6. The Apple ecosystem is unbeatable.
There's an Android and iOS version of pretty much every app out there, but iOS apps still generally feel like they're better optimized and designed than their Android counterparts.
Apple devices like the iPhone, Apple Watch, AirPods, and Mac computers also work flawlessly with each other. I've found features like AirDrop between an iPhone and Mac computer to be genuinely useful, as it lets me transfer photos and videos seamlessly between an iPhone and my MacBook Pro. And iMessage, which you can use on a Mac and iPhone, is still one of the main features holding iPhone users back from switching to Android.
Meanwhile, the integration between Pixel phones and Chromebooks isn't nearly as comprehensive. Plus, Chromebooks aren't for everyone, as they run the good-but-limited Chrome OS operating system that only runs the Chrome web browser, Android mobile apps, and a sparse list of full apps.
Then there's the physical presence that Apple has with its stores where you can get your iPhone X – and any other Apple product – serviced if anything goes wrong. Having been an owner of both iPhone and Pixel phones, I can attest that there's a much greater sense of support with iPhone than there is with Google's Pixel. Google has pop-up stores in New York and Los Angeles, but that leaves a large chunk of the country without a location. Plus, Google's pop-up stores are designed to showcase Google's own products rather than provide service. To get your Pixel 2 devices fixed, you need to bring or send it to Google's repair partner, uBreakIFix, which is fine, but it's not a complete "experience" like it is with Apple products.
5. The iPhone X's camera can zoom a lot better than the Pixel 2's cameras.
The iPhone X has a dual-camera system, where an entire camera lens is dedicated to zooming, whereas the Pixel 2 phones only have one regular camera lens. As a result, the iPhone X's camera can zoom into subjects without reducing photo quality, as the zoom is "optical." To zoom, the Pixel 2's camera uses "digital" zooming, which simply zooms into the existing pixels in the camera, and leads to loss of detail.
The iPhone portion of the comparison above was taken with the iPhone 8 Plus, which has a nearly identical rear camera as the iPhone X. It adequately represents the kind of photo that the iPhone X would take. Both phones were zooming in at their maximum zoom, which means the iPhone 8 Plus zoomed in digitally on top of its 2x optical zoom lens. Meanwhile, the Pixel 2 XL's zoom is purely digital.
4. The iPhone X has wireless charging. The Pixel 2 phones don't.
It was somewhat surprising that Google made a new Android phone without wireless charging considering how many Android phones have that feature. It's unclear why Google didn't add wireless charging to its Pixel 2 phones, but it's now a feature that new iPhone owners can enjoy.
3. The screen on the iPhone X is better, at least compared to the larger Pixel 2 XL.
Some Pixel 2 XL users have expressed dissatisfaction with the Pixel 2 XL's OLED display, reporting that its colors are dull compared to the OLED displays on phones like the iPhone X and Samsung Galaxy phones.
As a Pixel 2 XL user myself, I've noticed that the display isn't quite as vibrant as other OLED phones. Google has issued a software update that helps make the display a little more vibrant, but it still doesn't match the iPhone X's glorious screen.
A number of other issues about the Pixel 2 XL's screen have also been reported. One of the main issues is the OLED display is prone to "burn in," where certain on-screen items like the Android navigation bar on the bottom can remain visible even when the navigation bar isn't meant to be displayed. I personally haven't experienced the burn-in issue, but it's been widely reported by several users and reviewers.
2. The iPhone X also feels better.
With its stainless steel frame and glass back, the iPhone X feels far more premium than the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL's frame. The Pixel 2 XL also has a metal build, but it's coated with a material that can feel somewhat plastic to the touch. It's fine, but it's nowhere near as luxurious as the iPhone X.
