The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL were officially unveiled at an event today in the US. The launch confirmed what we already knew about both phones based on the leaks and also reveal some new details.
Design
Depending on how you look at it, you can say the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL have not really changed in terms of overall design but there are actually some big changes.
On the front side, both phones have bigger displays – the Pixel 3 now has an 18:9 screen but maintains a similar size to its predecessor while the XL grows its display by 0.3-inches and includes a notch. There are also stereo front-facing speakers and an extra front-facing camera on both devices.
On the rear, the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL is covered entirely in glass. However, the frosted design of the part that is metal on the Pixel 2 duo fools you into thinking it isn’t glass. The switch to glass has led Google to include support for wireless charging.
Lastly, both phones get a new color called Not Pink. Honestly, that is the name and you shouldn’t be surprised since the other two colors are Just Black and Clearly White.
Specs
The Pixel 3 has a 5.5-inch 18:9 screen with a 1080 x 2160 resolution. The Pixel 3 XL, on the other hand, rocks a 6.3-inch 1440 x 2960 display with a notch. Its own aspect ratio is 18.5:9. There is support for HDR and a Boosted Mode which adds 10% more colors to sRGB. Always On also makes a comeback. The front and rear of the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are protected by Gorilla Glass 5.
There is a Snapdragon 845 chipset under the hood of both phones but the cores are clocked at 2.5GHz and not 2.7GHz or even 2.96GHz as we have seen on other phones with the same chipset. Google says this is so as to save battery power.
The Pixel 3 and its big brother also have a dedicated security chip – the Titan M, which keeps the OS and your passwords secure.
The RAM remains 4GB, a reaffirmation from Google that you don’t need more than that to run Android (Pure Android). You get to choose from either 64GB or 128GB of storage with no support for storage expansion.
Both phones now have an IP68 rating and a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. There is a USB-C port for charging and there is still no audio jack. However, Google will ship each phone with a pair of Pixel Buds USB-C earphones which supports real-time translation, Google Assistant integration, and can even read out messages and compose replies. There is also a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter that consumes less power.
The Pixel 3 has a 2915mAh battery and the Pixel 3 XL has a 3450mAh battery.
Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL Cameras
The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL were the best camera phones until the Huawei P20 Pro took the crown from them this year. Now the Pixel 3 and the Pixel 3 XL are here to claim the title.
There is still a single rear camera on both phones. Yes, not only is Google sticking to the same number of sensors as last year’s models but they are sticking to the tradition of providing the same camera performance on each model.
The rear camera is a 12.2MP sensor with a f/1.8 aperture and a 1.4um pixel size. Google says the Pixel Visual Core chipset that handles imaging is back but we are not sure if this is the same or an upgraded one.
The front cameras are dual 8MP sensors. One is a 97° wide-angle f/2.2 sensor and the other is a standard f/1.8 sensor. You will be able to switch cameras to take wide-angle selfies.
There are a bunch of new camera features such as Top Shot – an AI system that takes multiple pictures and selects the one where everyone is at their best (eyes open, smiling etc.). There is also Super Res Zoom which lets you zoom in on objects without losing details. Night Sight lets you take fantastic night photos without the need for flash. It will be available later as an update.
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Price
The Pixel 3 is priced at $799/€849 for the 64GB model and $899/€949 if you want double the storage. The Pixel 3 XL is $899/€949 for the 64GB model and $999/€1049 for the 128GB model. In some other European countries, it is a bit more expensive.
They will be sold in the US, Canada, and the UK. It will also be available on Google’s Project Fi network.
