Pixel 2 XL Review – Is It Worth The Money?

Pixel 2 XL Review – Is It Worth The Money?

The Google Pixel 2 XL – wow, it’s an expensive phone!

Is it worth the price?

I’ve been using one for over a month now and I have to say, it is a great smartphone.

Mail, Google News, even the camera app, pop up fast.

And the camera? It’s impressive. Great colors, fast focusing, fast response… you just click and the pic is taken.

To take a selfie, you squeeze the sides of the phone to turn on the Google Assistant and say “take a selfie”. The phone will give you a 3, 2, 1, countdown and takes the pic. Easy.

Squeezing the sides for the Assistant is also handy for narrowing the response to the phone. At home, if I say “Hey, Google”, the phone responds, my Google Home Mini responds, and sometimes my wife’s phone responds. I get a ridiculous chorus of questions and answers from various devices based on what they thought they heard me say.

By squeezing the sides of the Pixel 2 XL, only the Google Assistant on the phone is activated. Of course, that doesn’t stop the Pixel 2 XL from responding when I say “hey, Google” to the Home Mini, but at least it’s a start.

Why can’t Google give us a way to name our own devices? That’s a story for another day…

The Pixel 2 XL is also water resistant. That came in handy when I recently spilled some food on the phone. I’m not one for dunking an expensive phone totally underwater, despite it being water resistant. But I did feel comfortable enough to gently rinse it off in the sink and dry it off. No problems afterwards.

The Battery has lasted throughout an average day with power left over (a big improvement over my Nexus 5x). The battery charges up very fast.

I like the “Always On” screen that has the time and notifications on it. I also like the way it can identify and display the titles and songs that play in the background (if you are looking for the way to turn that on, go to settings > sound > advanced).

What don’t I like? There’s no standard headphone jack. Google includes a USB C to 3.5mm adapter for plugging in headphones… but that means having to keep track of an adapter. Ugh.

You may have seen some reviews mention the colors on the screen are poor. Apparently that was a software issue that Google has since fixed. Colors on the phone are bright and look great. If you watch the video below they look muted and blueish – but it just looks that way through the cam. In person that’s not an issue.

A number of Pixel 2 XL reviews have also mentioned a bluish tint when viewing the screen at an angle. I have not found that to be a problem.

Back to the question we started with – is the Pixel 2 XL worth the cost, currently $850 retail?

I really struggle to say any phone is worth that much money. But when it comes down to it, the Pixel 2 XL easily compares in quality to the iPhone X, which is selling for over $1000 now.

The price is daunting, but phones are getting more expensive. I’m not going to jump up and down and say it’s a great deal. However, when comparing the Google Pixel 2 XL to other phones in the $600 and up price range, it’s a pretty darn good phone and comparatively priced.

Check out the video below for more info and to see it in action.

What do YOU think of the Google Pixel 2 XL and it’s price?

Let me know in the comments, ask any questions you might have, and be sure to share this page with your friends and family. They’ll appreciate the info!


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