Google Pixel 3 XL is one of the most awaited phones. It comes with a large screen, a rick colour display, and takes simply the best pictures. While other phones like the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus and the OnePlus 7 Pro also have pretty good features, the Pixel 3 XL is counted as the phone with the best camera in the market. It runs on Android Pie and has two front-facing cameras, one 12.2MP rear-facing lens, and an additional lens at the front for group selfies. It is easy to use, and the results are stunning.
Although the Pixel 3 XL isn’t Google’s largest device, it is one of the most affordable. It features enhanced aspects from Pixel 3a, has an extra camera, bigger camera, and a newer chipset. While it has a ton of awesome features, its design has a major drawback – the notch cut out at the top of the display. It is deeper than iPhone XS Max’s notch and larger than the one in Pixel 3. Besides the design, there is little reason to be unhappy with it. Let’s dive into this detailed Google Pixel 3 XL review.
Design
The Google Pixel 3 XL is definitely better than its predecessor Pixel 2 XL. You will not find any glass-and-aluminium look. Instead, the new design features an all-glass two-tone look. With glass at the top and textured matte glass towards the bottom, the phone’s back is as classy as it could be. The back is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 which is also the material that guards the phone’s front. Although it can be operated with one hand, it becomes slightly difficult to do so. For a more comfortable experience, you will have to end up using both hands. Due to the glass back, it is also more slippery than its predecessor.
This glass design offers more benefits than simply looking gorgeous. It helps LTE signals travel faster and easier when compared to more common aluminium-backed devices. With 5G gaining traction, this factor is going to be more important as well. The corners are completely rounded and slim giving off a polished and sleek look. The rear fingerprint sensor is flat and does not dig in very deep. As with the Pixel 2 XL model, you can squeeze the sides of the device to awaken Google Assistant. This is far easier and fun to use than an AI button, which is what Samsung has for Bixby.
Display
The Pixel 3 XL features a 6.3-inch OLED screen with an 18.5:9 aspect ratio with HDR Support and a QHD+ resolution. With less bezel and more display space, users can enjoy a screen-to-body ratio if 83%. The previous models were designed with 76% screen-to-body ratio. Although it has a larger screen, it fits in relatively well within the same dimensions of 158 x 76.7 x 7.9mm. The deep notch at the top is unflattering and a tiny bit annoying, especially when you are watching videos or movies. It is not very easy to ignore.
However, it seems the developers knew some might find the notch uncomfortable. So, you will find that there is a way to hide the notch. However, if you do so, the time, battery level, notifications, and other things would go down a bit and the entire panel would turn black. A better option would be to consider using Nacho Notch, a popular app, that can be used to hide the notch while displaying the other data at its place.
Performance
Performance-wise, we don’t really have anything to complain about. This device by Google is designed to offer excellent performance although the speed is nothing to wow at. The Pixel 3 XL runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset with 4GB of RAM. Others in the market have gone on to use 6GB and 8GB of RAM, but the Pixel seems to work quite well. Maybe we will see an upgrade in the upcoming models.
Regarding battery life, the phone has a 3,430mAh battery which is large enough to handle your usage for a day and sometimes even more. Even if it is not as large as others, it can last reasonably long. The adaptive battery is Android Pie’s latest feature which switches off apps that you don’t use and the ones consuming too much power. This will get you more battery life. The 18W charger offers faster-charging speeds. You can also choose to buy the Pixel Stand if you want to try wireless charging.
Android 9.0 Pie
If you want to use the Android 9.0 Pie and see how it works, the Google Pixel 3 XL is your best bet. With a large screen to enjoy the Material Design and Adaptive Battery features to make your battery last longer, you are in for a great time. The phone comes with stock Android software. The traditional UI has been tweaked a bit. The navigational buttons are smaller in size and you can also hide them and use gestures instead. Since the notch takes up space in the middle, the time and notification icons are moved to the left side of the screen while other details like the battery level and signal strength are on the right side.
Camera Quality
Google Pixel 3 XL is one of the best camera phones in the market. It has a 12.2MP rear camera with an f/1.8 aperture which takes sharp, rich, and awesome pictures. Google’s dedicated Pixel Visual Core chip and machine-learning software are what that makeup other things. They ensure you get stunning photographs no matter what. The two 8MP front-facing cameras also have the same software. While the primary selfie camera has a 75-degree field of view, the secondary selfie camera boasts of a wider 97-degree field of view. It has features like Super Res Zoom, Top Shot, Night Sight, Adjustable Portrait Blur, and Hyper-lapse mode.
Verdict
All in all, Google Pixel 3 XL is hard to beat. With a stunning camera, a large 6.3-inch display, and a reasonably good battery, it covers pretty much all our wish list. While it doesn’t have a headphone jack, which phone does nowadays?! Considering all things, the Pixel 3 XL is a worthy option to consider.
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