The newly announced Pixel 3 XL is Google’s answer to the iPhone XS Max. There is no escaping Apple’s popular smartphone and to keep up Google borrowed some of its best features while adding a few wrinkles that will help differentiate it.
Unlike past iterations, the Pixel 3 XL seems to have grown up to its full potential. Gone is the all-metal design that most flagships have long ditched, paving the way for a glass back that introduces wireless charging. The same theme carries over to the display where Google went with a notch, just like most Android flagships out there.
The iPhone XS Max is the bigger version of the iPhone XS introduced this year and as such, it only really adds size to the iPhone line-up. That comes in the form of a beautiful 6.5-inch OLED display with a notch and all the goodies iPhones offer nowadays—premium design, wireless charging and iOS gesture-based controls.
However, the biggest battle between the two comes down to camera quality.
We still have a lot of testing to see which is the better device, but in the meantime, look over the side by side spec list below to see how they compare.
Google - Pixel 3 XL | Apple - iPhone XS Max | |
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Display Size | 6.3-inch, 1440 x 2960 pixel display (522 ppi) | 6.5-inch, 1242 x 2688 pixel display (456 ppi) |
Resolution X | 1440 | 1242 |
Resolution Y | 2960 | 2688 |
Display Type | QHD+ flexible OLED | Super Retina HD display |
Operating System | Android 9.0 (at launch) | iOS 12 (at launch) |
Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 | A12 Bionic chip |
RAM | 4GB | N/A |
Storage |
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External Storage | No | No |
Main Camera (Back) | 12MP | 12MP |
Secondary Camera (Front) | 8MP | 7MP |
Networks |
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Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.0 + LE | Bluetooth 5.0 |
Battery | 2915mAh | N/A |
NFC | Yes | Yes |
Connectivity |
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Sensors |
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GPS |
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Height | 6.2 inches (15.75 cm) | 5.65 inches (14.35 cm) |
Width | 3 inches (76.2 mm) | 2.79 inches (70.9 mm) |
Depth | 0.3 inches (7.6 mm) | 0.30 inches (7.6 mm) |
Weight | 184 g (6.49 oz) | 13.24 oz (375 g) |
Colors | Black, Pink, White | Gold, Silver, Space Gray |
Supported Audio Formats | N/A | AAC‑LC, HE‑AAC, HE‑AAC v2, Protected AAC, MP3, Linear PCM, Apple Lossless, FLAC, Dolby Digital (AC‑3), Dolby Digital Plus (E‑AC‑3), and Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+) |
Supported Video Formats | N/A | HEVC, H.264, MPEG‑4 Part 2, and Motion JPEG |
Thank you to @evleaks for image assistance.

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