S9 or Pixel 2/2XL?

[Joshua Luther2]

I know I'm posting this in the Samsung S9 section. But I'm looking into either the Pixel 2 or Pixel 2xl or the S9 on Verizon. Both are great deals. I've been wanting to try the Pixel phone for a while now. Tell me why I should go with Samsung over Google.

I have also seen people having issues with doing live videos on Instagram with two people. Where the person with a Note 8 was unable to do a dual live video on Instagram. Since I'm a big IG user, this limitation could be a problem. But I'm also tempted by the screen quality of the S9. I have bought Samsung before,S3, and was overall happy with it. I know it's changed quite a bit from then. I also like having the best bang for my buck phone.

I don't need a new phone, but am looking into paying off the $400 on my G6 and trading it in and getting the $300 credit on either the Pixel 2xl or S9.

 

[claykin]

Some notable S9 advantages

845 chipset
Dual aperture camera
Better oled screen
SD card slot
Wireless charging
1/8" headphone port
Stereo speakers

Some Pixel 2 advatages

Runs current Oreo 8.1
Google updates means no waiting on Samsung
No OS skinning - raw android
Sometimes runs smoother
No bloatware

 

[Joshua Luther2]

Some notable S9 advantages

845 chipset
Dual aperture camera
Better oled screen
SD card slot
Wireless charging
1/8" headphone port
Stereo speakers

Some Pixel 2 advatages

Runs current Oreo 8.1
Google updates means no waiting on Samsung
No OS skinning - raw android
Sometimes runs smoother
No bloatware

That's an excellent list of both. Hopefully this helps me make a decision. Maybe it will help others as well. I'm wondering how long this deal on Verizon is going to last.

 

[jdunker26]

That's an excellent list of both. Hopefully this helps me make a decision. Maybe it will help others as well. I'm wondering how long this deal on Verizon is going to last.

Pixel 2 also has stereo speakers. I'd say it's a close call between the S9 and Pixel 2.

 

[Michaelw81]

Well, I can only give my opinion, after playing with them both in store. I'm not a big tech head, I guess you could say I'm a typical smart phone user? I was very unimpressed with the pixel 2, in terms of the screen. There was no wow factor at all, and after playing with other phones in store, I would of preferred the Huawei mate 10 pro, hands down. I turned the brightness up to maximum, and it was still a bit dim? Considering the screen is what I will mostly use the phone for 90% of the time, it wasn't a hard choice for me. I have no bias towards any phone manufacturer, I just find Samsung phones, when used in general day to day life tick the most boxes for me. I'm not a big fan of the curved screens, but the S9 felt the perfect size in my hand, and after taking a selfie with every premium phone in multiple shops, the S9 and IPhone X had the best outcome. I wasn't as impressed as I thought I'd be with the S9 stereo speakers, but they'll be sufficient, and better than my S7 to fill my bathroom with music at shower time haha.
I only use reviews as a guide, and I suspect alot of websites are paid to 'up' ratings a little. I like to go in the shop and have a play with them. It's all about personal preference in the end, and as I said, this is only my opinion. I've preordered an S9 in coral blue for 10th March collection. The fact I can have it on 0% finance, over 24 months is fantastic. I've took a separate sim only deal, and it's saved me a fortune. I'll probably get hammered by pixel lovers now, but I can only say what I see

 

[Almeuit]

I don't think you can go wrong with either device to be honest. I lean towards the Pixel 2 XL since I like bigger phones and because I value updates / security fixes. Some don't so that isn't a huge pull like it is for me.

 

[Joshua Luther2]

Well, I can only give my opinion, after playing with them both in store. I'm not a big tech head, I guess you could say I'm a typical smart phone user? I was very unimpressed with the pixel 2, in terms of the screen. There was no wow factor at all, and after playing with other phones in store, I would of preferred the Huawei mate 10 pro, hands down. I turned the brightness up to maximum, and it was still a bit dim? Considering the screen is what I will mostly use the phone for 90% of the time, it wasn't a hard choice for me. I have no bias towards any phone manufacturer, I just find Samsung phones, when used in general day to day life tick the most boxes for me. I'm not a big fan of the curved screens, but the S9 felt the perfect size in my hand, and after taking a selfie with every premium phone in multiple shops, the S9 and IPhone X had the best outcome. I wasn't as impressed as I thought I'd be with the S9 stereo speakers, but they'll be sufficient, and better than my S7 to fill my bathroom with music at shower time haha.
I only use reviews as a guide, and I suspect alot of websites are paid to 'up' ratings a little. I like to go in the shop and have a play with them. It's all about personal preference in the end, and as I said, this is only my opinion. I've preordered an S9 in coral blue for 10th March collection. The fact I can have it on 0% finance, over 24 months is fantastic. I've took a separate sim only deal, and it's saved me a fortune. I'll probably get hammered by pixel lovers now, but I can only say what I see

Thanks for the great personal review. You make a great compelling case for the S9.

I was originally thinking I'd buy the Pixel 2 from Google but have yet to hear anything back from their financing Dept. I would sign up for project fi and then my wife would be on a separate Verizon plan which wouldn't really save us any money. It sounds like a lot more hassle and hoops to jump through.

Paying off my G6 and trading it in seems like a better deal in the long run and easier.

 

[omelet1978]

So software wise most people say the Pixel will be smoother, but recent versions of Touchwiz or even just using Nova Launcher are fine in my opinion.

Harware wise, both the Pixel and Pixel XL were obsolete on launch with the large bezels. The S9 design will still be up to date next year. I'd get the S9 honestly. Samsung Pay is also another reason since it duplicates a magnetic strip and can work in a lot of spots that Android Pay can't.

