What rumours say about Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL
It was on October 4 that US-based tech giant Google announced the second generation Pixel phones. At a launch event in San Fransico, it announced 2017's "Made by Google" showstoppers, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. The two devices — costing Rs 61,000 for the base variant of the Pixel 2, going all the way up to Rs 82,000 for the 128GB variant of the Pixel 2 XL — launched over the next few months, were well received in India, and to date remain favourites.
However, if the rumour is to be believed, the company is already looking at bringing new Pixel devices to replace its line-up from 2017. There is also talk of a new, more affordable Pixel phone that would be launched exclusively in India at what is expected to be a competitive price point.
This "price sensitive" Pixel for the Indian market could be released as early as July or August. However, it will most likely be overshadowed by the more expensive Pixel 3 line-up. Here's all that we know about it.
Design and display
Though much is not known about the design of the upcoming phones, rumours point towards a new design scheme for the Pixel 3 devices. The current generation Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL devices have been created by HTC and LG; however, with Google now having taken over HTC's talented design team for $1.1 billion, it is all but given that the two phones will be designed in-house by the company.
Despite it being too early to speculate what the phone will finally look like, expect the two devices to sport bezel-less fronts, with an iPhone X-like notch. Coming to the display, expect the sizes of the screens to remain the same. However, unlike the Pixel 2 — which came sporting an AMOLED panel — the Pixel 2 XL is expected to sport a P-OLED panel with a QUAD HD+ resolution and 18:9 aspect ratio.
Under the hood
Much like the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, expect the Pixel 3 line-up to sport the best in hardware. 2018's choice of SoC for flagships has been the Snapdragon 845, and the new Pixel phones are likely to come powered with the same. The two phones are also likely to get an upgrade when it comes to the RAM, with the 4GB chips on Pixel 2s being upgraded 6GB.
Expect the storage options to remain the same — 64GB and 128GB. The battery too will have similar specs, 2700mAh on the Pixel 3 and 3520mAh on the Pixel 3 XL. Much like the previous phones, there will also be no 3.5mm headphone jack.
Camera
With an overall DxOMark Mobile score of 94, the Pixel line-up from 2017 boasted of being among the highest-rated camera smartphones launched last year. Software optimisations paired with an above-par 12.2-Megapixel f/1.8 aperture lens, with autofocus along with laser and dual-pixel phase detection, produced great results.
However, this year, Google is go farther, and like rival smartphone makers such as Apple, Samsung, LG and OnePlus, it may try to equip its new phone with a dual camera setup.
There was also a more than capable 8-Megapixel f/2.4 aperture lens with fixed focus in the front for clicking selfies on the Pixel 2 phones, expect this module to also be upgraded to provide better-looking pictures.
Android P on Pixel 3
The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are all but confirmed to come running Android P out of the box. Android is the dominant mobile software on the planet, powering 85 percent of smartphones shipped globally, according to International Data Corporation (IDC). With the Pixel 3 devices, Google will look to improve on these numbers.
Currently, Android P is only in preview mode and meant to give software developers a leg-up before Google officially releases it. But expect it to become a finished product and power the Pixel 3 phones come launch day.