When my dog gets anxious in crowds, he jumps straight up to let me know he wants to be held. Two weeks ago, he did just that in a mall. Unfortunately, I was loosely holding my two-year-old phone at the time. As it struck the ground, the hollow thud made it clear that the outcome wasn’t good. No broken glass, but the only sign of life was its power light. Useless.
In a panic, I started looking for new phones. I’d tried several lately for my column. They were decent, but not right for me. Then I started reading reviews. One model stood out among all others, both with tech columnists and consumers. People raved about the Google Pixel 2 XL. So I went to check it out in person. It felt good, looked nice and was very fast at accomplishing the basic tasks. I was sold. And after a week of using it now, I understand the hype.
A devout Chromebook user and generally a big fan of Google software, I am confident this is the best-possible phone for me. Everything about it is high-end, from the 3D Gorilla Glass 5 screen to the durable-feeling body to the physical size to the screen resolution. And it weighs just 6.2 ounces. The general speed of the phone is lightning, as well. Even in WiFi, the Pixel 2 XL just gets in and out of apps swiftly. There’s zero lag, thanks to its Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor. The 6-inch pOLED curved screen is vibrant and crystal clear. It’s large enough that I was able to edit a Google Docs file yesterday with ease. I’ve also watched baseball highlights and TV shows on it. Where my previous phone pixelated the first 15 seconds of video streaming before clearing up, this phone is instantly clear. Do I even need to travel with a tablet or computer anymore? Google Assistant is built in, and it works way better than Siri, in my experience. You can squeeze the bottom sides of the phone to trigger the assistant, as well -- though I didn’t activate that.
One feature I was particularly excited to try was the 12.2 MP rear-facing camera, which has been commonly called the best available on a phone -- beating out that of the highly touted iPhone X in many tests. The first photo I took was of my dog, in portrait mode which blurs out the background. It came out really well. In fact, I emailed it to my mother. Her first response: “Wow, that’s the clearest photo I’ve ever seen.” When I told her it was taken from my phone, she was in disbelief, insisting it had to be from a pricey, professional camera. That photo was taken before I actually studied the camera features -- such as image stabilization and lighting variations. The shots I’ve taken since have turned out even better. I don’t take many selfies, but it’s good to know that portrait mode even works on those. Video quality has been outstanding so far, as well. And to boot, Google gives me free unlimited original-resolution storage of images and videos I take through the end of 2020. Apple could learn from that.
The phone also employs Google Lens that lets you focus the camera on an object, landmark or barcode and it will identify it for you, provide information on it, and lead you to where you can buy it (if applicable) nearby. You can also interact with Google Assistant to learn more. I pointed it at a box of golf balls, for instance, and it showed me where to buy it and how it compares with other golf ball models. The Pixel 2 XL’s battery life is decent, too. Trust me, I use my phone all day long and have only needed to charge this model overnight. And as a phone, the sound comes through loud and clear.
Listen, I get that people vested in Apple’s ecosystem probably want to stick with an iPhone. I made the jump from Apple to Chrome in my office three years ago -- it was a great move to ease my workflow. And now I’m thrilled how the Pixel 2 XL seamlessly communicates with my desktop. I already bought a military-grade case for the phone. Just in case my dog jumps up again.
