based on all the previous reviews and Google’s admission of its existence. The possibility of it being noticeable and intrusive in a matter of weeks was always in the back of my mind, and didn’t lend to confidence in the quality of the display.
CON: PRICE - 'nuff said.
PRO: Even after enjoying the displays of the Note 5, S7 Edge, and S8+, I didn't mind the P2XL colors at all. In fact I preferred it to the super-vibrant S8+ display. Accurate colors are good. They didn’t look “washed out” to me, but Samsung definitely looks exaggerated/fake/inaccurate.
PRO: Speed - there's no question the P2XL is VERY fast. For having the same processor as the S8+, it sure doesn't feel like it. Samsung lag is real, even if it's not obtrusive most of the time. With the Pixel, bang boom it's done.
PRO: Battery life - even though I only used it for 1.5 days, it was evident the battery life was going to be stellar.
PRO: Camera - no need to even go into it. Awesome. Fantastic.
PRO: Android auto was FAST. Holy crap. Very noticeable difference using AA on the Pixel vs the S8+.
I was fairly neutral on the lack of wireless charging and headphone jack. Although I use wireless charging every night, it's not much more difficult to plug in. Wireless was much more of a necessity for me with the Note 5, as the battery life wasn't good enough to last all day. Just kept it on my Qi stand at work, and never had to worry about it. not an issue with the S8+ or the P2XL, so it's moot. And the headphone jack - I already have 3 decent pairs of BT headphones, and plan on getting a good set of BT 5.0 earbuds when the "ideal" set becomes available. I rarely use wired anymore, and I don't think I'd ever really miss the jack.
So basically, I liked (not loved) the P2XL For me there were too many compromises for me to justify the premium price. Yep it’s fast, and has top-tier INTERNALS, but when you’re interfacing with a sub-par display, fingerprint reader, and speakers for hours a day, it’s just too much to pay. It’s like getting a OnePlus 5 when you paid for an iPhone X. The OnePlus is a fine device, but most wouldn’t pay almost 1k for it. If the P2XL 128GB was $600, maybe. Over $900 - no way.
TL;DR - Bottom line, just as the reviewer (and many others) stated, the quality of the device just doesn’t match the price tag. There wasn’t a single deal-breaker for me personally, but the cons all added up to make it not worth the purchase price. Keeping my eye on the Mate 10 Pro….
It doesn't take much for me to justify the purchase of a new gadget, I'm kind of an addict. And I don't have ANY brand loyalty, though I am definitely an Android fanboi in general. I loved pretty much everything about my Huawei Mate 9 - if that phone had waterproofing and an OLED display I’d probably still have it. I use my phone as my alarm clock at night, so the always-present backlight of LED displays is a killer for me. Need them OLED blacks!
So without further adieu - my P2XL observances, in no particular order:
CON: Display blue shift - the blue shift wasn't a deal breaker in and of itself, but it was definitely noticeable and intrusive for me. I may have gotten used to it, but combined with everything else.....
CON: Speakers - I expected more quality from the speakers. I remember the Nexus 6 sounding much better than the P2XL, and the Mate 9 even sounded much better with pseudo-stereo speakers.
CON: Ambient Display - VERY minimal and not as useful as Samsung's. Changing tracks, notifications, even having a photo on there is pretty nice.
CON: Fingerprint sensor - Not even close to as sensitive as the Mate 9. Even though the positioning on the P2XL was 942% better than the S8+ fingerprint sensor (especially since I use my phone left handed), I just couldn't get the Pixel sensor to quickly and reliably unlock each time. I was very much looking forward to having a usable fingerprint sensor. Better than the Samsung, but just positioning, not performance.
CON: Burn-in - I didn't personally notice any burn-in, but I didn't look for it either as I was pretty sure it would be there based on all the previous reviews and Google’s admission of its existence. The possibility of it being noticeable and intrusive in a matter of weeks was always in the back of my mind, and didn’t lend to confidence in the quality of the display.
CON: PRICE - 'nuff said.
PRO: Even after enjoying the displays of the Note 5, S7 Edge, and S8+, I didn't mind the P2XL colors at all. In fact I preferred it to the super-vibrant S8+ display. Accurate colors are good. They didn’t look “washed out” to me, but Samsung definitely looks exaggerated/fake/inaccurate.
PRO: Speed - there's no question the P2XL is VERY fast. For having the same processor as the S8+, it sure doesn't feel like it. Samsung lag is real, even if it's not obtrusive most of the time. With the Pixel, bang boom it's done.
PRO: Battery life - even though I only used it for 1.5 days, it was evident the battery life was going to be stellar.
PRO: Camera - no need to even go into it. Awesome. Fantastic.
PRO: Android auto was FAST. Holy crap. Very noticeable difference using AA on the Pixel vs the S8+.
I was fairly neutral on the lack of wireless charging and headphone jack. Although I use wireless charging every night, it's not much more difficult to plug in. Wireless was much more of a necessity for me with the Note 5, as the battery life wasn't good enough to last all day. Just kept it on my Qi stand at work, and never had to worry about it. not an issue with the S8+ or the P2XL, so it's moot. And the headphone jack - I already have 3 decent pairs of BT headphones, and plan on getting a good set of BT 5.0 earbuds when the "ideal" set becomes available. I rarely use wired anymore, and I don't think I'd ever really miss the jack.
So basically, I liked (not loved) the P2XL For me there were too many compromises for me to justify the premium price. Yep it’s fast, and has top-tier INTERNALS, but when you’re interfacing with a sub-par display, fingerprint reader, and speakers for hours a day, it’s just too much to pay. It’s like getting a OnePlus 5 when you paid for an iPhone X. The OnePlus is a fine device, but most wouldn’t pay almost 1k for it. If the P2XL 128GB was $600, maybe. Over $900 - no way.
TL;DR - Bottom line, just as the reviewer (and many others) stated, the quality of the device just doesn’t match the price tag. There wasn’t a single deal-breaker for me personally, but the cons all added up to make it not worth the purchase price. Keeping my eye on the Mate 10 Pro….
