It was a gloomy Thursday afternoon in Milan when I made my way to the airport. This trip’s destination was Paris for some sightseeing after an event coverage in Italy. My weapon of choice? The Google Pixel 3.

Known to be a great picture taker, it seemed to be the reasonable choice to bring to scenic Paris. Obviously, I wanted to take the best photos possible and the Pixel’s reputation when it comes to photography precedes it. Of course, I reviewed the phone along the way, too.

First off, a quick question: Is this phone really Not Pink?

Background: For some reason, Google named this new phone color Not Pink. Personally, I don’t know why Google would mess around with pink lovers like myself who wished for an actual pink phone, but they did. Bottom line is, it isn’t pink — unless you look at it under a certain light or pair it with more rose-colored stuff.

The perfect accessory for all the pink stuff I own

Lucky for me, I own so many pink things and a berry red trench coat, so I have stuff this almost/sometimes pink phone will go with it.

Honestly, I’m not particularly happy with this phone’s lack of pinkness, but I’ll still take it over the typical black or white versions. Also, it has a cute orange accent button on the upper-right side. Talk about a color pop!

The Pixel 3 is in a size that’s perfect for my smaller girly hands. Its all-glass body gives it a good feel but I’ve honestly held more premium-feeling non-premium phones. There are bezels, still, on this phone, but I’d totally take that over a notch anytime.

Now, on to the actual trip. Join me as I go around the city of love and review Google’s latest smartphone.

Pre-departure

As I lugged all my stuff out of the hotel, the boyfriend, Joshua, booked our Uber to the airport. I checked Waze to see how traffic would be — we’d get to the airport on time, it told me. Smartphones are such a godsend when traveling! I was on Project Fi (courtesy of Joshua) so data was fast and seamless, even in Europe. Google Fi on a Google phone is a match made in heaven — it basically means you have data anywhere in the world without added charges, and it can work with the Pixel’s eSIM.

In the Uber, the phone’s ambient display showed my flight schedule even without me inputting these details to my calendar. Apparently, this phone is smart enough to gather said info, all from an email. It’s been doing this for the past few days to make sure I don’t forget my flight. The reminders and prompts don’t stop at plane schedules for this phone. From smart notifications on how long your battery will last, sending people the photos of them you took, or even the squeeze to activate Google Assistant feature; this is like the eager assistant I’ve always needed but never had.

Plane selfie with the Pixel 3’s wide-angle selfie camera

Milan to Paris is an hour and thirty minutes away. I’ll see you in Paris!

Touchdown

Flights to Paris arrive at one of either two airports: Charles de Gaulle (CDG), Orly, or Beauvais. CDG is the biggest of all airports, but it’s also 14 miles away from the Paris center. We took the RER train to the third arrondissement where our Airbnb was.

Walk to the Airbnb, shot on a Pixel 3

Paris is divided into arrondissements. It starts at the first arrondissement and spirals out into the 20th arrondissement on the river Seine’s right bank. The best places to stay at, if you don’t want to do a lot of commuting to get to scenic places, are those in the first to eighth arrondissements. Our Airbnb, only a few minutes walk from Gare du Norde, is in a good non-touristy area. Phone in hand and following Google Maps’ lead, we found the apartment that was to be our home for the next few days.

Before heading out to explore, it was time to rest and unpack. Of course, with the Pixel 3, I had to bring the Pixel Stand. This equally new accessory is a wireless charger which supposedly turns your phone into a smart speaker (think Google Home). In theory, this is a good idea, especially when you’re traveling — imagine having your own smart speakers in your Airbnb! In reality, though, the phone on the stand doesn’t really do a lot more than the phone in your hand. Plus, that stand is pretty annoying to travel with because it’s so bulky.

But speaking of the phone in my hand, it’s a pretty smooth experience with Android’s latest OS and it comes with all the bells and whistles that Google has to offer like Digital Wellbeing and Google Lens.

