By now you'll have heard about the problems with the Google Pixel 2 XL. Its display sucks. Google made a mistake using an LG p-OLED panel on its new flagship over the superior OLED supplied by Samsung. The viewing angles are terrible, the colour performance is mediocre, and owners can also face burn in issues mere weeks after buying one.

But the troubles with the Pixel 2 XL have completely overshadowed an top notch opportunity in the marketplace right now: the Pixel 2. Yes, it’s smaller, and sure, it doesn’t have the expansive show of its larger brother. But the Pixel 2 takes all of the true elements of the Pixel 2 XL and applications them into an ergonomic body, while leaving the terrible display behind. It’s this telephone you should be buying, now not the Pixel 2 XL.

The Display Is Really Good

The key subject with the Pixel 2 XL is its crappy LG p-OLED show. But there are not any such worries with the Google Pixel 2, which as an alternative opts for a five.0-inch Samsung 1920 x 1080 AMOLED. It’s smaller in length and lower in resolution, but there’s absolute confidence approximately it: this panel looks a lot higher.

The important problem with the Pixel 2 XL's display is terrible viewing angles, manifesting as a noticeable blue tint or shift each time you view it off-center. Samsung’s AMOLED panel for the Pixel 2 is synthetic in another way, so there is no blue tint in anyway, main to significantly better viewing angles. In fact, the viewing angles on the Pixel 2 are excellent.

The special design and construction of the Pixel 2’s AMOLED alleviates numerous other issues seen inside the Pixel 2 XL’s p-OLED. There’s no grain at low brightness tiers, and the display appears some distance extra uniform, especially while viewing whites. Samsung’s OLED generation seems to be notably less at risk of burn-in as properly; brilliant news for folks who want to use this phone for years.

Saturation (left) and coloration temperature (proper) performance of the Pixel 2 in its default mode

You shouldn’t worry approximately coloration performance both. Google attempted to target sRGB accuracy with the Pixel 2 XL, and didn’t pretty nail it for something cause. Blues at low luminances had been a massive hassle, as turned into coloration temperature and the overall gamut. But with the Pixel 2, Google got here lots closer to hitting their target, which leaves the display looking top notch.

The key difference to coloration overall performance is the temperature of the Pixel 2’s show. Rather than falling well under the ideal 6500K mark for mid-degree greys, which offers the display screen a substantial yellow tint, the Pixel 2 hovers just above 6500K for nearly all the gray range. The end result is a whiter, more correct tone that certainly seems better.

On pinnacle of this, there’s no difficulty with blues at low luminance, and the display hits its gamut goals as advertised. With the herbal mode enabled you get very near sRGB accuracy, even as with boosted mode enabled you get Google’s advertised 10% saturation improve which makes shades pop that little bit extra. The Pixel 2 XL doesn’t even hit full sRGB coverage with boosted mode enabled, so there’s absolute confidence the Pixel 2 grants a miles higher viewing enjoy.

Same Camera, Performance, Features & Software as the Pixel 2 XL

All the first-rate elements of the Pixel 2 XL are nevertheless determined in the Pixel 2. It can be a smaller handset, however there are not any compromises to the digital camera, performance, capabilities or software. Every top notch aspect is shared between each telephones, and the Pixel 2 has that superior show as well.

If you examine our review of the Pixel 2 XL, you’d recognise the digicam is downright tremendous. Google’s processing and automated HDR is on some other stage, helping to deliver a number of the first-class photographs we’ve ever captured with a cellphone. Thanks to the inclusion of optical photograph stabilization, the Pixel 2 is impressive in low mild conditions, and the brand new portrait mode is capable of outstanding simulated intensity of field effects without a further sensor. The Pixel 2 takes the nice selfies of any telephone as a result.

The Pixel 2 doesn’t skimp on high-quit hardware either: the phone is powered by way of a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, the go-to conventional for flagship Android telephones in 2017, at the side of 4GB of RAM and both sixty four or 128GB of garage. Yep, the very equal configuration because the Pixel 2 XL. You gained’t be amazed to learn both that the Pixel 2 helps as much as Category 15 LTE, Bluetooth five.0, Wi-Fi ac with 2x2 MIMO and NFC.

And in case you’re seeking out any differences in software… well there are none. Both run Android eight.zero Oreo with a few custom Google upgrades. Both phones are supported for the subsequent three years with speedy updates to new versions of Android, a developer software for early access to stated updates, and month-to-month protection patches. It’s the pleasant software revel in on any Android handset right now.

Battery Life is Great

Aside from the show, the alternative good sized hardware alternate is the battery size. The Pixel 2 is a smaller phone, so it has a smaller battery: 2,seven hundred mAh in comparison to three,520 mAh in the Pixel 2 XL. While presentations are smaller and less energy hungry in smaller telephones, throughout maximum handsets we take a look at, we have a tendency to locate larger gadgets have higher battery lifestyles. So what’s the scenario with the Pixel 2?

Well, in our testing, the Pixel 2’s battery lifestyles is akin to the Pixel 2 XL on average. Breaking that down, the Pixel 2 fared slightly higher in PCMark, and slightly worse in internet surfing and video playback. And the good news here is that the Pixel 2 XL has top notch battery existence, which makes the Pixel 2’s battery lifestyles extremely good as nicely.

Up in opposition to a number of its largest competition, the Pixel 2 lasts considerably longer than the HTC U11, LG G6 and Huawei P10, approximately 9 percent longer than the OnePlus 5, and around the same mark because the Galaxy S8+ and Xiaomi Mi 6.

No count number which way you have a look at it, the Pixel 2 can provide first rate battery existence for its size and it takes an hour much less to price absolutely.

It’s Cheaper

The high-quality factor to the Pixel 2 for a few human beings could be its price. The Pixel 2 is $649 for the 64GB version, or $749 for the 128GB model. That’s a complete $2 hundred inexpensive than the Pixel 2 XL, which starts offevolved at an high-priced $849. The Pixel 2’s pricing is plenty extra in line with different top-cease flagship phones, and we assume $649 is a truthful rate to pay. $849 for the Pixel 2 XL? That appears like a chunk an excessive amount of for simply a larger, worse display.

Now the Pixel 2 isn’t an ideal handset. The bezels across the display are significant for a telephone in 2017, and the construct excellent, even as nonetheless pretty pleasant in standard, doesn’t match the equal quality of the Pixel 2 XL. But in all honesty, whilst we’d all pick a sexier cellphone with smaller bezels, after a week of the usage of the Pixel 2, you just forget it’s an issue altogether.

So if you’re inside the market for an top notch Android telephone, you ought to ignore the greater high-priced Pixel 2 XL with its mediocre show. Instead, save your self $2 hundred and grab a Pixel 2 as a substitute. It has all the high-quality camera, performance and software program features of the Pixel 2 XL, plus an remarkable display and similar battery life. Don’t overlook approximately the Pixel 2 amid all the Pixel 2 XL controversy: it’s the better buy. It’s the "Pure Android" telephone you should purchase.

Shopping shortcuts

  • Google Pixel 2 at the Google Store, Best Buy, Verizon

Editors be aware: Verizon is presently providing a 50% discount on the Pixel 2 with a certified alternate-in.