Google - Pixel XL 32GB (Verizon)

Very easy to navigate! My Google assistant is the best. Love, love the camera!

If you are a fan of Google's (not Android in general) utilitarian style, then you will love this phone. I prefer a little more dressing on my phone however. The look of the phone is a bit boxy with no curved glass. It has a big white bezel that has no function on the bottom of the phone. There is no actual home button or touch features on the bezel, so it seems to be a bit of wasted space. On the other hand, it makes it easier to pick up the phone without accidentally hitting buttons. The fingerprint sensor works well, but it is on the back of the phone which takes a little getting used to and means you have to pick up the phone to use the fingerprint to unlock it. The screen looks beautiful with rich colors and sharp images. One odd thing I noticed is that when viewing pictures, it doesn't seem like it zooms in as close as other phones I've had. It pretty much stops zooming before the image starts to look degraded. Not a big deal I guess. The camera takes some stunning pictures, especially portraits. It has a lens blur feature that automatically blurs the background and makes the subject of the photo stand out better than any phone camera I've used. I love that feature. It also has a Photo Sphere feature that lets you take a series of pictures to create a 360 degree image. It's the next best thing to having a 360 degree camera. If you like to manually adjust settings to shoot like a pro, you're out of luck though. This camera is made for those that like to just point and shoot and get a really good picture without the work. The user interface is all Google. It's very sparse. I couldn't even figure out how to rearrange apps or create app folders except for on the home page. I prefer to have a clean home page with apps neatly arranged on an app page. That doesn't seem possible here, or if it is, it is not intuitive. There is no expandable storage for this phone, which means you can run out of room fast. You do get unlimited storage of pictures in the cloud, but who knows when/if you will have to start paying for that service. The battery life seems to be excellent and it really does charge up to 70% very quickly. Overall, I'd say this is a well made phone. If you like bells and whistles, you might want something different. If you like stripped down, no nonsense features that work well then you'll like this phone.

The Google Pixel XL is Google’s latest attempt at a pure Android device. Unlike the Nexus line before it, the Pixel XL doesn’t have any partner branding, or attempt to identify anyone other than Google as the manufacturer. This, unequivocally is the Google phone. I’ve been a long time Nexus user, owning a Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 4, and Nexus 6p. I made a jump over to the OnePlus One, but found the software experience lacking. Unfortunately when it came to the Nexus 6p my experience wasn’t quite as good as I had been used to with the Nexus 4. The OnePlus had spoiled me on battery life and unique build quality, while the Nexus had spoiled me on software support. I’ve recently switched to an iPhone 7, so I feel like I’m in a unique position to give a perspective on this phone. The build of the Pixel XL is definitely high quality. The body feels of high quality aluminum. The front glass teardrops into the chamfered edges which is much more attractive looking and feel better in the hand than the Nexus 6p’s flat glass. The chamfering is quite a bit more pronounced on the Pixel XL than its predecessor. This makes it feel slippery compared to the Nexus 6p, however the glass back around the finger print reader adds a nice bit of grip to the phone. It still has more grip than a naked iPhone, and thus, I feel like you’d be more likely to use the phone without a case. The bezels are embarrassingly large, a trend that has continued since the end of the LG Nexus era. Why a device with no front home button needs a bottom bezel that is this large is kind of a mystery. Even the 6p’s bezel, justified by its secondary speaker, is smaller than the Pixel XL’s. Another interesting piece is that its thickness is near identical to the Nexus 6p, but its tapered instead of having a ‘bump’ found on its older brethren. The camera is excellent. There are plenty of comparisons out there, but essentially you get a really nice camera without an annoying bump, hump, or protruding lens. This alone makes it a winner to me. It’s a slick package, and Google should be praised for a sleek design that is a form and functional improvement over the iPhone and most of its competitors. The phone is light, but doesn’t feel cheap. The iPhone feels heavy in comparison. I can’t comment on durability at this stage, but it isn’t probably a stretch to say it’s better than its predecessor. The materials here are all aluminum and glass, an there aren’t any stickers covering body pieces like on the Nexus 6p. The speakers are of good quality as well, even if they are bottom firing only. Up top you’ll find the 3.5mm headphone jack, a clear indication that Google doesn’t feel quite as strongly about this legacy port. Performance wise, the Pixel XL is a screamer. Youtube videos started playing almost instantly compared to the Nexus. Side by side it was clear the Snapdragon 821 in this phone is a class above the 810. This observation is yielded also in benchmarks, with Geekbench 4 showing a huge multi-threaded improvement, even though the 810 technically has 4 more cores. Indeed even Antutu showed roughly double overall score with big boosts across the board. The Pixel XL had 137521 in Antutu, while the Nexus 6p was only 74760. The iPhone 7 plus pushed out an impressive 189382 score, but essentially all but the most discerning power user would have a hard time pushing these phones beyond their comfort zone. Inside the box you'll find not only the power brick, but also a USB-C to USB-C cable, USB-C to USB-A male, and a short USB-C to USB-A female host adapter. That's a lot of nice cables in the box, and a great head start for anyone that doesn't have a USB-C cables or accessories. USB-C is the future, and this phone is ready for it. Battery life is hard to gauge at this point, but I can’t say it’s bad. The biggest indicator to me is that it slowly drains on stand-by and doesn’t seem to drop too fast under heavy load. It charges quickly thanks to USB-C PD, and even gives a nice estimate to how long till it’s fully charged (which has been pretty reliable). The screen is bright, and the AMOLED shines here against the iPhone’s IPS. The whites are also whiter than the Nexus 6p - this is a superb screen in every way I observe. Obviously being an AMOLED it’s saturation is a bit over exaggerated, but most people would find that an advantage. It certainly is pleasing to look at it. Overall Google’s ‘freshman’ attempt at a phone is pretty good. I won’t say this is their first phone, as their hand has been deeply involved in every Nexus device since the first Nexus One. There are so many similarities to previous Nexus line devices it’s hard to call this a first generation phone from Google. Regardless, this device has a higher polish than any of its predecessors, and it’s by far the fastest Android device I’ve used. If you want Android unadulterated, this is the phone to get right now, and it’s a huge improvement over the Nexus 6p.