Exploring and a few of my favorite things

In November, autumn leaves line Paris’ streets. Temperatures range from cold to pretty cold so berets, scarves, and trench coats are a go.

Not Pink phone is working well with the red trench coat

You have to make sure to keep warm in this cold, sometimes wet climate because there will be a lot of walking. Paris is a beautiful city and part and parcel of experiencing this place is wandering around on foot. The French even have a word for it: “Flaneur,” which means to walk around leisurely. I mean, who wouldn’t with normal views like this?

Even in the evenings, beautiful views of monuments, the city lights, and the Seine make breathtaking views. Thankfully, The Pixel 3 did justice to these low-light shots, even without the Night Sight feature turned on.

Literally anywhere in this city is a photogenic place. I mean sure, I personally am not photogenic all the time (I end up with the most awkward poses 😅) but there’s Top Shot, which allows you to pick out your best photo, to help with that.

Et voila! A great #OOTD in a random Parisian street.

Shot on the Pixel 3

There’s also a great cafe culture here and coffee is excellent! These cozy little shops are easily found on Google Maps, so just take your pick. I can’t think of a better place to lounge about with a book and a cappuccino than here.

Shot on the Pixel 3

It’s also a must to visit a local bakery to get some freshly baked bread. Coupled with some grocery salad and jamon, this was one of my favorite things to snack on during the trip. I can’t tell you how many grocery runs I made on this trip.

Shot on the Pixel 3

My feet may have been tired on this trip, but my tummy was very happy.

Sightseeing

The beautiful streets come with equally beautiful attractions. The Eiffel tower is always at the top of this list. Pro tip: Skip the lines to go up the Eiffel and opt for photo sessions in the gardens surrounding it.

Pixel 3 portrait mode

The Pixel’s portrait mode was perfect for this shot. This feature put in that great background blur and, you can even adjust the intensity of the blur, the focus point of the photo, color, or add custom filters with the built-in Photos app.

The Notre Dame Cathedral, where Quasimodo lived, can also be found in Paris. The rear camera’s zoom and wide-angle functions worked wonders for this shot despite all the work being done by software and AI. You see, the Pixel 3 only has one rear camera but that’s something you barely notice with it outputting shots like these.

The selfie camera, on the other hand, is a dual-cam setup with a wide-angle shooter and normal camera. That comes extremely useful in instances wherein group selfies are a must…

Shot on the Pixel 3

… like when you’re in the Louvre and the intricately-painted ceiling calls for a couple shot.

But when a zoom is in order to get a better view, like of the Mona Lisa, the rear camera does the trick. It’s honestly not that big of a painting and it’s cordoned off from the big crowds surrounding it so a closer view is essential.

Of course, my trip had more beautiful moments, a lot of them captured by the Pixel.

Precisely why I love traveling with a smartphone — everything is just a tap away from becoming memories that last forever. One thing I’d improve on this thing, though, is the battery capacity. For a heavy user like myself, the phone won’t even last a day. I mean, have you seen the number of photos I take? 🙄

Getting home and final thoughts

On the last day of our trip, my phone was, again, showing me details of my flight I hadn’t even put on my calendar, but were nonetheless correct. It was also prompting me to share photos with Joshua from our trip on Google Photos, which automatically recognized him in the pictures. This feature is hands down the best way to share memories. I just love that it’s already on the Pixel and it just makes everything so much easier.

But, that’s really what the Pixel does. It anticipates what you need to do and suggests it even before you yourself think about it. For an incredibly vanilla, not actually pink phone, it’s pretty useful and has the only smartphone camera I trust fully to capture my trips. Of course, there’s still room for improvement: A color that’s actually sure of itself and I really wouldn’t mind a Face ID scanner, because it’s 2018 and I don’t see why they couldn’t have added it on considering there is a top bezel.

As I got on another Uber to go to the airport, flight details again on screen, I was still awestruck at how Paris truly is one of the most beautiful places I’ve been too. Thank heavens I had the Pixel 3 to do it justice.