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.
Top Rated Comments
(View all)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
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.
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.
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.