Google Pixel 3 XL review: four reasons to buy and four reasons to avoid the bigger Pixel

Has Google packed in enough features to justify an upgrade for its big Pixel smartphone?
The Google Pixel 3 XL has a 6.3-inch screen
Amelia Heathman11 February 2019

We’re currently in the midst of new smartphone season, with Samsung, Google, Huawei and OnePlus all releasing new devices this month.

The Google Pixel 3 release is one of the biggest of the season. With the addition of wireless charging, updates to that always-amazing camera, and a first proper look at Android Pie, there’s a lot packed into the new 6.3-inch device.

We put the new phone to the test over the weekend to see what is great, and not so great, about the new smartphone.

Four reasons you should buy the new Google Pixel 3 XL

1. The camera

It’s a truth universally acknowledged by the tech community, the Google Pixel phones have one of the best cameras around, and the Pixel 3 XL is no exception.

Portrait mode on the Google Pixel 3 XL is stunning. Updates to the camera’s software mean you can now change the blurriness of the background in a portrait image after you’ve taken it, just like with the iPhone XS. This allows you to get creative in playing around with your images.

Portrait mode on the Google Pixel 3 looks pretty amazing

The front camera has had some improvements, incorporating a wide-angle lens with a 97-degree field-of-view, so you can fit more people and scenery into pictures with the Group Selfie mode.

And, the new Top Shop feature picks out the best group image, making sure everyone is smiling and with their eyes open, so you can then 'gram the best shot.

If you buy your smartphone for the camera, you can do a lot worse than picking the Pixel 3 XL.

2. The design

The Google Pixel 3 XL is a big phone, with a 6.3-inch OLED HDR screen. Despite its size, it’s incredibly light and fits easily into your hand, which is no mean feat for a phone this big.

The new glass and matte back is really smooth and though it doesn’t feel as flashy or high-end as an all-glass back like on the iPhone XS range, it feels much more sturdy and less likely to break.

Google has minimised the bezels (frame around the screen) on the Pixel 3 XL, adding in a notch at the top to bring it in line with most 2018 phone releases.

The Google Pixel 3 XL has a matte and glass back

3. Digital wellbeing

Digital wellbeing is front and centre in Google’s new Android software update, Android Pie. But the company has decided to add even more features to the Pixel.

My favourite is the “Flip to Sssh” feature. You can turn this on in the Digital Wellbeing section in Settings, and then whenever you turn your phone over so it is lying face down on a table all notifications will be muted.

I tried this out when going out for dinner and it worked nicely. This is good for people who like to have their phones nearby but don’t want to have notifications disturbing them when they’re working or with people.

The Wind Down feature is good too, like the Bedtime feature on iPhone, and you can set your phone to go to greyscale between certain hours of the day.

4. Wireless charging

Thanks to the new matte and glass back, the Google Pixel 3 XL can now charge wirelessly.

As part of this, Google has released a new wireless charger, named the Google Pixel Stand. Whilst it charges the device wirelessly, it also turns the Pixel 3 XL into a mini Google Home Hub too.

This feature brings the Google Assistant front and centre to the phone, and you can interact it with it using your voice to check your calendar, smart home integrations with Nest products, and search for things on the internet (via Google).

It may seem a bit much to spend £69 on a wireless charger, but the Google Assistant interactions make this purchase actually necessary.

The Google Pixel Stand turns your Pixel smartphone into a Google Home Hub
Google

Four reasons you to avoid the new Google Pixel 3 XL

1. The lack of facial recognition

The prices for the Google Pixel 3 XL start from £869, putting it on the same pricing level as the new Samsung Note 9. This is a flagship phone without one of the most important flagship features: facial recognition.

Presumably, Google hasn’t got the security tight enough in the front-facing camera to offer facial recognition, but it’s disappointing to see this missing from the Pixel range, particularly when companies like OnePlus have been offering this feature for a while already.

It might be acceptable if there was an in-screen fingerprint scanner but alas, Google wants you to faff around with that rear fingerprint scanner which I just can’t get used to.

2. Augmented reality features fall flat

Google has rebranded its augmented reality (AR) stickers as Playground, where you can take selfies with the likes of Marvel’s Iron Man and also a new AR version of Childish Gambino.

I’m not convinced this is a feature I would ever really use. If you’re into Bitmoji on Snapcht then you might enjoy this, but with Apple paving the way with its Memoji/Aninmojis, this Playground feature seems a bit gimmicky.

3. Navigation can get a bit confusing

The navigation on the Pixel 3 XL could do with some improving. With no home button, the emphasis is on different gestures to get you round the screen and the swipe up to find the main apps menu is now a two-step process: swipe once to get to open apps, and swipe up again to get to the menu.

This is something that gets annoying during repeated use, and there should be an easy way to skip the first step if you don’t need it but I haven’t found this yet.

That being said, the Active Edge squeeze function on the bottom of the phone to launch the Google Assistant is handy and demonstrates another functionality of the device.

4. Not much change between Pixel 2

All in all, there haven’t been that many changes between the Pixel 3 XL and its predecessor, the Pixel 2 XL. The design hasn’t really changed since the original Pixel range was released two years ago, in fact.

And given that a lot of the new features coming to the Pixel 3 XL will also be coming to the other phones as a software update in Android Pie such as digital wellbeing features and some camera upgrades too, there isn’t a whole lot of reason to upgrade.

There are also few differences between the Pixel 3 and the Pixel 3 XL, except for screen size, battery size and the addition of that notch.

Verdict: If you want to buy a smartphone for the camera alone, then get the Pixel 3 XL because it is amazing. But, if you’re already on the Pixel bandwagon there haven’t been enough incremental changes to make you upgrade.

The details: the new Google Pixel 3 XL is on sale from November 2, with prices starting from £869. Sky Mobile is offering the new phone from £34 per month.

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