Pixel 3a
blog.google
blog.google
* Screen is smaller, but on the Pixel 3a XL version the screen dimensions excluding the notch appear to be the same.
* Same 4GB LPDDR4 RAM, but no 128GB persistent storage option on the 3a. 64GB is usually plenty anyway, though.
* Processor is somewhat slower: Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 670 2.0GHz + 1.7GHz, 64Bit Octa-Core on the 3a. vs a Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 845 2.5GHz + 1.6GHz, 64Bit Octa-Core on the pixel 3.
* 3a removes wireless charging. Never used it on my Pixel 3 XL.
* Under the sensors section, the normal Pixel 3 has "Advanced x-axis haptics for sharper/defined response" whereas the 3a does not.
* 3a only has one front facing camera instead of dual front cameras.
* 3a has a headphone jack. Personally, I adjusted pretty well to Bluetooth headsets but some people really appreciate the jack.
Overall seems like a modest downgrade for a big drop in price. Most of the stuff cut out seems like premium features where the dollar-to-user-value ratio isn't very good. The only significant downgrades seem to be processor speed and dropping the second front facing camera. It's probably also safe to assume more economical build materials and fabrication. Specs taken from Google Play store:
I've been buying old Pixel OG phones. One had a broken screen after leaving it in my backpack hiking(and leaving rocks near it), another from water damage.
My wife got one with my recommendation.
4 OG pixels. Why? Fast + aux cable.
I can see myself upgrading to a 3a.
It's also missing the IP68 certification - after having a waterproof-ish phone, I would never go back.
Wider (left-to-right) by a millimeter or two.
Double the RAM.
More storage capacity.
Two quad-core CPUs which are each somewhat slower (2.0GHz + 1.7GHz) than the N5's one (also quad-core) CPU (2.26 GHz). I'm vaguely curious what the difference is between "one quad-core CPU" and "two 2-core CPUs".
I missed my Nexus 5 so badly since it failed catastrophically and Google shut down the product line. This seems like a return to form, hopefully.
The internal speaker was a notable weakness of the Nexus 5 for things like playing music; no idea whether the 3a is better or worse.
If it’s faster than the 821 in the Original Pixel I’m probably sold...if it’s equivalent I might just have to get the Pixel 1 for cheap.
Pixel 3a: quad-core 2.0GHz + quad-core 1.7 Ghz
If you're doing 8 different things, probably better? Based purely on clock speed, it looks like the original Pixel is slower than the N5. Based on speed and core count... it still looks like that. It seems kind of hard to believe, though.
Anecdotally, I replaced my N5 (4x 2.26 GHz) with a OnePlus 3 (2x 2.2 GHz + 2x 1.6 GHz) and I was impressed by how the OnePlus 3 seemed smoother and faster compared to the N5. Possibly the difference was more based on RAM (2GB for the N5, 6GB for the OnePlus 3).
I have no experience with the Pixel. I picked up a cheap one with the intention of installing LineageOS when they announced support for it... but it seems the Pixel's USB port has some kind of problem that prevents my computer from recognizing it. So it's just been sitting around, unused.
Let me be the first to tell you that for many, many people, smartphones are their primary computing platforms, and they do everything on them. I've had to help people file taxes on smart phones, sign documents, and more. Processor speed isn't important now so much as it is later. A good portion of the budget market is going to grab a phone because of the price and hold on to it for years. Will a 20% slower processor stand up as well as its bigger cousin in the future? Probably less so.
Normal users need good performance too, but the bottom end of the market is always saturated with completely unsuitable crap. A safe way to look at it is that most users need roughly the power of a 2 year old flagship device. That has been true for many years as well.
It absolutely is getting more correct. I used to update my desktop every year or two. I'm now still on a Core i5 2500 from 2011 and have zero reason to upgrade again, even despite some gaming use.
For phones, it's a bit different because they're back on the part of the performance curve where desktops were years ago and power efficiency is still improving rapidly but I think they're getting close to that crossover point.
The average user can comfortably use a 5 year old pc even today, ofcourse with an SSD upgrade.
