Google Pixel 3 & 3 XL Review

Google Pixel 3 & 3 XL Review: Perfect Imperfections

Last year, Google took the world by storm w/ the Pixel 2 & Pixel 2 XL. It offered a minimal yet more original design w/ stock Android, machine learning AI-based single lens camera & more. We gave this the best shooter in all of the lands and has yet to be dethroned. But it did have its share of problems w/ the poor quality control on the XL displays at launch.

Now we have the Pixel3 & Pixel 3 XL to combat the flagships of 2018. There is already a new wave of quality control issues present as well. Fortunately, our units are fine. We will focus on answering some of your questions in regards to the 3rd-gen Pixels. Can the new cameras hold up against the rest of the pack? Is 4GB of RAM enough in a world of 6GB? Is the notch on the 3XL that bad? We will answer these questions and more in our review of both sizes of the Google Pixel 3.

The hardware hasn't changed too much.

At a quick glance, you can put the Pixel 2 & Pixel 3 side-by-side and not tell the difference form the rear. But when you get closer, you can see the slight differences. So gone is the aluminum rear w/ glass area by the camera sensor. Now its all glass w/ a frosted glass texture where there was aluminum on the rear. I cased up quickly as many reports are saying the frosted glass texture is super sensitive and prone to scratches – heavily. So I would suggest those of you who planned on buying to do the same.

Inside you got a slightly-faster Snapdragon 845 CPU coupled w/ 4GB of RAM and ours have 64GB of storage inside. For some strange reason there are reports of memory issues involved here as I too suffered from it. With occasional app crashes and photos not saving, we would suggest that the Pixel 3 could use more than just 4GB of RAM. Not sure if this is a concenr for all devices or for the early batches that went out. Maybe next year, we’ll get up to 8GB of RAM for the Pixel 4. Hopefully, an update is coming to rectify the situation in the meantime. When that’s not happening, it performs fine.

Google says the front-facing speakers are now 40% louder from last year. There is definitely improvement here in audio quality. The new speakers are a lot more fuller & offer a bit more depth this time around. Even though the Pixel 2 speakers were fine, these are definitely a welcome upgrade.

5.5inch 1080p OLED display w/ 2160 x 1080 resolution (Pixel 3)
6.3inch QHD OLED display w/ 2960 x 1440 resolution (Pixel 3 XL)
Snapdragon 845
4GB of RAM + 64GB of storage
f/1.8 12.2MP rear-facing camera w/ opticla + electornic image stabilization
front-facing f/1.8 8MP standard lens + f/2.2 8MP wide-angle lens
IP68 dust/water-resistant body
rear fingerprint reader
Android 9.0 Pie
2915 mAh battery (Pixel 3)
3430 mAh battery (Pixel 3 XL)

But the displays did

Yup. They did as the made the standard panel on the Pixel 3 better than last year as well. So no more LCD on the little guy & OLED on the big brother. This year both Pixels get OLED screens. LG provided the OLED on the Pixel 3 while Samsung is handling the OLED on the Pixel 3 XL.

The Pixel 3 XL sees huge benefits here as the Pixel 2 XL colors were a bit muted in comparison to the Pixel 2 and every other flagship from last year. This year the colors pop a lot more and offers an overall more vibrant visuals than last year’s Pixels. However, its better but not as good as the Note 9 or iPhone Xs though but still a great display + overall improvement.

However, there are some folks experiencing some issues of dead pixels, 2nd notches on the right-hand side of the device, & other weird occurrences. I haven’t gone through anything on my Pixels but if you get one try to not to drop them as that maybe the source of some of the screen-related issues.

What about that notch?

It is massive. It is an eyesore. It doesn’t offer much purpose. All of that said, it’s not that big of a deal after using it for a while. You notice it but not a deal breaker as it is more so poor design aesthetic. There are some apps if doesn’t work well with but you can hide it using Developer Settings. So don’t let the notch stop you from picking the Pixel 3 XL if you want the bigger phone.

Finally! Wireless charging on a Pixel but w/ the same battery size from last year

This was definitely on my wishlist for the Pixel 3 and it’s here. The problem is that there is a catch w/ it or an asterisk if you will. Unless you’re using the Pixel Stand or the Belkin Pixel 3 Qi charger, you won’t get the fastest charging out of it. It will say charging rapidly but it will take hours to charge completely. We didn’t get a Pixel Stand to properly test this out though.

With the battery capacities being damn-near identical to last year’s models, I was hoping for a bit of a boost w/ the new software + CPUs. Unfortunately, it’s about the same as I got on last year’s models. Light-to-moderate will get you almost 2 days on both Pixels. While heavier usage will require you to charge the Pixel 3 before bed while the 3 XL could survive to charge in the morning. Its fine but a bit spoiler after dealing w/ these 4000 mAh battery devices.

