Just like last year and the year before it, Google has unveiled two new Pixel handsets at its October event: the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. So, what separates the two devices? Is it just their size and battery capacity? Or just like Apple has Google also kept some features reserved for the bigger Pixel 3 XL? Find out in our comparison.

Google needs to be praised for keeping the feature set consistent between its two Pixel devices. Despite the size differences, the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL have the same internals and the same camera set up at the front and rear. The only difference between the two devices stems from their display size.

Display

• Pixel 3 – 5.5-inch OLED  panel, FHD+ (1080 x 1920) resolution, 443 ppi
• Pixel 3 XL – 6.3-inch notched P-OLED panel, QHD+ (2960×1440) resolution, 523 ppi

The display is an area where the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL differ significantly. The former comes with an 18:9 aspect ratio FHD+ display without any kind of notch while the Pixel 3 XL features a massive notch at the top which might not please everyone. The smaller Pixel features an OLED panel from Samsung, while the Pixel 3 XL uses an LG supplied P-OLED panel. Unlike the Pixel 2 XL though, this new display panel is significantly better and worthy of a place in a flagship phone in 2018. In fact, DisplayMate has rated this display as A+ and awarded it the prestigious Best Smartphone Display award — a crown which previously belonged to the Galaxy Note 9 and the iPhone XS.

Dimensions

• Pixel 3 – 145.6 x 68.2 x 7.9mm, 148g
• Pixel 3 XL – 158 x 76.7 x 7.9mm, 184g

A bigger display means that the Pixel 3 XL is bigger and heavier than the Pixel 3. While the Pixel 3 can be used one-handed, the Pixel 3 XL is clearly a two-handed device, though its notched display does help improve one-hand use by a fair margin.

Battery

• Pixel 3 – 2915mAh, 18W fast charging, 10W Qi wireless charging
• Pixel 3 XL – 3450mAh, 18W fast charging, 10W Qi wireless charging

The bigger Pixel 3 XL comes with a bigger 3450mAh battery. However, for its size, the Pixel 3 also comes with a relatively large battery. Thanks to Adaptive Battery in Android Pie and other under the hood optimizations, both devices should offer pretty good battery life.

Essentially, the Pixel 3 XL is a bigger version of the Pixel 3 with a bigger notched display, higher capacity battery, and larger dimensions. Otherwise, both devices have the same set of internals, features, and camera performance.