[Google Pixel 2 XL Questions & Answers] sn0warmy:
I posted in the V30 vs Pixel 2XL thread over on the V30 forum. But since I'm typically one to sway towards Nexus/Pixel devices, I'll give my opinion here.

As you can see from my signature, it's not like me to venture away from the pure Android experience. And I was very excited to see what the 2nd generation of Pixel phones had to offer. However, I must admit that I am disappointed with what Google put out this year. I've decided to go with the V30 and it arrives Monday.

To start, my recent test switch from the Pixel XL to the Galaxy S8 (about 4 months ago now) has been surprisingly great. Sure, TouchWiz is no "Pure Android", but I've found the S8 to be extremely fast and hasn't missed a beat for me. So I've learned first hand that you can still have excellent performance on a non-Pixel/Nexus phone.

I've also gotten hooked on wireless charging. I have a Qi wireless charger on my night stand and one in my office. My relatives have all seemingly adopted the most current Samsung and LG phones and all have multiple QI chargers in their homes, as well. So I've been able to fully adopt wireless charging in my daily life. In fact, my OEM USB C charger is still sitting in the original packaging, unused.

Now that I've experienced how convenient wireless charging is, I honestly could not imagine going back. So the lack of wireless charging in the Pixel 2 XL was a serious Downer for me.

This week I was able to compare the V30 and 2 XL side by side in my local Verizon store. This really helped solidify the V30 for me. Side by side the 2 XL's top, bottom and side bezels look enormous compared to the V30 (and the S8 for that matter). The 2 XL's bezels make the screen appear smaller than it does on the V30 while also making the phone feel notably larger in the hand than the V30. Which is annoying because the V30 is already a relatively large phone.

In addition, the user interface on the V30 is very fluid and smooth. Easily as fast as the 2XL, from my quick 5 minute comparison. I actually like LGs take on Android with their latest skin. And if I get sick of it, I can quickly install a Pixel theme with Nova and mirror the Pixel user interface exactly.

In fact, after using pure Android phones for so long, I'd even go as far as to say that the user interface on the 2 XL is boring. Oreo feels the same as Nougat, which feels the same as Marshmallow. Sure it's fast but it's almost too simple and feels the same as it has the past 2+ years.

I know many will disagree but at this point I feel that the pure Android experience has grown tired, stale and featureless. The little tweaks and features that LG and Samsung have added with they're skins are actually quite great and have progressed Android much further than stock Android has over the past couple of years.

However, with all that said, both are great phones and I don't think you can truly go wrong either way. It just depends on what you are looking for. If you are one to root and flash kernels/ROMs, the decision for you is easy. But for me, my days of rooting are behind me and the 2 XL is slightly too large and is missing a few too many little features to justify the price point over the V30.