Pixel 3a(blog.google)
blog.google
Pixel 3a
https://blog.google/products/pixel/io-pixel-3a/
330 comments
> * 3a has a headphone jack. Personally, I adjusted pretty well to Bluetooth headsets but some people really appreciate the jack.
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.
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.
And they even had the audacity to tease Apple about the headphone jack being still present on the 1st Pixel just to remove it themselves on the 2nd and 3rd.
If your hand is forced to go wireless I can recommend the Fiio BT receivers. You can keep using your favourite headphones, sounds pretty good, far cheaper than BT headphones.
https://www.fiio.com/bluetooth_products
https://www.fiio.com/bluetooth_products
But then I have to charge it.
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.
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.
That’s why I said “If you are forced”.
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.
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.
>Support for Bluetooth 5.0 and SBC/AAC/aptX/aptX LL audio codecs
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.
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 BTR3 supports aptX HD. This is the slightly larger model. It can also be used as a DAC when plugged into your computer.
The smaller one doesn’t support some codecs but it is really cheap, like 30USD.
The smaller one doesn’t support some codecs but it is really cheap, like 30USD.
Nice. I was thinking about getting an independent DAC. This solves a couple of problems for me.
A nice pair of bluetooth headphones makes a pretty big different. I got a HD 4.40BT, and it's very good. Battery life is impressive and charges quickly. I can skip tracks, pause, adjust volume without taking out my phone. I don't have to dig into my pocket when I want to listen to something. Audio quality is not noticeably different from my wired headphones at a similar price. It does mean that I have 4 pairs of headphones relegated to desktop and piano use, but the convenience factor was well worth it to me.
https://en-us.sennheiser.com/wireless-headphones-bluetooth-h...
https://en-us.sennheiser.com/wireless-headphones-bluetooth-h...
>I got a HD 4.40BT, and it's very good.
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?
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?
> Battery life is impressive
How long is that with a brand new battery?
How long is that with a brand new battery?
Easily 4-5 days without recharging, with consistent use throughout the day. Official estimate is 25 hours of continuous use, I get around 20.
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.
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.
Meanwhile, 20 hours would be irritating to me on long days, and 10 hours (probably a few hundred cycles/less than a year) would interrupt my work and concentration daily. Just goes to show how the inconvenience varies between people.
It is not impressive, but it is acceptable (considering I never need to charge mine).
I agree with you here. I am also negative on loss of the headphone jack, but switching to primarily wireless audio has had quite a bit of network-effect positive benefits.
I can skip tracks, pause, adjust volume without taking out my phone
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.
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.
The wired earbuds on my minidisc even had a little inline screen to display the current track.
Aww man, that just took me down memory lane. Minidisc was, imo, the peak of portable music players. Huge capacity, swappable/tradeable media, excellent sound quality, the little inline screen you mentioned. A quick Amazon search shows they're still available.
There are still simple MP3 players around, with SD card slots.
So you can have lots of music with you ... and have a smaller device and be able to jump around with it
So you can have lots of music with you ... and have a smaller device and be able to jump around with it
Three button inline controls usually gets you pause, volume up and volume down. This is essentially 5 buttons: pause, forward, back, volume +, volume -. Sure there are probably wired headphones that have the same control capability, but I've encountered them rarely if ever.
I have literally never encountered a 3 button wired headphone that didn't have that capability. I have gone through many due to heavy usage.
And I've gone through at least three 3-button headphones that have only worked with volume and pause. I suppose one could use the volume for track control with some sort of special logic, like a longer button hold. But I've never encountered that. The Bluetooth headphones I have actually has another set of capabilities which is to not only skip or go back in terms of tracks but also fast forward and rewind within a track - very useful for podcasts.
The standard iPhone headphones since the 1g support all those. Click to pause, double click for forward, triple click for back. Long press on the second or third click for rewind/fast forward.
It's usually long hold or double/triple tap and you get track forward/back. The iPhone buds do it for example. You probably never read the manual :)
5 logical buttons with 3 physical buttons was something of a standard since time immemorial - the volume+/- buttons doubled up as next/previous when you held them.
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Adding a battery to something that didn’t have one previously literally decimated the expected time until it ends up in a landfill/the ocean.
Reduced it by %10? I think you might un-xaggerating! I agree with the sentiment however.
I think it's valid to describe a reduction to 1/10th as a literal use of "decimate", even if it doesn't match historical usage.
Did you really mean 'literally decimated'? See the Roman history that led to this word. I share the disambiguation to show other uses: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decimation
For an actual set of headphones with a decent size battery, they can still be useful for many years even if the capacity drops to 50%. Tiny things like AirPods are crazy though. When they're brand new the battery life is barely enough, when they're a year or two old it sounds like a giant nuisance.
