The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL: Here’s What You Need to Know

This morning, Google announced the next versions of its flagship Android phone, the Pixel 2 and the Pixel 2 XL. The two phones are the follow-ups to last year’s debut Pixel offering, which was Google’s first foray into making smartphones from the ground up.
After Samsung and Apple, Google has quickly become the third largest competitor in the field. With all that being said, we high expectations heading into the announcement, given that the original Pixel was named our smartphone of 2016.
Design and Display
The new phones have a similar look to the original Pixel, marked by the same swath of glass on the top back of the phone. This time they’ve shrunken it down and moved the fingerprint scanner below the two-tone drop off. The corners have been unrounded a bit for a more boxy look as well.
As with the first Pixel, the Pixel 2 has an overall modest sense of glitz and glamor. That’s not to say that the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL aren’t beautiful phones—they certainly are. However, they don’t have the same luxurious feel that the iPhone X or Galaxy Note 8 have. Google has instead focused on a simplicity of design that has marked its former products and software design.
In the redesign, Google has trimmed down the thickness of the Pixel 2 this time around. At 0.31 inches thick, the Pixel 2 isn’t quite as thin as the iPhone 8, but is thinner than phones like the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy Note 8. In the meantime, the Pixel 2 XL is only a tiny bit thicker and heavier.
From the front, the Pixel 2 looks almost identical to the Pixel. It’s got the same chunky bezels, making it seem a little outdated in terms of design. However, the Pixel 2 XL has a more modern look with trimmed-down bezels similar to the LG G6. The smaller bezels allows the large 6.0-inch display to fit into a smaller footprint, but not quite to the extent of the iPhone X or Galaxy S8. The difference between the two smartphones is interesting, especially considering that they were actually manufactured by different companies.
The good news is that both smartphones feature amazing Quad-HD OLED displays that are a big bump from last year. The pixel density still doesn’t compare to what Samsung has done with the Galaxy S8, but it’s impressive nonetheless.
Specs and Software