Yesterday was the day when Google finally revealed its two brand new Pixel phones at its event. Alongside these two new smartphones was a revelation of more products by Google which included a new Google Home Mini, Google Home Max, Pixel buds, new Daydream, and a new Pixelbook. The two smartphones are the successors to the Pixel and Pixel XL and are surely the next-generation flagship phones from Google. As the difference in names suggests, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL differ significantly in their physical sizes, but there is much more to it than the naked eye can see. To assure that you don’t have to stare at both these phones to spot the difference, we compared the two Pixel phones for you.
The previous Pixels phones came with a big bezel and quite a scratchy glass panel around the circular fingerprint scanner and camera. This time, the regular Pixel 2 is not as small and is a bit sleeker than the old Pixel. Moreover, the things got really interesting with the Pixel 2 XL this time as it comes with a much more modern outlook, a full-screen front, fully rounded corners and minimal bezel. Are you wondering how else this cool Pixel duo differs from one another? Let’s compare them and see how these smartphones differ;
Contents
Google Pixel 2 vs Google Pixel 2 XL:
Body and Design
Apparently, both the flagship Smartphones come with glass and metal designs and are IP67 waterproof. However, the Pixel 2 XL is larger with the all-screen front. The glass section has been reduced on both of these new flagship models.
As Google revealed, both of them have dual front-firing speakers. Experts say that the Pixel 2 has been made by HTC, as it has the squeezable frame like that of HTC U11. Whereas they think that the Pixel 2 XL is made by LG, but it too has squeezable sides to access the Google Assistant.
Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL come with a single lens rear camera within the glass section. They also have a circular fingerprint sensor at the back below the glass section and the “G” logo at the bottom. However, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL differ significantly from their front sides. The Pixel 2 has a 16:9 display and has a speaker present at the top and bottom of the phone. On the other hand, the Pixel 2 XL has an 18:9 display and an all-screen front.
Size and Weight
As far as the size is concerned, the Pixel 2 is the smaller one and has the measurements 145.7 x 69.7 x 7.8mm. It weighs 143g and is therefore quite lightweight. However, the Pixel 2 XL measures 157.9 x 76.7 x 7.9mm and it weighs around175g.
Colors
The Pixel 2 comes in three colors that include the Kinda Blue, Just Black, and Clearly White. Whereas, the Pixel 2 XL is available in two colors i.e. Black and White and Just Black.
Display and Resolution
One big difference you’ll see between these phones is the resolution of the screens. As far as the display is concerned, the Google Pixel 2 has a 5-inch display, like its predecessor. It has a 16:9 aspect ratio and a resolution of 1920 x 1080. Pixel 2 has an incredible pixel density of 441ppi.
The Google Pixel 2 XL comes with a bigger 6-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 2880 x 1440 pixels. It has the 18:9 aspect ratio and a pixel density of 538ppi. To sum it all up, the Pixel 2 XL has a larger display than the Pixel 2 and a sharper one too. The smaller 5-inch Pixel 2 has the same 1080p OLED panel as before, but the Pixel 2 XL comes with the QHD+ resolution to match the new aspect ratio.
Protection
The Google Pixel 2 comes with the 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection, while the Pixel 2 XL comes with the 3D Corning Gorilla Glass protection. So, Pixel 2 XL is offering slightly better protection than the Pixel 2.
Camera
Yet another feature that both the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL share is the 12-megapixel camera. An upgrade to the cameras is the OIS, combined with a wider f/1.7 aperture. We are quite surprised that Google did not jump for the dual-camera system as we were expecting at least the Pixel 2 XL to come with a dual-rear camera lens. The dual-rear camera lens has been seen picking up the pace with them being incorporated in the new flagships by Samsung and Apple this year. However, Google has included a lot of cool faux-bokeh effects in the camera app, therefore we hope that these effects will make up for the lack of secondary lens.
Therefore, both the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL have a single rear camera. Both of these phones have a 12.3-megapixel sensor with a f/1.8 aperture. The cameras of both the models have dual pixel phase detection autofocus and laser detection autofocus. The Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL also have the optical and electronic image stabilization, combined with the dual-LED flash.
The only difference here is that the Pixel 2 has its flash to the left of the camera lens, in contrast to the Pixel 2 XL that has the flash on the other side.
Processor and Storage
The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL have virtually the same hardware as they come with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 platform inside. These phones come with 4GB RAM and are available in 64GB and 128GB versions but do not have microSD support.
Battery
A significant difference between two phones is that the Pixel 2 XL offers a larger cell than the Pixel 2 with 3520mAh as opposed to 2700mAh. Both these phones are compatible with USB Type-C and can run for around seven hours when charged for just 15 minutes.
Software
The Google Pixel 2 and the Pixel 2 XL come with the Android Oreo, with the latest Oreo features, and the Google Assistant. They also come with a better version of the Pixel launcher and might deliver a similar user experience.
Price
The Google Pixel 2 will come at the price of £629 and the Pixel 2 will be at £799. However, the prices will differ for the 64GB and 128GB models. The Pixel 2 XL might hit the whopping $949 if you want the 128GB model.
Google Pixel 2 vs Google Pixel 2 XL: Conclusion
Therefore, to sum the whole story up, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL differ from the front but are similar at the rear sides. The Pixel 2 XL has a better display with a higher resolution. The Pixel 2 is available in more colors than the Pixel 2 XL. But looking at the same processors, we predict that the user experience might be identical for these two devices.
This year’s duo of Pixel phones is thus all set to make its mark in the smartphone industry. According to us, they do look very similar both externally and internally. However, we did spot some difference here and there.
