Should you get the Pixel 3 XL or the iPhone XS Max?

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Google Pixel 3 XL

Big and bold

$899 at Google Store

Pros

• Google Assistant is fantastic.
• Huge display.
• Stereo speakers.
• Sizeable battery.
• Wireless charging.

Cons

• No headphone jack.
• Very large display notch.

Google took the Pixel 2 XL's large body and squeezed a larger and much better 6.3-inch 18.5:9 display into it. The rest of the phone offers all of Google's strengths: simple hardware, flagship specs, lightning fast software and an amazing AI-assisted camera on the front and back. It even sports a 3430mAh battery to keep your powered through the day.

Apple iPhone XS Max

Best iPhone ever

$1,099 at Apple

Pros

• Large beautiful display.
• Incredibly powerful A12 Bionic chip.
• 120Hz touch sensing display.
• Improved FaceID.
• Wireless Charging.

Cons

• Siri is still behind Google Assistant.
• No fingerprint sensor.

The iPhone XS Max is Apple's biggest and best iPhone yet, with the incredibly powerful A12 Bionic chip. It has a large, vibrant 6.5-inch display and excellent stereo speakers. FaceID replaces a fingerprint sensor, and the cameras have some powerful new features. Guaranteed updates every year for several years are the icing on the cake.

The Pixel 3 XL and iPhone XS Max set the standard for smartphones running Android and iOS respectively. Software preferences aside, the Pixel 3 XL and iPhone XS Max are actually pretty similar smartphones. Both have glass and metal industrial designs with high screen-to-body ratios, along with IP68 resistance, wireless charging, stereo speakers, and more. While other Android companies can create their own competitors to Google's Pixel 3 XL, the iPhone XS Max is the best iPhone you can buy right now.

What are the differences?

A large deciding factor in which phone you should buy is, of course, the operating system behind it. By now, you probably have a good idea where you stand on Android versus iOS, but the latest versions of both operating systems share several similar features, including a focus on digital wellbeing and helping prevent you from using your smartphone too much. In short, Android 9 Pie brings a fast, fluid experience with no unnecessary additions, while iOS 12 is simpler to use but lacking in customization options. This has been the standard for years though.

It's hard to find major flaws in either phone's hardware, and they both support the "notch," although the deep notch on the Pixel 3 XL is unsightly, compared to the streamlined notch on the iPhone XS Max. The notch on the Pixel 3 XL houses the dual selfie cameras and one of the dual stereo-speakers, which Google says necessitated its larger-than-life size. The notch on the iPhone XS Max, meanwhile, houses the Face ID camera array which is the only way to secure the iPhone XS Max as there's no fingerprint sensor.

Category	Pixel 3 XL	iPhone XS Max
Operating system	Android 9 Pie	iOS 12
Display	6.3-inch OLED 2960x1440 (18.5:9) Gorilla Glass 5	6.5-inch Super AMOLED 1242x2688 (19.5:9) Scratch-resistant glass Dolby Vision / HDR10 compliant 120 Hz touch-sensing
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Pixel Visual Core	Apple A12 Bionic Apple GPU (4-core)
RAM	4GB	4GB
Storage	64/128GB	64/256/512GB
Expandable	No	No
Rear camera 1	12.2MP, 1.4-micron, PDAF f/1.8, OIS	12MP, 1.4-micron, PDAF f/1.8, OIS
Rear camera 2	None	12MP, 1-micron, PDAF 2x Optical Zoom, f/2.4, OIS
Front camera 1	8MP, auto focus f/1.8, 75-degree lens	7MP, auto focus f/2.2, 32mm focal length
Front camera 2	8MP, fixed focus f/2.2, 97-degree lens	None
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11ac 2x2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0 LE, NFC, GPS	Wi-Fi 802.11ac 2x2, Bluetooth 5.0 LE, NFC, GPS
Audio	Stereo speakers USB-C	Stereo speakers Lightning port
Battery	3430mAh Non-removable	3174mAh Non-removable
Charging	18W USB-C PD Qi wireless	Fast charging (available separately) Qi wireless
Water resistance	IP68	IP68
Security	Fingerprint sensor	Face ID
Dimensions	76.7 x 158.0 x 7.9 mm 184 g	157.5 x 77.4 x 7.7 mm 208 g
Colors	Just Black, Very White, Not Pink	Space Gray, Silver, Gold

One of the big differences between the two devices is their approach to photography. The Pixel 2 XL last year was outstanding and used AI to capture photos that were better than the dual-camera competition despite having a single camera. The Pixel 3 XL sticks with a single camera on the rear, but adds a secondary wide angle camera on the front to help you take group selfies. The iPhone XS Max uses dual cameras on both front and back, with Apple preferring to use hardware rather than artificial intelligence to achieve the same effects.

Both phones offer many of the same features so the choice is whether you prefer Android or iOS.

Apple made a big deal during the iPhone XS announcement over some of the improved camera features, including the adjustable bokeh effect in post and stereo audio during video capture. Google also made a big deal about its new camera features during the Pixel 3 announcement, including Night Sight for improved low light photography and the ability to adjust bokeh after capture.

Both phones are up there in the price department, with the Pixel 3 XL starting at $899, and the iPhone XS Max breaking the four-figure club with a starting price of $1,099. You're get a similar experience in terms of performance, cameras, and display, but if you want iOS, the iPhone XS Max is the best phone you can buy. If you prefer Android, your choices are vast, and while the Pixel 3 XL is an excellent choice, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is also worth looking at.

Pixel 3 XL

Flagship Android Phone

$899 at Google Store

The flagship Android experience as Google imagines in.

The Pixel 3 XL sets the standard for the flagship Android experience as defined by Google, and uses AI to accomplish what most other companies use hardware to achieve.

iPhone XS Max

The best iPhone

The biggest and best iPhone that Apple has ever made.

$1,099 at Apple

The iPhone XS Max is the biggest and best iPhone that Apple has ever made, and if you need a large iPhone screen, you should look no further than the iPhone XS Max.