Google Pixel 2 64GB - Blue - Unlocked

I've been using the Pixel 2 XL Unlocked (from Project Fi) for a couple days shy of 6 months and it's probably been the best phone I've ever owned. I never bought a case for it as they were too expensive and simply threw it into the middle slot in my clutch everyday. I just cleaned the screen and there zero blemishes, with some very minor scratches on one edge of the rear glass. Waterproofing is excellent (I've done quite a bit of photography during thunderstorms) as is the camera for virtually anything i'd need to shoot not requiring a DSLR. The operating system has been updated three times to Android P Beta 3 and all versions have simply flown. I've tried most of the features excepting some of the less-secure smart unlock features. My only complaint is that the ... MoreI've been using the Pixel 2 XL Unlocked (from Project Fi) for a couple days shy of 6 months and it's probably been the best phone I've ever owned. I never bought a case for it as they were too expensive and simply threw it into the middle slot in my clutch everyday. I just cleaned the screen and there zero blemishes, with some very minor scratches on one edge of the rear glass. Waterproofing is excellent (I've done quite a bit of photography during thunderstorms) as is the camera for virtually anything i'd need to shoot not requiring a DSLR. The operating system has been updated three times to Android P Beta 3 and all versions have simply flown. I've tried most of the features excepting some of the less-secure smart unlock features. My only complaint is that the screen reader is all but worthless unless you're legit blind and have used multiple Android phones previously. Compared to the iPhone's screen reader, which i've used every night for the past five years to turn fanfics into audiobooks, Android's screen reader may as well be bloatware. Speaking of bloatware, there isn't any and nearly every app i've ever installed has run smooth as butter. I have tried installing 3rd party launchers and at least the Windows Phone launcher works well for what it is, though i can't imagine a need for them. Just now my phone rang and it recognized it as a suspected spam caller and didn't alert me. Battery life is really quite excellent if you follow the battery-saving steps recommended in the settings. Today i shot and then edited about 10 photos in Snapseed and uploaded them and had only lost about 8% power when I was done. Under normal/standby usage i usually get four-five days. Under heavy usage, about three. The always-on screen is terrific and well-designed to be read in any light. The Now Playing feature that Google used to advertise this phone works maybe 5% of the time? The concept needs work and the offline micro-database powering it is too small to be useful for any style of music. The biometric sensors are terrific and if you take your phone with you everywhere you'll never have to "start a workout" and still have excellent statistics (I recommend exporting them to Exist. io as the Google Fit app is designed for the lowest common denominator with little functionality). I have no use for VR and haven't used any of those features, but there are so many crammed in that this phone would be an excellent choice if you needed to. Occasionally for some reason i manage to accidentally switch on speakerphone and i'm not sure why but i doubt it's a real bug. 100% recommended. I can't imagine what Google would have to do to top this.

Best Pixel Ever

Using the first Google Pixel as my daily driver was a great experience, already using the best camera on a phone in 2016 best ever stock android experience why Upgrade you may ask. Lets dive in and see the New XL2. The touch screen is simply more responsive than the previous XL, Touch ID noticeably improved, the bigger screen is a welcome improvement over the XL, the camera simply the best in any phone Android or IOS. The new pixel 2 opens multimedia apps faster than IOS best phones although gaming apps open faster in the newest iPhone. Geek bench 4 scores have improved but low in comparison to IOS, I tested the Pixel XL2 verses the iPad pro playing Chess, results even its like playing tic tac toe and one player cannot beat the other cats game games end in a tie. ... MoreUsing the first Google Pixel as my daily driver was a great experience, already using the best camera on a phone in 2016 best ever stock android experience why Upgrade you may ask. Lets dive in and see the New XL2. The touch screen is simply more responsive than the previous XL, Touch ID noticeably improved, the bigger screen is a welcome improvement over the XL, the camera simply the best in any phone Android or IOS. The new pixel 2 opens multimedia apps faster than IOS best phones although gaming apps open faster in the newest iPhone. Geek bench 4 scores have improved but low in comparison to IOS, I tested the Pixel XL2 verses the iPad pro playing Chess, results even its like playing tic tac toe and one player cannot beat the other cats game games end in a tie. This test is more significant because its measuring the ability of the computer to calculate the instructions per second of your divice. Example in the past IOS devices will always win in a chess game match against Android devices. Google has level the playing field. About the screen issues google screen looks great head on and at an angle it looks blueish almost like a bluish privacy filter the only ones that are really affected are other people looking at your Phone from an angle, not a deal breaker. Google is working on a possible screen burning issue they are issuing Software updates for that. and they also increase the phones warranty to two years. I will humbly upgrade to the New Google experience the positive outweighs the negative. The improvements of the 2017 Pixel XL2 is enough for me to trade in my 2016 Pixel XL. Sincerely yours, Luis Tucen

