Hands-On With Google's New Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL Smartphones

Google today announced its latest flagship smartphones, the Pixel 3 and the Pixel 3 XL, which are designed to compete with Apple's new iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max.

MacRumors was in attendance at Google's fall unveiling event and was able to get some hands-on time with the new devices, and we did a quick comparison to the iPhone XS Max.


The 5.5-inch Google Pixel 3, which has no notch, is similar in size to the 5.8-inch iPhone XS, while the 6.3-inch Pixel 3 XL is similar in size to the iPhone XS Max and takes some design cues from Apple's devices.

As we saw in leaked images and heard in rumors leading up to the Pixel 3 XL's debut, it has a deep notch on the front housing its front-facing camera system. The rest of the display isn't quite edge-to-edge due to a chin at the bottom that's missing from Apple's devices.

The Pixel 3 XL continues to use a single-lens 12-megapixel rear camera system, but Google has implemented an HDR+ mode that's similar to Apple's Smart HDR for combining multiple shots into one much better image. Dual 8-megapixel cameras are available on the front of the device, and Google touted a new group selfie feature with a wide-angle lens able to capture 184 percent more than the iPhone XS.

Inside, the new Pixel smartphones are equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chip, 4GB RAM, and up to 128GB of storage. The Pixel 3 offers a 2,915 mAh battery, while the XL model has a 3,430 mAh battery.

Google's Pixel 3 is priced at $799, while the Pixel 3 XL is priced at $899, making both devices more affordable than the iPhone XS and XS Max. The new devices are available for pre-order starting today ahead of an October 18 launch.

What do you think of the iPhone XS's latest competitor? Stay tuned to MacRumors because we'll have a more in-depth comparison video pitting the Google and Apple smartphones against one another next week.

Popular Stories

Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
maxresdefault

Apple Shows Off a Key Reason to Upgrade to the iPhone 17

Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie. "Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...

Top Rated Comments

sniffies Avatar
96 months ago
It seems as if no other company (except Apple) has any idea what good design is. Like zero idea.

I mean look at that hideousness.

Don't even get me started on how all other companies are fighting over Apple Notch™ like baboons and macaques, and can't for the love of god decide what it should look like.

Unbelievable
Score: 76 Votes (Like | Disagree)
1050792 Avatar
96 months ago
Ugly Design - Check
Worst Notch ever made - Check
Biggest bottom chin in a phone - Check
Higher price Tag than it's worth - Check
No privacy courtesy of Google - Check
Total iOS UI ripoff - Check
Apple's Keynote copy paste - Check
Camera software that could be used for the Pixel and Pixel 2 but won't - Check

How can this phone even be justified? It's the worst release of the year.
Score: 60 Votes (Like | Disagree)
spiderman0616 Avatar
96 months ago
I continue to be astounded by the way people rail against the iPhone notch without acknowledging its functionality while giving notched screens like this one a pass without acknowledging how much more invasive and how much less functional it is. Just goes to show how many companies out there wait for Apple to design their hardware for them.
Score: 50 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jiggad369 Avatar
96 months ago
Terrible copy and pasta.
Score: 36 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mattyj2001 Avatar
96 months ago
iOS tracks for ads. You can limit tracking but saying it doesn't is downright false.
To characterize what Apple does vs what Google does is disingenuous at best. Apple itself only displays ads in the app store and news apps, and they do not provide your info to third parties in any way, shape or form. When you choose to limit ads, it limits targeted ads, so yes, you still see ads in those two places but not based on your 'interests' or other personal data.

Google basically has carte blanche to harvest whatever they want from your phone, including info about your contacts that they never opted in for, and to sell it to anyone that wants it.

To be pedantic, sure, iOS tracks for ads. To be specific, Google harvests your identity and spreads it like a virus to anyone that wants it.

People need to remember that Android is an advertising platform. Android is not a product, _you_ are the product. Your info is the commodity that is bought and sold.

So, have fun paying $800 for a phone that may or may not take better pictures than an iPhone, but certainly will sell you out at every turn.
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
stafil Avatar
96 months ago
It's kind of annoying that my $1500 phone has a worse camera than a $800 phone.
Your $1500 phone can run a decent OS. Also will not lock you out if you post a comment on YouTube that Google doesn’t like. Finally it will not spy on you in order to deliver ads.
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)