Google has finally announced the successors to the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL and they are calling the new line up of flagship phones the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. As you would expect from flagship phones, the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL comes equipped with the latest flagship specifications in terms of hardware.
The Pixel 3 and 3 XL are powered by the latest Snapdragon 845 processor. However, the CPU is clocked at 2.5GHz for the bigger cores and 1.6GHz for the smaller cores, down from 2.8GHz and 1.7GHz respectively. Google claims that the down clocked Snapdragon 845 helps to optimize battery performance for users to get most out of their phones. What’s unchanged from the previous line up of Google’s Pixels are the 4GB RAM and 64GB or 128GB storage options.
Google seems to be adapting some of the most notable trends which companies like Apple and OnePlus are doing to their phones. This is proven to be true since the 3.5mm headphone jack is now missing from both the new Pixels and the inclusion of a notch on the Pixel 3 XL. What’s also new is that Google has finally introduced wireless charging. The Pixel Stand is the official wireless charger for these phones which transforms the phones to act as Google Home, a photo frame and even a sunrise alarm.
The Pixel 3 has a display size of 5.5inches with a 1080p, full HD resolution where as the XL with the notch design measures 6.3inches has a 1440p, QHD resolution. The display uses OLED technology so you can expect colours from the screen to be quite rich and vibrant.
Both the phones receive an IP68 certification, which means it is fully dustproof and can withstand water exposure of up to 1.5 meters deep for half an hour. The new Pixels have an aluminium frame sandwiched with Gorilla Glass 5 both front and back.
The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL share the same 12MP main camera that can be found on their predecessors. The 12MP shooter has an f/1.8 aperture allowing more light to enter, optical image stabilisation (OIS) and dual pixel phase detection auto focus (PDAF) with dual tone LED flash. The camera also includes Google’s HDR+ technology to stay on top of their game.
On the front of the phones, there are 2 selfie cameras, one of it being a wide-angle camera which comes in handy when taking a selfie in a big group. This could be one of the most used features on a phone with such camera setups. The primary front facing camera has a regular field of view with autofocus. Both the front facing cameras are 8MP shooters. The stereo speaker setup on the new Pixels is still a nice touch till date which produces a rich audio quality that would still impress many people.
The Pixel 3 and 3 XL features a 2915mAh and 3430mAh batteries respectively. Though the battery capacities are small by today’s standard, it could possibly last longer than you would expect due to the down clocked CPU and the stock Android experience you’ll get from these phones.
The lack of the headphone jack on the phones does not compromise your audio experience because Google includes USB Type-C to headphone jack adapter. This also means that these phones have a USB Type-C connector at the bottom of the phone. The fingerprint reader is mounted to the back of the phone.
The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are available in 3 different colours; Clearly White, Just Black and Not Pink. There are no statements on the availability of these phones in the Malaysian market. However, if you are interested to own one, you can head to TechBug. You’ll still be able to get the 1 year limited warranty from Google through TechBug. Prices for the Pixel 3 and 3 XL range from RM4100 to RM5025.
