Google has gone head-to-head with Apple and Samsung by launching the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, its latest high-end mobiles.

They're designed to sit at the top of the smartphone tree, above the likes of the Galaxy S8, Note 8, iPhone 8 and iPhone X, but they're not quite perfect.

Here's what you need to know about the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL before you part with your money.

Pixel 2: The good

Camera

Google has, once again, built a phenomenal camera system. The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL both use a 12.2-megapixel sensor with f/1.8 aperture and optical image stabilisation.

Camera rating firm DxOMark Mobile has awarded the Pixel 2 a score of 98, the highest mark it has ever given to a smartphone, and it isn’t hard to see why. Autofocus is slick, and pictures come out looking incredibly well-detailed even in tricky low-light conditions.

The Portrait mode, which is unusual on the Pixel 2 in that it relies on only one camera lens rather than two, also works impressively. It artificially adjusts the bokeh in photos by automatically blurring the background, the result being a professional-looking picture that places all the focus on the main subject.

Portrait mode is also available on the 8-megapixel selfie camera, which performs equally well.

Motion photos are also a neat trick, bringing your photos to life by also capturing video footage you can play.

Software

The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, unsurprisingly, run Android 8.0 Oreo, the latest version of the mobile operating system.

Though it will roll out to a multitude of other smartphones over the coming weeks and months, it’s actually a key selling point for the Pixel line. That’s because the handsets run a pure version of Android that hasn’t been tampered with or spoiled by the addition of unwanted bloatware and strange skins. It’s Android as Google intends it to be.

Other Android phone makers tend to put their own spin on the software, which can damage the user experience because the tweaks are often designed to promote the company’s own apps and services.

Major Android updates can also take a long time to come to handsets with software tweaks. That won’t be a problem with the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, which will receive updates as soon as they're ready.

The new Pixels also come with an early version of Google Lens, an intelligent app that can analyse your pictures and recognise what’s in them. It’s not quite ready yet, but could be hugely impressive when it is.

In a demo earlier this year, Google showed it being used to grab a Wi-Fi username and password from a router.

Fingerprint sensor

This wouldn’t ordinarily be a big talking point, but other phone manufacturers have turned biometrics into a major talking point this year.

The fingerprint sensors on Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and Note 8 are utterly woeful, being small, shallow, poorly positioned and easy to mistake for the camera lens.

Apple, too, has had difficulties in this area, causing outrage when it revealed it had dropped TouchID for FaceID in the upcoming iPhone X. The company has tried to quell consumer fears since the phone's unveiling, but the fact it is yet to hit the market hasn’t helped the situation.

It is, therefore, relieving to see that Google has equipped the Pixel 2 with a fingerprint sensor that’s large, easy to access and slick. It works exactly as it's supposed to.

