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The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are a pair of Android
smartphone A smartphone is a mobile phone with advanced computing capabilities. It typically has a touchscreen interface, allowing users to access a wide range of applications and services, such as web browsing, email, and social media, as well as multi ...
s designed, developed, and marketed by
Google Google LLC (, ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial ...
as part of the
Google Pixel Google Pixel is a brand of portable Consumer electronics, consumer electronic devices developed by Google that run either ChromeOS or the Pixel version of the Android (operating system), Android operating system. The main line of Pixel products ...
product line. They collectively serve as the successors to the
Pixel In digital imaging, a pixel (abbreviated px), pel, or picture element is the smallest addressable element in a Raster graphics, raster image, or the smallest addressable element in a dot matrix display device. In most digital display devices, p ...
and
Pixel XL The Pixel and Pixel XL are a pair of Android (operating system), Android smartphones designed, developed, and marketed by Google and the first smartphones to be part of the Google Pixel product line, succeeding the Google Nexus, Nexus line of sm ...
. They were officially announced on October 4, 2017 at the Made by Google event and released in the United States on October 19. They were succeeded by the
Pixel 3 The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are a pair of Android smartphones designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. They collectively serve as the successors to the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. They were officially ann ...
and
Pixel 3 XL The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are a pair of Android (operating system), Android smartphones designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. They collectively serve as the successors to the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 X ...
On October 9, 2018. Both models reached their planned end-of-life date in October 2020; their final security update was released in December 2020.


History

In early March 2017, Google's Rick Osterloh confirmed that they would bring a "next-gen" Pixel smartphone later that year. He stated it would "stay premium" and that there would be no "cheap Pixel". Google originally intended to use
HTC HTC Corporation ( zh, t=宏達國際電子股份有限公司, p=Hóngdá Guójì Diànzǐ Gǔfèn Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī, first=t), or High Tech Computer Corporation (abbreviated and trading as HTC), is a Taiwanese consumer electronics corporatio ...
to manufacture both their 2017 flagships, but later shifted to LG to manufacture the bigger Pixel 2 XL. The unreleased device that was supposed to be the Pixel 2 XL under the codename "Muskie", was later re-developed by HTC into the HTC U11+. The Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL were carried in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
by
Verizon Verizon Communications Inc. ( ), is an American telecommunications company headquartered in New York City. It is the world's second-largest telecommunications company by revenue and its mobile network is the largest wireless carrier in the ...
and Project Fi. On October 4, 2018,
Verizon Wireless Verizon is an American wireless network operator that previously operated as a separate division of Verizon Communications under the name Verizon Wireless. In a 2019 reorganization, Verizon moved the wireless products and services into the div ...
stopped selling the Pixel 2.


Specifications


Design

The back of the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are made from
aluminum Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...
with a thin "premium coating" of plastic and has a top section made from
glass Glass is an amorphous (non-crystalline solid, non-crystalline) solid. Because it is often transparency and translucency, transparent and chemically inert, glass has found widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in window pane ...
to provide wireless transmissivity. Unlike the original Pixel XL, which was simply an enlarged version of the Pixel design with no other changes, the Pixel 2 XL's external design differs from its smaller sibling, employing a taller 2:1
P-OLED An organic light-emitting diode (OLED), also known as organic electroluminescent (organic EL) diode, is a type of light-emitting diode (LED) in which the emission (electromagnetic radiation), emissive electroluminescence, electroluminescent lay ...
display (marketed as 18:9) instead of the Pixel 2's 16:9 AMOLED.


