In a slip up of the kind that is almost becoming standard in the smartphone market these days, Google’s next hot product, the Pixel 3 XL mobile phone, is at the center of a rather large leak. That is the whole phone. A branded Pixel 3 XL has found its way into the hands of one Ukrainian tech blogger, who has posted a full breakdown on his Telegram channel. The Pixel line is the flagship Android phone—it being the only one officially branded with Google—so obviously, many are eager to see what it’s packing.
Notch Display
The first thing to grab the eye upon seeing the leaked images of the Pixel 3 XL is the notch. Set into the top of the screen to make space for the speaker and cameras, the notch is becoming increasingly familiar among high-end phones. However, this one is a tad on the large side and is already drawing negative attention to a device which is still probably months away from release.
This aspect isn’t merely a visual issue, however; the large size of the notch appears to limit the number of notifications the phone can display in the notification bar to two or three, though Google seemed to have tweaked the Android UI to allow for more another line of notifications, however that cuts into screen real estate. Time will tell how big an issue this is for consumers, but it could well push people towards the regular Pixel 3 which doesn’t have this issue. At the other end of the screen, the “chin” is relatively large in comparison to other phones with this kind of display, however, it is not unwieldy, and doesn’t really draw attention to itself unless you’re looking for something to pick at.
Headphones
The Pixel 3 XL box includes a set of USB-C headphones and a USB-C to 3.5mm jack adaptor, so it would appear the Pixel’s headphone jack won’t be making a return for this iteration of the flagship device. The move away from standard headphone jacks is a controversial one, and one that the Pixel has already been part of. But it seems this development is here to stay, just like large buttoned mobile phones are now a rarity, it seems the headphone jack will soon be a thing of the past. However, after the lackluster inclusion of regular headphones and an adaptor in previous Pixel phones, real USB-C headphones may be a welcome addition to the Pixel 3 XL.
The Specs
The all-important specifications of the phone are… nothing unexpected. The resolution is a lengthy 1440 x 2960 to accommodate the edge to edge screen. It is running a Qualcomm 845 chipset accompanied by Adreno 630 graphics. The phone will be running on 4GB of RAM, which has already disappointed some in the high-end smartphone market who were hoping for more as the handset will go head to head with the newly released Note9 and recently leaked iPhone 2018 lineup.
There is a dual selfie camera—which is largely to blame for the aforementioned oversized screen notch—but should prove popular with today’s increasingly filter-centric social media users. The case is glass backed, which looks great but leaves many nervous about potential breakages. This particular unit was white with a black bezel, though previously released concept art would suggest that there will be more colors available on release.
The Rest
Front the plausible nature of the hardware, to certain “inside Google” aspects of the software, this seems to be the real deal. The Pixel 3 XL is expected to be released in early October. Couple the impending release date with the air of completion about this leaked unit, and it would seem that bar a few tweaks here and there, this is the Pixel 3 XL we will be getting.
