Google Pixel 3 XL review

11 November 2018
The Pixel 3 XL is Google's latest flagship smartphone. It promises to bring everything we have come to expect with the Pixel brand, including a clean build of Android, fast performance, quality camera and some cool software tricks that only Google can come up with.

Sort by:

Jimbob81, 13 Nov 2018Thanks for the insight, however i actually do know about im... moreWell, i am pretty sure Pixels camera is ok, if you take pictures of close and simple objects. But landscapes and anything that contains detail, is big no no. Look at first sample photo. Is it grass or is it green rug? I can't tell because lack of detail. And that's the problem all tiny sensor 12 mp mobile cameras have. Some are worse, some little better but not a one can beat my Nokia 808. After looking pictures snapped with 808, all nowadays 12mp mobile cameras make pictures that look like water paintings. Objetcs you can see but no detail. For more casual photography i have used Lumia 950XL and lately i bought Sony XZ3, because of camera. I don't mind little noise, but lack of detail is infuriating. So, i still think that this 'miles ahead of competition' is joke at best. Pixels camera (if we are talking about detail) aren't even best in 12 mp snappers class (that would be HTC U12+). And gets completely destroyed by latest Sony and even 3 years old Lumia cameras. Only thing it has is multistacking for wide dynamic range.

    • J
    • Jimbob81
    • MMM
    • 13 Nov 2018

    SpiritWolf, 12 Nov 2018Camera miles ahead of competition? You just proved that you... moreThanks for the insight, however i actually do know about image quality and cameras as its part of my job to take photos. I've used pixel cameras in place of my SLR at times and the results have been brilliant. The consistency and quality I personally have got im extremely impressed with, but everyone has an opinion!

      MadMel, 12 Nov 2018if google wants any sign of life for future Pixel phones al... moreLOL as if firing those people would guarantee a much better team in creating a better phone......
      Google can fire the horrible team then recruit an even worse one.

        Dolanescu, 13 Nov 2018Bro... there are people who don't buy a phone for papers sp... moreYou're talking as if phones from other manufacturers are all about hardware specs. Actually not true at all, it's quite the opposite. Especially companies like Apple or Samsung are putting as much as or even more effort for the software development than Google, they are both trying their best to make sure that their software is bug-free, and even when they had issues they fix them immediately through OTA. How long has Google been working out to solve the simple ram management issue, again? I don't know if some of the feature you just listed(e.g. location share, Google Lens) aren't available on other Android devices, but I'm talking about the reliability as one product here. Google just doesn't deliver quality phones with great hardware nor software.

          I think mate 20 series's the beast ov 2018-2019

            • D
            • Darkprince1997
            • 8uC
            • 13 Nov 2018

            Trash phone as always from google
            Google never dissapoint!

              • J
              • Jimbob81
              • MMM
              • 13 Nov 2018

              Each to their own guys...each to their own. All phones are Marmite, some love, some hate.

                Nick Tagataka, 12 Nov 2018You can't compare Pixel series to phones made by Samsung, A... moreBro... there are people who don't buy a phone for papers specs or just too look at it...
                Others can't match the google unlimited storage... google lens... google assistant... believe me...
                10 GB of ram will not share the location with my friend just saying "share my location with Jhon Smith"...or... see my 5 years old photos from a trip in Spain with only a search in the Google photo... or to point the camera and translate... copy text with only one touch... etc. etc. etc.

                  • J
                  • Jimbob81
                  • H5W
                  • 13 Nov 2018

                  SpiritWolf, 12 Nov 2018Camera miles ahead of competition? You just proved that you... moreActually yes I stand by my comment, the consistency in the capture quality is superb, and if you shoot with RAW too you can get some amazing images. I actually do know a thing or two about taking photos as it's part of my job and I've often used a pixel in place of a Sony alpha, as I know it can capture that well!