Hardware

The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are both powered by the
Qualcomm Qualcomm Incorporated () is an American multinational corporation headquartered in San Diego, California, and Delaware General Corporation Law, incorporated in Delaware. It creates semiconductors, software and services related to wireless techn ...
Snapdragon 835, coupled with 4  GB
LPDDR4X Low-Power Double Data Rate (LPDDR), also known as LPDDR SDRAM, is a type of synchronous dynamic random-access memory (SDRAM) that consumes less power than other random access memory designs and is thus targeted for mobile computing devices such ...
RAM. They both come in storage options of 64 or 128GB. The Pixel 2 has a 16:9
1080p 1080p (1920 × 1080 progressively displayed pixels; also known as Full HD or FHD, and BT.709) is a set of HDTV high-definition video modes characterized by 1,920 pixels displayed across the screen horizontally and 1,080 pixels down the sc ...
()
AMOLED AMOLED (active-matrix organic light-emitting diode; ) is a type of OLED display device technology. OLED describes a specific type of thin-film-display technology in which organic compounds form the electroluminescence, electroluminescent materi ...
display panel with a pixel density of 441 ppi, while the Pixel 2 XL comes with a 2:1
1440p 1440p is a family of video display resolutions that have a resolution of 1440 pixels on one side. In a display with a landscape orientation, 1440p refers to the vertical resolution. The ''p'' stands for progressive scan, i.e. non-interlaced. The ...
() P-OLED display panel with a pixel density of 538ppi. Both phones have a 12.2
megapixel In digital imaging, a pixel (abbreviated px), pel, or picture element is the smallest addressable element in a Raster graphics, raster image, or the smallest addressable element in a dot matrix display device. In most digital display devices, p ...
rear camera capable of recording 4K video at 30FPS,
1080p 1080p (1920 × 1080 progressively displayed pixels; also known as Full HD or FHD, and BT.709) is a set of HDTV high-definition video modes characterized by 1,920 pixels displayed across the screen horizontally and 1,080 pixels down the sc ...
video at 120FPS, and
720p 720p (720 lines progressive) is a progressive HD signal format with 720 horizontal lines/1280 columns and an aspect ratio (AR) of 16:9, normally known as widescreen HD (1.78:1). All major HD broadcasting standards (such as SMPTE 292M) includ ...
video at 240FPS. The camera also contains phase-detection autofocus, laser autofocus, and HDR+ processing. The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL also include the
Pixel Visual Core The Pixel Visual Core (PVC) is a series of ARM architecture, ARM-based System in package, system in package (SiP) image processors designed by Google. The PVC is a fully programmable Image processor, image, Vision processing unit, vision and AI acc ...
(PVC)
image processor An image processor, also known as an image processing engine, image processing unit (IPU), or image signal processor (ISP), is a type of media processor or specialized digital signal processor (DSP) used for image processing, in digital cameras o ...
for faster and lower power
image processing An image or picture is a visual representation. An image can be two-dimensional, such as a drawing, painting, or photograph, or three-dimensional, such as a carving or sculpture. Images may be displayed through other media, including a pr ...
, though it was not enabled until Android 8.1 was released in January 2018. The PVC was custom design by Google's consumer hardware team with collaboration from
Intel Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and Delaware General Corporation Law, incorporated in Delaware. Intel designs, manufactures, and sells computer compo ...
. The Pixels do not have support for 4K video at 60FPS, as the processor is not powerful enough. The Pixel 2 includes
optical image stabilization Image stabilization (IS) is a family of techniques that reduce blurring associated with the motion of a camera or other imaging device during exposure. Generally, it compensates for pan and tilt (angular movement, equivalent to yaw and pi ...
which the Pixel lacked. Google uses Fused Video Stabilization which reduces issues with camera shake, motion blur, rolling shutter distortion, and focus breathing as found in other image stabilization methods. The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL support
USB Power Delivery The initial versions of the USB standard specified connectors that were easy to use and that would have high life spans; revisions of the standard added smaller connectors useful for compact portable devices. Higher-speed development of the USB ...
quick charging, have a
fingerprint sensor A fingerprint is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. The recovery of partial fingerprints from a crime scene is an important method of forensic science. Moisture and grease on a finger result in fingerprints on surfa ...
on the rear,
IP67 The IP code or International Protection code indicates how well a device is protected against water and dust. It is defined by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) under the international standard IEC 60529 which classifies ...
dust and water resistance and are
Daydream Daydreaming is a stream of consciousness that detaches from current external tasks when one's attention becomes focused on a more personal and internal direction. Various names of this phenomenon exist, including mind-wandering, fantasies, a ...
-ready. The Pixel 2s has a
nano-SIM file:SIM-Karte von Telefónica O2 Europe - Standard und Micro.jpg, A typical SIM card (mini-SIM with micro-SIM cutout)A SIM card or SIM (subscriber identity module) is an integrated circuit (IC) intended to securely store an international mobile s ...
and an
eSIM An eSIM (embedded SIM) is a form of SIM card that is embedded directly into a device as software installed onto a eUICC chip. First released in March 2016, eSIM is a global specification by the GSMA that enables remote SIM provisioning; end ...
, Android Q Beta 2 enabled
dual SIM Some mobile phones support use of two SIM cards, described as dual SIM operation. When a second SIM card is installed, the phone may allow users to switch between two separate mobile network services manually, have hardware support for keeping bo ...
support however Android Q Beta 3 disabled it.


