Google Pixel XL vs Nexus 6P vs OnePlus 3: here is a specs comparison

posted by Peter K. / Oct 10, 2016, 10:44 AM

Google Pixel XL vs Nexus 6P vs OnePlus 3: here is a specs comparison

Google is pushing towards the mainstream with its latest smartphones, the Pixel and the Pixel XL, and only time will show if these are the revelation the Android crowd has been keeping its breath for. Chances are that you might still be undecided whether to invest your hard-earned money in the Pixel XL/Pixel or not, as these definitely have a couple of more affordable, albeit a bit older alternatives that could be a better pick for you.

We are talking about none other than the last great Nexus device, the not-too-shabby Huawei-made Nexus 6P, and a device that is often cited as one of the best value-for-money phones of 2016 - the mighty OnePlus 3.

An excellent trio by all standards! However, there's a rather large elephant in the room, taken the form of a simple question: should you get the Pixel XL, the Nexus 6P, or the OnePlus 3? Which one would be a better fit for your pocket?

Well, we can't decide that for you, but we can help you by showing you how the three compare in terms of raw specs... and size, too!

Front view
Side view

Google Pixel XL

Dimensions

6.09 x 2.98 x 0.34 inches

154.72 x 75.74 x 8.6 mm

Weight

5.93 oz (168 g)

Google Nexus 6P

Dimensions

6.27 x 3.06 x 0.29 inches

159.3 x 77.8 x 7.3 mm

Weight

6.28 oz (178 g)

OnePlus 3

Dimensions

6.01 x 2.94 x 0.29 inches

152.7 x 74.7 x 7.35 mm

Weight

5.57 oz (158 g)

Google Pixel XL

Dimensions

6.09 x 2.98 x 0.34 inches

154.72 x 75.74 x 8.6 mm

Weight

5.93 oz (168 g)

Google Nexus 6P

Dimensions

6.27 x 3.06 x 0.29 inches

159.3 x 77.8 x 7.3 mm

Weight

6.28 oz (178 g)

OnePlus 3

Dimensions

6.01 x 2.94 x 0.29 inches

152.7 x 74.7 x 7.35 mm

Weight

5.57 oz (158 g)

To see the phones in real size or compare them with other models, visit our Visual Phone Size Comparison page

Google Pixel XL vs Google Nexus 6P vs OnePlus 3

Display

Display size

5.5 inches

5.7 inches

5.5 inches

Resolution

1440 x 2560 pixels

1080 x 1920 pixels

Aspect Ratio

16:9

Pixel density

534 ppi

518 ppi

401 ppi

Technology

AMOLED

Super AMOLED

Screen-to-body ratio

71.22 %

71.60 %

73.15 %

Camera

Rear

Single camera

Main camera

12.3 megapixels

16 megapixels

Hardware Features

Laser and Phase detection autofocus

Laser autofocus

Optical image stabilization, Phase detection autofocus

Specifications

Aperture size: F2.0; Sensor size: 1/2.3"; Pixel size: 1.55 μm

Aperture size: F2.0; Pixel size: 1.12 μm

Video recording

3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (120 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (240 fps)

3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD), 1280x720 (HD) (240 fps)

3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (60 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (120 fps)

Features

Video calling, Video sharing

Video calling

Front

8 megapixels

Video capture

1920x1080 (Full HD) (30 fps)

Design

Dimensions

6.09 x 2.98 x 0.34 inches (154.72 x 75.74 x 8.6 mm)

6.27 x 3.06 x 0.29 inches (159.3 x 77.8 x 7.3 mm)

6.01 x 2.94 x 0.29 inches (152.7 x 74.7 x 7.35 mm)

Weight

5.93 oz (168 g)

6.28 oz (178 g)

5.57 oz (158 g)

Materials

Back: Aluminum, Glass

Back: Aluminum

Resistance

Splash, Dust; IP 53

Biometrics

Fingerprint (touch)

Features

Notification light

Hardware & Performance

System chip

Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 MSM8996 Pro

Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 MSM8994

Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MSM8996

Processor

Quad-core, 2150 MHz, Kryo, 64-bit

Octa-core, 2000 MHz, ARM Cortex-A57 and ARM Cortex-A53, 64-bit

Quad-core, 2200 MHz, Kryo, 64-bit

GPU

Adreno 530

Adreno 430

Adreno 530

RAM

4 GB LPDDR4

3 GB LPDDR4

6 GB LPDDR4

OS

Android (9.0 Pie, 8.1 Oreo, 8.0 Oreo, 7.1 Nougat)

