Google released the Pixel 3a in April and it entered the market with one of the best smartphone cameras attached to a low price.
To help you decide whether to buy one, here is a comprehensive overview of the Google Pixel 3a pros and cons:
Pulse 2.0 Score: 5 out of 5 Stars
The Google Pixel 3a has received a Pulse 2.0 Score of 5 out of 5 stars. The reason why the score is high is due to the lower price, high-quality camera, and impressive specifications.
1. Pro: Low Price
The Google Pixel 3a has a starting price of $399 — which gives consumers an amazing bang for their buck.
2. Pro: Beautiful Display
The Google Pixel 3a’s 5.6-inch display is OLED-based so the colors pop and it features deeper blacks. And it has excellent color accuracy so you can still see the display clearly inside and outside.
3. Pro: Favorable Size
The size of the Pixel 3a is very favorable as it is not too small and not too large. It should fit well in phone wallets and the pockets of your pants. Specifically, the size of the Google Pixel 3 is 6 inches (length) x 2.8 inch (width) x 0.3 inch (height).
4. Pro: High-Quality Cameras
The rear camera on the Google Pixel 3a is essentially the same as the one that is on the original Pixel 3. However, the Pixel 3a only has one front-facing camera rather than dual cameras that the original Pixel 3 devices.
The back of the Google Pixel 3a features a 12.2-megapixel sensor and f/1.8 aperture. The photos are sharply detailed and the colors do not look overly saturated. And the dynamic range is also very impressive.
Google Pixel 3a is able to handle Portrait Mode with one camera rather than two. And the Google Pixel 3a is one of the best devices to take Portrait Modes with.
Plus Google added a new camera feature called Night Sight, which is a mode that uses artificial intelligence to take better pictures at night especially in low light conditions.
There are four presets of zoom including Super Res, 2x, 4x, and 6x. And the Top Shot feature also ensures that you capture the best version of your photo. This feature takes multiple photos and you can swipe on the one you like the mode, which is similar to how burst mode works.
5. Pro: USB-C Charger
As the Pixel 3a has a USB-C charger, it is able to quickly charge the battery. And since USB-C cables have more power, it also has a high transfer speed.
6. Pro: Headphone Jack
One of the advantages that the Pixel 3a has over other smartphones and the original Pixel 3 is that it has a headphone jack. This would be especially for those of you who want to listen to the device using wired headphones.
7. Pro: Call Screening AI
The Google Pixel 3a has some of the most powerful AI features built into a smartphone. For example, the Call Screening feature utilizes Google Assistant to prevent you from answering calls from telemarketers.
This feature allows Google Assistant to answer calls for you and you can see a live transcription of what the caller is saying. Then you can find out whether the person on that end of the call is a telemarketer or someone you want to hear from.
8. Pro: Google Duplex Feature
The Google Duplex feature makes it possible for you to have the Google Assistant book a table or make an appointment for you automatically using the power of artificial intelligence.
9. Pro: Now Playing Feature
The Now Playing feature on the Google Pixel 3a makes it easier to learn more about the music you hear around you. And you can have your Pixel 3a automatically identify a song. This can be done by going to Settings > Now Playing > Turn on Show songs on lock screen.
10. Con: No Expandable Memory
Unfortunately, you cannot expand the storage on your device with a microSD card.
11. Con: Storage Maxed At 64GB
The only storage option for the Pixel 3a is 64GB.
12. Con: No Wireless Charging
The Pixel 3a lacks wireless charging features
13. Con: Lower Power Chipset
The Pixel 3a features a lower power chipset (Snapdragon 670) compared to the original Google Pixel 3.
14. Con: Does Not Come With Pixel Buds
The Galaxy 3a does not come with Pixel Buds
What are the Google Pixel 3a specifications?
Here is an overview of the Google Pixel 3a specifications:
Operating System: Latest Android 9 Pie with Google Assistant
Display: Fullscreen 5.6-inch display, FHD+ (2220 x 1080) OLED at 441ppi, 18.5:9, always-on display, 100,000:1 super contrast ratio, full 24-bits depth or 16 million colors, true black level, D67 Whitepoint
Dimensions and Weight: Length: 6.0 in (151.3 mm), Width: 2.8 in (70.1mm), Height: 0.3 in (8.2 mm) / Weight 147 g
Colors: Clearly White, Just Black, Purple-ish
Rear Camera: 12.2-megapixel dual-pixel, 1.4μm pixel width, Autofocus + dual pixel phase detection, Optical + electronic image stabilization, f/1.8 aperture, Field of view: DFoV: 76° — Video: 1080p @ 30fps, 60fps, 120fps / 720p @ 30fps, 60fps, 240fps / 4K @ 30fps
Front Camera: 8-megapixel, 1.12μm pixel width, ƒ/2.0 aperture, fixed focus, 84° field of view — Video: 1080p @ 30fps, 720p @ 30fps, 480p @ 30fps
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 / 2.0GHz + 1.7GHz, 64Bit Octa-Core / Adreno 615 / Titan M security module
Memory And Storage: 4GB LPDDR4x RAM / 64GB storage
Media & Audio: Stereo speakers
Battery: 3000 mAh battery — USB-C 18W adapter with USB-PD 2.0, 18w fast charging
Wireless & Location:
Wireless: Wi-Fi 2.4GHz + 5.0GHz 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0 + LE, NFC, Google Cast
Location: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo
Sensors: Active Edge, Proximity / Ambient light sensor, Accelerometer / Gyrometer, Magnetometer, Pixel Imprint – back-mounted fingerprint sensor for fast unlocking, Barometer, Android Sensor Hub, Haptics
Ports: USB Type-C USB 2.0, Single Nano SIM, 3.5mm audio jack
AR/VR: AR Core
Network:
3xCA, DL 4×2/2×2 MIMO
Supports up to CAT 11 (up to 600Mbps DL, CAT 5 75Mbps UL)
Models G020A / G020E
GSM/EDGE: Quad-band (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
UMTS/HSPA+/HSDPA: Bands 1/2/4/5/8
CDMA EVDO Rev A: BC0/BC1/BC10
LTE: Bands 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/17/20/25/26/28/32/38/40/41/66
Models G020C/G020G
GSM/EDGE: Quad-band (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
UMTS/HSPA+/HSDPA: Bands 1/2/4/5/8
CDMA EVDO Rev A: BC0/BC1/BC10
LTE: Bands B1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/14/17/20/25/26/28/29/30/38/40/41/66/71
eSIM
Want to buy the Google Pixel 3a? You can buy one here:
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