Words: Aatish Mishra
Much hullabaloo has been made over Google’s latest flagship smartphone, the Pixel 2. However, much hullabaloo is made over nearly everything on the internet these days, so I took up the demanding task of evaluating if the phone lives up to the hype. First, the way it looks. To be honest, it looks understated with its brushed aluminium and glass back. It doesn’t have the glam expected of a flagship. No super-thin bezels or edge-to-edge screen. However, it has a 5-inch display and it fits well in your hand. The fingerprint sensor is located on the back, and keeps the front from looking uncluttered.
If I had to pick one highlight, it would have to be the camera’s performance. Not only does it take great pictures in the day, but even in low light conditions. The photos tend to be sharp, and there is great colour reproduction. There is only a single 12.2 megapixel camera at the back, but it manages to take incredible photos with snappily quick focusing times. Trust me, an intern had a field day shooting the Street Triple RS v Brutale on this phone while the actual shoot was going on and managed to get some great shots. The unlimited storage on Google Drive, for photos taken from the Pixel meant we didn’t have to worry about him going berserk with Burst mode either. The depth of field it manages to achieve with just a single camera in Portrait mode is great as well. The screen is another highlight, with really vivid colours and a 441ppi pixel density making it appear crisp and saturated.
I never felt the phone lag too much, but I upgraded to it from a budget Android phone. My colleagues who are more accustomed to using Apple’s devices did say that the phone was running a bit slow at times. The issues I faced with the phone? The lack of a headphone jack is a major one. I really fail to understand why we’re forced to spend more on Bluetooth headphones after spending a solid chunk of money on the phone itself.
Battery life was good and I never found myself running out of juice with my regular daily usage. The fact that it runs Android Oreo in stock form is great as well. Overall, if you’re looking to get yourself a flagship phone, the Pixel 2 deserves a good, long look. And if a good camera is what you’re after, it should be what you’re going for.