 

[Joshua Luther2]

Well just placed the order for my Coral Blue S9.

 

[hasasimo]

Well just placed the order for my Coral Blue S9.

Good choice. The hardware and aesthetics are superior in every respect. Also, the coral blue, by early indications, is going to be wildly popular.

 

[anon(1733)]

Good choice. The hardware and aesthetics are superior in every respect. Also, the coral blue, by early indications, is going to be wildly popular.

That's what I gathered also. I gave it thought but chickened out and stayed with black. But a small part was I figured it would be sold more so figured maybe I get my black model on release due to lower demand. Prob flawed reasoning but it worked for me. Lol

 

[hasasimo]

That's what I gathered also. I gave it thought but chickened out and stayed with black. But a small part was I figured it would be sold more so figured maybe I get my black model on release due to lower demand. Prob flawed reasoning but it worked for me. Lol

I mean, its not like you can go wrong with black. I considered it as well pending how the coral blue would appear in videos. That stealthy look is stunning, especially sans case.

I think in the end black will always be the top-seller, but coral blue may be a close second! I actually like the lilac purple as well, but i just can't rock purple as a dude lol. More power to any guys secure enough to do it. I'll be ordering a purple one for my mother in a few weeks. Hoping my coral blue arrives earlier than the official launch date!

 

[Wildo6882]

I've been fighting between these two phones (and the iPhone X). I absolutely loved the iPhone X when I had one, but I hated the price. My heart is, and has always been with Android, but I've been using an iPhone for about two years now, so I'm afraid of making the leap back to Android. I have my trigger finger ready to buy up one of these bad boys. Someone push me over the edge!

 

[bxrider117]

I currently own a white pixel 2xl 128gb. I pre-ordered the S9+ in Coral blue. I'm going to switch back to Samsung for a few minor reasons. I had the s8+ before the Pixel and I really liked it. It works better with my Gear s3 Smartwatch. The Pixel will always get updates on time but the plan smoothness is wearing off for me.

Every time I get in my car I have to manually connect to my pioneer Bluetooth radio, because the Gear s3 is connected to my phone. I know I can disconnect calls through my watch in the settings and that will help but I'm a supervisor in a call center and I'm constantly moving around and need the phone call alerts on my watch. I feel camera wise the too phones will be about the same. If I don't like the S9+ then I'll switch back or try something else.

 

[Jaycemiskel]

I mean, its not like you can go wrong with black. I considered it as well pending how the coral blue would appear in videos. That stealthy look is stunning, especially sans case.

I think in the end black will always be the top-seller, but coral blue may be a close second! I actually like the lilac purple as well, but i just can't rock purple as a dude lol. More power to any guys secure enough to do it. I'll be ordering a purple one for my mother in a few weeks. Hoping my coral blue arrives earlier than the official launch date!

I'm with you. The black is nice, but I used to always get black phones so I'm trying to get something different this time around. I went with the blue. I really liked the purple, but figured it would come off as girly. I went to see the phones in Best Buy and the purple looks even more feminine in person than in pictures so I made the right decision.

 

[hasasimo]

I've been fighting between these two phones (and the iPhone X). I absolutely loved the iPhone X when I had one, but I hated the price. My heart is, and has always been with Android, but I've been using an iPhone for about two years now, so I'm afraid of making the leap back to Android. I have my trigger finger ready to buy up one of these bad boys. Someone push me over the edge!

Ask yourself this of the iPhone X... what more could you possibly want in a phone? I can list several things.

Now ask yourself this of the S9... what more could you possibly want in a phone? I'm hard pressed thinking of anything.

 

[Wildo6882]

Ask yourself this of the iPhone X... what more could you possibly want in a phone? I can list several things.

Now ask yourself this of the S9... what more could you possibly want in a phone? I'm hard pressed thinking of anything.

One thing I can think of from each...

iPhone X - more customization on the home screen

S9 - better, quicker updates (OS and security)

There's something that needs work from each one. My wife has an S8 and, while I like it, she's had some issues with it freezing maybe once every week or two. I mean, completely frozen and needs a soft reset. That worries me about getting the S9, too. But I also HATE how much the iPhone X costs and how much it is to join in the Apple ecosystem.

 

[hasasimo]

One thing I can think of from each...

iPhone X - more customization on the home screen

S9 - better, quicker updates (OS and security)

There's something that needs work from each one. My wife has an S8 and, while I like it, she's had some issues with it freezing maybe once every week or two. I mean, completely frozen and needs a soft reset. That worries me about getting the S9, too. But I also HATE how much the iPhone X costs and how much it is to join in the Apple ecosystem.

Yikes, I actually had a freezing issue on my Note8 as well. I'm assuming (perhaps naively?) that the S9 will not have that problem.

 

[Michaelw81]

According to Samsung, with the introduction of project treble, the whole update process will be sped up, so there's one box to tick. As mentioned above, the bezels on the Pixel 2 do make it look like a much older phone, IMO too. I seriously feel the S9 will still be a great phone in 2 years, when I am due my next upgrade. My S7 has served me fantastically well, and will be sad to see it go- best phone I've ever owned

 

[claykin]

Yikes, I actually had a freezing issue on my Note8 as well. I'm assuming (perhaps naively?) that the S9 will not have that problem.

If you're having freezing issues, not related to low memory, your issue will very likely be resolved by factory defaulting the phone.

You can start by removing apps you don't need and clearing cache for other apps. Sometimes helps but not always. This is more a core OS issue than a Samsung issue.