Google Pixel 3a review - The phone made for everyone - Android
Since the advent of Google’s first smartphone, the Pixel branding has been reserved for premium flagships. That ship has now sailed, as the Silicon Valley giant is making affordable handsets in the Pixel 3a and 3a XL and selling them through almost every retailer it can.
The addition of lower-specced Pixels to Google’s roster allows it to show off its hardware-making skills not to mention its ever-smarter assistant. Because of how the company has positioned the Pixel branding, Google couldn’t just ship two generic budget smartphones and call it a day. The handsets needed to be close to their older siblings in terms of features and performance.
Fortunately for Google, it succeeded with both the Pixel 3a XL and with the Pixel 3a.
This is Android Authority’s Google Pixel 3a review.
At first glance, you might not spot any differences between the budget-friendly Pixel 3a and the premium Pixel 3. But to get the Pixel 3a’s price point low enough to make a significant impact on the market, Google had to remove some niceties. The Pixel 3a drops the IP rating, swaps the glass for plastic, removes wireless charging, and changes out the high-end CPU for something more middling.
Where Google succeeds in the mid-tier market is by not removing core features found in the premium Pixels. For example, the search giant kept its best-in-class camera intact and is offering it to those not willing (or able) to spend nearly $1,000 on a device.
The larger Pixel 3a XL is spec-for-spec almost identical to the smaller Pixel 3a. The most significant difference is the bigger battery and larger display. More juice equals more power to get you through the day. You might want to consider the 3a XL if those are the features you prefer.
Google hasn’t changed up what comes in its phone boxes much since it first started releasing hardware. In addition to the 18W fast charging power adaptor and USB-C cable, the Pixel 3a includes a quick switch dongle. This USB-C to USB-A accessory makes it much easier to transfer data from an older handset to Google’s handset.
Unlike its older siblings, the Pixel 3a doesn’t include a USB-C to 3.5mm headphone jack adaptor in the box. Thankfully, this is because Google decided to bring the port back on its mid-tier line. The 3a also drops the Google earbuds found in the box with the pricier 3.
Although the Pixel 3a doesn’t come with a case, Google and other third parties make all types of options for you to choose from. Thanks to the plastic backing, a case isn’t vital to protect the handset.
As mentioned, the Pixel 3a is the spitting image of the Pixel 3 series. This includes Google’s iconic dual-tone design, except that things had to be switched up a bit.
Budget phone means cheaper building materials. In the Pixel 3a’s case, this came down to Google building the phone out of plastic instead of glass. This change is incredibly noticeable when you hold the 3 and 3a side by side, but the plastic doesn’t ruin the experience at all.
Just like the premium models, the Pixel 3a appears to be made out of a single piece of plastic with a glossy texture up top and matte texture covering the bottom two-thirds of the handset. This gives a soft-touch feel to the rather grippy phone.
The Pixel 3a only comes in one spec configuration, but it does feature a new color. In addition to the traditional Just Black and Clearly White, the two mid-tier models come in Purple-ish. As you can see from the photos, the phone only shows a slight tint of purple. This option also comes with a neon-green power button that I adore.
We’re glad to see the reappearance of the headphone jack. The company ended up placing the 3.5mm hole on the top edge of the phone. I would have preferred the port on the bottom based on how I put the Pixel 3a in my pocket, but I don’t use wired headphones often, so it ultimately didn’t make a difference for me.
Google decided to place the Pixel 3a’s second speaker on the bottom edge, just right of the USB-C port. The placement gives the phone a uniform look, as an identical cutout can be found on the left side of the port for a microphone.
The rest of the phone is pretty much identical to the Pixel 3 in terms of design. Google continues to stack the power and volume buttons on the right side of the phone. The fingerprint sensor is nicely located in the top middle portion of the device’s rear panel, and the primary camera is kept in the top left corner of the handset.
The display on the Pixel 3a is fantastic. I never once looked at the phone during the review period and thought I was looking down at a phone that cost $399.
Other than having a slightly lower pixel density than its premium counterparts, the Pixel 3a’s display was great to look at. I did tend to keep the screen brightness up throughout the day, bumping it up to 100 percent when outside. It would have been nice to have a brighter display, particularly for outdoor use.
Google allows you to tweak the color tone of the screen. I kept the default Adaptive setting enabled because I found it the most true-to-life, even if colors were a bit over-saturated at times.
It’s hard to show in pictures, but the Pixel 3a’s display has a blue tint to it. You likely won’t notice it in person, but I did when I held the phone up to an iPhone XS with True Tone turned on. Fortunately, it isn’t anywhere nearly as bad as the Pixel 2’s display.
To bring the cost of the Pixel 3a down, Google had to go with a mid-tier processor: the Snapdragon 670. Paired with the Adreno 615 GPU, the phone felt just as responsive as some premium handsets. The Pixel 3a checked through just about every task I threw at it, including some light gaming such as Asphalt 9.
Side-by-side with the Pixel 3, you can spot longer load times on the Pixel 3a. But when you remove the other handset from the equation, those slight differences go away. During my review period, I never felt like I was standing there waiting ages for the phone to do something.
You could easily go a full day on a single charge, but not much longer than that.
Photo processing was the
20/11/2019 07:35 PM
20/11/2019 10:50 AM
20/11/2019 09:25 AM
20/11/2019 11:00 PM
20/11/2019 08:00 PM
20/11/2019 07:30 PM
20/11/2019 02:08 AM
20/11/2019 07:00 PM
2014 © Canadian apps and news
