Google Pixel 3 Review

November 19, 2018 | Amy Davies | Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star Half rating star

Introduction

The Pixel 3 is the latest smartphone from Google, following on from the success of last year’s Pixel 2. There are a number of new features, many of which are of particular interest to photographers.

Like the previous versions of the phone, the camera is at the heart of much of Google’s marketing. However, the rear camera has seen more of an incremental upgrade than a complete overhaul. A new addition is “Night Sight” mode, which is particularly useful when shooting in low light situations.

Otherwise, the Google Pixel 3's camera itself is a 12.2 megapixel dual-pixel unit, with an f/1.8 aperture and a 28mm equivalent focal length. On the front of the phone, there are now two cameras – the additional one offers a wider angle of view to enable better group selfies.

As we’ve seen before, the Pixel is available in two sizes – standard and XL. The standard Pixel 3 has a 5.5-inch screen – a 0.5-inch increase on the Pixel 2 model, while the Pixel 3 XL has a 6.3-inch screen, which is an increase from the 6.0-inches of the previous version.

Other improvements include a larger battery (on the standard Pixel 3 only), and the addition of wireless charging.

Ease of Use

Using the Pixel 3 is not too dissimilar from its predecessor, or indeed many other Android phones. As it is a Google phone, you can be sure that you will always have the latest version of Android, which at the moment is Android 9 (Pie).

Again, as the Pixel 3 is a Google phone, it runs a “clean” version of Android – which in essence means it hasn’t been modified or adapted to suit the needs of a particular company, such as you would see on other Android phones from manufacturers like Samsung or Huawei. What that means in real terms is that it’s a very clean, simple and straightforward layout.

Google Pixel 2
Front

As we saw on the Pixel 2, the Pixel 3 can be unlocked via a fingerprint sensor on the rear of the device. This is a very natural way to unlock the phone when picking it up, and you soon get used to holding it so your finger automatically rests in the relevant place.

If you just need to take a photo, you don’t need to completely unlock the phone. You can double press the power button in quick succession to open the native camera app. If you access the camera in this way, you’ll only be able to see photos you’ve taken in your current shooting session, and not older pictures.

Google Pixel 2
Rear

Unlike many other Android phones, the Google Pixel 3’s native camera app is relatively simple. It affords a little more control than what we’ve seen on the iPhone XS, but it’s not as comprehensive as those you’ll see on Huawei or Samsung phones. That’s great news for those who want something more akin to a point and shoot camera, but is less helpful for enthusiast photographers.

As standard, the camera app opens in the default “Camera” mode. With this, you will see there are options along the top of the screen to turn on a timer (3 seconds or 10 seconds), switch on RAW (images will be saved as both JPEG and raw format files), enable “Motion” (which records a very short video clip with your still images), and switch on flash. Although you can’t change any other settings, white balance control is available – giving you the option to choose between “Auto”, cloudy, sunny, fluorescent and tungsten options.

Google Pixel 2
Camera App

You’ll notice along the bottom of the camera app, there are a number of other different photo modes. This includes Portrait mode, which is something which the Pixel 2 particularly excelled at. Despite the fact that the Pixel 3 has only one lens, it uses machine learning to recreate shallow depth of field effects, working particularly well with human subjects.

In this mode, you won’t see the results previewed live. Instead you’ll be instructed to tap on whatever it is you want to be the main subject. When you view the image in playback, you’ll see that it takes a couple of seconds to process, after which you’ll have your shallow depth of field shot. You’ll also be able to revert back to a standard shot, which can be useful it hasn’t worked out altogether well. Occasionally, the phone will refuse to produce a shallow depth of field effect. This seems to be if it suspects there is no separation between the subject and foreground, or perhaps if you weren’t close enough to it. You won’t get a warning that this is the case, though.

Google Pixel 2
In-hand

Unlike some other current high-end smartphone models, such as the iPhone XS or the Mate 20 Pro, you won’t be able to alter focus point after you’ve taken the shot for your shallow depth of field effect. This is slightly strange when you consider the effect is entirely the result of machine learning.

Other modes on the Google Pixel 3 include a Panorama – which is fairly self-explanatory, requiring you to sweep the phone across the scene to create an ultra-wide-angle shot. There’s also a Video mode, as well as a couple of options under the “More” tab, such as Photo Sphere and Slow Motion. It’s also under this “More” tab that you’ll find the option to select certain camera settings – although it’s worth noting that you’ll need the phone to be fully unlocked to do so.

Google Pixel 2
Rear

In the settings menu, you’ve got the option to save location, enable camera sounds, switch on a grid and so on. A particularly useful feature is the option to display a “dirty lens warning”, which can help save your shots from the dreaded fingerprint smear. You’ll also be able to choose different resolutions and aspect for your stills, as well as different video resolutions – 4K at 30fps is the best available.

Head to the “advanced” section of the menu, and you’ll be able to switch on “HDR+ control”. If you leave this switched off, all photos will be automatically taken with the HDR setting automatically applied. Meanwhile if you set the option to on, you’ll be able to switch between HDR and non-HDR directly from the camera screen.

Google Pixel 2
Settings

Back in the camera app itself, you can adjust brightness by tapping around the screen and then sliding your finger up and down when a sun icon appears. You can also engage an AF/AE lock by tapping the lock icon, meaning that exposure and focus will be locked to wherever you set it, allowing you to recompose your image if necessary.

As with the Pixel 2, the Pixel 3 uses dual pixel autofocusing. It’s very quick and rapid, locking on to the subject with relative ease in most situations. It also performs well in low-light, with very few occasions where it gets it wrong.

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this review were taken using the 12 megapixel JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 3Mb.

We were extremely impressed by the images produced by the Google Pixel 2, and while the Pixel 3 doesn’t represent a hugely dramatic overhaul, it continues to create excellent images. Although it doesn’t offer you the opportunity to alter many settings yourself, you’re likely to be so pleased with the results that you don’t mind so much.

Colours are bright and punchy, but, crucially keep on the right side of realistic for images which are natural. There’s also a pleasing level of overall detail, especially when looking at A4 sizes or below.

In low light, using the standard camera mode, the Pixel 3 puts in a good show, but it’s the new Night Sight mode which truly impresses. You can use it to take shots that would probably be otherwise impossible with most standard smartphones, and it certainly gives Huawei’s Night mode a run for its money.

Despite only having one lens, the Pixel 3’s extremely clever machine learning algorithms produce excellent shallow depth of field effects. Human subjects are slightly better, but even subjects with a fairly complicated outline are rendered pretty well – with only very close scrutiny revealing flaws.

In artificial light, the Pixel 3 gets white balance right almost every time. It’s pretty much the only setting you can change though, so if it has gone slightly wrong, altering to a more appropriate setting is very easy.

Again, because there’s only one lens, there’s no optical zoom available here. Instead, three different levels of digital zoom can be utilised – presumably all just cropping more tightly into the scene. The first level is quite good, but the other two should really be reserved when you’re desperate to get closer to the action. You could of course also crop yourself manually after you’ve taken the shot.

Focal Range

The Google Pixel 3's fixed lens provides the focal length demonstrated below.

wide-angle.jpg
Digital Zoom 1
digitalzoom1.jpg
Digital Zoom 2
digitalzoom2.jpg
Digital Zoom 3
digitalzoom3.jpg

Chromatic Aberrations

The Google Pixel 3 handled chromatic aberrations very well during the review, with limited purple fringing mainly present around the edges of objects in high-contrast situations, as shown in the example below.

Chromatic Aberrations (100% Crop)

Chromatic Aberrations (100% Crop)

chromatic1.jpg chromatic2.jpg

Macro

This macro shot shows how close you can get to the subject.

macro.jpg

Flash

The flash settings on the Google Pixel 3 are Off, On and Auto. These shots of a white coloured wall were taken at a distance of 1.5m.

Flash Off

ISO 64

Flash On

ISO 64

And here are a couple of portrait shots with the rear and front facing cameras.

