Google Pixel 2

This is a flash hands-on review to give you the chance to see what the Google Pixel 2 is all about as soon as possible. Stay tuned, as we'll be expanding and upgrading this review very shortly with more info.

The Google Pixel 2 is one of two new flagship smartphones bearing the search giant's name, offering an updated design, more power under the hood, improved cameras and dual front-facing speakers.

It's smaller that its larger sibling, the Pixel 2 XL, and it directly replaces the original Google Pixel that arrived in 2016. You get a 5-inch full HD OLED display, Snapdragon 835 processor, 4GB of RAM, 12MP rear camera, Android 8.0 Oreo and a rear facing fingerprint scanner.

Design

Google has continued with the glass/metal combination it used on the original Pixel with the Pixel 2, which at first had us a little disappointed as the combination on the original Pixel didn't exactly wow.

However, on the Pixel 2 the merging of the glass and metal is far more subtle, making for an attractive finish which looks and feels great in the hand.

Google's moved the fingerprint scanner down on the Pixel 2, taking it out of the glass block and onto the main metal body.

It's a good move too, as it reduces the number of fingerprint smudges you get on the rear glass, something which was very noticeable on the black original Pixel.

While you may not completely sold on the look of the back of the phone, we can confirm it looks great in real life and would encourage you to check it out in a phone store.

In the hand it looks premium, and the smaller screen size versus the larger Pixel 2 XL means the new Google Pixel 2 can be easily held, and used with one hand.

Google has opted to stick with large bezels above and below the display on the front, which doesn't give the phone the futuristic, eye-catching look of the Samsung Galaxy S8, LG V30 or iPhone X – which is a bit of shame.

On the plus side though, the extra space provides room for dual front-facing speakers, which should improve audio playback, especially for gaming and video.

Give the sides a squeeze, and like on the HTC U11, the Pixel 2 will trigger Google Assistant, giving you access to the voice-enabled AI.

The power/lock and volume keys on the right fall nicely under thumb and finger, while you charge the handset via a USB-C port on the base of the phone.

There is however, no headphone jack. That means if you want to continue using your trusty pair of wired headphones you'll have to use an adapter to go through the USB-C port.

Google Pixel 2 hands on gallery

Display

The 5-inch full HD display with OLED technology may not win any prizes for resolution, but like the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus it still manages to look really, really good.

Colors are vibrant, with text and images crisp and clear. As we've also mentioned, its smaller size versus most of its flagship competition means you can easily use the Pixel 2 one-handed.

One of the big new features on the Pixel 2 is its always-on display, allowing you to see the time, date, email and text notifications and reminders when the phone's screen is technically turned off.

It can also detect the song that's playing and display that on the always-on display too, although we've been unable to test that out in the demo area.

Early verdict

We've only had a brief play with the Google Pixel 2 (we're about to go back and spend more time with it!), but early impressions are very positive.

The design is much improved over the original, the display is bright and colorful and Android 8.0 Oreo is slick and speedy under finger. Meanwhile the camera appears to deal well with the questionable lighting in the demo area, with a fast shutter speed.

Keep it locked here for even more analysis very soon.

This is a flash hands-on review to give you the chance to see what the Google Pixel 2 is all about as soon as possible. Stay tuned, as we'll be expanding and upgrading this review very shortly with more info.