You'll be glad to know the screen situation has also improved dramatically since last year too. At launch, the Pixel 2 XL suffered from a handful of unfortunate quirks: First the color saturation was a little off compared to the competition. Because of the way LG manufactured its screens early on, some "grit" was apparent in certain conditions. Plus the blue shift that came with viewing the display at an angle was especially pronounced. Not so this time! The notch that cuts into the screen is bigger than I'd prefer -- to accommodate those dual front-facing cameras, of course -- but the actual quality of the screen leaves me without complaints. Then again, my own Pixel 2 XL screen wasn't nearly as bad as others I saw (or heard about), so this year's upgrade will make some of you much happier than others.

Oh, and those of you curious about this new sand/pink colorway are in for a treat. It was the first 3 XL I took for a spin when I ran into the maelstrom that is Google's demo area, and it's both subtle and undeniably rosy. Your mileage may vary, but I actually love it. The build quality seems quite a bit better this year too: The 2 XL was put together pretty nicely, but the 3 XL's curves melt almost seamlessly into the two-tone, multi-finish glass back. Older Pixels always felt quite nice, but this year's Pixels feel great.