Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL review: Much ado about notching

 Note: This article was first published on 16th October 2018 and it has been updated with new battery test results. 

Overview

If I had to describe Google’s Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL smartphones with one word, it would be competent. They don’t dazzle with their exquisite design or wow you with a gaggle of four cameras, but that doesn't change the fact that they still deliver a lot of what you’d expect from a flagship smartphone today.

This means a great display, an excellent camera, and solid battery life. Couple that with Google’s AI smarts and computational photography tricks, and you end up with a phone that simply works very, very well.

This year’s model also comes with a faster Snapdragon 845 SoC, better speakers, dual front cameras, and support for Qi wireless charging, which amount to small, incremental feature upgrades over the Pixel 2.

However, those of you hoping for larger storage options or a memory bump will be disappointed. The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL come with just 4GB of memory and either 64GB or 128GB of storage.

Here’s a spec comparison of the 64GB models:

Design: It looks a lot like the Pixel 2

The Pixel 3 phones may appear to be playing it safe in the design department, but the Pixel 3 XL already looks like it’s turning out to be fairly polarizing in its own right.

I’m talking of course about the notch. The notch on the Pixel 3 XL is narrow, but it’s also really tall and ends up sort of invading the screen in a way that some may consider bothersome. I’m personally not troubled by this, and I think the notch is a lot less offensive in person than in pictures, but I can see why some folks might be unwilling to put up with it.

The biggest problem is that there’s seemingly no clear reason for the notch to exist. The notch on the iPhone XS, and the iPhone X before it, housed the TrueDepth camera module, an integral component of Apple’s Face ID feature. If there wasn't a notch, as in the case of the iPhone 8, you didn't get Face ID.

Unfortunately, Google has proven that it doesn't actually need the notch to include the dual front cameras and speaker. The Pixel 3 has the exact same front camera setup, including the second wide-angle f/2.2 shooter, which makes it seem like the notch is there just because notches are trendy now.

To be fair, the notch allows Google to extend the display all the way up to the top of the screen, which gives a nice edge-to-edge look at the top of the phone. Of course, one of the main gripes about this approach is that the phone still has a “chin”, but so does every other Android phone (the Pixel 3 XL’s bottom bezel is thicker than on the Note9 though). I’d argue that just because you can’t eliminate all the bezels doesn’t mean that you shouldn't still try to reduce them where you can, and I do enjoy having my screen extend up to the edges at the top.

But that business about notches aside, the good news is that the Pixel 3 phones feel more premium in hand than their predecessors. I'm not a fan of all-glass backs, but now that Qi wireless charging has arrived on the Pixel 3, Google has finally ditched the metal body of the Pixel 2. However, instead of a single pane of glass that's slick and shiny from top to bottom, Google has somehow sanded the bottom three-quarters or so of the back to produce a lovely matte finish. 

I dislike glass backs mainly because of how reflective they are and how easily they attract fingerprints, but Google's approach seems to have addressed these concerns. The matte surface also comes close to approximating the feel of metal, which is quite nice.

In another nice touch, the aluminum frame in both the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL feature a shiny coating that blends in nicely with the Gorilla Glass 5 panels on the front and back of the phone. I'm reminded vaguely of the shiny frame surrounding the new iPhone XS, and while Google's approach isn't quite as eye-catching, it is an improvement over the dull aluminum frame on the Pixel 2.

Elsewhere, the contrasting power button is making a return on the Pixel 3, and the Clearly White and Not Pink colors come with mint and orange buttons respectively.

In addition, the Pixel 3 smartphones are more durable as well. They now sport an IP68 rating, compared to IP67 on the Pixel 2, which means they can be submerged up to 1.5m underwater for up to 30 minutes.

On top of that, the Pixel 3 now comes with a security chip custom-designed by Google called the Titan M. The chip protects your log-in credentials, disk encryption, app data, and the integrity of your OS code itself. It also works in tandem with Android and the Pixel’s hardware to verify important transactions like fund transfers and mobile banking.

But these small differences aside, you've probably already noticed how much the Pixel 3 looks like the Pixel 2. Save for the new Clearly White and Not Pink colors that the Pixel 3 now comes in, the backs of the Pixel 2 XL and Pixel 3 XL are nearly indistinguishable. The corners of the soft-touch glass at the back have been reshaped and are now more rounded, which softens the phone’s industrial look somewhat, but the overall design language remains the same.

