The Google smartphones Pixel 2 (left) and Pixel 2 XL (right) convinced in the test with sophisticated technology and interesting details
Google brings its new smartphones Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL in the trade. The competition is big. The search giant, slowly mutated into a hardware manufacturer, wants to score with a strong camera and a lot of artificial intelligence.
There is no shortage of high-end Android smartphones. From LG to Samsung, HTC, Nokia and most recently Huawei, all manufacturers have devices with strong cameras, large screens, plenty of memory on offer. Much competition for Google's new smartphones Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL.
With the smartphones Google continues its course, with Android not only the operating system, but with the pixel row also equal to a high-quality reference model to deliver. Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL share the same hardware this time, but differ in size and design.
A classic rectangular shape with large margins above and below the five-inch AMOLED display with Full HD resolution (1080 to 1920 pixels) is available at Pixel 2. The aluminum housing is smooth, but firmly in the hand. Interesting detail: The on / off switch is highlighted in color. Contract manufacturer for the Pixel 2 is HTC.
The larger Pixel 2 XL incorporates LG's nearly 18: 9 (1440 by 2280 pixel) nearly borderless, 6 "diagonal infinity display . Compared to the warm-toned AMOLED of the smaller Pixel 2 it looks a bit pale and with shallow viewing angles bluish. The case back of LG's Pixel 2 XL is much rougher and the edges of the display and case are rounder.
But that's where the differences end. "We are not saving any better features for the larger model," said Google boss Sundar Pichai at the launch of the devices. Accordingly, there are Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835, 4 gigabytes (GB) of RAM and 64 or 128 GB of hard-disk space. Google's Photos app gives Pixel 2 users unlimited storage for images in Google's online storage.
Annoying for headphone owners: There is no longer a 3.5-millimeter output, only USB-C and an adapter. One covers the reasons, behind closed doors also pressure of the industry to change to purely digital interfaces is called as cause. For users, this means either buying a USB headset, listening wirelessly - or living with the bulky adapter. After all: There are small stereo speakers with very decent sound.
The Pixel 2 XL from Google
As with the first pixel series, Google also wants to score with the camera at Pixel 2. Contrary to the trend for the double lens, there is a single 12-megapixel camera with a maximum aperture of f1.8. With a special sensor that can also capture depth information and a lot of software use in image enhancement to create photos that are equal to the camera duo of the competition.
After 90 points for its predecessor, camera tester DxO now gives 98 points on the upward open rating scale. Apple's current iPhone 8 Plus also gets a good score here with 94 points, Samsung Galaxy S8 comes to 88 points.
The images of the camera actually do not have to hide behind the competition in the test. Focus time and trigger are fast, the most important settings found quickly. With the bokeh effect easily succeed portraits with blurred backgrounds.
A lens instead of a double camera. The new Pixel 2 rely on a single camera and a lot of software help. The glass cover was taken over from the predecessor in the upper area of the back.
Interesting are also the " moving photos" called living pictures. Since the camera records the shutter button before the print and also a bit later, short video sequences in photo quality are possible. Videographers will be pleased with the sophisticated image stabilization , the hand shake and Bewegungswackler well out of the finished film.
Other small details that set Google's Pixel 2 and 2 XL apart from the competition are under the hood. About the pressure-sensitive frame . If you squeeze the phone lightly with your hand, the Google Assistant will start, or incoming calls will be muted.
Picture in picture allows about simultaneous navigation and browsing in the net. The down on the home screen Google search bar can now - as Apple's Spotlight in iOS for some time - not only specify Internet searches, but also spits out when entering search terms and matching apps or phone features.
Still in the trial phase is Google Photo Lens. Artificial Intelligence (AI) analyzes and categorizes images. By pressing a button you get what you see on pictures. While cats and household items are usually already well recognized, the AI weakens in buildings and other objects - then are displayed at most rough classifications, or it is referenced on the Google image search. The Berlin TV tower with a skyscraper in the foreground received the label "Wohneigentum" in the field trial.