For me, I'm planning on getting a Pixel 3a. The talk of it being like a "2 year old flagship" sounds great to me, not a detriment at all. I'm upgrading from a Honor 8, which is an almost 3 year old mid-range phone, so the Pixel 3a will be a decent upgrade, even though the performance of my Honor 8 is still perfectly good. I'm mainly upgrading for the camera, 3 years of software updates and because my Honor 8's Bluetooth is becoming less reliable over time.
The limiting factor of a cellphone as a primary computer platform is actually lack of keyboard and screen space. Computing power for most people has been fine for years now.
Apple already is doing in-house development; that's why they poached the head of Intel's in-house wireless modem chip team. But they clearly don't have a product yet, or Apple wouldn't have paid several billion dollars to Qualcomm to settle up.
Not sure why you are getting that idea. But that is not true. Even including cases where Qualcomm Adreno 640 used in 855 under some overclocked condition.
And unless something truly magical happens I don't see Qualcomm will catch up, GPU performance scales linearly with Die Size used for GPU, and Apple will forever have the advantage in that area, where Apple are using the SoC themselves and could afford larger die, while Qualcomm makes profits on die and yield of their SoC.
By far the heaviest app I use on my phone is the browser. Not the browser per se but some of the websites I visit, especially ecommerce stores.
Can take a wag at characterizing how much of an impact this would have on normal, day to day picture taking?
My wife and I are still on Pixel 1s, and we still love the camera.
Am I safe to assume that the single camera (and associated hardware/software that Google provides) on the Pixel 3a will be substantially better than the camera on the Pixel 1?
Thanks!
Though, Google still wins when it comes to updates. Even given that project treble would make the process easier, I doubt that Samsung will really take advantage of it.
For $280, right this second, you can buy a Pocophone F1 from Amazon which has essentially the same size screen as the Pixel 3 XL, 6GB RAM, an SD845, an SD card slot and decent support from Xiaomi so far. Hell, the beastly Razer Phone 2 is only $499 right now and has some crazy specs relative to the 3a XL.
I know I'm dreaming but Google needs to get back to what made it great in the first place: Put flagship specs into midrange priced phones.
Sure, if you want to trust all your most personal info to Xiaomi. I don't know any security folks who consider that a rational choice anymore. I don't want Beijing having that info on me, plus the ability to surveil me at any time.
Google - Wants my data, willing to play the long game, has the scale to properly support security updates
Third party US manufacturers - Wants my data, playing the short game, suspect UI choices
Chinese manufacturers - Wants my data, suspect UI choices, unknown motives with regard to data privacy
Open source OSs - High data privacy, absolutely controllable OS
Weighting between the 4, my threat model prefers a Google phone, despite the privacy downside. Google does creepy things, but ultimately they don't really care if a power user turns off tracking: they only care if everyone turns off tracking.
They sayy they care about privacy and yes, they make most money on selling devices and not on advertisement, but who guarantees that is not to change any moment?
And aren't they allready in the advertisement buisness as well? So also have a motive for getting and evaluating all your data?
Forgive me if I don't take your word for it. There's been a lot of anti-anything-that-isnt-america news going around lately.
Anyhow, as another poster points out, it has LineageOS support, which is what I use.
For me, phones lacking a headphone jack is an absolute deal-breaker; the result is that I feel that there is a limited selection for new phones. This feature alone makes the 3a a huge upgrade regardless of the other features.
https://en-us.sennheiser.com/wireless-headphones-bluetooth-h...
There's absolutely no reason why wired headphones can't do that, you can buy ones with three-button inline controls. Ye olde Walkman could do it.
So you can have lots of music with you ... and have a smaller device and be able to jump around with it
Apple just launched the more fitness-targeted Powerbeats Pro with a bigger battery, but the charging case to accommodate the "around ear" design is enormous compared to AirPods.
And now reviewers are excusing that saying "Yeah it's a huge case, but the battery life is probably good enough that maybe you could leave the case at home!" As if the battery life three years from now will be anywhere near 9 hours.
EDIT: Two articles posted on 9to5mac by literally the same person a couple of months apart:
https://9to5mac.com/2019/01/28/airpods-battery-life/
> But batteries are consumable, we all know so well now, and that’s proven true for the tiny batteries inside AirPods after two years of daily use. Battery life that once exceeded five hours now struggles to power AirPods through three hours of continuous usage at the same volume. Battery life results can be cut in half if you need to play audio at a louder volume.
