Google Pixel 3 XL review

Introduction

The Pixel 3 XL is one of our favorite smartphones of the past twelve months, but it differs from what we typically expect from large-screen devices. For instance, it only has one back camera lens and is priced at less than $1,000 (specifically, $899, �869, and AU$1,349).

The phone essentially offers a virtually identical experience to its lesser 5.5-inch Pixel 3 counterpart, except for its notch, higher price, and larger battery, which makes up for the larger screen.

Thanks to a new upgrade, its already excellent camera is now much better at capturing low-light shots, and it even shoots better pictures than the one taken by the iPhone XS.

The Google Assistant, the phone's virtual speech assistant, adds valuable features, including the ability to filter out robocalls and unlimited photo cloud storage.

Unfortunately, the Pixel doesn't have expandable storage because it reduces the device's value. The gigabyte-to-price proportion is better with the lower-end iPhone XS Max, despite the 64GB model's beginning price being less than that of the iPhone XS Max and Galaxy Note 9. Furthermore, the Note 9 is more expensive but supports up to 512GB of external memory.

You are considering the OnePlus 6T if the Google Pixel 3 XL exceeds your price range. It also includes top-notch technology, a quick camera, and a big 6.41-inch screen, yet the price for 128GB starts at just $549 (�499 or AU$774, converted).

The new iPhone XR is an excellent alternative to the Pixel 3 XL if you're willing to try iOS, and it is $150 less expensive. (None of the three phones have a 3.5 mm headphone jack; however, Google includes USB-C earphones and a 3.5mm adaptor.)

The Pixel 3 XL is a good Android choice, if you can afford it. It costs more than the Pixel 3 and may not be as high-end as the iPhone XS Max or Galaxy Note 9, yet it has an absurdly excellent camera and receives timely software upgrades, which elevate it to the status of a first-rate phone.

Camera

Aside from having one of the most remarkable cameras and a sizable screen, the Google Pixel 3 XL also has a broad, colorful display that produces images your friends won't believe were taken on a smartphone.

The Pixel 3 XL is still, in all likelihood, the best photography phone, despite competition from devices like Samsung's Galaxy S10 Plus, Huawei P30 Pro, & OnePlus 7 Pro.

The 12.2MP rear camera is the main selling point for this Android Pie-powered device, followed by the two front cameras (the extra lens is helpful for group selfies), which round out the list. When it involves sheer convenience - point, shoot, and get an excellent picture - Google's phone outperforms everything we've tried so far about taking pictures.

The Pixel 3 XL and the smaller Google Pixel 3 have the same sensors, Snapdragon 845 processor, twin front-facing speakers, and 4GB of RAM. The XL model outperforms its more minor sister with a larger 6.3-inch bezel-reduced OLED display and a larger 3,430mAh battery.

The Pixel 3 XL features a difficult-to-ignore notch carved out at the very top of the display, which is far more significant than that on the Pixel 3 but also significantly more profound than the one on the iPhone XS Max. Usually, we favor larger screens.

This peculiar design feature?discussed by some Pixel fans?is intended to provide a tiny bit more space for notifications icons, time of day, and the remaining battery percentage terms, in snippets surrounding the selfie camera and speaker?which are placed in a cutout in the top-center of the display.

The Google Pixel 3 XL is the ideal choice for those who seek the most perfect smartphone images possible and are accustomed to handling a large device. Even if the smaller, 5.5-inch Pixel 3 is more appropriate for most people, downsizing is challenging.

It lacks some features, such as a headphone jack and a microSD card slot, but if you're willing to accept the notch design, you'll get consistently excellent images and a sizable screen.

Display

The OLED display on the Pixel 3 XL is among the better-looking smartphones lately, and it appears that Google has taken note of the criticism of the Pixel 2 XL. This panel is accurate and colorful.

As per the users the quality of the video and images/picture on phone appear clear and crisp, and the image is so clear that it almost feels like a reality.

In testing, the screen of the Pixel 3 XL registered a very respectable 170.2 percent of the sRGB color spectrum. That falls between the Galaxy Note 9 (224%) and iPhone XS Max (123%) in popularity. The Pixel 3 XL panel also produced a Delta-E score of 0.35 (0 is perfect), so you may anticipate accurate color reproduction.

However, as this panel only emits 362 nits, the brightness may be higher. In our testing, the Galaxy Note 9 measured 604 nits, and the iPhone XS a staggering 606 nits.

Design

The Google Pixel 3 XL makes some pleasant improvements over the Pixel 2 XL from the previous year, but it doesn't push phone design in a completely novel way like the recently released Huawei View 20. The glass and aluminum back is replaced by a two-tone all-glass design. The top is shiny glass, and the bottom 80% has a matte, textured appearance.

With the soft-touch screen back composed of the same Gorilla Glass 5 technology that guards the front screen, the transition between the two surfaces is smoother. The only visible piece of metal is an aluminum frame that connects the front and rear panes of glass.

Although the Pixel 3 XL is slightly more slick to grip than its predecessor, the Pixel 2 XL, it can be operated with one hand. It also fits in one hand. The difference isn't earth- or phone-shattering, but we did end ourselves preferring the regular Google Pixel 3's smaller proportions because of it.

Two advantages of the all-glass construction. First, a glass phone transmits LTE signals faster than an aluminum-backed cellphone. That will be crucial in 2019 as carriers and phone manufacturers compete to offer 5G networks with faster speeds. Second, after the plastic Nexus 6, wireless charging is again a component of Google's hardware ecosystem.

The Google Pixel 3 XL has rounded and flattened corners throughout, allowing Google's Material Design software concept to be implemented in actual hardware. The back fingerprint sensor is flatter, and the frame corners are polished.

Compared to other large phones, the smoother design must be more impressive. This lacks the gracefully curved screen of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, and in comparison to the iPhone XS Max, the bottom chin is noticeable. Whether there is a notch, Google's design needs to stand out.

The Pixel 3 XL, however, boasts more features, including Active Edge, which lets you press the sides of the frame to activate Google Assistant, two selfie cameras, and dual front-facing speakers. We prefer this to a special AI button because Samsung and LG's new phones have dedicated, frequently-impressed AI buttons, which frustrates us.

Just be aware that, unlike the Pixel 2 XL, the Pixel 3 XL lacks a traditional 3.5mm headphone connector. However, this year's model comes with USB-C earbuds. Additionally, the design does not include a microSD card slot. Once you order them, the internal storage capacities of 64GB and 128GB are fixed.

The Pixel 3 XL has three subdued hues: White, Just Black, and pinkish, Not Pink. Our review unit for Clearly White gave us one of two responses: either it was the most refined hue or somewhat cheap and plasticky. The power button's delightful dab of fresh mint color, which is unique to them, was well-liked by all.

Performance

The Pixel 3 XL, which has a Snapdragon 845 chipset and 4GB of RAM, performs flawlessly in both general use & particular duties. Still, its testing results fall short of several other Android phones.

The Pixel 3 XL required 2 minutes & 42 seconds to transcode four-megapixel video clips to 1080p on the Adobe Premiere Video Clip application. The iPhone XS with A12 Bionic took just 39 seconds, while the Samsung Galaxy S9+ was somewhat quicker at 2:32.

The Pixel 3 XL got an unexpectedly low 7,684 on Geekbench 4, a performance benchmark. The OnePlus 6 reached 9,088, and the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 8,876. The 11,515th iPhone XS Max was reached.

To assess graphic performance, we also used 3DMark Slingshot Extreme. The Pixel 3 XL achieved 4,396, making it lower than the Note 9 (4,639) but equivalent to the iPhone XS Max (4,339).

The Pixel 3 XL (also known as the smaller variant) has been reported to stop background operations, though periodically abruptly. Many people initially believed this was a criticism of the Pixels' 4GB of RAM compared to the 6GB or even 8GB offered by other flagships. However, it appears that the issue may be more related to a bug in the memory management code of the Pixels.

To circumvent this, Google informed 9to5Google that they would release an update to the software "in a couple of weeks, " hoping to fix the problem. Our internal units have occasionally stopped background programs, like Spotify, when playing music, but after using the devices for close to a month, that's only occurred two or three times.

Conclusion

Fast performance, superb photography capabilities, and helpful AI capability that goes above and beyond anything we see on other Android flagships are all features of the Google Pixel 3.

The Google Pixel 3's most striking features rely on machine learning and artificial intelligence to maximize the potential of its single back camera and two front-facing cameras. AI is also used in other exciting aspects, including the enhanced capabilities of Google Assistant.

Google achieved a record sales quarter throughout the European 5, US, Australia, & Japan as it continues to build on the popularity of its Pixel series. Great Britain accounts for the most significant share of sales of Android devices (18%).