The Google and Pixel 3 XL are strong follow-ups to last year's . Upon Google's initial announcement, the specifications and features of these phones didn't seem terribly impressive, in light of competing flagships based on the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor.

Great Design; Awesome Camera; Strong Performance; Clean; Android Pie

No Expandable Storage; Big Notch On The XL; New Navigation Elements May Take Getting Used To

The Google Pixel 3 XL’s biggest departure from last year’s model is the feel of the software. And, well, you’ll get that with the 2 XL anyway. However, we also get a better screen, all-glass design and a great new selfie array, also to blame for that whacking great big notch in the display. This phone takes some of the most natural daylight shots with its rear camera too. However, the lack of extra tech does start to show in its zoomed photos and when you shoot in very dark conditions. The Pixel 3 XL is not a grand step on from the 2 XL. But it’s a top showcase for what Google’s software engineers are up to.

Android as Google intended; Natural-looking camera processing; Fab selfies;

Giganto-notch is distracting; Camera beaten by rivals in some situations;

The Google Pixel 3a XL makes for a great big-screened Pixel 3 alternative, without the price tag. It nails the software and camera experiences so important to capturing the feel of the full-fat Pixel 3 series, in spite of its more affordable nature. However, its price tag places it up against more capable and more powerful rivals.

The same great Pixel experience for less; There's a headphone jack; Great OLED screen; Superb camera;

Auto-brightness sets screen too dim; No Qi charging or water resistance; Weak gaming performance;

Perhaps ironically, software has always been the central conceit to what Google has offered with the first two generations of Pixel hardware. Try as you might, there's no shying away from this fact. Sure, the hardware is solid and delightfully minimalist but it's nothing unique.

The Pixel 3 XL will sate your hunger for a clean and modern smartphone experience with solid hardware, exceptional software and little fat to speak of.

Incredible photography; Slick software;

Kinda boring hardware; Less battery life than the competition;

Class-leading main camera; Good battery life; Hints of old-school Google phone appeal; It has a headphone jack;

Dated-looking borders; Pricier than rival mid-rangers;

Class-leading main camera; Good battery life; Hints of old-school Google phone appeal; It has a headphone jack;

Dated-looking borders; Pricier than rival mid-rangers;

Android as Google intended; Natural-looking camera processing; Fab selfies;

Giganto-notch is distracting; Camera beaten by rivals in some situations;

This is an Android phone produced by Google. It is not a cheap phone as the Google Pixel brand only seems to do quality offerings and it is also no surprise to me that is was one of the first to get Android 9 as its operating system.

When Google hardware chief Rick Osterloh introduced the Pixel 3 last week, he didn't utter the word "Android" a single time. The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are Google phones. They swim in a sea of Google data and promise to use Google's machine learning to make everything better: photos, annoying spam...

Larger; better screen; Beautiful design; Excellent camera and wide angle selfie cam; Radically improved screen; Loud; clear front-facing speakers; Excellent camera and wide angle selfie cam

Largish top and bottom bezels; Easily scratched rear finish; Limited availability from US carriers and internationally; Doofy notch; Easily scratched rear finish; Limited availability from US carriers and internationally

Google announced the third generation of its Pixel phones last week , once again with regular- and XL-sized variants. I was given the Pixel 3 XL to review, and I absolutely love it... except for the hideous notch.