- Joined
- Oct 14, 2007
Google Pixel XL - Thoughts & First Impressions / Ongoing Thread - *IMAGE HEAVY*
Finally, after almost two months (ordered 12/20, received 2/14), I have received my back-ordered Google Pixel XL. I will try to keep this thread up to date with my exploits, much like I did with the thread for my dearly departed G3.
First impression is that it was totally worth the wait. The phone is a bit large for my tastes, mostly owing to its very large bezels, but it has grown on me in the just-under-24-hours that I've had it. Width it's fine; maybe just a hair wider than my G3, but it's super tall because of those bezels.
The back is definitely an acquired taste. Because of my wait, I had read every review and watched every relveant video and had already gotten used to it. But if you're not familiar with the phone, that upper glass portion seems odd.
However, a big part of what drew me to this phone is that there is -no- camera hump, unlike most other phones on the market. The fingerprint sensor is slightly recessed and everything else (sensors, flash, camera) are tucked under the glass so the back is nice and flat.
At the bottom of the phone resides the speaker (just one, despite there being two holes for the sake of symmetry) and the USB-C port. USB-C is great because the plugs are reversible...no more fiddling with which way to plug it in! There are other reasons USB-C is good, but none more practical than that.
You'll also note the only branding on the phone - a Google "G". I'm also very happy that Google didn't choose to ditch the headphone jack on this phone, which isn't pictured here. It resides on the top, on the side opposite the camera lens.
As far as accessories go, you are provided with a wall charger and cable, plus a USB-A to USB-C (male to male) cable for transferring data from computers without USB-C, a very handy inclusion. They also supply a USB-C to USB-A (male to female) adapter.
Other first impressions - The phone with its 4GB of RAM and Snapdragon 821 processor is blazing fast and buttery smooth. The AMOLED screen is amazing too, especially coming from the LCD of my old phone. Colors just pop. The camera is just as fast as the processing - it pulls up near instantly and photos are taken extremely quickly. I haven't personally had a chance to use the camera much due to weather here, but it is universally prasied as one of the best in a phone on the market, which was one of the biggest draws when ordering this.
The next post will go into the accessories I got for it!
Finally, after almost two months (ordered 12/20, received 2/14), I have received my back-ordered Google Pixel XL. I will try to keep this thread up to date with my exploits, much like I did with the thread for my dearly departed G3.
First impression is that it was totally worth the wait. The phone is a bit large for my tastes, mostly owing to its very large bezels, but it has grown on me in the just-under-24-hours that I've had it. Width it's fine; maybe just a hair wider than my G3, but it's super tall because of those bezels.
The back is definitely an acquired taste. Because of my wait, I had read every review and watched every relveant video and had already gotten used to it. But if you're not familiar with the phone, that upper glass portion seems odd.
However, a big part of what drew me to this phone is that there is -no- camera hump, unlike most other phones on the market. The fingerprint sensor is slightly recessed and everything else (sensors, flash, camera) are tucked under the glass so the back is nice and flat.
At the bottom of the phone resides the speaker (just one, despite there being two holes for the sake of symmetry) and the USB-C port. USB-C is great because the plugs are reversible...no more fiddling with which way to plug it in! There are other reasons USB-C is good, but none more practical than that.
You'll also note the only branding on the phone - a Google "G". I'm also very happy that Google didn't choose to ditch the headphone jack on this phone, which isn't pictured here. It resides on the top, on the side opposite the camera lens.
As far as accessories go, you are provided with a wall charger and cable, plus a USB-A to USB-C (male to male) cable for transferring data from computers without USB-C, a very handy inclusion. They also supply a USB-C to USB-A (male to female) adapter.
Other first impressions - The phone with its 4GB of RAM and Snapdragon 821 processor is blazing fast and buttery smooth. The AMOLED screen is amazing too, especially coming from the LCD of my old phone. Colors just pop. The camera is just as fast as the processing - it pulls up near instantly and photos are taken extremely quickly. I haven't personally had a chance to use the camera much due to weather here, but it is universally prasied as one of the best in a phone on the market, which was one of the biggest draws when ordering this.
The next post will go into the accessories I got for it!