Review: Google Pixel 3 XL; the best Android smartphone in the market?
After nearly a week of using the Pixel 3XL review unit extensively, we have experienced the high points and disappointments of Google’s new flagship. Here is evo India’s review of the Google Pixel 3 XL.
Design of the Google Pixel 3 XL
The Pixel 3 XL like a number of devices this year has embraced the notch and the front is now dominated by a screen that takes up more real estate up front. We will leave you to decide if Google has nailed it with its implementation of the notch. Pixels have always been better looking from the back and this one continues in the same vein. The all-glass back of the Pixel has a richness to it that the last gen Pixel lacked. The frosted glass on the back feels great to the touch – almost aluminium like. The phone retains the two-tone treatment at the back although the edges are curved and go well with the rest of the design. The beautiful rear of the phone is somewhat undone is by the rather unsymmetrical front. Even though the notch at the top tries to increase screen area, the rest of the front appears to do precious little. There are noticeable bezels on the sizes and a fairly huge chin at the bottom. The front facing speaker does break the monotony of the blank space below the screen but there is still much left to be desired.
The Screen
The Pixel 3 XL uses the same Quad HD 1440 P-OLED screen as the Pixel 2 XL but here it looks much better. The Pixel 2’s dull screen gives way to the bright, vibrant and sharp screen here. The screen is much nicer to the touch too. The oleophobic coating on the 2’s screen had a tendency to wear off over time and made the screen look worse than it was. There are no such complaints here.
What’s inside the Google Pixel 3 XL
The Pixel 3 XL despite being a flagship doesn’t pack in the latest or the fastest hardware unlike some other Android flagships. Powered by a Snapdragon 845 processor with 4GB of RAM and internal storage options of 64GB and 128GB and a 3430mAh battery, the Pixel 3XL is just par for the course when it comes to specifications. However, what it does with the hardware is what makes it special. Google has adopted Apple’s mantra of more for less and is working on improving the usability and functionality of all the hardware on its phones.
Performance of the Google Pixel 3 XL
We tested the phone almost entirely on one long road trip and the phone was used mostly for photos and videos along with extensive usage of social media apps. This review is thereby largely focused on the camera performance of the phone and the relative ease with which it handled multitasking. Launching apps and routine tasks on the phone were a breeze. But the phone stumbled when it came to extended usage of the camera for photos and videos. Video quality from the phone’s camera is much better than any Android phone on the market although very similar to the latest iPhones. The optical image stabilisation works incredibly well and even fast paced shots taken by me(not a photographer) came out really well with the Pixel 3 XL, so much so that very little processing or editing was required. Our photographer Rohit, said it did stutter sometimes and heated up too much twice during our test period. The battery life despite our heavy usage has continued to last us an entire working day.
Camera – Google Pixel 3 XL
Although the camera is carried forward from the last gen model12.2( MP, f/1.8, 1.4µm, OIS), Google says that the sensor has been upgraded. The AI and post processing however have improved by several notches and despite the lack of another camera at the back, the Pixel delivers incredible levels of detail. Images of fast moving objects were captured with a clarity and sharpness that few other phones can even come close to. The new Pixel Visual Core image processing chip along with Google’s AI does most of the heavy lifting. The Portrait mode on the Pixel is head and shoulders above any of its competitors. Our Shutterbug Rohit has developed a special liking for the adjustability that the Bokeh mode offers and often very little input is required in capturing incredible images.
The front camera however now has two cameras; A wide angle one now added for those group selfies. Both are 8 megapixel shooters but the wide angle one has an f/2.2 aperture instead of the regular one’s f/1.8.
The software
While most other manufacturers focus on the hardware in Android phones, Google has gone the iPhone way and provides users with a software that will only get better with updates and optimises the hardware use. Google is building an AI-driven platform that no other manufacturer can match. Everything from the battery( the AI will identify the apps that you don’t use and shut them to save battery) to the camera(it differentiates between the subject and the background in portrait mode) uses AI extensively to make it a much better experience for users overall.
Conclusion
The Pixel 3 XL brings the best of what Android has to offer in a package that is far more desirable than before. It sure has a premium price tag but for the money you get a great camera, incredible AI and top shelf hardware. It is certainly worth the buy.