Google has just made its grand entry into the midrange segment of smartphones with the introduction of two new smartphones. As expected we get a regular smartphone; the Google Pixel 3a and then the Google Pixel 3a XL which has somewhat been google’s tradition.
The Google Pixel 3a, which is the smallest of the two packing somewhat similar specifications., has a 5.6-inch OLED display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 SoC, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage and a 3,000mAh battery capacity with support for an 18W fast charging. Let’s find out more.
Google Pixel 3a Key Specs
- 5.6-inch OLED capacitive touchscreen, 1080 x 2220 Pixels
- Android 9.0 Pie, 4GB Of RAM
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 670, Octa-core 2.0GHz
- 64GB built-in storage
- A 12.2MP rear camera and 8MP selfie camera
- 3,000mAh non-removable battery
Google Pixel 3a Design And Display
Google Pixel 3a design looks like every other pixel device. However, to cut cost, the back here is made with plastic but still has the same patterns as other pixel devices. The back of the device is occupied by a single rear camera, dual-LED flash and a fingerprint sensor at the usual spot. The front is almost covered with a 5.6-inch OLED display which uses an 18:9 aspect ratio leaving enough room at the top and bottom for the front-facing camera and stereo speakers. The display is covered by asahi Dragontail Glass for screen protection.
The Google Pixel 3a weigh 147grams, measures 8.2mm in thickness and comes in three colour options; Clear White, Just Black and Purple-ish. It also has a single Nano SIM slot with no MicroSD card slot for additional storage.
Google Pixel 3a Camera Specs
One of the major selling points for this smartphone is perhaps the camera as Google has brought all its software goodness to this device. So you get the Google camera features which include but not limited to Night Sight, Top Shot, Super Res, HDR+ and more. As for the hardware, the rear camera is a single 12.2MP with an f/1.8 aperture and 28mm wide lens. It also has OIS, dual Pixel PDAF, dual-LED flash, HDR and Panorama. You can also shot 4k videos at 30fps and 1080p videos at 30/60/120fps
For selfies, there is a single 8MP front-facing camera with an f/2.0 aperture, 24mm wide lens. It also has HDR and can shot 1080p videos at 30fps as well.
Hardware and Software
Google opted for the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 SoC which is one of the newer SoCs from Qualcomm. The SoC is built on a 10nm manufacturing process technology and comes with 8 cores clocked at 2.0GHz paired with an Adreno 615 GPU. This is connected to 4GB of RAM for multitasking and 64GB of internal storage for files. There is also no MicroSD card slot so storage here isn’t expandable. As expected, the Google Pixel 3a runs pure stock Android 9.0 Pie out of the box and is guaranteed of two years worth of Updates and 3 years worth of security patches.
Battery & Network Connectivity
The battery powering the Google Pixel 3a is rated at 3,000mAh and supports up to 18W fast charging. It also supports the USB Power Delivery 2.0 standard. Charging as well as file transfer is done through the USB Type-C port. Surprisingly, there is a 3.5mm jack here so no need for a dongle. Other features of the Google Pixel 3a includes 4G LTE connectivity, dual-band WiFi, WiFi hotspot, WiFi direct, Bluetooth, GPS and NFC for payment.
Google Pixel 3a Price and Availability
Google Pixel 3a has a starting price of $399 and is already available in various countries where Google sell their phones except for India. Indians will be able to get the device starting May 15 when it gets to their country. It is expected to cost about N155,000 in Nigeria
Google Pixel 3a Full Specifications
Design
- Dimension: 151.3 x 70.1 x 8.2 mm
- Material: Front glass/glass body
- Weight: 147g
- SIM: Single Nano SIM
Display
- Type: OLED Capacitive touchscreen
- Size: 5.56-inch
- Screen Resolution: 18:9, 1080 x 2220 pixels, 441
- Multi-touch: Yes
Software and performance
- Operating System: Android 9.0 Pie
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 670, Octa-core 2.0GHz
- RAM: 4GB RAM
- Internal Storage: 64GB
- Card Slot: No
Camera
- Primary: 12.2MP with f/1.8 – dual-LED flash, HDR, Panorama, OIS, dual Pixel PDAF
- Secondary: 8MP with f/2.0 – HDR
Network and Connectivity
- WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual band, WiFi direct, hotspot
- Network 2G: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
- 3G: 2100 MHz
- 4G: Yes
- Bluetooth: Yes 5.0 with A2DP, LE, aptX HD
- USB: Yes, USB Type-C
- Loudspeaker: Yes
- Audio Jack: Yes
- Fingerprint Sensor: Yes (rear-mounted)
- NFC: Yes
- GPS: Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO
- Sensors: Gravity, Proximity and Light Sensor
Battery
- Capacity: 3,000mAh Removable
- Type: Li-Po
- Fast Charging: Yes, 18W, USB PD 2.0
- OTG Support: Yes
Price and Availability
- Recommended Retail Price: $399
- Availability: Available