Best Used Android Phone of 2021

First, the Pixel 2 is the only Android phone I know of that was released in 2017 that has a stock, bloatware free copy of Android 11 it's running on. As much as I like Motorola phones, you'll have to buy a much newer and often more costly model to have Android 11. Second, the camera on the Pixel 2 is better than most newer phones in its class, especially in low light. It was updated to use the Pixel 3's Night Sight feature, dramatically improving low light levels without a flash or a tripod. Third, the Type-C quick charging is outstanding! And, even if you don't have a quick charge power adapter, the phone will take advantage of more 2.4A output chargers as well. But please do NOT confuse the Pixel 2 with it's bigger brother, the Pixel 2 XL! The XL does not age well ... MoreFirst, the Pixel 2 is the only Android phone I know of that was released in 2017 that has a stock, bloatware free copy of Android 11 it's running on. As much as I like Motorola phones, you'll have to buy a much newer and often more costly model to have Android 11. Second, the camera on the Pixel 2 is better than most newer phones in its class, especially in low light. It was updated to use the Pixel 3's Night Sight feature, dramatically improving low light levels without a flash or a tripod. Third, the Type-C quick charging is outstanding! And, even if you don't have a quick charge power adapter, the phone will take advantage of more 2.4A output chargers as well. But please do NOT confuse the Pixel 2 with it's bigger brother, the Pixel 2 XL! The XL does not age well and can have a number of display "issues" (burn-in, smear, flashing, dead spots), primarily from idiots keeping these XL's in their pockets. The 2 XL also have a small number of problems not found on the standard Pixel 2. Now the bad stuff. No 3.5mm audio jack; requires Type-C adapter. Require professional/skilled battery replacement. This can be more than the price you paid for the phone. But if you're skilled or bold, IFIXIT has a complete kit for around $35 to include the needed tools and adhesives. Beware of cheap aftermarket batteries. Last, as of December 2020, Alphabet/Google no longer supports updates of this phone. Don't see this as a big problem as most Android made in 2019 are no longer supported either.

