Front-facing stereo speakers have become rare among smartphones, which too often fire onboard audio out of the bottom of the phone through a single speaker. Having them increases the size of the top and bottom bezel, but stereo speakers are part of the functionality-over-fashion trade-off we’re talking about.

But the star of the show, clearly, is Google Assistant, Google's voice interface that's more conversational, flexible, and knowledgeable than Siri or Bixby. You can activate the Assistant in a bunch of different ways. You can turn on an option to have it recognize your voice even when the phone's screen is off, for example. I ended up using the squeeze sensor a lot. Introduced originally on HTC's U11, the sensor lets you squeeze the phone slightly below its midriff to launch the Assistant (but no other app). It even works when the phone is in a case. The Google Pixel 2 price didn't increase year-over-year, so like its dated design, it isn't keeping up with the competition. This is surprising for a phone announced on October 4, and a release date of October 19.This isn't to say that the Pixel 2 is a bad phone. It's suffering from the same problem that the iPhone 8 is, which is being the lower-middle child in a crowded field of good choices. As it is, it's our fourth (or so) choice for a higher-end Android phone, which is more of a statement about the strength of the Android field than the weakness of the Pixel 2. If you're aching for a Pixel this year, go big. Keep future trades/sales in mind.The better you take care of your new phone — for instance, by purchasing insurance, a case, and/or a screen protector — the higher your eventual trade-in or resale value is if you want to undergo this process again in the future. The bezels won't bother you if you want a phone that’s a one-hand-friendly size, runs smart Google software, and has a fantastic camera that will make your friends – even your Samsung-owning friends – jealous. Google's camera is only sometimes bested by the Samsung camera and the Huawei P20 and P20 Pro... but not always. Video recording, we always found to be better on the Google Pixel 2. It may only bested by the the rumored Google Pixel 3, but don't expect that phone until October. The Pixel only has a 2,700mAh battery, but Google's software has always been great at conserving power. We got 8 hours, 48 minutes of LTE streaming on our Pixel 2, which is terrific for a small phone like this. It doesn't quite measure up to the Pixel 2 XL (9 hours, 25 minutes), but of course, the XL has more room inside. The phone supports fast charging, but not wireless charging. Software and Performance

Google Lens has some promise; it's a feature that automatically recognizes text in photos or lets you look up books, albums, artwork, and locations in Google Photos. It worked easily on books I tried, but it's not a huge differentiator, and I kept forgetting it was there. The Pixel 2 also acquires a feature from the HTC U11 called EdgeSense. Squeezing the phone’s sides launches the Google Assistant, which in our experience has come in handy, and is way better than adding a dedicated AI button – Samsung uses such a button for its Bixby assistant, and we can’t stop accidentally pressing it on the Galaxy S8 and Note 8. Google clearly wants to push you toward Bluetooth, and it's pushing a new "fast pairing" technique that's supposed to make it easier to pair your Bluetooth headset. Right now, though, it only works with a handful of headsets: the Libratone QAdapt Over Ear, Google's own Pixel Buds, the Plantronics V8200, the Bose QuietComfort 35 II, and some headphones made by a company named AiAiAi. That said, I didn't have any trouble pairing the phone to my Plantronics Voyager UC headset.

Still has one of the top smartphone cameras

As for getting the best price on your new phone — take a look at our buying guides. Hopefully, with the credit or cash you earn from letting go of your old Pixel, you can get the shiny new device you’ve been hoping for at a reasonable price.