Google Pixel 3 XL, 128GB, Black, SIM Free

Product Information

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. Other connectivity protocols include dual-band Wi-Fi, NFC for use with Google Pay, and Bluetooth 5.0 for wireless listening. As far as additional audio goes, the front-firing stereo speakers may not be room-filling at maximum volume, but they were more than sufficient to attract the attention of my colleagues when blasting Iron Maiden. The Pixel 3 supports 24-bit audio with the included Pixel Buds. The Pixel Buds are comfortable to wear, come with an adjustable ear loop, and integrate with Google Assistant. I found audio quality to be robust, with a crisp and accurate range, though the LG G7 with its dedicated quad DAC still provides more customization for audiophiles. Camera performance is where the Pixel 3 really stands out. It "only" has a single 12.2MP dual-pixel camera with optical image stabilization, foregoing the double or triple rear sensors we're seeing on other leading phones. Despite this, it has one of the fastest, most responsive sensors we've tested, with excellent post-processing and low-light capabilities. We put it to the test in a shootout against the iPhone XS Max, the Galaxy Note 9, and the LG V40 ThinQ. While the Pixel 3 didn't necessarily come out on top in every setting, it took the most consistently good shots, capturing the most detail in a variety of challenging scenarios. Still, get over the notch – along with the software oddities that come with it – and you’ll find a phone with the best camera on the market.

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.

Even though the display is big, this isn’t the best phone for media viewing – simply because that notch does get in the way. Some apps, YouTube and Netflix for example, can give you the option to expand video behind the notch or default it to 16:9. However, Google Play Movies has no such option, even though it’s visible on the smaller Pixel 3, so movies play in a small box with lots of wasted space. Google Pixel 3 XL – Performance You’ll find smoother corners on the Google Pixel 3 XL – everything has been rounded off and flattened, giving Google’s Material Design software ethos a foothold within real life hardware. The frame edges are polished and the rear fingerprint sensor is flatter. 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. The UI is clean, simple and fast to navigate. There’s only the essential Google apps pre-installed and absolutely nothing else. As a user of Google services, the way everything works and syncs together is nothing short of fantastic. 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.

Google has just announced the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL. For an in-depth look at both phones take a look at our Pixel 4 review: hands on and Pixel 4 XL review: hands on. 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. The Pixel 3 XL fits into one hand, but takes two hands to operate and it’s a little more slippery to hold than the Pixel 2 XL. The difference isn’t Earth (or phone) shattering, though we did end up preferring the tighter dimensions of the standard Google Pixel 3 for this reason. We test every mobile phone we review thoroughly. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly and we use the phone as our main device over the review period. We’ll always tell you what we find and we never, ever, accept money to review a product.In the above shots, the Pixel 3 focused fast and captured highly detailed images with minimal noise and blur. When it comes to capturing objects like trees and buildings, the Pixel 3 is true-to-life, capturing details like shadows, textures, and crevices without overly smoothing them like the LG V40 or oversaturating colors like the Note 9. That said, we're really getting down to minute details here—all four phones are fantastic shooters. Typically we prefer bigger screens, but the Pixel 3 XL has a hard-to-ignore notch cut out at the top of the display - something not only far more sizeable than that in the Pixel 3 but also far deeper than the iPhone XS Max notch.