Google Assistant tips and tricks Show all 7 1 /7 Google Assistant tips and tricks Google Assistant tips and tricks Delete everything Google knows about you Google Assistant remembers everything you’ve used it for and stores the information “to do things like remember your interests and give more personalized responses”. However, if that makes you uncomfortable, you can see and delete the data by visiting https://myactivity.google.com/myactivity. Google Assistant tips and tricks Disable “Okay Google” “Okay Google” and “Hey Google” are Google Assistant’s hands-free wake phrases, but you can disable them and instead activate the virtual helper by tapping and holding your phone’s home button. To turn off “Okay Google”, tap and hold your phone’s home button, hit the Explore & Your Stuff icon in the top right of the popup window, select More and then Settings. After that, tap the phone section and disable "OK Google" Detection. Google Assistant tips and tricks Unlock your phone with “Okay Google” You can also go the other way by giving Google Assistant more control over your phone. You can use one of the wake phrases to actually unlock your phone hands-free, but Google warns that doing this can make your phone less secure, as “a similar voice or recording of your own voice” could be used to access your device. If you’re happy to take the risk, touch and hold your phone’s home button, tap Explore & Your Stuff, More, Settings and the phone section. Once you’ve enabled ‘OK Google Detection, you can do the same for Access and Unlock, the option immediately below it. Google Assistant tips and tricks Create shortcuts You can set up Google Assistant shortcuts that can let you streamline your commands. Saying something like “workout time”, for instance, can be used as a way to get the virtual helper to play music, and “goodnight” can tell it turn off your lights. To set one up, touch and hold your phone’s home button, tap Explore & Your Stuff, Your Stuff, Shortcuts and Create New Shortcut. After that, enter the phrase you’ll say to Google Assistant, and what you want your Google Assistant to do when you use the phrase. If you’re in need of inspiration, browse through a list of popular shortcuts by going back to the previous page. Google Assistant tips and tricks Use Assistant through Home Google Assistant is arguably most useful when you access it through Google Home, the company’s smart speaker. This is because it can be hooked up to multiple Google accounts and is capable of recognising the different users’ voices. As well as being good for privacy, this means each member of a household gets an experience that has been personalised to their preferences and interests. To add an account to Home, open the Google Home app, make sure your phone is connected to the same Wi-Fi network as the Google Home you want to connect to, tap the Menu icon, Devices and find the device card of the Google Home you'd like to link to your voice. From the device card, tap the blue banner labelled Multi User is Now Available or Link Your Account, hit Continue and follow the prompts to teach Google Home to recognise your voice. To invite other people to link their Google Account & voice for tailored results, tap Invite. Google Assistant tips and tricks Hook up your Spotify and Netflix accounts You can control Spotify through Google Assistant by linking your account to Google Home. Open the Google Home app, hit Menu, Account preferences, Media Accounts and select Spotify. The exact same process applies for your Netflix account. Google Assistant tips and tricks Control what you share Once you’ve linked your Google Account and voice to a shared Google Home, other people can access your music and video services using Google Assistant voice commands. If you’re not comfortable with this, you can ask them to link their own music and video accounts to Google Home. All they need to do is open the Google Home app on their phone, tap Menu and Music and choose their favourite compatible music service, or tap Menu, More Settings, Videos and Photos and choose their favourite compatible video service. People whose Google accounts aren’t linked to your Google Home will, however, still be able to play content from the default music and video services of the first person that linked their Google account and voice to the device.

Pixel 2: The bad

Headphone jack

The worst thing about the Pixel 2 is its lack of a headphone jack. Google has, infuriatingly, decided to follow in Apple’s footsteps by needlessly dropping the 3.5mm port, and the move brings zero benefits to consumers.

Both the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL feature a USB-C audio port, which isn’t compatible with the vast majority of wired headphones on the market. Google includes a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter in the box, but it’s far from a satisfying solution to the problem, with the chunky accessory awkwardly flopping out of the bottom of the phone.

What’s more, since the USB-C port is also used for charging, you can’t power up the Pixel and listen to music through a pair of wired headphones at the same time, unless you buy a separate adapter that costs £20.

From a consumer perspective, it’s a bad move all round. Unfortunately, the trend is likely to continue.

Design

Google claims it ditched the headphone jack because it is moving “towards a bezel-less future”, but neither the Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL are actually “bezel-less” smartphones.

Samsung, Apple, LG and Huawei have done a much better job of maximising their latest flagship smartphones’ screen to body ratio than Google.

The original Pixel and Pixel XL were roundly criticised for their plain looks a year ago, but Google hasn’t done much to address the issue.

Though the new Pixel XL is undoubtedly more attractive than its predecessor, it still has a prominent “forehead” and “chin” that detract from its overall look.

The new Pixel, meanwhile, looks outdated and unrefined, its screen bordered on all sides by chunky bezels. It’s certainly different to the original, but the changes represent a step sideways rather than a step forwards.

The addition of water resistance to this year’s models is a good thing, but that’s a feature the 2016 Pixels should also have had.

Screen

While the Pixel 2 XL has a drastically improved and thoroughly impressive 6-inch, 2,880 x 1,440 display, the Pixel 2 lags behind on the same 5-inch, 1,920 x 1,080 display that the original Pixel used.

That setup was uninspiring even last year and, while it’s adequate, the lack of progress is disappointing.

The Pixel 2 is not a cheap phone. It costs £629 for 64GB of internal storage, and £729 for 128GB. For that sort of money, you expect slightly better.

Active Edge

Like the HTC U11, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL have a handy feature Google calls Active Edge. You can activate a special set of sensors embedded in the Pixel 2’s frame by squeezing its sides.

It’s a clever function, but Google has decided to impose limits on it. On the HTC U11, you can choose what you use it for, from taking a selfie to launching a certain app. It comes in especially useful when you’re using your phone one-handed.