Google’s newly launched budget phones Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL are not in the same league as Apple’s iPhone XR, at least not in terms of pricing and performance. But for some reason, the new Pixel devices have drawn instant comparisons to Apple’s ‘affordable’ iPhone XR. So, let’s take a look at the Google Pixel 3a XL vs iPhone XR specs to see how the mid-range Google device stacks up against the iPhone XR. Both the Pixel 3a XL and iPhone XR have made some hardware compromises to bring down the prices. Soon after unveiling the Pixel 3a series, Google placed a giant billboard in Washington DC mocking the ‘Phone X.’ The billboard shows off the Pixel phone’s edge in night light photography versus ‘Phone X.’ Google says its cheaper $399 Pixel 3a takes better low-light photos than ‘Phone X,’ which according to 9to5Mac was the iPhone XS. Google wasting no time with the shade pic.twitter.com/euPAFTtlvr Goldman Sachs: Hedge Funds Rotated From Growth To Value And Reduced Leverage In Q1 According to Goldman Sachs ' Hedge Fund Trend Monitor report, hedge funds rotated away from growth stocks, reduced leverage, and increased their tilt towards the Industrial, Material, and Energy sectors in the first quarter of 2021. Q1 2021 hedge fund letters, conferences and more The report analyses the holdings of 807 different hedge funds worldwide, Read More — Michael Steeber (@MichaelSteeber) May 10, 2019 Comparing two devices only in terms of night light photography and price doesn’t give you the full picture. So, let’s dive into a detailed one. Google Pixel 3a XL vs iPhone XR: Design The iPhone XR has a more elegant design than the Pixel 3a XL, which is expected considering Google’s hardware design capabilities. The Pixel 3a XL has thick bezels at the top and bottom of the screen instead of a display notch. It brings back the 3.5mm headphone jack and features bottom-firing speakers. Google has used a polycarbonate body on the Pixel 3a XL to cut costs, which feels a bit cheap but makes the phone lighter. It retains the dual-tone finish of its more expensive sibling Pixel 3 XL. The device measures 160.1 x 76.1 x 8.2mm and weighs 167g. It is available in Just Black, Clearly White, and Purplish colors. The Pixel 3a XL has a single camera lens and a circular fingerprint reader on the back. It lacks an IP rating for water and dust resistance. In contrast, the iPhone XR has a glass front and back supported by an aluminum frame in the middle. It has the same display notch as the premium iPhone XS and XS Max. The notch houses the selfie camera and sensors that support the Face ID facial recognition technology. It lacks a fingerprint sensor, relying entirely on facial recognition. Unlike Pixel 3a XL, the iPhone XR supports wireless charging, thanks to its rear glass body. It lacks the 3.5mm audio jack but offers an IP67 rating for water and dust-resistance. The iPhone XR measures 150.9 x 75.7 x 8.3 mm and weighs 194g. Its overall footprint is smaller than the Pixel 3a XL. It comes in a bunch of different color options including Black, Red, Yellow, Blue, Coral, and White. Google Pixel 3a XL vs iPhone XR: Display The Pixel 3a XL features a 6-inch gOLED display with Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels. It offers HDR10 support and has an 18:9 aspect ratio. Google uses Dragon Trail Glass on the Pixel 3a XL for protection. It has a 76.3% screen-to-body ratio and 402ppi of pixel density. Considering the screen is OLED, it offers richer colors and better viewing angles than the iPhone XR. The iPhone XR gets a 6.1-inch Liquid Retina Display. Though Apple didn’t disclose whether it has used Corning Gorilla Glass or something else for protection, it claims the iPhone XR display is coated with the “most durable glass ever.” It has a relatively lower resolution of 828 x 1792 pixels, 326ppi of pixel density, and 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The iPhone XR display lacks HDR10 support but offers True Tone technology that automatically adjusts the display brightness and saturation depending on the ambient lighting conditions. Internal specs The iPhone XR has a clear edge here, even though it has a lower RAM. The Pixel 3a XL runs Qualcomm’s mid-range Snapdragon 670 processor with Adreno 615 graphics. The chipset is powerful enough for most day-to-day tasks, but it can’t match the iPhone XR’s A12 Bionic processor. The A12 Bionic has outperformed even the most powerful Qualcomm chip in benchmark tests. The Pixel 3a XL packs 4GB RAM