The Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are the third generation of smartphones made by Google under the pixel brand. The Pixel phones provide the most optimized version of Android that you can get on a smartphone. After the plethora of leaks, Google finally announced the two devices this week. Here is everything you need to know about the two devices.
The Look and Feel
Google didn’t want to mess with the success of the Pixel 2 devices but few changes were required to improve the features of the previous generation. The first thing you will notice about the new Pixel 3 devices is that they appear to have the same design and construction with a dual tone back as last year’s Pixel 2, which had metal on bottom and glass on the top. However, the Pixel 3 devices now have a completely glass back with matte glass finish on the bottom and shiny glass finish on the top. The glass back was added to the Pixel 3 devices so that wireless charging can be supported. The entire metal band around the device comes in a gloss finish. The matte glass back and glossy sides carries over into both sizes and there is no exclusivity in colors as both the Google Pixel 3 devices will come in three colors including Just Black, Clearly White, and Not Pink. The devices still feature a colored power button with a teal color on Clearly White and Orange power button on Not Pink version. On the front of the device, you will notice the dual speakers have been retained from the Pixel 2 devices. The smaller pixel 3 is a little quieter but both devices sound really good. The devices sound as good as your Google home mini. Speaking of retaining previous trends, the Pixel 3 devices still don’t feature a headphone jack but they do come with USB C headphones in the box now.
The Specifications
As expected, Google is not trying to play the spec game as they hardly mentioned them during the announcement keynote. The Pixel 3 devices get a bump with the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor. However, everything else is similar to the previous generation of Pixel 2 devices. There is only 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of base storage in both phones. You can pay $100 extra for double the storage (128 GB). The battery size has changed this year, although, for Pixel 3 XL is going down to 3430 mAh but the Pixel 3 increased to 2915 mAh, which does translate into a full day of use from our testing. The phones are shipping with a brand new mobile security chip that Google is calling Titan M, which is the same security chip that Google uses in their data centers. The Titan M security chip is custom built for Pixel 3 devices for securing your passwords and operating system. The new Pixel 3 devices now have an IP68 rating for water and dust proofing as well. The Google Pixel 3 devices are very well constructed as it feels very high end in your hand and the buttons have a nice and clicky feel to them.
The Display
Considering the high end price point of previous generation Pixel devices, the most talked about feature of Pixel 2 devices was the poor quality of the displays, which had some burn-in and blue tint issues. Google is well aware of this shortcoming and they have made a huge effort in the display department of the Pixel 3. The Google Pixel 3 XL has a 6.3 inch OLED display with a notch and Pixel 3 sports a 5.5 inch display stretched to 18:9, which allows the device to have more display in the same footprint of Pixel 2. With the Pixel 3 XL, Google has jumped on the bandwagon by including a notch, which was met with very mixed feelings. The devices have improved OLED, which is a big improvement as both screens have been calibrated to be extremely accurate. When you switch to the RGB mode, you will see an image that is visually indistinguishable from perfect. You will notice less color shifting from white point and very solid brightness with 400 nits during full screen image. Google has built in new mitigations in the panel quality and software to reduce burn-in by half. Google has worked closely with apps and software team to make sure ther eis a mixture of dark and light navigation bars in the Google apps so that navigation bar doesn’t burn into the screen.
The Camera
The previous generation Pixel 2 devices are still one of the best camera smartphones in the game. The one thing that is going to stand out the most on the Pixel 3 devices is the camera. The biggest feature in the Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL cameras is the visual core processor, which is being put to work as it processes images 40% faster, meaning less waiting for image processing after taking your shot. The camera hardware has been upgraded with rear lens at 12.2 MP and f/1.8 aperture. The front houses dual 8 MP cameras with a Telephoto lens with f/1.8 aperture and Wide-angle lens at f/2.2 aperture, which allows you to take wider 107o group selfies.
The rear camera is still a single lens camera. However, the software is still able to provide you with portrait mode which will blur the background of your images. There is also a feature called Top Shot, which captures motion photo and using Artificial intelligence, it picks the best picture for you. Another feature is called photo booth, which recognizes your smile and starts taking series of pictures from your front facing camera. There is also a Night Sight with longer exposure, which pulls as much visual information as possible with multiple exposures to create a composite of your photos taken in the dark. The low light performance of these phones is drastically improved as details and colors are retained with great sharpness in dark environments. The camera also has a feature called Super Res Zoom for optical zoom, which counters the shaking of your hands using machine learning to keep your pictures sharp without blur.
If you are constantly taking pictures of your moving objects or your pets or kids, you will really enjoy the motion autofocus feature that will keep the camera focused on the moving object as you try to take the picture. Google is using a lot of artificial intelligence, software tricks, and machine learning to make your photos look amazing no matter the condition.
The Software
One of the main selling points of the Pixel phones is the availability of the newest version of Android. The Pixel 3 devices will ship with Android 9 Pie with Google Assistant. Google is promising a minimum of 3 years of OS and security updates.
One interesting feature that is launching with Pixel 3 is call screen, which will screen your calls for your using the Google Duplex technology. When a call comes in, you get three options to ignore, answer, or screen. The call screen feature is great when an unknown number is calling your Pixel 3 device, an automated voice is going to answer the call for you. The call screen will show you the live transcription of what the other person is saying. Call screen will also show you a bunch of options that will allow you to continue the conversation to make them explain the purpose of the call. All of these call screen steps happen locally on your device as it would take too long to go over the internet and it also avoids privacy concerns with phones listening and recording the conversations.
Pricing and Availability
The Pixel 3 starts at $799 for 64 GB of storage and Pixel 3 XL starts at $899 for 64 GB. The phones will cost $100 extra for double the storage of 128 GB. The phones start shipping on 18 October 2018. Google is also launching the Pixel Stand, which is a wireless charger for $79 that will offer fast charging while turning the display into a smart display.
What’s in the box:
- Pixel 3 or Pixel 3 XL
- Quick Switch Adaptor
- USB-C to USB-C cable
- Pixel USB-C earbuds
- USB-C to 3.5 mm headphone adaptor
- SIM tool
- Quick Start Guide
The value proposition of the Google Pixel 3 devices is mainly in the software department. The Pixel 3 devices may not feature the industrial design that a Samsung or Apple device might, but it definitely makes up for the hardware shortcoming by offering the smartest smartphone available on the market. That being said, the Pixel phones haven’t changed that much from last year, so if you currently own the Pixel 2 XL then it is not a worthy upgrade if you are not experiencing any slow downs or screen issues. However, if you are the in the market for a new Android phone then Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL will be the best Android phones on the market.
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Source: Google
I am officially a tech addict and enjoy providing my views on matters related to this industry. I am always interested in trying out new tech gadgets and I have owned multiple smartphones including the legendary HTC One, SGS2, Nexus 4, iPhone 4, 5S, 6S, XR, Note 9. You can ask me any tech related questions in the comment section or on twitter @hookedNav