Richard Goodwin 10/10/2018 - 10:05am

Google’s Pixel 3 is now official, and it’ll be available very soon

Google just launched the Pixel 3 and the Pixel 3 XL at an event in the US. The Big G also confirmed a new smart stand for the phones, the Pixel Stand, as well as a new ChromeOS-powered tablet called the Pixel Slate.

Both the Google Pixel 3 and the Google Pixel 3 XL are now available for pre-order in the US and UK. The handsets will get an official release date on October 18 in the USA and November 1 in the UK.

Google Pixel 3 and Google Pixel 3 XL Prices

  • Google Pixel 3 – Prices Start From $799 (or $899 for the 128GB handset)
  • Google Pixel 3 XL – Prices Start From $899 (or $999 for the 128GB handset)

Google Pixel 3 Specifications

  • 145.6mm x 68.2mm x 7.9mm
  • 5.5-inch 18:9 aspect ratio OLED display
  • Weight: 148g.
  • 12.2 MP Camera, f/1.8, 28mm (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, OIS, dual pixel PDAF
  • FF Camera: Dual 8 MP, f/1.8, 28mm; 8 MP, f/2.2, 19mm
  • Snapdragon 845 CPU 
  • 64/128GB Storage 
  • 2915mAh Battery 
  • 4GB RAM 
  • Android Pie

Google Pixel 3 XL Specifications

  • 158 x 76.7 x 7.9 mm
  • 6.3 in P-OLED Display 
  • 12.2 MP Camera, f/1.8, 28mm (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, OIS, dual pixel PDAF
  • FF Camera: Dual 8 MP, f/1.8, 28mm; 8 MP, f/2.2, 19mm
  • Snapdragon 845 CPU 
  • 64/128GB Storage 
  • 3430 mAh
  • 4GB RAM 
  • Android Pie

Why You’d Buy The Google Pixel 3

Simple. You want the purest Android phone on the planet, a phone made by Google specifically for Android.

You’ll get updates as soon as they’re ready and access to new Google features as soon as they’re ready for deployment.

Case in point: new features for Google Assistant will be exclusive to the Pixel phones for the immediate future.

Google Assistant has been heavily updated in order to make it more useful. Things like the ability to monitor and block spam/scam callers is a godsend and something a lot of people will appreciate.

"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."

The Cameras Are Exceptional

Google has always been very good at cameras in its Pixel line of phones, but the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL take things a few steps farther with even more advanced features and a crazy dual-lens front-facing cameras that will allow for insane selfie shots (it’ll look like they were taken with a selfie stick, basically).

Here are some of the new Google Pixel 3 camera features you will see inside the phone, according to Google:

  • 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.

Impressive, right?