> In practice, I used to never hear the low battery alert during usage. I rarely listened to audio with AirPods for five straight hours before charging in the carrying case without thought. More recently, I’ve heard the bloop sound much more regularly, frequently followed by AirPods dying before I’m ready to recharge.
https://9to5mac.com/2019/05/06/beats-powerbeats-pro-hands-on...
> AirPods give you up to 5 hours of power in between charges; Powerbeats Pro almost double that with up to 9 hours of power in between charges. The additional four hours might mean you only need to take the earphones out of the house for the day with the charging case left at home.
Talk about a lack of foresight.
On 9to5mac in 2021: "The batteries in my Powerbeats Pro only last four hours and I have to carry this gigantic charging case everywhere. HOW COULD I HAVE KNOWN???"
How long is that with a brand new battery?
I just charge my headphone where I charge my phone, and never worry about batter life. Even if battery is reduced to 50% capacity it wouldn't affect my usage.
And how long will it be very good? Bluetooth headphones seem to represent a huge change in standards of support.
To use an example from the same company, I have an HD 280 pro, which I bought well over a decade ago. I can go on Sennheiser's website, and buy replacement ear cushions or replacement head band pads. It looks like the replacement cable is no longer easily available, but it was sold for a number of years, and replacing the proprietary cable (criticized in many reviews at the time) with a standard one (or a jack) is not that hard.
For a new example, all parts that might break outside the core of my Etymotic ER4SRs have replacement parts, and all can be very easily replaced.
A search for replacement batteries for the HD 4.40BT, on the other hand, comes up with nothing except the user manual's admonition that battery replacement by anyone other than Sennheiser will void the entire warranty (something that seems likely to be illegal in many places), and noting that instructions are available (outside of warranty) only for "qualified service centers." There are instructions in the manual about replacing the ear pads, but ear pads don't seem to show up on Sennheiser's website, which is rather surprising, considering that a search for the 2000s-era 280s easily comes up with replacements; wider searches come up only with poorly-reviewed cheap third party replacements. There is a replacement cable, but then again, it's just a standard cable. Replacement batteries don't appear to be available anywhere.
So when the battery starts dying, are you expected to throw them away? Use them until you become frustrated enough to buy new ones, and throw the otherwise decent ones away? Hope that Sennheiser will replace the battery for less than the price of new headphones?
Wow! That's excellent (no mention of aptX HD, though). I wonder how much of the purchase price is going in licensing fees though. AAC requires one, aptX requires one, plus DRM.
The smaller one doesn’t support some codecs but it is really cheap, like 30USD.
I know, I know—of course you have to charge it, no crap, but this is why Bluetooth will never be a replacement for me. It's too much extra complication in my life. I just want a pair of headphones that I can throw into my pocket and will never need to be charged and will work with all my devices without any additional adapters.
This is the best solution so far for those of us with a collection of wired headphones. Can be used while charging, cheap, works really well.
Being able to be used while charging is nice, since then you can at least charge at the same time you charge your phone.
Sucks to have to pay $40 just to restore the functionality of the headphone jack, but kept it from being a dealbreaker.
USB is fundamentally broken and insecure. It simply isn't possible to keep a bad actor who plugs in from hijacking your system ports.
Assuming that the Pixel Visual Core is a generic tensor processing unit similar to what the iPhone has. It’s possible I’ve got some things confused here. The important question is does the 3a have a hardware accelerated ML inference chip or is it just GPU?
Well, shit, I might have to buy one now.
Spec wise, it's not even that much worse than this phone other than the atrocious camera quality. That camera is really the only reason I ordered the 3a today.
If I don't plan on engaging in these few very specific, highly demanding applications - high-end gaming is really the only one that comes to mind - would I really need much processing power to run the handful of apps like email and instant messaging that most people seem to use their phone for?
Even games would likely run fine as long as they're the casual ones most users play. I suspect high-end processors are really only useful for the top 1% (if that) of folks who want to play high-end games, and as such they seem like a great place to cut costs.
Also, this reeks of elitism: the technorati crowd in SF who can afford such things get to have flagship devices for their “very specific, highly demanding applications.” Meanwhile, “most users” of the most revolutionary invention of our lifetime only need to use their phones for “email and instant messaging.” Filthy casuals. (Can’t believe the comment actually went there).
