The Google Pixel 2 – A Review

If you are searching for a good-looking phone, the Google Pixel 2 is not the one. But if you are looking for exceptional battery life and a few sneaky extras, then it's worth a look.

Looks

We have become accustomed to the latest smartphones being things of beauty but there is something exceptionally bland about the latest offering from Google. It has the same back panel and the same glass front. And nothing more. But where its looks let it down, it makes up for in other departments.

Screen and Size

At 5 inches, the Google Pixel 2 screen is a full inch smaller than its 6-inch screen cousin but in all honesty, this doesn't disappoint. It has a regular OLED display with top and bottom bezels that house a set of speakers, which are also fairly good in terms of sound quality.

It may not have the sleekness of the new iPhone X and if you can afford the £1,000 price tag for that, then you wouldn't be considering the Pixel 2. It is, however, simple to use and has a fantastic responsive screen with a decent colour reproduction, making gaming on high-end sites such as slotsites.com a pleasant experience.

Battery Life

Another plus for gamers and avid social media fans is the rather splendid performance of the battery. Other phones have long struggled to power the numerous apps as well as all day connection to Wi-Fi and/or data without the power source being drained. Although all smartphones manufacturers have upped their game when it comes to battery efficiency, the Pixel 2 has a battery beefy enough to last all day without it collapsing.

Functionality

The Google Pixel 2 runs the latest version of Android 8 Oreo, giving it a smooth, optimised and polished performance. Its snappy response works well with Google Assistant. There are some nifty extras such as the ‘playing Now' feature which recognises music around your and the new Google Lens feature recognises objects in photos, identifies landmarks and so on.

Camera

The front and rear cameras on the Pixel 2 are identical to those on the Pixel 2 XL. At 12.2 megapixels it can certainly hold its own, although avid photographers are disappointed at what they see as the lack extensive manual controls. But the picture quality is certainly more than good enough.

What Users Are Saying

Some users are reporting a clicking or whining noise during operation, but this doesn't seem a widespread problem. The speakers are loud and clear, and with unlimited photo back-up included in the price, the £629 handset will no doubt prove popular with some.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is slightly cheaper at £540 with the iPhone 8 coming in at £699 which puts the Pixel 2 right in between the two. Does it deserve to be there for the price? If you want a long battery life, a great screen, squeezable side and the latest version of Android, then yes.

But, if you are all about looks and lack of headphone jack, and want to experience wireless charging, then you may want to hang on for Samsung's Axon, the world's first foldable, dual-screen smartphone.