Google Pixel 2 Review: The phone that made me consider ditching iPhone

The screen, camera, and Google Assistant make a strong case for jumping ship.

a woman looks at a Google Pixel 2 phone at a Google event at the SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco. What’s most fascinating about Google’s new Pixel 2 phone is what’s to come — AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File

By Stan Horaczek

I started using the iPhone as my personal device in the 4S era of 2011. I liked the hardware and the fact that it let me avoid all the tricky Android version and compatibility issues. Since then, I have waited for an Android phone that could sway me to the other side, away from the iOS life I chose for myself many years ago.

I have used some great Android phones along the way, from the original HTC One to the versatile Moto Mods system, but nothing has convinced me. The Pixel 2, however, is as close as any phone has come to making me join the green text bubble crowd. The Pixel 2 and the Pixel 2 XL aren’t the biggest or most powerful phones — and they lack a few features that would certainly be nice — but what’s there congeals together into a very pleasing smartphone package. Here’s a rundown of everything I liked and didn’t like about Google’s new phones, mostly so I can consult my own notes when it’s time to upgrade in a few months.