Call the Pixel 3a what it is: Alphabet’s product marketing teams do an absolutely terrible job leveraging their brand(s) to explain their device offerings or even why they’re making their own hardware. As such, consumer confusion leads to laggard sales of a flagship device.
Trying to leverage what they have, Google introduces the Pixel 3a to take on what looks to be a growing midrange market. If it works, more power to ‘em, but let’s focus on facts and price points, not vague assertions about who needs what level of performance masquerading as questions from throwaway accounts.
One catch that I noticed: there are two profiles I can connect to my desktop with. One is simple audio streaming (a2dp maybe?) and sounds fine. The other (hsp?) supports microphone input and the sound degrades quite noticeably. Maybe you're connecting via this second mechanism?
The SD670 performs close to the SD835 in CPU, but noticeably worse in CPU. It should be noticeably worse in CPU than the 845 due to its 2+6 configuration rather than the 845's 4+4 configuration.
You get eMMC storage with F2FS (acceptable, but slower than UFS 2.0/2.1)
You get glass from some Japanese manufacturer instead of Corning.
Plastic body (yay!)
It's a number of compromises (not minor by any means), but the price is a pretty noticeable drop.
Personally, of all these bullets the presence of the headphone jack is what made me order one immediately (upgrading from a 5X). I hope all the people complaining about the headphone jack disappearing from other phones put their money where their mouth is and also order phones that _do_ include jacks so criticism of its loss is taken a bit more seriously.
Here's the same picture of my cat from each phone to demonstrate:
3a has a cheaper eMMC storage which is showing numbers closer to the original Pixel. Pixels 2 and 3 have faster UFS storage so they'll probably run a bit smoother.
I'm seriously sad about this. It could have been my next phone for years if only they cut it by 10-12mm.
I suppose if it was in the Xperia phones it can't be that bad -- I never noticed any issues with the glass on them. [1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragontrail) [2](https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/7/18530449/google-pixel-3a-x...)
They also come with almost non existent Android upgrades.
EDIT: Wow, apparently they are still advertising and selling this model for which they haven't released a security update in almost a year!
I unlocked the bootloader but then never installed a ROM because the stock one is close enough to vanilla Android to keep me happy.
> near-stock
I have now got a Nokia 7+ which has "Android One" (very close to AOSP) and it has been a great piece of hardware which gets updates. I think HMD Global dealt brilliantly with the security issue that affected some phones.
I agree about Moto though, in the past I have bought four Moto phones (G1, G3, G3, G4 - two were presents) and I had zero hardware faults (although they all stopped getting updates far earlier than I like). A G3 and G4 are still in daily use. One G3 broke a screen (teenager), and I can't remember who I gave the G1 to when I upgraded.
Multiple previous experiences with Nexus line have left me disappointed, and so far the Pixel's have been too expensive for me to want to learn the same mistakes again.
Hopefully the 3a will be better!
I also used to use your rule: if it was bootlocked then I wouldn't buy it.
However that rule has never helped me use CyanogenMod/LineageOS etc because:
Galaxy Nexus: Screen burn in (OLED blue) and obsoleted OMAP processor so didn't update, then gave to friend's kid.
Nexus 10: Kept at factory 5.1.1 for testing at work. Then tried updating this year but flash partition was too small to install gApps.
Nexus 7: Gave to family member who updated it, but it then died from slow flash hardware issue.
Nexus 5: broken frame (leading to common hardware faults) - no point updating.
Nexus 5X: Never used much - can't use as daily driver due to perceived risk of boot looping - so it is sitting in drawer at work.
Moto G1: Gave away a long time ago
Moto G3: Broken by teenager
Moto G3: Gave to friend (still in use - but can't unlock G3 any more)
Moto G4: Was a present to a friend (still in use by them, they not likely to update or want update)
Edit: Some of the devices were bought cheaply (second hand) and more than one device was paid for by work as we always need recent Android devices to test App releases on.
My nokia 3 get's updates, shame they won't install. Then again the android one updates have been breaking enough random stuff that it might be a blessing.
Except that they seem to have wholeheartedly jumped on the "I need a phone so big it won't fit in my hand" bandwagon. As far as I could tell last I checked, they don't sell anything in this size range.
