![]() Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL: Android 8 Oreo Adam Patrick Murray/IDG It’s a feature you might remember from the HTC U11, but you can’t customize it on the Pixel 2. ![]() Along with the home button and hands-free “OK Google,” you can also squeeze the sides of the phone to launch Assistant on the Pixel 2. Now you can summon Assistant in a new way. The Pixel was the first Android phone to ship with Google Assistant built in, but the Pixel 2 takes it a step further. You can now launch Google Assistant by squeezing using the Pixel 2’s Active Edge. Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL: Google Assistant Adam Patrick Murray It’s also found a way to emulate portrait mode without needing a second camera. For the Pixel 2, Google has built its own image signal processor called Pixel Visual Core that helps with performance and efficiency. This year’s camera does have optical image stabilization to aid with low-light shots and shaky video–as well as a slight camera bump–but most of the enhancements happen behind the scenes. Like the original Pixels, both phones have the same camera, and it’s virtually unchanged from last year, at least on paper: 12.2MP, f/1.8, phase detection & laser autofocus, dual-LED flash. Google reduced the size of the glass visor on the Pixel 2 XL, but now there’s a slight camera bump. Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL: Camera Adam Patrick Murray/IDG And what’s more, Google has added 25 volume “steps” for precise control over the loudness. However, Google has added front-facing stereo speakers to both Pixels, giving the handsets a boost in the sound department. To mark the occasion, Google is selling a pair $159 Bluetooth Pixel Buds. ![]() Headphone enthusiasts will be bummed to learn that neither Pixel 2 has a 3.5mm jack, so you’ll need to either use a pair of Bluetooth buds or the bundled USB-C-to-3.5mm adapter. The Pixel 2 XL has front-facing stereo speakers. Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL: Sound Adam Patrick Murray/IDG And Google has added a dash of color to the power button on some models: On the Kinda Blue Pixel 2 it’s turquoise and on the Black & White Pixel 2 it’s red. Both phones feature the same aluminum rear design, with a camera in the upper left corner surrounded by a glass antenna window that stops just above the fingerprint sensor. The smaller one has the same giant bezels as the original Pixel, but the Pixel 2 XL adopts much skinnier bezels and curved edges on the side of the diplay. Like the screen sizes, the two Pixel 2s are vastly different in design. The Pixel 2 XL (left) is just about the same size as the original Pixel XL from 2016, but offers more vertical screen real estate. Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL: Design Adam Patrick Murray/IDG It’s basically the same screen as the LG V30. Not only is it bigger (6 inches vs 5.5 inches), it also has a new ratio (18:9 vs 16:9), and a new manufacturing process (pOLED vs AMOLED) with a 538 psi density. While the smaller Pixel 2 has the exact same display as last year’s model-a 5-inch 1080×1920 Full HD AMOLED screen with 441 PPI density-the Pixel 2 XL has undergone a dramatic change.
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