Google Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL launched: Price in India, sale dates and everything else to know
Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL have now been officially announced, though thanks to the spate of leaks, pretty much everything was known after the two phones. Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL sport a design language similar to the Pixel 2 phones, though Google has included dual-front cameras on both. The Pixel 3 XL also sports a notch now, while the Pixel 3 has a bigger 5.5-inch display which is also edge-to-edge.
Here’s a look at everything to know about the Pixel 3 phones.
Google Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL: Price in India, Sale date
Google Pixel 3 pricing starts at Rs 71,000 for the 64GB version, and Rs 80,000 for 128GB internal storage. Pixel 3 XL 64GB costs Rs 83,000 and the 128GB version will cost Rs 92,000. The Pixel 3 comes in three colours – Just Black, Clearly White and Not Pink. Pre-orders in India will be available from October 11, and will go on sale from November 1. A Google Pixel stand for wireless charging will cost Rs 6,900, and it will also go on sale at the same date.
Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL continue with a similar design as last year, though they are more curved compared to the Pixel 2.
Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL: Basic Specifications
Pixel 3 sports a 5.5-inch full HD+ display with flexible OLED at 443 ppi and an 18:9 aspect ratio. It
comes with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and like the previous Pixel 2. this is an Always-on display. The Pixel 3 now supports HDR.
The Pixel 3 XL has a 6.3-inch display with a QHD+ resolution OLED at 523ppi and a 18.5:9. It also has Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on top, and this supports HDR. Pixel 3 XL also has an Always-On Display and yes, a notch as well. The front cameras are placed on either side of the notch.
Both phones are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, and have 4GB RAM. There is no microSD card slot, and Google is offering unlimited storage on Google Photos for those who purchase the phone. This was offered with the Pixel 2 series as well.
Pixel 3 XL however, does come with a notched display.
The Pixel 3 sports a 12.2MP rear camera with dual pixel technology, while the front camera had two sensors. Google has added two 8MP cameras with a wide-angle and telephoto camera, with f/2.2 aperture and DFoV 107° degree and f/1.8 aperture and DFoV 75° respectively. The front camera can take Group Selfies.
Pixel 3 has a 2915 mAh battery on board, while the bigger phone has a 3430 mAh battery. Both new Pixels support wireless charging. The phones come with a 18 W/2 A USB type-C charger.
Pixel 3 and 3 XL have support for Wi-Fi 2.4GHz + 5.0GHz 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0 + LE, NFC and Google Cast. For location, the Pixel 3 series supports GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou. This is a 4G VoLTE smartphone, which is also eSIM capable, though whether that feature will be supported in India is unclear.
Sensors available on the Pixel 3 phones are: Active Edge, Back-mounted Pixel Imprint fingerprint sensor, Proximity/Ambient light sensor, Accelerometer/Gyrometer, Magnetometer, Barometer, Android Sensor Hub and Advanced x-axis haptics for sharper/defined response. The phones have a USB Type-C 3.1 Gen 1 port and a single nano SIM slot.
Google Pixel 3 series has a single rear camera, and a fingerprint sensor at the back.
In the box, Google is shipping a Pixel 3 or Pixel 3 XL, a Quick Switch Adaptor, USB-C to USB-C cable and Pixel USB-C earbuds as well as USB-C to 3.5 mm headphone adaptor and the SIM tool.
Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL continue to come with an Aluminum frame + hybrid coating, and there’s also soft touch glass (Corning Gorilla Glass 5) on the back. The phones come with IP68 dust and water protection. The phones runs Android 9 Pie out of the box.
Google Pixel 3 series: What’s changed in terms of the camera?
Now, Pixel 2 had a great camera, possibly one of the best in the business. So what has Google done to top that in 2018 with the Pixel 3 and 3 XL? One new feature in the camera is Top Shot, which will rely on artificial intelligence (AI) to capture the best shot.
When a user takes a motion photo (this is similar to the Live Photo feature on iPhone) it captures alternate shots in HDR+. After this, the Pixel 3 will then recommend the best one. Another feature is better zoom, which is called Super Res Zoom. Basically Google is using a computational photography technique, and this will produce sharp details when you zoom into the photo.
Pixel 3 also has a new Night Sight feature, which will be rolled out later. This will allow bright, detailed, shots even when it is dark. Google showed an image taken in Night Sight with the Pixel 3 and compared it to the iPhone XS, to show exactly what it does.
Both Pixel 3 phones come with dual-front cameras.
Group Selfie is another feature, though only for the front camera. Google is claiming 184 per cent more room in your photo for friends, though this is not really a new feature on Android phones.
Pixel 3 also has a Photobooth mode, which uses AI to recognise when you are smiling or make a funny expression, and are ready for a selfie. The photo is taken on its own, without pressing the shutter button in this mode.
In Portrait mode, Google Pixel 3 will now let you change the blurriness of the background, or change the part of the picture in focus. The option of changing focus is not something we have seen other phones so far.
Pixel 3 also has a new Playground mode, where users can make photos, selfies and videos come to life by adding superheroes, animated stickers and fun captions. Google has partnered with Marvel Studios to bring characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to this feature.
Pixel 3 will have a call screen feature on the Google Assistant.
On the video front, Google has added a Motion Auto Focus, which will make sure the camera stays in sharp focus automatically as you record something moving, like a puppy or child that is moving.
Google Pixel 3: What’s are these new features with the Assistant?
The Google Assistant is getting two new features with the Pixel 3. The first will come to English users in the US, where Pixel 3’s AI will help them screen calls and avoid spam.
The Screen Call feature will let a user find out who is calling and why, and they will immediately see a transcript of the caller’s responses, to help the user decide if they want to pick. Users can also mark the call as spam and dismiss.
Google will also be rolling out the Duplex technology to users in the US. Pixel users will be able to use the Assistant to book a restaurant table. The feature is coming to New York, Atlanta, Phoenix and the San Francisco Bay Area first and will roll out to other cities soon. Duplex was the technology Google previewed at the I/O 2018 conference in May, and showed how the Assistant can almost pass off for a human in select conversation scenarios.
Google Pixel 3 XL camera also comes with new features and improvements.
Google Pixel 3: What about wireless charging?
Pixel 3 phones come with an 18 Watt fast charger in the box. Google is promising seven hours of use in 15 minutes of charging.
There’s also a new Pixel Stand, which is Google’s new Qi compliant wireless charger. (Qi is the standard in wireless charging).
Also while charging in the Pixel Stand, the phone turns into a smart visual and audio experience powered by the Google Assistant, much like the Google Home Hub. It answers questions, plays music, helps users control smart home devices, and transitions into a photo frame when idle.
Google Pixel 3: What else?
Both phones have dual front-firing speakers. Also customers who activate a Pixel 3 or Pixel 3 XL by December 31, 2018 can get six months of free YouTube Music Premium.
Pixel 3 also has a security chip custom-designed by Google called Titan M, which protects a user’s unlock credentials, disk encryption, app data, and the integrity of the operating system code itself.