Before Google could officially unveil the new Pixel 3 series, a Hong Kong-based network carrier has posted a detailed review of the Android flagship leaving very little room for imagination on what to expect at the New York City event on October 9.
As per the local telecommunication service provider Unwire Hong Kong, the new Google Pixel 3 series is coming in two variants—a generic Pixel 3 and the top-end Pixel 3 XL. Except for the screen design, sizes and battery capacity, rest of the features remains the same for both the devices.
They flaunt dual-tone glass-and-metal finish body on the back. The glass covers only the top-most part including the camera, while rest of the rear will have metal and the fingerprint sensor will be out of the glass enclosure.
On the front side, the standard 5.0-inch Pixel 3 will flaunt normal OLED display with 18:9 aspect ratio that guarantees cinematic viewing experience without the obstructive notch.
The 6.3-inch Pixel 3 XL (with OLED screen) will be coming with iPhone X-like uni-brow on top and unfortunately, it is an awkwardly big notch. Hopefully, the company offers a notch-hide feature like other Android phone makers.
Despite the difference in display panel design, Google has managed to incorporate two cameras with super selfie mode and front-facing speakers in both the Pixel 3 and 3 XL models.
The Pixel 3 and the Pixel 3 XL models will have the different battery capacity to meet the demand of respective display sizes. Rest assured, the devices will have sufficient cell capacity to run a full day under mixed usage thanks to Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 octa-core CPU and power-efficient OLED-based display.
Both the devices will come with Android Pie out-of-the-box and will be eligible for a minimum of three years of software support (until 2021).
On the front, Pixel 3 ( & 3 XL) will have dual 8 MP selfie camera and a single 12MP primary on the back.
Sadly, the 3.5mm audio jack will not be making its return in the Pixel 3 series. Rumour has it Google might offer Type C-to-3.55 mm port connector dongle in the retail box.
Both the models will be offered in two configurations- 4GB RAM+ 64GB storage and 4GB RAM+128GB storage.
The Pixel 3 series is confirmed to come with Active Edge. Though this feature is not new, the upcoming phones will do more functions. Device owner can customise 'Active Edge' to open third-party apps or do the specific operation. This will definitely bring more value-addition to the product, which is expected to cost upward of $700. In the 2017-series, Pixel 2 users could only use Active Edge feature to trigger Google Assistant and silence the call.
In a related development, a Twitter user Jon Prosser has posted a retail brochure of the Pixel 3 series revealing the 24 months' contract prices of the devices related to the European market. Google is expected to offer Pixel 3 for £58 (approx. $76.12/ €66.01/ Rs5,615) per month with £10 (approx. $13.12/ €11.38/ Rs 968) upfront payment and benefits include free Apple Music subscription for six months.
For the Pixel 3 XL, consumers have to shell out £63(approx. $82.68/ €71.70/ Rs 6,099 per month (24 months contract) with £20 (approx. $26.25/ €22.76/ Rs 1,936) upfront payment and offer the same benefits.
Google has already been sending emails to Pixel 2 series owners in select global regions that Pixel 3 will be available for pre-order on the launch date October 9 itself. We hope the company releases the new devices in India in the same time frame.