Both generations of phones also share nearly identical dimensions, give or take a millimeter here and there. However, the Pixel 3 phones are slightly heavier. For instance, the Pixel 3 XL weighs 184g to the Pixel 2 XL’s 175g.

The similarity with the Pixel 2 opens Google up to accusations of stagnation and falling behind its competitors in the design department. Phones like the Samsung Galaxy Note9 and the iPhone XS do feel more refined and elegant, and the Pixel can feel a little rough around the edges in comparison. Part of that may be because Google is primarily still a software company at heart. It’s not touting super obvious hardware improvements like more cameras or a custom-designed chip called something like the A12 Bionic, but that’s because many of the upgrades are bundled into the software.

Finally, the 3.5mm headphone jack looks to be gone for good. At the bottom, the phones have the same USB-C port and SIM card slot. However, there's no support for dual-SIM capabilities. The Pixel 3 will ship with a pair of wired USB-C earbuds modeled after the Pixel Buds, complete with Google Assistant baked in. Along with the Google Translate app, you can use the earbuds to translate in real-time more than 40 languages. (Google has also announced that its real-time translation features would be coming to all Assistant-enabled headphones.)

When it comes to handling both phones, the Pixel 3 feels really compact and pocketable. It’s far easier to deal with, so if you’re not a fan of the current crop of jumbo-sized phones (or the notch), you’ll probably find the smaller Pixel more appealing. That said, the Pixel 3 XL isn’t ridiculously large either, and I’m able to use it fairly comfortably even though I have smaller hands.

Finally, a display worthy of a flagship phone

Google’s Pixel 2 XL was plagued with numerous issues, ranging from the notorious blue cast when the screen was viewed from an angle to weird, intermittent flashing. It was, quite frankly speaking, terrible, especially considering that that was supposed to be Google’s flagship.

Fortunately, Google has managed to improve the display by leaps and bounds. The pesky blue shift is gone, and colors appear bright and vibrant.

Both the 5.5-inch Pixel 3 and the 6.3-inch Pixel 3 XL now use flexible OLED panels that Google says were designed from the ground up for the Pixel. They also come calibrated out of the box in a new Adaptive mode, which is more vivid but still more natural than Samsung levels of retina-searing contrast. There are also Natural (sRGB) and Boosted (10 per cent boost over sRGB) modes, should you prefer more muted colors. 

In addition, the displays are certified by the UHD Alliance as a Premium HDR device, which basically means they meet certain standards for color accuracy and display brightness. However, this is not to be confused with a Mobile HDR Premium certification, which requires 10-bit displays and 90 per cent coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut. Furthermore, there’s no mention of HDR10 support anywhere.

That said, I have few complaints about the display. It truly is a vast improvement over the Pixel 2 XL, with nice contrast levels and good viewing angles. It’s also bright enough to use under direct sunlight, but I feel like the brightness slider adjustments could use some tweaking as even setting the slider dial to the halfway mark resulted in a screen that felt way too dim, even while indoors. The integrated Adaptive Brightness setting tries to simplify this process for you by learning your usage habits and predicting your brightness preferences, and it worked pretty well for me for the most part.

The 5.5-inch Pixel 3 is also shaping up to be a more attractive option than last year's 5-inch Pixel 2 (when compared to their respective XL variants). The Pixel 3 now sports a higher resolution 2,160 x 1,080-pixel OLED display (443ppi), compared to the Pixel 2's 1,920 x 1,080-pixel resolution. On top of that, the bezels have been slimmed down, and it basically looks like a Pixel 2 XL from the front. 

When it comes to the Pixel 3 XL, Google has managed to cram a larger 6.3-inch display into a similar-sized chassis. The display resolution has also been bumped up slightly to 2,960 x 1,440 pixels (522ppi).

Audio

The dual front-facing speakers are louder than the setup on the Pixel 2 phones, and the sound signature is also markedly different. There’s still obvious distortion at maximum volume, but compared to the Pixel 2, the mids do sound a lot clearer and more prominent on the Pixel 3.

Android Pie and Pixel Launcher: Gestures and prediction

The Pixel 3 smartphones ship with the latest version of Android Pie and the Pixel Launcher. Android Pie doesn’t represent a sea change from Oreo, and a lot of it centers around adding a layer of polish on top of an already solid version of Android. This means a smarter OS where things like brightness and battery life are handled by machine learning, where the system tries to pick up on your preferences and usage habits and adapt accordingly.

