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The age of the annual upgrade is almost over. For decades, the only way to get the latest and most powerful technologies was to buy new items: a new computer with this color screen, a new CD-ROM drive, a new version of "Halo" . Now, "Fortnite" unleashes new weapons and characters every few weeks, your Tesla gains abilities while you sleep and your Alexa speaker becomes more and more intelligent.
When Google announced the new Pixel 3, the latest addition to the company's smartphone lineup designed to compete
Apple
iPhones and Samsung Galaxy phones, he has marketed the many clever new features of the phone. His camera knows when you smile! It filters your calls! Donald Glover in augmented reality! Then, he revealed the best news: most of the advantages of Pixel 3 are also for old pixels and probably also for other Android devices.
Google has only reaffirmed what was obvious: the material has more importance, especially since most of our devices have more power than we do. use it. This can still happen when we start wearing anti-AR goggles and hailing standalone cars, but for now, software is everything.
Google's Goal function allows you to direct the Pixel's camera to a web address to visit it, a phone number to call it or a date to add to your calendar.
Photo:
Emily Prapuolenis / The Wall Street Journal
If you are looking for a new phone, the Pixel 3 is the best Android device on the market. It even beats the iPhone in many important ways. If you are not looking for a new device (and if you bought a phone in the last 12 months, why would you?), You should still be happy that Pixel 3 exists. Because it will probably improve your phone too.
Choose a size
Pixel 3 actually refers to two devices. The sleek 5.5-inch phone, a little smaller and lighter than the iPhone XS, and the giant 6.3-inch XL version. (They start at $ 799 and $ 899 respectively.) The smaller phones feature big frames at the top and bottom, while the bigger one has a big notch similar to that of an iPhone on its screen. Aside from the screen and battery sizes, pixels 3 and 3 are identical.
The Pixel 3 may not be hardware centric, but I like the look and feel of the phone. It's not quite the dense and glassy jewel of the iPhone, but it's soft and inviting – pretty in itself. Otherwise, this waterproof rectangle without headphone jack ticks many boxes:
* Processor: Quick
* Screen: Bright and colorful
* Camera: Better than ever, especially for selfies
* Battery life: Usually, not dead before bedtime (but not long enough)
* fingerprint reader: On the back where I like it (although I wish the phone has a facial recognition)
Curiously, my favorite accessory for wireless charging is perhaps my favorite part of the new phone: the Google Pixel Stand at $ 79 converts the phone into a kind of Google Home, displaying useful information and taking voice commands while filling .
Help
The Pixel function is no more important than Assistant, the talkative virtual wizard of Google. This can take a selfie, answer questions, create music, view weather and calendars, turn off lights, open settings, find an app, and more. On the Pixel 3, it can even filter your calls: press a button and Google picks up the call for you, allowing the person to know you are not available and to transcribe on your screen what it said in return. It's impressive and deeply strange.
One of the best features of the phone is Top Shot, which takes a burst of pictures then chooses the sharper and the better one.
Photo:
Emily Prapuolenis / The Wall Street Journal
Of course, the main interest of Assistant is that it works everywhere. This call screening feature will be available on other Pixels next month and probably also on other Android devices. I like Wizard much better than Siri, but you do not need the Pixel to get it.
When the wizard encounters the Pixel camera, the phone really shines. The Google Lens lens, which turns the device into a search box, determines what's in the frame and tells you more. Finally
Alphabet Inc.
of the
Google plans to provide improved navigation and information about sites and businesses. Even now, it's convenient to point my camera at a business card and immediately get a prompt to dial the number.
Pixel 3 has a Photobooth mode, which is supposed to take a picture when you smile or wince. It's cool when it works, but too inconsistent. Another feature, called Top Shot, is better: she takes a series of photos and then tries to choose the best photo to display.
The Pixel XL model measures 6.3 inches, while the Pixel 3 has a 5.5 inch screen.
Photo:
Emily Prapuolenis / The Wall Street Journal
Even without all the sophisticated features, the Pixel 3 takes great pictures and videos. My photos, especially in low light, often featured more accurate colors and details than those of the iPhone XS and Galaxy Note 9. The portrait mode of the Pixel 3 now offers some of the lighting features and smart refocusing you'll find on recent iPhones. it works as well. In general, the phone favors the precise aspect between the precise shooting of Apple and the approach of life in the colors of Samsung. It's vibrant and rich, but I always feel real.
All images are not perfect. Since there is only one camera on the back, it can not reproduce the optical zoom of the iPhone or the second objective of Note. In addition, when Google's algorithms make occasional errors, the results may be too dark or unbalanced.
The Pixel 3 does not have some of the excellent extra features of Note 9, but neither does it have too much software. And if you're an iPhone fan, the Pixel 3 camera is probably not enough to allow you to disable iMessage and make the jump. But if you're an Android user looking for an upgrade, you have the choice between getting it or waiting for the items that make this phone stand out in other Android phones, maybe even the one that's already there. in your pocket.
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