Google has officially announced its Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL smartphones on 7 May at its annual Google I/O developer event in Mountain View, California. The announcement confirmed rumours that the new smartphones would have a similar exterior design to the Pixel 3, but with a scaled back chipset. Pixel 3a also uses a single front camera rather than the dual front camera system that the more expensive Pixel 3 has, and does not have the IP68 water and dust resistance rating on the Pixel 3. It still has a 12.2 megapixel dual-pixel rear camera with a f/1.8 lens, and all the camera features the high-end Pixel has. This includes Google’s HDR+ technology with features like Portrait Mode, Super Res Zoom, and Night Sight. “You’ll never want to use flash again with Night Sight,” Google said. “It lets you capture rich detail and colour, even in the dark.” The Pixel 3a will also receive a time lapse feature, allowing you to capture events that stretch over a lengthy period in a few seconds of video. As with other Pixel devices, the Pixel 3a comes with free, unlimited high quality storage for your pictures in Google Photos. Google announced that the entire Pixel range, including the Pixel 3a, will get a preview of augmented reality in Google Maps. “The next time you’re getting around town, you can see walking directions overlaid on the world itself, rather than looking at a blue dot on a map,” the company said. This will help you know precisely where you are, and exactly which way to start walking, provided that you are in an area covered on Street View and where you have a good data connection and good lighting. Pixel 3a will launch running the latest Android 9.0 Pie and will receive updates for three years, including an upgrade to Android 10. The devices are available in three colours: Just Black, Clearly White, and Purple-ish. It is also available in two sizes with 64GB of storage. In the United States the 5.6-inch model is $399, while the 6-inch model sells for $479. Prices exclude sales tax. The key features of the Pixel 3a are summarised in the table below. Specifications Pixel 3a Pixel 3a XL Dimensions 151.3 x 70.1 x 8.2mm 160.1 x 76.1 x 8.2mm Weight 147g 167g Operating system Android 9.0 Pie Android 9.0 Pie Display 5.6-inch OLED FHD+ (1080×2220) 6.0-inch OLED FHD+ (1080×2160) Rear camera 12.2MP dual-pixel f/1.8 76-degree FOV 12.2MP dual-pixel f/1.8 76-degree FOV Front camera 8MP f/2.0 84-degree FOV 8MP f/2.0 84-degree FOV Storage, internal 64GB 64GB Storage, expandable – – RAM 4GB 4GB Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 (2.0GHz + 1.7GHz octa-core) Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 (2.0GHz + 1.7GHz octa-core) Graphics Adreno 615 Adreno 615 Battery 3,000mAh 3,700mAh Cellular data LTE-A 3CA 4×2/2×2 MIMO LTE-A 3CA 4×2/2×2 MIMO SIM type Single + eSIM in select markets Single + eSIM in select markets Biometrics Fingerprint, face Fingerprint, face RRP $399 $479 Jan Vermeulen is a guest of Google at I/O 2019 in Mountain View. Now read: Google switches to a Samsung display for the Pixel 3 XL<doc-sep>Google’s Pixel smartphone line-up has been a mainstay of the industry for a few years now. We’re all familiar with devices such as the latest Pixel 3 which is Google’s latest entry in the high-end flagship market. In particular Google puts a lot of emphasis on the cameras of the Pixel devices, and last year in particular, Google, along with Huawei, have raised the bar in terms of what is possible to achieve thanks to computational photography. While the Pixel devices definitely have their strengths, one inarguable competitive weakness of the phones is their pricing. At an official MSRP and current Google store price of $799 for the Pixel 3 and $899 for the 3 XL, Google demands quite a lot, especially in view of other newer possibly more attractive options from the competition. In an attempt to widen its product range and adhere to a more price-sensitive audience, today we see the introduction of the new Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL. The two new phones are very much placed at more mid-range price-points, yet without compromising much on what Google sees as the keystone of the Pixel phones: the camera. Going over the specifications of the two new phones: Google Pixel 3a's Pixel 3a Pixel 3a XL SoC Snapdragon 670 2x Kryo 360 (CA75) @ 2.0GHz 6x Kryo 360 (CA55) @ 1.7GHz Adreno 615 