NEW A vastly improved search engine helps you find the latest on companies, business leaders, and news more easily.<doc-sep>The mid-range Google Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL were just announced at Google I/O 2019 Over a year in the making, Google is finally launching mid-range Pixel phones. Seven months after the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL were announced, two new members are joining the family. We’ve been hearing about the mid-range Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL for a while now, and after a downpour of leaks, they have finally been made official today at Google I/O 2019. Pixel 3a XDA Forum Pixel 3a XL XDA Forum Pixel 3a/Pixel 3a XL Specifications Specs Pixel 3a Pixel 3a XL Display 5.6-inches, 2220 x 1080, gOLED, 441 ppi, 18.5:9 6-inches, 2160 x 1080, gOLED, 402 ppi, 18:9 Size 151.3 x 70.1 x 8.2 mm, 147g 160.1 x 76.1 x 8.2 mm, 167g System-on-chip Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 GPU Adreno 615 Adreno 615 RAM Capacity 4GB 4GB Storage Capacity 64GB 64GB Headphone Jack Yes Yes Front Camera 8MP 1.12μm pixel width f/2.0 aperture Fixed focus 84° field of view 8MP 1.12μm pixel width f/2.0 aperture Fixed focus 84° field of view Rear Cameras 12.2MP Dual-Pixel Sony IMX363 Autofocus with dual pixel phase detection Optical + electronic image stabilization ƒ/1.8 aperture 76° field of view 1/2.55″ Sensor Size 1.4μm pixel width 12.2MP Dual-Pixel Sony IMX363 Autofocus with dual pixel phase detection Optical + electronic image stabilization ƒ/1.8 aperture 76° field of view 1/2.55″ Sensor Size 1.4μm pixel width Battery Capacity 3,000 mAh 3,700 mAh Wireless Charging No No Fast Charging Yes, 18W Yes, 18W Biometrics Rear fingerprint scanner Rear fingerprint scanner Water and Dust Resistance n/a n/a Software Android 9 Pie (Android Q soon) Android 9 Pie (Android Q soon) Colors Just Black, Clearly White, Purple-ish Just Black, Clearly White, Purple-ish Specs are always an important part of the story, but they are especially important for the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL. What will you be sacrificing for the lower price? First and foremost, these devices are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 670, 4GB of RAM, and they have 64GB of storage. Performance should be decent considering the 4GB of RAM is actually the same as the high-end Pixel 3 phones. The displays are not much smaller than the original Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. The Pixel 3a has a 5.6-inch display and the Pixel 3a XL has a 6-inch display. Battery capacity is slightly bigger with the 3a coming it at 3,000 mAh while the 3a XL is at 3,700 mAh. You’re still getting a rear fingerprint scanner, plus the addition of the 3.5mm headphone jack will make people happy. Overall, the usual sacrifices for mid-range devices can be found here. Pixel 3a/3a XL Design Pixel 3a – Clearly White Unsurprisingly, the design of the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL has a lot in common with their older siblings. They have the familiar two-toned back that has become a staple of the Google Pixel line. Button placement is also exactly the same as the Pixel 3/3 XL. The devices have the usual single rear camera and rear-mounted fingerprint scanner as well. On the front, there is no gigantic notch to be found this time. The Pixel 3a series features substantial top and bottom bezels. Pixel 3a XL – Just Black Color-wise, there are three options: Just Black, Clearly White, and Purple-ish. The white model features an orange power button, whereas the white Pixel 3 had a green power button. Purple-ish sports a yellow power button. It’s a very muted shade of purple, reminiscent of the Not Pink color. All in all, the design is exactly what you would expect from a mid-range version of the Pixel 3. Features Something we didn’t mention in the specifications section is the camera. This has become the defining feature of the Pixel series and Google did not skimp out for the Pixel 3a devices. They feature a 12.2MP Dual Pixel camera on the rear and 8MP camera on the front. You get all the features that make the Google Camera so great: Night Sight, Portrait Mode, Super Res Zoom, and more including the new Time Lapse feature. This is a huge selling point for the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL. Camera performance is something that mid-range devices usually struggle with. Sadly, Google will only offer unlimited Google Photos storage in high quality, unlike the