Hands-On With Google's New Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL Smartphones

Google today announced its latest flagship smartphones, the Pixel 3 and the Pixel 3 XL, which are designed to compete with Apple's new iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max.

MacRumors was in attendance at Google's fall unveiling event and was able to get some hands-on time with the new devices, and we did a quick comparison to the iPhone XS Max.

Hands-On with the New Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XLMacRumors

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As we saw in leaked images and heard in rumors leading up to the Pixel 3 XL's debut, it has a deep notch on the front housing its front-facing camera system. The rest of the display isn't quite edge-to-edge due to a chin at the bottom that's missing from Apple's devices.

The Pixel 3 XL continues to use a single-lens 12-megapixel rear camera system, but Google has implemented an HDR+ mode that's similar to Apple's Smart HDR for combining multiple shots into one much better image. Dual 8-megapixel cameras are available on the front of the device, and Google touted a new group selfie feature with a wide-angle lens able to capture 184 percent more than the iPhone XS.

Inside, the new Pixel smartphones are equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chip, 4GB RAM, and up to 128GB of storage. The Pixel 3 offers a 2,915 mAh battery, while the XL model has a 3,430 mAh battery.

Google's Pixel 3 is priced at $799, while the Pixel 3 XL is priced at $899, making both devices more affordable than the iPhone XS and XS Max. The new devices are available for pre-order starting today ahead of an October 18 launch.

What do you think of the iPhone XS's latest competitor? Stay tuned to MacRumors because we'll have a more in-depth comparison video pitting the Google and Apple smartphones against one another next week.