When choosing a phone, one of the most important things to consider is whether to go with iOS or Android. To help you decide, we compared two phones that are two of the “cheapest” options from the top smartphone manufacturers: the Apple iPhone XR and the Google Pixel 3. (Although a starting price of over $700 is hard to come by, they’re the cheapest offerings from these two companies.)
Both phones cost about the same and are equipped with high-quality hardware. But they also offer very different user experiences and software, which makes them stand out from each other. Let's take a look at the comparison.
Design: The Pixel 3 screen vs. the iPhone XR screen
With its thin bezels, notch, and sleek glass and metal body, the iPhone XR has a premium aesthetic that resembles the iPhone XS. Unlike other iPhones, however, it comes in six colors, including a bold red, blue, yellow, and coral, in addition to the classic black and white.
The iPhone XR also has a large 6.1-inch LCD display (1,792×828). It's covered in what Apple calls the "strongest glass ever" in a smartphone. If you lay the iPhone XR down, it doesn't lie completely flat, as the rear camera protrudes. This does, however, mean that the lens can be damaged more easily, as was the case in our drop test.
The Pixel 3's small size makes it more comfortable to hold. It looks similar to last year's Pixel 2, but design improvements like thinner bezels and a glossy border around the phone add a bit more shine. Colors look slightly more vibrant than the iPhone on the OLED display (5.5 inches with a 1,080p resolution). Like the iPhone, the Pixel lacks a home button. The larger Pixel 3 XL has one of the largest notches we've seen on a display. You can hide it, but it's not very flattering.
There are some common design features between the two phones. Both are waterproof. The iPhone XR can withstand 30 minutes in 1 meter of water. In tests, it survived even deeper. The Pixel 3 can withstand 1.5 meters for the same amount of time.
Every phone has wireless charging capability, but none have a headphone jack. So if you don't use Bluetooth headphones, you'll need to carry a dongle with you to connect your regular pair of headphones.
Camera: Battle of the single rear lens
The iPhone XR and Pixel 3 both have a 12-megapixel camera with an f/1.8 aperture, but each phone takes advantage of its hardware in useful ways, depending on the type of photos you typically take.
For example, the Pixel's low-light mode, Night Sight, is incredibly impressive. It works so well that you'll think it's almost magical and be tempted to never use your flash again. The Pixel's zoom, known as Super Res Zoom, is also excellent. Objects appear clear even from great distances.
As for the front-facing camera, the Pixel has a second wide-angle lens. It's not the first phone to have this. LG has also added this feature to some of its more recent phones, like the LG V40 ThinQ.
The iPhone XR is the first iPhone to take portrait photos with a single-lens camera. Like the Pixel 3, it uses software to blur the background. Portrait mode on the iPhone XR only works on people. The Pixel 3 lets you create portraits of your pets, your favorite flowers, your lunch.
Both phones can take HDR photos, and the Pixel 3 gives you the added ability to capture raw images from the default camera app. You have the same ability on the iPhone XR, but you need to use a third-party app like Halide or VSCO.
When it comes to video shooting, the iPhone XR definitely excels, especially in low light. The image quality and sound are much clearer than the Pixel 3.
Performance: The iPhone XR is faster and its battery lasts longer
The iPhone XR and Pixel 3 are powered by the A12 Bionic and Snapdragon 845 processors, respectively. Despite having different chipsets, you won't notice any difference in the speed of everyday tasks like launching apps. But in tests conducted, the iPhone XR has an advantage over the Pixel 3.
The Pixel 3 performed certain camera functions more slowly than I would have liked. In contrast, the iPhone XR was faster.
As for battery life, both phones lasted over 16 hours of continuous video playback in Airplane Mode, which is excellent. The Pixel 3 has a 2,915mAh battery, which lasts about 15 hours. But the iPhone XR lasted 19 hours and 53 minutes, despite having a smaller battery (2,942mAh).
Software: iOS or Android?
iOS vs Android: one of the biggest battles in the world of technology. Choosing a phone involves much more than hardware. Software is a very important factor and many times we choose a phone based on the operating system that is easiest for us to use.
The Pixel runs Google's latest Android 9.0 Pie and is one of the first devices to get Android 10, later this year.
The operating system is customizable. The Pixel is integrated into the Google ecosystem, so you get a better experience with Gmail, Calendar, and Maps. You can also do a lot more with Google Assistant than you can with Siri.
Apple's iOS has many advantages if you have other Apple devices or friends and family in the Apple ecosystem, such as a great chat experience through iMessage and FaceTime.
Authentication and storage
iPhone XR
FaceID and authentication: No more fingerprints. Apple's TrueDepth camera enables FaceID, which lets you do everything from unlocking your phone to authenticating yourself for Apple Pay purchases with your face. However, it's a good idea to have a backup PIN as well. The TrueDepth camera also enables Animoji and Memoji, exclusive to iPhone.
256GB storage: It's the only one of these two phones to offer this much storage, and it might be best to have some on-device storage available, given that Apple's iCloud only gives you 5GB for free.
Pixel 3
Call Screen: There's a service on Pixel that protects you from scam calls. The service answers calls on your behalf and lets you see recordings of conversations in real time. This way, you can decide whether to block the call or answer it.
Unlimited Cloud Storage: For Pixel users, Google offers free unlimited storage for photos and videos in their original resolution. This is very important since photos and videos eat up most of our phone's storage space. In contrast, Apple's iCloud service charges $10 per month for 2TB.
In conclusion, both devices are incredibly good and you won't be disappointed. If you want one of the best Android experiences, then the Pixel 3 is unbeatable. On the other hand, the XR is Apple's most affordable new iPhone.