No Flash - Rear Camera

rearcamera-noflash.jpg

Flash - Rear Camera

rearcamera-flash.jpg

Selfie Camera - Standard

selfiecamera-standard.jpg

Selfie Camera - Wide

selfiecamera-wide.jpg

Portrait Mode

The Google Pixel 3's portrait mode intelligently blurs the background whilst keeping the main subject sharp.

portrait_mode_01.jpg

portrait_mode_04.jpg

portrait_mode_02.jpg

portrait_mode_03.jpg

Night Sight

The new Night Sight mode is always available in the More menu, and the camera also prompts you to use it when it detects low-light levels. You can hand-hold the Pixel 3 for up to 6 seconds and still get sharp, well-exposed photos, as shown below.

nightsight1.jpg

nightsight2.jpg

nightsight3.jpg

nightsight4.jpg

nightsight5.jpg

Panorama

The Google Pixel 3 has a simple-to-use panorama mode that provides good results, as shown below.

panorama.jpg

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Google Pixel 3 camera, which were all taken using the 12 megapixel JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample Movies & Video

This is a sample movie at the highest quality setting of 3840x2160 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 20 second movie is 118Mb in size.

This is a sample movie at the highest quality setting of 3840x2160 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 17 second movie is 100Mb in size.

This is a sample movie at the quality setting of 1920x1080 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 16 second movie is 45.1Mb in size.

This is a sample movie at the quality setting of 1280x720 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 17 second movie is 24.9Mb in size.

Product Images

Google Pixel 2

Google Pixel 2

Google Pixel 2

Google Pixel 2

Google Pixel 2

Google Pixel 2

Google Pixel 2

Google Pixel 2

Google Pixel 2

Google Pixel 2

Google Pixel 2

Conclusion

Google’s Pixel range has often been seen as the go-to device for those interested in the photographic capabilities in a smartphone.

While it’s true that the Pixel 3 remains a very impressive performer, it’s also true that the company is facing a lot more competition these days.

In terms of the response it has given to the likes of Huawei and Samsung, the Pixel hasn’t done much to change or alter its hardware, with the key improvements coming to software, including the addition of the superlative Night Sight mode. It’s probably just about better than Huawei’s – though we wouldn’t be surprised if Huawei is already working on ways to improve its own mode.

That said, for all the Pixel 3 brings you in terms of superb night mode, only having one lens has its own limitations. A fixed length of around 28mm is something we were used to seeing for a long time, but at a time where two – or even three – lenses is starting to become commonplace, not being able to zoom in or out optically is now considered a compromise.

If you’re after more flexibility, the Mate 20 Pro is the most obvious choice, while the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is also a worthy contender.

One area where the Pixel 3 doesn’t suffer for having a solitary lens is with its fantastic Portrait mode. Again it uses computer learning to produce shallow depth of field effects which are easily comparable to those with two lenses, and arguably sometimes even better.

In terms of pricing, the Pixel 3 is very competitively priced, which makes it a great option for those who don’t want to spend too extortionately. The standard Pixel 3 is available from £699, while the Pixel 3 XL starts at £829. It’s worth noting that it’s not possible to expand your storage with the Pixel 3, so you might want to pick up the largest storage capacity you can afford.

Overall, Google may not have done much to revolutionise the Pixel 3 but with a few welcome tweaks to the device design – along with the addition of Night Mode – it retains one of our top choices for those looking for the best smartphone for photography.

4.5 stars

Ratings (out of 5)
Design 4.5
Features 4
Ease-of-use 4.5
Image quality 4.5
Value for money 4.5

Main Rivals

Listed below are some of the rivals of the Google Pixel 3.

Apple iPhone XR

The Apple iPhone XR is the cheapest of the three new iPhones released in 2018, sacrificing the telephoto lens and higher-resolution screen that the XS models offer. Read our in-depth Apple iPhone XR review to find out if it's still worth considering...

Apple iPhone Xs

The Apple iPhone XS is the 2018 update of Apple's best ever selling phone, last year's iPhone X. Read our Apple iPhone XS review to find out what this latest version offers and if it's the right smartphone for keen photographers...

