Google announces its next flagship smartphones, the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL

At the tech giant’s fall hardware keynote presentation in New York City, Google revealed its latest pair of flagship smartphones, the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, following what felt like a never-ending wave of leaks regarding the devices over the last few months.

Both phones are very similar to last year’s Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, but there are also stark differences on the size and camera front.

The Pixel 3 XL features a 6.3-inch 2,960 x 1,440 pixel resolution display, 128GB of storage, Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, Adreno 630 GPU, 4GB of RAM and IP68 water resistance. Further, the Pixel 3 XL’s display has increased 0.3-inches from the Pixel 2 XL.

Google’s Pixel 3, on the other hand, features a 5.5-inch 1080 x 2160 pixel display, a Qualcomm 845 processor, 128GB of internal storage 4GB of RAM and IP68 water and dust resistant. The Pixel 3’s display has increased 0.5-inches from 5-inches with the Pixel 3.

Finally, the Pixel 3 XL as many likely feared, features a display notch, while the Pixel 3 does not.

In terms of camera, Google has stuck with a single rear 12.2-megapixel shooter with both the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. The front-facing camera is a different situation, however, with Google opting for what the company is calling a ‘Group Selfie Camera.’

Both the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL include two front-facing cameras that measure in at 8-megapixels, with one offering a wider field-of-view. Google specifically says that the wider second camera captures “184 percent more of a scene” when compared to Apple’s iPhone XS’ shooter.

As expected, the Pixel 3 XL and Pixel 3 also run Android 9.0 Pie, the latest version of Google’s operating system. Google also says that the speakers featured in both smartphones are 40 percent louder when compared to the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL.

The Pixel 3 XL and Pixel 3 also include a pair of USB-C earphones, a USB-C-to-3.5mm dongle, a USB-C-to-USB-C cable, a USB-C-to-USB-A dongle, and an 18w USB-C power adapter.

Further, the Pixel 3 is available in three colours, ‘Black,’ ‘Clearly White’ and ‘Note Pink,’ with all three hues coming to the Canadian market.

The Pixel 3 is set to start at $999 CAD for the 64GB version of the smartphone, with the 128GB iteration coming in at $1,129. The Pixel 3 XL, on the other hand, starts at $1,129 CAD for the 64GB version and $1,259 for the 128GB model.

Both smartphones are now available for pre-order with a November 1st Canadian launch date. In the U.S. the Pixel 3 is set to launch on October 18th.