I've had this phone for a little more than a week and I love it. The case is very stylish, almost iPhone-ish, it's very simple to use, and the screen is gorgeous. The most outstanding feature, at least for me, is the camera. The design of the case avoids the usual lens bump that you find on most cameras, but the first picture I took truly amazed me. The colors were much more accurate than my slightly older Samsung phone and the camera app is MUCH smoother than what I'm used to with my other phones; most noticeably the lack of shudder lag. As usual, there are tons of features/settings for the camera, but my favorite is the panoramic mode; it's extremely easy to use and the results are absolutely fantastic, so much so I'm including one for the review. The other nice thing about the phone is the clarity of the speaker phone. The first time I used the feature, the person I was talking to was unaware I had him on speaker. Compared to my other phone, he said the difference was very noticeable. The sound from the phone is good, but the odd thing is that although there are holes at the bottom of the case that appear to be speakers, only the left is an actual speaker... I assume the other one is just there for a symmetrical look. The battery life is quite good. I don't watch a ton of videos, but I do stream music quite often, and so far the battery lasts about 2 days before I have to recharge it. Now for the things that I didn't really like. The first, there is no SD expansion slot. Why? I have no idea. The second, I didn't really care for the fact that the USB plug is not the same as my other devices... not a huge deal, but that means that I now have to carry another cable when I travel. The last thing that is that there is no physical 'home' button at the bottom of the case. There's plenty of room for it, so I'm not sure why they didn't include one. If they planned on not having one, I think they should have increased the size of the screen and made the border one the top and bottom smaller. All of these things are not big issues, so overall, I think the phone is incredible, and I would definitely recommend it for someone who is looking for a 'premium' phone.

