Stuff UK — June 2017

● GOOG£9 ++++,

S

●GOOGLE PIXEL XL £719++++,

SUPERTEST SUPERPHONES

Google’s well-armed flagship

doesn’t quite rule the waves

Google’s first own-brand handset

wasn’t just supposed to put every

other Android phone to shame – it

was supposed to convince iPhone

owners to make the switch from

iOS. That meant saying bye to the

Nexus range, leaving OnePlus to

plug that gap while Google focuses

on the high end.

The result isn’t quite the show-

stopper we were hoping for, with

no drop-dead gorgeous design,

no water-resistance and only

decent battery life to justify the

high price. The 5.5in XL version

is on the big side too: add one of

Google’s custom Live Cases and

it’ll be bulging out of your pocket

before you know it.

It’s powerful enough to keep

pace with the competition,

though, thanks to a Snapdragon

821 CPU. And the pure, undiluted

Google experience will always

appeal to a hardcore subset of

Android fans.

If that doesn’t wow you, then

the camera probably will – by

stitching together multiple shots

every time you press the shutter

button, you get noise-free photos

with realistic colours and excellent

exposure. Other phones are still

playing catch-up here, more than

six months after launch.

It’s not perfect, but neither

is the iPhone – and that never

stopped Apple, did it? If you’re after

simplicity above all else, with a

brilliant camera, powerful internals

and a stock Android OS that bleeds

Google right down to the core, the

Pixel XL still holds its own against

the newly arrived Galaxy S8.

The Snapdragon 821 might
not be the fastest processor
around any more, but with
no third-party skins bogging
down Android 7 Nougat, the
Pixel XL really flies.

Android Auto

£free

You used to need a

car that properly

supported it, but

now Google’s

driver-focused

Android Auto

works as a

standalone

app. It handles

navigation, music

controls and

hands-free calls,

letting you

concentrate on

the road.

NOW APP THIS

DESIGN

Half-glassed

You’ll either love the

Pixel’s half-glass back

and metal frame or think

it looks unfinished. The

bulge towards the top

lets the camera module

sit flush to the body,

rather than sticking out

as on the iPhone.

●●●●●●●●●●

SCREEN

Pixelly lot

The XL’s AMOLED panel

delivers punchy colours

and fantastic contrast.

The QHD resolution is par

for the course at this

price, and even stretched

over 5.5in there’s more

than enough detail for

tiny text.

●●●●●●●●●●

CAMERA

Sharp shooter

12.3MP and no optical

image stabilisation? The

Pixel doesn’t sound great

on paper, but Google’s

software makes it one of

the best smartphone

shooters around. It’s

super-fast, and exposure

is usually spot-on.

●●●●●●●●●●

OS AND APPS

Home from home

It’s pure Android, but not

as you know it: the Pixel

has a unique version of

Google’s homescreen

that uses gestures rather

than icons to open the

app drawer, and a baked-

in swipe shortcut to the

Google Assistant.

●●●●●●●●●●

Speed camera

The Pixel’s camera is

quick, and you can get

into it quickly by double-

tapping the power button

from any screen.

Niht liht

The eyeball-soothing

Night Light mode comes

built right into Android

now – no need for

third-party apps.

PIXEL XL TIPS & TRICKS