Google Pixel 2 XL vs. Apple iPhone X – Let the Battle Begin

Last year the first Pixel smartphone was praised but critics but it didn’t sell enough units to count. But a year has passed and the company had enough time to work on their hardware and software to a refined state.

Pixel 2 XL got released at the beginning of this month and now we’re wondering how good it performs when you place it in the ring against Apple’s flagship smartphone, the iPhone X.

Based on a little time of fidgeting on both devices at their respective events, a few reports have surfaced to give us an idea of how these two smartphones will compete against each other.

Hardware Information

When we look at these devices, we see the screens. Both of them have great screens, almost bezel-less design. The iPhone X has a display of 5.8 inches and a resolution of 2436 x 1125. The Pixel 2 XL is larger, with 6 inches and a bigger resolution: 2880 x 1440 pixels. Where Pixel 2 XL has a bigger resolution, the iPhone X comes with HDR support and True Tone display.

Both phones are lightweight. When you hold the iPhone X in your hand, you’ll feel its sleek design, due the glass back and the shine Apple adds to their devices. The Pixel 2 XL is also a premium smartphone that feels great in your hand.

The cameras are both quick at shooting photographs, and tests in their respective events showed great results.

The internal storage for Pixel 2 XL is smaller, coming in two versions: 64GB and 128GB, while the iPhone X has either a version with 64GB or one with 256GB. But Google is offering unlimited free space in their cloud service for photos and videos so it makes sense not to need that much storage space.

The iPhone X has 3 GB RAM, while the Pixel 2 XL has 4 GB.

In terms of other features, the iPhone X has their Face ID scanner for unlocking purposes and the Pixel 2 XL has the Google Assistant that you can access by squeezing the smartphone’s sides.

Both smartphones have no headphone jack slot but they have a dongle that allows you to plug in the jack for the traditional wired headphones.

Software Information

Both Google and Apple companies believe that the hardware is not as important as software and if the software is designed for that exact hardware, it will make a good device and provide the users a better experience.

So, users will definitely choose one of these smartphones when they see each software, and not when they look at the hardware specifications.

The Pixel 2 XL already has their Android OS and don’t need to modify it in order to work for their devices. So you’ll see in Pixel 2 Xl a smoothly running operating system that works just as it should, with no errors or glitches, exactly how an Android should work right now.

The same goes for Apple, since iPhone has its signature iOS. So the iOS is working smoothly, having been created exactly for the hardware Apple uses in creating their smartphones.

iPhone X has a modified OS because they had to do something to replace the physical home button, so users will have to swipe in order to do some multitasking (swipe up for home, down for notifications or down at the top right for Control Center. There are also other features such as Apple’s Siri that got a lot smarter in the newest iOS 11, but this is not an exclusive feature for the iPhone X.

Google has added some interesting features too, along with AI and machine learning integration. You can take pictures of your environment with Google Lens and it will also search the internet for information or let you access different commands. A new feature called ‘Now Playing’ will listen to the music in your environment and tell you the name of the song. This feature will also work in Airplane Mode.

With the iPhone X you’ll be able to send virtual emojis that track the user’s face. The Pixel 2 XL will let you insert augmented reality virtual stickers that you can add into either photographs or videos.

Price Information

If you plan on getting one of these smartphones, you’ll have to spend more than $ 1000 for a model.

For the iPhone X 64 GB model the price is $1,319 and for the iPhone X 256 GB the price is $1,529. You can preorder one starting with 27 October and the launch date is on November 3.

The Pixel 2 XL is a little less expensive, with its 64 GB model going for $1,159 and the Pixel 2 XL 128GB going for $1,289. Preordering is already available and shipping will get to customers in December.

Conclusion

Both smartphones are premium devices that look and feel good. So far testing in the event has showed us that they are both giving a great user experience.

So, looking at the Google Pixel 2 XL and the Apple iPhone X, we can say that they’re both the winners of their particular operating system. It all depends on what users prefer: a pure Android experience or an iOS product with a more robust and a better monitored App Store. But still, Google is working on reshaping and improving their Play Store and the best apps are already available on both operating systems.

In the near future we’ll be able to make a more detailed review for both smartphones when the testing in the real world will be available.