Google’s Pixel 2 phone offers best of Android – if you can grab one
Main magic of Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL is integration of Google services, but they are quite hard to get, in US at least, as they are available only from one carrier
Google’s Pixel 2 is the company’s second attempt at a branded smartphone that it hopes can take on Apple’s iPhone, as well as a variety of smartphones running Google’s own Android operating system.
Yet there is also one big problem with the Pixel 2, which has nothing to do with the phone itself: it is relatively hard to get, certainly in the United States, where it is available only through one carrier, Verizon.
The 5-inch Pixel 2 and 6-inch Pixel 2 XL are almost identical in terms of their features and basic specifications: the screen size is really the main difference between them.
Getting the extra inch from the Pixel 2 XL costs you US$200 more, with a base price of US$849 compared with the smaller phone’s price of US$649.
Here’s the bad news up front: neither phone has a headphone jack, as Google, just like Apple, went with just one port for charging and audio.
The smartphones come with a converter so you can plug your traditional headphones into the single port. The Pixel 2 line also supports Bluetooth headphones.
Both of the phones also sport crisp screens and front-facing speakers that make it a joy to watch video on because you can hold the Pixel 2 and Pixel XL any way you want without blocking the sound.
The main magic of the Pixel 2, compared with the iPhone or the Samsung Galaxy line, is the integration of Google services.
Not only will the Pixel continue to get the latest updates immediately from Google itself, but it also hooks into Google services in a deep way. Google Assistant is embedded in the phone and getting smarter with conversational speech.
