Google Pixel XL: Constant updates make this better and better

Many have questioned Google's reasoning for taking the direction it has with the Pixel XL. Last year’s Nexus 6P was a great phone at a great price. The Pixel line isn't about value, however; the focus here is on sheer quality. The Nexus phones, as a result of their price point, were subject to trade-offs here and there – but this isn't so with the Pixel handsets.

So, this isn’t a cheap phone then – and in fact, it matches up closely to what you'd pay for an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus. That’s fine, though, because the Pixel XL is better than an iPhone 7. And for many it’s better than the Samsung Galaxy S7 too.

Google has finally managed to build its "iPhone" – and that should make other Android phone makers very worried indeed.

Yes, it’s true: the Google Pixel XL looks like an iPhone. Well, sort of. It’s a black (or white or blue) slab of metal, with curved edges and a rear that tapers ever so slightly to help it sit better in your hand; it has also enabled Google to do away with the camera bump, which proves a cause of concern for so many.

The sides chamfer slightly, and while the handset is probably a little thicker than you’d expect – especially if you’ve held a Moto Z – it’s comfortable to hold. Overall, it isn't actually that much smaller than an iPhone 7 Plus, but it nestles perfectly in my hand and feels so much more manageable than Apple’s hulking beast. A ridged lock switch sits on the side, above a clicky volume rocker.

Although there are flashes of inspired design, overall the focus clearly more about functionality than flashiness. While the front is sparse, the back is a tad more interesting. A glass panel covers the camera and stretches down over the circular fingerprint scanner. This gives the rear of the phone a two-tone look that I actually really like. It’s a fingerprint magnet, however: like the Jet Black iPhone 7, it's seemingly prone to picking up smudges and abrasions from just looking at it.

I still love having the fingerprint sensor on the back in all situations apart from when the phone is flat on a desk. It’s the natural position where my finger rests when I pick up the phone – and, of course, the lack of the physical home button means it’s really the only place for it to go.

Branding is kept to a minimum, which is rare for an Android phone. There’s only a "G" logo stencilled onto the back; HTC may have helped Google to build the phone, but there’s no mention of it anywhere.

The Pixel XL does lack some of the stalwart features we’ve come to expect from a flagship priced phone. There’s no IP68 water-resistance rating of the iPhone 7 and Samsung Galaxy S7, the powerful speakers of the HTC 10, or a microSD slot for expanding the 32GB of basic storage.

Being the bigger of the two Google phones, the Pixel XL features a larger 5.5-inch display with a 2,650 x 1,440 quad-HD resolution. For those after something smaller, the Pixel boasts a 1080p panel at 5 inches.

But as we already know, resolution doesn’t always guarantee a quality screen. Take the iPhone 7 Plus, for example. It has only a 1080p screen but support for a wide colour gamut and a top-drawer LCD panel make for a fantastic-looking display.

Thankfully, I've been pretty impressed by the display here; it matches the Samsung Galaxy S7 as the best on an Android phone.

Like the Galaxy S7, Google has used an AMOLED panel, so right off the bat you’re looking at much richer colors and deeper blacks. The black levels on this phone are great; inky and rich, with no grey discoloration.

The Pixel XL is a seriously fast phone, and this makes it a pleasure to use.

It isn't going to trounce rivals in any of the benchmark tests, however. Even though it’s using the new Snapdragon 821 CPU, it couldn't quite match the Samsung Galaxy S7 in Geekbench 4’s tests. The Pixel XL scored 1,554 in the single-core test and 4,025 in the multi-core test; the S7 scored 1,848 and 5,841 respectively. But these scores don’t relate at all to the how the phone performs in real life.

Whether it’s opening apps, browsing the web, playing games or just jumping between homescreens, the Pixel is the smoothest Android experience around.

Asphalt 8 ran without dropped frames, and loading times matched the iPhone 7 and beat the Samsung Galaxy S7. I was even able to load up RAW photos in Lightroom without any trouble. I've been trying to push the phone to the limit, but there doesn't seem to be anything that causes it any problems.

There are huge improvements to the touch-responsiveness of the display too, and it now feels like it’s on the level of the iPhone. Press down and your movement is translated into an action instantaneously; do the same thing on a Galaxy S7 or OnePlus 3, and there’s an ever-so-slight pause. You probably wouldn’t notice the individual occurrences, but you’ll certainly notice them after a few days.

The Pixel XL includes 32GB of storage as standard, of which about 24GB is available to use. Google is also offering a 128GB option, which I'd say is the better option considering there's no expandable storage available. Call quality is great, with the mics cutting out pesky background noise impressively.

Like the Nexus phones before it, the Pixel is all about showcasing what’s best about Google’s software. The big new addition here is Google Assistant: A Siri and Cortana rival that combines Google Now, Now on Tap and a natural language-toting bot.

Long press on the slightly refreshed middle soft key and the Google Assistant pops up. Like Now on Tap, it will scan your screen for relevant contextual information, bringing up times and cinema information if you’re talking about seeing a film, for instance. But now you can talk directly to it: ask it the weather, to set an alarm, show you directions to work and so on, and it will spew out an answer much faster than Apple’s Siri.

Most of Google’s own apps now have circular icons, which look a bit odd next to the ones that aren’t the same shape but at least they’re all the same size. A few of these icons now come with 3D Touch abilities; long press on the Maps icon, for example, and a shortcut will pop up.

The majority of the changes in Pixel Launcher are visual, but there a couple that provide extra functionality. A new Support tab in the settings menu lets you contact Google directly if you’re having problems, and there’s a fancy new wallpaper picker. You can also swipe down on the fingerprint scanner to drag down the notifications panel.

The 12.3-megapixel camera takes some of the most detailed shots I've ever seen from a phone camera, especially in good light. Take a look at the sample of the cityscape below – it’s shot through a window, from a distance, but the intricacies are still easy to spot. The windows are sharp, ripples in the lake are visible, and it has great depth of field.

On paper, the Pixel doesn’t seem quite as impressive as the iPhone 7 and Samsung Galaxy S7. Its camera has a narrower aperture – f/2.0 as opposed to f/1.8 and f/1.7 – and lacks optical image stabilisation. However, it easily matches, and in some cases surpasses, its rivals. The results aren't quite as natural as those from Apple’s flagship, but they offer more vibrancy and detail that's far beyond what's on show from the competition.

Battery life on the Pixel XL is fantastic, and screen aside, it’s one of the few things that sets it apart from the smaller model. Tucked inside is a non-removable 3,450mAh cell – 50mAh smaller than the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge – and it can easily make it through the day and into the next without any issues.