Google Pixel 3 XL

The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3XL are new flagship smartphones from Google. New features for photographers include Top Shot, which uses AI to help you capture the perfect photo every time, Super Res Zoom, which produces sharp details when you zoom, and Night Sight, which lets you take natural-looking photos…

Honor 10

The Honor 10 is is the new flagship smartphone from the Huawei sub-brand, featuring a dual-camera setup with built-in artificial intelligence. Retailing for under £399, find out if this is all the smartphone that you need by reading our in-depth Honor 10 review, complete with full-size sample images and videos...

Huawei Mate 20 Pro

The Huawei Mate 20 Pro is simply the best smartphone for photographers that we've ever reviewed - find out why by reading our in-depth Huawei Mate 20 Pro review, complete with full-size sample images and videos...

Huawei P20 Pro

The Huawei P20 Pro is one of the most exciting new smartphones of 2018 for photographers - find out why by reading our in-depth Huawei P20 Pro review with full-size sample images and videos...

Huawei P20

The Huawei P20 is the cheaper alternative to the flagship P20 Pro smartphone that wowed us a couple of weeks ago, but that doesn't mean that it's not worth a look. Check out our in-depth Huawei P20 Pro review with full-size sample images and videos...

OnePlus 6

The OnePlus 6 is the latest flagship smartphone on the block, but this one doesn't cost the earth, retailing for about half the price of the big players. Can it really take on Apple, Samsung and the rest though? Find out now by reading our in-depth OnePlus 6 review...

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

The Galaxy Note 9 is Samsung's latest flagship smartphone, boasting a 6.4-inch screen, dual 12-megapixel cameras with dual-aperture control, 2x optical zoom, 4K video at 60fps and super slow motion video at 960fps, and internal memory up to 512GB. Take a look at our in-depth Samsung Galaxy Note 9 review to find out if this is the best smartphone camera for avid photographers...

Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus

The Galaxy S9 Plus is Samsung's flagship smartphone for 2018, boasting a 6.2-inch screen, dual cameras with dual-aperture, 4K video at 60fps and super slow motion video at 960fps. Is this the ultimate smartphone for keen photographers? Find out by reading our in-depth Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus review...

Samsung Galaxy S9

The Galaxy S9 is the smaller of two new flagship smartphones from Samsung for 2018, featuring the much heralded variable aperture lens and super slow-motion video recording at 960fps. Read our in-depth Samsung Galaxy S9 review with full-size sample images and videos now...

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Google Pixel 3 from around the web.

trustedreviews.com »

Google’s third attempt at a Pixel phone is its most successful yet. The Google Pixel 3 is an excellent device with a nice display, truly stunning camera and the best version of the Android software.
Read the full review »

cnet.com »

Now that every major 2018 smartphone launched and the Night Sight update is available though, I can definitively declare that the Pixel 3 is indeed one of the best phones of the year, and my top overall Android pick. It truly is awesome, and it includes the best camera you can currently get in a phone.
Read the full review »

techradar.com »

The Google Pixel 3 has the best smartphone camera you can buy today. Don’t let the raw specs fool you: its very ordinary sounding single 12.2MP rear camera with an f/1.8 aperture is enhanced by machine-learning software, Google’s secret sauce to making your photos better. The phone design doesn’t stand out and the battery life is underwhelming for power users, but Google does pack in a 5.5-inch screen and dual front-facing speakers into a one-hand-friendly phone. It’s Google’s best phone in a smaller size.
Read the full review »

Specifications

Operating system Latest Android 9 Pie + Google Assistant
  • Latest Android 9 Pie
  • Google Assistant
  • Minimum 3 years of OS and security updates¹

Display Fullscreen 5.5” display

  • Pixel 3
  • Fullscreen 5.5” display
  • FHD+ flexible OLED at 443 ppi
  • 18:9
  • Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5
  • Always-on display
  • Now Playing
  • 100,000:1 super contrast ratio
  • Full 24-bit depth or 16.77 million colours
  • True black level
  • HDR support (UHDA certification)
  • Pixel 3 XL
  • Fullscreen 6.3” display
  • QHD+ OLED at 523ppi
  • 18.5:9
  • Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5
  • Always-on display
  • Now Playing
  • 100,000:1 super contrast ratio
  • Full 24-bit depth or 16.77 million colours
  • True black level
  • HDR support (UHDA certification)

