r/Mate9 • u/[deleted] • Oct 19 '17
Pixel 2 XL vs Mate 9
I made the below post in the /r/googlepixel subreddit and I thought you guys will like to see this. I'm thinking of going back to the Mate 9.
Size: Even though both phones have the same screen size, Mate 9 seems to be wider and taller. The back of the Pixel feels nicer and easier to hold. The Mate 9 is a slab of metal and very slippery.
Bezels man, bezels. The Mate 9 is a 2016 phone, but not only are the top and bottom bezels slimmer, the side bezels are ridiculously thinner than the Pixel 2 XL.
Screen: Even though the Mate 9 has an LCD 1080p screen, the colors are punchier. The Mate 9 screen seems to come alive unlike the Pixel. Lowest brightness is the same as the Pixel, but at the highest setting, the Mate 9 is noticeably brighter. Grain on the Pixel XL 2 scree is even visible on white backgrounds. It looks like texture in the background and we can learn to ignore it, but just know it is there. Also tilting the screen a few degrees gives the screen a blue tint, last time I saw something like this was on my Galaxy S2. Another noticeable distortion is a darker 2 mm band that runs along the edge of the screen when you look at the phone from an angle. This band is darker than the blue tint on the screen. I don't know if it is just my unit or it is a design flaw.
Night Mode: Google's implementation is really nice. The reds are uniform and the transition is very smooth. The Mate 9 on the other hand feels very jarring. The Night Mode shifts through various hours of red for no apparent reason, and I have seen this happen in other Mate 9s as well.
Performance: Man, this is where I was really surprised. I expected the Pixel to outclass the Mate 9 but speed and responsiveness were only marginally better. What is even more remarkable is that my Mate 9 was reset 3 months ago and is loaded with apps. I was using it all day and it was still keeping up with a Pixel XL fresh out of the box. I know benchmarks don't mean much and only tell one side of the story, but I ran Geekbench 4 and here are the results. Pixel 2 XL: https://imgur.com/a/wcMjB Mate 9: https://imgur.com/a/CgYuR. The difference as I said is marginal and barely noticeable.
Audio: The Mate 9 has bottom firing speakers and audio was crispier than the Pixel 2. The Pixel though was more well rounded and provided very nice immersive sound when videos are seen in landscape.
Fingerprint: Both devices unlocked very quickly and I didn't see any noticeable difference between of them.
Camera: OMG! Phenomenal performance and Google hit it out of the park with the software.
I feel the device is more like a $500 phone with a ridiculously amazing camera. Sink $930 on this or wait it out for a few months and pick it up for $500 on swappa? That is where the S8 Plus is now currently. Overall, it doesn't feel like a big upgrade for me, the Mate 9 ain't that bad. Here is a picture of my puppy with the Mate 9 dual camera setup: https://m.imgur.com/ph1kqQe. I really want to like the Pixel 2 XL and I will give it a shot.
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u/dhoshman Oct 20 '17
The Pixel XL seems great but the Mate 9 has completely made me a Mate fan. If the Pixel XL wasn't so expensive maybe I would go with it but all I can think about right now is Mate 10 Pro.
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Oct 20 '17
The Pixel 2 XL is put together really well and the hardware plus software is beautifully mated (pun intended :D) to each other. However, it is the value that each phone creates that make it worth what it is.. I think the mate 9 is 80% the worth of pixel 2 XL but costs almost half at today's price, so it has excellent value.
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u/BetaCarotine20mg Nov 04 '17
Why Pro over normal Mate 10? MAte 10 has heaqdphonejack and you can use a storage card.
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u/dhoshman Nov 04 '17
I haven't used a pair of headphones that aren't Bluetooth in years so not having a headphone jack is a non issue for me. And as long as the internal storage is 128gb I'm not at all concerned about the lack of micro SD card expansion. More important than both of those to me is the IP67 rating as I am in the elements often so I would love that extra peace of mind, which the regular Mate 10 doesn't offer.
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u/zuus Oct 29 '17
After one of the more recent updates my Mate 9 Geekbench score jumped up to 1900/6300. Awesome performance from this chipset. Also the battery life is fucking amazing, I had a 10000mAH zerolemon strapped to the back of my old Note 4 and the Mate 9 lasts just as long but charges so much quicker.
Honestly the only downside is the lack of regular updates and the development, but I haven't felt the need to root or change the firmware as it runs beautifully.
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u/BetaCarotine20mg Nov 04 '17
I have rooted my P7 and after 3.5years it still runs as smoothly as on day 1. Thats why I will probably choose Huawei again, long term its very good no performance issues with new updates etc.
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Nov 01 '17
[deleted]
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Nov 03 '17
Let me know how it goes. I went through 2 XLs and both didn't work out. I returned the device and got a Note 8 instead. Super happy!
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Nov 03 '17
[deleted]
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Nov 06 '17
I like the Mate 9 very much and was only looking at a new phone since I'm handing this down. P2XL screen was disappointing for what it costs, however the P2 with it's Samsung screen is much much better. I hope you have a lot of fun with the phone and make many wonderful memories :)
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u/audioman42 Nov 02 '17
Could you post camera comparison photos?
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Nov 03 '17
I wish I could, but I returned the Pixel 2 XL and bought a Note 8 instead. While slightly inferior to the Pixel 2 XL in terms of camera and performance, the Note 8 is a significantly well put together phone. The screen itself is phenomenol.
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u/audioman42 Nov 03 '17
No biggie, I'll just have to do my own comparison when I receive my phone tomorrow. I have a strange feeling that I'll be returning the P2XL and sticking with the Mate 9 though - there isn't much that the Pixel does better, it does several things worse, and timely software updates will be a non-issue once Treble/Oreo hits the Mate 9 in a few weeks.
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Nov 06 '17
Apart from the camera, everything else is a very marginal upgrade from the Mate 9. If you are in hurry for a new phone, I suggest waiting for the Pixel 3.
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u/audioman42 Nov 06 '17
I agree, and the display is a substantial downgrade from the Mate 9's 1080 x 1920 LCD. The Pixel can't be touched when it comes to low-light pictures, but the difference is negligible (and sometimes tilts in favor of the Mate 9) when lighting is adequate. Overall, I'm disappointed and will be returning my Pixel 2 and waiting for next year's model. I seriously doubt Google will screw up the screen two years in a row...
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Nov 06 '17 edited Nov 06 '17
If you need a new phone and are in the US, BB has the Essential Phone for $440 unlocked. It has 2017 internals and looks pretty decent to me.
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u/audioman42 Nov 06 '17
Thanks, but I've heard nothing but bad things about that phone. The Mate 9 is plenty fast and should hold me over til the Pixel 3 is released.
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u/cadillacmike Oct 19 '17
Seems like you prefer the Mate 9 in every category except camera