Pixel 3 XL Review: After the Hype | 3 Months Later, Camera Worth it? By KJ Hardrict

Hi guys, it’s KJ the MiTechGuy here, and this video is all about the Pixel 3 XL. And since this is an after the hype review, I get to review this phone in the context of using a bunch of other phones since. So today, I’m not really going to focus too much on the specifications, and instead, I’ll talk about what it would be like using the Google Pixel 3 XL on a daily basis. Huge shoutout to Xcentz for sponsoring this video. And let’s get right into it. The Pixel 2 XL made a lot of headlines last year because of the low-quality OLED panel on a flagship device.

This year, the Pixel 3 XL made a lot of headlines because of its notch. Leading up to the launch, people didn’t even believe that the leaks were true because the notch situation seemed so bad. But unfortunately the leaks were very true. The Pixel 3 XL’s design isn’t simply terrible because it has a notch. A lot of phones have notches.

It is the fact that the notch is so large that it’s basically the height of two notification bars. I just can’t really believe that Google couldn’t find a better implementation of two front facing cameras and the speakers. But outside of the notch, I really like the design of the 3 XL. I like the two-toned glass back that now allows for wireless charging, and I appreciate how well put together the whole device feels in my hand. It’s hard to explain.

And I also really do appreciate the fact that it’s one of the only flagship out right now that has dual front-firing speakers. It makes it so that you’re never blocking the speakers when watching any sort of content, and that is a huge plus for me. Speaking of watching content, the 6.3 inch AMOLED display is manufactured by Samsung, so we can rest assured knowing that there is a high quality panel on Google’s latest flagships. And in my use of the phone, I can say that the display is really high quality and is up there with the other high-end OLED screens on the market right now. Text is always crisp, while colors in images and video look great as well.

I’ve also never really had any issues with how dim or bright the phone screen gets. Overall, I don’t think anybody can complain too much about the new displays on the Pixel 3 XL. Anybody who has been following the Pixel phones knows that they always produce some fantastic images. And everything has only gotten a notch better with the new Pixel 3’s. The 12 Megapixel single camera on the back of this phone gives the software enough information to work with to create some stunning pictures.

It’s like it takes the image, someone edits it, and it spits out a picture that is ready to post. Sometimes my friends can’t figure out which photos were taken with the Pixel and which photos were taken with my A7iii when they see the images on social media. What really sets the Pixel’s rear camera apart from the rest of the flagships right now is its portrait mode. I admit the colors don’t always turn out the way that I would want them, but the overall detail, clarity, and usually perfect background blur create some extremely high quality portrait pictures. And since it only uses software for its portrait shots, it can use that software for selfies as well.

And now you can get even more in frame in your selfies because of the fact that Google implemented a second wide-angle selfie camera to the front of their devices. Even when I am reviewing other phones, the cameras on this phone have been so good to me that I always have to keep the Pixel 3 XL on me in case I have to take a picture of something or someone. The camera is that good. If you wanted to see how the Pixel 3’s cameras compared head to head to the other top smartphone camera systems right now, make sure to check out the camera comparisons I have up on my channel. These other smartphone cameras have gotten really good as well.

But whenever I go back to the Pixel, it still manages to wow me. And since launch, Google has updated the camera to have a night mode, which works very well, even in the worst of conditions. It can even bring light to a completely dark environment. This camera-focused device has got one heck of a camera. To some people, that’s all they had to hear.

They take a ton of pictures, and they simply have to have the best smartphone camera regardless of anything else. And honestly, I think that is completely justifiable. But for the rest of you who are wondering if the overall package of the Pixel 3 XL is a good device, let me tell you my thoughts. This phone only has 4 GB of RAM, but I have never had problems with it slowing down on me due in large part to the fact that the phone is running stock Android, which is optimized for this phone. I know other YouTubers have had problems with their Pixel 3's slowing down.

I haven't had those problems so far. Maybe I'll encounter them the more I use the phone, but I'm actually pleased with its performance. I'll admit that phones like the iPhone XS Max and even the OnePlus 6T feel more fluid than the Pixel, but it isn't by much. And if I hadn't used all three of those phones for an extended period of time, I would've been surprised to even fathom that phones were capable of being smoother than the Pixel 3 XL. Scrolling through various menus of the device and multitasking between apps that are open have felt very fluid to me as of late.

At launch, there were some bugs, but for the most part, I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary recently. The phone just works. It works very well. Although Google doesn't include things like expandable storage, a headphone jack, or facial recognition the Pixel 3 XL's are finally loaded with the flagship features we have been asking for. As I mentioned earlier, the back of the phone is glass now, so we finally have wireless charging on a Google device.

