For years, Google has employed other mobile brands – LG, Motorola and HTC to name but three – to help design and manufacture its Nexus smartphones and tablets.

Debuts latest Android Nougat OS; Clean; slick and efficiently stripped-back interface; Google Assistant is impressive; Sharp; punchy and detailed screen; Comprehensive; high-quality camera

Sound quality is uncompetitive; Not fully waterproof

Had a HTC 10 but drowned it. The Pixel XL so far is great. The finger print scanner on the back works extremely well. The camera and video quality the best yet, with the quick launch of either by long pressing the camera app is a great feature.

At the Made by Google event which took place in October, Google announced two new phones . Unlike their regular Nexus phones, these were two phones made completely by Google - the Pixel and Pixel XL.

For years now, I've said the best Android phone would be an iPhone running the operating system. The Pixel XL finally delivers on that. Sure, it's a very similar design (people always ask me if it's the 7 Plus), but it's also a design that works.

[Update 1: Now that Google's Daydream View VR headset has launched - and it only works with the Pixel at present... and it's revolutionary and brilliant - the value proposition of this phone has been elevated.

Google Assistant's A.I; is innovative, Superb camera, Fast, Unlimited cloud storage, Fast charging, Daydream VR compatibility

Battery life is modest; Expensive; Not pretty; Single speaker is retrograde step; Not waterproof; 15% price hike for Aussies

The downside, for me, is I often want to check the time or unlock the phone while it's lying on the table.

Eye-catching design; Fast camera – and no camera bump; Clever Google Assistant

Not waterproof; Average battery life; Not the bargain Nexus was

The Pixel XL beats out all comers in the 5.5″ or larger smartphone category, but at a high price tag. Buy it if you want the best Android smartphone in creation. For those looking for a budget model, try the OnePlus 3 $170 Nextbit Robin.

The Pixel XL is a bit of a puzzle. A ￡719 puzzle that I'm not sure I've managed to solve after a week of using one. Right now, though, the OnePlus 3 is still the best value Android phone - it's half the price of the XL, but matches it for build quality and a near-stock version of Android.

Fast camera that takes quality snaps; As slick and streamlined as Android gets

Only average battery life; Marmite school of design; No standout features

The Google Pixel XL is an acceptable piece of hardware buoyed by superb software and excellent performance. It's hard to call it the best overall Android smartphone when it lacks waterproofing, removable storage, and OIS, even though it definitely runs like the best Android smartphone, with a clean...

Great software; Excellent performance; Camera produces stunning pics in many shooting situations; Ships with useful adapters

Not waterproof; No expandable storage; Camera's low-light performance disappointing

Useless review. You've never seen it, never touched one, wanted blue so went to iPhone, where there's no blue, and lastly come out with the statement "your loss google" i really don't think they will worry about that.