The Pixel XL has a 5.5-inch Quad HD AMOLED display that pops, its a high quality screen and matches that of other well known Amoled devices, its that good. Rocking the new Snapdragon 821 processor and 4gb of ram you wont find anything but smoothness when using this devices, from the moment you use it you will see just how fluid everything, and credit to google for making the software to take advantage of the hardware 32gb of storage or 128gb, kinda sad we didn't get a 64gb option also as 128gb is more than ill ever need and 32gb is just not enough for me personally Gorilla glass and like most phones its a fingerprint magnet Finger Print sensor on the back works liek the previous Nexus with an added bonus, you can now slide your finger down the scanner to lower the notification shade on the phone 12.3mp camera with large pixels at the back and 8mp at the front, this is another place Google have nailed it, the camera is amazing. Crisp clean images to rival any other handset. For video this is where Google may just stand in a league of there own, not only is it great at capturing detail but by placing the camera with the gyroscope it has created some of the most amazing stabilization ever seen, it has to be seen to be believed USB C with fast charging of course. Only a single firing speaker but in my opinion the best you can get for a single fire system, it has some good sounds for what it is At 3,450mAh, the Pixel XL's battery is among the largest we've seen in a flagship Android phone this year. Aesthetically the Pixel XL is a little bland, with a very large chin thats there for no reason other than symmetry, it feels great in hand but lacks that visual pop you get with some of its Not only does this device work great on Verizon, but i have also used this on T-Mobile with no issues So to sum it up, the Google Pixel XL is the greatest phone i have ever used, its slick, its easy to hold, its a pleasure to navigate, while it may not be a looker on the outside its Googles magic on the inside that really makes this device shine and for me is a glimpse of the future. for a first generation true #MadeByGoogle device its really remarkable Oh and Google assistant is great... and tell it "Im feeling lucky" for a really good surprise

I have to admit, I expected quite a bit from this phone going in, and I am glad to say, all my expectations have been met, and surpassed. Google really did a great job here. The packaging is sleek, well done and about what one would expect from a premium flagship device. Included in the box are the Pixel itself, a 18W USB-C power adapter, a USB-C to USB-C cable, a USB-C to USB standard A cable, a SIM tool as well as a dongle to aid in the transfer of data from your old phone to the Pixel. A nice touch. In addition, there is warranty information, a quick start guide and a couple of promo cards, including one for a 90-day trial of Google Play Music. Again, a nice little add-in for a good service. As for the phone, where to begin? Given the specs, which you can see above, one would expect it to perform. Perform it does. The phone is fast, very fast, with zero lag in my experience. Apps open and close quickly, and movement in the apps is as fast as I have experienced with a phone. This speed is carried over into the camera, which again, has simply blown me away. The camera can be opened with a quick double-tap on the power button assuring you won't miss any action. It opens, is ready to go and has lightning quick focus, aided by lasers, and produces high-quality images in every situation i have thrown at it. Video, which can be taken up to 4K, is striking, and with the image stabilization, is rock steady. Here, the phone delivers again, as Google has provided unlimited lifetime storage of all your photos in high-resolution, as well as all video. It assuages the ever present storage issue when it comes to your files. It does seem to be a lost feature in today's phones, but expandable storage via a SD slot would have been a nice way to also tackle that issue. The battery, which comes in at 3,450mAh, lasts long, charges quick and can give me a full days use without issue. A fingerprint reader is located on the back of the phone, for unlocking the home screen, and while some may think it is an odd placement, i have found that is the best location. When you pick up the phone, your fingers are naturally there, and i have found it quick, useful and near-perfect in it's ability to scan my finger. The screen is bright, vibrant and great for consuming media. I will say, the decision to use only one set off speakers was a surprise, and, while sound was "good," I do feel stereo speakers would have been better here. As for the Pixel itself, it is definitely a premium build, has some weight to it, and feels "good in the hand." The construction is aluminum for the body, with Gorilla Glass 4 for the screen. I feel it will last the typical bangs and hits a phone receives. Ultimately, among all the positives I have discussed to this point, I think the most important is that the phone is being brought to market by Google. With that, you get pure Android. With other manufacturers, there is typically a "skin" on top of the phone software, making it act and look as they want it to. With this phone, you are getting the Android software the way it was designed, with better integration, from Google itself. In line with that thinking, you also get the Android Assistant, which is their version of an online "helper," like Alexa from Amazon or Siri from Apple. At this point, I feel Google has far and away the best of the three, and with more and more use, I hope going forward it can only get better and improve on that lead. Lastly, on this front, Google will be providing the software updates to this phone, so, as soon as they are available, they will come to your phone. In addition, Google sends security updates every month which will can only help in today's world. I don't know what else to say, this is an excellent piece of hardware and it comes with a pure version of Android, simply, it is the best device on the platform, and arguably the best device on the market. full stop.

