Google Pixel 3a / 3a XL announced (available today $399 / $479 ; headphone jack)

signal · May 7, 2019

Announced at Google I/O today and available to buy immediately, the new Google Pixel 3A and Pixel 3A XL are more budget-friendly variants of the flagship Pixel 3 family. They still feature the superb Pixel camera that has been Google's signature advantage, though they step down the spec to use plastic rather than glass for the rear, along with a more basic processor and the omission of wireless charging and certified water resistance. The Pixel 3As do bring back the headphone jack, though!

The larger Pixel 3A has a 6-inch Full HD+ OLED display, while the smaller Pixel 3A measures in at 5.6 inches with the same resolution and display tech. Stereo speakers, Bluetooth 5.0, free Google Photos backup for full-quality photos (as usual for Pixel devices) all feature in the new Pixel 3As as well.

Has a good camera, though apparently not the identical one to the 'normal' Pixels like leaks were saying, claimed 30 hour battery life with adaptive battery (also larger batteries compared to the normal Pixel 3 lines for both devices), 18w charger (7 hour usage with 15min charge), 3 years of updates. Has a lower quality display, something besides gorilla glass, plastic body, no wireless charging, downward facing bottom speaker, no Visual Core chip, single front facing camera, and Google Photos unlimited storage is only for High Quality not Original.

signal · May 7, 2019

Another review

Liquid Plejades · May 7, 2019

My buddy got a pixel 3xl a few days ago, he can return it for a refund. Now he's wondering if he should.get.this instead. He mainly cares about the camera and battery life

Vector · May 7, 2019

Looks and feels antiquated compared tho the S10e and the XR.

SRG01 · May 7, 2019

Nothing special, so why $399?

Squirrel09 · May 7, 2019

Raster said:
Looks and feels antiquated compared tho the S10e and the XR.

except $350 cheaper. so at almost 1/2 the price there's going to be cut corners.

ASaiyan · May 7, 2019

$400 is not terrible. But I long for the old days of $649 flagships and competent $200 budget phones...

Raster said:
Looks and feels antiquated compared tho the S10e and the XR.

That's the whole point of budget phones tho. Lower quality, lower price.

RadioJoNES · May 7, 2019

Seems awesome at that price point.

signal · May 7, 2019

Raster said:
Looks and feels antiquated compared tho the S10e and the XR.

Yeah the 700 and 750 dollar phones feel better hopefully.

SRG01 said:
Nothing special, so why $399?

If the camera is decent and it gets updates for a while and it's cheap enough that's fine for a lot of people. I don't know why people keep ignoring this in every Pixel 3a thread. I can think of many people that would opt for a $400 phone with a good camera over a $600 phone that has better specs in more areas. I'm sure you can think of people that will be better convinced by "better camera" than "better snapdragon SOC"

Cipherr · May 7, 2019

I love this approach so much more. Keep your high end phones, and release lower tiers. Don't go full low tier like Nexus, people will just "Why no X" you for everything you cut to get that lower price point.

This is far better.

Also glad to see the headphone jack shit not only stop progressing, but start regressing as phones start to bring them back after previously taking them away.

SRG01 · May 7, 2019

ASaiyan said:
$400 is not terrible. But I long for the old days of $649 flagships and competent $200 budget phones...

That's the whole point of budget phones tho. Lower quality, lower price.

We do have comparable budget phones. It's called the Moto G series.

dkeane · May 7, 2019

It's a sad day we these companies have brainwashed us into thinking $400 is budget priced.

signal · May 7, 2019

App launching times

Deleted member 46103 · May 7, 2019

SRG01 said:
Nothing special, so why $399?

Name another phone with 3+ years of monthly updates and this camera.

SRG01 · May 7, 2019

signal said:
Yeah the 700 and 750 dollar phones feel better hopefully.

If the camera is decent and it gets updates for a while and it's cheap enough that's fine for a lot of people. I don't know why people keep ignoring this in every Pixel 3a thread. I can think of many people that would opt for a $400 phone with a good camera over a $600 phone that has better specs in more areas. I'm sure you can think of people that will be better convinced by "better camera" than "better snapdragon SOC"

The problem is that Google has a hard time convincing people to but their phones, period. They aren't going to win over many more customers by essentially offering a slightly better camera for an inflated price point.