and 64GB of storage. There is no microSD card slot for external memory, but Google offers unlimited free cloud storage of photos and videos. Google has also added the Titan M security chip that we have seen earlier on the Pixel 3 XL. The Pixel 3a XL also supports AR Core framework for augmented reality. It offers the Active Edge technology which allows users to activate Google Assistant by squeezing the phone. Google’s device packs a 3,700mAh battery with 18W fast charging, but it lacks wireless charging. Google claims the 18W charger delivers up to 7 hours of battery life in just 15 minutes of charging. On the other hand, the iPhone XR packs a lower 3GB RAM and comes in three different storage options of 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB. Just like Pixel 3a XL, it doesn’t support external storage. Its TrueDepth camera supports not only Face ID but also new features like Memoji and Animoji. The iPhone XR gets a 2,942mAh battery, which easily lasts a full day of normal usage. It supports 15W fast charging and Qi wireless charging. The fast charging method delivers 50% charge in just 30 minutes. Unfortunately, Apple ships the iPhone XR with a slower 5W charger. If you want to take advantage of fast charging, you have to buy a fast charger separately. Software The Pixel 3a XL runs Google’s latest Android 9 Pie software. Google has promised three years of software updates and security patches on the device. It will be among the first phones to get the upcoming Android Q update. Google’s device has a lot of AI baked into it, and Google Assistant is far superior to Siri in almost every aspect. It also gets a call screening feature that screens against spam calls and telemarketers. The iPhone XR runs Apple’s iOS 12 software and will be updated to iOS 13 later this year. While Android Pie has Digital Wellbeing, the iOS 12 offers Screen Time feature to let you monitor how much time you spend on your device and within individual apps. Both let you put daily usage limits on individual apps. Both operating systems are fast, secure, and intuitive. It boils down to which one you prefer. Google Pixel 3a XL vs iPhone XR: Camera Both handsets are among the best smartphone cameras despite featuring a single lens on the back. Camera testing firm DxOMark has assigned the iPhone XR and premium Pixel 3 the same score of 101. The Pixel 3a XL gets the same camera setup as the Pixel 3, so camera performance is nearly identical. Google’s AI algorithms give it a clear edge in certain scenarios. The Pixel 3a XL has the same 12.2-megapixel rear camera as the more expensive Pixel 3 XL. It offers f/1.8 aperture, EIS, OIS, and a 76-degree field of view. It takes photos with excellent color reproduction and high dynamic range. It uses software to take portrait images with blurred backgrounds. It has an 8-megapixel selfie camera on the front with f/2.0 aperture. The Pixel 3a XL offers HDR+, Night Sight feature that enhances low-light photography, Top Shot, Portrait Mode, and Super Res Zoom. Pixel 3a XL’s portrait mode works on humans, animals, as well as objects. But the iPhone XR’s portrait mode works only on human faces. The Pixel 3a XL can record 4K videos at 30fps while the iPhone XR records 4K videos at 60fps. The iPhone XR sports a 12-megapixel wide-angle lens on the back. It offers f/1.8 aperture, OIS, and phase detection autofocus. For selfies, it has a 7MP iSight shooter with f/2.2 aperture.<doc-sep>Google's Pixel 3a is a less expensive version of Google's Pixel 3 smartphone. It costs $400 while the larger model starts at $480. I switched to the $480 Google Pixel 3a XL from Apple's most expensive iPhone, and found that it delivered on important characteristics like battery life and camera performance. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. When Apple debuted theiPhone X in 2017, it set a few precedents. Yes, it introduced technologies like facial recognition to the masses, but it also raised the bar when it came to how much the average smartphone costs. The iPhone X was Apple's first iPhone to start at $1,000, a price that the company has since carried over to its 2018 lineup. The iPhone XS starts at $1,000 while the larger iPhone XS Max starts at $1,100. Apple also offers a cheaper model called the iPhone XR, which starts at $750. It didn't take long for other smartphone makers to follow. While the base models for Samsung's Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S9 both started at about $700 when they launched, the Galaxy S10 