Without a doubt, the Pixel XL and its little brother, the Pixel, are both very good smartphones in our opinion. Although the change of name from Nexus to Pixel implies dramatic changes to the smartphone, the reality is that Pixel phones hardly differ from the previous Nexus smartphones.

Brilliant display; Rapid performance; Top camera; No bloatware

Very high Price; No headphones included; Only IP53 certified

A pixel is defined as the smallest addressable element in an all points addressable display device. Essentially speaking, it is the smallest component of a much bigger picture. There's a case to be made that Google really couldn't have named their new phones better.

Fantastic camera; Extremely fast & fluid hardware; Great battery life; Fast Android updates

Price; Dull design

For years Google's former search head Amit Singhal talked about ushering in an era of computing where Google would act like the computer on the iconic science fiction TV series Star Trek.

There's no doubt that if you want the Pixel or the Pixel XL, you'll definitely be paying a premium for having access to Google's latest experience. The question you're probably asking right now is – should you buy either?

Google Assistant is fantastic Excellent camera with HDR+ and ES Lighting fast experience Above average battery life Above average speaker performance Great display Pixel Launcher is one of the best interfaces

Generic; understated design Easily chipped and dented Lack of OIS can affect videos High price tag

The Google Pixel XL is a very good phone. It's camera is great, it's snappy, has the latest version of Android and will get updates first, it's powerful and lasts over a day between charges. Despite its size it's also relatively easy to use one-handed and it's well made.

Android 7.1 Nougat; rapid updates; great camera; great screen; more than a day's battery life; Google Assistant; great fingerprint scanner

not waterproof; no expandable memory; no front-facing speakers; no wireless charging; expensive; not as easy to handle as some rivals

Display - XL The first major difference that we find on the Google Pixel XL is a larger 5.5" AMOLED displayed. This gives the user an extra half inch of screen to enjoy and its inclusion only adds 11mm to its height and 6mm to its width.

At $769 (or $869 if you go with the 128GB model, which you should), the Google Pixel XL is priced to compete with the highest-end phones on the market. And in most regards, it's a success.

Fast Snapdragon 821 processor; Sharp display; Latest Android 7.1 software and guaranteed updates; Excellent camera; Promising Google Assistant functionality; 24/7 live help

No waterproofing; expandable storage; or wireless charging

The new Google Pixel phone and its supersized cousin, the Google Pixel XL, represent a paradigm shift in the smartphone world. Although this isn't the first time the search giant has sold smartphones under its own name, it's the first time it has marketed them under the Pixel brand.

The Google Pixel XL is a very good smartphone. However, its core feature, the Google Assistant, is not a decisive reason to buy it. Above all, it does not justify the price which the manufacturer charges for its product.

good display, high-end build quality, LTE Cat; 11, fast WiFi, excellent voice quality, great cameras, low SAR values

no Dual-SIM; no microSD support; PWM; SoC throttling

There is no such thing as a perfect smartphone. I know because I've been trying to find one for longer than I care to remember. There's also no such thing as being 100% happy with the phone you have. At least this is true for me.

Very fast; Great camera; Long battery life; 2 years of OS updates; 3 years of security updates

Expensive; Not water resistant/water proof; No stereo speakers