Not everyone is going to be happy about this. People who bought the Google Pixel 2 at a higher price – the phone was launched at a price of Rs 61,000 – will hate the latest deal that Flipkart is offering on the phone. People within companies like OnePlus, which is preparing to launch the OnePlus 6, and Huawei that is set to announce the Honor 10 too will not like it. But everyone else in the Indian market should take a note of the latest Flipkart Big Shopping Days sale that will see the Pixel 2 selling for Rs 34,999. Although, there are conditions attached to this sale, conditions that we will get to know about only on May 13 when the sale opens.

For a phone that is the official Google phone, and still the one with the best camera ever put in a phone – no, the Honor P20 Pro with its three cameras is not as consistent and good as Pixel 2 – this phone is totally worth purchasing at Rs 34,999 if you are out in the market, looking for a high-end phone at a relatively decent price. In fact, the deal is seemingly so good that for some it even takes away the reason to wait for something like the OnePlus 6, which is going to be launched in India on May 17, and Honor 10 that debuts on May 15.

Of these two, I will say that they OnePlus 6 may still score over the Pixel 2 at Rs 34,999 considering the features it expects to come with, but the Honor 10 will definitely not. The Pixel 2 as a phone is pretty close to the ideal phone at this price, and although it could have had a better and bigger screen, that should not be a deal breaker. And at the same time, neither should be its lack of the dual-SIM support.

As you can note, the Pixel 2 is not flawless. But there are a number of reasons why at a price-point of Rs 34,999 it is a no-brainer. In my opinion, with its stock Android, promise of fast update to Android P and a brilliant camera that rivals DSLR in this price range for all practical purposes, the Pixel 2 is a fantastic choice for most consumers. That is the summary. But let me quickly break it down in a few points:

1- It’s a fast phone. The Pixel 2 has last year’s hardware. But given that this is the phone on which Android is created and tested, the Pixel 2 is also a device that runs Android very well. Not that the hardware is shabby. The Snapdragon 835 processor, 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage is fast enough to deal with anything you may throw at it. Until the Snapdragon 845 arrived on the scene a few months ago, the Snapdragon 835 was the top processor for mobile phones. But more than the hardware, it is the software that makes the Pixel 2 so fast. It’s a phone that is as lag-free as it gets, which in other words can be called utterly-butterly smooth.

2- The Pixel 2 has a great camera. It has the best camera put in a phone, while this camera doesn’t come with (often) gimmicks that are dual and triple cameras, it is so good, even at the portrait mode, that it clicks the best photos one can manage with a phone. Yet again, with Pixel 2 camera it is all about the good combination of hardware and software. The amount of details and HDR that Pixel 2 manages with its rear cameras – and up to an extent with its front camera – is pure magic.

3- Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, because these are the official Android phones from Google, are going to be among the first phones to get the Android P when that arrives in July or August. All other phones, including the Android One phones and phones like the OnePlus 6 that run almost stock Android, will have to wait a while to get the Android P. Phones like the Honor 10 and Huawei P20 Pro may never get the Android P. So if you like your software latest, and want security patches at right time (it’s important), Pixel 2 is one of the safest options.

4- This you can consider a strength of Pixel 2 or one of its weak points: The phone has a 5-inch screen. The resolution is plenty as it’s a 1080P screen. But the size may feel smaller to a lot of people, especially if you are used to a bigger screen. But at the same time, if it is a small and handy phone you want, there aren’t many choices, especially in this price segment. The Pixel 2 makes perfect sense then.

As noted earlier, the Pixel 2 has its flaws. This is not a love letter to Pixel, so let me point them out too. It lacks the dual-SIM support, which could be important to some people. Its design is somewhat uninspiring. It is not bad, but it may seem dull to some. Its screen could have been better. But despite what it lacks, I believe the Pixel 2 packs it enough in it – that camera is heavenly – to be a steal at Rs 34,999.