Google Pixel 3 XL, 128GB, Black, SIM Free

Product Information

For fans of Apple's design and software ecosystem, the iPhone XS Max is a strong, albeit even more costly alternative. It's a new panel in the Settings menu that shows your device usage, what apps you've accessed, and gives you options to restrict your phone's hold over your life by letting you set a wind-down period before bedtime, limiting interruptions and graying out the screen to discourage use. Google’s design approach is more functional than fashionable, favoring its selfie twin cameras with a bit of asymmetrical screen distraction.

aperture is enhanced by machine-learning software, Google’s secret sauce to making your photos better. This is what the Google Pixel camera is all about: producing excellent, reliable photos every time with just one button and no worries. Portrait mode uses a learning algorithm now, rather than simple dual-pixel depth mapping (it’s better but still can’t handle my unruly hair). I noticed shifts in color balance between the two lenses, but this is often the case on dual camera systems.Fingerprint authentication remains the single biometric feature on the Pixel 3 XL and I do miss unlocking the phone with my face. The phone can be unlocked without entering the PIN code if the intruder is able to swap in a different SIM card. It isn’t light years better than the Pixel 2 camera, but at this level you have to expect incremental improvements. As I said in my Android 9 review a little while back, the new Android feels like it’s losing touch with its tinkerer roots, heading further and further down the fully automated path that has proven so successful for Apple. Still, it's hard to reach across the screen with your thumb, and despite the relatively minor bezel, it's difficult to reach up and pull down the notification shade.

I’m a big fan of the Digital Wellbeing features; being able to set timers on social-media apps and limit how much time I spend scrolling through Instagram is a great addition.The Pixel 3 camera is likely to sit at the top of the smartphone camera charts all year, and for good reason.

The phone is free from bloatware, and comes with the guarantee of two years of updates at the very least.

Besides the smaller screen and battery, the smaller Pixel 3 is otherwise identical to the larger 3 XL.