Google Pixel 2 vs Google Pixel 3
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| GooglePixel 2 | GooglePixel 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | October 2017 | October 2018 |
| Display | ||
| Screen size | 5″ | 5.5″ |
| Resolution | 1920 × 1080 | 2160 × 1080 (better) |
| Sharpness | 441 pixels per inch (better) | 439 pixels per inch |
| Panel | OLED | OLED |
| Display type | AMOLED; 16:9 aspect ratio | Flexible OLED; 18:9 aspect ratio |
| Pixel density | 441 ppi | 443 ppi |
| Always-on display | Always-on display; Now Playing identifies music locally | Always-on display; Now Playing |
| Screen protection | 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 |
| Display features | 95% DCI-P3 coverage; 100,000:1 contrast ratio; true black; 24-bit colour; 16.77 million colours | 100,000:1 contrast ratio; true black; 24-bit colour; 16.77 million colours; HDR support with UHDA certification |
| Performance | ||
| Chip | Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 |
| Memory | 4 GB | 4 GB |
| Storage | 64 GB, 128 GB | 64 GB, 128 GB |
| CPU | 64-bit octa-core CPU; 2.35 GHz + 1.9 GHz; security module | 64-bit octa-core CPU; 2.5 GHz + 1.6 GHz; Titan M security module |
| GPU | Adreno 540 | Adreno 630 |
| AI engine | – | Pixel Visual Core |
| Storage type | 4 GB LPDDR4x RAM; UFS 2.1 storage identified by Notebookcheck; no microSD slot | 4 GB LPDDR4x RAM; UFS 2.1 storage identified by Notebookcheck; no microSD slot |
| Cameras | ||
| Main camera | 12.2 MP | 12.2 MP |
| Ultra wide camera | None | None |
| Telephoto camera | None | None |
| Optical zoom | None | None |
| Front camera | 8 MP | 8 MP |
| Main camera | Laser and dual-pixel phase-detection autofocus; f/1.8; 1.4 μm pixels; optical and electronic image stabilisation | Dual-pixel phase-detection autofocus; f/1.8; 1.4 μm pixels; 76° field of view; optical and electronic image stabilisation; spectral and flicker sensor |
| Front camera | f/2.4; 1.4 μm pixels; fixed focus | Two 8 MP cameras; normal f/1.8 with 75° field of view and phase-detection autofocus; wide-angle f/2.2 with 97° field of view and fixed focus |
| Video recording | Rear 4K at 30 fps; 1080p at 30/60/120 fps; 720p at 30/60/240 fps | Rear 4K at 30 fps; 1080p at 30/120 fps; 720p at 30/60/240 fps according to Google's historical specification |
| Front video | 1080p, 720p or 480p at 30 fps | 1080p, 720p or 480p at 30 fps |
| Camera features | Portrait mode on rear and front cameras; Motion Photos; Google Lens preview in Google Photos at launch | Top Shot; HDR+; Super Res Zoom; Group Selfie; Photobooth; Portrait; Playground; Motion Auto Focus; Night Sight was announced for delivery after launch |
| Battery and charging | ||
| Battery | 2,700 mAh | 2,915 mAh (better) |
| Wired charging | – | Up to 18 W |
| Wireless charging | None | Yes (wattage not published) |
| Wired charging | Supplied USB-C 18 W power adaptor; maker claims up to seven hours of mixed use from 15 minutes of charging, with always-on display off; actual results vary | USB-PD 2.0; supplied 18 W adaptor; maker claims up to seven hours of mixed use from 15 minutes of charging, with always-on display off; actual results vary |
| Wireless charging | – | Qi-certified charger compatibility; maker's hardware sheet does not publish a maximum wattage |
| Design | ||
| Type | Standard | Standard |
| Weight | 143 g (better) | 148 g |
| Thickness | 7.8 mm (better) | 7.9 mm |
| Height × width | 145.7 × 69.7 mm | 145.6 × 68.2 mm |
| Water and dust resistance | IP67 | IP68 |
| Materials | Aluminium unibody with hybrid coating; Gorilla Glass 5 | Aluminium frame with hybrid coating; soft-touch glass back; Gorilla Glass 5 |
| Colours | Just Black, Clearly White and Kinda Blue; Kinda Blue subject to local operator availability | Just Black, Clearly White and Not Pink |
| Buttons | Power button and volume controls; Active Edge squeeze gesture | Power button and volume controls; Active Edge squeeze gesture |
| Biometrics | Pixel Imprint rear fingerprint sensor | Pixel Imprint rear fingerprint sensor |
| Sensors | Proximity and ambient light; accelerometer; gyrometer; magnetometer; barometer; Hall effect; Android Sensor Hub; advanced x-axis haptics | Proximity and ambient light; accelerometer; gyrometer; magnetometer; barometer; Android Sensor Hub; advanced x-axis haptics |
| Speakers | Stereo front-firing speakers | Dual front-firing speakers |
| Microphones | Three microphones with noise suppression | Three microphones with noise suppression |
| Software | ||
| Operating system | Android | Android |
| Software at launch | Android 8.0 Oreo | Android 9 Pie |
| Software updates | No longer receives Android version or security updates according to Google's current support policy; original promise was three years | No longer receives Android version or security updates according to Google's current support policy; original promise was three years |
| AI features | Google Assistant activated with Active Edge; Google Lens preview identified objects, text and landmarks in photos | Google Assistant with Active Edge; Digital Wellbeing and Flip to Shhh; Call Screen initially supported English in the US |
| In the box | USB-C 18 W power adaptor; USB-C cable rated USB 2.0; Quick Switch adaptor; 3.5 mm audio adaptor; SIM tool; quick-start packet | 18 W USB-C power adaptor and 3.5 mm headphone adaptor confirmed in Google's hardware specification |
| Connectivity | ||
| Mobile network | LTE Cat 15 download up to 800 Mbps and upload up to 75 Mbps; three-carrier aggregation; 4x4 MIMO; 256-QAM downlink and 64-QAM uplink; operator dependent; no 5G | LTE Cat 16 download up to 1 Gbps and upload up to 75 Mbps; five-carrier aggregation; 4x4 MIMO; LAA; 256-QAM downlink and 64-QAM uplink; operator dependent; no 5G |
| SIM | One nano-SIM; eSIM hardware; operator support required | One nano-SIM and eSIM in selected markets; operator dependent |
| Wi-Fi | Dual-band 2.4/5 GHz 802.11a/b/g/n/ac; Google's hardware specification lists 2x2 MIMO, while Notebookcheck reports no MIMO | Dual-band 2.4/5 GHz 802.11a/b/g/n/ac; 2x2 MIMO |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.0 + LE; LDAC, aptX and aptX HD | Bluetooth 5.0 + LE; LDAC, aptX and aptX HD |
| NFC | NFC; Google Cast | NFC; Google Cast; FeliCa on Japanese models |
| USB | USB-C 3.1 Gen 1; supplied adaptor for a 3.5 mm headphone connection | USB-C 3.1 Gen 1; supplied adaptor for a 3.5 mm headphone connection |
| Positioning | GPS and GLONASS; BeiDou and Galileo outside the US and Puerto Rico | GPS, GLONASS and Galileo; BeiDou outside the US and Puerto Rico |
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