With the Pixel Stand, you can even wirelessly charge your phone while it works like a Google Home Hub. The back of the phone also has its perfectly-positioned fingerprint scanner that is very fast and very accurate. What's new to the Pixel lineup is the phone's IP68 water and dust resistant rating, which gives you that extra peace of mind with your phone. What hasn't changed is the fact that the new Pixel 3's remain one of very few phones out right now that maintain dual front firing speakers. I'll admit, the audio quality itself isn't as good as phones like the XS Max, but with front-firing speakers, you won't cover either one no matter how you hold your phone.

Google even attempts to solve any sort of storage worries you may have by including unlimited full-quality photo and video storage through Google Photos until 2022. On top of these other features, the Pixel 3's can still tell you what song is playing internally, and can even so much as answer your phone calls for you if you ever wanted it to using its new call screening feature. And the cool thing is every time Google comes up with a new feature or OS, they will debut them on their latest Pixel devices first. I wanted to quickly mention battery life because it’s an important topic of discussion for smartphones. You don't have to worry with the Pixel 3 XL.

I am a very heavy user with my smartphones, and just like most of the smartphones released recently, the 3 XL can comfortably make it through a day, but doesn't quite get you to two. You just have to make sure to charge the phone every night, and battery life shouldn't be something you are going to worry about. The Pixel 3 XL is a terrific phone. The only thing is that its getting harder to convince people to spend almost $1000 on a smartphone when we see what phones like the OnePlus 6T are capable of. That being said, the Pixel 3's go on sale quite often, and at the time of me making this video, the Pixel 3 and 3 XL are discounted to $649 and $749 respectively on the Google store website.

So if you were ever thinking about pulling the trigger on a Pixel 3 device, make sure to check to see if there are any sort of deals. But even at its high original retail price of $899, I praise Google for actually including USB-C earphones in the box, and also the fact that they include unlimited Google Photos storage. Online storage usually requires a pricey monthly subscription, and unlimited means you can take as many photos and videos as you would ever want to. Before I give my final thoughts and feelings about the Pixel 3 XL, I wanted to talk to you a little bit about another cool product by Xcentz, who made this video possible. Whether you forget to charge your device the night before or you just happen to be out later than you had expected, a quality portable charger is something you should have at all times.

This one from Xcentz is compact and lightweight so you don’t have to worry about it taking up any space in your bag. You could even just keep it in your pocket. It houses a high quality 3350 mAh LG battery inside of its very aesthetic aluminum shell. It’s smart circuitry delivers the ideal charge-rate for any smartphone. It even doubles as a very bright flashlight so it stays useful even when its not in use.

Check it out through the link in the description, and use the coupon code below to receive 20% off the charger. The Pixel 3 XL happened to be released at the end of a great year for smartphones. We have seen feature-packed phones like the Note 9 and Mate 20 Pro, while we have seen OnePlus continue to make strides as they are even being sold by carriers now. We have even seen the new iPhones really take huge steps to improve their camera systems. So where do the new Pixel 3's stand? To me, it's my favorite Android device.

Hear me out as to why. First off, I can't recommend this phone to someone who doesn't have much money to spend on a phone. The new OnePlus devices can do 95% of what the Pixel 3's can with a design that I actually prefer. But because of my channel, I am in a position to be able to basically choose which smartphone I want to carry with me at any point. None of the manufacturers pay for me to pick or use any one device.

So for me, especially as a content creator, I hold a lot of value in a phone's camera system. And this phone's camera is incredible, and to me, is still the smartphone camera king. And to be able to take an unlimited amount of photos and videos without worrying about storage is invaluable. The Pixel 3 XL may have a hideous notch that is double the length of any other notch I've seen, but it happens to be a pretty well rounded devices. It's fast, has the latest and greatest features from Google, and now has other top flagship features like IP68 water and dust resistance and wireless charging.

I understand that it doesn’t have as many features as the Note 9 or Mate 20 Pro, and also isn't as good of a value as the OnePlus 6T, but I also recognize the fact that despite all of this, the Pixel 3 XL has enough going for it where it has become my favorite Android device. Hopefully this video was able to help you decide whether the Pixel 3 XL will be worth it for you. Different people hold different features to a higher regard when it comes to smartphones, so its understandable that given what I said, you still don't prefer the Pixel 3 XL over other devices. As for this video, that's all I had to talk about today. If you aren't already, make sure to follow me on Instagram and Twitter if you haven't already and DM me on those platforms and I'll try to get back to you as soon as possible, and as for this channel, make sure you're subscribed and have the notification bell clicked because I have a lot of cool videosthat I know you guys will like coming out in the future.

As always, thanks for watching, and I will see you in the next video.

Source : KJ Hardrict