Google's Latest Mobile Pixel 3 Review 2019

With an excellent camera, a truly amazing Night Sight mode and a beautiful new design, the Google Pixel 3 is one of the best phones

What is Google Pixel 3?

The third attempt by Google on a Pixel phone is still its most successful. The Google Pixel 3 is an excellent device with a nice display, really amazing camera (now with the amazing Night Sight

feature) and the best Android software version. It's a big Google Pixel 2 jump and a worthy Android rival like Samsung Galaxy S9, LG G7 and OnePlus 6T.

Price of Google Pixel 3

Google Pixel 3 prices start at £ 739/$799 for model 64 GB and £ 839/$899 for model 128 GB.

Design of Google Pixel 3

Pixel devices previously weren't lookers. They were functional instead of fashionable, durable instead of delicate. The Google Pixel 3 is the first entry to match the Samsung Galaxy S9 and the iPhone XS. From a distance and in pictures in particular, Pixel 3 looks like Pixel 2. Pick it up, hold it, and then the difference you'll notice.

From a distance and in pictures in particular, Pixel 3 looks like Pixel 2. Pick it up, hold it, and then the difference you'll notice.


The back is now smooth, made entirely from glass and almost tender to the touch. It has a heavily polished cauldron finish and slides comfortably into your palm. Instead of just putting glass on the back and stopping, Google split the glass look: the top part is shiny and the bottom part is matte.

I love this matte finish–it's most noticeable in the white and pink versions–because it reduces smudges and adds some of the grip that's often lost when glass is switched to metal. However, this is still a slippery phone, especially if you come from a pixel or pixel 2, and being a glass means that it is less drop resistant. I saw a few other Pixel 3 users report back scratching issues, something I still have to see. However, the soft back feels like it would scratch easily, and over the next few weeks I will keep an eye on it. Switching to glass also enables Google to introduce wireless Qi charging and keeps the water resistance rating of IP68. The only connection here is a USB - C port–there is no 3.5 mm headphone jack–and this is accompanied by a SIM card tray. On the right side there is a clicky volume rocker and power button with a contrasting mint color in my white version. I love this vibrant hit, even if I prefer it to be orange like the Pixel 2 XL.


I don't have all the buttons on one side and I prefer to have the lock switch on my own. That's how it works on the iPhone XS and it means that you don't change the volume accidentally when you want to turn the phone on. It's a little quibble, but one that often frustrated me with pixel 3 during my time.

Turn over the phone and you'll notice the biggest difference between the Google Pixel 3 XL and the screen. Apart from being smaller (this has a 5.5-inch display, as opposed to a 6.3-inch display), the Pixel 3 does not cut into the display in a deep clamp. It is instead a 18:9 panel with a thinner border than Pixel 2. This makes it feel much more modern and looks so much better.

This is not an entirely edge- to- edge display, however, as two front speakers are located above and below the display. You also have dual selfie cameras. A 5.5-inch screen may sound intimidating if you're used to older pixels (both had 5-inch screens) or an iPhone (typically a 4.7-inch screen), but thanks to the slimmer bezel, the Pixel 3 is about the same size as the two phones in general. It is easy to use in one hand and small enough to slide into a tight jeans pocket or a handbag. I'd say it's a perfect phone size.

Screen of Google Pixel 3

The Pixel 3 screen is the largest of non-XL Pixel phones at 5.5 inches. It's the best, too. The colors are sharp and bright, with none of the dark whites ruining the Pixel 2 XL display. Blacks are also deep and inky, due to the decision to stick to an OLED panel instead of an LCD panel. The OLED screen allows pixels to be illuminated individually, which means that they can be completely turned off to display perfect blacks. It also means that you will not drain too much battery using the display at all times.

The panel's resolution is FHD+ (2160x 1080), which could cause some concern for those who wonder why Quad-HD+ (2960x 1440) like the Samsung Galaxy S9 and LG G7 has not been upgraded. Honestly, I struggle to decipher any difference between the two resolutions at this size unless I get unnaturally close and seek individual pixels really. This is a perfectly crisp, detailed panel and with a higher resolution would not be much better.

Google also added HDR support here with compatible YouTube videos that look really amazing. Apparently these phones also support HDR Netflix streams, but at the time of the review they were not available. Actually, Netflix won't play on either of my Pixel 3 review devices in HD, so it's a bit odd. I guess an update will fix this.

The angles of view are excellent and there is plenty of oomph in brightness to see the outside screen. To my eye, however, it is not the brightest display, and you will probably manually alter the brightness levels much more than, say, an iPhone.

Google aims to accurately represent the colors of the Pixel 3 screen and there is noticeably less saturation in reds and green than on a Samsung phone. You can slightly adjust the screen setting using the options Boosted, Natural and Adaptive. The default is adaptive and I didn't feel the need to change it.

Performance of Google Pixel 3

A very obvious theme was the unveiling of the Pixel 3 by Google: specs were hardly mentioned. The idea is that software optimization and how things work are far more important than flashy numbers and enormous amounts of RAM. However, if you are interested in internals, here's a quick overview: Snapdragon 845, 4 GB RAM and 64 GB non-expandable storage with a 128 GB model available for an extra £ 100. This is the standard spec sheet for a phone flagship in 2018.

4 GB appears to be slightly meager when there are more and more 6 or 8 GB phones, and the Snapdragon 845 is likely to be replaced by a rumored Snapdragon 855 with 5 G support in the coming months. However, after using Pixel 3 for a longer period of time, I'm not worried about performance.

Audio quality from the front-end stereo speakers is excellent. Since the sound is intended for you, it is not blocked by hands when you watch a video and Google Assistant queries can be heard easily throughout a room. There's no headphone jack here, but Google has a 3.5 mm headphone jack adapter and a pair of fine USB - C earbuds in the box.

Final Words

Google Pixel 3 -specific features are kept to a minimum and most are still not available or limited to the US. For example, there is a call screening feature now available to some people in the states who use Google's Duplex AI to respond to spam calls. When it comes to the UK, I'll be sure to try this out.

You can also read : iPhone XS Review - 2019