                    JIMBOB81, 12 Nov 2018Just my opinion dude, if you get chance to have a go on one... moreDuplicate

                      JIMBOB81, 12 Nov 2018Just my opinion dude, if you get chance to have a go on one... moreI'm looking at all the photo comparison on the internet and I honestly find iPhone XS' camera more pleasant to my eye overall. To me it just feels like Pixel is bumping up contrast more than necessary and applying too much dehaze filter.

                        AvgJoe, 12 Nov 2018"The 4GB RAM, in this case, is a major bottleneck. The phon... moreDon't be salty just because you can't accept the fact that a phone from your favourite brand has horrible ram management.

                          Xypleth, 12 Nov 2018He's not tripping. Camera is where more=/=better, and Pixel... moreHaving more cameras always means better given that the same image processing is involved. Nowadays cameras on high-end smartphones are so good that the only factor differentiating them is the number of cameras they have, or their versatility: something that Pixel phones lack of right now. Google can brag about their software prowess all they want but in the end the fact that they could've done it even better with multiple camera setup doesn't change, not even slightly. They could've added a telephoto lens and used their super res zoom to allow the smooth transition between a digital zoom and an optical zoom, or employed a super wide angle camera and enhance its image quality with their great HDR+ processing. Or, they could've even utilised monochrome sensor to boost the S/N ratio in high ISO for less noisy photos in low light. There are so many things they should've done, and IMHO 1 camera on a $900 flagship phone simply doesn't cut it in 2018.

                            • ?
                            • Anonymous
                            • myM
                            • 13 Nov 2018

                            Anonymous, 11 Nov 2018Used to love gsmarena but totally hating it now Only samsu... moreDid you not think all the cons are legitimate? Battery is poor, thing is slippery, that back looks and feels great, but it comes with drawbacks. This is actually one of the more honest reviews I have seen. I also noticed that the demo units in stores have yellow tints to the screens, but only on the xl.

                              JIMBOB81, 12 Nov 2018Errmmmm...nice Pixel Bashing guys...! This Phone is amazing... moreCamera miles ahead of competition? You just proved that you don't know anything about cameras and picture quality. The ONLY pro is software- enhanced dynamic range. Other than that, pictures are noisy and lack detail. Most of detail, to be honest.
                              Noise levels even in broad daylight are comparable with Sony newer phones, but XZ3, for example, captures fair amount detail (detail is the REASON why noise is there) also which Pixel XL3 completely lacks.

                                Fintoyu, 12 Nov 2018You are trippin'. What camera ?? What design ??He's not tripping. Camera is where more=/=better, and Pixel demonstrates that perfectly. I would rather have 1 good camera, than 3 mediocre cameras or good cameras with bad software.
                                Design is subjective, of course, but trust me, without Google's design team, and App design principles for developers creating apps on G Play Store, it would still look like a 2005 nightmare. And the UI is just beautiful (to me), it's more consistent and calmingly tidy and simple, that I prefer it so much over iOS design.

                                The phone's notch (lack of hardware, phone creating technologies) is the rake that Google stepped on, and the worst part of design, but it's not that bad, get over it.

                                  Joe, 12 Nov 20182018 Google Top shot = 2017 Sony predictive cupture You forgot about software, my friend. I've seen it's gotten better since Pie. But in 2017 Sony had bad software.

                                    • ?
                                    • Anonymous
                                    • Q5i
                                    • 12 Nov 2018

                                    deep notch (o.O)

                                      • A
                                      • AvgJoe
                                      • NTF
                                      • 12 Nov 2018

                                      "The 4GB RAM, in this case, is a major bottleneck. The phone has a hard time keeping applications open in the background. You can keep 4-5 apps open in the background before the phone runs out of memory and starts shutting them down"

                                      Wow, what a FU "review" and full of lies probably. Really, GSMArena? What happened to your usual standards of actually reviewing a phone like you've been doing past many years? I usually don't comment here, but this definitely need one before I removed your website from my bookmarks. So long, folks!

                                        • ?
                                        • Anonymous
                                        • aXK
                                        • 12 Nov 2018

                                        If google keeps experimenting with notches, next year XL will have a vertical notch that links top to bottom and will be casually called "dual display".

                                          3 of 7