starts at $900. Google's smartphones have increased in price. The Pixel 2 started at $650 when it was released in 2017, while the Pixel 3 started at $800. That trend, however, has made it more difficult for tech firms to persuade consumers to upgrade to the latest smartphone models each year. Worldwide smartphone sales declined by 6.6% year over year in the first quarter of 2019, according to the International Data Corp. Now, Google hopes to combat this downturn with less expensive versions of its Pixel smartphones: the $400 Pixel 3a and the $480 Pixel 3a XL. Both phones are designed to recreate the Pixel 3 experience but in a less expensive package. I switched from Apple's top-of-the-line iPhone, the $1,450 iPhone XS Max that comes with 512 GB of storage, to Google's $480 Pixel 3A XL. Here's a closer look at Google's new phone, and what my experience with it was like. How the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL compare to Google's more expensive smartphones The Pixel 3a XL, left, next to the Pixel 3. Hollis Johnson/Business Insider Like their more expensive siblings, the Pixel 3a and 3a XL come with a 12.2-megapixel dual-pixel camera with an aperture of f/1.8. They also support features like the Pixel 3's Night Sight camera mode, high-resolution zooming, and portrait mode. Where you'll really notice the difference between Google's new phones and the Pixel 3 and 3 XL is in design. The Pixel 3a and 3a XL are made of a polycarbonate material while the more expensive models are constructed from aluminum and glass. The new phones lack features like wireless charging, an edge-to-edge screen, and facial recognition. They run on a less powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 processor, unlike the Pixel 3 which is powered by the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset as phones like the Galaxy Note 9 and LG G7 ThinQ. Like Google's pricier Pixel phones, the new models offer Pixel-exclusive features like Call Screen and Google's Titan M security module. While they both feature OLED screens, a rare find on budget devices, their screens pack fewer pixels per inch than those found on the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. They slightly differ in size, with the Pixel 3a featuring a 5.6-inch display compared to the Pixel 3's 5.5-inch screen. The Pixel 3a XL, meanwhile, features a 6-inch screen versus the Pixel 3 XL's 6.3-inch display. What it's like to switch from the iPhone XS Max Hollis Johnson/Business Insider The iPhone XS Max comes with the top-of-the-line features you'd expect from a flagship smartphone, such as Apple's Face ID facial recognition technology and the company's latest A12 Bionic processor and neural engine. Unlike the Pixel 3a, the iPhone XS Max comes with two rear 12-megapixel cameras, a larger 6.5-inch borderless screen with a 2,688 x 1242 resolution that's sharper than the Pixel 3a XL's 2160 x 1080 display, and a glass and metal body. The priciest iPhone variant also comes with 512 GB of storage, while my Pixel 3a XL only offers 64 GB. Battery life and camera But these discrepancies didn't bother me much, given the difference in price. That's because the Pixel 3a XL delivered in two critical areas: camera performance and battery life. The Pixel 3a XL's 3,700 mAh battery was able to get me through a full day of usage and until 5 p.m. the next day, on a single charge. That's on par with the battery performance I typically get from smartphones that are much more expensive than $480. Plus, the Pixel 3a XL comes with an 18-watt charger that supports fast charging, while Apple charges extra for this accessory. The Pixel 3a XL's 12.2- megapixel camera is capable of taking rich, colorful photos, and functions particularly well in low-light circumstances thanks to Google's "Night Sight" feature. In a side-by-side comparison with the iPhone Xs Max, the Pixel 3a XL using Night Sight blew the iPhone XS Max away when capturing photos in a dim environment. See the sample shots below. iPhone XS Max Lisa Eadicicco/Business Insider Google Pixel 3a XL Lisa Eadicicco/Business Insider When shooting in regular daylight, the Pixel 3A XL proved to be a worthy rival to the iPhone XS Max. The iPhone's photo seemed a bit brighter than the Pixel's, but the image taken on Google's phone was slightly more detailed. iPhone XS Max Lisa Eadicicco/Business Insider Google Pixel 3a XL Lisa Eadicicco/Business Insider While the Pixel 3a XL offers impressive zooming capabilities for a budget phone with a