In adverse lighting conditions, the phone pops up a reminder to use the Night Sight mode. But I am the fool. You may notice that the Pixel 3A doesn’t have dual or triple cameras on the front or back. The Pixel 3a XL can easily last a full day of use and I regularly managed to hit 7+ hours of screen-on-time. Even today, the top-end Pixel 3 ships with just 4GB of RAM and that’s exactly the amount of RAM you get on the Pixel 3a XL as well.

Information about your device and internet connection, including your IP address, Browsing and search activity while using Verizon Media websites and apps. It's the first extra-large Pixel you can afford. Fused stabilization using OIS and EIS does a very good job and the footage looks sharp and mostly free of noise. Engadget is part of Verizon Media. It’s a guessing game whether you’re actually walking the right way, or if that street is the right street. $8.88 $ 8. Add. Opening a large PDF took a few more seconds than I’m used to on a higher-end phone. In fact, thanks to its camera, it’s the first phone I’ve used in some time that really wowed a few people. Like the standard Pixel 3, the OLED displays on both models do not stretch to the top or bottom of the phone. Using the feature, you will be able to get direction information overlaid on top of a map of your surroundings. Please also consider subscribing to WIRED. Gets three years of updates from Google. In addition to the quality of the screen itself, the haptics also stood out to me. It lets you hold up your phone, scans the buildings it sees, realizes where you are, and paints big arrows the direction you should go. The Google Pixel 3a XL is equipped with a 6-inch OLED display. You’ll find the same Pixel Imprint fingerprint sensor here as on the Pixel 3/XL, and the same single camera module. WIRED is where tomorrow is realized. The bundled 18W USB-PD-compliant wall charger can speedily charge up the phone. Look towards the top of the phone and you’ll be in for a surprise. The lack of the Pixel Visual Core also plays a role in increasing photo processing time in third-party apps. It’s official!

I wish I would have had AR then. The front-facing camera can capture great-looking shots but there is a noticeable reduction in quality compared to the selfies shot on the flagship Pixels. Would you consider buying one? Colors are natural looking and there’s next-to-no noise, as you would expect from a top-tier camera. Again though, I wish it had more to it. You may not even need a case with the Pixel 3A. No matter which way you look at it, the Pixel 3a XL does not offer the most value as far as specifications are concerned. Pixel 3a XL no sound from bottom speaker. Even on airplane mode, it picked up a few random songs I played—old ones, too, like “3 a.m.” by Matchbox Twenty. The Pixel 3a XL distills the flagship experience to a much more palatable price point. They’re also 1080p, not 1440p, so there are a few less pixels on each display than some expensive phones. There is a bit more noise, the frame of view is lower and images are just a bit softer on details. Full-Screen 6.0" display with advanced camera. The phone sports the same rear-camera module as the full-blown Pixel 3, and other than slower processing, there is practically no difference in image quality between the two phones. And that is something not many glass-and-metal slabs can claim to achieve. For everything you need to know about the upgrade 5G model, be sure to …. I wish I could ask it to check a song.

To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. Our Pixel 3a XL review unit was running build number PD2A.190115.029. I suspect the black variant might fare better. The new ability to swipe to the side to scroll through recent apps has made it much easier to copy and paste between apps. Google Maps has always worked great in a car. ... Device Performance, Google Pixel 3a XL. Typing on the Pixel 3a XL is a very pleasurable experience. This is normal on some cheaper phones. songs, but sometimes it just doesn't pick up a song, even if it was a hit, and there isn't a great reason why. To enable Verizon Media and our partners to process your personal data select 'I agree', or select 'Manage settings' for more information and to manage your choices. While the phone usually managed things well, there were a few occasions when the music player force closed when I launched an additional app or the Twitter app would load up from scratch. That said, there is something almost endearing about the design and the perfectly weighted build makes using the Pixel 3a XL a joy. This is way too low, and, after restoring my phone backup, I was left with under half that. The Google Pixel 3a XL just dropped. Prices for the phone vary drastically depending on the market, but one thing is for sure, if specifications are a key buying criterion for you, the Pixel 3a XL will almost certainly not cut it. Google is quick to point out that it does this all internally on the device. I tried running PUBG on the phone and performance was more than satisfactory. The premium materials and excellent ergonomics go a long way in making sure that the Pixel 3a XL is comfortable to hold and use. This helps support our journalism. Google doesn't think a phone needs to be $1,000 in order to be premium. The camera is phenomenal and unmatched by any phone at Pixel 3a XL’s price point, and even higher. We recommend those in search of a low-cost phone to consider its successor, the Pixel 4a.

The XL does have a larger battery, but both seem to last about a day in my testing—about average for a 2019 phone. You realize the outside needs to be customized. Since this is a Pixel phone that always gets the latest and greatest version of Google’s Android operating system (most Android phones don’t), along with monthly security updates, Google decided to debut a couple notable features. There is support for eSIMs too. There is a very slight saturation bump in the images, but it tends to give the final result an almost film-like character. You can buy the phones in three colors: black, white, and “purple-ish.” Yeah, that’s an actual color choice. You customize every aspect of the OS, down to the icons. Call Screening is another feature unique to the Pixel series. If you search for "Now Playing," you can find a hidden app that lets you see every song your phone has logged. The right side has the power button and volume rocker within easy reach. Sprint support pages are available for existing Sprint accounts here. I also worry that Google has deeper ad-targeting motives for wanting to record every song that has ever played near me. Google’s affordable Pixels definitely cannot compete with the stunning designs being put out by Android OEMs in this regard.

