Today is Samsung’s big day, as the Galaxy Note 9 was just made available for preorder from all the US carriers. But, coincidentally, a video surfaced on YouTube on Friday that gives us an extended hands-on preview of the Pixel 3 XL, which happens to be a Note 9 rival, and one of the only other hotly anticipated handsets due to be released during the second half of 2018.
The video is almost four minutes long, and it features a Pixel 3 XL device that actually works and is powered on. This is the first time we’ve seen a video surface that showcases a working Pixel 3 XL, and the timing couldn’t be worse for Samsung.
The video comes from the same Ukrainian blogger who posted unboxing photos a few days ago, but this clip focuses on the phone. We can clearly see that this is a Pixel 3 XL unit because the design fits perfectly with previous leaks. A large notch housing at least two cameras dominates the top of the phone, and there’s a chin on the bottom. On the back we have a single-lens camera, and the phone features just one port as well, the USB-C connector.
The video also lists several specs, including the 6.7-inch screen with 2960 x 1440 display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, 12.2-megapixel camera, three (!?) 8.1-megapixel front-facing cameras, and a 3,430 mAh battery.
It’s unclear why the AnTuTu benchmark shown on video lists three front-cameras. We know the phone will have two lenses, which may be used for iPhone X-like facial recognition. But, unless it’s a mistake from AnTuTu, where’s the third cam?
Android 9.0 Pie is preinstalled of course, and we can easily spot the new navigation gestures that Google is about to introduce. It also seems the phone will feature an always-on display, which makes plenty of sense because we’ve seen such features on other Android handsets with OLED screens.
Why are Pixel 3 XL units out in the wild at this time? We have no idea. The Pixel 3 series should be unveiled on October 4th, according to a recent leak, so we’ve got plenty of time to go until then. In the meantime, check out the full clip below.