ASaiyan · May 7, 2019

Cipherr said:
I love this approach so much more. Keep your high end phones, and release lower tiers. Dont go full low tier like Nexus, people will just "Why no X" you for everything you cut to get that lower price point.

The Nexus brand was my salvation, and I was really disheartened when they retired it. Not everyone wants to drop a grand on a top-of-the-line device just for it to be replaced in two years, lol. The market still exists; price-creep is for satisfying the needs of Apple and Samsung far more than those of the consumer.

SRG01 said:
We do have comparable budget phones. It's called the Moto G series.

I know. I'm still rocking my G5+ and it's served me well. But I wish there were more options...

Deleted member 14887 · May 7, 2019

Having more options available to purchase is a plus for me. I don't get the griping about it.

Lunchbox- · May 7, 2019

looks outdated and ugly before its even out

signal · May 7, 2019

SRG01 said:
The problem is that Google has a hard time convincing people to but their phones, period. They aren't going to win over many more customers by essentially offering a slightly better camera for an inflated price point.

Inflated price point compared to what though? It depends who its being marketed at. This appears to be in many US carrier stores, and what are the alternatives in those stores that a $400 device will feel inflated in comparison to?

Zoph · May 7, 2019

Sounds like a very nice smart upgrade from my Nexus 5x as someone unwilling to shell out more than $400 for a phone.

ChrisR · May 7, 2019

If my OP5T dies I'd probs grab the 3a. Performance doesn't matter as much to me as not having that god awful notch anywhere near a device I'm using.

ruggiex · May 7, 2019

So happy for the return of Google brand mid-range line. I got my 6T at mid range price but once it's too dated these are what I'm looking forward to.

shnurgleton · May 7, 2019

seems like a great deal for the best OS support outside of iOS, the best smartphone camera, and a headphone jack

signal · May 7, 2019

I'm honestly a bit interested but it depends how garbage the performance is. Battery life and camera and price are basically why I bought my last phone, a used iPhone 7. Was thinking of upgrading to a used X but prices on those are still barf.

ty_hot · May 7, 2019

I will get the Google Pixel 5a in 2 years, glad they are launching a new mid tier option. Not long ago I got a high end OnePlus 3T for 440, if other brands competed more in this segment we would have better specs.

whatsinaname · May 7, 2019

dkeane said:
It's a sad day we these companies have brainwashed us into thinking $400 is budget priced.

The Nexus 5 released at the same time as the Note 3. $349. Same processor.

J_ToSaveTheDay · May 7, 2019

Looks rock-solid for the pricepoint based on the Verge review. It's not something I need (currently using Pixel 2 XL), but pretty impressed the camera is as good as it is and the phone provides the stock Android experience at that pricepoint. That's kind of the two major features that gravitate me toward the Pixel line in the first place, and it looks like they're relatively uncompromised with this phone. Hope these "A" models get into lockstep with the primary ones and launch with every refresh after 2019 (starting in 2020?).

signal · May 7, 2019

ty_hot said:
I will get the Google Pixel 5a in 2 years,

Google plans to build multiple generations of affordable Pixel phones

Alvis · May 7, 2019

I remember when Google was making 350$ phones with flagship specs. God I loved my Nexus 5. :(

Brinbe · May 7, 2019

ugly AF and crappy-ass specs for the price. that is a resoundingly shitty product to offer for $400-480

long ways away from the good ole Nexus days

hordak · May 7, 2019

ASaiyan said:
The Nexus brand was my salvation, and I was really disheartened when they retired it. Not everyone wants to drop a grand on a top-of-the-line device just for it to be replaced in two years, lol. The market still exists; price-creep is for satisfying the needs of Apple and Samsung far more than those of the consumer.

I know. I'm still rocking my G5+ and it's served me well. But I wish there were more options...

Zophar said:
Sounds like a very nice smart upgrade from my Nexus 5x as someone unwilling to shell out more than $400 for a phone.

there are plenty of Android one phones that start at $200. The Nokia 7.1 plus is $350 and has two years of updates and looks a lot better than the Pixel 3aXL imho.

signal · May 7, 2019

People regaling about Nexus devices lol. Get me the fuck away from the legacy of the 6P.

