**A Closer Look at the Google Pixel XL**

When it comes to smartphones, there's no denying that Google has made some impressive strides with their latest offerings. One of the most notable devices is the Google Pixel XL, and as we take a closer look at this phone, we'll see why it's been generating so much buzz.

**Design and Hardware**

The first thing you notice about the Pixel XL is its design. While it may not be the most radical departure from previous Google smartphones, there's something to be said for the simplicity of the device. The phone has a clean, minimalist aesthetic that's both understated and elegant. However, unless you're really into VR, you might find that the difference between this phone and another high-end smartphone isn't all that noticeable.

The hardware, on the other hand, is where things get more interesting. The Pixel XL boasts a snappy processor, plenty of RAM, and a gorgeous display that's sure to turn heads. My biggest issue with the Pixel, however, has been its lack of waterproofing – something that sets it apart from its iPhone and Samsung counterparts. However, a friend of mine, Jon, actually did a full water test on the phone and was pleased to find that it didn't do too badly.

**Protecting Your Investment**

One area where I do have concerns is with the glass all over the place. It's certainly a beautiful design element, but it also means that the phone might be a little fragile. To mitigate this risk, my friend Jon reached out and wanted to sponsor a video featuring RhinoShield, a company that specializes in making bumpers and cases for high-end smartphones. I was more than happy to oblige.

The simple bumper that RhinoShield created is surprisingly effective. Not only does it have a lip cover both the front and rear of the phone, but it also features custom materials and a honeycomb design that's supposed to provide added protection. So when it came time for drop test, I was eager to see just how well the Pixel XL would hold up.

**The Drop Test**

So, with my trusty RhinoShield in hand, I set out to put the Pixel XL through its paces. I dropped the phone from a height of about 10 feet onto solid concrete – not an easy feat, especially given the phone's glass design. But as you can see from the video, it survived with flying colors. The screen still worked, and the phone itself looked like new.

**Camera Capabilities**

Now that we've established the Pixel XL is a durable device, let's take a look at its camera capabilities. I was lucky enough to have my friend Lamarr bring his car, so we used it as our makeshift photo studio for a few shots. The results were impressive – with the phone constantly taking pictures in RAW format and then merging them into HDR images.

But what really sets this camera apart is the stabilization system. With 4K video capabilities, you can expect some serious shake reduction that's sure to make your videos look smooth and professional. However, one thing I do find interesting about the Pixel XL is that its cameras are identical to those found on the standard Google phone – so there isn't a massive difference between the regular model and its bigger counterpart.

**The Verdict**

So is the Google Pixel XL worth it? In my opinion, it's definitely a top contender in the smartphone market. Sure, it might not have all the bells and whistles of some of its competitors, but what it does offer – a snappy processor, gorgeous display, and excellent camera capabilities – makes up for just about anything.

And let's be real: if you want to take your smartphone game to the next level, the Pixel XL is an obvious choice. Whether you're a tech enthusiast or just someone who wants a reliable device that can keep up with their busy lifestyle, this phone has got it all.