There are nifty features to help you disconnect as well, such as Digital Wellbeing and the ability to set a “Wind Down” schedule to help you get ready for bed. Digital Wellbeing is still in beta, but I’m already finding it pretty useful. It shows how much time you’re spending in each app – too much Instagram, maybe? – in the form of an easy-to-understand diagram. More importantly, it lets you set limits for the amount of time you spend in each app, just in case you need help weaning yourself off Fortnite or something.

A feature called Flip to Shhh also lets you turn on Do Not Disturb mode by placing your phone down on a flat surface, which is pretty convenient when you’re about to turn in for the night.

There are also a few other features that I want to mention. First off, Android Pie finally adds a magnifier for when you’re trying to move the cursor and select text. Then there’s the ability to edit or share a screenshot immediately after taking it, which is super useful and saves you from having to dig through your screenshot folder to find the right picture. Finally, there’s something called lockdown, which basically disables the fingerprint sensor and requires that you enter your phone’s passcode to log in. Maybe you’re worried about someone using your finger to unlock your phone while you’re sleeping?

But the coolest addition is probably Call Screen (also arriving on the Pixel 2), which lets you hand over spam calls or unknown callers to an AI robot of sorts. The AI will speak to the caller and ask them why they're calling. It'll then transcribe what they say in real-time, and surface a selection of responses for you to choose from. I love the idea of it, and it's a shining example of how Google often successfully differentiates itself with software. Sadly, like Google Duplex, this is a U.S.-only feature for now.

The Pixel 3 also comes with Google’s Pixel Launcher installed by default, which uses a brand new gesture control system. The familiar three-button interface for home, recent apps, and back is gone, and there’s now a directional pill in its place on the home screen. The back button still reappears in some apps, but it’s also now a lot less intrusive than before.

There are a few possible ways to interact with the new pill-shaped home button. Swiping up on it brings up the Overview pane, which is basically your recent apps list. However, the list has been tweaked to now display apps in a horizontal row, which is pretty similar to how it’s done in iOS. On Pixel phones, you’ll also get an AI-curated list of five suggested apps and the Google search bar.

I haven’t used the phone for long enough to really get behind the relevance of these suggested apps, but my current list is pretty spot on.

Another interesting feature is the ability to copy text directly from each app window in the Overview panel. You can't drag copied text directly into another window in Overview (you'll have to actually enter the app properly), but it's still pretty nifty nevertheless.

If you drag the home button quickly to the right, you’ll get another horizontal row of recent apps that’s pretty similar to the Overview pane. The main difference is that you’re supposed to keep your thumb on the home button and swipe through the list. However, because the recent view goes away once you release the home button, it’s most useful for swiping through your most recent apps. If you want to navigate to an earlier app, you’re better off using the Overview pane. Finally, holding down on the home button launches Google Assistant.

The app drawer is accessible by swiping up again from the Overview pane. This is pretty much your good old app drawer, complemented with the Google search bar at the top and something called Actions. Actions are suggestions based on what Android thinks you’re going to do, and it takes you directly to the part of the app in question.

So far, I’ve gotten suggestions to text friends and listen to my favorite Spotify playlist, which is nice but not super life-changing. Alternatively, you can turn off all the suggested apps and actions if you don't like them.

There are other small quality of life improvements as well. For instance, Google Lens is now more tightly integrated with the camera, and you can now more easily copy text from pictures, identify products or even animals, scan barcodes, or discover new books and media. 

Having said all that, I still find the functionality of the Pixel Launcher quite limited. For one, I'm not able to add more icons to the dock or change the grid size of the app drawer. At the end of the day, power users will probably still gravitate toward something more customizable like Nova Launcher.

Benchmark results

The 5.5-inch Google Pixel 3 and 6.3-inch Pixel 3 XL use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 chipset, with 4GB RAM and up to 128GB internal storage. Announced Dec 2017, the octa-core Snapdragon 845 (with Adreno 630 GPU) is manufactured on a 10nm FinFET process and can be found on several Android flagship phones this year, such as the LG G7+ ThinQ, OnePlus 6, Oppo Find X, and Sony Xperia XZ2.

