Google Pixel 2

Last week and ahead of the Pixel 6 series set to come (hopefully) very soon, we asked you just what you think the “best” Google Pixel device has been so far. Well, the results were not too unsurprising overall but interesting nonetheless.

The Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro could very well be the best Pixel devices to date, but we’re still waiting to see them unveiled — and then get our greasy mitts on the duo when they launch (hopefully) soon.

With the fall 2021 consumer hardware announcements — read: Pixel 6 — set to arrive sometime in the coming weeks, there are likely some Googley phones coming up that you’re interested in! So what are you to do with all your old Pixel 2? Or Pixel 3? You should trade it in, and we’ve put together all the best trade deals for Google Pixel, Samsung Galaxy, and more below…

Issues with the Google Camera on Pixel hardware appear to be spreading according to reports, but the problems are potentially due to hardware failures rather than buggy software.

One of the biggest perks of early Google Pixel smartphones, outside of the camera itself, was the ability to back up every photo and video from the phone to Google Photos in original quality completely for free. Now, though, Pixel 2 owners are losing their unlimited Google Photos backup.

The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL officially reached end of life status in October after three years of updates. Google promised one last release, but it did not come yesterday alongside the Pixel Feature Drop. The final Pixel 2 update is now rolling out.

Coinciding with the launch of the Pixel 5, the Google Camera app got an update to version 8.0, bringing a clean redesign to the app. Today, Google Camera 8.1 has begun rolling out, bringing that same design to older Pixel phones.

Even though the Google Pixel 2 series is now starting to get a little long in the tooth, both devices are still impressive pieces of hardware — especially when it comes the camera. However, it looks like the camera issues faced by Pixel 2 owners are still causing some major problems — and it looks like the issue might be spreading.

Last year, Google set a strong precedent for their Pixel phones by extending a third major update, Android 10, to the original Pixel and Pixel XL. Today, we’ve confirmed that Android 11 will be the last update for the Pixel 2.

For those experiencing an odd bug that is causing Pixel 2 devices to constantly crash when using certain images as wallpaper, we have good news. Google has confirmed it will fix the problem.

Expand
Expanding
Close

It’s Earth Day 2020, so there’s no better time than now to think about how your Google Pixel or other Android device will affect the planet when they reach the end of their life. It might be an original Google Pixel sitting in your desk that you want to recycle, or maybe even a Pixel 3 that you’d like to sell to upgrade to the another phone. Whatever the case, here’s how to ensure your devices get recycled well.

Expand
Expanding
Close

We don’t know the real sales figures for the Mountain View, California company’s Pixel line of flagship smartphones, but we do occasionally get hints. For one, Google reported “declines in hardware” sales during its Q4 2019 earnings this past February. We went digging into 9to5Google’s own analytics to see if maybe we could glean some insight for ourselves, and found similarly pessimistic numbers…
Expand
Expanding
Close

The Google Camera app is receiving a real beating on the Play Store at the minute due to some issues with the Pixel 2, with hundreds of negative reviews now being posted on the official app store listing.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Thanks to the Android 11 DP1 and the recent Google Pixel Feature Drop, there was room for an automatic dark theme for Pixel owners. While it has been welcomed, it appears that this automatic dark theme doesn’t play nicely with every app.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Google’s Pixel smartphones are very smart and, as Google likes to call them, helpful. Now, the device is picking up another handy trick. With the latest Pixel Launcher update, folder names will automatically be suggested based on apps.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Last year, Google debuted a powerful new feature by the name of Live Caption. That debuted on Pixel 4 and later on Pixel 3 and 3a devices. In January, Live Caption also started arriving on Pixel 2 devices, but was pulled in the March security update.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Based on how often they’re seen in the wild and praised by users online, Google’s Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL might just be the best devices to come out of the lineup, but Android 10 had some negative side effects for these devices. One unfortunate casualty was the collection of sound effects for things like unlocking the Pixel 2, but they’re back with the latest update.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Android’s sharing menu is pretty solid, but one update we’ve been pretty excited about in Android 11 is the ability to pin apps to the share menu to ensure they always show at the top. If you have a Google Pixel smartphone, though, you won’t have to wait until Android 11 to pin apps to the share menu.

Expand
Expanding
Close