The Pixel 3 XL.
Google's own flagship Android phone is arguably one of the best smartphones on the planet...but,
is it durable?
Does the new back glass scratch easier than fingernails on a chalkboard?
Or is the notch distractingly large?
Will it hold up to the test of time?
So many questions, and only one way to find out.
Let's get started.
[Intro]
Out of the box, the phone actually looks pretty impressive.
The dual textured glass feels unique.
It goes from the glossy smooth glass at the top, to a more matte velvet vibe on the body,
which I'm a fan of.
It's much better than last year's thick coat of paint on the Pixel 2.
Flipping it over reveals that notch.
It's much larger than I anticipated, which is something I've heard a lot from other reviewers,
and I agree completely.
Normally notches don't bother me, but this one is from a different realm.
The top speaker grille is smaller this year.
Both stereo grille slots on the top and the bottom have been downsized.
Usually the slot is more aesthetic and has nothing to do with speaker size, but we'll
dig deeper into that in the teardown and find out for sure.
Other than that, things look pretty similar to the Pixel 2 XL from last year.
Let's start with the scratch test.
Using a set of Mohs mineral picks, we can assess the hardness level of different materials.
Google has advertised Gorilla Glass 5 on the Pixel 3 XL, which has been pretty standard
across most flagships for a while now.
Smooth, hard scratch resistant glass scratches at a level 6, with deeper grooves at a level
7.
My razor, which is about a 5.5 on Mohs scale, won't be doing any damage.
Up here we have the Texas sized notch covering some hardware.
The speaker grille is made from a metal mesh – a definite improvement over the white
cloth on the original Pixel.
One super cool thing the Pixel 3 has this year is dual front cameras: a normal camera
for selfies, and a wide angle camera that can take groupies...you know, that fit multiple
people.
Which is super useful if you have friends, or go outside.
But since we're all here watching nerd videos on YouTube, a got a feeling that the groupie
camera isn't going to get used a whole lot.
The larger speaker grille on the bottom is still made from metal and won't be falling
out on it's own.
Let's take a look at the unique dual toned glass on the back.
Now the company OnePlus has used frosted glass before, but the OnePlus was frosted on the
under side of the glass.
Google has frosted the outer layer, which unfortunately looks like the frosting scratches
much easier than regular glossy glass.
And the scratches don't rub off.
For example, if there's a coin in your pocket or purse, your phone instantly turns into
an aesthetic nightmare.
Trying something softer like a toothpick, it does leave some marks on the back glass,
but these do mostly wipe away almost completely, leaving no residue behind.
Plastic doesn't leave any marks, but keys do.
When people normally think of a Pixel, they imagine one singular dot on a display screen.
But each individual pixel on your screen actually has three different lights inside: red, green,
and blue that light up alone or in groups to formulate all the different color combinations
that your eye can see.
Kind of like little teams of friends taking groupies together.
The sides of this phone sound different.
It's not the normal metal on metal sound we get with anodized aluminum, but it's also
not the crappy, plastic-y paint stuff like we had on last year's Pixel 2.
This is more of a glossy powder coating, like what I applied to my metal off-road wheelchair.
It feels much more durable and you can see it shave off in smooth chunks instead of disintegrating
into a plastic-y powder.
It feels good.
Google does say again that this paint is chip resistant, but might absorb colors from your
jeans or leather.
But in my opinion, with the glossy non-porous surface, I really doubt that this year.
At least with the black one.
I'm a fan so far.
The power button is made from plastic again.
The volume button is the same painted metal as the rest of the phone.
The bottom of the Pixel 3, while void of a headphone jack and expandable memory slot,
has more of the same glossy paint.
Now, I'm a feature guy.
Google does include wireless charging this year, but the lack of jack and SD slot still
make me think twice about upgrading.
Switching to a phone that has less features isn't super appealing.
After contemplating the back glass a bit more, I thought that it could just be that the clouded
glass was acting like a level 6 abrasive.
Like the glass is literally sanding off bits of the metal I'm scratching it with.
Kind of makes sense when we see what the cloudy surface does to my level 3 Mohs pick, but
the level 4 leaves much more constant scratches that don't wipe away.
Even with moisture they don't disappear.
Either way, whether the clouded glass is an abrasive or just weak, the marks from keys
and coins are very permanent, so keep that in mind.
One way to keep your phone pristine is with a skin, like this Matrix Marble combo from
dbrand.
It fully covers the soft glass and the corners of the phone, keeping scratches and chips
at bay.
The textured Matrix kind of feels like cloth and might just be my new favorite...right
after bullet proof banana, of course.
I'll put a link for you in the video description if you want to customize your own phone, and
thanks to dbrand for sponsoring this durability test.
The 12 megapixel rear camera is protected by glass, along with a dual flash.
Both are covered with a smooth, non-frosted glass so they aren't going to accumulate permanent
abrasions.
The fingerprint scanner is back here on the rear of the phone, and is scratchable.
With the damage included, it did have some issues registering my fingerprint.
But once everything was set, it did end up recognizing my finger every time and unlocking,
which is good.
The fingerprint scanner passes the scratch test...even if only barely.
Now's the time for the burn test.
Let's see how the pixels on this Pixel 3 hold up to a little bit of heat.
Google is using a 1440 p OLED display this year.
It's 6.3 inches, but I feel like that football field sized notch needs to be deducted at
some point.
Notches don't normally bother me, but this guy's got a complete face and it's just sitting
there....like judging me.
Either way, this guy's belly lasted 30 seconds before the pixels started turning white, but
then completely recovering after the heat was removed.
Which is great news for me because these screens are expensive.
The cool thing about dbrand skins is that they are easy to remove and don't leave any
residue as they come off, so switching to a new skin or color is pretty simple.
Let's start that bend test.
The Pixel lineup has always had solid structure, and it looks like this new glass sandwich
design is sticking with that same solid theme, with barely any flex or bend from the front.
And more importantly, no glass separation on the back, meaning that the new ip68 rating
is still intact.
When bent from the back we get the same minor flex, but no cracked glass or permanent damage.
The phone retains it's shape with no kinks in the middle.
If the XL can survive a bend test, a regular sized Pixel 3 should also be just fine.
Google has done a good job this time around.
Yeah, the back glass can be scratched, but overall, the Pixel 3 XL passes my durability
test and gets a thumbs up from me.
They definitely did a better job this year.
Check out dbrand if you want to protect your phone without the bulk of a case.
The link is in the description.
Would you buy this phone?
Let me know in the comments.
Thanks a ton for watching, and I'll see you around.