The DUMB feature we're STILL using.

There have been a plethora of interesting and unique features in Google's Pixel smartphone line down the years, but the Pixel 3 XL is one of the most interesting and oft forgotten devices from the company. Despite its divisive looks, its notch did do something rather different - something that can be found in many a 2024 phone! Here's what's up with that notch!
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[@venom2k2]

Yo, loved my 3xl. But the 4gb ram was annoying. I was out jogging, playing music with spotify, took a picture and boom, spotify forceclosed.

[@theryanthomas]

Ah nightmare!

[@hqh_blw]

blame google services getting heavier by each year made this phone suffered, otherwise I love my 3 XL too!

[@Emiichoco]

That isn't a ram problem

[@hqh_blw]

@@Emiichoco you just never look at ram usage

[@Emiichoco]

@@hqh_blw it isn't a ram problem , it's the management and efficiency of apps , android in itself is a mess.

[@Zomboy4313]

So. What’s the dumb feature?

[@osandajayasiri6551]

Good question 😂

[@S3verance]

still have absolutely no idea

[@cameron.t]

It’s the clickbait title. Never said it was a feature on phones. He got us all 😂

[@User24x]

This is why I read comments first.

[@Unerty]

Adding a front camera for 3G video calls I guess.

[@etcarief]

Since you're having honeymoon phases with various old flagship, how about revisiting the Samsung Galaxy S10 ?

[@theryanthomas]

It's one on my list for sure. Specifically the e.

[@owieuychiat6420]

Yes, i would say s10 series was my favorite. Esp the E.

[@deRykcihC]

yes make a S10e revisit, that phone was a stellar among the crowd

[@rapflapfl]

​@@deRykcihCtyping this on my s10e :)

[@Breeze926]

My current phone died so I've been using my old S10+ and it still functions better than mid range 2024 phones.

[@andrei.3333]

you know what? we need to bring back the Galaxy S8 design

[@Wigwamo]

Or the lg v30, because I don't like curved screens

[@cooper1095]

or pixel 4 design. no notch but forehead and no chin

[@enderspider5001]

I swear im the only person who absolutely hates the old samsungs... the new designs, starting with S22 ultra, are a MASSIVE improvement. Only problem is the sharp corners, but not cause of the looks, but because it digs into the hands.

[@cooper1095]

@@enderspider5001 wild

[@andrei.3333]

@enderspider5001 yes, i have the s22 ultra and it was the note 10 with the first design like this but in one hole punch you only have 1 camera, it would e nice to have a flash or an ultra wide camera and also have a full display

[@sgcs]

Nowadays compatibility issues are something very rare tbh, I daily run an Android 11 phone and never had any.

[@wheelyflac]

U will have when android 11 gets as old as android 10.. i know I still have android 9 and many things work that don't even work on iPhones and by things I mean app and by work i mean exist. But many apps on android 9 even tho they exist they don't work really well , Instagram and KZbin for example BUT guess why this happens? Because most android users are android 12 and 13 users wich makes 3rd party app developers optimiser their apps for these android versions wich also means that the latest android 14 doesn't get as good optimization from 3rd party apps as android 13 gets and I can tell from experience I have an s24u on android 14 and a galaxy a32 4g on android 13. All this also has its benefits because when your phone goes 2 years without os support it actually becomes better in these 2 years and then it goes bad again so 4 years of promised os updates on android actually mean 6 years ( when it comes to how well things work ) and now that Google and Samsung give 7 years it translates to 9 years but I don't think the hardware will last more than 7 and I'm not talking about the battery.. lithium batteries degrade a lot in 2-3 years it is what it is u just replace battery its not that expensive.

[@sgcs]

@@wheelyflac I had no issues software wise with 8 too but sure

[@wheelyflac]

@sgcs galaxy j5 2017 , android 9 one ui 1. Something. Instagram layout bugs and buttons just dissappear sometimes especially the send button on the dms but if it works good for u I hope it keeps working

[@sgcs]

@@wheelyflac that's the phone's fault not the android version lol

[@StanleyMarak]

Yeah cus they barely make any changes anymore 😢

[@RJSOW]

The autofocus on the selfie camera was a godsend for me. Not even my pixel 7 comes close to the high quality and crisp selfies you could get with the 3XL

[@clemente111]

I believe SONY did it first with the Xperia xa1 or something

[@Udithavid]

I still use my pixel 3XL alongside my 8 Pro. It is just for me to check teams and outlook because I don't want to clutter my everyday main device with work apps. One of the best phones ever.

[@Accuaro]

The issue wasn't so much the notch on the 3 XL.. it was the comically LARGE take on Apple's notch, which is why people called it a bathtub.

[@Kenny5867]

I really don’t know the feature yet.

