Google this week showed off its new Pixel 3 phones, as well as a Pixel phone stand and new Pixel Slate tablet. Here we’ll focus on the Pixel 3 phones—we’ll have more on the Pixel Slate in a few days. Below is a rundown of major Pixel 3 specs, new Pixel 3 features, and a quick Pixel 3 hands on roundup from most major phone reviewers.
Pixel 3 specs: What’s the same in both phones
Both new Pixel 3 phones have a lot in common. Both phones have rounded edges, Gorilla Glass 5 on front and back, dual front-facing speakers, and Pixel USB-C earbuds included.
Both Pixels come in your choice of 64GB or 128GB ($100/£100 more), but there’s no microSD card slot. Both have the latest Snapdragon 845 and Adreno 630 GPU, but still only 4GB of RAM—though for these phones, that may be enough.
Both new Pixels have a single 12.2-megapixel rear camera (aided by AI software) and two 8-megapixel front-facing cameras: a standard f/1.8 with 75 degree field of view, and wide-angle f/2.2 lens with 97 degree FOV. The extra front lens is for taking multiple photos—for a perfect group selfie, for example.
Both phones have Android 9 “Pie” OS and the same software features, including several new photography modes and smart call-screening (more details on those below). Both Pixel 3 phones come in black, white, and a new pinkish-white color Google calls “not pink”. Finally, both phones support wireless charging via Google’s new $79 Pixel Stand, and certain other standard wireless chargers.
Pixel 3 vs Pixel 3 XL: What’s different
The biggest difference with the Pixel 3 vs Pixel 3 XL is screen size. The Pixel 3 has a 5.5-inches, 1,080 x 2,160 (443 pixels per inch) OLED display, while the Pixel 3 XL has a 6.3-inches, 1,440 x 2,960 (523 ppi) resolution OLED display.
The other main difference is the battery size: the Pixel 3 has a 2,915mAh battery, while the Pixel 3 XL has a larger 3,430mAh battery.
Further below, we have a list of all of the new features in the Pixel 3 and 3 XL, followed by our Pixel 3 reviews roundup, and a comparison chart of the Pixel 3 phones compared to the Galaxy S9, LG G7 and iPhone XS.
Pixel 3 prices, sale dates
You can now preorder the Pixel 3 starting at $799 (or £739 or AUD $1,199) and Pixel 3 XL starting at $899 (or £869 or AUD $1,349) unlocked through Google’s online store, or through Google Project Fi in the US or some major carriers (Verizon in the US). US residents can buy either phone starting on October 18, followed by sales in other countries starting November 1st.
Google also announced the Google Pixel Stand ($79) which turns your phone into a smart home display, and the Google Home — which is a smart home display.
Pixel 3 new features
Here’s just some of what’s new on the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL:
IP68 water resistance—the same as other new flagship phones.
Call Screen (pictured) is built-in and can show you live transcripts when callers leave messages.
Flip to Hush mutes notifications when the phone is face down.
Top Shot takes multiple images each time you “take one photo”and selects the best one.
Photobooth mode takes portrait photos when it detects a smile in your frame.
Super Res Zoom promises sharp photos when you digitally zoom in.
Playground inserts lifelike characters like Iron Man or Star Wars’ BB-8 into your photo.
Night Sight is a low-light camera mode.
Google Lens is active with the camera app, so you can tap on objects to learn about them.
Pixel Stand dock charges your Pixel 3 and can act as an alarm or smart apps dashboard.
Titan Security is built-in hardware that stores your sensitive information like passwords or biometrics separately from a phone’s potentially hackable RAM and storage areas.