SunSpider

SunSpider is a JavaScript benchmark that tests just the core JavaScript language but not the DOM or other browser APIs.

At around 410ms, the Pixel 3’s performance in this benchmark is on a par with what we’ve seen on other SDM845 phones. The iPhones’ JavaScript performance continues to be untouchable.

Geekbench CPU

Geekbench CPU is a cross-platform processor benchmark that tests both single-core and multi-core performances using workloads that simulate real-world usage. Geekbench 4 scores are calibrated against a baseline score of 4,000 (which is the score of an Intel Core i7-6600U CPU).

No surprise here - the Pixel 3 phones' single and multi-core performances are in line with what we expect from phones with SDM845.

3DMark Sling Shot Unlimited

3DMark’s Sling Shot test is an OpenGL ES 3.0 benchmark that tests the full range of API features including multiple render targets, instanced rendering, uniform buffers, and transform feedback. To compare CPUs and GPUs, we run this test offscreen using the Unlimited mode.

Interestingly, the smaller Pixel 3’s scores varied quite a bit across our test runs, usually fluctuating between 5,800 and 6,500. According to 3DMark, the Pixel 3’s CPU clock sometimes went up to 2.3GHz, but sometimes only up to 1.8GHz.

In case you're wondering, the Galaxy Note9’s score is even lower because the one we tested had the Exynos 9810, not the SDM845.

Synthetic benchmarks aside, we don’t think anyone would be disappointed with the Pixel 3 phones' performance in the real-world, be it multi-tasking in apps or fragging enemies in games. The Snapdragon 845 may not be the fastest mobile chip in the world right now, but it’s still right up there and should serve you well over the next three years.

Battery life

The 5.5-inch Pixel 3 has a 2,915mAh battery, which is larger than the 2,700mAh pack that came with the 5-inch Pixel 2. On the other hand, the 6.3-inch Pixel 3 XL’s 3,430mAh Li-ion cell is slightly smaller than the 6-inch Pixel 2 XL’s 3,520mAh.

We’ve yet to run our full battery test suite (because we’ve been out testing and shooting with the phones), but to you an idea, over the past weekend, the 3 XL had no problem making through one 12-hour outing and providing at least 4.5 hours of screen-on time. When we finally set it down on the Pixel Stand at the end of a long day, it still had about 10% battery life.

The smaller Pixel 3 also survived a similar full day use without us turning to a power bank. When we ended the day at 9 PM on Sunday, it had about 5% battery life left, and that was after recording around 4 hours of screen-on time.

In short: good but not spectacular battery life.

(Note: We’ll update this section as we use the phones more and gather more results.)

Updated on 17th December 2018: We've now run the battery life tests on both the Pixel 3 and 3 XL.

Our standard battery test for mobile phones has the following parameters:

• Looping a 720p video with screen brightness and volume at 100%
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity turned on
• Constant data streaming through email and Twitter

The Pixel 3 XL lasted 11 hours and 13 minutes on our video looping benchmark, which isn't bad, but is slightly less than last year's Pixel 2 XL (which lasted 11 hours and 31 minutes). The Pixel 3 lasted 10 hours and 21 minutes.

The Pixel 3 phones are also the first Pixel phones to support wireless charging. You can use any Qi-compatible charger, but to get 10W fast wireless charging, you need Google’s own Pixel Stand, which retails for S$119. (The phones still charge faster with the bundled 18W wired USB-C power adapter.)

You can still do things with the Pixel 3 while it’s charging on the Pixel Stand, including viewing your favorite Google Photos album in a slideshow and listening to music. It also uses ambient lighting that mimics the sunrise right before your alarm goes off to wake you up gently. Of course, you can have Google Assistant tell you your schedule, traffic info, and the latest news. We're glad that Google bothers to make the stand useful.

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Camera

Both Pixel 3 phones come with a 12.2MP dual-pixel rear camera and dual 8MP front cameras, with the latter comprising of a new wide-angle lens to capture wider shots. Google says this Group Selfie Cam lets you take “184% more in your selfies” compared to the iPhone XS’ front-facing camera. A new Photobooth mode also uses machine learning to decide the best moments to capture selfies. For example, it will try to get funny faces or when the subjects are smiling.

A marquee feature of the rear camera is Top Shot, which captures a series of frames before and after you hit the shutter button. On-device machine learning is then applied to find the best photos. There’s also an AI-powered Super Res Zoom function, which basically takes a burst of photos to create a higher quality image when you use digital zoom.

