Super Res Zoom is also very impressive. I shot a photo of text on a wall from across the room, and I could easily make out the words, even though the Pixel 3 XL doesn't technically have an optical zoom. The camera is smart enough to reframe the photo and fill in the details. Thankfully there are no such issues with the 6.3-inch OLED panel here. In fact, I would happily put this alongside the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and iPhone XS Max as one of the best mobile displays out there.

On Geekbench 4, which measures overall performance, the Pixel 3 XL scored a surprisingly low 7,684. The Galaxy Note 9 hit 8,876 and the OnePlus 6 9,088. The iPhone XS Max reached 11,515. The Google Pixel 3 XL release date was October 18, 2018 in the US, and November 1, 2018 in the UK and Australia, and it launched thereafter is Canada, France, Germany, Japan, India, Ireland, Italy, Singapore, Spain, and Taiwan. Like other flagship phones, the Pixel 3 is IP68 waterproof, allowing it to survive in over five feet of water for 30 minutes. It stood up to a thorough dunking and rinsing-off in the kitchen sink without issue. One thing we haven't mentioned is Digital Wellbeing. It's a new panel in the Settings menu that shows your device usage, what apps you've accessed, and gives you options to restrict your phone's hold over your life by letting you set a wind-down period before bedtime, limiting interruptions and graying out the screen to discourage use. Over time the phone uses machine learning to understand what apps you use and prioritize them over others when it comes to memory and power. Google’s version of Android is the best version for me and I always forgot how great the experience is when I am using something with a heavy skin.This phone has outstanding camera capabilities with the Google Visual Core chip making every photo captured look fantastic. It has a 12.2MP rear camera with dual LED flash and auto HDR, as well as a dual lens 8MP selfie camera. This as well as 4K video recording and multiple photo enhancing modes and features. The Pixel 3 XL is essentially the same handset as the Pixel 3, so see our review of that phone for specifics related to hardware and software performance. Here we're going to discuss what's different between the two phones and why that matters.

As good as the Google Pixel 2 XL was, it was severely hampered by a pretty awful display. The LG OLED display used last year received much criticism due to terrible colours and harsh blue shift when it was tilted. A few software updates from Google helped boost the colours somewhat, but the damage was already done.It does give you more screen, sure, but not to the extent that the 6.3-inch diagonally measured spec suggests. To us, the 6.3-inch Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus and 6.4-inch Note 9 screens feel a bigger and more immersive, and the forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10 Plus promise to mainstream the punch hole camera for even more screen real estate. CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev 0, EDGE, GPRS, CDMA2000 EV-DO Rev A, HSDPA, HSUPA, UMTS, HSPA+, LTE, LTE-A, TD-LTE When it comes to low-light shooting, the Pixel 3 again holds its own. In the dim setting of PC Labs, the phone consistently focused with reliable clarity and minimal noise. Unlike LG's Super Bright Camera, the Pixel 3 doesn't use pixel binning to combine pixels, preserving details rather than brightening the shot as a whole. To me, it's a worthwhile trade-off, though shots on the V40 may look clearer to some eyes. The Pixel 3 has a 5.5-inch 2,160-by-1,080 OLED display that's thankfully free from the scourge of a notch. The resolution works out to a crisp 443 pixels per inch. While we've been seeing higher-resolution screens lately (like the 570ppi Galaxy S9), the Pixel 3 is still plenty sharp for the size. It's crisp enough to easily read text, watch videos, and play games, and you won't notice any real difference in clarity between the two devices. The one thing to note is that, while the screen is certified to support HDR content, it doesn't do any upscaling as we've seen on phones like the Sony Xperia XZ3 and the midrange Nokia 7.1 The Pixel 3 XL has a 3,430mAh battery that lasted for 8 hours, 10 minutes while streaming video over Wi-Fi at maximum screen brightness. That's a bit better than the 7 hours, 57 minutes managed by the 2,915mAh Pixel 3, but the difference is fairly negligible. Both can take advantage of fast charging with the included 18W adapter or wireless charging with the 10W Pixel Stand or other Qi-enabled charging accessories.

enjoyed using the Pixel 3XL – but it comes with caveats. For every stunning image or helping hand from the Google Assistant, there’s a niggle with calls or the position of the power button means I accidentally switch the device off when trying to turn the volume up. Also, when on a phone call, a small ‘bing’ goes off for every little notification and wakes the screen up – a problem if, like me, you have chubby cheeks that are sometimes mistaken as fingers. But this is by no means a poor device. When watching Netflix or YouTube, the settings mean the notch is not visible unless you zoom in. The main event is obviously the camera. A few of the photos I take are poor quality – though I’ll shoulder the blame for that. Otherwise, everything is how you would want it to look and night mode works a treat. The ability to dull bright lights at night and light up darker areas helps the Pixel to really bring the wow factor in a market with many good cameras. And the niggles are just that. Overall, this device is fantastic. The AI is as helpful as ever and the camera is stunning.

It easily fits in one hand, and, for the most part, you can operate it without resorting to using two hands. That's the best reason to choose the Pixel 3 over the Pixel 3 XL. It's screen size is big enough, yet the phone handfeel is rather manageable. Others will appreciate the fact that it doesn't have an ugly notch cut out at the top, a design choice deal breaker for many. Due to its late 2018 launch, the Pixel 3 also avoids the 'punch hole' camera design choice seen in the Honor View 20. It's trend that's sweeping 2019 smartphones, including the Samsung Galaxy S10. We’ve covered the biggest Android 9 Pie features in a separate piece, so I won’t go deep into them here. However a couple do deserve a mention. I’ll start with that notch, because it’s really the first thing that catches your eye. I’ve got nothing against notches in general, but the size of the one used here feels a step too far. It droops down noticeably more than an iPhone XS Max and as a result impacts on the content a lot. This is one of the best implementations of AI that we've seen, and I could see other companies trying to copy this feature. Google says that Google Pixels will get transcription support for call screenings before the end of the year.