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???"
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???"
And for a comparison point versus real headphones, Sony’s USB-C charged WH-1000XM3 is rated for 30 hours with noise cancellation on, 38 hours without. But those aren’t something I’d carry around all the time, so I’m happy to keep using wired earbuds where battery life isn’t even a question.
It's telling that the marketing page doesn't highlight the headphone jack even though it's a feature that most people want and most reviewers note. They don't want to admit that they "bravely" (stupidly) jumped off a bridge twice in a row with the Pixel 2 and Pixel 3 just because their supposed competitor did it.
That's what I thought too, but then I just bought enough $10 usb-c to headphone dongles for all of the headphones I usually use (one at home, one at work one in the car and one in my backpack). iPhone dongles work on the Pixel too.
Sucks to have to pay $40 just to restore the functionality of the headphone jack, but kept it from being a dealbreaker.
Sucks to have to pay $40 just to restore the functionality of the headphone jack, but kept it from being a dealbreaker.
I don't particularly trust them though. instead of just audio, some cheap dongle maker gets full USB access to my phone
Doesn't your phone limit that unless you tell it otherwise? Or do you just mean it has physical bus access?
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2014/07/this-...
USB is fundamentally broken and insecure. It simply isn't possible to keep a bad actor who plugs in from hijacking your system ports.
USB is fundamentally broken and insecure. It simply isn't possible to keep a bad actor who plugs in from hijacking your system ports.
So true! When I got my Pixel 2 XL I wanted to bite my a for not having checked for a jack upfront. It kind of works with an adapter, I still prefer jacks so.
Maybe you should re-evaluate this position, if it's severely limiting your phone selection.
The 670 is a far bigger downgrade than you indicate. Yes it's "only" 20% slower from a pure clock speed perspective, but performance is more like half.
It's also missing the IP68 certification - after having a waterproof-ish phone, I would never go back.
It's also missing the IP68 certification - after having a waterproof-ish phone, I would never go back.
How does it compare to the OG Pixel or the Nexus 5?
3a to N5:
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.
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.
I loved my N5 to death until it fell victim to the power button issue - I’m tempted by this but concerned by the 670.
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.
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.
Original Pixel: dual-core 2.15 GHz + dual-core 1.6 GHz
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.
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.
You can compare the phones here: https://store.google.com/magazine/compare_pixel
Do most mobile users encounter applications where processor speed is the limiting factor? Almost all smartphone usage in my experience is bottle necked by network IO. I don't really use my phone for gaming or anything intensive - I guess people expect their phones to run Fortnite these days so maybe processor speed is more important.
> I don't really use my phone for gaming or anything intensive
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.
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.
Loads of chromebooks ship with Rockchip processors sporting A17 chips at 1.7GHz. They can do all those web things just fine. The A73 at 2.0GHz will blow that performance away.
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.
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.
Sure but then primary computer for most people don't need that much computing power. It's mostly about documents and communication. People who really need more processing power are either tech/gaming enthusiasts or professionals, and for sure this device isn't aimed for them.
It's been fun watching this line be repeated for 30 years without getting more correct.
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.
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's been fun watching this line be repeated for 30 years without getting more correct.
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.
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.
It seems like for every desktop user who's still on a Sandy Bridge or whatever, there's a user asking for N*2 RAM where N is the maximum currently amount of memory available in a laptop.
I find that both statements are correct. 10-year old processors are still fast enough (I'm using one) but we need more RAM in 2019 than we needed in 2010.
There aren't many benchmarks yet, but the Snapdragon 670's performance is roughly between the Snapdragon 821 and 835, which were the flagships just 3 and 2 years ago.
> It's been fun watching this line be repeated for 30 years without getting more correct.
The average user can comfortably use a 5 year old pc even today, ofcourse with an SSD upgrade.
The average user can comfortably use a 5 year old pc even today, ofcourse with an SSD upgrade.
Even a 10 year old PC (assuming it wasn't low-end at time of purchase), with a SSD, is still good enough for most people.
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.
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.
Do most mobile users encounter applications where processor speed is the limiting factor?
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.
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.
I do regularly game on my phone, and I'm still quite happy with a three-year-old iPhone 6s. The vast majority of mobile games don't require advanced specs, and even if I played Fortnite I wouldn't play it on a damn phone.
Apple has been multiple generations ahead of Qualcomm in both graphics and processing for years and years. That's not really a valid comparison.
Apple chips actually fall behind current Qualcomm chips in most GPU benchmarks now. They still have a lead in core CPU performance but the gap there has narrowed considerably.