Vendor ecosystem lock-in triumphs again.
It felt a little weird paying more for my Apple Watch than I did the iPhone SE it is paired with, but I've grown to really love them both. Sometimes the lockin enables cool stuff.
They can pry my iPhone SE from my cold, dead hands though. I could suffer through buying a nice Bluetooth adapter for my custom IEMs if I had to, but I won't get a phone that can't physically fit into a pocket - and I own pants that can't fit an iPhone X sized device.
I'm not saying a closed ecosystem is somehow "right" by design, but Apple's proprietary augmentation of Bluetooth sure makes me forget that the watch is using it to talk to my phone or laptop. Maybe its less that closed ecosystems enable cool stuff and more that end-to-end control makes it easier to ensure your cool stuff works properly most of the time.
apple does absolutely nothing to make bluetooth invisible and force you to pair it using an iphone based app just like any smart "thing" including apple watch, fitbit, etc.
Closed ecosystems make money very directly by locking in the customer. The vendors will invest heavily in it and it will pay off, hence the "proprietary augmentation of Bluetooth sure makes me forget that the watch is using it". They will not share the tech, by working on an open standards or open tech, because that way the competition profits as well. This is just greed, anti-competitive market abuse, it's not more complicated than that.
This was the service (from Google Store's checkout page): https://puu.sh/DpgdZ/e0c4d3a068.png - it came way earlier than the quoted 4pm.
For them, charging more money is the next step, like it or not.
The only way for them to compete, is to not. You buy Apple products for Fashion, to prove you can afford it.
Or at least, that's what has worked for a decade. Features is not what Apple brings, they bring Fashion.
For me, it's Apple music. I've been using iTunes since the first iPod Nano and have an extensive library. I was planning to switch to Spotify (since the android Apple Music app is abysmal). But Spotify doesn't allow you to upload your own music (lots of mixtape songs in my library).
So eventually, I gave in and went back. I even tried Google Music since they let you upload your own songs, but the sync app kept crashing and never uploaded songs right away, but your milage might vary.
So that is Apple's play, locking in customers. I know friends who came back to Apple due to iMessage and even the Apple Watch, which is a blatant lock-in product.
I don't think most people stick with Apple because they are stuck, but most Apple users simply prefer Apple devices. I used Android for over a year back in the Nexus 5 days, but switched back to the iPhone because I preferred it. Other people prefer Android which is fine.
Of course you can do all of these on Android, but I tried using Android + Surface Pro last year and the amount of things you need to install & tweak are just silly.
- on the desktop app, create a new Playlist
- add local files to that Playlist
- while the desktop is online, open Spotify on the mobile device you plan on using, find that Playlist on the playlists section and press download
Now that playlist is available offline in your mobile device too.
(a) iPhones are not that expensive if you consider they are lasting longer and being supported longer than their competitors.
(b) I don't think you understand fashion. It's not exclusive or interesting to have an iPhone when they make up half of all phones you see everyday in Western cities.
(c) Most phones these days are still being sold on contract plans and so even if phones were $10,000 many people could still easily afford it when it's broken down to a monthly payment.
Anyway, I like Apple and have been a long time user of their phones since my Samsung S2 died to planned obsolescence. I pay google to handle my email though.
After years of trying everything, outlook, iCloud-mail, tutanota, protonmail, fastmail, Runbox and a bunch of others I ended up buying a GC account instead because google is just better at it.
So my calendar is google, my mail is google, I have space on google drive, I use google docs and of course I use google maps. So I kind of feel silly on iOS.
I upgraded to the XS from a 5S when the smaller screen size started to annoy me, but the truth is that I don’t need the power and the XS is too heavy for my weak hands. :p
I think the only complaint I have is that nobody else is putting nice cameras into these phones or giving them decent software support.
That's the differentiator.
> giving them decent software support
And that: stock Android and fast updates.
You can't find these in stores in the US, so there's little competition there. Even OnePlus only sells the OnePlus 6T in stores.
In the end I have decided for an Honor 9 Lite that cost me a measly 159 Euros. The result? It is the best phone I've ever had and I am not missing anything.
So, I cannot see why anyone would want to spend more on an Android phone these days. What additional value does a Pixel 3a give me that would justify an almost 3x premium?
