Google Pixel 3 XL

Photos and fantastic software are still this phone’s speciality, but there are other upgrades on the table, too

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SPECIFICATION

Screen 6.3-inch 1440x2960 OLED Processor Snapdragon Qualcomm 845 Memory 4GB Storage 64GB/128GB Camera 12.2MP rear camera; 8MP wide angle and 8MP telephoto front camera Battery capacity 3,430mAh Dimensions 76.7x158x7.9mm Weight 184g

From £869 store.google.com

Google’s third generation of its own phone hardware continues what we saw with the Pixel 2: a brilliant camera paired with a stand-out version of Android. But the world has moved on in the last year. So the question is, has Google kept up?

Cut it out

Google has tried to make the Pixel phones instantly recognisable with their two-tone textured backings, as you’ll know if you’ve spotted previous Pixels. That same design language is in evidence here, though this time the backing is smoother thanks to it being an all-glass design to enable wireless charging. A matte finish for the lower half means it doesn’t feel slippery in your hand.

We’ve also got a single-lens rear camera and a fingerprint sensor around the back – no in-screen fingerprint reader for the Pixel range yet. The Pixels have never led the pack in terms of hardware design, and the Pixel 3 XL is no different.

As always, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but we think this is a really, really fine-looking phone, with one caveat: that deep notch on the front display. It includes twin front cameras, but makes you realise how elegant the wider, shallower notch on the iPhone XS is. Status icons, the time, and other details can feel a bit lost in the big gaps the notch creates at the top of the screen. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it stands out.