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Google Pixel XL Review: The Best Goddamn Phone In The World
Google’s back with a new phone. It’s called the Pixel – the Pixel XL, in this context – and it is utterly amazing
As a big fan of Google’s Nexus brand I was sorry to hear that Google was doing away with the brand in 2016. I’d owned every Nexus phone since the Galaxy S, which came out way back in 2011, or thereabouts, and was just about as true to the brand as one can be.
Times have changed though since then and so too has the mobile space. LG, Sony, HTC and pretty much everybody else, save for Apple and Samsung, well, Samsung until very recently, anyway, is struggling to make a buck. The space is now pretty much controlled by Apple and Samsung. No one else really gets a look in.
Take the LG G5, for instance – that was a brilliant device and it all but flopped. Why? People just weren’t interested. People wanted Samsung phones or iPhones. This is the case here in the UK, overseas in the US and also farther afield in places like China and Asia. I think this is why Google choose to do the Pixel phone. Rather than trying to beat Apple by drowning it out with multiple phones it has opted to try and choke the company to death instead by competing with it directly, head-to-head.
Google couldn’t have picked a better time to do it, either. Apple’s latest iPhones are just about as dull a release as could be. Nothing has really changed, save for the dual-lens camera inside the iPhone 7 Plus but, of course, to get access to that you will have to pay a premium. Other than this aspect, 2016’s iPhones are essentially more of the same, which is to say decent, solid performers, from a company that apparently feels comfortable enough with its position in the world to adopt a three year hardware cycle.
Hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?
The somewhat dull nature of Apple’s iPhone 7 campaign in 2016 makes Google’s entry to the space all the more easier. Doubly so when you factor in Samsung’s exploding Galaxy Note 7, a debacle which could have far reaching effects on Samsung’s business, profitability and brand going forwards.
In fact, I cannot think when there has been a better time for a company the size of Google to release a brand new phone. Competition is lower than normal, thanks to Samsung, and Apple’s iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, if reports are to be believed, aren’t exactly setting the world on fire.
So, does the Google Pixel XL do enough to earn its place at the head of the table? Let’s bloody well find out, shall we?
Google Pixel XL Review: Design
A lot’s been made about the design of the Pixel phones. Most of it not good. The phone’s are pretty pedestrian. There’s nothing too eye-catching or impressive about either handset. The only real point of interest is the two-tone paneling work on the back of the handset. Beyond this it just looks like a phone. Not a bad-looking phone, but nothing particularly exciting either.
But this isn’t what the Pixel XL is about. Well, that’s my opinion, anyway. I think this phone about Android and nothing else. Everything on the front, save for the annoyingly large bezels, is designed to simply get out of the way and let you get stuck into Android’s guts and features. I’m not a huge fan of the design, basically, but then again I don’t like the way the PS4 looks but that hasn’t exactly stopped me from using it.
The Pixel XL is fairly large at 75.7 x 154.7 mm. It felt even larger to me as I came into this review from an iPhone SE. Still, I’m pretty used to using phablets as they have been my phone of choice for years, so it didn’t take long to re-adjust. I like that Google put the fingerprint scanner on the back again and I also like that it didn’t get rid of the headphone jack. Beyond this the rest of the phone is pretty much as it looks in pictures: big, shiny and not all that interesting.
It’s smart enough, don’t get me wrong, it just doesn’t have the majesty of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 EDGE or the uniqueness of the Nexus 6P. It still functions perfectly in the hand and it still feels premium. It’s just not particularly eye-catching, though, for me, this isn’t exactly a deal breaker. I’m more concerned with the software, cameras and performance.
Google Pixel XL Review: Display
The Pixel XL packs in an AMOLED QHD display that is bright, punchy and vivid. Google has not scrimped on anything in this regard and using the Pixel XL, day in, day out, is an absolute pleasure. At 5.5in it is well inside phablet territory like Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus, its nearest rival, and like Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus the handset itself is more than a handful.
Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus is still only 1080p, however, and this is where the Pixel XL steams ahead because not only is it using screen technology – AMOLED – that Apple will outfit inside its phones next year, it has has a higher resolution and this makes looking at anything on it a vastly superior experience, regardless of Apple’s command of the colour gamut aboard its latest handsets.
