Gadgetory

here it is the second-generation little pixel Google enters a highly competitive market and this launch isn't without some controversy we're seeing improvements over last year's phone but is that enough against other terrific smartphone options well here's our pixel to review brought to you by deep brand jumping right in on design Google kept things simple changes are minor but we ultimately arrive at a cleaner looking phone in the first pixel this phone loses the slight wedge shape and the thinner glass visor on the rear arrives as a nicer two-tone aesthetic it's funny that manufacturers have two cell phones by promoting premium materials and here we've got an aluminum frame covered in a really thick plastic key coating the hand feel is excellent and it's really easy to hold but why not just make the phone out of plastic which would make it possible to include wireless charging taking a peek under the hood the internals are in solid very good territory for a 2017 flagship the requisite high-end chipset from Qualcomm 64 gigabytes of storage 4 gigabytes of RAM these are all good even if they won't necessarily wow users Google is making a similar argument as Apple might that software plus Hardware optimization is more important than brute force hardware's facts that's what you're paying for not the sexiest spec sheet case in point this phone has a fairly normal 16 by 9 1080p display our pixel 2 has a nicely juicy AMOLED with great contrast and very good outdoor view ability last year this display would have been applauded but this year many manufacturers have moved on to taller screens it makes the pixel to feel a little less high-tech a little less on the pulse I like the look of the phone overall but we are pretty close to Xperia territory looking at this forehead and chin it's interesting how some phones are criticized more aggressively than others for similar features it's the software side where the pixel 2 shines if Google's claim is for better optimization over the competition it's the one area we feel most confident in there advertising Android Oreo with Google's customizations makes for a delightful experience it's clean its uncluttered it's quick living wallpapers are fun to show off in the bottom search doc makes a lot of sense for a you I focused on bottom mounted controls Google assistant is ever more integrated into the experience though I can't say I've used the squeezy gesture since setting the phone out I'm either already deliberately searching for something or I'm using a voice action there are other pieces of hardware I'd rather have than pressure sensors and you know how we gushed over the iPhones augmented reality capabilities well the pixel 2 can do the AR thing too except that it kind of can't I couldn't get any a our apps to work just yet Apple's a Ark it has a lot more developer support than Google's AR core at the moment on a more positive note while it's something we can't directly comment on in these early days we are happy to see Google commit to three years of OS upgrades for this phone hopefully a situation where more manufacturers will follow Google's lead yea this phone is simply wonderful to navigate it's extremely rare that the user will encounter unresponsive lags or stutters even while I was running the camera hard in 100-degree Heat there were only ever momentary twitches this phone specializes in a brevity of interaction and it won't leave you waiting it's a great argument for why it's worth spending more on a phone even for users who just want to cover the basics and it's a terrific performer on graphics intense games we have a full in-depth camera review on this channel but to sum up our experiences the pixel reigns as the best auto mode performer in Android land producing the best HDR photos we've ever seen great low-light performance and adding Hardware image stabilization to the mix only improves on a great imaging platform folks who want more granular control or manual modes will be disappointed and forget about stereo audio on your videos but people who interact only with the shutter button will be well served here software is Google's Forte and that's put to use in eight rific portrait mode the first which uses machine learning to cut out your subject instead of dual lenses for depth information it's not going to replace an interchangeable lens camera just yet but it's a very pleasant effect for isolating your subject ditto audio again the full specs and benchmarks are in our reel audio review but we're happy with the overall performance our pixel 2 was free of the speaker gremlins some folks have been discussing online and it's always nice returning to a phone with front-facing stereo speakers the headphone game is a bit more nuanced performance from the dongle is nicely improved over the built-in jack on the first pixel but dongles are still a pain happily this dongle represents real progress for Android and USB audio it's a real USB audio device that works on every computer I've tried it on including laptops other Android phones even my last Lumia now if a headphone manufacturer wants to build some USBC headphones universally compatible with all gadgets there's a blueprint they can follow the battery chat is mostly positive to the snapdragon 835 paired with Oreo improvements is nicely power efficient but the smaller battery capacity is kind of a bummer running our media tests the pixel to performed alongside the best battery bench markers of the year again this phone excels it short interactions and in quick bursts use it'll easily last the day I just didn't have much room after dinner and it's not going to be a screen on champion as a special shout out the low-power state that Oreo uses is phenomenal on Wi-Fi when you're letting the phone sit this thing is barely sipping any juice fast charging is supported and combined with the smaller battery topping off during the day doesn't require a lot of time so let's wrap this up where's that leave us with Google's pixel - I personally wish this foam felt just a little more futuristic I wish this Hardware was a little more progressive I'm having a difficult time shaking the feeling that this is a more expensive Nexus than a new fresh phone line but bleeding-edge hardware really isn't the point judged on its own merits and graded against Google's claims the pixel - well accomplishes what it sets out to do this is a software platform and Google is pretty good at software while the front of the phone has this colorful screen are you wishing the pixel to came in more color options maybe you want a different feel for the backplate the D brand has a wide collection of custom fit skins in a gamut of colors and textures to land exactly the look you want while protecting this paint against scratches head on over to D brand comm or hit the link in the video description to start customizing yours as always thanks so much for watching be sure to subscribe to this channel for our full pixel coverage as hi maze digging into the pixel to excel and help us out with some sharing on your favorite social networks for pocket now I'm Juan Carlos bag now so I'm gadget guy on Twitter and Instagram and I will catch you all on the next review