Previously, due to a contract renewal, I casually replaced my HTC J with the then-popular flagship HTC M8. Initially, it was a delight to use, with noticeable upgrades in speed, camera, and storage configuration. However, it gradually slowed down, and various issues began to emerge. Especially after traveling abroad, being in extremely cold environments shortened the battery life, and system updates eventually occupied more than half of the storage space, directly affecting the phone’s performance. In the end, I had no choice but to reluctantly replace it.
But it was a phone that lasted me three years, and now it has finally retired with honor. Thank you, M8.
Reference: [Unboxing] Noticeable Upgrade HTC ONE M8
2017 was the first time I followed the entire Apple keynote presentation, and I also followed Google’s event. The impressions these two companies left on me were quite different. After watching both presentations, my impressions were as follows:
Apple:Our products this year are prestigious and extraordinary.Google:Hey, let me tell you, we really made some awesome stuff this year! Seriously!
Having used an iPod touch for a long time before, I felt the operation was pretty much the same without much novelty, so I wasn’t very interested in the iPhone. After watching the 2017 presentation, I felt there wasn’t much breakthrough. The Google event was very appealing, and being a Google fan myself, plus the fact that I was abroad and wanted to buy a phone not available in Taiwan, and the phone came with a free Google Home Mini, and I like awesome stuff (so many reasons), I finally decided to buy the Google Pixel 2.
See Photos
It’s very clear that the packaging aims to highlight Google Assistant. On the left is a USB type A to C adapter, which I rarely use; the only time I used it was during data transfer.
The front of the phone is quite plain, with no logo. Like the HTC M8, it has front-facing speakers, which I think is a great design. This was one of the reasons I chose the M8, as I use my phone to listen to audio, and front-facing speakers are more efficient for sound transmission.
The back of the phone has a flash, camera, fingerprint sensor, and a subtle logo. The two-tone design is quite unique, not flashy but highly recognizable.
There are only three buttons on the side: power, volume up, and volume down. I find the button tactile feedback solid, without a loose, toy-like feel that might break soon. Quickly pressing the power button twice in any situation opens the camera. Initially, I was worried about frequent pressing, but the button has shown no signs of wear so far.
The body is quite flat, as the M8 had a curved back, which made it wobble when placed down, giving a less stable feeling.
Data transfer is very simple. Just connect the adapter to the cable, link it to the old phone, and follow the prompts to complete the transfer. It transfers all data and settings.
Data transfer takes some time, so if you’re idle, you can stare at these little people (?
About Storage
This isn’t really a feature, as any phone with large storage capacity can be enjoyable. However, due to budget considerations, I always bought the smallest capacity model, which quickly filled up, resulting in slow performance without the benefit of detailed operation. This time, I finally decided to spend almost NT$4,000 more to get the 128GB version. Although other brands offer 256GB for even more enjoyment, 128GB is quite sufficient for me now, even though my computer only has 128GB (which is not enough).
But a major advantage to highlight is that buying this phone gives you unlimited lifetime Google Photo storage, so you never have to worry about running out of space for photos. Google even mocked Apple’s storage warning pop-up at their event. Now, I wait for my phone to remind me that my photos are backed up before I delete them, freeing up a few more GBs.
Also, Google has its own storage cleaning app: Files Go, which I find quite useful. This way, I can abandon some weird apps developed by other countries, you know.
Google Assistant
Initially, it was quite handy. I would ask about the weather and traffic every morning or lie down and ask it to play music. I even linked it with IFTTT, so if there was traffic in the morning, I could say, OK Google, I will be late, and it would send a message saying I’d be late (though I never used it because it felt insincere XD). Sometimes, when I was too lazy to open the calculator, I could ask it to calculate, but thinking in English was too much trouble, so I ended up using the calculator anyway.
Why do I say it was initially handy? Well, it’s not that it became less useful, but since I got a Google Home Mini with the Pixel 2, I turned off the voice control on my phone and used the Home Mini as the main Google Assistant device. Otherwise, every time I said OK Google, two devices would respond, which was confusing.
Now, my routine is to ask about the weather in the morning (to decide what to wear and whether to bring an umbrella), check traffic (to see if there are subway delays), and when I get home, I use Alfred Camera to turn off motion detection and say OK Google, open Spotify to listen to music.
Camera
I’ve heard it’s powerful, using a single lens with AI technology to outperform other smartphone cameras on the market, with a DxOMark score of 98, claiming to have the best camera at the time. However, I’m not much of a photographer, so I’m not well-versed in sensitivity, contrast, and color tones, or I fall asleep when I study them. So even though the Pixel 2 boasts an amazing camera, I can’t write much about it.
However, there are some noticeable improvements (compared to the M8), such as:
Night photography: In dim environments, it can still capture clear images most of the time.
Image stabilization: This is really strong and noticeable. I tested it on a very bumpy bus, and the recorded video was surprisingly stable.
