Tech giant Google announced two new smartphones overnight: the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3XL. As the names suggest, one of those is simply a larger version of the base model.
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The standard Pixel 3 has a 5.5-inch display, while the XL boasts a 6.3-inch display and an iPhone X-like notch at the top. Both come in 64GB and 128GB memory sizes in a choice of three colours: black, silver, and some kind of pinky salmon. Both also have a single 12.2-megapixel camera.
The Pixel 3 starts at $1,199, while a 128GB XL will set you back $1,499. In terms of how this differs from Apple‘s latest offerings, there isn’t a huge disparity in features outside of their respective operating systems. For example, both will take a mean portrait mode photo, but you can still only get the Animoji stuff with iOS, etc.
The best feature of the Pixel 3 and XL, however, is its ability to screen phone calls without having to talk to anyone. If you receive a call from an unknown number, you can tap the Screen Call function, which will tell the caller you’re “using a screening service from Google” with an actual voice. The caller will then be asked to state their name and the reason for their call, which will be shown to you on the screen in text in real time.
If you’ve got a bung caller on your hands, you can choose to report it as spam, answer it (probs don’t though), or tap a button to respond with some generic responses, like ‘I’ll call you back’ or similar.
It’s certainly an impressive feature, but probably not enough to sway anyone to switch from another brand. Google fans will likely be stoked on it, though.
If you’re keen to jump on board the Pixel train and tell telemarketers where they can stick their calls, you can preorder it from today.
