Google Pixel 2 XL, Replaced. Again (Premium)

Despite my best efforts to time this for my return from Sweden, my second replacement Pixel 2 XL arrived on the day we flew home. No matter: We were able to arrange with a neighbor to grab it off our front porch---apparently, a $1000 phone in a tiny, easily stolen box doesn't require a signature in my neighborhood---and I was able to get the new handset up and running this morning.

And I have a few observations, and perhaps even a few conclusions about the Pixel 2 XL as a result.

First, the background: As many of you are probably all too aware, I have a love-hate relationship with my Pixel 2 XL.

I love the camera, first and foremost: It is the best smartphone camera I've ever used, and its low-light prowess is unmatched. I love the seamless connectivity to Project Fi, with its transparent pricing, monthly charge cap, and (basically) free international usage. And I have come to love Android as well, and now prefer it to iOS.

But I hate how many problems I've had with this phone. The performance creep issues, especially with launching and using that otherwise excellent camera. The washed-out display. And, most alarmingly, the ongoing problems I've had with the USB port.

When it announced the original Pixel phones back in October 2016, Google mocked Apple's decision to remove the headphone jack from the iPhone 7. But in October 2017, when it announced the Pixel 2 lineup, Google was suddenly very quiet on this issue: The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL both eschewed a headphone jack and they rely, instead, on USB-C headphones, a USB-C adapter for normal headphones, or wireless headphones.

That decision has come to haunt me. I hope it f@#$ing haunts Google, too. Bastards.

And that's the first of my conclusions about this phone, which is based on about 9 months of experience and observations: The USB-C port on the Pixel 2 XL is broken. It's badly designed, and it doesn't work as reliably as that on other smartphones. And I can say that now having used three Pixel 2 XLs: The USB-C port on the new phone I just got is "better" than the one on the unit it is replacing. But it still has a loose, wiggly feel to it. And I have no doubt that this one, too, will fail over time.

By the time I had replaced my original Pixel 2 XL back in April, I had experienced a growing list of issues related to USB-C audio, where it would work intermittently and then, over time, not at all.

Since then, the replacement unit has exhibited a different---but, I now think related---set of USB-C issues. The USB-C port on the phone has become "loose," for lack of a better term, and USB-C cables don't sit cleanly when plugged in. Google's bundled cable will come out of the port if you jiggle the phone. And using a USB-C-to-headphone dongle is a non-starter: It disconnects all the time, making it nearly impossible to just listen to audiobooks, podcasts, or music while walking or otherwise moving around.

This is decidedly different to my experiences using App...

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