Camera launch speed: This is also noticeable. After using the M8 for a while, the camera became extremely slow. If you saw a little boy happily hugging his mother, by the time the camera opened, you’d capture a middle-aged man happily hugging an elderly woman (not that exaggerated). The Pixel 2’s quick launch is by pressing the power button twice, and in my nine months of use, unless an app is updating, the camera opens instantly.
I’m still not used to the camera’s launch speed because it was so slow before that I would give up on capturing fleeting moments. But now, even though it opens instantly, I still instinctively give up…
Fingerprint Sensor
The fingerprint sensor isn’t anything groundbreaking; everyone has fingerprint sensors. But what I like is that the fingerprint sensor area can also pull down the status bar when you swipe down, which is very convenient for me!
Android users probably rely heavily on pulling down the status bar for various functions (WiFi, vibration, hotspot, flashlight, etc.) or to preview messages (wanting to peek without marking them as read). I’ve always preferred small-screen phones, largely because it’s easier to access the status bar. Large screens make it difficult to pull it down with one hand.
So now, if I want to use the status bar functions, the process is:
Reach into my pocket → Place my finger on the fingerprint sensor → Slide my finger down while taking out the phone
This way, when the phone reaches my eyes, the status bar is already open, which is incredibly time-saving and convenient for a lazy person like me. This trick also works when playing games; if I want to check the time or messages halfway through, I don’t have to awkwardly swipe down from the top and accidentally touch in-game buttons.
Google Customer Service
I really applaud this, but the story is a bit long XD. If you’re only interested in the unboxing, you can skip this part.
Here’s what happened: I had been eyeing the Pixel 2 for a long time, so as soon as pre-orders opened, I immediately placed an order and was eagerly waiting to write an unboxing article. After waiting a long time, on the scheduled delivery day, Google sent me an email saying the purchase failed and to contact customer service. I was instantly filled with confusion, wondering why there was a problem at delivery when everything was fine during pre-order payment. So, I suppressed my anger and contacted Google’s online customer service to find out what was going on.
The process of talking to Google customer service left me with mixed feelings. They were very polite and genuinely seemed to be trying to help identify the problem, unlike some online customer services that just throw you legal texts to read yourself, making my anger feel foolish in comparison.
The first customer service representative told me that since my Google payment account was set in Taiwan and the phone wasn’t sold there, it might have caused the payment failure. They guided me to create a local payment account to reorder. I expressed my desire to be among the first to receive the phone to write an unboxing article. The representative said they completely understood but that it was the only solution, and I might have to wait for the second batch. Although I was upset, it was the truth, so I reordered.
Soon after, I received another payment failure email, so I contacted customer service again. The second representative read the previous conversation and said they weren’t sure what the issue was but suspected it might be because the Taiwanese payment account wasn’t deleted. I followed the instructions to delete the Taiwanese account and reordered. Shortly after, I received another payment failure email, so I contacted Google customer service for the third time.
This time, the representative took some time to read the previous conversations and said they needed to investigate further, apologizing for the wait. It took longer than any previous customer service interactions, but finally, they returned with a different tone. Unlike the previous representatives who sounded speculative, this one finally provided a definitive answer. The conversation went something like this:
Customer Service: Okay, we finally know what the problem is. It’s an issue with the bank.
Me: What happened?
Customer Service:I just called your bank to investigate, and I can confirm the problem is on the bank’s side, not ours.
Me: What’s the issue?
Customer Service: Due to legal reasons, I can’t disclose details, but you need to call the bank yourself. Don’t worry, I’ve already informed your bank, and they will explain when you call.
Initially, I thought they were shirking responsibility, but hearing that they actually called the bank for me made me feel they were incredibly responsible! So, I called the bank.
Me: Hello, I’d like to inquire about the payment failure with Google.
Bank: Yes, because you switched telecom providers last week and purchased a high-value item today, we found it suspicious and locked your account.
Me:…(grumbles) Okay, how do I unlock it?
After the bank asked me a series of identity verification questions, my account was unlocked, and I successfully pre-ordered the Pixel 2, practicing online English conversation for an entire evening.
Before deciding to pre-order, I also contacted their customer service to ask about some features of the phone. One of the responses from the representative was quite amusing:
Me: The Pixel 2’s Active Edge feature, which squeezes to activate Google Assistant, can I customize it for other functions?
Customer Service: After our training, the first thing I asked was the same question (XD), but the answer is no.
Customer Service: However, after purchasing the phone, you can use the feedback feature to suggest ideas to the developers.
Although buying the phone was a series of twists and turns, and I missed the first wave of pre-orders, the patience and responsibility of Google’s customer service were truly commendable.
Conclusion
That’s about all I can think of for now. In summary, I believe the Pixel 2 is an excellent phone based on my current usage. After about nine months of ownership, it hasn’t presented any frustrating issues, and I look forward to its future development.