Cameras 12.2 MP dual-pixel

  • Rear camera
  • 12.2 MP dual-pixel
  • 1.4 μm
  • Autofocus + dual pixel phase detection
  • Optical + electronic image stabilisation
  • Spectral + flicker sensor
  • f/1.8 aperture
  • Field of view: DFoV: 76°
  • Rear Camera Video
  • 1080p @ 30fps, 60fps, 120fps
  • 720p @ 30fps, 60fps, 240fps
  • 4K @ 30fps
  • Dual front cameras
  • 8 MP wide-angle and telephoto cameras
  • Wide-angle: f/2.2 aperture & DFoV 107°
  • Telephoto: f/1.8 aperture & DFoV 75°
  • Front Camera Video
  • 1080p @ 30fps
  • 720p @ 30fps
  • 480p @ 30fps
Processors
Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 845
  • Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 845
  • 2.5 Ghz + 1.6 Ghz, 64-Bit Octa-Core
  • Adreno 630
  • Pixel Visual Core™
  • Titan M security module
Memory and storage
4 GB RAM
  • 4 GB LPDDR4x RAM
  • 64 GB or 128 GB storage²
Dimensions & weight
5.7 in L x 2.7 in W x .3 in H
  • Pixel 3
  • Length: 145.6 mm (5.7 in)
  • Width: 2.7 in (68.2 mm)
  • Height: 7.9 mm
  • Weight
  • 148 g
  • Pixel 3 XL
  • Length: 6.2 in (158.0 mm)
  • Width: 76.7 mm
  • Height: 7.9 mm
  • Weight
  • 184 g
Colours
Clearly White • Just Black • Not Pink
  • Clearly White³
  • Just Black³
  • Not Pink³
Media & Audio
Dual front-firing stereo speakers
  • Dual front-firing stereo speakers
  • 3 mics
  • Noise suppression
Battery
2915 mAH battery + Qi wireless charging
  • Pixel 3: 2915 mAH battery
  • Pixel 3 XL: 3430 mAh battery
  • 18 W/2 A USB type-C charger
  • 18 W fast charging⁴
  • Qi wireless charging⁵
Wireless and location
Wi-Fi 2.4GHz • Bluetooth 5.0
  • Wireless
  • Wi-Fi 2.4GHz + 5.0GHz 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
  • Bluetooth® 5.0 + LE
  • NFC
  • Google Cast
  • Location
  • GPS
  • GLONASS
  • Galileo
  • BeiDou
Channels
World-wide network/mobile compatibility
  • World-wide network/carrier compatibility with:⁶
  • GSM/EDGE: Quad-band (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
  • UMTS/HSPA+/HSDPA: Bands 1/2/4/5/8
  • CDMA EVDO Rev A: BC0/BC1/BC10
  • WCDMA: W1/W2
  • FDD-LTE : Bands⁷ 1*/2*/3*/4*/5/7*/8/12/13/17/18/19/20/25*/
    26/28/29/30/32/66*/71
  • TD-LTE: Bands 38*/39/40/41*/42/46
  • Supports up to CAT 16 (1Gbps DL/75Mbps UL), 5x DL CA, 4x4 MIMO, LAA, 256-QAM DL and 64-QAM UL depending on operator support
  • eSIM capable
Sensors
Active Edge™
  • Active Edge™
  • Back-mounted Pixel Imprint™ fingerprint sensor for fast unlocking
  • Proximity/Ambient light sensor
  • Accelerometer/Gyrometer
  • Magnetometer
  • Barometer
  • Android Sensor Hub
  • Advanced x-axis haptics for sharper/defined response
Ports
USB Type-C™ USB
  • USB Type-C™ 3.1 Gen 1
  • Single nano SIM
Materials
Aluminum frame + hybrid coating
  • Aluminum frame + hybrid coating
  • Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5 on the front
  • Soft touch glass (Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5) on the back
  • IP68 dust and water protection⁸
AR/VR
Built for VR to work with Google Daydream View headset
  • Built for VR to work with Google Daydream View headset

News

The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3XL are new flagship smartphones from Google. New features for photographers include Top Shot, which uses AI to help you capture the perfect photo every time, Super Res Zoom, which produces sharp details when you zoom, and Night Sight, which lets you take natural-looking photos in dark surroundings without flash.

