Gadgetory

we wanted to take a look at how the pixel 2 changes up the formula from last year's pixel it's jajaja gara what's going on everybody and this is a comparison a look into the Google pixel to excel and the pixel Excel Google set a precedent last year with the pixel forgoing the Nexus program to provide what is basically a home branded by Google for Android the device was regarded pretty well whether you got the small version the large version the really blue version or what have you but there were a few caveats mainly in the design a glass panel on the upper back portion of either device seemed like an odd choice and there wasn't much else that was exciting about the look maybe it just took a little bit of time for us to get used to it but the glass panel has definitely become a stable of the pixel line smartphone or not it looks a lot better this time around probably because they've dialed it back a little bit by not making it take up so much of the back but we actually think that the new pixels are not just streets ahead compared to the originals we also really just in general enjoy the updated aesthetic the feel in the handling of the new pixels has been helped along by a pretty simple change a texture that has been coated onto the aluminum so that it doesn't slip around after all the pixel to excel is pretty much the same size in the hand as the original pixel XL there aren't really any bells and whistles on this phone and you have pretty much the essentials all in places that you would expect them however minimalism might be a bit of an Achilles heel for this year's pixels as it has shaved off the headphone jack this is still a controversial issue no matter what phone it happens to and it might be one of the reasons for you not to upgrade if you have the original pixel we do think you might be missing out a little bit though because the pixel 2 XL does have that 18 by 9 aspect ratio screen that takes up a lot of the device and has very respectable bezels on the sides even if the top and bottom are still kind of sizable considering they have front-facing speakers this time around but let's talk about that screen the larger pixel phones both support quad HD displays but the shift to an OLED screen is the main story for the pixel 2 XL the shift has been a bit rocky though there are a few things that are obvious off the bat the saturation is dialed back on the pixel 2 XL even with the vivid colors setting turned on but yet another problem with the pixel 2 XL has to do with its viewing angles there's a color drop-off or rather the colors get cooler and a little bit bluish as you move the phone around and look at it at an angle and it gets even worse the more acute you go now as reviewers we are able to notice these things and be able to actively comment on them but I don't think that this is such a deal breaker that anybody out there looking at the pixel to excel as their newest phone should view it as a huge problem and it doesn't fall very far behind the original pixel but if you're heading into VR this might be a bit of a consideration but even then it's still not that huge of a deal so let's get underneath that surface both of these phones have performance that is indicative of their times with the Snapdragon 820 one being on lashes pixel and the Snapdragon 835 being part of this year's pixel the rest of the specs are unsurprising including 4 gigabytes of RAM and on-board storage that can change depending on how much you pay for the device and then you have no SD card slot which is something we see in plenty of other devices but it's still not a thing in the pixel the batteries are obviously larger on either excel device and a tiny bit more is found in the tube but we didn't have much trouble with the original pixel XL and so far we haven't had any trouble with the pixel to these specs are supported by a greatly streamlined version of Android which many users agree is the point of any Google branded device and while you can always update the original pixel to have Android Oreo what we really like about the pixel 2 is how it adds capabilities in order to take advantage of some of oreos features case in point the active edge squeeze the bottom half of the device and the phone will automatically launch Google assistance now you can only launch google assistant with this but using your voice or just typing in your command you can actually get a lot of stuff done and even though you have the search bar at the bottom of the pixel to launcher and you can always use a google hot word or you can just hold the home button there are a bunch of ways of opening up the assistant but we would argue that the active edge is probably the fastest and the most fun other software additions include the now playing feature in the always-on display and both of those things I just mentioned are available on the pixel 2 and not in the original pixel and those songs definitely sound better on the front-facing speakers of the pixel 2 which finally brings us to the cameras last year's pixel was lauded for having a great picture experience and this year's pixel 2 continues those accolades the point of last year's camera was the addition of HDR a mode that was basically always on in order to add maybe more saturation but definitely more detail to all of your photos no matter what you were taking Gugu continues that with issues devices integrate effects that mega pixel counts stay the same but the apertures are better this year there are no dual cameras on the pixel two devices either because a Google really believes in its computational photography data and all of that data is actually working to wonderful effect pictures from the pixel two are simply stunning photos are greatly detailed even when zooming in and then an added level of saturation keeps all shots more than social media worthy portrait mode in particular is a wonderful addition that actually replaces the lens blur from last year you no longer have to move the phone ever so slightly in order to achieve a background bokeh effect instead the camera is just able to make that happen on its own and the best part is that the portrait mode is available on the front-facing camera if you just want to press a button and get some great results you kind of can't go wrong with either of these devices it's just that the pixel 2 provides just that little bit more that puts it over the top of the original pixel and so there you have it the pixel to excel in this quick look against the original pixel excel the choice is mostly simple when you factor in the improved camera experience and the additions that Google added to the already established pixel formula they even managed to make the phone look at least halfway decent this year the little missteps like the now gone headphone jack and the weird screen issues might sway some but they are greatly outweighed by the textured experience of the pixel too now if you want a reliable speedy and simply great Android experience for a more affordable price getting your hands on a discounted pixel excel is still a steal but for everyone else that can handle the cost the pixel 2 and the pixel 2 XL are the clear winners drop us some likes on our videos go ahead and jump into the comments below and let me know what you think if you are a original pixel owner let us know if your going to upgrade for example and I'll be in the comments ready to discuss the pixel 2 phones with you keep it tuned to Andrew 30 for even more because we are your source for all things Android