[@anaymakan6989]

i loved so much about my pixel 2 and 3 at the time, the amazing cameras which no other phone could come close to, the dual stereo speakers, the squeeze to assistant, perfectly placed fingerprint sensor. Just wish the performance and battery life was better back then.

[@khalidmahmood8420]

3 and 3XL did feel quality. Decent speaker too IIRC.

[@kindofanmol]

Didn't know you had a separate channel but the algorithm made me aware of it. Instantly subscribed!

[@theryanthomas]

Thank you brother! Take it you are subbed to AP?

[@kindofanmol]

@@theryanthomas Yes! Been watching your reviews over at AP and occasionally on PocketNow.

[@theryanthomas]

Love it! Thank you for the sub. It means a hell of a lot. I've been doing this for too many years 😅

[@zacharyKewDenniss]

My last Pixel. I couldn't get past the fact music would close every time I opened the camera because of the 4GB of ram. Even worse, whenever I recorded video the first 5 seconds would just be an unusable slideshow. I got Google to refund me the device in the end, replaced it with an S10+ when it released

[@muhammadragilsaputra653]

what dumb feature? it's actually smart bc all you need is single wide lens with option to crop in, no need for extra hardware.

[@SuperDuprTech]

great vid, its crazy how different the earlier pixel models were; and its good to see that they've rally settled into a design language trend now..

[@dylanguerrero8053]

The 3XL was probably one of Google's most flawed Pixels. The Notch and memory issues (with mine) held it back from being a truly great device.

[@rohanajay]

Pixel 3 XL is my all time favourite smartphone and i know the camera is still good but not this much maannn!

[@theryanthomas]

It's wild isn't it?

[@rohanajay]

@@theryanthomas Yep 🤯

[@GuyrillaTV]

nah i agree the fingerprint scanner was better off on the back as well and were more accurate in my use also loved using the gesture with them to bring down the notis

[@rafliprasetya9770]

I thought that phone was still running android pie. but on android 10 or later you can set navigation gesture with more ios-like system on settings. just select Navigation Gesture instead of 2 button Navigation Bar

[@melvinmajor]

The LG V40 ThinQ, which was launched at the same time and used the same idea of dual lens at the front but with 3 lenses at the back. It was the first penta camera device on the market and based on the launch date, the first device with a dual selfie camera lens ;) Anyways, very interesting video and very qualitative, keep doing more videos Ryan! Super pro and neat, I enjoyed watching your video

[@CassiniA312]

I loved that from my 3XL, and honestly, I didn't mind the notch, so much exaggeration about that...

[@JoshHoulding]

Awesome video man! Just discovered your channel a few weeks ago and really like your style.

[@theryanthomas]

Cheers Josh!

[@TerrorSyxke]

I feel like the oneplus 7 pro with its pop out selfie camera does it best, you wont use a selfie cam unless for very certain things, so it shouldn't always be visible

[@katinasoutherland7693]

You seriously deserve so many more subscribers. Thanks for another great video, Ryan.

[@miotachka]

Even after buying the 6 Pro, I can’t stop loving the 3XL, its size, front autofocus, pink color... The only thing I like about the 6pro is the telephoto lens.

[@NoDanceChance]

5:16 Just like when the PS4 and the Xbox One came out. We were all like "Who is gonna need 500 GB??” And then we were forced to download every game instead of just running it off the disk. Two games later you're almost full....One game if that was Halo.

[@jl_bat]

believe me, the standard Pixel 3 is just feels way better in hand

[@pedroalbuquerquebs]

The Galaxy S10+ also had two front side cameras and Samsung dropped it with the next release (the S20+/Ultra). Samsung implementation was much more elegant than Pixel's and they still removed it.

[@joseluisflores668]

Haha, I thought he was going to talk about the battery percentage.

[@JessicaFEREM]

I personally think the power button fingerprint sensor on the side was the best way. it doesn't look out of place and is basically free real estate. like apple could put the fingerprint sensor in the power button but they refuse to for some reason

[@konm08]

The even dumber thing on your point is that they have already done it on the iPad. If they do it on the iPhone then it's going to be a massive thing for sure (however if we get touch id back then face id is just going to be a gimmick and they don't want to get rid of such a massive "feature" that easily).

[@ScorpionKing-Tales]

That's what I prefer

[@b3njamin602]

woah, i never knew you had a seperate KZbin channel. subbed!

[@s2000.]

I liked the bathtub notch, at least they got the curvatures right unlike many other copycats. And the cutout on the new pixels is nearly as deep as the one on 3xl, dropping down the status bar a lot.