I’m not too fussed about 1080p vs QHD, if I’m 100% honest. I’ve been using the iPhone SE for months now and pretty much enjoyed most of my time with it. QHD is great when you have it, but it is not a necessity – especially if it comes at the expense of battery performance. Normally this is the case. However, Google has managed to remedy this via some sort of black magic, ensuring market-leading battery performance from the Pixel XL.
For me, this is a game-changer. Not only do you have a supremely bright and detailed display, but you also have INSANE battery life, the likes of which have to be experienced to be believed. Images, webpages, video and text all look amazing on the Pixel XL’s expansive 5.5in panel. Like the Galaxy S7 and LG G5’s display, it is a joy to behold, a joy to use and a marvel when compared to what you get on Apple’s smaller iPhones.
Google Pixel XL Review: Specs & Features
This is where the Pixel XL REALLY does come into its own. Not only does it run an exclusive, Google-designed version of Android Nougat but it is also the first smartphone on the planet to run Qualcomm’s latest, greatest and VR-enabling Snapdragon 821 CPU.
I expected things to be smooth and potent, but nothing prepared me for just how good the Pixel XL would be – it is unlike any Android phone I have ever used. Menus. Scrolling. Apps – everything is lightening fast. Now, some of this is down to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 821 CPU and the copious amount of RAM included inside the Pixel XL. But a lot of it is to do with Google’s increased control over the software and hardware.
As Apple has proven for years, if you’re in control of everything you can eek out more performance from a handset, a process that is done by ensuring the hardware – CPU, RAM, etc – works seamlessly with the software, Android Nougat. Google knows Android better than anyone else and when you use the Pixel XL the command Google has over its OS becomes all the more clear.
Pound for pound, the specs aren’t anything to get too excited about. Yes, the Pixel XL is one of the most powerful Android phones on the planet. But, so what? It’ll be usurped next week by someone else. That’s just how it works in the Android space. But what WILL separate the Pixel XL apart from the “other” Android phones is that its performance will ALWAYS be better.
Why? Simple: Google built this phone. It clearly knows what it’s doing, as this phone feels about 10X faster than nearly every other Android phone I’ve tested this year – including the Samsung Galaxy S7, Note 7 and HTC 10. And the only reason that I can think of for why this might be the case is the level of attention Google has put into developing this phone as a seamless piece of technology.
The traditional way Android phones are built is a bit different: a phone maker designs and builds a phone. They then install Android on it, usually after ruining it with a custom skin. After a bit of tinkering and testing, the phone gets shipped out to consumers. This is the way ALL Android handsets are made. And this is why they are often problematic – see Samsung’s recent Galaxy Note 7 episode.
The Pixel phones are different, though, because they feel as if they have been designed AROUND Android.
Android is the star of the show here. Not an EDGE display, nor an odd chassis, or a missing headphone jack. No. These phones are ALL about Android. Period.
I could go on about how good the Pixel XL is to use in a day-to-day setting, but by now you probably get the picture. This phone is stunning in the performance department and it is unlike anything else that came before it. I think this is why Google changed the name. It did it because Nexus was not good enough for this phone. It deserved something new and fresh and unique for the phone space because that’s what this phone is all about: a new direction for Google and Android.
Google Pixel XL Review: Camera
Forget what Apple says, the best camera on the market RIGHT NOW is inside the Google Pixel XL. I’ve been snapping images with it for just over a week and I have to say, once again, it is unlike anything I have used before. It doesn’t matter where you’re shooting, or in what type of light, the Pixel XL will deliver solid, good-looking, detailed images. I suck at photography, big time, so if the Pixel XL can make my photographs look good then I dread to think what would happen in the hands of someone more capable.
So what makes the camera so good? Three core aspects, in my opinion: 1) a simple application, 2) the speed with which it loads up and snaps pictures and 3) insanely fast focus. Couple this with an excellent 12.3MP sensor, large 1.55μm pixels and an f/2.0 aperture and you have a camera set up that is currently unparalleled in the mobile space at present.
The Galaxy S7 and iPhone 7 Plus have excellent cameras, but neither are as good as the shooter inside the Pixel XL. Alongside the software inside the Pixel XL, this is one of the phone’s biggest USPs. Interestingly, it’s one I wasn’t expecting. I know Google said the Pixel XL has the best camera ever at launch, but I figured that was just locker-room talk – not an actual statement of fact!
