The Google Pixel 3 has only recently been launched, which makes it the last of the major flagship phones launched this year. The iPhone XS too was launched just weeks back, which makes it interesting for both the smartphones to be compared with one of the earliest the year 2018 flagships, the Samsung Galaxy S9.
Dimension and Display:
To begin with, the Pixel 3 happens to be the one to have the smallest display, the least resolution, and the smallest screen to body ratio, besides also being the lightest of the trio as well. Regarding figures, both the iPhone XS and Galaxy S9 offer a 5.8-inch display while the Pixel 3 comes with a 5.5-inch panel.
However, while the S9 has a resolution of 1440 x 2960 pixels and the iPhone XS has a resolution of 1125 x 2436 pixels, the same on the Pixel 3 stands at 1080 x 2280 pixels. All of this boils down to a pixel density of 459 for both the Pixel 3 and the iPhone XS while the S9 tops the rest with a pixel density of 568 ppi. Both the Pixel 3 and iPhone XS comes with an OLED panel while the S9 comes with a Super AMOLED panel.
The S9 also tops when it comes to screen to body ratio, returning figures of 84.36 percent. The same on the iPhone XS stands at 82.64 percent while the Pixel 3 has a rather dismal screen to body ratio of 75.93 percent. The Pixel meanwhile tips the scales at 148 grams compared to 163 grams for the S9 and 177 grams for the iPhone XS.
Processor and Memory:
So far as the processor is concerned, both the Pixel 3 and S9 feature a Snapdragon 845 heart while the iPhone XS comes powered by the A12 Bionic chip. Similarly, both the Pixel 3 and S9 benefits from an Adreno 630 GPU while it is an Apple 4-core GPU that renders service in the iPhone XS. Interestingly, all three smartphones come with the same 4 GB RAM though storage differs on the three smartphones, it being 128 GB for the Pixel 3, 256 GB for the S9 and 512 GB for the iPhone XS.
However, it is only the S9 that offers microSD card support that would let one to add more memory. The same is missing on both the iPhone XS and Pixel 3.
Camera:
The one feature that is noticeable right away is the twin lens rear camera on the iPhone XS and the S9 while the Pixel 3 is still soldiering on with a single lens rear camera. That said, both the iPhone XS and S9 feature a 12 mp rear camera while the Pixel 3 is slightly different with a 12.2 mp primary lens. Again, both the iPhone XS and Pixel 3 has a F1.8 sized aperture while the S9 comes with a variable aperture setup that varies from F1.5 to F2.4. Those apart, the pixel size on the three phones happens to be the same at 1.4um.
Similarly, the front cam on the Pixel 3 and S9 has a rating of 8 mp while the same on the iPhone XS has a resolution of 7 mp.
Design:
Of the three smartphones being compared here, the S9 can be considered to be the most conventional, featuring bezels both at the top and the bottom even though those are quite narrow compared to its predecessors. With the iPhone XS and Pixel 3, the common feature here is that both come with a notch at the top. However, while the Apple device features an edge-to-edge display, the Pixel 3 features a chin at the bottom. Then again, all the three smartphones are protected against water and dust ingress and is IP68 rated.
Battery:
Providing the juice on the Pixel 3 is a 2915 mAh battery while the S9 does slightly better with a 3000 mAh battery. The iPhone XS, however, comes with a least sized battery that is rated at just 2659 mAh. All three smartphones support wireless charging though.
Key Specifications:
| Phone | Galaxy S9 | iPhone XS | Pixel 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 2960 x 1440 (Quad HD+) dual edge Super AMOLED 570 ppi | Super Retina HD display 5.8‑inch (diagonal) all‑screen OLED Multi‑Touch display HDR display 2436×1125‑pixel resolution at 458 ppi | Fullscreen 5.5” display FHD+ flexible OLED at 443 ppi 18:9 Corning Gorilla Glass 5 |
| Processor | Exynos 9810 Octa (10 nm) – EMEA Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 (10 nm) – USA/LATAM, China | A12 Bionic chip, Next-generation Neural Engine | Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Adreno 630 Titan M security module |
| OS | Android 8.0 | iOS 12 | Android 9 Pie |
| Memory | 4 GB RAM 64 / 128 / 256 GB | RAM NA 64 / 256 / 512GB | 4 GB RAM 64 GB or 128 GB storage |
| Micro SD support | Up to 512 GB | No | No |
| Dimensions | 147.7 x 68.7 x 8.5 mm 163 grams | 143.6×70.9×7.7 mm 177 grams | 145.6x 2.7x 7.9 148 grams |
| Cameras | Rear: 12 MP, f/1.5-2.4, 26mm (wide), 1/2.55″, 1.4µm, OIS, dual pixel PDAF Front: 8 MP, f/1.7, 25mm (wide), 1/3.6″, 1.22µm, AF | Rear: Dual 12-megapixel wide-angle and telephoto cameras Wide-angle: ƒ/1.8 aperture Telephoto: ƒ/2.4 aperture 2x optical zoom; digital zoom up to 10x Front: 7-megapixel camera ƒ/2.2 aperture Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control | Rear: 12.2 MP dual-pixel 1.4 μm Autofocus + dual pixel phase detection Optical + electronic image stabilization Spectral + flicker sensor f/1.8 aperture Front: 8 MP wide-angle and telephoto cameras Wide-angle: f/2.2 aperture & DFoV 107° Telephoto: f/1.8 aperture & DFoV 75° |
| Video Recording | 4K video recording at 24 fps, 30 fps or 60 fps 1080p HD video recording at 30 fps or 60 fps 720p HD video recording at 30 fps | 2160p@60fps, 1080p@240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR, dual-video rec | 1080p @ 30fps, 60fps, 120fps 720p @ 30fps, 60fps, 240fps 4K @ 30fps |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot, 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX, Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, NFC, USB 3.1, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector | Gigabit-class LTE with 4×4 MIMO and LAA4 802.11ac Wi‑Fi with 2×2 MIMO Bluetooth 5.0 wireless technology NFC with reader mode | Wi-Fi 2.4GHz + 5.0GHz 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Bluetooth® 5.0 + LE NFC Google Cast |
| Sensors | Iris scanner, fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, heart rate, SpO2 | Face ID Barometer Three‑axis gyro Accelerometer Proximity sensor Ambient light sensor | Active Edge™ Back-mounted Pixel Imprint™ fingerprint sensor for fast unlocking Proximity/Ambient light sensor Accelerometer/Gyrometer Magnetometer Barometer Android Sensor Hub Advanced x-axis haptics for sharper/defined response |
| Battery | Non-removable Li-Ion 3000 mAh battery | Lasts up to 30 minutes longer than iPhone X Talk time (wireless): Up to 20 hours Fast-charge capable: Up to 50% charge 30 minutes | Pixel 3: 2915 mAH battery 18 W/2 A USB type-C charger 18 W fast charging Qi wireless charging |
| Water and dust resistance | IP68 dust/water proof (up to 1.5m for 30 mins) | splash, water and dust resistant, IP68 rating (maximum depth of 2 metres up to 30 minutes). | Pixel 3 has a water protection rating of IPX8 under IEC standard 60529 |