single-lens camera, the iPhone XS Max's dual-lens setup offers a closer and slightly crisper zoom. I did, however, prefer the Pixel 3a XL's portrait mode photo over the iPhone XS Max's, even though it looks a bit more processed. iPhone XS Max Lisa Eadicicco/Business Insider Google Pixel 3a XL Lisa Eadicicco/Business Insider Display and Performance The Pixel 3a XL's screen rendered crisp details and bold colors whether I was browsing photos or streaming video. There were some instances in which I thought the Pixel 3 XL's screen looked more colorful than the iPhone XS Max's, but in other circumstances, I thought the Google's screen looked dull next to Apple's. I was viewing content on the Pixel 3a XL in its default state, but Google includes settings to optimize how the display looks through its natural and boosted color modes. Regardless, the screen is more than satisfactory given the Pixel 3a XL's price, and the fact that it's even comparable at all to the iPhone XS Max's screen is noteworthy. Google's new smartphones don't support facial recognition, but its rear-mounted fingerprint sensor was just as convenient and responsive. I never found myself resorting to typing in my passcode to unlock my phone, although it did occasionally require me to press my finger on the scanner more than once before it would successfully read my print. That being said, I have the same experience with Apple's Face ID on occasion. One area in which I did notice a difference between Google's phone and Apple's was in performance. While this wasn't evident in most everyday tasks, I did notice a bit of lag when I was playing "Shadowgun Legends." Apple's iPhone XS Max, by comparison, was able to run the game seamlessly with no hiccups. The game was definitely playable on the Google Pixel 3a XL, but it just didn't feel as buttery smooth as it did on the iPhone. I also noticed that the Pixel 3a XL's camera doesn't launch as quickly as the iPhone's. Google Maps in augmented reality Google is equipping its Pixel phones with another special feature not found on other devices including the iPhone: Google Maps in augmented reality. I got to try an early version of this feature on the Pixel 3a XL, which uses the device's camera to overlay directions over the real-world environment as you're walking. That means I was able to see exactly where to turn and and which direction to walk in without having to watch the little blue dot on the map move along with my steps.<doc-sep>This article is more than 2 years old. Credit: Google The imminent Pixel 3a XL is basically Google's version of the iPhone XR. In short, it's expected to be a 6-inch phone with a LCD display instead of a pricier OLED (update 5/7/19: the Pixel 3a in fact has an OLED*) but with some of the pricier Pixel phones' best features. Like the iPhone XR, it will cut corners of course, as this latest "leak" from YouTuber "This is Tech Today" points out (no wide-angle selfie cameras, for instance: see video at bottom). How do the Pixel 3a (5.6-inch) and Pixel 3a XL (6-inch) stack up? Good camera: probably the same (great) rear camera as on the pricier Pixel 3/Pixel 3 XL (released last October). The iPhone XR, on the other hand, gives you a single rear camera instead of the dual cameras on the iPhone X. Materials: The newer Pixel 3a/Pixel 3a XL will be made of plastic, according to an earlier report from This is Tech Today. The Pixel 3/Pixel 3 XL have glass backs. The iPhone XR uses aluminum instead of the X's stainless steel sides. AI: one of the things that the makes the Pixel a great phone is the software. Google would be foolish not to include its killer AI on the cheaper 3a. (The AI software is the reason I own a Pixel 3 XL.) Headphone jack: Pixel 3a/Pixel 3a XL is expected to have a headphone jack, the Pixel 3/XL uses USB-C. Charging: this is still a bit sketchy but possibly no wireless charging, according to This is Tech Today (see video). Display: 1080p, similar resolution to the Pixel 3/XL. But LCD on the 3a instead of OLED . See update above. (Note that the iPhone XR's LCD has a much lower resolution display compared to the X's OLED.) Carriers: pubs are saying the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3a will come to Sprint and T-Mobile, in addition to the usual Verizon venue. Price (rumored): $399 for the Pixel 3a / $479 for the larger Pixel 3a XL. Both prices are for 64GB models. Versions with 128GB of storage will be offered too. But note that the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are currently on sale at the Google Store for $599 and $699, respectively. That's $200 off the regular price. Release/Announcement date: Consensus is for a May 7 announcement. ---- *I mistakenly assumed that Google would have to go with LCD to achieve the lower price points.<doc-sep>