Pixel 3 hands on roundup
“The Pixel 2 still has one of the best cameras on the market, with its proprietary HDR+ technology to recover shadows without blowing out highlights. This year, Google has learned from all the data it’s gathered from Pixel 2 to make the camera even better. There is optical image stabilization in the rear sensor as well, leading to sharp images like we saw last year.” — Android Authority hands-on
“They [the last two Pixels] were among my all-time favorites. After using both previous generations, I’m not going to underestimate just how good the Pixel 3 and 3 XL can be using the same formula. The hardware looks and feels fantastic, the displays are dramatically improved, the camera once again looks like a world-beater, and the software will likely be as strong as ever.” — Android Central hands-on
“The Pixel 3 has a new glass covering that, together with the metal body, makes it feel really premium. . . . I like the way the curved edges and corners make the Pixel 3 feel smooth and comfortable to hold. . . . The smaller Pixel 3’s full HD+ screen looked bright and vibrant here in the demo area, and the new dual camera on the front took some decent selfies.” — Engadget hands-on
“The coating feels great, but it doesn’t seem very durable. There were already visible scratches on both of the demo units I photographed (see photo here), and it’s easy to damage the back with something as mundane as a USB-C cable. . . . The Pixel 3 XL follows the notch display trend, but Google has the biggest notch. The cutout extends so far into the display that it doesn’t fit inside a normal Android status bar, so the bar is twice as tall as normal, which looks ridiculous. The width of the notch means you only get to see three notification icons. Combined with the 3 XL’s sizable bottom bezel, I don’t think there’s a single 2018 phone in the Pixel 3’s price range you can…call a worse design. . . . It looks like the Pixel 3 will be all about software, but can that make up for the not-great hardware design?” — Ars Technica hands-on
“Camera quality also seems pretty great. I took a super quick portrait shot, backlit, with some pretty shaky hands (see it below). . . . It’s safe to say that Google hasn’t backslid at all since last year’s best-available camera. . . . There is one standout feature that is as good as advertised: call screening. . . . You can tap little text responses right on the call screen, and it will speak those responses to your caller.” — The Verge hands-on
Pixel 3 hands on video only:
“Android Pie ties everything together beautifully, the software running on this hardware means it’s slick and powerful, whilst the slightly deeper than average notch didn’t bother me at all having become accustomed to the ‘feature’ on a fair few review units over the past 6 to 8 months. . . . I personally like the organization of the new Google camera app, which puts more at your fingertips. Swiping between menus and enabling other features is easy and intuitive in an almost Apple-like way — which is a major compliment.” — 9to5 Google hands-on
“Overall it feels good [to hold]. The buttons are really clicky and they feel premium. . . . The worst part about this build is that it’s kind of slippery despite the soft touch back[side]. . . . [The speakers] are really impressively loud and clear. I’d say they’re on par with the Razer phone based on my first impression. . . — Marques Brownlee hands-on
“While the Pixel 3 looks a lot like last year’s Pixel 2, its narrow form makes one-handed use a dream. . . . In the new phone, the AI is used to make digital zoom a little less terrible. It should help combat blinking and other portrait ruiners, and it promises to make night photography even better. . . . With last year’s display bugs seemingly ironed out and new features like IP68 water resistance joining up with what is hoped to be Google’s best camera yet, I’m expecting the Pixel 3…to be a very strong contender for my second pocket in 2019.” — Mr. Mobile hands-on
“The front firing stereo speakers add a little bit more bezel, and I’m totally okay with that–if they’re gonna have front facing speakers, I’m on board. . . . If you have the Active Edge [setting turned on] you can actually squeeze the sides to silence things such as alarms, you can allow when the screen’s on or off, change the sensitivity, and then of course when you actually squeeze the phone it will activate the Google Assistant. . . . And I love this feature.” — Tim Schofield hands-on
Pixel 3 vs Galaxy S9, iPhone XS & LG G7
In its Pixel 3 and 3 XL hands-on, CNet also put together a terrific chart of the Pixel 3 XL and Pixel 3 vs Galaxy S9, the iPhone XS and LG’s G7 ThinQ. Check it out below:
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This story’s trending topics: Google Pixel 3 specs, Pixel 3 hands on roundup, Pixel 3 XL hands on roundup, Pixel 3 hands on video, Pixel 3 vs Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 3 vs Galaxy S9, Pixel 3 vs iPhone XS
