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

Product Information

Google’s design approach is more functional than fashionable, favoring its selfie twin cameras with a bit of asymmetrical screen distraction. 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 But the Pixel 3 XL is more functional: It has two selfie cameras, dual front-facing speakers, and Active Edge, allowing you to squeeze the sides of the frame to trigger Google Assistant. We prefer this over a dedicated AI button, something that annoys us about Samsung and LG’s new phones with dedicated, often-mispressed AI buttons.

Other connectivity protocols include dual-band Wi-Fi, NFC for use with Google Pay, and Bluetooth 5.0 for wireless listening. Yes, there's a successor now, in the Google Pixel 4, which has an extra 16MP telephoto camera as well as the 12.2MP main sensor of the Pixel 3. But even without this newer lens (and all the other Pixel 4 features), the Pixel 3 is still a photography champion – and comes in at an even more competitive price these days. You'll still find dual front-facing speakers on the Google Pixel 3. No one else is really doing this anymore (except Razer with the Razer Phone 2), so it's nice to see in a flagship device. You'll also get Active Edge, which allows you to squeeze the sides of the phone to call up Google Assistant. We much prefer this squeeze mechanic as opposed to a dedicated AI button on the frame, like Samsung does with Bixby button (which we often confuse for the volume down button).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.

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. 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. More rounded edges are everywhere on the Pixel 3. Its frame is less boxy than previous Google phones, a trend we've seen from the iPhone and and others. Gone is the harsher silver bevel around the frame and rear fingerprint sensor. It's like Google put the Pixel 2 through a smoothing machine, and we like the results. The Pixel 3 XL runs a pure version of Android 9.0 Pie with at least two years of guaranteed updates. There's no bloatware aside from Google's app suite. Out of 64GB of storage on our review unit, we had 51.05GB free for use. Purchasing either Pixel gets you unlimited lifetime Google Photo storage. Conclusions

We tested it on Verizon, the winner of our Fastest Mobile Networks testing this year. In midtown Manhattan, the phone delivered excellent network performance with top speeds of 51.2Mbps down and 37.6mbps up. 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. The stereo speakers seem a bit louder here than on the smaller Pixel 3, though there's not an appreciable difference. It's the grown up version of last year's phone. The Pixel 3 screen looks richer than last year's Pixel 2, too. The specs note that it has only a few more pixels per inch, but keep in mind the screen is much taller, so there are a lot more pixels spread across a half inch of extra screen. There's noticeably less bezel thanks to it's 18:9 aspect ratio rather than the dated 16:9 look. Last year's oversized bezel, we felt, was the biggest disappointment design-wise about the Pixel 2XL. The Google Pixel 3 fixes this issue. 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.

The Google Pixel 3 XL ends up being the best option for people who want photos as flawless as they come on a smartphone, and are already used to a wielding sizable handset. It’s hard to downsize, even if the tighter dimensions of the 5.5-inch Pixel 3 are a better fit for most people.

Since this is a pure Android phone it only comes loaded with Google apps. Our 64GB model had 51.11GB available for use. That's plenty of space for apps and photos, especially since you get unlimited Google Photos cloud storage for life. Conclusions The Google Pixel 3 is the ideal smartphone for anyone who cares about photo quality and isn’t satisfied with their phone’s picture-taking abilities today. It has the camera smarts and Android Pie-powered AI smarts of the Pixel 3 XL, without the awkward notch cut-out at the top. And, unlike the comparable, one-hand-friendly iPhone XS, it’s cheap – at least by 2018 and 2019 flagship standards. 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 front set of cameras consist of a pair of 8MP standard and wide-angle sensors. The latter can snap with a 97-degree field of view, giving you a wider sense of your surroundings when taking a selfie. The sensors are sharp and accurate when it comes to color reproduction and skin tones. Most interestingly, while it appears to have barrel distortion in the viewfinder, with post-processing the effect is removed, minimizing the distinctive fish-eye effect we normally see on wide-angle cameras. On top of that, newer phones have come along to question the Pixel 3's smartphone camera superiority, like the Huawei P30 Pro, so is it still at the top of our list of the best camera phones? Read on to find out. 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 – PerformanceOf course, the notch is here because of the bigger display, which runs a lot closer to the edge than before. Approaching the design like this means the front cameras – of which there are two here – and speaker need somewhere to sit – and that’s where the notch comes in. It’s a necessary evil for a phone like this. Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions. See how we test.