The Google Pixel XL is as good as the iPhone 7 Plus and makes jumping to Android painless.Though the 5-inch Pixel and 5.5-inch Pixel XL are the first Google-branded phones, the company has a fairly long history of designing and making phones. The Moto X, via Google’s (albeit brief) ownership of Motorola Mobility, was in effect a Google phone. Google of course also honed its phone making and designing skills with the Nexus series of phones dating back to 2010.
So, Google was already an experienced phone supplier when it introduced the first branded Google phones last October, the 5-inch Pixel and 5.5-inch Pixel XL. And it shows. The Pixel XL that I have been using for more than a month has excellent build quality and is teeming with top-notch tech, including a great camera and the most advanced intelligent personal assistant that I’ve used.
Here are some of the highlights of the Pixel XL that made an impression on me.
The switch: It has been an effortless switch to the Pixel XL and Android “Nougat” 7.1 from my iPhone 7 Plus. I’m not saying that it will be a permanent switch (I’m still attached to the 7 Plus and my Apple Watch Series 2) but it’s an easy transition when you’re using a great phone. And once you’re inside an app it’s easy to forget which phone you’re using.