original quality storage that the first 3 generations of Pixel devices got. Some other high-end features that have been brought over include Active Edge “squeeze for Google Assistant,” unlimited Google Photos storage, Call Screen, and 3 years of security and OS updates. The Pixel 3a (and all Pixel devices) is also getting an early preview of AR in Google Maps. These may seem like little things, but they will go a long way towards making the Pixel 3a feel like a full-blown Pixel 3. Software support is an especially important thing to have on a mid-range phone. The moral of the story here is the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL may be cheaper, but they are still 100% Google phones through and through. The big story here is, at least in terms of software, the Pixel 3a has all the same features you get on the high-end Pixel 3. This is not a nerfed version of Android Pie. You’re getting Adaptive Battery, Digital Wellbeing, Duo integration in the dialer, Google Lens, Now Playing, and all the gestures. However, due to hardware limitations, Daydream VR won’t be supported. Pricing & Availability Lastly, and maybe most importantly, we can talk about pricing. Since the first rumor of a mid-range Pixel popped up, people have been saying “it needs to be priced right.” There are many opinions out there about what is a good price in this category. The Pixel 3a will cost $399, while the Pixel 3a XL will cost $479. That’s almost exactly half of the Pixel 3’s original prices. Is that competitive enough? The phone will be available on Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular, and Google Fi in the US, and globally in Australia, Germany, Italy, Spain, Canada, India, Japan, Taiwan, France, Ireland, Singapore, and the UK. Update 1: Added information on Google Photos unlimited high-quality storage. Update 2: Added information on the lack of Daydream VR support.<doc-sep>
Google finally pulled the curtains on its long-awaited budget smartphones - the Pixel 3a and 3a XL. They can be considered as spiritual successors to the affordable Nexus series, which were the Google phones before the Pixels came to be. With a more affordable price tag and the same rear cameras, the new Pixel 3a and 3a XL aim to reach wider audiences. The smaller Pixel 3a, it packs a notch-less 5.6-inch OLED panel with FHD+ (1080 x 2220px) resolution and Dragon Trail protection on top. It's powered by the Snapdragon 670 chipset with Adreno 615 GPU. Interestingly, the handset also sports the same amount of memory as its more expensive sibling - 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. microSD card expansion isn't an option though, as is usual the case with the Android purebreds. Google Pixel 3a in Clearly White, Purple-ish, and Just Black colors The camera setup is shared with the big Pixel 3 - 12.2MP Sony IMX363 main sensor on the back with f/1.8 aperture, 1.4µm pixels and optical image stabilization. In theory, the phone should be able to match the more expensive Pixel's camera performance. The front camera is also the same - 8MP unit with f/2.0 aperture. All the high-end camera features are available here as well - Night Sight, Top Shot, Super Res Zoom and HDR+. The battery is rated at 3,000 mAh and supports 18W of fast charging over the USB Power Delivery standard. The bigger Pixel 3a XL adopts the same hardware but in a slightly bigger package. The display is once again OLED with FHD+ (1080 x 2160px) resolution but it reaches 6.0". It doesn't have a notch like the Pixel 3 XL, but its bezels are notably thicker. Battery is bigger too - 3,700 mAh. To keep the cost low, Google used plastic to build these phones so there's no fancy frosted glass or metal this time around. And as we already noted, the front glass isn't Gorilla Glass, but Dragon Trail instead. Somewhat surprisingly though, we see the 3.5mm audio jack make a comeback and the stereo loudspeakers along with it. The Active Edge feature is here to stay too. The handsets come in three colors - Just Black, Clearly White and Purple-ish with all of them featuring color accent power buttons. But they differ from the original Pixels' so you can distinguish them easier. The Pixel 3a costs $399, while the Pixel 3a XL is $479 and both are already available in all countries where Google sells its phones, save for India, where they'll arrive on May 15. In the US Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, US Cellular, Spectrum Mobile (Charter), C Spire and Google Fi will be offering the two phones.