Google I/O 2019 saw Google introduce a pair of mid-range Android-based smartphones, the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL. We wanted to compare it to Apple's more affordable iPhone XR, and see how well Google's newest mid-range device can compete with Apple's iPhone XR. What's inside? Google recently released its mid-range Pixel 3a and it starts at just $399. It packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 processor, with the Adreno 615 graphics, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of internal storage. The Pixel 3a XL packs a 6-inch OLED display and a resolution of 2160-by-1080 which translates to 402 pixels per inch. Unlike its bigger flagship brother though, the Pixel 3 XL, the Pixel 3a XL doesn't have a notch and it only packs a single selfie camera instead of two. The Pixel 3a doesn't offer true stereo speakers like the Pixel 3, it doesn't have wireless charging, and also lacks IP-rated water resistance — but it does have a 3.5mm headphone jack. It comes in three different colors, Just Black, Clearly White, and Purple-ish. Apple's budget-friendly smartphone, the iPhone XR starts at $749, and inside it packs Apple's latest A12 Bionic chip, 3GB of RAM, and offers multiple storage options from 64GB all the way up to 256GB. The iPhone XR also has a 6.1-inch Liquid Retina Display and a resolution of 1792-by-828 at 326 ppi. The iPhone XR does have a notch which houses all the FaceID sensors. It also offers wireless charging, is IP67 certified, and offers much louder stereo speakers. It comes in a variety of colors such as Red, Yellow, White, Coral, Black, and Blue. Performance is everything In terms of overall raw performance, the iPhone XR blows the Pixel 3a out of the water with its A12 Bionic processor. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 on the Pixel 3a is more comparable — but still slower overall — to something like the iPhone 7 with its A10 processor which is a three-year-old phone. In Geekbench we got a single core score of 1603, and a multi-core score of 5173 for the Pixel 3a XL, and the iPhone XR received a single core score of 4816, and a multi-core score of 11463. That's a pretty big difference between the two phones, and you can feel it in day-to-day operation. We haven't had enough time with the Pixel 3a to say confidently how it'll perform over a long period of time, but other than optimizations in Android Q as it progresses, it isn't going to get faster. The Pixel 3 has been suffering from progressive slowdowns since release with Google's efforts to fix the problem not working that well, so we'll be watching to see if this manifests on the Pixel 3a in months to come. The iPhone XR has been out for several months and we haven't had any performance issues. Lights, camera, action! Both of these devices have a single 12-megapixel camera in the back, and both do incredibly well in daylight scenarios. The iPhone XR produces a more subtle, and neutral looking photos, while the Pixel 3a offers a much more contrasty, sharper image. For this high-level overview similar to what Google is pushing in its own advertising materials for the Pixel 3a, we prefer the image quality on the Pixel 3a. The Pixel 3a also features Night Sight which allows you to capture incredible low light photos. Pixel 3a XL photos We'll be doing more of an in-depth comparison between the Pixel 3a and the iPhone XR's camera in the next few days, comparing low light photography, color reproduction, and how it processes the images. iPhone XR photos Pixel 3a XL photos For video, the iPhone XR can shoot up to 4K at 60p, while the Pixel 3a is capped at 30p. This is a big gap, and phones going back to the iPhone SE can capture 4K30 video. Given the OLED, Blacks are inky black on the Pixel 3a, the colors are richer, and the viewing angles are a hair better. That's not to say that the iPhone XR's display is bad — it's just that OLED has superior performance characteristics than the LCD display in the iPhone XR. However, we prefer the iPhone's more immersive display with its notch over the Pixel 3a. Since there's no secondary front firing speaker on the Pixel 3a, we wish that Google had slimmed down the bezels a bit to give the Pixel a more modern look.