Google Pixel 3, XL go on sale in India: Price, specs and more

Google's latest Pixel 3 and the Pixel 3 XL made its official in early October in New York City and now the Android flagship phones have finally hit stores in India on November 1.

In authorised stores, Google is offering free Home Mini smartphone speakers worth Rs 4,499 with Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. It can be noted that only the customers with old Pixel or Nexus phone are entitled to this launch offer and is valid from starting today till November 7.

Depending on the storage options, Pixel 3 series costs anywhere between Rs 71,000 to Rs 93,000 in India [full price details in the table below].

Google Pixel 3 series will also be available at Reliance Digital, Tata-owned Croma and other leading stores across India. Select retail chains in collaboration with partner banks are offering instant cash backs, as well.

Others can avail cash discounts on Flipkart or people can buy them at low down payment on Airtel online store and get lucrative data benefits including damage insurance coverage.

Google Pixel 3 series: All you need to know

The Pixel 3 sports a smaller 5.5-inch full HD+ OLED screen and comes with 2,915 cell capacity. On the other hand, Pixel 3 XL (review) flaunts a huge 6.3-inch Quad HD+ display having a notch on top and a 3,430mAh battery.

Except for the size, front screen design and battery capacity, the rest of the attributes remains the same for both the devices.

Both the Pixel phones come with dual-tone glass cover on the back. Most parts of the devices have textured finish and at the top, they have smooth glass and a single lens camera. Google has confirmed to have used Corning Gorilla Glass 5 shield on both front and the back panel with a sturdy aluminium frame around the edges. They also come with IP68 ratings, meaning the phones can survive submerged for close to 2 meters underwater for up to 30 minutes.

Under-the-hood, Pixel 3 series comes with 4GB RAM, 64GB/128GB storage and Snapdragon 845 octa-core, Qualcomm's most powerful processor to date.

Like the Pixel 2 and iteration before that, the highlight of the Pixel 3 series is the photography hardware. On the front, they feature two 8MP shooters, one with F1.8 aperture and another with F2.2 aperture.

On the back, they house 12.2MP (with F1.8 aperture) single lens snapper backed by Google state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered camera software. Some interesting modes include-- Top Shot, which uses AI to help the user capture the perfect photo every time.

When you take a motion photo, it captures alternate shots in HDR+, then recommends the best one—even if it's not exactly when you hit the shutter, looking for those where everyone is smiling, with eyes open, and facing the camera.

Another notable feature is the Super Res Zoom, which uses a computational photography technique, traditionally used for astronomy and scientific imaging, that produces sharp details when you zoom. No other brand boasts this and will definitely set the new benchmark for the camera-oriented phone in the industry.

Night Sight mode, which will soon be coming to the Pixel 3 series via software update, will enable users to take bright, detailed, colourful shots in a low-light environment such as the campfire, in a moonlit forest, or a selfie at the dimly-lit club.

Google promises that Pixel 3 series' front dual-camera with Group Selfie mode, will give 184% wide-angle coverage more than normal selfies.

The new Pixel phones also come with Photobooth mode that uses AI to recognize that when they're smiling or making a funny expression, and ready for a selfie. It snaps the photo on its own so that you don't need to reach for the shutter button—a good option for candids.

Google has also incorporated improved Portrait Mode, which allows changing the blurriness of the background or changes the part of the picture in focus, after taking the photo. Google Photos can also make the subject of the photo pop by leaving them in colour while changing the background to black and white.

Google will soon release Night Sight feature through a software update. Once upgraded, the Pixel 3 series will be able to take photos of the subject with natural colours even in pitch dark night.

Key specifications of Google Pixel 3 series: