I purchased a Pixel 2 and not the Pixel 2 XL because the Pixel 2 is cheaper and has the same internals, with the exception of the screen. Same power and capabilities for less money. Win win. Note: all the pictures of the Pixel 2 were shot using my original Pixel.
I’ve been using the Pixel 2 every day since October 20 and I’m extremely happy with the phone. The two things that stand out to me most are the battery life and the camera. These also happen to be the two most important things to me in a smartphone and why I chose to upgrade from the Pixel.
The battery life, in my opinion, is phenomenal. I charge it at night and the phone lasts me all day. Even on my heaviest usage days I still have at least 30% remaining by 10 pm. I’ve never had a phone that lasted me all day like this. The original Pixel had to be charged multiple times per day and I always worried that if I didn’t pay close attention that my phone would be dead when I need it. This is not the case with the Pixel 2 so far. Huge thumbs up.
The camera is also fantastic and I believe I will now stop carrying a DSLR on vacations or trips. The camera is fast and mostly accurate and I find myself not having to think too much before taking a picture. In addition, the portrait mode is a nice little touch and I really have no complaints about it. I won’t be nit picky either about some of the things that get smudged around the edges of a subject because it’s not really noticeable unless you zoom in really close and the Pixel 2 is doing it all in software, unlike the iPhone which doesn’t do as good a job and is doing it with hardware and software for a much higher price.
Continuing on with the camera, I found out about these add-on lenses called Moment Lenses. It requires the phone being in a case (which I don’t like but I’m doing it for the superior pictures) and you simply twist a lens over the camera lens and instantly you have a wide-angle, telephoto, or macro lens that enhances the quality of your pictures. Forgive my crappy photo gallery below but it shows the Moment case and the two lenses I purchased.
To give you an example of the pictures the phone takes here is another gallery of photos I took with the Pixel 2 of my dogs. Some of the pictures are with good lighting some not but all of them are as taken straight from the phone and, as the kids say these days, no filter.
If you want to see some of these pics or others from this phone go look at my dog Godfrey’s Instagram account or at my Instagram account. On Instagram I do try to spruce them up a bit by enhancing the color, contrast, and brightness.
The rest of the phone is not all that important to me. The screen is fine and the Google Pixel skin of Android is fine. The phone seems fast and smooth. Apps and such mostly work exactly the same as in my previous Pixel and Nexus 5X. I’m hoping that Android has improved enough with these current versions that the phone won’t suffer the Android lag and bloat over time that I’ve experienced with every Android phone I’ve ever used.
My bottom line is that if you want great battery life and the camera is important to you then the Pixel 2 is a good purchase.