The Google Pixel 3 is a phone that is well known for its camera’s amazing ability to capture excellent pictures. Launched in 2018, this phone remains as one of the best phones that you can get.
List of Specifications
| Dimension | 145.6 x 68.2 x 7.9 mm (5.73 x 2.69 x 0.31 in) |
| Weight | 148 g (5.22 oz) |
| Display | 5.5 in P-OLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors.
1080 x 2160 pixels, 18:9 ratio (~443 ppi density) |
| Storage options | 4GB RAM, 64GB Internal Storage / 128GB Internal Storage, no memory card slot |
| Software | Android 9.0 (Pie), upgradable to Android 10 |
| Rear Camera | 12.2 MP, f/1.8, 28mm (wide), 1/2.55”, 1.4um, dual pixel PDAF, OIS. Dual-LED flash, Auto HDR, panorama |
| Front Camera | Dual: 8 MP, f/1.9, 28mm (wide), PDAF; 8 MP, f/2.2, 19mm (ultrawide), no AF. Auto-HDR |
| Battery | Non Removable Li-Po 2915 mAh, Fast Charging 18W, USB Power Delivery 2.0, QI Wireless charging |
| Other Features | Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
Pros
- Wireless Charging
- Pictures turn out brilliant
- Water Resistant
- Call Screening
Cons
- No Expandable Memory
- No Headphone Jack
- Weak Battery Life
Design and Layout
Measuring 145.6 x 68.2 x 7.9 mm (5.73 x 2.69 x 0.31 in) and weighing 148 g (5.22 oz), the Google Pixel 3 is a phone that has a nice size. You will be able to operate it with one hand at most times. Perhaps, its size is the best reason to choose it rather than its sibling, the Pixel 3 XL.
At the back, the top has shiny glass while the other 1/5 of the phone has a matte finish. While it looks quite alike its antecedent, it is made from different materials. Both its front and back are made from the strengthened Corning Gorilla Glass 5, held together by a hybrid coated aluminum frame in the middle. Another reason this glass was used in the design is because it improves LTE connection and wireless charging.
The power button is located on the right edge along with the volume rocker below. At the bottom edge, you will find the USB-C port and next to it, the SIM card tray. The front facing camera is located on the left side of the top bezel while the dynamic stereo speakers are located at the top and bottom.
Additionally, instead of an AI button on the frame, the Pixel 3 has an Active Edge which let you call up Google Assistant by squeezing the sides of the phone. As this phone uses external USB-C earbuds, there is no need for a headphone jack.
The only drawback to the design of this phone is that it leaves no space for a MicroSd card. Without an expandable storage, you will have to do with the phone’s original 64GB or 128 GB.
Besides this, there is also a Google Call Screening feature that enables you to get Google Assistant to answer a phone call for you. This feature will give you a live transcript of the call, allowing you to tell genuine calls from spam calls.
Display
In addition to being a nice size on the whole, Google has given the Pixel 3 a lovely 5.5 inch OLED touchscreen. Compared to the Pixel 2, this phone has a screen that is much richer in color. This is no doubt due to the 2260 x 1080 pixel resolution.
This phone’s display is clear and sharp, and Google has upped the saturation from the previous year’s phones. If you prefer the more natural colors, you can switch it back to the natural color profile at the display settings.
Not only does the display look great even when you are watching a video in the dark, playing a game or reading, it also adjusts itself to suit the environment automatically.
Battery Life
The Google Pixel 3 has a 2,915mAh battery which is quite small. With conservative use, you will be able to get all-day battery life. However, the battery will not last you through the whole day for normal use.
On the plus side, Google’s Android Pie software includes adaptive battery settings which helps conserve energy. With this setting, apps that are not in use will take up limited power resulting in longer battery life.
The 18W charger gives extremely fast charging speeds. In addition to this, there is fast wireless charging and this phone can be charged up with any Qi charger. Google has recently launched the Pixel Stand wireless charger which is able to fully charge this phone within 2 hours.
Software and Performance
The Pixel 3 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor and 4GB of RAM. While this may seem average, this is actually a stable, fast performing, responsive phone. Indeed, there has been almost no issues or complaints with regards to the speed and performance of this phone.
In the long term however, the 4GB of RAM, as opposed to rival phones having up to 8GB of RAM might become an issue. But as for right now, there is nothing that should deter one from purchasing this device.
This phone has the Android 9.0 Pie as its operating system and it presents with numerous small improvements. Some of the changes include the downsize of the onscreen home and back buttons. These buttons now have different gestures attached to them as well. While you may need some time to adapt, you will start to enjoy the changes once you are used to it.
Camera Performance
The Google Pixel 3 is the phone with the best camera you will ever find. The rear camera has a 12.2 megapixel, f/1.8 lens while the front camera consists of two 8 megapixel lenses. The hardware for this phone is hardly extraordinary. However, with machine learning and AI as well as several extra features, photography with this phone is quite exciting.
Similar to the Pixel 2, this phone has a HDR+ function that helps you take the ideal shot by stitching together different exposures. New to this phone is Top Shot, Super Res Zoom and Night Sight.
Top Shot is a feature that will capture frames before and after you take your picture. Blurry pictures or pictures where someone’s eyes are closed are then removed. Top Shot is quite consistent in picking out the best picture. You can expand the menu to have a look at all the frames that were taken.
The Super Res Zoom feature works to produce pictures with great detail when using the zoom in function. Night Sight enables you to capture pictures in environments with low lights. This is done by combining frames to pick out details that would otherwise be lost. With this feature, the Pixel 3 is about the best when it comes to low light shots.
Another strength of the Pixel 3’s camera is its ability to capture excellent pictures in portrait mode with both its front and rear cameras. The second wide angle lens makes selfies much easier. This is especially so when it comes to group selfies as it enables you to fit in some background into the picture. All you need to do to activate this lens is to hit the slider in the camera app that is located next to the shutter button.
Competition
Several other phones come to mind when considering the Google Pixel 3. The Samsung Galaxy S10 and the Samsung Galaxy S9 are both comparable to this device. With modern sleek designs, the Samsung Galaxy S10 and S9 so have incredible cameras. However, choosing Samsung’s phones would mean that you will have to put up with slower updates.
For a lower price, the One Plus 6T not only has the same chipset but more RAM than the Pixel 3. However, the camera on this phone is not as good. Perhaps the One Plus 6T’s 6.41 inch screen that has a 1080 x 2340 resolution will help you choose between these two phones.
The iPhone XS also has a great camera, with colors that are warmer, although less detailed, when compared to the Pixel 3. This phone would be great for those who are Apple fans, but you might need some time to get used to this phone if you are not an Apple user.
The Bottom Line
The Google Pixel 3 is the phone that is very much suited for those who are looking for an excellent camera phone. Priced competitively, the 5.5 inch handset means that is easy to manage as compared to bigger phones that have good cameras. The only downside to this phone is its short battery life. Frequent camera use will drain the battery faster and if you are an avid photographer, you might want to consider the Pixel 3 XL for its bigger battery.
Google’s latest mobile launch is the Pixel 5.
Check out the Google – Pixel 5 5G 128GB on BestBuy.com today!