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- Hey guys, this is Austin.Is the new Google Pixel worth it?Wow!On top of the standardwhite and black colors,there's also very blueand you know what, they're not kidding.That is very, very blue.So my first impression is thatthis kind of looks like an iPod Touch.So you've got the white front.You've got the fairly large sortof iPhone, iPod like bezel from the frontand then around back you getthat stupidly bright blue color.You know, I kind of dig it.So we get a SIM tool and some paperwork.You know what, I was about tothrow all this paperwork away,but you actually get three free monthsof Google Play Music with YouTube Red,so if you guys haven'ttried YouTube Red yet,give it a try, three months.Now that's actually a nice little touchthat they've got the power brickmatching the very blue phone.That's cool.I appreciate that.Next, we have the Google Pixel XL.So you can think of thisas the bigger brotherto the normal Pixel.So it's pretty much the same way thatthere's the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus.It's essentially the same phone,but you're gonna get acouple small upgrades,like a bigger screenand you're also getting a bigger battery.However, if you pull it out of the box,you see that it looks basically the same.Not exactly a bad thing, though.This is a very interesting design.At first glance it looks super,I don't want to say generic,but very forgettable, I guess.However, when you look around back,you get this giant window.So it's kind of color coded soyou can see this one's white.This one's sort of a lighter blue.But what they're doing hereis something kind of interesting.There's actually a taper.So at the bottom of the phone,it's much thinner than it is at the topand I think they do thatto keep you from having camera hump.I will say the white front isn'tsuper flattering to the Pixel.So this is a phone with large bezels.Now it's not crazy.It's about the same size as what youwould get on the iPhone,however there at least you'regetting an actual home button.Here, this is literally just wasted space.I feel they could haveput a speaker or somethingor just gotten rid of it altogether.I kind of like the idea of havingthe fingerprint sensoron the back of the phone.I feel like while it makessense to be on the home button,it's kind of a little more convenient.I mean, if it's sitting on the table,it's a little bit difficultto kind of unlock the phone,but most of the time,it's sitting in your hand.Your finger's alreadythere, so I'm a big fan.There's some nice toucheswith the hardware here.The power button actuallyhas a satisfying clickand it's textured, so evenif it's in your pocket,you can pull it out and quicklyknow which button you're pressing.And the whole phone feels very sturdy.It might not be the most unique pieceof hardware I've ever seen,but this definitely feelslike a premium device.The issue is there are $400phones that feel just as premiumand this is a whole lot more.So the Pixels are expensiveand that's an interestingstrategy because I feellike one of the mostpopular Nexus's of all-time,the Nexus 5, really was so hugebecause it was a greatphone at a budget price.These are not budget at all.So you're talking aboutover $600 for the Pixeland over $700 for the Pixel XLand that's with 32GB of storage.You can bump these thingsup to 128 for another $100.They had better be good for that price.So after playing with thePixel phones for a while,the first thing that jumpsout to me is the performance.These things are fast.So inside you're getting the standardhigh-end Android stuff.You've got a Snapdragon 821, 4GB of RAM.It's a speedy phone on paperand if you look at the benchmarks,it might not quite matchup to the iPhone 7,however, it's definitely up there.The thing that jumps out to me though,is that it actually feels fast.So if you look at somethinglike the Galaxy S7,which on paper is very similar,there's a little bit of lag.It's not quite as responsiveas something like the Pixel,which really seems likeGoogle spent the timeto optimize it and make itreally as fast as possible.Something else that's beenimpressive is the battery life.So I spent most of my timewith the regular Pixeland even though it has asmaller battery than the XL,it's actually held up really well.I've been able to make itthrough a full day, no problem.The software experienceis nice and clean, though.So if you get the Verizon model,you will find a couple extra apps,however, they're alltotally uninstallable.Bottom line, if you get a Pixel,you should expect a very,very clean build of Android.These guys are also rocking great screens.So the regular Pixel hasa five inch AMOLED displaywith a 1080p resolution.With the XL bumps that upto 5.5 inches and 1440p.They're both great displays.The biggest difference reallyis that resolution for VR.So if you get into Google Daydream,which is the big, newGoogle VR intitiative,you're gonna see thatwhile 1080p looks fineas a normal phone, the 1440p'sgoing to look a lot betterwhen you strap a VR headset on.However, unless you're really into VR,you're really not gonnatell a major difference.Both phones are nice and sharp.I generally do like thehardware of the Pixel,however, my biggest issue isthe lack of waterproofing,which is something you'llfind on the iPhone and S7.However, my buddy Jonactually did a full water testand it actually didn't do too badly.However, between thelack of water resistanceand all the glass all over the place,it might be a little fragileand that's where my friendsat RhinoShield come in.So when they reached out andwanted to sponsor a video,I was totally down.I usually don't like to do drop tests,however this thing is a little special.It might not look like much,however, this simple bumperis going to give ussome serious protection.So not only does it have a lipto cover both the front and rear,but it also has a custom materialand a honeycomb built insidewhich means that in theory,this should survive an 11 foot drop test.So to put the Pixel to the test,it's time for drop test.So this is about 10 feet or soI'd say, onto solid concrete.So in three,two,one.(thud)Ohhhh!(thud)Alright.Oh, it's still even recording.I mean, it's a littledirty from the floor,but honestly, I think it's fine.Screen still works.Yeah.Totally good.So this thing is no joke.Now on top of it beingavailable for the Pixel XL,you can also get the RhinoShieldfor something like aniPhone, Galaxy S7, OnePlus 3.It's pretty legit.Alright, so I'm curious aboutthe cameras on the Pixel,so I have my good buddy Lamarr hereand he was lucky enough to bring his car,so we're gonna use that asthe first camera sample.- Because I can clearly fit in it.- That's a thing right there.Glad you're rolling in style today.So from what I've heard,what they're doing isit's constantly takingpictures, like non-stop RAW,and when you hit the shutter button,it just takes that frame andthen goes and grabs a couple,merges it in HDR,so you pretty muchalways are taking shots.- So it's processing in the background asyou're taking the shots?- Exactly.- So when you hit the shutter button,all it's saying is hey look,this is the point whereI actually want to save.So that's why it's likeimmediately taking stuff.So something interesting about the Pixels,is that they shoot 4K with supposedlysome really good stabilization.Okay, we are now recording on the Pixel.Ken looking like a mild cyborg.- Hi!- That's a little too crispy.- Yeah, that's too crispy.- Actually, this looks really nice.- You're gonna see all theparts I missed for shaving.This is not good.- It's okay.Well we'll come up here.Dude, this actually looks really nice.There's like some actual depth of field.Like those trees behindyou look really nice.So one thing with the Pixelphones is that unlike the iPhonewhere you actually get apretty major differencebetween the Plus and normal 7,these cameras are completely identical.The camera app is a lot better here.I never really liked thenormal Google camera apps.Hi Mom.- Your mom watches this.- She watches you.- Does she really?- Yeah, she does.- I am--- It's hard not to watch you.- Famous.- Subscribe to youtube.com/wilsontech1.- That's not the,I swear to God.- The most important thing though,how does it selfie?- Oh that looks good.- No, this is actually really nice.And you can see the HDR,it's like pulling someof the highlight detail from the trees.So is the Google Pixel worth it?Sort of.Sure, it would be nice ifit had a little bit moreof a distinctive design with less bezeland waterproofing would be nice,however, honestly there's reallynot a lot to complain about.I think it's easy to say thatthis is the best Android phone out thereand honestly, it can reallyhang right with the iPhone.So if you're looking for a super awesome,dope, legit, ridiculously solid,incredibly impressive, magical,phenomenal, terrific phone(laughing)(people shouting in background)So what do you guys thinkabout the Google Pixel?Definitely be sure to let meknow in the comments belowand if you want to seemore videos like this,definitely be sure tosubscribe to the channel.Anyway guys, thank youso much for watchingand I will catch you in the next one.