It’s much the same with video as well. You can shoot in 4K and the results look amazing when played back on a compatible device. And if all this wasn’t good enough, Google is giving ALL Pixel users unlimited storage for all their pictures and videos – even 4K ones – so you’ll never run out of space on your phone ever again.
Google Pixel XL Review: Android. Android. Android!
I’ve been saying this for years, but it still stands: if you LOVE Android, use a Pixel phones. Why? Simple: Pixel phones run the purest form of Android, with zero bloatware, designed and functioning just as Google intended. If you value things like this, as I do, then there really is no competition in this regard.
You get Android updates first, while other, more costly Android phones have to wait months. There is no bloatware inside; just Google apps and the one’s you choose to install. You get immediate access to all the latest security patches and fixes and, generally speaking, everything runs a lot smoother as a result.
The Pixel Phones also feature a bunch of unique software attributes that you CANNOT get anywhere else. These are as follows:
- Google Assistant
- Unlimited Storage For Photos and Video (even 4K video)
- The Pixel Launcher
- Smart Storage
- 24/7 Support
- Pixel Camera
I have never understood why people how like Android get anything other than a Nexus phone. They get updates first, were always solid and most of the time were cheaper than handsets from HTC, LG and Samsung. This latter point no longer stands, as the Pixel phones are rather pricy, however, the former points still do – and they’re now even better as a lot of what makes the Pixel tick are exclusive to the Pixel.
The Pixel Launcher is Google’s new stock Android look. It’s smart, tidy and packed with useful features. Assistant is always accessible by voice or a long hold on the home button. You can also swipe right to access Assistant. The app tray is gone, sort of… now you simply swipe up from the bottom of the display to access your applications.
The wallpapers Google has included are STUNNING. They have this awesome slow-zoom effect when you unlock the phone, which is so subtle you might not notice it. Android had never looked better in my opinion. It has also never been smarter, thanks to Google Assistant which is now lengths and breadths ahead of the Siri in every regard.
Google Pixel XL Review: Battery
Battery life performance isn’t the most glitzy subject to talk about, but it is something 100% of mobile users value. No one phone has yet taken battery performance to a level comparable to what we had back in the days of the Nokia 3310. The Pixel XL doesn’t remedy this situation either, but what it does it still very impressive by today’s standards.
Whatever you do with this phone it just flat out REFUSES to consume juice. During testing I pushed this phone as hard as I could. I went away on a trip for 24 hours, didn’t take a charger and used the phone normally, assuming it would die in the wee hours of the morning, but, lone behold, the Pixel XL was still alive and kicking with 20% left in the tank when I returned home the following day.
I sometimes forget to charge it and it will EASILY last until about 2pm. Nothing hurts this phone. I have no idea how Google has done this but it is DAMN impressive. The only phone that is remotely comparable is the Huawei Mate 8… but even that phone pales in comparison to what the Pixel XL is capable of with respect to battery conservation.
If you don’t use it the Pixel XL, it simply doesn’t use battery life, a first for Android phones in my experience. Push it hard – like, REALLY hard – and it will last a full day and a half. This is the only phone I have ever used that I can feel confident about taking it out after work, without a top-up, and not worry about it dying on me when I need it most, usually around 2am, after a skin-full and in dire need of an Uber.
The Pixel XL’s battery performance is utterly bonkers. There’s just no other word to describe it.
Google Pixel XL Review: Verdict
I was sad when I heard about the end of Google’s Nexus brand. This feeling didn’t change when I saw the Pixel phones at launch. I loved that brand and what it stood for. But after using the Pixel XL for two weeks, I can now safely say that what Google has done here exceeds anything it achieved with its Nexus phones. The Pixel XL is unparalleled in almost every regard in 2016’s mobile space.
The software is amazing. The camera is stunning. The battery life is beyond belief. You get free storage for ALL your pictures and videos. Google offers 24/7 round the clock support, meaning any issues can be resolved right away, and Google Assistant is the smartest Personal Assistant available inside a phone right now.
If you love Android, buy this phone. If you want market-leading battery performance and a brilliant camera, buy this phone. Nothing else compares. I used to be a Nexus purist. Not anymore. Now I am a Pixel purist.
Nexus is dead… Long live the KING!
If you love Android, buy this phone. If you want market-leading battery performance and a brilliant camera, buy this phone. Nothing else compares. I used to be a Nexus purist. Not anymore. Now I am a Pixel purist.
10:05, 26 Oct 2016