Software

The phones ship with stock Android 8.0 "Oreo" on launch. Google has promised three years of software and security updates, making it closer to the average four years of support that Apple provides for its
iPhone The iPhone is a line of smartphones developed and marketed by Apple that run iOS, the company's own mobile operating system. The first-generation iPhone was announced by then–Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007, at ...
s. The
Sony Xperia XZ1 The Sony Xperia XZ1 is an Android smartphone manufactured and marketed by Sony. Part of the Xperia X series, the device was announced to the public along with the Xperia XZ1 Compact at the annual IFA 2017 on August 31, 2017. It is the direct su ...
was the first phone to ship with Android 8.0 ("Oreo"). The new Pixels also include a feature called "Active Edge". With this, the
Google Assistant Google Assistant is a virtual assistant software application developed by Google that is primarily available on home automation and mobile devices. Based on artificial intelligence, Google Assistant can engage in two-way conversations, unlike ...
can be launched by squeezing the phone's sides, similar to the HTC U11's "Edge Sense" feature. This phone was also released with the new
Google Lens Google Lens is an image recognition technology developed by Google, designed to bring up relevant information related to objects it identifies using visual analysis based on a neural network. First announced during Google I/O 2017, it was first ...
app, which is designed to bring up relevant information using visual analysis by the camera. The "Now Playing" feature allows the device to automatically detect music through its microphone, and identify the song on the lock screen. On December 5, 2017, Android 8.1 Oreo was released for the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. On October 4, 2017, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL were granted an extended warranty period which guarantees Android version updates for them until October 2020, 3 years from when they were first available on the Google Store, and free unlimited storage for all photos and videos taken on the phone in original quality through the end of 2020, with unlimited high-quality storage continuing afterwards. Android 9.0 "Pie" was made available upon its launch on August 6, 2018. Following the release of the
Pixel 3 The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are a pair of Android smartphones designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. They collectively serve as the successors to the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. They were officially ann ...
, some of its features were backported to the Pixel 2, including updates to the camera software, augmented reality
stickers A sticker is a type of label: a piece of printed paper, Polyvinyl chloride, plastic, vinyl, or other material with temporary or permanent pressure sensitive adhesive on one side. It can be used for decoration or for functional purposes, dependi ...
, and a history log for "Now Playing", among others.
Android 10 Android 10 (code name, codenamed Android Q during development) is the Android version history, tenth major release and the 17th version of the Android (operating system), Android mobile operating system. It was first released as a developer pre ...
was made available upon its launch on September 3, 2019. Similarly, Android 11 was made available to download upon its launch on September 8, 2020. In October 2020, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL reached their planned end-of-life date. Their final security update was released in December 2020. As of July 2024, both are supported by
LineageOS LineageOS is an Open-source software, open source Android (operating system), Android operating system for smartphones, tablet computer, tablets, and set-top boxes. It is community-developed and serves as the successor to CyanogenMod, from which ...
.


Cellular networks

Bands that support 4x4 MIMO


Reception

The Pixel 2 camera initially received a score of 98 (currently updated to 99) from DxOMark, making it the highest performing mobile device camera at the end of 2017, and was overtaken in March 2018 by Samsung's Galaxy S9+. The Pixel 2 and the Pixel 2 XL received mixed reviews. The phone was praised for the camera quality and water resistance, but was criticized for the removal of the
headphone jack A phone connector is a family of cylindrically-shaped electrical connectors primarily for analog audio signals. Invented in the late 19th century for tele''phone'' switchboards, the phone connector remains in use for interfacing wired a ...
, particularly after Google mocked
Apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...
for doing the same with its
iPhone 7 The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are smartphones that were developed and marketed by Apple Inc. They are the List of iPhone models, tenth generation of the iPhone. They were announced on September 7, 2016, at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium i ...
phone at the launch of the first generation Pixel phone just 12 months prior. Google was also criticized for the price of the
USB-C USB-C, or USB Type-C, is a 24-pin reversible Electrical connector, connector (not a Communication protocol, protocol) that supersedes previous USB hardware#Connectors, USB connectors (also supersedes Mini DisplayPort and Lightning (connector) ...
to 3.5mm headphone adapter it sells, which costs US$20 while Apple's
Lightning Lightning is a natural phenomenon consisting of electrostatic discharges occurring through the atmosphere between two electrically charged regions. One or both regions are within the atmosphere, with the second region sometimes occurring on ...
to 3.5mm adapter costs US$9, as well as for not including headphones with the phone. However, news outlets noted that because USB-C is a standard interface, unlike Lightning, there are a variety of third-party adapters that retail for less than Google's official one. Google later dropped the price of the adapter to US$9, keeping the price in-line with Apple's offering. YouTuber
JerryRigEverything Zack Nelson (born June 29, 1988), better known as JerryRigEverything, is an American YouTuber, internet personality and founder of a business that makes off-road wheelchairs. He is known for teardown videos where he takes various tech products ...
, who performs durability tests on various smartphones, criticized Google for their design choice with the antenna lines on the sides of the handset. When he bent the Pixel 2, it cracked at the antenna line near the middle of the phone, voiding its water resistance and warranty, while most other phones from competitors pass his bend test. This does not apply to the Pixel 2 XL. The design of the smaller Pixel 2 was regarded as plain, and its big chunky bezels were not well received, considering that earlier 2017 phones like the
Samsung Galaxy S8 The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Samsung Galaxy S8+ are Android smartphones produced by Samsung Electronics as the eighth generation of the Samsung Galaxy S series. The S8 and S8+ were unveiled on 29 March 2017 and directly succeeded the Samsung Gala ...
and LG G6 had moved to nearly bezel-less screens. The Pixel 2 XL screen became infamous for quality control issues, a flaw shared with the
LG V30 The LG V30 is an Android smartphone manufactured by LG Electronics as part of the LG V series. Unveiled on 31 August 2017 as the successor to the LG V20, the V30 forgoes the V20's secondary display for a "floating bar" which has nearly the sa ...
which also has the same manufacturer and P-OLED screen type. The Pixel 2 XL has a blue tint visible on the screen when the phone is viewed at an angle. Many were dissatisfied and it was speculated that Google had installed the
polarizer A polarizer or polariser is an optical filter that lets light waves of a specific polarization (waves), polarization pass through while attenuation, blocking light waves of other polarizations. It can filter a beam of light of undefined or mixed ...
incorrectly. However, when Google addressed the tint, they stated that it was a design choice to have the blue tint to go along with the cooler
color temperature Color temperature is a parameter describing the color of a visible light source by comparing it to the color of light emitted by an idealized opaque, non-reflective body. The temperature of the ideal emitter that matches the color most clos ...
used by the screen (it is calibrated to a D67
white point A white point (often referred to as reference white or target white in technical documents) is a set of tristimulus values or chromaticity coordinates that serve to define the color "white" in image capture, encoding, or reproduction. Depending o ...
, which is 6700K). The Pixel 2 was updated with the
Pixel 3 The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are a pair of Android smartphones designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. They collectively serve as the successors to the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. They were officially ann ...
's Night Sight feature which dramatically improves low light performance with no flash or tripod. Using Night Sight the Pixel 2 takes superior low light photos than newer 2018 flagships such as the
iPhone XS The iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are smartphones designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. Released as the twelfth-generation flagship models of the iPhone, they succeeded the iPhone X and were unveiled alongside the more affordable iPhone ...
and Samsung Galaxy Note 9.


