Google Pixel 4 vs Pixel 3 vs Pixel 3a - Which Google phone is right for you - Android

2019 saw the release of two sets of Google Pixel phones for the first time in a calendar year. First we got the Google Pixel 3a and 3a XL — the first budget Pixels from the search giant — and then came the true successor to 2018’s Pixel 3 series — the Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL.

We’ve already compared the Pixel 4 duo with the Android competition at large, but how do all of Google’s recent phones compare today? Is the Pixel 4 a true upgrade? Is the freshly reduced Pixel 3 a better bet? Could you save even more cash and grab a Pixel 3a? Find out in this Pixel 4 vs Pixel 3 vs Pixel 3a comparison!

Pixel style, refined

The Pixel range has had a consistently smart yet unassuming look ever since the Pixel 2, but the Pixel 4 made some welcome tweaks to the formula. Instead of the dual-tone glass back, the Pixel 4 has a single frosted glass panel with a matte finish (glossy in Just Black) and a black, metal frame. The Pixel 3a, meanwhile, has a polycarbonate rear but still feels remarkably premium.

Related: The best Google Pixel 4 cases you can buy

All three Pixel models come in three colors. Just Black and Clearly White are the default Pixel colorways, but each has its own special edition too with appropriately quirky names. The Pixel 4 comes in Oh So Orange, the Pixel 3a in Purple-ish, and the Pixel 3 is available in Not Pink. Many of the colorways also come with accented power buttons with varying shades of orange (or green).

Bezels are slowly being eradicated from most smartphones but Google is lagging behind a bit. The Pixel 3a has the largest bezels of the bunch, but it’s perhaps more preferable than the humongous “bathtub” notch on the Pixel 3 XL (mercifully not on the regular Pixel 3). Things get even weirder for the Pixel 4 as instead of opting for a punch hole or pop-up, Google stuck with a larger top bezel and filled it with a smorgasbord of sensors.

Biometrics, 90Hz displays, and Soli

The sensor array on the Pixel 4 enables Google’s take on 3D face unlock technology. We’ve seen attempts at hardware-based facial biometrics before but Google’s is easily the best Android has to offer and is lightning fast and incredibly accurate. That said, it’s a shame there’s no in-display fingerprint sensor or a rear mounted scanner like on the Pixel 3 and 3a as many apps are playing catch up to include face unlock as a security option. It’ll also be even better (and less creepy) when it knows when your eyes are shut.

Among the many sensors in the phone’s chin is a Soli radar chip, which is the Pixel 4’s big gimmick. This enables faster face unlock as the radar senses your approach, and it also powers the phone’s Motion Sense suite, which is a fancy name for some wildly inconsistent hands-free gestures. Google has promised more functionality in the future, but for now Soli isn’t a great reason to pick the Pixel 4 over its predecessors.

Soli isn’t a killer app.

What is perhaps worth the upgrade, however, is the Pixel 4’s 90Hz pOLED display. Google doesn’t have the best track record with its Pixel displays, but this Samsung-made panel is a stunner. Unfortunately, the higher refresh rate feature is a little buggy at the time of writing due to a bizarre brightness limitation. A fix is expected soon.

Each of the regular Pixel phones run at a 1080p resolution while the Pixel 3 XL and Pixel 4 XL get bumped to QHD+. The good news is that even the budget Pixel 3a has an OLED display, so you’ll be seeing deep blacks no matter your budget.

Pixel power

On the raw specs front, the Pixel 4 finally sees Google add more RAM, finally jumping from 4GB to 6GB. This appears to have solved the aggressive RAM management issues that plagued the Pixel 3 as apps will stay open a lot longer on the Pixel 4. It also gets a boost from Qualcomm’s powerful Snapdragon 855 chipset which represents a processing leap of around 30% from the Pixel 3’s Snapdragon 845.

Read more: Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 vs 845: Worth the upgrade?

Of all the Pixel phones, the Pixel 4 is clearly the device of choice for mobile gamers though it’s a shame we didn’t get the Snapdragon 855 Plus with its improved graphics performance. While the Pixel 3’s set-up still performs well enough, the Pixel 3a struggles with intensive 3D games on higher settings. Thankfully, the Snapdragon 670 handles regular day-to-day like a champ.

The Pixel 4’s CPU is joined by something a little extra — the Pixel Neural Core. You can read all about the Neural Core and what it does here, but it essentially powers all of the Pixel 4’s AI trickery such as real-time image editing and offline speech transcription through the currently Pixel 4-exclusive Recorder app.

If you’re buying the base model of any of the Pixels you’ll be stuck with a pathetic 64GB of storage and no chance of expanding it with a MicroSD card. This is especially egregious on the more premium Pixel 3 and Pixel 4. You can jump to 128GB, but that’ll cost you another $100 — the worst example of storage gouging from any smartphone OEM. Yes, that includes Apple.

Feeling (and sounding) really good

Moving on to audio, the Pixel 4 has stereo speakers with one in the earpiece and another on the bottom of the phone. This might seem like a step down from the Pixel 3’s front-facing pair, but the overall depth has been improved, as has the clarity at higher volumes. The Pixel 3a has a similar set-up to the Pixel 4 as the weakest of the three, though it does have something pretty great that the others don’t — a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Finally, the Pixel trio all have the handy Edge Sense feature which can summon Google Assistant with a quick squeeze, and they all have some of the best haptics you’ll find in any phone.

Best of the best phone cameras

The Pixel brand is synonymous with industry-leading smartphone cameras, all powered by Google’s computational photography algorithms.

Google has openly admitted that the latter is where the Pixel camera magic really happens. This becomes even more apparent when you realize that the 12.2MP primary sensors on the Pixel 4, Pixel 3, and Pixel 3a are identical, save for a slightly wider aperture on the Pixel 4.

We’ve already examined the advancements made for the Pixel 4 vs the rest of the premium Pixel family in a comprehensive camera shootout. What’s really surprising is that Pixel 3a still offers a comparable photography experience at half the price. Here are a few examples: