Apple iPhone X Vs Google Pixel 2
Apple and Google have been rivals in the world of tech for a long time now. For many years, Google was known for its software business but, it recently took control over its phones’ hardware as well with the rise of the Pixel lineup. In September, Apple launched the marquee iPhone X and Google launched the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL a month later. While the iPhone X takes a huge detour in terms of design from its predecessor, you can still see shades of the original Pixel devices in the new Pixel 2 smartphones. Both, the iPhone X and Google Pixel 2 went up for pre-orders in India on the 27th of October. Let’s stack up the Google Pixel 2 against the iPhone X and see who comes out on top.
Price
If you care about your budget and are okay with either Android or iOS, then the Pixel 2 should be your choice. The Pixel 2 starts at a price of Rs 63000 for the 64GB variant while the iPhone X costs Rs 89000 for the 64GB variant. Even the Pixel 2 XL will be cheaper than the iPhone X and fit better in your budget.
Design
There isn’t a competition here in the design department. Even if it were the Pixel 2 XL against the iPhone X, the latter would win on any day under the Sun. The iPhone X has minimal bezels around a 5.8-inch OLED display while Pixel 2 , even though has the front-firing stereo speakers, still possesses those big 2015 bezels. The iPhone X has a glass back which enables the much-awaited wireless charging feature, while it eludes the Google Pixel 2 owing to an aluminium body. The “glass window” from the 2016 Pixel smartphone retains its place albeit a smaller size which, some people like and other people find hideous. The glass back on the iPhone X however means that it is a fingerprint magnet but, a skin or a cover can negate that. The design department goes hands down, to the Apple iPhone X.
Multimedia
With smartphones getting more expensive and people becoming more mobile, the media consumption has largely shifted from laptops and desktops to smartphones. When you buy thousand dollar, or a nearly thousand dollar smartphone, you better get excellent media consumption experience. Here’s where, again, the iPhone X trumps the Google Pixel 2. Despite the front-firing speakers on the Pixel 2, the speaker on the iPhone X is much louder and has a better sound stage than the Pixel 2. Pixel 2 is loud, no doubt, but when stacked up against the iPhone X, it falls short in quality and volume as well. The display on the iPhone X is an OLED panel with a 2436 x 1125 resolution in comparison to the 5 inch AMOLED 1920 x 1080 px on the Pixel 2. While watching videos, the notch on the iPhone X can be negated by pinching out of the video or, you can choose to embrace the notch. The viewing angles are much better on the iPhone X which translates to amazing video watching experience. Both the phones are missing the headphone jack so, if you are not willing to live the dongle-life, bluetooth headphones are the way to go. With a better display and speakers, the iPhone X beats the Google Pixel 2 in the multimedia department.
Software
Comparing iOS and Android is like comparing apples to oranges, you can do it, but, it doesn’t solve any purpose. The Google Pixel 2 runs pure Android 8.0 Oreo with some nifty features like ‘Now Playing’ and squeeze to launch the Google Assistant. On the iPhone X, you still have to long press the lock/unlock button to launch Siri. The iPhone X runs iOS 11 out of the box, and even though the latest version of iOS has run into some issues, it is a smooth experience over-all on the iPhone. With the riddance of the home button on the iPhone X, the navigation within the phone is replaced by gestures. Both the Google Pixel 2 and iPhone X will receive software updates for years to come, and in the end it is up to you to choose between Android and iOS.
Gaming Performance
If you are that person who swears by the benchmark scores, then the iPhone X scores a whopping 229507 on Antutu while the Pixel 2 scores 150957. Gaming on both the phones was a breeze and the Snapdragon 835 on the Pixel 2 and A11 Bionic chip on the iPhone X does not disappoint. Once you get used to the gestures on the iPhone X, you realise that multi-tasking and general usage is extremely smooth and same is the case with the Pixel 2. Android phones have been criticised for slowing down with time and it will be interesting to see how the two phones will perform in the coming months after extensive usage.
Camera
Both the iPhone X and Pixel 2 have great cameras. The 12.2MP camera on the Pixel 2 and the 12MP dual camera setup on the iPhone X perform great in low-light conditions and in brightly lit environments, there is barely anything to guess them apart. The difference comes in the video department, the iPhone X takes video recording a notch higher (no pun intended) with 4K videos at 60fps while the Pixel 2 still records 4K videos at 30fps.
