Hands-On With Google's New Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL Smartphones

Google today announced its latest flagship smartphones, the Pixel 3 and the Pixel 3 XL, which are designed to compete with Apple's new iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max.

MacRumors was in attendance at Google's fall unveiling event and was able to get some hands-on time with the new devices, and we did a quick comparison to the iPhone XS Max.


The 5.5-inch Google Pixel 3, which has no notch, is similar in size to the 5.8-inch iPhone XS, while the 6.3-inch Pixel 3 XL is similar in size to the iPhone XS Max and takes some design cues from Apple's devices.

As we saw in leaked images and heard in rumors leading up to the Pixel 3 XL's debut, it has a deep notch on the front housing its front-facing camera system. The rest of the display isn't quite edge-to-edge due to a chin at the bottom that's missing from Apple's devices.

The Pixel 3 XL continues to use a single-lens 12-megapixel rear camera system, but Google has implemented an HDR+ mode that's similar to Apple's Smart HDR for combining multiple shots into one much better image. Dual 8-megapixel cameras are available on the front of the device, and Google touted a new group selfie feature with a wide-angle lens able to capture 184 percent more than the iPhone XS.

Inside, the new Pixel smartphones are equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chip, 4GB RAM, and up to 128GB of storage. The Pixel 3 offers a 2,915 mAh battery, while the XL model has a 3,430 mAh battery.

Google's Pixel 3 is priced at $799, while the Pixel 3 XL is priced at $899, making both devices more affordable than the iPhone XS and XS Max. The new devices are available for pre-order starting today ahead of an October 18 launch.

What do you think of the iPhone XS's latest competitor? Stay tuned to MacRumors because we'll have a more in-depth comparison video pitting the Google and Apple smartphones against one another next week.

Popular Stories

New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

18 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Wednesday November 27, 2024 5:05 am PST by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.2 in early December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. There are a handful of new non-AI related feature controls incoming as...
iphone 16 pro models 1

12 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 17

Friday November 29, 2024 5:17 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we sometimes get rumored feature leaks so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different – already we have some idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you plan to skip...
Whatsapp Feature

WhatsApp to Drop Support for These iPhones Starting May 2025

Monday December 2, 2024 2:57 am PST by
WhatsApp is set to end support for iOS versions older than iOS 15.1 from May next year, removing the chat platform's compatibility with several iPhone models in the process. From May 5, 2025, WhatsApp will no longer be compatible with iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus models. Users with those devices won't be able to access the encrypted chat service after the specified date unless they ...
iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Rectangle Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Already Rumored to Have These 8 New Features

Wednesday November 27, 2024 12:19 pm PST by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch for 10 more months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. An imaginative iPhone 17 Pro concept based on rumors Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models so far: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro ...
Apple AI Command Center Concept Mock 3

Apple Expected to Launch This All-New Device Next Year

Wednesday November 27, 2024 1:05 pm PST by
Apple is expected to kick off 2025 by launching an all-new smart home hub, also referred to as a "command center," as early as March. The hub is expected to feature around a six-inch display that can be attached to a tabletop base with a speaker, or mounted on a wall. The device is said to run a new "homeOS" operating system with a customizable widget-focused home screen, and it is expected...
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: iPhone 17 Designs Revealed!

Friday November 29, 2024 9:34 am PST by
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss the recently leaked design of the iPhone 17 "Air" and iPhone 17 Pro. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos Earlier this week, a report from The Information's Wayne Ma revealed that the iPhone 17 Air will have a thickness of between 5mm and 6mm, which would make it the thinnest iPhone ever. In comparison, iPhone ...
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3 Expected Next Year: Here's What We Know

Thursday November 28, 2024 3:30 am PST by
Despite being released over two years ago, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 continue to dominate the wireless earbud market. However, with the AirPods Pro 3 expected to launch sometime in 2025, anyone thinking of buying Apple's premium earbuds may be wondering if the next generation is worth holding out for. Apart from their audio and noise-canceling performance, which are generally regarded as...
Cyber Monday Deals Feature 2022

Apple Cyber Week Deals Available Now: AirPods, iPads, and More

Sunday December 1, 2024 7:52 am PST by
Although Black Friday has ended, Cyber Week is here and you can find great deals on numerous Apple devices right now. This includes big savings on AirPods, Apple Watch, MacBook Air, iPad, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running. Specifically,...

Top Rated Comments

sniffies Avatar
80 months ago
It seems as if no other company (except Apple) has any idea what good design is. Like zero idea.

I mean look at that hideousness.

Don't even get me started on how all other companies are fighting over Apple Notch™ like baboons and macaques, and can't for the love of god decide what it should look like.

Unbelievable
Score: 76 Votes (Like | Disagree)
1050792 Avatar
80 months ago
Ugly Design - Check
Worst Notch ever made - Check
Biggest bottom chin in a phone - Check
Higher price Tag than it's worth - Check
No privacy courtesy of Google - Check
Total iOS UI ripoff - Check
Apple's Keynote copy paste - Check
Camera software that could be used for the Pixel and Pixel 2 but won't - Check

How can this phone even be justified? It's the worst release of the year.
Score: 60 Votes (Like | Disagree)
spiderman0616 Avatar
80 months ago
I continue to be astounded by the way people rail against the iPhone notch without acknowledging its functionality while giving notched screens like this one a pass without acknowledging how much more invasive and how much less functional it is. Just goes to show how many companies out there wait for Apple to design their hardware for them.
Score: 50 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jiggad369 Avatar
80 months ago
Terrible copy and pasta.
Score: 36 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mattyj2001 Avatar
80 months ago
iOS tracks for ads. You can limit tracking but saying it doesn't is downright false.
To characterize what Apple does vs what Google does is disingenuous at best. Apple itself only displays ads in the app store and news apps, and they do not provide your info to third parties in any way, shape or form. When you choose to limit ads, it limits targeted ads, so yes, you still see ads in those two places but not based on your 'interests' or other personal data.

Google basically has carte blanche to harvest whatever they want from your phone, including info about your contacts that they never opted in for, and to sell it to anyone that wants it.

To be pedantic, sure, iOS tracks for ads. To be specific, Google harvests your identity and spreads it like a virus to anyone that wants it.

People need to remember that Android is an advertising platform. Android is not a product, _you_ are the product. Your info is the commodity that is bought and sold.

So, have fun paying $800 for a phone that may or may not take better pictures than an iPhone, but certainly will sell you out at every turn.
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
stafil Avatar
80 months ago
It's kind of annoying that my $1500 phone has a worse camera than a $800 phone.
Your $1500 phone can run a decent OS. Also will not lock you out if you post a comment on YouTube that Google doesn’t like. Finally it will not spy on you in order to deliver ads.
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)