DRAM 4GB LPDDR4X Display 5.6" OLED 2220 x 1080 (18:9) 6.0" OLED 2220 x 1080 (18:9) Size Height 151.3 mm 160.1 mm Width 70.1 mm 76.1 mm Depth 8.2 mm 8.2 mm Weight 147 grams 167 grams Battery Capacity 3000mAh 3700mAh Wireless Charging - Rear Cameras Main 12.2MP 1.4µm Dual Pixel PDAF f/1.8 76° lens with OIS Telephoto - Wide - Extra - Front Camera 8MP 1.12µm f/2.2 84° lens; fixed focus Storage 64GB eMMC I/O USB-C 3.5mm headphone jack Wireless (local) 802.11ac Wave 2 Wi-Fi Bluetooth 5.0 LE + NFC Cellular UE Category 11 (DL) / Category 5 (UL) 600Mbit/s DL (3xCA 2x2 MIMO) 75Mbit/s UL Other Features Dual Speakers, 18W Fast Charging Dual-SIM 1x nanoSIM Launch Price $399 / £399 / €399 $479 / £469 / €479 At the heart of both phones we find a new Snapdragon 670 SoC from Qualcomm. The chip was announced last August and comes with a 2+6 CPU core configuration consisting of 2 Cortex A75 cores at 2GHz and 6 Cortex A55 cores at 1.7GHz, accompanied by an Adreno 615 GPU. The chip is manufactured on Samsung’s 10LPP process node. It’s actually quite odd to see Google go with the Snapdragon 670, given that Qualcomm offers a slew of other newer options such as the Snapdragon 675. Here it’s possible that the Pixel 3a phones just come at an odd timing between generations and weren’t able to employ the newer SoC. Google fits the Pixel 3a’s with 4GB of LPDDR4X, which is a fair for mid-range devices. In terms of storage, the devices comes with a single 64GB option, without expandable storage. Don't expect the phones' storage performance to be especially high either, as Google is using legacy eMMC here instead of UFS. Design-wise, both phones looks night identical to the smaller Pixel 3, using the same design language and characteristic features. It’s interesting that for the bigger Pixel 3a XL, Google also opted to use the notch-less design, avoiding this much critiqued aspect of the Pixel 3 XL. Both phones continue to employ OLED panels. The smaller Pixel 3a comes with a 5.6” 18:9 screen with a resolution of 2220 x 1080. The larger 3a XL has a 6.0” screen with the same resolution. Instead of using a glass back like on the Pixel 3 series, the new Pixel 3a’s come with unibody polycarbonate designs. On one hand, this reduces the weight of the phones, with the Pixel 3a coming in at 147g and the XL at 167g, but also should result in a more scratch prone phone. Battery capacity for the smaller 3a is 3000mAh while the XL gets a notably larger 3700mAh battery. The phone supports 18W charging, however one of the axed features looks to be wireless charging as the new phone are lacking it. Even though Google removed the port 2 years ago in the Pixel 2, the new Pixel 3a sees the return of the 3.5mm headphone jack. We live in quite the weird world today where vendors decide that removing a feature on the more premium models is something the consumers should want, but at least it’s all good for the Pixel 3a’s. Google continues to employ dual front facing speakers with stereo playback capability. An important aspect of the Pixel 3a’s is their cameras: Inherently, the single rear module is exactly the same as found on the Pixel 3, meaning the Pixel 3a should have the same imagining capability as its higher end sibling. The 12.2MP sensor has 1.4µm pixel pitches and employs full sensor dual pixel PDAF, with the optics being an f/1.8 lens with a 76° viewing angle and keeps the OIS mechanism – something that is quite rare in mid-range devices. One thing that isn’t clear is if the Pixel 3a’s employ Google Visual Core. Inherently there shouldn’t be need for it for the mid-range phone to have the same photography features as its higher end sibling as computation can be picked up by the Snapdragon’s DSP cores – although they might be slower at the task. Indeed Google continues to promise the same key features as on the high-end model, including Night Sight and Portrait Mode. The Pixel 3a comes in “Just Black”, “Clearly White” and “Purple-ish” for $399, while the Pixel 3a XL comes in at $479. In the US, the device will premier not only on Verizon, but also T-Mobile, Sprint and US Cellular, alongside the Google Store in various other countries. Related Reading:<doc-sep>After weeks of speculations, Google's much-awaited Pixel 3a series broke covers at the ongoing I/O 2019 (May -7-9) developer conference at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California. The new Pixel 3a series