If you want a no-nonsense phone that just works, this is what you buy. It truly has become the iPhone of Android, and will likely appeal most to users who aren't interested in lots of options, tweaking the interface, or making the phone feel like a one-of-a-kind device that no-one else has.

Google has announced the latest models in its Pixel range of smartphones: the

Scott and I have already written up our preliminary thoughts on the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL , but now it's time to go a bit deeper into the phones that are front and centre of Google's idea of what Android on a phone should be.

About four weeks ago, I sold my first-generation Google Pixel after two years of extensive use and switched to the new Pixel 3. And the one question which refuses to leave my Twitter mentions or private conversations is well, " But why ".

The Google Pixel 3 smartphone is often acclaimed as "the best phone camera" thanks to its near-legendary software stack. Legend or reality, our Image Quality (IQ) analysis will shed more light into real-world camera performance.Learn more: what is our Camera IQ score

And, well, it has and hasn't. The Pixel 3 is but an incremental upgrade compared to the Pixel 2, a rather well-received handset, albeit one with a rather dated design. At the same time having the phone slipped into our hands we can't help but feel that warm 'oooh, this is nice' feeling all over...

The Google Pixel 3 can shoot incredible photos and videos, plus they leverage some pretty amazing AI and machine learning feature. Some of them you'll use. Some you won't.

The Pixel 3a XL is a decent enough phone but the competition is generally too much for it to compete with.

Fantastic camera; Pixel software; OLED display;

No waterproofing; No wireless charging; Below-average specs;

The Pixel 3 XL is a great smartphone, but unlike last year’s XL offering, it isn’t necessarily the best Google phone – the smaller, cheaper Pixel 3 is in many ways a better phone.

Pros: super smooth and fluid performance, great screen, squeezable sides, Android 9 Pie and 3 years of updates, water resistant, fantastic camera, wireless charging

Cons: massive notch, no expandable storage or removable battery, no headphone jack, no face recognition, quite big and slippery

The Pixel 3 XL is a mixed bag of ideas and executions. As a showcase of Google's prowess in AI, machine learning and computational photography, it's deeply impressive. Things like Call Screen, Duplex, Super Res Zoom, Top Shot and the upcoming Night Sight are Google at its finest.

Large, high resolution display, Clean software with some incredibly advanced features, Smooth UI, Powerful speakers, Excellent camera