The Pixel 3 (5.5” screen) will be £739 (64GB) and £839 (128GB) and Pixel 3 XL (6.3” screen) at £869 (64 GB) and £969 (128GB).

Google Press Release

Google Pixel 3: Make every day more extraordinary

Today we’re introducing Pixel 3 and Pixel 3XL, the new smartphones from Google. Pixel brings you the best of Google in a phone, powered by AI to deliver more helpful, thoughtful and enjoyable experiences. That means a phone that answers for you when a telemarketer calls, a camera that uses AI to make sure you never miss the shot, and a more helpful visual and audio experience while charging, powered by the Google Assistant.

Brilliant photos every time and super-charged selfies

We’re taking more photos on our phones than ever before, but we still often miss the perfect moment. Pixel 3 helps you get that perfect shot on the first try.

Here’s how the best camera gets even better with Pixel 3:

Capture smiles, not blinks: A feature we call Top Shot uses AI to help you capture the perfect photo every time. When you take a motion photo, it captures alternate shots in HDR+, then recommends the best one—even if it’s not exactly when you hit the shutter—looking for those where everyone is smiling, with eyes open, and facing the camera.

Get better zoom: When you zoom in on a phone camera, the image looks grainy. Super Res Zoom is a computational photography technique, traditionally used for astronomy and scientific imaging, that produces sharp details when you zoom.

No light; no problem: Pixel 3 lets you take natural-looking photos in dark surroundings, all without a flash. With Night Sight, coming soon to Pixel 3, you can take bright, detailed, colorful shots around the campfire, in a moonlit forest, or after you close out the bar.

No selfie stick required: Get everyone in the picture with Group Selfie, which gives you 184 percent more room in your photo for friends and scenery.

Look … no hands! Photobooth mode uses AI to recognize that when you’re smiling or making a funny expression, you’re ready for a selfie. It snaps the photo on its own so you don’t need to reach for the shutter button—a good option for candids.  

Even more stunning portraits, front and back: When you take photos in Portrait Mode, you can change the blurriness of the background, or change the part of the picture in focus, after the fact. Google Photos can also make the subject of your photo pop by leaving them in color, while changing the background to black and white.

Create and play: In Playground, you can make photos, selfies and videos come to life by adding your favorite superheroes, animated stickers and fun captions. In celebration of Marvel Studios’ 10 Year Anniversary, you’ll enjoy seeing the characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (exclusively on Pixel) react to each other and to you. New packs for Weather, Pets, Sports and Signs let you have everyday fun, and coming later this year, you'll be able to sharpen your dance skills with moves from Childish Gambino.

Super smooth video: When you want to capture something that won’t stop moving—think an adorable toddler or your new puppy—Motion Auto Focus will make sure your Pixel 3 camera stays in sharp focus automatically, as you record. And if you happen to be taking a selfie video while walking or moving around, Pixel 3 brings you front-facing video stabilization.  

Unlimited storage for all of your photos and videos

With Pixel 3, you can save all your favorite moments with free, unlimited photo and video storage in original resolution*. It’s hassle-free, you don’t have to think about back-ups. Come back to Google Photos later and search for the beach photos you took on your Pixel 3, and they’ll pop right up.

Your AI-powered sidekick

AI in Pixel 3 enables new features that make your day-to-day actions simpler and easier.

If you want to know more about something you’re looking at, use Google Lens, built right into the Pixel 3 camera. To scan and translate text, find similar styles of clothing, or identify popular plants and animals, you can now long press in the Pixel 3 camera to easily open Lens. When you point your camera at information you want to remember or don’t feel like typing in—like a URL or QR code on a flyer or an email address on a business card—Google Lens suggests what to do next, like creating a new contact.

You can count on even more help across other apps too, including Gmail’s Smart Compose, now available for mobile on Pixel 3. Smart Compose suggests phrases in your emails so that you can draft them faster, on the go. Gboard, the keyboard built into your Pixel 3, will recommend GIFs, stickers and more, to make your conversations fun and engaging. Both are available first in English. 

