Get to know the good screen of the Google Pixel XL

Google’s phone has passed through our hands. We tested the Pixel XL, the 5.5-inch mobile that is one hundred percent seal of the great «G».

Google’s mobile is here to stay

It is true that the Google Pixel XL has been manufactured by HTC, but the presence of the Taiwanese company on this mobile is anecdotal: there is no trace of its logos on the case. We’re looking at Google’s phone, the first phone that Mountain View dares to throw under the umbrella of its imposing brand.

But launching a device boasting that it’s «Google’s» sets the bar very high. Or, perhaps, what sets the bar so high is the fact that it is released for 899 euros, a figure that is in line with the price of phone output of the size of the iPhone 7 Plus or Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.

The Pixel XL has been my mobile for the last week. In this analysis I will tell you my experience with this 5.5-inch phablet, starting with its debatable design and delving into the performance of your Snapdragon 821, in its latest version of Android 7.1.1 Nougat and, attentive to the latter, on your camera.

Design: at first glance disappoints

I don’t know if it’s a thing of the strange color of the Google Pixel XL that has come to us for analysis (white combined with silver), or if it’s a matter of very special tastes, but the first feeling I had when I took the phone out of the box wasn’t exactly that of a love at first sight.

The Pixel XL we’ve been testing comes with a silver metal case, and the back houses a huge glass stripe containing inside the main camera, the Double-Flash LED and the fingerprint reader. On the front, the entire front of the phone is white.

And since we’re fully into the design, also say that Google has made the wise decision to keep the minijack output on its Pixel. This audio port is located at the top of the phone, while at the bottom is the Usb Type-C port. Also say that the Pixel XL only has a single speaker, and is located to the left of the charging port (what you see on the other side is the microphone).

On the right side are the power and volume buttons, the first with a rough touch that helps differentiate it if you want to press one of the buttons at night.

On the other side, on the left side, we find the tray of the nanoSIM card. As it was customary on Nexus, there is no slot for the microSD card.

The strange initial feeling I talked about in the first few paragraphs gradually disappeared as I progressed through the Pixel XL test. After a few days of use I ended up looking at the mobile with other eyes, and I ended up finding it all the attractive in that part of glass that comes with the back shell.

I am sure that my initial reaction would have been much more positive if I had been able to try the black variant or, put to order, the blue one.

However, that I have become accustomed to it does not mean at all that I would recommend the white version, because the other two (blue or black) still seem much more attractive.

When asked how a device of this size feels in hand, you probably won’t discover anything new by saying that the Google Pixel XL is a terminal that requires an adaptation process if it comes from a mobile of five or less inches.

It is true that with its measurements of 154.7 x 75.7 x 8.5 millimeters it is smaller than the iPhone 7 Plus (158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3), but at the same time it is also larger than the S7 Edge (150.9 x 72.6 x 7.7). Of these three mobiles – all of them 5.5″ – it is clear that Google’s is the one with the greatest thickness. It weighs 168 grams, and Google says it brings dust resistance and water splashes.

But, despite what it may seem from its design, it is by no means a slippery device. After that first barrier of «Will it slip out of my hand when I take it out of my pocket?» the Pixel XL can be used like any other metal-bodied mobile.

Screen: excellent work, Google

The Google Pixel XL has a 5.5-inch display with Quad HD resolution (2,560 x 1,440 pixels), allowing you to achieve the despicable density – especially facing Google Daydream – of 534 pixels per inch. The panel is AMOLED, and is protected against bumps and scratches with a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 4.

The screen surprises from the first minute. Google has used the clever move of incorporating very colorful wallpapers with faded effect as standard, and that helps highlight at the out of the way the excellent work that must be admitted that they have achieved in the colors of the panel.

This feeling is not limited only to these backgrounds, and we can inform you that the screen does not disappoint when it comes to raising the bar for multimedia use.

Let’s talk about the colors first. The screen of the Pixel XL has very accomplished colors, and it is quite a delight to enjoy multimedia contents in this panel. Videos and games both look vivid and colorful, and Quad HD resolution helps make image sharpness no complaints.

The only thing we missed was some extra level of brightness, since outdoors the screen did not look as good as we would have expected. It can be used in full sunlight, but it becomes somewhat uncomfortable without that extra brightness.

Viewing angles, indoor brightness, sharpness of the image… the usual list of features that we always test on a mobile and that, in this case, is not worth even detailing because the Pixel XL meets with note in everything related to the viewing of the screen indoors. It’s that simple.

It’s more worth talking about the things that make this cell phone special. For example, it is very likely that more than one is wondering if it is not exaggerated to incorporate a Quad HD resolution into a terminal that has a 3,450 mAh battery (yes, the S7 Edge also has Quad HD resolution… but its battery is 3,600 mAh!). Wait till you see it in the Battery section, because that’s where we’ll bring the figures out.

What doesn’t suit the Pixel XL so well is how the gripper gesture works when zooming in on a photo. When trying to zoom in on an image, we have often encountered the situation that the mobile simply did not recognize the gesture (especially when using the thumbs of both hands).

It is a strange problem, especially considering that using the index finger along with the thumb of the same hand can be perfectly zoomed into a photo. The problem is the moment you try to use both hands to make the clamp gesture. Funny at least.

Although it is a mobile Android stock, we also have different options to customize the operation of the screen. There is, for example, the Screen Saver, which is an option that allows us to display a watch when the mobile is charging, or that of the Ambient Display, which shows us a warning about a black background (to save battery) if we receive a notification.

But the jewel in the crown is the Night Mode of the Google Pixel XL. It is a way that stains the screen with a yellow hue, and is designed so that we can use the phone at night without suffering fatigue in sight. It can be activated both manually and automatically from a certain time of night.

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