Google Pixel 3 VS iPhone XS: Battle Of The Flagships

The Google Pixel 3 and the iPhone XS are the new flagship phones of these competitive mobile phone companies so let’s take a look at what these next-generation phones have to offer.

In this article:

Design
Display
Durability
Specs
Performance
Camera
Battery Life
Storage
Operating Systems
Security
Additional Features
Price

Everything About Google Pixel 3 and the iPhone XS

Design

This is an era of edge-to-edge displays and the iPhone XS does not disappoint. Apart from the slim notch on the top of the screen, the iPhone flagship phone’s display extends to the edges.

The Google Pixel 3 doesn’t have the same display design but it has an aesthetic two-tone finish on the back and a single-lens camera to complement the minimalist look.

Display

Google and Apple designed and manufactured their flagship phones with OLED displays which is great news. OLED displays provide better contrast, deeper blacks, and more vivid colors on the screen.

The OLED display is especially fitting for both flagships because they’re capable of playing 4K-resolution videos and 1080p videos at high FPS rates.

In terms of display size, Google Pixel 3’s display is 5.5 inches with a pixel density of 443 PPI. On the other hand, the iPhone XS’s display is 5.8 inches and has a higher pixel density of 458 PPI.

FPS Definition: stands for frames per second and it’s a measurement of how many frames the screen can display in succession to show motion.

PPI Definition: stands for pixels per inch and it’s a measurement of how many pixels are in an image. A higher PPI means a higher image resolution.

Durability

The two smartphones are similar in terms of durability. Because both the back and the display screen are mostly made of glass, both phones can crack easily when dropped.

At the same time, both phones have IP68 water-resistance which means they can last under two meters of water for about half an hour. Their IP68 casing also makes the device dust resistant.

Specs

The iPhone XS and Google pixel 3 specs have some similarities like the Bluetooth 5.0 and 4GB ram but they have distinct differences as well.

The iPhone XS has the operating system iOS 12 while Google Pixel 3 has the Android 9.0 Pie. They also differ in ports with the Google Pixel 3 having a USB-C while the iPhone XS has the Lightning USB port.

Though almost similar in size, there’s a slight difference in their weight. The Pixel 3 weighs 148 grams while the iPhone XS weighs 177 grams.

Another notable difference in their specs is that the Pixel 3 has a fingerprint sensor while the iPhone XS does not.

Performance

The iPhone XS’s A12 bionic processor is an in-house chip of Apple and can be hard to compare to Google Pixel 3’s Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor.

The best way to compare their processors is through their benchmark in which Pixel 3 resulted in a multi-score of 7,712. The iPhone XS had a multi-score of 11,195.

Camera

Cameras have always been a big factor when considering a new phone and this is where both flagship phones really try to outdo each other.

The iPhone XS has a dual 12-megapixel camera at the back with a standard lens and a telephoto lens. Its dual-sensor setup allows the user to create more photo modes similar to a DSLR such as a portrait mode that blurs the background.

While Google Pixel 3 only has a single-lens 12.2-megapixel camera, reviews of the flagship phone have been raving about capturing sharper details and more vivid colors. The smartphone’s camera also has awesome features like HDR support, dual pixel phase detection, optical image stabilization, and a learning AI system that analyzes a number of burst shots to find the best one.

At the front of the smartphones, the iPhone XS has a 7-megapixel camera. But the Pixel 3 excels with a dual-lens 8-megapixel camera that has a second sensor to allow users to take wide-angled selfies for group shots.

Battery Life

Another deciding factor with smartphones these days is the battery life. The Google Pixel 3’s battery has a bigger capacity at 2,915mAh compared to the iPhone XS’s battery with 2,658mAh.

On the other hand, the iPhone’s OS is less demanding when it comes to power which means its battery life lasts a few hours longer than Google Pixel 3 and its power-hungry Android OS.

When it comes to charging, both phones are capable of using Qi wireless charging. The Google Pixel 3 already comes with a fast charge and cable but the iPhone XS’s fast charging kit needs to be bought separately.

Storage

Both companies designed these flagship phones to be water-proof which means they have a built in a battery and a back casing that isn’t removable, unlike older smartphones. This means both phones are also built with a single slot for the sim card and no slot for a MicroSD card to minimize the number of openings where water can seep into the motherboard.

The phones try to compensate by offering different internal storage capacities: 64GB and 128GB for Google Pixel 3 and 64GB, 256GB, and 512GB for the iPhone XS.

Operating Systems

When it comes to performance, these two flagship phones are very different mainly because of their OS which dictates the user interface as well as how each smartphone functions. iOS has always been a straightforward OS that easily allows users to get used to its features while the Android OS has always been more customizable.

Security

The Titan Security chip of the Google Pixel 3 stores all security and personal data on a single dedicated chip to limit or prevent access from any third party through wireless connections.

The iPhone XS’s facial recognition software at the front of the camera is its main security feature. The data used for this security feature is saved in the Security Enclave of the iPhone’s chips which is inaccessible to any third party and even iOS itself.

The only time iOS can access this data is when the facial recognition software is at work.

Additional Features

Each flagship phone offers its own set of additional features that make choosing a lot harder. For one the Google Pixel 3 has a lot of smart features:

Active Edge: an additional gesture that includes squeezing the phone to activate Google Assistant.
Screen calls: allows the Google Assistant to take the calls that it might classify as spam.
Google Duplex: the Google Assistant can call restaurants and book a reservation.
Now Playing: a feature that detects the music playing near you and then displays the song name, artist, and album on the lock screen.
Adaptive Battery: the system recognizes your most-used apps and dedicates most of the battery usage to those apps.
Wellbeing Dashboard: monitors and shows you how long you’ve spent on a certain activity or app on the phone.
Google Assistant provides weather and traffic reports and automatically powers down the phone at night.

The iPhone XS also has its own set of features that enhance the user’s experience:

Animoji: an animated emoji that responds or mimics the user’s facial expressions.
AR: the iPhone XS is currently the best AR platform for Augmented Reality apps which are available in Apple Store.
Group Facetime: allows up to 32 people to Facetime each other at the same time.
Screen Time: monitors and shows your most-used apps and the amount of time you spend on them.

Augmented Reality Apps Definition: integrates visual reality into the device to make it seem like a 3D world for the player.

Price

The two phones are very different when it comes to pricing. Google Pixel 3 starts at $800 while the iPhone XS starts at $1000, however, both phone prices increase with bigger storage capacity:

Google Pixel 3

64GB: $800
128GB: $900

iPhone XS

64GB: $1,000
256GB: $1,150
512GB: $1,350

Meet Google Pixel 3 in this video from Made by Google:

https://youtu.be/vKSA_idPZkc?rel=0

There’s no denying that the Google Pixel 3 and the iPhone XS have their own unique features and strengths but ultimately, it’s up to the user which of these smartphones best suits their lifestyle. With loyal users already predisposed to the brand they are used to, it’s pretty obvious which of the two they will pick up.

Which flagship phone is your best pick and why? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below!

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