164 days to update, Jan. 2019 - https://www.androidauthority.com/android-pie-fastest-manufac...
163 days to update, June 2018 - https://www.androidauthority.com/android-oreo-fastest-manufa...
https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/7/18530449/google-pixel-3a-x...
Also, even to my bad eyes, the camera quality isn't quite as good as the Pixel 3, due to the additional processing that this phone doesn't do
However, I still want a headphone jack and a smaller phone. I'll be riding out the original Pixel for as long as possible.
My only headphone jack use case is my 1970s receiver, where I use an RCA adapter. Plan to test the USB-C adapter but haven't tried it yet. Don't love the idea of two adapters...
But otherwise I love the Pixel 3.
https://techcrunch.com/2019/05/07/the-headphone-jack-is-back...
I'm very disappointed in this new Google.
The first thing I did was a cmd+F for "jack" and "headphone" and "audio"—if there's no headphone jack, I have no interest in reading further. Since my searches came up with nothing, I assumed the headphone jack wasn't present. Would still be assuming that if not for the comments here.
All I care about in a phone is the camera and headphone jack, so I ordered one. Good move Google. I wasn't expecting to buy a phone for another 6 months or so.
I'm getting sick of these absolutely useless, Google-tracking devices. After several of my own repairs, my ~2 year old Sony/Android is flaking out (another problem with modern phones: their shitty lifespan which just contributes to e-waste) so I ordered a Nexus 5X and plan on switching to KDE Plasma. I hope it will force me to help write any apps that are missing for it to be my daily driver and help contribute to a truly open source eco-system.
I hope the Purism 5 and Pine Phone make it through their funding/pre-orders as well. We need more real alternatives to this garbage the two big players keep feeding us.
Microsoft should just offer to unlock all their devices. UEFI+ARM would be a great start for trying to get mainline Linux running on those devices.
I'd be perfectly happy with an iphone 7 having the iphone XR camera. I have zero use for a bigger screen, smaller bezels, faster processors etc. None. I call, read some websites and take pictures. I also want to be able to repair my screen very cheapl (No iPhone I owned has had less than 2 screen replacement due to drops).
I hope Apple will go this route too, but I'm not holding my breath - I think apples strategy to charge me $1k+ for my next iPhone camera is genius, because I'll probably do it.
iOS isn't dramatically better, but it is dramatically more consistent as far as an everyday phone goes. I still keep the Pixel 3 on Fi around, hooked up to my car because Android Auto hasn't been entirely ruined yet and CarPlay leaves a lot to be desired.
Does anyone know if the camera features work if you turn off the tracking bits? I realize I'm a bad data cow for kicking at the milking machine when I'm in the barn but it has become more painful for me of late.
The camera probably compares favourably with Nokia candybar-era DSLRs
You could ask why do any number of services that Google advertises as "phone features" not work when you disable Google's ability to track you? Google sells the data it collects, it is part of their revenue model, and the only way to enforce that you give it to them is to deny you access to things if you opt not to. It is of course their right to do so, and so they do. It just gets more and more egregious.
My favorite example is that Google won't let you save "places" in the Google Maps application if you don't turn on location services. Apple Maps can save your locations just fine, even my Garmin in-car Navigator with no Internet connectivity at all can do that. But Google won't let you, unless you accede to letting them milk your data for their own use.
So the S10e is only £669.00 in the UK inc. VAT? Are there any further discount from main-street retailers?
S10e - £669: https://www.samsung.com/uk/smartphones/galaxy-s10/buy/
Pixel 3a XL - £469: https://store.google.com/gb/config/pixel_3a
I'll probably use the 3a as my primary phone for a month so I get the $100 Fi credit on my account, then move back and put the Fi data-only SIM in the 3a.
Now I just need to sell the P1 and P1XL...
Today I still use my Pixel 1, but it's starting to drain battery a lot faster than what it used to a couple months ago and I'm probably going to buy a new iPhone this year again.
I've also started to rely less on Google since they started to become so unreliable in recent years. I don't use Chrome anymore (FireFox rocks again!), I use DuckDuckGo for search, I use Office365 instead of the G-Suite and I'm eyeing up a different Music provider as I think that Google Play will sooner or later get shut down too. The only things which I find difficult to replace is Google Drive and Google Cloud which I use for work related things. Funny how things quickly change and how much other products have caught up again so that the change hasn't been difficult at all so far...
