The software giant “Google” has come up with yet another of its hardware venture called The Google Pixel 3. In continuation to its Pixel series, the Pixel 3 will soon be available in Indian Market along with its big brother, the Pixel 3 XL. It is available for Pre-booking on Flipkart (launching on 31st October). The Pixel 3 is yet another attempt of Google to establish itself as a ‘Premium” smartphone maker.
Predecessors of this new flagship device have already shaped a per say about the Pixel series. The Pixel and the Pixel 2 did not do wonders in the marketspace, courtesy of being not so “worth the price tag.” Make no mistake, there were upsides to them as well. The software on these devices were of unmatched quality in the Android world (obviously! It’s Google). Camera has always been the talking point among the Pixel enthusiasts. But what lead these devices down were the basics such as build quality, styling and the poor display.
So, has Google fixed these issues in the Pixel 3. Let’s find out.
Design
Not much has changed. Google has stuck to the basics and retained the old-school look on Pixel, while adding subtle new changes. The device comes with the same aluminium frame. Taller Aspect Ratio and the Notch display (only on the XL version) make it “modern-looking” while still retaining to its originality. The bezel on the bottom (and on top for Pixel 3) could’ve been smaller though.
On the other side lies a glass back, with a glossy finish to the topside and the bottom 3/4th with a different texture. The front camera is embedded in the bezel and a single primary camera, with a side-ward flash rests on the upper left corner of the backside. There is also a finger print sensor and the “G” logo at the back. The edges are now a lot smoother with the addition of Gorilla glass on both the devices.
The Pixel 3 and 3XL have come a long way from Pixel 2 when it comes to build quality and how they feel. At last, they have that Premium-ness to them that they desperately needed. The device comes in three colour variants; Just Black, Clearly White and Not Pink (even the name game is on point!).
Specifications
The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL both come with Snapdragon 845. Google has also added two custom processors alongside to help take the heat off of the CPU. Also, in addition, the Pixel Visual Core Chip is installed for doing the HDR+ processing. To put it in simple words, processing on these devices is precise and smooth. To put an end to the security theft issues, a special Titan M security chip is also integrated into the device. This chip protects data such as lock screen information.
Both the devices have a single variant of 4 GB RAM. But no worries! The highly optimised processing of Google takes care. Internal storages are of 64 and 128 GB variants. Both of them run on Android Pie.
Both the devices come with a single 4G Nano-sim tray. An additional support of electronic or embedded sim (eSIM) makes them effectively dual sim devices. It is not certain whether this feature will be brought to India though in the future by Google Inc. there is no headphone socket in the devices. Instead a USB Type-C port is present. A huge improvement is evident in the sound quality of the front facing speakers. There is a downside to that though. The bezels on the devices are thicker than any of its competitors.
Camera
Pixel has always been up there with the best of the smartphone cameras. The new Pixel 3 and 3 XL are no exception. They are even better. The Primary camera is of a 12.2-megaPixel sensor with dual-Pixel autofocus and optical stabilization. Though Google has stuck with single rear camera and same hardware as before, but the software optimization and AI learning takes it to another level of accuracy. They have also added a wide angle 8 MP front camera for group selfies. Different shooting modes enhance your photography experience.
A new feature worth noticing is the real time suggestions that the camera gives on being pointed to URLs, phone numbers, QR codes, and addresses. Also, the “Top Shot” shooting mode enables you to take a look of a short video that the device captures before and after you hit the shutter button in order to let you pick a better moment in the picture. The front camera gets a “photobooth” mode, which captures image on detecting your smile.
This also works with a group of people in the frame. Also, you get the AR stickers called the “playmoji” similar to the AR feature of the iPhone. Bokeh mode is also present and you can re-change the intensity and field of blur after the image is captured. Videos can be shot in 1080p and 4K, at a framerate between 30 fps and 60fps.
Overall, the camera is quick on focus and captures bright, variant pictures without any lag. A ton of feature add to the already well know camera performance of the Pixel series.
If you are the kind who buys expensive phones for the purpose of photography, Pixel 3 and 3 XL are made for you specifically.
Display
One thing that has drastically improved in the Pixel 3 and 3 XL are the displays. We all know of the in-famous “blue hue” of the Pixel 2 XL’s display. The Pixel 3 sports a 5.5-inch screen, while the 3 XL has 6.3-inch display. Both are HDR OLED panel screens. When compared, Pixel 3 does a better job than Pixel 3 XL. Google has also offered different variations which include “natural, Boosted and adaptive colour” for screen optimization. Though the quality of display in these devices has improved by leaps and bounds, still they are not as good as the iPhone X and the Samsung S9.
Battery
Pixel 3 has a 2915mAh battery, while the 3 XL has 2915mAh battery. In a typical usage of a normal consumer, the Pixel 3 last about 18-19 hours. While the Pixel 3 XL lasts a little over 10 hours (large screen=more battery consumption).
Both the devices are fast charge enabled and al support Qi wireless charging. Google is going to launch its own wireless charge, called “the Pixel Stand”. This can be expected to be available in a month’s time for about 7K.
Verdict
The Pixel 3 is priced at 72K and the 3 XL is priced at 83K in India. Both these devices are pretty standard on hardware and pretty extraordinary in software (what did you expect anyway? Google hai bhai!). If you are not an enthusiast when it comes to those little features that make a difference (like AI learning), then you can go for phones like the OnePlus instead. But if you want the best Android experience with best in class Camera and you are willing to cash out huge amount of money for it, then Pixel 3 and 3 XL are just the right choice.