The Google Assistant is also baked into Pixel 3 to help you find answers and control your phone and compatible smart home devices—all with a simple squeeze or by using your voice. This year we have two new Assistant features coming to Pixel.

First, starting out in English in the U.S., Pixel 3’s on-device AI helps you screen phone calls and avoid spam calls. Imagine you’re at dinner with family or in a meeting at work and a call from an unknown caller comes in. Just tap on “Screen call” to find out who's calling and why, as well as other information (as prompted by you). You'll immediately see a transcript of the caller's responses so that you can then decide whether to pick up, respond by tapping a quick reply (e.g., “I’ll call you back later”), or mark the call as spam and dismiss. Processing the call details on-device means these experiences are fast, private to you, and use up less battery.

Second, Pixel users in the U.S. will be the first to get access to an experimental new Google Assistant feature, powered by Duplex technology, which helps you complete real-world tasks over the phone, like calling a restaurant to book a table. This feature will initially be available later this year in New York, Atlanta, Phoenix and the San Francisco Bay Area to help people book restaurant reservations and will roll out to other U.S. cities in the future.

As we develop new calling technologies, we believe it’s critical that we help people understand the context of the conversation. We’ll disclose to businesses receiving the call that they're speaking to an automated system, and we have developed controls to protect against spam and abuse, as well as the ability for a business to opt out of receiving calls. For Call Screen, we will also let the caller know that a screening service is being used.

Digital Wellbeing

Our phones, while probably the most important tech in our lives, shouldn’t control our lives. So Digital Wellbeing, a suite of tools to help you find your own balance with technology, is built into Pixel 3. It includes a dashboard to help you understand how you spend time on your phone, the ability to set time limits on specific apps, and a new Wind Down mode to help you get to sleep at night by gently transitioning your display to a grayscale screen. When you don’t want to be bothered by rings or notifications, just flip to Shhh—an easy gesture that turns on Do Not Disturb and minimizes distractions.

Fast and wireless charging

Pixel 3 comes with an 18 Watt fast charger in the box, which can give you seven hours of use in 15 minutes of charging. With our AI-powered Adaptive Battery technique, Pixel 3 prioritizes battery power for your most important apps to make your phone last all day.

Alongside Pixel 3, we’re also introducing Pixel Stand, our new, Qi compliant wireless charger (sold separately). While charging in the Pixel Stand, your phone turns into a smart visual and audio experience powered by the Google Assistant, similar to Google Home Hub. It answers your questions, plays music, helps you control smart home devices, transitions into a photo frame when idle, and much more. If you set an alarm, your screen will gently brighten over 15 minutes before your alarm goes off, mimicking the sunrise and helping you wake up naturally. Pixel 3 also comes with dual front-firing speakers tuned by a GRAMMY®-winning music producer to turn your phone into a powerful speaker. 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 is IP68 water- and dust-resistant and has a security chip custom-designed by Google called Titan M, making it the most secure phone we've built yet. Titan M enhances mobile security by protecting your unlock credentials, disk encryption, app data, and the integrity of the operating system code itself. Powered by Android 9 Pie, Pixel 3 comes with the latest Android operating system. 

Pixel 3 is available for pre-order now from Verizon, Project Fi, and the Google Store unlocked.

Hands On

Want to see exactly what the new Google Pixel 3 flagship smartphone looks like in the flesh?

Check out our hands-on gallery of photos of the Google Pixel 3 smartphone.

A gallery of hands-on gallery of photos of the new Google Pixel 3 smartphone, and some bonus pictures of the Google Pixel Slate.

Image Gallery

Click on a thumbnail to see the full version.

Preview Images

Ahead of our full review, here are some sample images taken with the brand new Google Pixel 3 smartphone. This flagship smartphone has several new features including Top Shot, which uses AI to help you capture the perfect photo every time, Super Res Zoom, which produces sharp details when you zoom, and Night Sight (coming next week).

A gallery of full-size sample images taken with the Google Pixel 3 smartphone.

Google Pixel 3 Sample Images

Sample Movie & Video

This is a sample movie at the quality setting of 3840x2160 at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 20 second movie is 118Mb in size.

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