There’s no headphone jack, but Google wins some points for including USB Type-C earbuds in the box, as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack adapter ( hint, hint, Apple). We prefer it over the bottom-firing speakers on the iPhone XS or the Note 9, because half the sound is usually directed away. The Pixel 3 XL sounds richer and more robust than its predecessor, and it easily got loud enough to fill a room. Google said the speakers are 40-percent louder than last year’s Pixel 2, and the difference is noticeable. The great screen and speakers make watching movies and videos on the Pixel 3 XL a joy.ĭual front-facing speakers return, which is why there’s a chin (the bezel below the screen) on the front. The screen delivers deep black levels, which helps the colors pop out even more. Colors are vibrant, and there’s an option to tone down the saturation in the display settings if it’s too much for you. Otherwise, the screen has a sharp 2,960 x 1,440 resolution, and it’s bright enough to see in direct sunlight outdoors (though you’ll need to max the brightness). We’ll be keeping an eye on this to see if it develops into an actual problem, but there’s nothing to worry about with the screen on the Pixel 3 XL. We thought the Pixel 2 XL problems were overblown, and we believe that to be the case here (we’ve seen this in other smartphones before, including those from Samsung). In fact, we are certain most users won’t even notice - you have to really look hard for it. This is something we never would have noticed if we hadn’t seen reports of it online. With the Pixel 3 XL, we do see a very faint line of screen burn-in at the top of the screen surrounding the notch. Last year’s Google Pixel 2 XL suffered some issues with its screen, as some owners complained about a blue tint issue, as well as some other quality control problems. Great display, speakers, and included USB-C earbuds We do love the larger screen real estate, but if you want to comfortably reach all parts of the phone’s screen, you may want to look at the 5.5-inch Pixel 3. We frequently found ourselves repositioning the phone up and down in our hand, in order to access the top or bottom part of the screen. Like most big phones, the Pixel 3 XL can be a little unwieldy to manage with one hand - even for someone with large hands. You can also swipe up and down on it to access the notification shade, which helps with usability on such a large-screen phone. The fingerprint sensor on the back is in a good position, and it’s fast to react. The Pixel 3 XL feels far more high-end than the Pixel 2 XL, but it’s still not as alluring as Samsung’s Galaxy Note 9 or the iPhone XS. We have read complaints about the back being easily scratched up, but we haven’t seen this on our unit. Google managed to matte out the entire surface, so it’s not as slippery as other phones and hides fingerprints, which is a frequent complaint we have for all-glass phones. Google is sticking with the two-tone look, but instead of mixing glass and metal, it’s all glass on the rear. It juts into the screen way too much and looks distracting. If you want the best Android experience, this is the best smartphone to buy - just try to ignore the notch. Not to mention it’s one of the best Android phones that will get consistent software updates for quite some time. As a cherry on top, you get a great screen and speakers, good performance, and a stunning camera yet again. You also will not find comparable artificial intelligence features anywhere else. It has the absolute best software experience on any Android phone, period. Battery life is mediocre, especially when pitted against phones in this price range as well.īut there’s so much else that’s right with the Pixel 3 XL, we are willing to accept these shortcomings. When compared to the rest of the smartphone market, it sticks out like a $900 sore thumb. Google got the design of its new Pixel 3 XL almost right this year, except for the ugly notch on the front of the phone. Google’s Pixel devices often come so close to being the perfect Android phones, but they falter on the same two things: design and battery life.
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