Pixel XL: First Impressions

[bsweetness]

FedEx just dropped off my 128 GB Pixel XL (Quite Black). Overall, I'm extremely impressed in my short time with it. Here are some initial thoughts on the device:

• It feels great in hand. Definitely feels like a premium device.

• Usability would be better without the large lower chin. It's similar to the iPhone 6/6s/7 Plus in that regard. Everyone needs to take a cue from Samsung on how to put a large screen into a smaller body.

• I never took issue with the look of the back of the phone, but it does look better in person.

• Screen: One of the best looking screens on a non-Samsung Android device yet. I had no problem seeing the screen in direct sunlight, but it doesn't get as bright as Samsung devices do.

• The fingerprint reader is just as good as the one in the Nexus 6P.

• You haven't experienced a truly snappy Android device until you've used a Pixel. I've had many Android devices that I thought were fast, but this has a level of polish and quickness I haven't seen until now.

• Initial camera impressions are very good. Slightly slower in most aspects than the S7/Note 7 camera, but final results are just as good.

• App installation is blazing fast. I've never seen apps install this fast on any phone, Android or iOS.

• Battery life: It's too early to really tell, especially since the first day is full of installing apps and tinkering with the phone. But my early impressions are great. From my first full charge down to 15%, I had 6 hours and 15 minutes of screen on time (on WiFi).

I'll share more observations throughout the day. When you get your Pixel XL, chime in and let everyone know what you think!

 

[Sajo]

Awesome!

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[bkdodger]

Thanks for sharing ! Happy to hear your thoughts and keep them coming ..


iPhone Seven Plus

 

[Amagine]

Awesome. I've got a bit before I can purchase one. I don't particularly like not having an SD card slot. When I I had to get the S6 (long as story) it was n immediate miss. Other than that the S6 is a good phone.
But I think if things pan out for the pixel over the next year in reviews I might pick up a 128GB XL unlocked. I might not like not expanding my storage, but if I have an @$$load of it to start with, it can be forgiven.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

 

[bsweetness]

Awesome. I've got a bit before I can purchase one. I don't particularly like not having an SD card slot. When I I had to get the S6 (long as story) it was n immediate miss. Other than that the S6 is a good phone.
But I think if things pan out for the pixel over the next year in reviews I might pick up a 128GB XL unlocked. I might not like not expanding my storage, but if I have an @$$load of it to start with, it can be forgiven.

I hated giving up expandable storage, wireless charging and waterproofing. Those are the three things that keep the Pixel XL from being my dream device. That said, even without those three things, I've been more impressed by the Pixel XL in my first few hours with it than I've been by any other phone for a very long time. The end-to-end design from Google really shines through, and it's something they should have done much sooner.

 

[cr6]

I hated giving up expandable storage, wireless charging and waterproofing. Those are the three things that keep the Pixel XL from being my dream device. That said, even without those three things, I've been more impressed by the Pixel XL in my first few hours with it than I've been by any other phone for a very long time. The end-to-end design from Google really shines through, and it's something they should have done much sooner.

IMO, waterproof & wireless charging should be standard on ANY new device in this day and age period. (unless it's a low-mid range model)
Glad to hear you're happy with the device though! Keep us updated.

S5 tap'n

 

[Preach2k]

Thank you for sharing!

Sent from my SM-N930V using Tapatalk

 

[Hugh Jass]

Looking forward to that outdoors report!

 

[Preach2k]

 

[bsweetness]

Added a few additions to my original post regarding outdoor visibility and battery life. Thumbs up to both.

 

[mach330]

got mine last night. haven't fully set it up yet. i tried to transfer my stuff from my 6p with the cord, but it says it's not supported. i thought that was weird. i was hoping it would copy everything.

Tried google assistant for a bit and it was really responsive. it had no trouble picking up what i was saying.

Felt good in the hands. a bit more hefty than my 6p, but definitely felt premium. i'll have more thoughts this weekend when i'm fully setup.

anybody used the cable to transfer data from one phone to another? At first i just used usbc to usbc cable, but that didn't work . I then used the usbc to usb cable (with usb to usbc adapter) and that seem to detect it, but it still said my 6p is not supported. Weird. how it not support the latest phone before this.

 

[GoCliffGo05]

Have you tried NFC, phones back to back?

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[dendk]

It has been awhile since I had an Android phone but took to it naturally, had been in the IOS world for the last few phone iteratiions... Absolutely love the pixel xl , have been customizing it all weekend long and can not set it down.

 

[mach330]

So I noticed that the nav buttons don't disappear to do full screen . It's almost always there. I noticed this on chrome and most of the apps. I wish we can make it translucent at least.

I'm real like google assistant . I had my phone in a dock in my car with screen off. I said ok Google take me home and gave me nav to go home. Sweet.

Battery is good so far. I think it's better than 6p so far on that.

 

[bsweetness]

So I noticed that the nav buttons don't disappear to do full screen . It's almost always there. I noticed this on chrome and most of the apps. I wish we can make it translucent at least.

I'm real like google assistant . I had my phone in a dock in my car with screen off. I said ok Google take me home and gave me nav to go home. Sweet.

Battery is good so far. I think it's better than 6p so far on that.

The navigation buttons disappear when you use a full screen app, such as a game or when watching a video in landscape. The developer has to build it into the app.