ISSUE 44 • ANDROID ADVISOR 17REVIEWthan its predecessor. The base model – with 64GB
of storage – costs £799, but you’ll pay £899 for
the 128GB version.
As with the original, there’s no microSD slot for
expanding the storage of either model. You’ve got
one other choice: colour. The Pixel 2 XL comes in
Just Black or Black and White. If you want to get the
phone on contract, EE has the exclusive in the UK.
There’s a £9.99 up-front cost, then it’s £57.99 per
month for the 4GEE Max plan, which offers 8GB of
data, plus unlimited calls and texts.
Design
With its 6in screen, this isn’t a small phone. But
thanks to minimal screen bezels it isn’t as big as you
might imagine. It feels exceptionally well made, and
although it’s tall, it’s not too wide to comfortably hold
in one hand and not top heavy. The aluminium has
a rough texture and feels good to the touch. It also
means it doesn’t get covered in fingerprints.
At 175g, it’s the same weight as the new iPhone
X which has a marginally smaller screen at 5.8in. It’s
roughly the same thickness, but taller because of
bigger top and bottom bezels.
Of course, there’s no notch and as a bonus, there
are front-facing stereo speakers. These sound great
and are ideal for watching YouTube videos or playing
games. They don’t have much bass, but they’re loud.
Getting back to those screen bezels, they’re much
slimmer than on the 2016 Pixel XL and it looks all the
better for it. The glass is slightly curved at the edges
where it meets the aluminium frame.