Google Pixel 3 64GB Prices & Plans

Google Pixel 3 64GB Review

There's been a lot glitz and glam when it comes to 2018 smartphones. We've seen in-display fingerprint readers, facial recognition, pop up cameras, augmented reality emojis, and more, but Google's latest handsets are a little more unassuming. 

The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL have one core focus: software. Software is the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL's raison d'être; they're a showcase of Google's unfettered vision for Android, they'll be first in line for new features, and they've got great cameras that do amazing things thanks to, you guessed it, software. 

Pixel perfect ...ish 

Nothing highlights Google's approach to building software and hardware in tandem more than the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL's camera. While we're now seeing smartphones with as many as four cameras on the back, Google's new phones still only have one. And they sure know how to use it.

The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL might not have the trypophobia inducing camera setups we've seen on other handsets, but they're able to replicate most of the features nonetheless. Portrait mode - one of the most popular features on dual camera smartphones - is here, complete with adjustable depth of field.

Much like its multi-camera brethren, the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are able to simulate DSLR-like "bokeh", tastefully out-of-focus backgrounds you get behind your subject when taking photos using a high-end lens. In addition, you're able to able to adjust the amount of blur behind or make the background monochrome while keeping your subject colourised (dubbed colour pop).

Google's portrait mode effects work well for the most part, provided you've got a good amount of light and your subject's hair isn't too wild. Lowlight makes colour pop very inconsistent, while long hair - especially with curls or frizz - can result in areas where the background behind a patch of hair is left jarringly un-blurred. Impressively, portrait mode performance is similarly effective on both front-facing and rear-facing cameras.

On a related note, the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL have genuinely great selfie cameras that do just a touch better than the competition most of the time. There's also a second camera on the front, that can be used for wide-angle group shots. Notably, portrait mode also works on the wide-angle selfie camera. The below is a comparison of a regular portrait mode selfie and a wide-angle portrait mode selfie. 

While the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL don't have a dedicated zoom lens, there's a software assisted digital zoom that comes close to looking as good as a dedicated lens. If you're just zooming in by a factor of two or three, most will be hard pressed to tell that you got the shot using digital zoom.

There is of course a limit to just how much software can do, and you will start to notice pixel interpolation (where the software has tried to reconstruct the image using existing data) if you zoom in much further. The below image compares a standard photo with 2.5x and 7x magnification.

Huawei wowed us earlier this year with the P20 Pro's night mode, a camera feature that uses exposure bracketing to get a more detailed image when shooting in lowlight environments. Essentially, it takes multiple photos at different exposures over a short period of time and then stitches them together for a better image. 

A similar feature, Night Sight, is coming to the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL "shortly", and we've managed to try it out early thanks to an enterprising Android fan re-engineering the camera app. Initial tests have been promising - the below photos were both taken in complete darkness - but we'll wait until the functionality is officially available to make a final call. We'll be sure to update this review when it is.

Notably, both the original Pixel and Pixel 2 will get Night Sight as part of a future software update, which is a pleasant surprise. This also bodes well for the Pixel 3, which will hopefully get at least some of the cool camera tricks we'll no doubt see in future models.

Looking a little more broadly, the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL camera lives up to its predecessors in that it takes great photos in almost every situation. We still think a second rear-facing camera would have been useful in terms of further improving zoom, but otherwise, the Pixel 3s are an excellent choice when it comes to smartphone photography.

Slice of Pie

The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL will be some of the very first phones you can buy that ship with Android Pie, the latest version of Google's mobile operating system - and they'll run it in its purest form. While we're going to see more phones shipping with Pie - and some existing devices getting an upgrade - there are a few new features worth calling out.

One of the big changes is gesture controls for navigation, as we've seen on new iPhones. Android's standard array of software buttons has been replaced with a single nub. Tapping it takes you back home, a half swipe brings up a new multi-tasking menu, and a full swipe opens your app drawer. Swiping the nub can be used to quickly jump between apps. A back button still appears when contextually relevant, but is no longer ever-present. Personally, we're fans. There's a small learning curve, but the gesture controls make using the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL feel a little more effortless, and a tad more futuristic.

Google is getting on the mindfulness trend with new Digital Wellbeing functionality that's mostly a guilt-trip about how much you're using your new phone. It turns out I get almost 400 notifications a day and I don't know how to feel about that. The Digital Wellbeing dashboard will also tell you how many times you've unlocked your Pixel each day, how many hours you're using it for, and what apps you use the most. Way to harsh my vibes, Google.

If want to tone down those guilty feels, you can use "App Timers" that limit how many minutes you're able to use a specific app each day. Your Pixel 3 will warn you when you're approaching your limit, and after you hit your allocated time, the app gets "paused". The icon greys out and you're not able to open the app for the rest of the day. If you have no self-restraint and want to use that app again, you'll have to visit the Dashboard to unpause it.

