Review: Google Pixel 3A

If you are planning to buy a new smartphone that ranges between $ 300 and $ 500, you should go for a Pixel 3A or Pixel 3A XL. It's the best phone available in this price range, and it's actually competitive with more expensive phones in an essential way, and that is Pixel 3A has got a great camera.

Earlier buying a new smartphone with a good camera meant that you need to spend at least $ 600. You need to find a second-hand iPhone. On the other hand, less expensive Android phones have become very good, but still, follow the rule because their cameras are almost universally mediocre.

Google Pixel 3A does not follow this rule. The photos are indistinguishable that comes out of a Pixel 3. It depends where and when you buy it, the cost of Pixel 3 can vary from $ 200 or $ 300 more.

Design and Display

When you look at it, the Pixel 3A phones look similar to Pixel 3 phone. The 3A model is just a little bit taller, that might be due to one of the reasons that it needs to accommodate a real 3.5mm headphone jack on the top. The bottom speakers are down-faced instead of front-facing. 3A handset measures around 5.6 inches, 2220 x 1080.

They flaunt same matte/glossy back with a fingerprint sensor circle in the centre. The screen size is almost identical. The 3A XL doesn't have the unsightly notch of the 3 XL and the 3A handset has used OLED panels under the glass. It has used Dragontrail glass instead of the regular Corning Gorilla Glass.

In addition to black and white Pixel 3A now comes in a new, "Purple-ish" colour. These phones have got plastic bodies instead of metal. Google's Pixel 3A has a 3.5mm headphone jack. It does not have wireless charging nor is it water resistant.

Camera

Google Pixel 3A has a 12.2-megapixel sensor and f/1.8 lens on the back which is similar to the Pixel 3, as the single 8-megapixel selfie camera on the front.

It also brings in one new feature that is time-lapse video. Now you will be able to set your frames to record at different time intervals. Like, now you can condense between 50 seconds or 20 minutes of recorded recording into just 10 seconds and you will also find a useful indicator that indicates how long your video will be there in real time. To save battery, the viewfinder will also dim after some time, even when the phone is still recording, the viewfinder will automatically get dim after some time to save battery.

When compared it is the best smartphone cameras today in the market. It's better than iPhone XR camera.

Performance and Battery

The Pixel 3A has Snapdragon 670 processor, which is not as powerful as the Snapdragon 855 which is there in the Pixel 3. But Google optimized the software again to work with this chipset, and you will not feel any sluggishness with speed or performance.

Its Battery capacity is slightly increased from 2,915 to 3,000 mAh. Photo modes which need extra processing time, like HDR Plus Enhanced, Night Sight or making the screen flash for the front-facing camera, they take almost the same amount of time as earlier.

Verdict

You won't find a better option if you are looking for a phone ranging in mid of 300 and 500 dollars. One good thing about Google is it making really affordable and good phones. In the year 2013, it made Nexus 5 costing 349$, it still needs to match it to be the best.

You can buy it from Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint and US Cellular. It works on AT&T as well, but you can't buy it directly from the carrier.