Google Pixel XL: Review in progress...

The Google Pixel XL takes on every flagship in the market today, including the iPhone 7 Plus. But does it succeed?

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The Android and Pixel teams work separately, just like the Android team works with Samsung and others to bring you “the best” smartphones in the market today. Google tried hard to tell us that the new Google Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones are not meant to compete against other smartphones. Let’s face it though, they’re a threat not just to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, but also the Android flagships out there.

We got our unit of the Pixel XL today, so we’re understandably not ready with a review. However, many of our regular tests are complete, and we can present a fair view of the phone right now. Note, that we will be updating this review in the coming days, and will arrive at the final score.

Build and Design

The Google Pixel XL may look like an iPhone in pictures, but it sure doesn’t feel like one. Its chamfered edges and flattened edges are distinctly different, while the glass area on the back gives it an unique, if confusing, appeal.

Frankly, I do not understand why the glass part of the back exists. It doesn’t seem to add anything to the design and breaks the seamlessness that a smooth metal back can provide. In fact, the Pixel XL doesn’t feel like the solid aluminium slab as the iPhone does, and that’s a bummer. The Pixel XL doesn’t feel as premium as an iPhone, or flagships from Samsung or HTC.

I’m not particularly fond of the Pixel XL’s design, but I’m definitely not writing it off as a badly designed smartphone.

Having said that, I like how light the Pixel XL is. While 168 grams doesn’t really fall into the light category, the weight distribution inside seems quite well done. The Pixel feels significantly lighter than the iPhone 7 Plus, a tradeoff the iPhone makes for its solid aluminium body. It also feels more compact, even though it’s only about a hair smaller than the iPhone and thicker.

The fingerprint sensor on the back is easy enough to reach, and while the Pixel XL isn’t suited to single handed usage, I find it much easier to use this with one hand than many other 5.5 inch smartphones.

I’m not particularly fond of the Pixel XL’s design, but I’m definitely not writing it off as a badly designed smartphone. It’s functional, but not eye-catching, something many want their smartphone to be. Also, if this is Google’s take on the phablet, then I can’t wait to find out how compact the Pixel is.

Display

Google stuck to the Android resolution war. The Pixel XL has a QHD panel, and it’s also in the AMOLED family. To its credit, the company has tuned the display’s colour tone to avoid major oversaturation. Yes, colours do look somewhat yellowish, but it’s really not worth complaining about.

The touch response is great, and it feels premium, and the contrast is top-notch, just like the new iPhones. The Pixel XL’s display can feel a tad dull with adaptive brightness on, but it’s actually brighter than the iPhone. The Pixel XL achieves a maximum brightness of 805 Lux, against the iPhone’s 572 Lux. In fact, even the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge achieved a maximum of about 750 Lux on our tests. The OnePlus 3 is the closest, at 800 Lux.

The Pixel XL's display is one of the best you can get today, which is an imperative at a starting price of Rs. 67,000.

Performance

This is our first experience with the Snapdragon 821. According to Qualcomm, this SoC builds on the SD820, providing 10% better performance. And that, is quite difficult to spot. That said, Google has somewhat achieved the goal of reducing the effect of fragmentation on Android.

The Pixel launcher is evidently not just about appearance. Android feels a lot smoother on the Pixel than on other smartphones. The Pixel hasn’t stuttered since yesterday, but it doesn’t achieve the fast load times of an iPhone either. The phone is also easier to stress out than an iPhone, similar to most Android flagships.

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The Pixel launcher is evidently not just about appearance.

Under 10 minutes of 4K recording, the Pixel XL hit the 38 degree celsius mark after 2 minutes. From here on, it rose to 42 degrees at the 5 minute mark, which finally ended at 40.5 degrees after 10 minute mark. In comparison, the iPhone 7 Plus hits the 41 degree mark only after the full ten minutes, dangling at below 40 before that.

From here, the phone was put through continuous heavy graphics rendering for about 15 minutes. Sadly, the Pixel XL’s algorithms can’t keep the temperature steady. The temperature went up to a maximum of 47.2 degrees, at which point you could see lags even when pulling the notification drawer down. Of course, this isn’t a practical scenario, but I would have preferred it if the Pixel could keep the temperature more in control.

Further, the QHD screen does reduce the Pixel XL's graphical capabilities. The phone can render less frames on GFXBench's Car Chase test than the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge or even the OnePlus 3. The performance is about 30% lower than those phones, because of their smaller displays. However, real world performance on the Pixel XL does seem much smoother.

Note: I shall have more to say on the performance in the coming days. These are the tests we have performed for now.

Review in progress

While I haven’t thoroughly tested the Pixel XL’s camera yet, initial results have been inspiring. The phone has a great camera, but I’m going to hold my judgement till tomorrow, when the camera tests are done. The Pixel XL also goes under an intensive battery test tonight, the results of which shall be presented here, in an update tomorrow. Stay tuned for more on that, the Google Assistant and more...

Prasid Banerjee prasid.banerjee@digit.in

Trying to explain technology to my parents. Failing miserably.

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The Android and Pixel teams work separately, just like the Android team works with Samsung and others to bring you "the best" smartphones in the market today. Google tried hard to tell us...

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