Zack from JerryRigEverything has got his hands on the new Pixel 2, the small one, and you know what that means, right? The man is out to torture those poor little phones - What did they ever do to him? - and the Pixel 2 is no exception. So how does it fare? Not so well actually.
Starting with the display scratch test, the Gorilla Glass 5 shows shallow marks at level 6 and properly scratches at level 7 - similar to most other smartphones but not as good as those with a sapphire screen. The front camera and rear camera also have the same protection, so they won't scratch very easily. The front-facing speaker grilles are metal, unlike last year's Pixels which was a cloth piece, and is thus sturdier.
However, everything comes apart (this would be an excellent pun a few lines down) when Zack flips the Pixel 2 and tests the back. The phone is indeed made of a metal unibody, but as Google said in its keynote, it's coated in a hybrid material that chips off very easily. It also renders it very susceptible to color changing and scratches - which is how the pumpkin gets drawn on that poor Pixel 2. Zack compares the finish to the LG G5, but our own Ryan who has had both phones in his hands tells me the Pixel 2 isn't anything like the G5 (read: it feels better). The volume rocker and sides of the phone are metallic and coated, but the power button is pure plastic. The fingerprint is also painted: scratching it ruins the sensor so it can't read anymore.
Then Zack takes a flame to the Pixel 2 and notices that the OLED display turns white and then off after around 15 seconds. Finally, the moment everyone waits for is performed: the bend test. With almost the slightest flex, the Pixel 2's housing cracks on the side where the antenna line is, thus completely voiding the waterproof rating. This exact spot is historically very fragile and has been the weak point for many smartphones in the past, so it's almost inexcusable that Google decided to put its antenna line there. You better not slip the Pixel 2 into your skinny jeans!
If you want to watch all the gory details for yourself, here's the full video. It might be the scariest thing you see this Halloween season.