comes in two variants-- one a generic Pixel 3a and a top-end Pixel 3a XL. Both the models share the same design language as the original Pixel 3 series, but to cut the cost, Google is using the polycarbonate material instead of metal. They come with dual-tone shell with top and the camera enclosed in glossy glass, whereas the rest of the body features a matte finish, which offers good grip for the hands to hold on to the phone firmly. They also boast Active Edge feature, that allows users to trigger Google Assistant just by squeezing the edges on the left and right side of the phone and yes, users can set the sensitivity of the frame to register activation and prevent false trigger. Google's Pixel 3a sports a 5.6-inch full HD+ OLED display and come with Qualcomm 670 octa-core processor, 4GB RAM, 64GB storage and 3,000mAh battery. On the other hand, Pixel 3a XL flaunts a 6.0-inch full HD+ OLED display with 2160x1080p resolution and inside, it comes with 4GB RAM, 64GB storage, Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 octa-core and a 3,700mAh battery. Both the devices boast house a 12.2MP single-lens camera on the back and an 8MP selfie shooter on the front. Like the marquee Pixel phones, the mid-range models will also have state-of-the-art photography software to get the best picture whether in a bright sunny day or in pitch dark night condition. Google's new phones will be run Android 9 Pie OS and sure to get three years of major software support (till 2022) and boasts Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi connectivity feature and also support 18W fast charging. The company claims that just 15 minutes of charging will be enough for the Pixel phones to last seven hours and when fully charged, they can last for 30 hours thanks to Adaptive Battery technology. The Pixel 3a and the Pixel 3a XL will be available initially in 13 markets including the US for $399 and $479 respectively. In India, they will be available for booking on Wednesday but the shipping will only start from May 15 onward for Rs 39,999 and Rs 44,999, respectively. Key features of Pixel 3a Display: 5.6-inch full HD+ OLED display with 2160x1080p resolution CPU configuration: Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 octa-core processor with Titan security chip, 4GB RAM and 64GB storage OS: Android 9 Pie ( to get three major software up till 2022) and monthly Google security patch Primary camera: 12.2MP with F1.8 aperture, 1.14-micron pixel size, 76-degree Field-Of-View (FOV), dual Phase detection, Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS), Electronic Image Stabilisation (EIS), full HD recording, 4K video recording, Night Sight, slo-mo video recording, Google Lens integration Front camera: An 8MP sensor with F2.0 aperture, 1.12-micron pixel size, 84-degree FOV, full HD, HD video recording Battery: 3,000mAh with 18W fast charging capability Add-ons: 4G LTE, nano-SIM + e-SIM, Active Edge for Google Assistant, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (dual-band 2.4GHz & 5GHz), GPS/GLONASS, 3.5mm audio jack Colours: Clearly White, Just Black and Purple-ish Price: $399 in the US/ Rs 39,999 in India Key features of Pixel 3a XL Display: 6.0-inch full HD+ OLED display with 2160x1080p resolution CPU configuration: Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 octa-core processor with Titan security chip, 4GB RAM and 64GB storage OS: Android 9 Pie ( to get three major software up till 2022) and monthly Google security patch Primary camera: 12.2MP with F1.8 aperture, 1.14-micron pixel size, 76-degree Field-Of-View (FOV), dual Phase detection, Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS), Electronic Image Stabilisation (EIS), full HD recording, 4K video recording, Night Sight, slo-mo video recording, Google Lens integration Front camera: An 8MP sensor with F2.0 aperture, 1.12-micron pixel size, 84-degree FOV, full HD, HD video recording Battery: 3,700mAh with 18W fast charging capability Add-ons: 4G LTE, nano-SIM + e-SIM, Active Edge for Google Assistant, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (dual-band 2.4GHz & 5GHz), GPS/GLONASS, 3.5mm audio jack Colours: Clearly White, Just Black and Purple-ish Price: $479 in the US/ Rs 44,999 in India Get latest news on new launches, gadget reviews, apps and more on personal technology only on DH Tech.<doc-sep>
