Pixel 2 and 2 XL

Pixel 2 XL © Google.

Yesterday, Google unveiled the second generation of the Pixel smartphone: the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. The Pixel 2 is made by HTC, has a 5-inch screen, is available in white, black and blueish grey, and is similar in design to the previous generation. The Pixel 2 XL, built by LG, has a 6-inch screen, is available in black or black and white, and is entirely redesigned. Technical specifications are similar to every other Android phone this year: Snapdragon 835 SoC, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. But the big news is that neither device has an audio jack, following the lead taken by Apple last year. Despite their many qualities, the first Pixel phones haven’t been a huge hit: according to comScore, just 0.7% of Americans who reported owning a smartphone in the June-August survey period said it was a Pixel. In contrast, Apple’s iPhone is used by 45.5% of American subscribers, and Samsung has 29.5% of the market. If you want an Android phone that will always be up-to-date and using the latest version of the operating system, go for those. The Pixel 2 will sell for US$649 and the 2 XL for US$849. 

⇨ Ars Technica, “Hands-on with the Pixel 2 and 2 XL: One’s nice, one’s not.”

⇨ Circuit Breaker, “The Pixel’s missing headphone jack proves Apple was right.”

⇨ Recode, “The Pixel market share chart Google probably won’t be showing at its event today.”