Google's new flagship smartphones are here.
The Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are now official, and they've got some notable upgrades over their predecessors. Both phones have larger OLED displays, with the Pixel 3 boasting a 5.5-inch FHD+ screen and the Pixel 3 XL moving up to a 6.3-inch QHD+ display. And yes, just as the leaks predicted, the Pixel 3 XL has a notch at the top of its screen.
When it comes to raw specs, the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are mostly similar. Both have a Snapdragon 845 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB or 128GB storage options. There's a rear fingerprint reader on both phones, a USB-C port, wireless charging support, and both lack a 3.5mm headphone jack. One big difference (besides the display size) of the two phones are their battery sizes: the Pixel 3 has a 2915mAh battery while the Pixel 3 XL's battery is 3450mAh.
Both Pixel 3 phones also share camera features. These include a 12.2MP dual pixel rear camera with a ton of features crammed into it, including 1.4um pixels, optical and electronic image stabilization, and an f/1.8 aperture.
Google is also adding several camera-focused software features into the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. Top Shot uses AI to capture alternate photos in HDR+ when you take a motion photo and then recommend the best one to you. A Super Res Zoom feature uses computational photography to produce sharp details when you zoom in, and Night Sight will help you take more natural-looking photos in low light. There's also a Portrait Mode for adding blurry background to your photos and a Photobooth feature that uses AI to recognize when someone is smiling and snap a photo for you.
Around front, both Pixel 3 phones offer 8MP dual camera setups. One of these cameras is a normal sensor with f/1.8 aperture and the other is a wide angle sensor with f/2.2 aperture and a 97-degree field of view to help you cram more people into your selfies.
Other notable features of Google's new Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL include IP68 water and dust resistance, soft touch Gorilla Glass 5 on the rear, dual front-facing speakers that Google says are 40 percent louder, and Android 9 Pie.
Google is also bundling a neat AI feature that'll let you screen calls and avoid spammers. The new Pixel phones are getting Google's Duplex feature that'll enable Google Assistant to perform phone tasks like making reservations. The first cities to get Google Duplex include New York City, Atlanta, Phoenix, and San Francisco, with more cities coming soon. And then there's Flip to Shhh, which will let you put your phone face down to silence the device, mute incoming notifications, and give you some peace and quiet.
The Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are now available for pre-order from the Google Store, and they'll also be offered by Verizon and Project Fi. Both phones will launch on October 18th in the U.S. Color options include Just Black, Clearly White, and Not Pink. Pricing for the Pixel 3 starts at $799 for the 64GB model and goes up to $899 for the 128GB version, while the Pixel 3 XL starts at $899 for 64GB of storage and goes up to $999 for 128GB of storage.
Customers who purchase a Pixel 3 or Pixel 3 XL will get free unlimited original-quality photo storage in Google Photos through January 31, 2022. And if you buy before December 31, 2018, you'll get six months of YouTube Music Premium for free, too.
Also announced today is the Pixel Stand. This wireless charging will prop your Pixel 3 or Pixel 3 XL upright to make it easier to read notifications, and it can show Google Photos images in a slideshow. When you've got it by your bed, the Pixel Stand can use ambient lighting that mimics the sunrise when your alarm goes off, and at night it can automatically enable Do Not Disturb.
The Pixel Stand is now available for pre-order for $79.