Finally a perfect phone

I had the original Pixel XL and waited for Pixel XL 3. When it finally came out, I was disappointed. No battery life improvement (in fact, it dropped down from Pixel XL 2 according to reviews), and there is that obnoxious notch, even a double notch sometimes. So I went ahead to get a used Pixel XL 2 instead. I'm very satisfied. The original Pixel XL was already a great phone. But Pixel XL 2 is about perfect. To me, besides the Pixel line, there is no other option anyway. Reason 1: With Gogle Fi which provides the first and only global network service, the Pixel is really the only global phone. Just travel to another country with an Android phone on Google Fi, and you will understand what I mean by this. Reason 2: I don't want an Apple. And I don't want any ... MoreI had the original Pixel XL and waited for Pixel XL 3. When it finally came out, I was disappointed. No battery life improvement (in fact, it dropped down from Pixel XL 2 according to reviews), and there is that obnoxious notch, even a double notch sometimes. So I went ahead to get a used Pixel XL 2 instead. I'm very satisfied. The original Pixel XL was already a great phone. But Pixel XL 2 is about perfect. To me, besides the Pixel line, there is no other option anyway. Reason 1: With Gogle Fi which provides the first and only global network service, the Pixel is really the only global phone. Just travel to another country with an Android phone on Google Fi, and you will understand what I mean by this. Reason 2: I don't want an Apple. And I don't want any third-party renditions of Android either, including Samsung and Huawei, because although they make great hardware, they always manage to damage the true Android experience, both in the user interface and the speed and availability of updates. The only problems I had with the original Pixel XL was that (1) I was running out of storage on the 32 GB; (2) I was desiring a little bit better battery life so it would be able to run through a busy day reliably and comfortably. Better battery life is always desirable.The original Pixel XL had difficulties to last a whole day of heavy use. Even though it is fine 95% of time, just an occasional occurrence of out-of-battery at the end of day is painful enough. As one would be habitually recharging the phone at end of day anyway, at least a whole-day battery life is critically important. Pixel XL 2 solved both problems. In addition, it also has a few nice features that the original Pixel did not have: (1) it has eSIM and can be activated without a physical SIM if you're using Google's Fi network. You can actually insert a physical SIM of an alternative network, but I found that switching back and forth is almost impractical, although possible. Every time when you switch to the physical SIM network, returning back to eSIM would require you to reactivate with Google. Sure reactivation was quite simple, involving just a few clicks, but still it is far from being seamless, and you shouldn't mistake this as a dual-SIM phone. (2) Carriers like Verizon have stopped locking Pixel 2 phones. So you can safely buy a used Verizon Pixel 2 without worrying about being locked on Verizon. The phone will be always activatable on Google Fi, even if you don't have an Fi SIM (see above). (3) The always-on standby screen display is improved, and now not onlyshows a clock, date, and temperature, but also battery status. There is very little battery draw on the standby screen. To me, this is the perfect phone, and for the first time I believe I may not need a replacement for a few years. In the past, annual replacement, or even midyear replacement had to be made due to lack of satisfaction of the phone performance. Now with Pixel XL 2, if it isn't good for five years, at least I'm expecting three years, which is reasonable. I feel mobile phones as a product evolution have got to a point like what PCs became around 2010. Pixel XL 2 is the proof. Before year 2010, desktop computers were always lacking in some serious aspects, making frequent upgrades necessary. But after year 2010, a well-speced PC could provide a minimum of five years of satisfactory service, and if you're not too picky, perhaps 10 years. Product lifecycle is a big issue. Upgrading a PC or a mobile phone is an extremely costly experience, not just because of the direct costs, but more importantly the time cost. For someone who is choosy on the configurations of PC or phone, switching to a new device is extremely time-consuming. In my own experience, every time when I got a new PC, it would cumulatively cost me a minimum of 20 hours to set everything up to meet my particular requirements. This is mostly system, desktop environment and software configuration. A lot of tweaking is necessary on a new PC. Fortunately, Android has made switching to a new phone a lot easier than switching to a new PC. Most of the switch including app installation, data transfer, and system configuration are made automatic. But not everything, especially when you use many apps that require personalized settings and data configuration. So still, it would take several hours to get everything right. I'm hoping to hold onto the Pixel XL 2 for at least a few years.

Large and in charge!

I'm not a technical person and probably haven't utilized even a quarter of the features this phone has but I discover something new about it every single day. The battery life is ridiculously long compared to all of my other phones. I'm not on my phone as much as most so it could last 2 whole days without charging. The call screening is my favorite feature since I get a lot of spam callers. It's funny to see them get a taste of their own medicine. I'm not sure if it's strictly a pixel feature but no one else I know has it. The camera is hit or miss for me. Closer photos turn out amazing but distant one's not so much. It could be because I'm not doing it right but who knows. There are so many features on this phone that I either have no idea exist or how to use that ... MoreI'm not a technical person and probably haven't utilized even a quarter of the features this phone has but I discover something new about it every single day. The battery life is ridiculously long compared to all of my other phones. I'm not on my phone as much as most so it could last 2 whole days without charging. The call screening is my favorite feature since I get a lot of spam callers. It's funny to see them get a taste of their own medicine. I'm not sure if it's strictly a pixel feature but no one else I know has it. The camera is hit or miss for me. Closer photos turn out amazing but distant one's not so much. It could be because I'm not doing it right but who knows. There are so many features on this phone that I either have no idea exist or how to use that my 26yo daughter has comment "that phone is too good for you", ha ha ha, I agree, but it's still mine and she's not getting it. The ONLY issue I have (and it's not a deal breaker) is when I have to tap on something near any edge of the phone it takes a few taps before it registers. Again, this could be my fault because I have sausage fingers and that comes with the territory. Overall it's a great phone if you need one that does all types of things. Do your research before you buy any device. I bought mine for the camera (unfortunately it still adds 10 lbs to my frame no matter what camera I use) and I purchased it refurbished for a fraction of the price and haven't had any issues.

