Google Pixel 3 XL

Last week's announcement of the Google Pixel 3 and 3 XL came as a relief... as it put an end to all the leaks swirling around the interwebs. The launch event also put a lid on the conspiracy theories that suggested that Google would be surprising us with the launch of something that hasn't been leaked. Well, that also means that the reactions you'd have had when you saw those renders and hands-on images before the launch, would basically remain the same.

The 6.3-inch notch-toting screen of the Google Pixel 3 XL is a 1,440p affair. With a pixel density of 523ppi and an aspect ratio of 18.5:9, the OLED panel offers impressive sharpness levels and reproduces accurate colours. A layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protects the display against scratches and minor knocks. But I'm sure you must be wondering if the handset suffers from the colour bleed issue seen on some units of its predecessor. Well, the answer to that is no. That said, the viewing angles aren't the best as you'll notice the colour shift towards a cooler blue hue when you view the screen from a certain angle. You can also use colour modes such as Natural and Boosted to tweak the display output, instead of the default Adaptive mode.

The Pixel 3 XL isn't the first smartphone to ship with the latest iteration of Android 9.0 Pie, but it does come with a number of useful features (with some of them being exclusive to the handset). In terms of the interface, there isn't much difference from the previous iteration of Google's mobile OS. There's a dedicated screen on the left of the homescreen to access the Google feed, while the search bar on the main screen has moved to the bottom making it easier to reach. The date and time widget doubles up as an at-a-glance view for your appointments and meetings, which is quite handy. The quick settings menu also remain the same.

When Google launched the first-gen Pixel, nobody would have thought that the search giant will change the face of mobile photography. With machine learning and AI, the brand has shown us that imaging is more than the sensor, aperture, etc. The Pixel 3 XL is clearly pushing the envelope further. Hardware-wise, the phone continues to utilise a 12.2-megapixel sensor, though it offers a wider aperture of f/1.8 this time around. Interestingly enough, while the phone continues with a single shooter at the back, it features a pair of 8MP shooters on the fascia.

Not that it's any surprise, but the Snapdragon 845 SoC coupled with 4GB RAM ensures that the Pixel 3 XL is able to deliver smooth performance. During my use, there was nary an instance when the smartphone stuttered or showed any lag while navigation, jumping between apps, or using split-screen multitasking. Thanks to the excellent OS optimisation, the phone usually had around a GB of RAM to spare, which is quite good.

In the battery department, the Pixel 3 XL is fuelled by a 3,430mAh pack, which is a shade less powerful than the 3,520mAh cell inside its predecessor. However, you don't have to worry about carrying the charger everywhere as the new smartphone is able to offer good battery life. Charged fully in the morning, it was able to last through the evening till I reached home even with heavy usage, which included streaming podcasts, watching YouTube via Bluetooth, using GPS, being connected to the internet via 4G / Wi-Fi, a few calls and a little bit of gaming. That said, the phone won't be able to last till the next day, although the adaptive battery feature should ensure that the device is able to deliver the best backup according to your usage behaviour. Our battery test shows similar results as well, for the Pixel 3 XL was able to playback an HD video on loop for about 12 hours, which is lower than 17 hours achieved by the 4,000mAh battery-laden Note9.

With a starting price of Rs 71,000 for the Google Pixel 3 and Rs 83,000 for the Pixel 3 XL, the duo goes up against stiff competition. And if you are wondering how they stack up against the rivals, here's what you need to know.