Top 3 Google Pixel 2 Alternatives You Can Buy

Announced recently by Google, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are two of the best smartphones money can buy right now. Not only do they offer the latest hardware from top-tier vendors, the bloat-free Android Oreo and the promise of three years of quick updates are two of the notable features that make these devices stand out from their counterparts for all the right reasons.

However, as is the case with any other smartphone, the devices are far from perfect. Neither of them come with the 3.5mm headphone jack, nor do they support wireless charging at a time when even Apple has introduced the feature in its latest iPhone lineup after resisting it for so many years.

Another popular feature missing from the Pixel 2 is a dual-camera setup, something that’s starting to become increasingly prevent even in mid-rangers these days. Even if you can look past all these issues, one point that many would-be buyers seem to be complaining against is the rather plain-vanilla looks of the Pixel 2.

While the Pixel 2 XL has adopted the bezel-less trend, the smaller device seemingly didn’t get the memo. So if the giant bezels, the lack of wireless charging, the absence of OIS and the missing 3.5mm AUX port are all deal-breakers for you, here are the 7 best Pixel 2 alternatives you should consider:

Top Pixel 2 Alternatives You can consider

1. Samsung Galaxy S8

Samsung’s Galaxy ‘S’ line represents the most well-known and best-selling Android smartphone range in the world, and the Galaxy S8 is no exception. It is a well-reviewed, highly-popular smartphone that comes with not just cutting-edge hardware, but also some really cool software features that make it one of the most desirable smartphones right now. 

It’s powered by Samsung’s own in-house Exynos 8895 or Qualcomm’s top-of-the-line Snapdragon 835 (depending on the market) and offers 4GB of RAM alongside 64GB of built-in storage. 

Unlike the Pixel 2, it also offers expandable storage, thanks to the presence of a microSD card slot that doubles up as a secondary SIM slot, although, that feature is also region-specific.

Sure, the Galaxy S8 also gives the rear dual-cam setup a miss just like the Pixel 2, opting instead to go with a single 12MP sensor with an f/1.7 aperture and 26mm effective focal length, but it is one of the best smartphone cameras for low-light photography you can buy right now. 

The Galaxy S8 was also the first device that brought the whole ‘bezel-less’ trend mainstream with its ‘Infinity Display’ thanks to the vibrant 5.8″ Super AMOLED screen with an elongated 18.5:9 aspect ratio. 

Add to that innovative features like the DeX dock, iris scanning, Bixby voice-assistant, the virtual Home button with haptic feedback, not to mention the 3.5mm audio port, and you’ll know exactly why the Galaxy S8 is one of the best Pixel 2 alternatives you can buy right now.

Buy From Amazon: ($624.99)

2. Apple iPhone 8

iPhones may be anathema to many Android aficionados, but we’re platform-agnostic here at Beebom, and while I’m a hardcore Android-guy myself, enough of my colleagues swear by their MacBooks and iPhones for me not to include at least one Apple device in this list. 

The iPhone 8 represents the latest from the Cupertino giant, and while it isn’t necessarily the greatest that the company has to offer, it is still a pretty decent handset in its own right. What’s even more remarkable is how strikingly similar it is to the Google Pixel 2 in so many different ways. 

Both offer cutting-edge hardware and the latest software, but you won’t know that by looking at them. Neither device look much different from their respective predecessors, which makes their designs seem pretty bland in the 2017 scheme of things.

Another reason why the iPhone 8 is a great alternative to the Pixel 2 is because of its size. 

At just 5″, the display panel on the Pixel 2 is positively tiny compared to most 2017 flagships. The iPhone 8, meanwhile, has an even smaller 4.7″ display, which means if you’re not quite enamored with the trend of the ever-growing smartphone display real estate, smaller devices like the iPhone 8 will be the perfect Pixel 2 alternative for you, if you can live with all the arbitrary restrictions Apple imposes on its users. 

One thing to note here is that, like the Pixel 2 and unlike the Galaxy S8, the iPhone 8 doesn’t have the 3.5mm audio port, but nor does many of the other flagship smartphones this year, so that’s a problem most users will likely have to start getting used to in the years to come.

Buy From Amazon: ($699)

3. LG. G6

The LG G6 is a great smartphone that was launched earlier this year by the South Korean consumer electronics company that is often overshadowed by its larger and more well-known compatriot, Samsung.

The device, admittedly, doesn’t have the same cutting-edge hardware that the Pixel 2 brings to the table, but it still performs every task admirably, which is understandable when you consider that the chip powering the device, the Snapdragon 821, is actually newer and faster than Snapdragon 820 that powered most of the top flagships from last year, including the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. 

Another noteworthy feature in the LG G6 is its dual 13MP camera setup at the back. While the primary sensor comes with an f/1.8 lens, PDAF and 3-axis OIS, the secondary one features a wide-angle 125-degree fixed-focus lens with an f/2.4 aperture.

Keeping with the ‘bezel-less’ trend, the LG G6 features a 5.7-inch IPS LCD QHD+ display panel with a 2:1 (18:9) aspect ratio. The phone packs 4GB of DDR4 RAM and either 32GB, 64GB or 128GB of native storage, but unlike the Pixel 2, it has a microSD slot that allows its storage to be expanded by up to 2TB. The phone is also dust-proof and water-proof, as is evident from its IP68 certification. What’s really cool is that in spite of being a premium device, the G6 is actually significantly cheaper than most of the other options on this list, so buying this is unlikely to burn a hole in your pocket.

Buy From Amazon: ($509)