Google launched its third generation of Pixel smartphones in October – Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. Both devices come in three colors – Just Black, Clearly White and Not Pink. While Flipkart started taking the pre-order from 11th October, both devices went on sale in India from 1st November 2018.
Why Buy Google Pixel 3
- Top of the Line Hardware: Both the phones come with Qualcomm’s flagship processor – Qualcomm Snapdragon 845. In terms of RAM users get 4GB DDR4X whereas for storage there are options of 64GB or 128GB. Being a smaller device, the Pixel 3 has a 2,915mAh battery whereas the large Pixel 3 XL comes with a 3,430mAh battery. The two devices come with a host of connectivity options including 4G, VoLTE, WiFi ac, WiFi Direct, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS and NFC connectivity.
- Google Pixel 3 Camera, Best Rear Camera on a Smartphone: Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL come with a 12MP sensor with f1.8 aperture, optical image stabilization and dual pixel phase detect autofocus. Combined with machine learning, the single lens camera delivers the best results we have seen from a smartphone. The bokeh effect looks better than any other phone available today thanks to the great edge detection and beautiful blur background. Google also announced a special night mode for the Pixel phones which will come to the devices via a software update. This mode is called Night Sight. It merges multiple frames to get better exposure i.e. even in low light your photos will be well lit with good amount of detail. Google’s Night Sight mode will further enhance the camera capabilities of the Google Pixel 3 devices.
- Dual Selfie Cameras: This is one of the big changes on the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. Both the phones come with dual front camera: 8MP + 8MP. The benefit of dual camera is that you can take wide-angle selfies with ease. There is a simple on-screen slider to select how much area you want to show in the background. Most phone cameras do not offer such options for selfies. There is also a portrait mode that delivers impressive selfies with a good bokeh blur effect. People who love taking selfies will love the Google Pixel 3 because it can also take portrait photos in wide-angle mode!
- Beautiful OLED Displays: One of the big complaints both users and reviewers had with the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL was the display. The screen had multiple issues including blue tint, color shift, dull colors and burn-in. With the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, Google has taken care of the issue and delivered the best screens we have seen on the Pixel series. The Pixel 3 has 5.5-inch 18:9 OLED display while the Pixel 3 XL has a 6.3-inch OLED display with 18.5:9 aspect ratio with a notch. Both screens are protected by Gorilla Glass 5. Google Pixel 3 phones offer excellent viewing angles, deep blacks and have good brightness level.
- Premium Glass Design: Google has continued with the same design language seen on the first Pixel device. Both phones have a two-tone design on the rear in all the three colours Just Black, Clearly White and Not Pink. The big change from the previous generation Pixel is that both Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL now have glass on the rear (Pixel 2 was metal body). Even with the glass, the phone is IP68 certified for water and dust proofing. The glass is given matte finish on the bottom half which has big advantages – offers good grip and stay free from fingerprints. However, it is still recommended that you keep it in a case for protection.
- Latest Android with Guaranteed Updates: Like previous generation of Pixel devices, the Pixel 3 also come with the latest version of Android – Android Pie 9.0. What’s more, both the devices will get 3 years of Android version and security updates. These devices also come with a new Pixel Launcher, lock screen that shows music suggestions and offers unlimited online storage for your photos
- Wireless Charging and Adaptive Battery:Thanks to the new glass design, the Pixel 3 devices support wireless charging. While you get fast charging through the provided adapter, what makes the phone really shine is the Adaptive Battery feature in the software. It learns your usage pattern and optimizes battery accordingly delivering much better battery life within a few weeks of usage.
Reasons Not To Buy Google Pixel 3
- Steep Price: Google Pixel 3 price in India starts at Rs 71,000 while the Pixel 3 XL is priced Rs 83,000. At this price, both the devices compete with smartphones that offers a lot more features as well as better hardware. The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 with a pressure sensitive stylus and 128GB storage is available for Rs 67,900, much lesser than the Google Pixel 3. The OnePlus 6T offers larger display with smaller notch and 6GB RAM at half the price (Rs 37,999).
- Big Ugly Notch on Pixel 3 XL:While we like the Pixel 3 for its 5.5-inch 18:9 display, the Pixel 3 XL has a massive notch on the top. The large notch is an eye-sore. Most other brands are trying to shrink the notch smaller or just remove it altogether. The reason for the large notch is that it has the dual Selfie cameras. But it just makes the phone look old gen compared to phones such as OnePlus 6T or Vivo NEX
- Non-Expandable Storage : You get 64GB or 128GB storage on the Pixel 3 devices, but power users might find it limiting. This is where the option of an expandable storage via microSD card is helpful. However, both the Pixel devices lack this feature. If you run out of storage because of photos, you can upload them to Google Photos, but for other files you will have to start backing them up or deleting them.
- Single SIM Only
The Pixel devices come with single SIM slot which makes them old fashioned. Now, even iPhones offer dual SIM capabilities to keep up with consumer demand. Sadly, The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are not dual sim phones. In a country like India, dual SIM is a key selling point for users. The lack of which in Pixel 3 is be a big turnoff !