Can the cameras get even better?

So the cameras on the Pixel 2 was hard to beat in regards to photos. This is still the case even w/ many of the 2018 flagships out in the wild like the iPhone Xs, Galaxy Note 9, and more. Believe it or not, the cameras are better this time around on the Pixel 3. So on paper, the specs remain the same w/ a 12.2MP sensor + f/1.8 aperture. But Google beefed up their AI machine learning +image processing on the software side of things.

Before we dive into the many new features the camera has to offer, let’s talk about the results of our standard shots. Images come out on the cooler side rather than true to life, great dynamic range, and lots of detail present – more times than not still using a single camera on the rear. On the front, we got not one but 2 cameras on board w/ a standard + wide-angle one. The standard selfie is just as good as the shooters on the rear. The wide-angle is good too. It can be great to have in select situations but some might not like the distortion that comes along w/ it. The video quality is fine as it maxes out at 4K @30fps. Its not where I would like it to be though as I will reserve the Pixel 3 for photos. If you want the best video, go Apple or Samsung. Now onto the new software-based stuff.

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Top Shot chooses the best take out of several photos. It didn’t work every single time but when it did, it worked as advertised. Super Res Zoom does a good job at capturing data so when you pinch to zoom, the photo can still be usable. Motion Auto Focus is one of the many things I don’t think Google gets enough credit for. You long press to focus on a subject and it will retain it even in motion. Photo Booth is a cute way to capture group selfies w/ smiles or funny faces instead of a shutter button. Google added a software-based RAW option to save photos w/ more info than your standard JPEG. Night Sight isn’t out yet at the time of writing this but we tested a preview version and it is quite amazing.

I think w/ the top tier of shooter of the iPhones, Pixels, & Notes; either way you can’t lose. However, there will be times where one is better than others & vice-versa or more consistent. At this time in 2018, it really comes down to preference. However, I’m loving the results from the Pixel 3 though.

How do the new software features work?

Google didn’t do what they’ve done w/ the past 2 Pixels and put a slightly higher version of Android on here. Its the same Android 9.0 Pie so if you had the beta or are currently running the final version, there’s not anything new really. You got swipe-based navigation like iOS w/ the option to turn it off, quick reply for notifications, weather added to your Always-On Display, new emojis, Adaptive battery, and more.

Google Lens gets better, faster, and can recognize more things. AR Stickers from last year is now called Playground where you can add Iron Man into your photos and take selfies w/ him (an animated version of Childish Gambino is coming soon). The lovely Now Playing feature now displays your history of songs your Pixel 3 has recognized. A much-welcome improvement.

One of the more notable features is Digital Wellbeing (which is still in beta) which tracks the time spent on your phone and apps. You can setup a wind-down feature that turns your device Black & White + activates Do Not Disturb to deter you from further phone use. I had the beta on my Pixel 2 XL and have it set for 1AM. However, it can be turned on/off within your quick settings so you won’t have to fight the need to offline if you don’t feel like it.

Call Screening is easily the best thing Google did outside of the cameras on the Pixel smartphones – some might think even better. It is a product of Google’s Duplex feature unveiled at I/O this year. So when you get a phone call, you got the option to answer/hang up/screen call. When you go that last route, Google Assistant speakers to the person calling and asks why they’re calling. You can see that message & the caller’s response transcribed in real-time. You can hit preset responses for more info, pick up, or more than likely hang up on them. With all of the bots calling you about nothing, its nice to finally return the favor to combat them.

The Pixel 3/3 XL: the best software on Android & one of top 3 the best point-and-shoot camera on any phone out.

The Pixel 3/3XL is a modest upgrade from the Pixel 2/2 XL but in day-to-day usage is a bit better in the overall experience. If you’re coming from the Pixel 2, this might be considered an S-type upgrade. For those of you who own a Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL, it may not be worth it for you to upgrade. Especially when some of the new features will trickle down to you eventually.

But I don’t think these will be for the last year’s owners, but more so for those who had the 1st-gen Pixels, other Android devices, and disgruntled iPhone users. You got a the latest software w/ a minimal look, stellar cameras, and the power of Google Assistant. However, Google warrants a bit more this year as they want a bit more for their Pixels this year. The 64GB Pixel 3 will cost you $799 for the 64GB & $899 for the 128GB. The Pixel 3 XL costs you $899 for the 64GB & $999 for a 128GB. So it can get pricey if you need the extra storage. Depending on your needs/wants of a smartphone, it can be worth it.

Thanks to Google & Verizon for hooking us up.