As expected, Google revealed its new flagship phones today, the Google Pixel 2 and the Google Pixel 2 XL. Upon announcing the phones, Google said: “‘What if smartphones were smarter and simpler?’ That's the question we asked ourselves last year, and what we set out to answer when we launched our first Pixel phone made by Google. With Pixel, we set out to make the smartphone experience better and bring the best of Google to the most important device in your life. So we created the world’s best smartphone camera and the first phone with the Google Assistant. But we didn’t stop there.
“Today, along with a new family of hardware products, we’re introducing Google Pixel 2. We want you to be able to ask even more from your phone—so we're giving you the highest-rated camera ever that helps you take great pictures and interact with the world around you, all-day battery life, and an Assistant that understands you better and helps you get more done.”
The base Pixel 2 has a 5in screen, while the bigger Pixel 2 XL features a 6in screen. But surely there must be more differences than screen size, right? Let’s take a look to find out.
Google Pixel 2 vs Google Pixel 2 XL: Specs
Here’s the specs for the Google Pixel 2:
- Display: Cinematic 5in display, FHD (1920 x 1080) AMOLED at 441ppi, 16:9 aspect ratio
- Dimensions: 145.7mm x 69.7 mm x 7.8 mm
- Weight: 143 grams
- Storage: 64GB or 128GB
- Memory: 4GB LPDDR4x RAM
- Processors: Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
- Front camera: 8 MP, 1080p video
- Rear camera: 12.2 MP, Optical + electronic image stabilization, 4K video
- Battery: 2700 mAh
- Colors: Just Black, Clearly White, Kinda Blue
And here’s the specs for the Google Pixel 2 XL:
- Display: Fullscreen 6in display, QHD+ (2880 x 1440) pOLED at 538ppi, 18:9 aspect ratio
- Dimensions: 157.9mm x 76.7 mm x 7.9 mm
- Weight: 175 grams
- Storage: 64GB or 128GB
- Memory: 4GB LPDDR4x RAM
- Processors: Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
- Front camera: 8 MP, 1080p video
- Rear camera: 12.2 MP, Optical + electronic image stabilization, 4K video
- Battery: 3520 mAh
- Colors: Just Black, Black & White
Okay, there’s no denying it. These phones are VERY similar when it comes to internal specs. Matter of fact, they’re identical. Both phones come in either 64GB or 128GB storage options, all models of both phones feature 4GB LPDDR4x RAM, and both phones sport a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor with an Adreno 540 GPU. So trust me, choosing which one you want will be no problem at all based on spec.
Google Pixel 2 vs Google Pixel 2 XL: Display & Design
The difference between these phones lies in their display. No–not even their design; their display. But let's just get design out of the way because there is a single difference. Besides the fact that the XL is physically larger and weighs a bit more because of its size, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL look virtually identical. Each has an aluminum unibody with hybrid coating and is IP67 water and dust resistant. However, the smaller Pixel 2 comes in three color options while the Pixel 2 XL comes in just two.
Now let’s get to that display, which is the main difference. The Pixel 2 has the smaller 5in display. It’s an FHD 1920 x 1080 AMOLED panel at 441ppi. Because of its dimensions, it's also got a 16:9 aspect ratio–what Google calls “Cinematic”. The Pixel 2 XL, on the other hand, has a larger 6in display that is a QHD+ 2880 x 1440 pOLED at 538ppi. However, it’s got an 18:9 aspect ratio–what Google calls “Fullscreen”. Because of the different aspect ratios, content, video, and apps will look slightly different depending on which phone you get.
Google Pixel 2 vs Google Pixel 2 XL: Battery
Another small difference is in the battery department. This should come as no surprise. Smaller phones usually have smaller batteries and larger phones usually have larger ones. That’s the case here too with the Pixel 2 packing a 2700 mAh battery and the Pixel 2 XL packing a 3520 mAh battery. Expect the same battery life from both phones, however.
Google Pixel 2 vs Google Pixel 2 XL: Cameras
Google! You’ve really made this “versus” too easy. Even the cameras are exactly the same in both phones. Both feature an 8MP, 1080p video front camera and the exact same 12.2 MP rear camera, which features optical and electronic image stabilization and records in 4K video. What's really a shame is Google has not followed the trend by adding dual lens rear cameras to its flagships.
Google Pixel 2 vs Google Pixel 2 XL: Cost
The final difference is, of course, the price. For the 5in Pixel 2 you’ll pay £629 for the 64GB model and £729 for the 128GB model. For the 6in Pixel XL 2 you’ll pay £799 for the 64GB model and £899 for the 128GB model.
