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Google Pixel 2 Vs Pixel 2 XL: What's The Difference?

This article is more than 6 years old.

Google ’s brand new Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are here. They promise the best smartphone cameras on the market, super fast performance, stock Android, and instant updates. But the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL were not created equal, so what’s the difference between them other than size and price?

Here’s everything you need to know…

Google

Displays - Little And Large

Easily the most immediate and controversial difference between the Pixel 2 and the Pixel 2 XL are their designs and displays. Let’s start with the displays:

  • Pixel 2 - 5-inch 16:9 AMOLED, 1920 x 1080 pixels (441 ppi), 67.9% screen-to-body ratio, Corning Gorilla Glass 5, 95% DCI-P3 coverage
  • Pixel 2 XL - 6-inch 18:9 P-OLED, 2560 x 1440 pixels (538 ppi), 76.4% screen-to-body ratio, Corning Gorilla Glass 5, 100% DCI-P3 coverage

There are numerous differences here. The Pixel 2 XL display is larger but more elongated as it shifts to the 18:9 aspect ratio popularised in 2017 by rivals like the Galaxy S8, LG V30 and iPhone X. The Pixel 2 XL also has a higher 2K resolution, full coverage of the RGB spectrum for more accurate colour reproduction and a P-OLED vs AMOLED panel.

The difference between P-OLED and AMOLED is minor and refers to the use of a plastic substrate in the former, even though companies often use this in the latter (Samsung). Consequently it is largely down to marketing with as HTC (which built the Pixel 2) using AMOLED and LG (which built the Pixel 2 XL) using the term P-OLED. Don’t sweat it, the Pixel 2 XL’s advantages are down to it being a more expensive device rather than inherent advantages of its panel type.

Google

Elsewhere 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.

Designs - 2016 Vs 2017

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:

  • Pixel 2 - 145.7 x 69.7 x 7.8 mm (5.74 x 2.74 x 0.31 in) and 143 g (5.04 oz)
  • 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)

As 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. 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%)

Google

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.

The new Pixels also stand out by retaining their distinctive split aluminium and glass backs. 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.

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. 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.

Google

More sheep than trendsetter, however, is Google’s decision to join Apple and remove the headphone jack from both the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. Google has launched AirPod rivalling ‘Pixel Buds’ as a wireless alternative and will include a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter in the box, but it’s a disappointing move nevertheless. Especially after Google crowed about the jack’s inclusion on the original Pixels just after Apple ditched it.

Performance - Software Tops Hardware

2017 was the year Apple’s A11 chipset blew the competition away, but the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL do feature the same class leading Qualcomm chipset as the premium Android competition:

  • Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL - Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 octa-core chipset (4x 2.35GHz and 4x 1.9GHz Kryo CPUs), Adreno 540 GPU; 4GB of RAM

On paper there are solid gains against the 2016 Snapdragon 820 (30% more efficient, 27% faster) but the 835 chip is now six months old. As such what Google is really promoting is the greater software efficiency the new Pixels can offer compared to Android rivals.

Google

The key here is stock Android. The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL join the Pixel, Pixel XL and Nexus 6P as the only smartphones currently supporting clean, unmodified Android with no third party bloatware and access to updates as soon as Google releases them (rivals can wait six months or more, though Project Treble may change that).

Stock Android can make a huge difference in real world use with hardware benchmarking failing to represent just how fast and smooth the original Pixel and Pixel XL operate. In fact one year on I’d still say my Pixel XL daily driver is faster in real world usage than any 2017 Android flagship I have used.

And yet Google is also learning from its Android partners. Having taken the Always on Display from Samsung, Google has also adopted the squeezable sides of the HTC U11. These are pressure adjustable and a squeeze will launch the Android Assistant from anywhere, including the lockscreen. Will it catch on? Time will tell, but I can't think of a faster way of bringing it up on any other phone. Make the squeeze re-mappable as well and Google could be onto a winner.

Google

Cameras - Less Is More

While real world speed was one of the Pixel and Pixel XL’s standout features in 2016, by far the biggest selling point was their cameras which were the best (and arguably still are) of any smartphone since. Now Google promises the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL will take things up another notch, even if this isn’t obvious from the specs:

  • Pixel 2, Pixel 2XL - Rear: 12.2 MP, f/1.8, OIS, phase detection & laser autofocus, dual-LED flash, 1.4 µm pixel size, 4K 30fps, 1080p 120fps, 720p 240fps - Front: 8 MP, f/2.4, 1.4 µm pixel size, 1080p video

The big standout here? Google has stuck with a single rear camera despite 2017 being the year Apple, Huawei, LG and Samsung went big on dual cameras.