Many benefits of the current flagship phones for a third of the price!

Upgraded from a first generation Motorola X (I don't buy phones often). My immediate thoughts were that the Pixel 2 is much taller and sturdier than what I was used to (though size is on par if not more compact than the current crop of phones). The battery life is on par with the Moto X, while the aluminum and glass casing look and feel more high-end. When it comes to picking up a Pixel from a completely flat surface, I do miss the curved back of the Moto X by comparison the flat Pixel 2 feels a bit like lifting a coin up from a table top, more effort than I'd like. Water resistance works fairly well, but I noticed condensation on the inside of the camera lens after submersion. This made the camera pretty much useless. The fog went away after leaving the sim card ... MoreUpgraded from a first generation Motorola X (I don't buy phones often). My immediate thoughts were that the Pixel 2 is much taller and sturdier than what I was used to (though size is on par if not more compact than the current crop of phones). The battery life is on par with the Moto X, while the aluminum and glass casing look and feel more high-end. When it comes to picking up a Pixel from a completely flat surface, I do miss the curved back of the Moto X by comparison the flat Pixel 2 feels a bit like lifting a coin up from a table top, more effort than I'd like. Water resistance works fairly well, but I noticed condensation on the inside of the camera lens after submersion. This made the camera pretty much useless. The fog went away after leaving the sim card tray open and letting the insides air out for a few days. My thoughts on the water resistance it's a cool-to-have when you need it, but don't count on it. Final thoughts: it's a top notch Android phone, It does what I need it to do, and In 2020, you get many of the benefits of a current flagship phone for a third of the price!

Not worth the money. Screen went out w/o warning.

The number one thing I like about this phone is that it has 64 GB. Other than that, this phone is trash! I only used this phone for 2 weeks before the screen went completely black, and it went completely black without warning. One minute I was using it then the next I couldn't see the screen. I tried all the things that was suggested to do online, even trying to do a hard reset, but to no avail. It's quite frustrating to have a phone that you can hear chiming BUT you can't use it because you can't see the screen. Then on top of that, I was unable to get a refund because I waited too long to contact the seller. So basically I wasted a 100 dollars on a defective phone. Makes me angry! Btw, while trying to figure out why my screen was black I found all type of ... MoreThe number one thing I like about this phone is that it has 64 GB. Other than that, this phone is trash! I only used this phone for 2 weeks before the screen went completely black, and it went completely black without warning. One minute I was using it then the next I couldn't see the screen. I tried all the things that was suggested to do online, even trying to do a hard reset, but to no avail. It's quite frustrating to have a phone that you can hear chiming BUT you can't use it because you can't see the screen. Then on top of that, I was unable to get a refund because I waited too long to contact the seller. So basically I wasted a 100 dollars on a defective phone. Makes me angry! Btw, while trying to figure out why my screen was black I found all type of complaints online about the very same thing (black screen). I wish I would've discovered that this phone had an issue prior to purchasing it. Do yourself a favor and pass this one up! It's not worth your money or the aggravation.

They try to justify junk phones

The same day that I received this phone it started to go into the bootloader on its own. Then it started to shut off at around 25% battery and headlines going across the screen and would not turn back on till it was charged more. I called the company and they told me that it's normal for phones to shut off at 25% battery and it's normal for this phone to not work right because it's refurbished. I have never had a refurbished item I bought that did not work appropriately let alone have the company try to justify its faults. save yourself the time and headache and by elsewhere.