Our quick take

Google Pixel 2 XL - 4.0 / 5

What’s new for the Google Pixel 2 XL?

  • 18:9 aspect ratio display Black or Black & White colours Aluminium body, IP67 protection 157.9 x 76.7 x 7.9mm; 175g

 

Pixel 2 XL display: A false start, now corrected

  • 6-inch OLED, 2880 x 1440 pixel resolution (538ppi), 18:9 aspect ratio Offers three colour settings

Hardware and battery performance 

  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, 4GB RAM 64GB or 128GB storage 3520mAh battery

Software performance and AI

  • Android 9.0 Pie Google Assistant and AI

First-class camera performance 

  • Rear: 12.2-megapixels, 1.4µm, f/1.8, OIS Front: 8-megapixels, 1.4µm, f/2.4 Night Sight mode via software updatee

  • Huawei P20 Pro vs Google Pixel 2 XL camera test: Which is best?

  • What is Pixel Visual Core? Inside the new co-processor from Google

To recap

After a rocky start, Google’s tweaks and changes have given the Pixel 2 XL the appeal that it needed. It’s not the best design to encase the 18:9 display format, as it’s quite large with big bezels, but at its heart this is a powerful pure Android handset with a great camera. Sure, the third-gen Pixel 3 series outsmarts this handset, but buying a generation old is a great way to grab a bargain without too many concessions.