Google

On the one hand this is disappointing because dual cameras deliver features single cameras simply can’t provide like x2 optical zoom (Apple, Samsung) or a super wide field of vision (LG). On the other hand, DxOMark just rated the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL as having the best overall photography and video of any smartphone on the market by a significant margin.

How? It all comes down to software which is now the biggest factor in smartphone photography and Google’s image processing algorithms and machine learning are unmatched. These software skills also mean Google can throw in tricks like Portrait Mode (which heavily blurs the background to create a DSLR-style image) on both the front and rear cameras despite it usually being restricted to dual cameras.

Google

Google has also added ‘Motion Photos’ (a rip-off of Apple’s Live Photos, that ripped off Nokia’s Living Images) which intelligently detect movement to automatically create 3-5 second videos with each image. Will that waste storage? No, Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL owners will get free, full resolution unlimited Google Photos storage like the original Pixels. This lasts until 2020 after which, if you haven’t bought a new Pixel, you will only be charged for new full resolution images you add (your old stuff is safe).

And Google’s camera push doesn’t end there. Initially exclusive to the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL is Google Lens which brings Google search to images taken by the camera. There is also support for Augmented Reality with owners able to integrate third party 3D modelling into the camera view. Expect this to lead to a flurry of AR apps, just like Apple is pushing with iOS 11.

Battery Life And Charging - Incremental Updates

Google hinted at better battery life ahead of the launch, but in reality the new Pixels only see minor alterations with the Pixel 2 actually having a slightly smaller battery than its predecessor:

  • Pixel 2 - 2700 mAh (Pixel - 2770 mAh)
  • Pixel 2 XL - 3520 mAh (Pixel XL - 3450 mAh)

The flip side is the extra efficiency of the Snapdragon 835 chipset combined with the notable battery life improvements in Android Oreo should see gains compared to the original Pixels, which were already long lasting phones. There's also fast wired charging up to 18W out the box using USB-C (that's how it's done Apple). Expect the Pixel 2 XL to come out on top like last year. 

Google

Then again the downside to those grippy, textured aluminium backs mean there’s no wireless charging in either the Pixel 2 or the Pixel 2 XL. This is a shame given Apple’s push to join Samsung and make the Qi wireless charging standard ubiquitous in 2017 and I expect many shops, cafes, planes and trains will add Qi charging over the next few years.

Personally I’m not a huge wireless charging fan (every time you pick your phone up it stops charging), but I think its omission could be a deal breaker for some.

Storage and Price - Increases Everywhere

While 2017 has witnessed some superb smartphones, it has also seen the price of premium models rise dramatically - notably from Apple and Samsung which burst through the $999 barrier.

Google doesn’t go quite that far having retained the Pixel’s pricing for the Pixel 2 and double base storage for good measure, but the Pixel 2 XL costs $80 more now at both its storage tiers:

  • Pixel 2 - $649 (64GB), $749 (128GB)
  • Pixel 2 XL - $849 (64GB), $949 (128GB)

While it’s good to see 32GB models bite the dust (a trend in flagship smartphones this year), the lack of a 256GB option means the 128GB Pixel 2 XL costs as much as a 256GB iPhone 8 Plus and that’s not a great way for Google to win customers from Apple.

Like Apple, Google also doesn’t fit its smartphones with expandable microSD storage (never has) so you need to buy what you need upfront and that gives LG and Samsung an edge. What does work in Google’s favour is the free unlimited Google Photos storage which effectively gives both Pixels unlimited storage, but how effectively this can be communicated to the general public is unknown.

Google

Bottom Line

Google promises there’s no compromise between its Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL smartphones, but that’s not really true. Yes the core features like performance and (crucially) camera align, but their designs, displays and battery capacities do not.

The Pixel 2 XL is clearly the superior phone and that’s reflected in its price. But for those who can look past the Pixel 2’s big bezels, you’ll get the same lightning quick performance, class leading camera, stock Android experience and ‘unlimited’ storage as the Pixel 2 XL for $200 less.

The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL represent Google’s vision for Android: do the basics better than everyone else. They are also clearly the best marriage of hardware and software you’ll find anywhere on the Android platform and their cameras will prove the biggest selling point.

As such the biggest question will be: can Google keep them in stock?

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