One very cool Pixel exclusive feature that's not available in Australia yet is call screening. Whenever you get a phone call that's suspected to be spam, you'll be able to tap "screen call", which will prompt Google Assistant to answer for you. It will ask the caller to state their name and reason for calling, which will be transcribed to you in real time. If that's not enough info, you'll also be able to tap options such as "tell me more" and "is it urgent". There's no date for when this feature will be available locally, but we're hoping it's soon, because it sounds amazing.

Best of all, precedent suggest the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL will get better over time, and learn a few new tricks as they get older. At a minimum, the phones will get guaranteed Android version and security updates until October 2021, which is the longest support period promised by any Android device manufacturer. And in addition to new features found in the latest version of Android, Google has committed to bringing Pixel-exclusive functionality to older handsets wherever possible. A whole host of Pixel 3 features - such as call screening and Night Sight - will be making their way to both the Pixel 2 and original Pixel.

Hardware can be hard

For all the leaps and bounds Google is making with software, it hasn't quite got the hang of hardware yet. For the most part, the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are reasonably polished phones, but there's a few issues that let the pair down a little bit.

Google has improved on screen quality compared to last year (there's no more colour shift issues), but the displays are dim compared to other flagships. If you take the brightness slider below 50%, the screens start to get uncomfortably dull, and they need to be maxed out for any chance of outdoor visibility. This isn't necessarily a huge deal, but it would have been nice to have a little bit of extra headroom for when the Australian summer arrives in full.

Battery life on both phones is a case of just fine. You'll get through a full day of moderate usage, but there won't be much of a buffer left. This is far from a deal breaker - it's similar to what you get on an iPhone - but it's hard not to want more when flagships from OPPO and Huawei are pushing two days (albeit with the help of sometimes overly aggressive battery management).

Neither the Pixel 3 or Pixel 3 XL have expandable storage. While this is par the course for Pixel devices, it's an anomaly when it comes to Android smartphones. Google would presumably prefer you use its cloud storage services rather than a microSD card, and the Pixel 3s do include three years of unlimited Google Drive backups for your photos and videos. This helps mitigate the situation, but still. You'll also get six months of YouTube Music, if you haven't subscribed before.

And while the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL design is nice, it's very samey. They don't exactly stand out. It's not all bad; there's nice embellishments thanks to colour-accent power button on the white and pink models, and we love the feel of the two-texture glass back. However, it would have been nice to see a little more from what are, for all intents and purposes, *the* flagship Android phones. At the very least, Google could have shrunk the Pixel 3 XL chin down to the same size as the top bezel, to help justify the deep, deep notch.

Who is the Google Pixel 3 and Google Pixel 3 XL for?

The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL get you an excellent camera in a great smartphone, but they don't manage to feel quite as cutting edge as other premium devices. On one hand, this means you miss out on a couple of fancy new features. On the other, these absent friends aren't necessarily essential.

Facial recognition and in-screen fingerprint readers sure are cool, but a good old fashioned fingerprint reader still does the trick. A longer battery life is always welcome, but the pair still last the day. You don't get a dedicated zoom lens, but you'll still have one of the best camera phones around. A more unique design would have been nice, but Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL prices don't go anywhere near as high as some of their competitors.

Starting at $1,199 and $1,349 for 64GB models, the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are somehow still two of the cheaper high-end devices on the Australian market. And even if you miss out on a few features, you'll still end up with a top tier device - without veering into stupid expensive territory. 

This alone makes the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL worth considering. It's nice to see great flagship phones without spit-take inducing prices. 

Google Pixel 3 and Google Pixel 3 XL camera samples

I don't want a Google Pixel 3 or Google Pixel 3 XL, what else can I buy?

Huawei Mate 20 Pro

If you're after a phone that feels a little more flash, it's worth considering the Huawei Mate 20 Pro; the only thing it's missing is a headphone jack. It gets you three excellent cameras, an in-screen fingerprint reader, 3D facial recognition, stellar battery life, and more. You do however pay for these, with the Mate 20 Pro coming in at $1,599. And if you're after a pure software experience, Huawei's take on Android might not be to your liking.

Apple iPhone XS

While iPhones obviously don't run Android, they're philosophically similar to the Pixel thanks to software and hardware being designed in tandem, plus excellent post-purchase update support. And it helps that the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are pretty great devices, albeit very expensive.

Nokia 7 Plus

If you'd prefer to save money, the Nokia 7 Plus is a safe bet. It's almost a dead ringer for the Pixel 2 XL and runs an unmodified version of Android maintained by Google. This means you still get regular software and security updates, without having to fork out for a Pixel. The camera won't be anywhere as good and the hardware isn’t quite as fast, but you can pick up a Nokia 7 Plus for as a little as $569 these days.