Pokémon · May 7, 2019

Xharos said:
I remember when Google was making 350$ phones with flagship specs. God I loved my Nexus 5. :(

same here :(

Komo · May 7, 2019

Bought it.

ASaiyan · May 7, 2019

signal said:
People regaling about Nexus devices lol. Get me the fuck away from the legacy of the 6P.

The 6 was where they lost me, and the whole point of the Nexus branding. It was too pricey, and too big.

But I loved, loved loved my Nexus 4. Probably my favorite handset I've ever owned.

Carolina Reaper · May 7, 2019

"XR killer"...has no waterproofing and no wireless charging. And it's slow. OK reviewer!

SwampBastard · May 7, 2019

Brinbe said:
ugly AF and crappy-ass specs for the price. that is a resoundingly shitty product to offer for $400-480

long ways away from the good ole Nexus days

I will never understand why people seem to care so much what their phone looks like. Yes, something like the Galaxy S10 looks a lot better, but it's also double the price.

pj- · May 7, 2019

You can get a like new galaxy s9 on ebay for 350

Deleted member 4783 · May 7, 2019

Reviews seem super positive. Nice!

SRG01 · May 7, 2019

Duder Comments said:
Name another phone with 3+ years of monthly updates and this camera.

None, but that's moving the goalposts.

The metric for Google is to sell phones, and the biggest problem that tech enthusiasts have is that we have a completely different set of metrics compared to the average consumer. There is a reason why the top 3 WW manufacturers are currently Samsung, Apple, and Huawei -- and that is they produce products that accurately target their consumer demographics.

signal said:
Inflated price point compared to what though? It depends who its being marketed at. This appears to be in many US carrier stores, and what are the alternatives in those stores that a $400 device will feel inflated in comparison to?

Carrier phones will probably be manufacturers like LG and Moto, but the $400 bracket is an odd one because the value proposition is difficult when there are already decent phones in the $250-$299 range.

And the "value proposition part" is key, because an average consumer is going to ask "are these features worth $100 to $150 more?" because $250 is a price point where phones are essentially disposable.

ASaiyan said:
The Nexus brand was my salvation, and I was really disheartened when they retired it. Not everyone wants to drop a grand on a top-of-the-line device just for it to be replaced in two years, lol. The market still exists; price-creep is for satisfying the needs of Apple and Samsung far more than those of the consumer.

I know. I'm still rocking my G5+ and it's served me well. But I wish there were more options...

Hilariously, the G7+ is a bit of a misstep for Moto because it's not a big jump from the G6+, and they priced it at $400.

Owarifin · May 7, 2019

Girlfriend will probably get the 3a.
Good camera for that price.

signal · May 7, 2019

SRG01 said:
And the "value proposition part" is key, because an average consumer is going to ask "are these features worth $100 to $150 more?" because $250 is a price point where phones are essentially disposable.

And I think many people might say a good camera usable for a few years is worth it. Depending on how well that point gets advertised anyway.

Android Sophia · May 7, 2019

This is pretty much my new phone of choice, as I don't really have the money to upgrade to a more expensive flagship phone. I think that's going to be the case for a lot of other people too.

Brinbe · May 7, 2019

snacknuts said:
I will never understand why people seem to care so much what their phone looks like. Yes, something like the Galaxy S10 looks a lot better, but it's also double the price.

lmfao, it's not an either or thing. you can release a budget product and still have it look somewhat modern and not clunky.

signal · May 7, 2019

Also battery life tests might be interesting. Both models have larger batteries than the non-a Pixel 3s but are using lower end chips, so might be good.

Deleted member 5309 · May 7, 2019

This would be really impressive if it didn't have a crappy CPU, it's worse than the A10 fusion which came out nearly 3 years ago.

Falchion · May 7, 2019

Seems like a decent budget Android phone.

Sweeney Swift · May 7, 2019

dkeane said:
It's a sad day we these companies have brainwashed us into thinking $400 is budget priced.

Truth

TechnicPuppet · May 7, 2019

No wireless charging is a pisser.

DrROBschiz · May 7, 2019

3a seems like a good value though why does the Second post review say its 549?

At 399 Its a compelling option versus the s10e where the cheapest I can find it is 559 used

Google Pixel 3a / 3a XL announced (available today $399 / $479 ; headphone jack)

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