Issues

* The Pixel 2 XL's display suffers from a "black smear" problem, which occurs when a group of black pixels transition to colored ones, and tend to linger for a while, before changing to their expected state. * The Pixel 2 XL has an issue where the screen may flash randomly. It occurs when the phone is locked or unlocked. The issue was fixed in the June 2018 system software update, but returned with the July 2018 update. * Hundreds of Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL owners have complained about buzzing and clicking sounds coming from the phone. Google investigated the issue and recommended turning off NFC to temporarily fix the problem until a software update comes out. The November 2017 security patch fixed the clicking sound, but Google has not fixed the buzzing and rattling sounds heard during calls on some devices. * The Pixel 2 XL has a volume flaw that reduces the sound level of audio clips sent through messaging apps such as
Google Allo Google Allo was an instant messaging mobile app by Google for the Android (operating system), Android and iOS mobile operating systems, with a web client available in some web browsers. It closed on March 12, 2019. The app used phone numbers as ...
,
Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
, and
Telegram Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas pi ...
among others. Google is aware of the problem and is looking into it. * Some of the USB-C to 3.5mm adapters for the headphones do not work. In some cases, rebooting the phone can fix the issue temporarily. Google is offering replacements for the faulty adapters. * Multiple users reported that the microphone can randomly stop working. A possible solution is to blow into the microphone. * Some units suffer from Bluetooth connectivity issues.


Fixed issues

* Vlad Savov of The Verge has complained of under-saturated and distorted OLED displays, and there have also been reports of
screen burn-in Screen burn-in, image burn-in, ghost image, or shadow image, is a permanent discoloration of areas on an electronic visual display such as a cathode-ray tube (CRT) in an older computer monitor or television set. It is caused by cumulative non- ...
on some Pixel 2 XL units. Google conducted an investigation and released a software update in November that added a new mode for more saturated colors and faded out the navigation bar after a period of inactivity. Google also extended device warranty to two years for both devices worldwide. * There was an issue where
Google Assistant Google Assistant is a virtual assistant software application developed by Google that is primarily available on home automation and mobile devices. Based on artificial intelligence, Google Assistant can engage in two-way conversations, unlike ...
does not work with some Bluetooth headphones. This was an issue with the Google app and was patched in version 7.17. * The Pixel 2 XL had an issue where heavy noise reduction filters distorted audio recordings. This was fixed in the November 2017 security patch.


Sales

In the United States,
Verizon Verizon Communications Inc. ( ), is an American telecommunications company headquartered in New York City. It is the world's second-largest telecommunications company by revenue and its mobile network is the largest wireless carrier in the ...
and Project Fi are the exclusive carriers for the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. They are available direct-to-consumer for use on any wireless network through Google's online store, or from
Best Buy Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American multinational consumer electronics retailer headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota. Originally founded by Richard M. Schulze and James Wheeler in 1966 as an audio specialty store called Sound of Music, it was r ...
and
Target Target may refer to: Warfare and shooting * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artille ...
. According to IDC Senior Research Director Francisco Jeronimo, Google shipped 3.9 million units in 2017, twice as much as Pixels sold in 2016. On March 21, 2018, Google did a temporary offer where, if a consumer financed a Pixel for 2 years, they would receive a $200 cashback. This aimed to compete with the
Samsung Galaxy S9 The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ are Android-based smartphones unveiled, manufactured, released and marketed by Samsung Electronics as part of the Galaxy S series. The devices were revealed at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on 25 Februar ...
and
iPhone X The iPhone X (Roman numerals, Roman numeral "X" pronounced "ten") is a smartphone that was developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is part of the List of iPhone models, 11th generation of the iPhone. Available for pre-order from September 26, 2 ...
. The promotion ended March 31, 2018. On July 9, 2018, Google reduced the price of the Pixel 2 XL by US$100. On October 12, 2018, The Pixel 2 XL was discounted by $300 for
Verizon Wireless Verizon is an American wireless network operator that previously operated as a separate division of Verizon Communications under the name Verizon Wireless. In a 2019 reorganization, Verizon moved the wireless products and services into the div ...
customers. On April 1, 2019, Google stopped selling both the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2XL on the Google Play Store.


References


External links

* {{Google LLC Android (operating system) devices Discontinued flagship smartphones Google hardware Google Pixel HTC smartphones Mobile phones introduced in 2017 Mobile phones with 4K video recording