And then there’s Night Sight, which again uses machine learning to tune the colors and exposure for better low-light photography. Google claims it works so well that you’d never need to use your flash again. Night Sight is only coming later this year though.

We've a separate piece that talks about the Pixel 3's camera performance that you can check out here. For those who just want the gist, here's an excerpt from the article:

Stills in good and low light are exceptional, and the best from a flagship smartphone that I’ve seen this year. Image stabilization on video is excellent, especially for the front camera. The two front-facing cameras should prove useful for people who shoot group selfies as well as for people who just want more of the background in an image.



Portrait Mode misses some of the details, like fine hair, but looks good otherwise. Portrait Mode shines at shooting complex, inanimate objects with more definite edges. And because the Pixel 3 doesn't require you to shoot portraits at an optimal distance, it gives you more flexibility to compose your shots.



The lack of a telephoto lens is the Pixel 3’s biggest weakness, especially when we’re seeing two to four rear cameras on smartphones these days. Super Res Zoom does its best, but can’t compete with a real telephoto camera. 

Read next: Google Pixel 3 camera review.

In a somewhat related note, know that Google Lens is integrated into the camera app on the Pixel 3, so finding information about monuments, animals, and plants is just a tap or press away. You can even search text and fashion styles!

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Conclusion

At first glance, the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL don't seem like much to get excited about. They come with a Snapdragon 845 chip, 4GB of RAM, and a single rear camera, which taken as whole, is slightly behind the curve when compared to other Android flagships today. 

However, Google insisted that it put a lot of thought into what is included in the Pixel 3, and it's confident that it's hardware and software combination can deliver the performance that's needed. Why wasn't there more RAM? Google says its tests showed that there wasn't a need for more. Why just one rear camera? Google's software and computational photography prowess can simulate a natural depth of field without the need for dedicated hardware. 

In my experience, the phone feels fast and fluid, with nary a stutter anywhere. The camera is also really great, so I can't really argue with Google's reasoning. But regardless of whether you think the company's rationale is justified, the fact remains that Google's new Pixel phones pack a punch. They're not fancy, but they're like the freckled, quiet kid at the back of class who's actually super prepared for the test. If you want a good screen, a stellar camera, and decent battery life, you probably should give the Pixel phones a look. 

The problem is that the same trifecta could be applied to many flagship Android phones today. Does the Pixel 3 have what it takes to stand out in a very competitive field? I think the answer depends on who you ask. As a fan of stock Android and the Pixel series, I'll always pick stock Android over nearly everything else (provided the hardware is up to snuff, which it is on the Pixel).

But someone who isn't an Android purist probably doesn't care about the stock experience or most of Google's nifty features. They just want a phone that looks gorgeous and is fast. It's impressive that Google's software smarts allow its single camera to keep up with the dual and triple camera setups on other flagships, but that consumer isn't going to care about that. Pixel phones do get the latest software and security updates, but I don't think that's going to be a deciding factor for someone simply looking for a slick flagship. 

There's also the issue of the notch, which is proving to be a pretty divisive issue. I don't mind the notch – it's also covered up by a black bar when you're watching videos anyway – but there's always the smaller Pixel 3 if you're keen on the Pixel series but dislike how large the notch is. 

Finally, I have to talk about the price. The Pixel 3 costs S$1,249 for the 64GB model and S$1,399 for the 128GB version. The Pixel 3 XL is going for S$1,399 and S$1,549 for the 64GB and 128GB models respectively. That's cheaper than the iPhone XS/XS Max and roughly on par with the Galaxy Note9, which shows that Google is truly hoping to compete with the big boys, but it also means it is going up against tough competition.

The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL aren't perfect. But from a features and software standpoint, I do think Google has knocked it out of the park again. This is also a time where something approaching design fatigue is becoming increasingly obvious, and a lot of flagships phones are starting to look uncannily similar to each other, and to their predecessors. Software is one of the areas where companies can continue to throw in fresh ideas and innovate, and Google is doing this wonderfully. The Pixel 3 phones may not be the swankiest kids on the block, but they deliver where it counts. And sometimes, maybe substance matters more than flair (if you don't mind the high cost).

	Click for detailed results break-down.
	Click for detailed results break-down.

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