In the world of Android, consumers never had it so good. The few good phones were always there. But in 2016, there are many good choices. Between the Rs 10,000 Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 and the Rs 67,000 Google Pixel XL, consumers can opt for a number of phones that are good enough and, in most cases, are even great value for money. But of all these good Android phones, two really stand out: the Google Pixel XL and the OnePlus 3.
In terms of match on the paper, the two phones seem distant. At least, that is what their prices indicate. The OnePlus 3 costs less than half of what Google is charging for the Pixel XL. But the price factor can be misleading. The two phones are quite close in terms of their feature set and usability. The OnePlus 3 is a high-end phone in the more modest clothing while the Pixel XL, despite everything it packs in, is slightly overpriced.
In fact, if you are out in the market looking for the mythical "best Android phone" you can pick either of these and you will be more than happy. Although, strictly speaking the Pixel XL is indeed a better phone but the difference between these two is less than what it ought to be if you just go by the price.
Design and build quality
Overall, I have to say that the OnePlus 3 wins this. Not only it is a more compact phone despite having the same screen size -- 5.5 inches -- it is also a slimmer and better built phone. The whole aluminium body of the OnePlus 3 feels more cohesive than the shell of the Pixel XL, which uses a layer of glass on its back cover. Ergonomically too the OnePlus 3 feels better in hands. Its sharper edges offer better grip compared to that provided by the Pixel XL, which feels slippery. But the Pixel does have one advantage: its fingerprint scanner is not only more conveniently located on the rear cover but it is also faster than the one used inside the home button in the OnePlus 3.
Overall, the OnePlus 3 wins this round. Although, whether its looks appeal to you or not, is also going to be a matter of taste. The Pixel XL has a more familiar and warm design with rounded edges and soft aluminium. The OnePlus 3 has an edgier design, with a camera bump and metal that feels comparatively tougher to touch. The design of the OnePlus 3 is also distinct enough to give it a bit more exotic look. The Pixel XL looks more generic, in comparison.
Screen
This is a tie. The Pixel XL screen, with its resolution of 1440P, is sharper. It also shows more punchy colours and have better contrast, all thanks to its fantastic AMOLED panel. But then OnePlus 3 screen is not shabby at all. Even if it has 1080P resolution, the good quality of panel means that it is sharp enough. It is also very bright, shows vibrant colours and is perfectly usable outdoors even when the sun is shining bright. The big difference between the screens on these two phones is that the Pixel XL shows richer colours.
But then the OnePlus 3 looks more accurate. In fact, it looks pretty close to the LCD screens, which show colours with more subtlety. I like the screen on both phones, although I suspect that majority of consumers will be wowed by the screen of the Pixel XL compared to the OnePlus 3 screen. It is all about that first impression and that is where the XL screens makes a strong mark.
Hardware and performance
On paper, both the Pixel XL and OnePlus 3 are almost evenly matched. Though there are some minor differences. The Pixel XL uses Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor while the OnePlus 3 has the Snapdragon 820. The difference between these two chips is negligible in terms of raw performance. The OnePlus 3 has 6GB RAM while the Pixel XL has 4GB. But again, in terms of raw performance, this barely matters. OnePlus 3 also has 64GB internal storage while the Pixel XL has 32GB storage. This matters somewhat because on the OnePlus 3 you probably won't have to bother with storage issues for at least 2 to 3 years while on the Pixel XL you may worry a little after around a year and half. But then Pixel XL has a trick up its sleeve. It comes with unlimited photo back up to Google drive so you can always get more storage by backing up your photos in Google servers.
But beyond all the hardware and numbers, it is easy to see that the Pixel XL is a faster phone. Not that the OnePlus 3 is any slouch. But the Pixel XL is just in a different league when it comes to the "smoothness". You glide your fingers on its screen and the phone responds, in an utterly-butterly way. There is no lag on this phone, unless there is a bug or something in an app. The animations are very smooth and irrespective of what you are doing, the phone just screams speed.
What about the OnePlus 3? As we have said again and again, this is a fast phone. You won't find any lag on this phone. But the difference, to those who perceive the very subtle differences, will be apparent when it comes to the speed of the OnePlus 3 and the Pixel XL.
That said, these two are among the fastest smartphone in the market right now, so you can't really go wrong with either of them.
Away from the performance, there are areas where the OnePlus 3 is slightly better. Both these phones have the single speakers. But the OnePlus 3 is much louder compared to the Pixel XL. Then there is the network performance. Both are fantastic but one thing that gives the OnePlus 3 an edge is its ability to make VoLTE calls. Now, this doesn't -- yet -- matters all that much in India but if you intend to use a Jio SIM, the OnePlus 3 is a better match for that service compared to the Pixel XL. It also helps that the OnePlus 3 is a phone that supports dual-SIM feature whereas the Pixel XL, just like most other high-end phones, is a single-SIM phone.
If we have to sum it up, we will say that it's advantage Pixel XL although the OnePlus 3 is by no means a slow phone.
Battery life
The Pixel XL offers better battery life. It last for around 14 to 16 hours compared to around 12 to 13 hours of battery that the OnePlus 3 manages. But here too OnePlus 3 has a trick up its sleeve and that trick is called the Dash Charging. The fact that you can plug in the phone into a socket for 10 minutes and then get battery life of 2-3 hours is just amazing. It's that kind of feature that changes the way you use a phone, in a good way. It's a tie between these two phones.
Camera
This is one area, where just like the performance part, it is easy to see that the Pixel XL is superior, especially in the low light. With its large Sony-made IMX378 sensor it captures 12-megapixel images that have fantastic colours, lots of detail, even in the low light.
The OnePlus 3, with its Sony made 16-megapixel IMX298 sensor, tries to keep up and performs very well in the good light. But in low light, it just can't match the godly image sensor inside the Pixel XL. Although, in the camera part I am giving the medal to the Pixel XL one thing that surprises me again and again is how well the OnePlus 3 holds up against the best of Google. See for example, the following comparison. A more detailed camera comparison between these two phones will follow in the coming days.
Software
This is one area where the Pixel XL wins handily. Although, again I have to say that there is nothing specifically wrong with the OnePlus 3. It's just that Pixel XL is so much better because it uses a special version of Android 7.1, along with pretty cool and smart features like Google Assistant and redesigned Photos app etc.
The software inside the Pixel XL is also the "purest" Android you will get. There are no bloatware or unwanted apps unless you count the Google apps like Gmail and Maps in unwanted category. Google also says that the Pixel XL will always run the updated, most recent version of Android, for at least two years.
This is something that OnePlus 3, with its Oxygen OS can't match. It is still on Android Marshmallow and while this is very clean software compared to all other Android out there, it is just not as slick and feature-rich as the Nougat in the Pixel XL.
Now even as I handover a win to Pixel XL here, I must say that the OnePlus 3 loses this round only because it is going against Google's formidable phone. Compared to so many other Android phones in the market, the Oxygen OS in its current avatar is absolute gem. It is clean, fast and feature rich when you compare it to the software that a lot of other companies put in their phones.
Sum of it all
As the headline of this piece says, it is a fight closer than it ought to be. Overall, the Pixel XL is a better phone. In the India Today Tech review I called it the best Android phone. In fact, for many this is the best phone they can buy right now. But then it is also pricey. At Rs 67,000, the Pixel XL costs Rs Rs 39,000 more than what OnePlus 3 costs. That is a lot of premium to pay for getting the "absolute" best phone and that makes the OnePlus 3 such an incredible device. It may not be the best, but it definitely the very best value for money phone. It's a high-end premium phone sold at a price that just defies all the logic of the market.
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