If they’re important to you, the new Galaxy S10 Plus has them all for double the price. The Pixel 3a XL delivers that as well. Sadly, there’s no wireless charging (no waterproofing either, just resistance to dust and rain), but Google includes fast-charging USB C, which is what I tend to use most of the time anyway. A large 3,700mAh battery cell paired with a lower-resolution display and a more frugal processor means that the phone comfortably lasts a full day of extensive use.

The Pixel 3 XL has a 6.3-inch display, whereas the 3a XL measures in at 6 inches. The Pixel 3a XL gets all the software goodies Google introduced on the Pixel 3, including Top Shot, Photobooth mode, and the much-vaunted Night Sight feature. However, a spec sheet does not make a phone. Community content may not be verified or up-to-date. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Your Privacy Controls.

Low-light results are fantastic as well, with ample detail and limited noise. The massive bezels along the top, bottom, and even the sides are not doing the phone any favors. Compare Pixel 3a XL by price and performance to shop at Flipkart Half the price of a high-end phone. Cameras rock, and Night Sight produces the best night shots I’ve seen. Only you know what your own dealbreakers are, but if they aren’t wireless charging and full IP68 waterproofing (this can handle splashes, possibly more), then let’s talk. That's a remarkable feat, given those other phones each have two rear cameras to lean on. Box contents vary a bit across territories, but in India, the phone ships with earbud-style earphones in the box. Looks, works, and feels like plenty premium. Google’s HDR algorithms are some of the best in the industry and the Pixel 3a XL is able to capture images with excellent dynamic range. It sometimes lightens the sky too much, and group shots tend to look like they were taken with a mild flash on. The phone compensates for the lack of a “regular” camera by cropping into the frame. The Pixel 3a XL takes the best of what Google’s flagships have to offer and brings it to a much more palatable price point. Upvote (18) Subscribe Unsubscribe. My time with the phone seems to confirm their claim. Secretly, I hoped to make a fool of Google for calling it purple at all. Additionally, it is possible to schedule dark mode or change phone status using rules-based profiles. All in all, Now Playing isn’t fully baked. Doesn’t slip, slide, or break quite as easily as phones with a glass back. An interesting feature that has carried down from the higher-end Google Pixels is Active Edge. I’ve spent a full week using the Google Pixel 3a XL as my primary smartphone. This is a phone designed for regular people who just want a phone that can capture great memories, deliver solid battery life, and will last them a good few years. Is the Pixel 3a what Google Pixel should have been from the start. The Google Pixel 3a XL makes for a great big-screened Pixel 3 alternative, without the price tag.

Like the Pixel 3, the 3A phones also have Night Sight, a complete game changer for low-light photography.

While I don’t expect Google to add a microSD card slot to their phone, a higher storage variant would have been more than welcome. These new features will also come to the standard Pixel 3 soon. Our testing revealed peak brightness levels of just over 400nits, which isn’t all that great for a premium smartphone. Currently, this has to be done separately through an app like Shazam or Google Assistant. There’s a single camera on each side. Its shots looked as good as—sometimes even better than—the Galaxy S10e and LG G8 on a shootout I did the other day. In terms of performance, the CPU performance of the chipset lies just below that of the Snapdragon 675. 88. All rights reserved. The phone ships with Android Pie and the March 5 security patch.

Google Pixel 4 Add. Also unique and new to the Google Pixel 3a XL and the broader Pixel series is support for AR in Google Maps. Shooting in strong sunshine, the phone managed to evenly light up the lifeguard while preserving the highlights on the water. Pricing, of course, is relative. They aren’t the most stylish, but they can snap one helluva night shot. The entire experience has been polished to a sheen and I’m yet to run across a single stutter or lag. There are, of course, some caveats to using a mid-tier chipset. While the 3a retains most of the major software features of Pixel phones, there is one notable omission. The phone sports the same rear-camera module as the full-blown Pixel 3 flagship. It may survive light falls and it doesn’t suicide-slide off tables and counters like some of the slippery phones right now.

I used the phone on Airtel’s network in Delhi as well as in Goa.

The phone is able to recognize buildings and surroundings and overlay visual signs over them. It’s definitely a missed opportunity to promote the Pixel Stand alongside the phone. The OnePlus 7 delivers a lot more punch as far as hardware is concerned for not much more money. Stunning camera Excellent battery life Well optimized for performance Three years of updates, Price 4GB RAM is limited 64GB storage is too little in 2019. The power button and volume buttons are well placed on the right side and there's a headphone jack up top, unlike many expensive phones, including the standard Pixel 3. Dropping wireless charging support as a cost-cutting measure might also be disappointing to some. Even in May 2020, the Pixel 3a XL presents excellent value.