So for normal use, its definitely a upgrade to a pixel 1, and a slight upgrade over the pixel 2.
having the sensor on the back means you cant quickly access your phone when its sat on your desk without picking it up. its such a small thing but it made a big difference. Plus unlocking it out and about was all sorts of precarious finger gymnastics.
Pixel 3a (1 more country than the Pixel 3 - +India)
Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States
iPhone XR
Albania, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Guernsey, Herzegovina, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Japan, Jersey, Kosovo, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, the UAE, UK, US and US Virgin Islands. Israel, Armenia, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Macau, Maldives, Myanmar, Ukraine and Vietnam.
Doesn't that covers 80% of the major market volume ex-China?
After all Google isn't exactly a hardware company, and it doesn't seem they want to be one either.
You're better off buying a used Pixel 2.
Plastic is only unpopular for social reasons -- it is seen as less "premium." But aside from that it is basically the ideal material for phones, light, durable, allows wireless charging, allows signal penetration, etc.
Oh, and not to mention the fact that everyone needs to put a plastic or rubber case on their metal or glass phone, so not only do people not get to see their "premium" materials on a day-to-day basis but also it's now significantly blown up in size.
If you look at military guns these days, almost all of them have polymer magazines. This is one of the reasons why.
https://support.google.com/photos/answer/6220791?co=GENIE.Pl...
Same as what happens when you switch to another non-Pixel phone.
I'm somewhat unlikely to notice battery life issues, though - my usage is very variable, and I charge a lot (combination of using android auto and habits from my previous phone)
I used the heck out of it in the Nexus 5 days, but got so used to plugging in my Pixel 1 in the interim that I hardly used it at all once I got the P3.
I wonder casue $1 = 1£ once again. So the $399 US price (net) becomes 399£ (gross) which is $522 atm.
There’s also county and city transit taxes. And if you are purchasing equipment from out of state and don’t pay sales tax, some localities charge a use tax which is a parallel system with its own rates and rules. Fun stuff!
For rough reference, is not uncommon to see 7% sales tax. Sometimes higher in bigger cities.
Mid-range phone and specs with a great camera.
Also if you're a google fi customer you can get a $100 credit, that drops the price substantially.
I have a legitimate reason. It only happened on one phone, but it validated my decision. If the phone fails to boot for whatever reason I can get most of my important data out. Photos and videos were all just fine on my trusty micro sd card, no spying cloud services required.
Today I find no phone can fully satisfy these criteria. Is 3a different? Let's wait a little bit for more extensive reviews.
It's certainly a far cry from my previous phone (Galaxy S6), which was dented and scratched within a month (maybe two? it's been a few years). I had to give in and buy a protective case for the S6, but I don't see that happening for the 3xl.
Chances are it's very dependent on what you do with your phone, as always. Mine sits on a desk/table or plugged into my car most of the time, and only ends up in my pocket (without keys!) when I'm walking somewhere.
Meanwhile, the OG XL still looks new.
Unfortunately the screen is still huge, even in the non "XL" version. I'd rather not move to something bigger than my iPhone SE.
This is bizzare. We have Apple/Samsung/Huawei/xiaomi stores on every corner somehow. At least they offer google search here.
It feels shortsighted that people are willing to buy phones that doesn't have replaceable batteries.
From an S6Edge+ perspective, if you're missing out the latest software updates and need an upgrade in the camera department, then go for it. Otherwise, there may be a better choices in the market or just go with a "premium" smartphone to future-proof for another 3-5 years.
Edit: spelling
they should atleast be within the 570 range. 650 is a bit of piss take.
also google support in Aus is terrible at best, had a dead nexus 5x , sent back for replacement had to pay for new phone, still fighting for a refund...
Why do these people complain and ask if they didn't want to know the answer?
You could literally replace that special marketing video at the top of the page [1] with any other Android / Google phone and I wouldn't even be able to tell the difference.
Just feels like a bunch of shiny blah without telling me anything useful. Might as well replace with a toaster. Maybe that's the point...
On a less critical note though, glad Google is pressing cheaper phones. The standard for a reasonable phone is all over town these days