Android (8.1 Oreo, 8.0 Oreo, 7.1 Nougat, 7.0 Nougat, 6.0 Marshmallow)

Android (9.0 Pie, 7.0 Nougat, 6.0 Marshmallow), OnePlus OxygenOS UI

Battery

Capacity

3450 mAh

3000 mAh

Charging

Yes

OnePlus Dash Charge

Talk time

32.00 hours

23.00 hours

Stand-by time

21.8 days (522 hours)

18.3 days (440 hours)

Internet use

LTE: 14 hours; Wi-Fi: 14 hours

LTE: 10 hours; Wi-Fi: 10 hours

Music playback

130.00 hours

100.00 hours

Video playback

14.00 hours

10.00 hours

Shopping information

MSRP price

$ 869

$ 649

$ 399

Google Pixel XL

View more + 47 images

Google Nexus 6P

View more + 67 images

OnePlus 3

View more + 47 images

FEATURED VIDEO

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25 Comments

1. Carl3000

Posts: 240; Member since: Oct 11, 2014

You the the 6P is a beast phone when it still gets compared to all the latest flagships in speed tests etc.

posted on Oct 10, 2016, 10:54 AM 6

6. perry1234

Posts: 643; Member since: Aug 14, 2012

I wish I had purchased 6P ( instead of being gifted a 64 GB 6S Plus around the last new year). I held back , due to SD 810 heating issues and how good the A9 chip was when it launched.

posted on Oct 10, 2016, 11:08 AM 0

22. sgodsell

Posts: 7241; Member since: Mar 16, 2013

There is no mention of the sensor specs, which are needed in a device, if it wants to be Daydream VR certified. That is why the Nexus 6P is only going to stay with a Daydream VR development edition, and not become certified as an actual Daydream VR device.

posted on Oct 10, 2016, 4:40 PM 0

24. perry1234

Posts: 643; Member since: Aug 14, 2012

Hmmm , good to know !

posted on Oct 11, 2016, 11:52 AM 0

2. Doakie

Posts: 2478; Member since: May 06, 2009

I fail to understand why the OnePlus 3 is being compared when a more capable phone like the Axon 7 is available for the same exact price? It's got a higher resolution display, expandable storage, and a 2 year warranty with accident insurance included... Is it the OS updates?

posted on Oct 10, 2016, 10:57 AM 0

7. Barney_stinson

Posts: 672; Member since: May 30, 2016

because my OP3 hits axon 7 out of park in fluidity !! a rare breed in android world!

posted on Oct 10, 2016, 11:12 AM 3

10. ebilcake

Posts: 1227; Member since: Jul 16, 2016

OnePlus 3 does a few things better, interface, software and camera to name just three. To many users these are the most important factors so that's why it's being compared. The low light performance of Axon 7 camera is pathetic btw.

posted on Oct 10, 2016, 11:38 AM 1

12. Harambe unregistered

Better design, better UI, development, camera, speed just to name a few.

posted on Oct 10, 2016, 11:52 AM 0

3. PilzXDA

Posts: 28; Member since: Oct 01, 2016

The Pixel is running Andorid 7.1 NOT 7.0, PA please fix the mistake.

posted on Oct 10, 2016, 10:58 AM 5

4. RebelwithoutaClue unregistered

Wow the OP3 hardly supports LTE bands in US. Guess I'll have to settle for 3G when I'm in Chicago end of the week sigh

posted on Oct 10, 2016, 11:01 AM 0

9. michaelny2001

Posts: 327; Member since: Aug 01, 2012

Whaaaattt??? I have the OP3 and it supports everything. Had ATT LTE (after i tricked them into using my oldf LG G2 imei, now switched to Cricket, LTE, no problem. Where is the issue? When u buy from the manuyfacturer's website, make sure you buy the USA version. then... do *#*#4636#*#* and go to the 3 dots upper corner right and chose USA band. all set. Plus make sure you have LTE/GSM set up as well.

posted on Oct 10, 2016, 11:15 AM 1

14. RebelwithoutaClue unregistered

Why would PA not show the US version then, if it supports different bands. For me living in Netherlands, my OP3 is perfect. Guess I'll try that trick when I am in Chicago.

posted on Oct 10, 2016, 12:39 PM 0

25. michaelny2001

Posts: 327; Member since: Aug 01, 2012

There are different versions. It's possible that the European version may not have all of them in the US. I work for a Dutch company and i travel at times into the Netherlands and i can still use the service. Just buy a 5 euro sim. Try that trick though. Hope it will work out for you.

posted on Oct 11, 2016, 3:26 PM 1

5. perry1234

Posts: 643; Member since: Aug 14, 2012

Experience matters more than specs and that is why Pixel XL will be a much better phone to stand the test of time ( 2-3 years). OP3 will have developer love but these days installing a custom ROM is no longer an attractive option , due to security concerns and driver issues.

posted on Oct 10, 2016, 11:06 AM 3

8. Barney_stinson

Posts: 672; Member since: May 30, 2016

not for every1 !! OP3 's developer friendliness will make you happy next year!

posted on Oct 10, 2016, 11:13 AM 0

15. perry1234

Posts: 643; Member since: Aug 14, 2012

Like I said , developer love is an option with OP3 , but not attractive to me anymore . There is a constantly closing gap between the capabilities of stock Android / Oxygen OS and something else like Cyanogen. I am a guy who places high importance on data security rather than mostly gimmicky features. And I am pretty sure Pixel phones will not be left behind by the devs.

posted on Oct 10, 2016, 12:52 PM 1

11. Arch_Fiend

Posts: 3951; Member since: Oct 03, 2015

I'm no fan of Google underclocking the SD821 in the Pixel, the SD820 in the OP3 is clocked higher smh!

posted on Oct 10, 2016, 11:50 AM 0

13. ebilcake

Posts: 1227; Member since: Jul 16, 2016

Should provide better battery life, I don't see anything wrong with that. SD821 CPU can never hope to compete with Exynos 8890 or A10 so why even try?

posted on Oct 10, 2016, 12:20 PM 0

16. perry1234

Posts: 643; Member since: Aug 14, 2012

Not entirely true , SD 820 holds its own against Exynos 8890 . A10 is a generation ahead though, I agree with that . http://www.phonearena.com/news/Samsung-Galaxy-Note-7-Snapdragon-820-vs-Exynos-8890-the-beasts-clash_id84167

posted on Oct 10, 2016, 12:57 PM 0

19. ebilcake

Posts: 1227; Member since: Jul 16, 2016

Barely. GeekBench 4 Exynos 8890: 1800/5200 SD820: 1700/4100 Sure they could increase clockspeeds it to try and beat them in single core performance but that's the best you can hope for, why bother? just take the battery life.

posted on Oct 10, 2016, 1:52 PM 0

23. perry1234

Posts: 643; Member since: Aug 14, 2012

You didn't check out the written passage in the above link, or check the other benchmark scores. Perhaps , Geekbench is your fav benchmark but I personally take all benchmarks into consideration like AnTuTu , Vellamo Metal , Vellamo browser , Basemark OS 2.0 and Geekbench 3 and then average them out , approximately of course. Plus a definition of good SoC includes both CPU and GPU. And in the GPU department , 530 is quite a bit ahead. I would personally still prefer 8890 because of better battery life , but nobody should be too unhappy even if they land a SD820 version of a phone.

posted on Oct 11, 2016, 5:00 AM 0

17. Arch_Fiend

Posts: 3951; Member since: Oct 03, 2015

I've already assumed as much but if you ask me It will only be worth it if the Pixel xl has better battery life than the SD820 version of the S7 edge. GPU wise the SD821 at it's normal clock rate is acually better than both lol just sayin. Energy efficiency, well it's obviously behind those two even the A9.

posted on Oct 10, 2016, 1:07 PM 0

18. Awalker

Posts: 1973; Member since: Aug 15, 2013

I think it's fine as long as phone performs well.

posted on Oct 10, 2016, 1:51 PM 0

20. Arch_Fiend

Posts: 3951; Member since: Oct 03, 2015

I totally agree, if the phone performs great and has really good battery life then the lower clock speed would actually be preferable over the higher ones.