Google's Pixel 3 XL has speed, fantastic software, an excellent camera, and unrivaled A.I. features you can't find anywhere else.

Excellent camera, Fluid software, useful A.I; features, Fast performance, Fingerprint-free rear glass design, Great screen, speakers

Mediocre battery life; The notch is really; really ugly; Photos can sometimes look too saturated

For the third year in a row, Google has released its own-brand smartphone under the PIxel label, in a choice of two sizes, to try and put into physical form its vision of what a mobile phone should be – a direct, Google-ified, Android rival to the iPhone .

Google aces the camera again; Screen is big and beautiful; Pixel Android and speedy updates

Did you notice that notch; Battery life is unspectacular; No in-screen fingerprint reader

It may not be a step change in performance, but this is an excellent Android phone nonetheless

The best Android experience; Excellent OLED screen; Superb camera

Average audio quality; No 3.5mm jack

The Pixel 3 is the latest smartphone from Google, following on from the success of last year's Pixel 2. There are a number of new features, many of which are of particular interest to photographers. Like the previous versions of the phone, the camera is at the heart of much of Google's marketing.

When I first reviewed the Pixel 3 and the larger 3 XL in October, I had an inkling it would be one of the best phones of the year. But I held off making a full judgement call until the OnePlus 6T and iPhone XR came out, and until Google rolled out a major camera feature it promised during launch.

The Pixel 3 takes brilliant photos, even in super low-light, with its single rear lens and it can capture wider selfie photos; It's water resistant, has wireless charging and it can screen unwanted calls

The phone doesn't have expandable memory or a headphone jack; The shot-to-shot camera delay can be sluggish in certain modes

When Google hardware chief Rick Osterloh introduced the Pixel 3 last week, he didn't utter the word "Android" a single time. The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are Google phones. They swim in a sea of Google data and promise to use Google's machine learning to make everything better: photos, annoying spam...

Larger; better screen; Beautiful design; Excellent camera and wide angle selfie cam; Radically improved screen; Loud; clear front-facing speakers; Excellent camera and wide angle selfie cam

Largish top and bottom bezels; Easily scratched rear finish; Limited availability from US carriers and internationally; Doofy notch; Easily scratched rear finish; Limited availability from US carriers and internationally

Best Android Phone Available Today With Awesome Camera! The disadvantage is well priced.

For Android purists, nothing quite hits the spot like a Google Pixel phone. In years previous to the first generation, the itch was scratched by partnering with other manufacturers on the Nexus line, but in 2016, Google took it in-house.

Brilliant camera; Speedy and smooth performance; Pure Android Pie software is a joy; Rear design looks and feels great

Battery life could be better; Bug with camera killing apps in memory; Front bezel design looks quite dated

The Google Pixel 3 is one of only a few Android smartphones to offer top hardware in a handy format. But the star of the show should also be the software this year, to set the phone apart from the competition. Whether the combination succeeds or not is something we reveal in our review.

Handy format; Very good camera; Loud front speakers; Pure Android

Average battery life; Problems with RAM management; No microSD slot or headphone jack

The Google Pixel 3 XL is the company's best realisation so far of Android hardware and software working together in harmony. It also happens to have the best ever smartphone camera. Not bad. Here's the full review