[@xcbrr50]

underscreen fingerprints are good if they use ultra sonic, its sad that most brands just cheap out on opticall

[@bubbag3332]

i dont understand why people say " you shouldnt daily drive an older flagship" why not? ive always had entry level phones and they were an absolute fucking pain in the arse, shit multitasking, the hang ups, the lack of storage, the shit cameras, it wasnt untill 2years ago that i got my first flagship, the xperia 1, why? because it was the cheapest one, three cameras, the design didnt look outdated (apart from the cameras where they were placed) but it still served me good for a 1.5years, downloaded apks used my bank, gwallet , no problems, and i say that because obviusly you say the aformentioned because they dont get sercurity patches anymore, but if you were to choose, a new entry level phone or an older flagship, you'd go with an older flagship, anyone would

[@Peter.H___]

I can tell you’re locked in bro. Don’t stop working hard. I just subscribed

[@theryanthomas]

🙏

[@DRedGuia]

Huawei nova 11 pro has the dual camera, it really fires.

[@derdlin12]

Loved mine until the sudden dead happened !😢 I didn't mind the notch actually love having the extra selfie camera, a big high resolution display and front facing speakers was all I could ask for ! (Btw) You can use gesture navigation on Android 12!

[@Showscopemedia]

Hey samsung ! Plss bring back that s10 plus design

[@Xokzu]

I miss my 3XL so damn much any time I'm reminded of it. Darn you!

[@thecarlostorrealba]

best selfie camera, it's crazy there's flagship phones nowadays with worse front facing cameras...

[@einpercy825]

Interesting to hear anyone calling gesture navigation intuitive. I know, that many people use it (even my grandpa does). But I can't figure it out. When I tried it, most of the times it did not register, I scrolled or swiped within the app instead of quitting or it does not bring up the recent apps but instead sends me on the home screen etc. And also it's different on every device. I have no idea how anyone can live with it. Also the Pixel 3XL has aged well and not well at all at the same time

[@CoolCrescent186]

Interjection- I ADORE the 2-button navigation. I have never dailyed a Pixel. I use it with a custom ROM on my Moto G100. The second selfie camera might be cool if I ever took selfies, lol (The G100 has a second one too).

[@flawcan]

The power of circle to search 😅. We don't even ask anymore.

[@Peterstarzynskitech]

The wider field of view doesn't do much. It does go a bit wider, but that's it.

[@adankhan5001]

Till this day I'm using pixel 3xl and also watching in it !

[@julianbonskilzz]

Notch is 2010s and be happy if u have this use full thing in 2024/5

[@deRykcihC]

Google used to try new things out whether if it is success or failure, I guess it is until the Pixel 6 they've gone general and bland, every other phone after Pixel 5 have the same formula.

[@oliverstemp9132]

The Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra had 2 cameras on the front, and an LED flash too. I had one, the flash was so bright it was uncomfortable and made photos look bad 😂

[@theryanthomas]

Haha I think I vaguely remember a couple of phones with front flashes

[@oliverstemp9132]

@@theryanthomas Android was so much fun back then.

[@LovroSabljak]

Samsung had 2 front cameras in 2018

[@RaulRiveraR]

Man, I loved my Pixel 3 XL, Best photos Ever

[@PFnove]

I had this issue and fixed it with a 64gb swapfile, slow but Spotify didn't fully close when talking pictures

[@TeraByte38]

JOKES ON YOU, MY ONEPLUS NORD HAS A REAL WIDE AND ULTRAWIDE SENSOR AT THE FRONT :DDDDDD

[@Dhruv-qw7jf]

The modern-day navigation gestures didn't get "shifted from iPhone to Android", it was introduced by Xiaomi in their Android phones lmao. Instant dislike.

[@wwiswalterwhite]

Fr bro, how can he make videos with half information?

[@1-minutecomparison]

You dislike because of that? Some ppl are assholes, that dislike for no reason, and i don't know why people do it unless the video has hate speech or else...

[@Dhruv-qw7jf]

@@1-minutecomparison bro a dislike is a representation to show disagreement with the content of the creator, it's not a "this person should be hated" button lmao

[@1-minutecomparison]

@@Dhruv-qw7jf you'rr not helping by disliking if you didnt know.

[@Tai美心]

My phone has two selfie cameras but no notch just punch hole

[@NathanYellowStarProductions]

I really disliked the notch. Don't get me wrong but it's possible to use a single selfie camera for ultra wide angle while 2 cameras at the back. The LG V20 did this which has 2 back cameras and 1 front cameras. Seriously both back and front have ultra wide angle so there is no need for a secondary front camera. I hope the notch gets removed, i prefer the thinner bezels thing seen on LG G3, LG G6, Samsung S8 and Samsung Note 8 instead of that horrible space taking asymmetrical notch. It makes the experience not perfect with those notches. There are 2 better options there 1. Second screen like the LG V10 and LG V20 2. Thinner bezels like the LG G3, LG G6, Samsung S8, Samsung Note 8 Just please i hate the notch and i hope it gets removed in the future. I am not amazed on the dynamic island cutout i just prefered the LG V20 Second screen which doesn't block your main screen. It's very easy to make accidental touches on heads up notifications and dynamic island and yes i always accidentally touch that notification pop up everytime i touch the upper part which is annoying.

[@kenos6939]

Is there a reason why the vanilla Pixel 3 wasn't mentioned? It also had 2 selfie sensors

[@theryanthomas]

No notch on that bad boy

[@anujithtp2048]

I like the 2 button navigation

[@muddi900]

Regular pixel 3 also had 2 camera without notch.

[@theryanthomas]

Correct

[@JessicaFEREM]

the bathtub notch could've been shrunken if they just put the speaker as a ridge like the samsung phones and squashed the cameras closer together. it's definitely possible.

[@guesswhothis]

Why is it that Pixel phones always have 4GB of RAM? I noticed a lot of P4 have 6GB but only 64GB. The 4GB have 128GB but not the 6GB.

[@IndellableHatesHandles]

The Pixel 3 XL doesn't have a notch. It has a widow's peak.

[@marufio]

Google should of kept pixel 7 body I'm indifferent to pixel 9 body

[@headshock2785]

Deja vu ……i thought i had watched this vid before

[@serious6647]

My first pixel was the 8 pro i came from iphone but own multiple samsungs with apple devices and stuck with apple after 2019 till 2022. I was a big fan of stock andriid and wanted to use one during the nexus 6p populararity days for andriid but now that i have a pixel by the way i hated it at first felt like a gimmick until i realize how much i was invested in the apple ecosystem and i message which was the big deciding factor of which it took its place over samsung for me and probaly alot of people. now im getting use to it and learning to love it. The community is probably the most reason im still using this phone. Samsung is still a better phone but stock andriidb and being my first ever stock andriid experience i think ima just stay here for a while 😅

[@5gus]

Loved my 3 XL, specially the cameras

[@dmug720]

everyone trippin on pixel's notch but when apple does it its cool

[@yokokoko499]

You’re such an underrated youtuber

[@toungeenaamoo]

That pixel 3XL's notch was horrendous, it was so fucking ugly, and they released this after they made fun of iPhone's notch, What the actual fuck were they thinking

[@jasc931]

So I saw that you customized a pixel how do you do that I just came back to Android and my pixel behaves more like an iPhone then an android super disappointed by Google

[@TerrenceAbernathy]

Thats my daughter's daily driver

[@BriefNerdOriginal]

Glass or plastic are both fine for wireless charging, you know that, right? 😉

[@theryanthomas]

Yes?

[@BriefNerdOriginal]

@@theryanthomas didn't doubt it :)

[@jepoybengco]

Subscribed!

[@SHUTENSEPC]

Yeah, that's the most easiest sub in my life

[@poijmc606]

Sorry man, if you want 100k subs please don't use such clickbaity titles. I watched your whole video and I'm now sure what feature you're reffering to in the title. Just call the video 'why 3xl is great' or something like that, I feel you wasted my time

[@theryanthomas]

It's literally the first thing I talked about lmao. I'll continue what I'm doing. Thanks.

[@dreamingthelife]

​@@theryanthomas you didn't clearly state which feature was dumb and why it's dumb, if you want more subs don't let your viewers feel puzzled about what you were going for in your video, I usually just keep scrolling or thumbs down and keep scrolling when I read this click bait titles and don't get a good follow through.

[@AM-uo1iq]

Do for Huawei p30 pro

[@theryanthomas]

It's being filmed. Probably be released next month

[@ishqwalalover]

I hate on screen fingerprint.. First you press the power button and then scan your finger on screen...

[@sahiljadhav6969_]

That's not how they work i also have an on screen fingerprint scanner i rarely use the power button tho as soon as I put my finger on the scanner the device unlocks no hassle to click the power button 🙃

[@sushanttiwari3119]

you really just gone ahead and did a review of Pixel 3XL instead of talking about something useful. This video was supposed to be about that DUMB feature now feal like one after wasting 8 minutes

[@theryanthomas]

Got got mate. Would also love to add the dumb feature was literally the first thing I spoke about. Didn't even bury the lead.

[@evans-4]

you are CUTE

[@humphrey6630]

google shill

[@Nearnface]

wowowow

[@AllLoudNation365]

Looks like an iPhone

[@shejj7]

4:03 huh? the pear phone had it first

[@NoDanceChance]

But for real, BlackBerry 10 OS in 2013 was all gesture control, and people dunked on it back then saying the learning curve was too harsh....Look what we're all doing now 🫴🫳🫱🫲👉👈🤙

[@_sagaryadav]

3:32 which game is that?

[@theryanthomas]

Crossy Road

[@rippeddeagle1136]

Look, if you guys don't want, just don't buy one 😅