Everything the Google advertisements have been promising has been delivered upon with the new Google Pixel XL. This phone is really fast, has a superior screen, a better than average battery life, charges very quickly and is fully loaded with the most amazing smart phone AI I've ever used, the new Google Assistant! There is room for improvement, and I wish there were some additional features and specs that you can find on other smart phones in this price category however I'm very pleased with the final product. I'm listing some of my personal pros and cons for this phone below. Pros Ergonomically designed fingerprint scanner conveniently located on the back of the phone. I love the placement of the scanner and it reacts very quickly. Wi-Fi Calling Three microphones with noise cancellation. The screen is beautiful! It has an AMOLED display with 2560 x 1440 resolution, packing 534 pixels per inch! It really looks great, probably the best I've seen. The Google Assistant works very well. My voice is recognized easily and it responds quickly. I have been using it for the past couple of days to set reminders, alarms, play music, make phone calls and search for phone numbers and other information. I'm looking forward to forming a working relationship with my Google Assistant! The battery lasts very long allowing hours of on screen time. Much longer than any other phone I've had. I'm curious to see how it performs over time in the coming months to years but I'm very hopeful! Quick charging battery is amazing! Just as advertised. Unique design soon to be easily recognized by other Pixel users. Cons Is not water resistant. No wireless charging. No 3D touch. Does not have duel speaker stereo sound. The price is a bit higher than I would have expected but I think it might be because of the screen, speed, Android version and Google Assistant, but I'm just guessing. Overall I am extremely pleased with this phone. I believe Google has made a great phone and in my opinion, the Pixel seems to be a perfect blend between other major brands. I think that users from these other brands will find Pixel to be somewhat familiar while still being fresh and new! Good job Google. I've uploaded a couple sample pictures taken with my Pixel XL, please do not judge them too harshly and look for other samples as I am not a very good photographer.. LOL My dog, Keiko, says hello! :)

Pixel XL Very silver, 32GB, Verizon Sim As a long time Android user I have been on this journey along with lots of others. With the Pixel we have a real third option other than Samsung and Apple. This is getting interesting and will be good for all mobile devices and of course their users. From a pure hardware side as compared to the current Samsung S7s and the Apple iPhone 7, the Pixel is competitive but it didn’t really break any new ground. All three are amazing phones and the top end of what you can buy today. The open box and setup experience is fun and you know right away this is a high end phone. If you're on Verizon, the sim is preinstalled and it is a simple matter of turning on the phone where you can then activate on an existing account or setup a new one. If you're not a Verizon customer you would need to remove the preinstalled sim with the tool provided. It’s easy and the phone should activate on other providers with the correct sim. The phone is fast, smooth and feels great in the hand. But it’s where Google is taking the user experience that’s the real story here. This is the introduction of advanced learning from the device you have within arms reach most of the time. If you use Google services and your in the market for a high end phone this is it. If you just got an new iPhone you're already at the high end. The price here is also at the high end but not much different than the competition. The Pixel has the Assistant and like Siri was, this is the real news here. Google Assistant if allowed, can learn the more you use it to be your personal Assistant. If Google’s Android TV, Chromecast, Daydream VR and Google Home Assistant come together the way Google plans, were just another step closer to future. The possibilities Google can bring together to make this happen are very real. This is the very best of what Android can offer today. We have great hardware, the camera is excellent. The build quality and the display are premium. You get unlimited free storage of your pictures and videos. If you chose the smaller 5.0” display version you're giving up very little so don’t count that out especially for smaller hands. It worked correctly with Android Auto in my car. My only wish is that Google would include support for expandable storage. I hope Google Assistant can grow quickly over the months to come. And I also hope that Google Assistant becomes widely available on lower cost devices so more users will benefit from it. When Google Assistant becomes even smarter it can access resources to make a new smartphone experience that drives innovation for everyone.