After a series of leaks, rumors, and what not, Google has today officially launched the highly anticipated phones for the year, the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL. The launch took place at Google’s annual developer conference, Google I/O, in Mountain View, California, along with a bunch of other announcements related to other products and services. The new ‘lite’ versions of Google Pixel 3 follows the same design cues as their elder siblings and similar camera setup which stand out in the Pixel lineup. Google Pixel 3a In terms of design, the Pixel 3a features a polycarbonate unibody design with a 5.6-inch FHD+ OLED display that has an 18.5:9 aspect ratio with 2220 x 1080 pixels screen resolution at 441ppi. It is an always-on display that shows the time, date, and battery status, and has Dragontail protection on top to protect it against scratches. Talking about performance, the Pixel 3a comes with an Octa-Core Snapdragon 670 (2.0GHz + 1.7GHz) processor with Adreno 615 GPU and Titan M Security Module. It has 4GB of LPDDR4x RAM, 64GB of internal storage, with Android 9 Pie running on top. Other hardware specifications of the device include a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, USB-C USB 2.0, 3.5mm audio jack, stereo speakers, and 3000mAh battery with 18W fast charging. In terms of connectivity, the Pixel 3a comes equipped with Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2×2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, Google Cast, GPS, GLONASS, and single Nano SIM. Coming to the most talked hardware on the Pixel devices, the Camera. The Pixel 3a sports a 12.2MP dual-pixel Sony IMX363 sensor on the rear with f/1.8 aperture, equipped with autofocus with dual pixel phase detection, OIS + EIS, and 76° field of view. On the front, the device has an 8MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture for selfies, equipped with a fixed focus and 84° field of view. Other add-ons for the camera include night sight, top shot, portrait mode, super res zoom, motion auto-focus, and HDR+. For video capabilities, the rear camera of the Pixel 3a is capable of shooting videos up to 4K @ 30fps, in addition to 720p @ 30fps, 60fps, and 240fps, and 1080p @ 30fps, 60fps, and 120fps. On the other hand, the front camera of the device can manage to shoot up to 1080p @ 30fps, along with 480p @ 30fps and 720p @ 30fps. Google Pixel 3a XL Coming to the larger of the two devices, the Pixel 3a XL, the device sports the same polycarbonate unibody design as the Pixel 3a, with a 6-inch FHD+ OLED display with 18:9 aspect ratio, 2160 x 1080 pixels screen resolution, and 402 ppi. Similar to the Pixel 3a, the Pixel 3a XL has an always-on display that shows the time, date, and battery status, and has Dragontail protection on top to protect it against scratches. In terms of performance, the Pixel 3a XL comes with the same Octa-Core Snapdragon 670 (2.0GHz + 1.7GHz) processor with Adreno 615 GPU and Titan M Security Module. It shares the same RAM and internal storage configuration with the Pixel 3a, with 4GB of LPDDR4x RAM, 64GB of internal storage, with Android 9 Pie running on top. Other hardware specifications of the device include a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, USB-C USB 2.0, 3.5mm audio jack, stereo speakers, and a bigger 3700mAh battery with 18W fast charging. In terms of connectivity, the Pixel 3a XL comes equipped with Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2×2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, Google Cast, GPS, GLONASS, and single Nano SIM. Both, the Pixel 3a and the Pixel 3a XL share the same camera hardware and specifications, with a 12.2MP dual-pixel Sony IMX363 sensor on the rear with f/1.8 aperture, equipped with autofocus with dual pixel phase detection, OIS + EIS, and 76° field of view. And on the front, an 8MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture for selfies, equipped with a fixed focus and 84° field of view. Other add-ons for the camera include night sight, top shot, portrait mode, super res zoom, motion auto-focus, and HDR+, which are also present on the Pixel 3a. For video capabilities, the rear camera of the Pixel 3a XL is capable of shooting videos up to 4K @ 30fps, in addition to 720p @ 30fps, 60fps, and 240fps, and 1080p @ 30fps, 60fps, and 120fps. On the other hand, the front camera of the device can manage to shoot up to 1080p @ 30fps, along with 480p @ 30fps and 720p @ 30fps.