>Apple chips actually fall behind current Qualcomm chips in most GPU benchmarks now
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.
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.
Which iPhone would the 3a be comparable to? I have a couple years old iPhone SE and never had performance issues.
But not modems. They're still the top there, and competitors seem unable to beat them; can any one provide insight as to why? Maybe Apple will do in-house development and succeed with that.
Doesn’t Qualcomm protect their modems with a giant firewall of patents? I’d wager it’s hard to make a good modem without violating (or being forced to license) at least a few of their patents.
Modems are hard.
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.
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.
yes
I mainly use my smartphone to browse web/reddit and for uber/lyft. The drop in performance doesn't really matter when you compare it to the price drop.
Is there a site that has benchmarks of mobile SoCs? I've been using notebookcheck.net, but it doesn't seem like it has benchmarks for the SD 670.
I think this looks like a better deal when you compare it to the flagships but you have to remember that flagship prices have been exploding and midrange has thriving competition.
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.
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.
Pocophone F1?
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.
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.
Is there actual evidence of wrongdoing on Xiaomi's part? If they're abusing my data it should be trivial to verify by MITMing my device. Can you point to someone who has done this and found something?
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.
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.
It is supported by LineageOS, at least[1]. I have been using one as a daily driver for the past week, and though the hardware is nice otherwise, the band support in the US is poor.
1: https://download.lineageos.org/beryllium
1: https://download.lineageos.org/beryllium
Here's how I look at it:
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.
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.
There's also this company called "Apple" you might want to look into, if privacy is relevant to you. ;)
No root. I prefer owning things to leasing them.
You have to trust them, though.
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?
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?
The Pixel camera is the one feature that's not available in other mid-range devices.
That said, a lot of people (myself included) buy Google flagship phones because they get Android OS and Google Service upgrades (like Assistant) the fastest. Many of us have been burned by other Android vendors who put a layer of turd on top of stock Android.
That's a good point, but there are other vendors, like the reborn Nokia, that use stock Android One, no crap on top. And these come with the latest stock Google Android OS, (oreo, milkshake, fries, whatever the latest one is) and upgrades.
You essentially pay for the software upgrade gurrantee by Google.
The point of a flagship phone is to push the envelope, not compete with midrange devices. If someone else is filling the midrange niche better than Google I don't really see a problem, buy that phone instead. Google can better differentiate with a flagship and by doing so pushes the rest of the industry forward on features. These features that were costly to develop will later propagate to midrange.
I have yet to have a satisfactory Bluetooth experience even after spending a bunch on what was supposed to be an okay set (Jabra Sport Elite). I'm not extremely picky with earphones. I normally use $10 Panasonic earbuds. The audio quality of any Bluetooth headset I've ever used isn't just bad: it's painful. I'm a little bit amazed at how much other people seem to accept in terms of degraded quality for loosing a little wire and I'm wondering if I just have really bad luck.
This sounds like bad luck to me, but who knows. I use a pair of over-ear noise canceling bt headphones, and they sound just fine. I wouldn't call them amazing, but I'm not sure I can tell the difference between them and any other sub $100 headphones.
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?
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?
Thanks for the breakdown. One other thing missing on the 3a is water/splash resistance.
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.
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.
also on a 5x which I love, but which is showing its age. Likely to also upgrade to a 3a
I got my 3a today and it is an amazing upgrade from the 5x. Everything is buttery smooth (the 5x does not come close) and the camera is definitely at least an order of magnitude better.
Here's the same picture of my cat from each phone to demonstrate:
5x: https://i.imgur.com/MNtfXQF.jpg
3a: https://i.imgur.com/YGxldxb.jpg
Here's the same picture of my cat from each phone to demonstrate:
5x: https://i.imgur.com/MNtfXQF.jpg
3a: https://i.imgur.com/YGxldxb.jpg
Serious question: why would I care about a faster processor, unless I plan to use my phone for something exceptionally demanding?
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.
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.
Sad to see so much gaslighting regarding processor speed. Of course SoC performance matters! The Verge has already reported a Pixel 3a “feels noticeably slower” than a Pixel 3. For years Android devices have lagged Apple’s mobile offerings and most desktop machines by up to 40% not only when it comes to benchmarks, but also in real world and JavaScript performance (…because it’s not like JS is used much these days is why you would care about a faster processor).
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.
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.
I'm really glad that it has a headphone jack but I wish they had placed it at the bottom. I'm nitpicking but after going from a Nexus to an iPhone (when they used to have headphone jacks) it just made sense to not see the cable dangling near the top of the display.
There's one thing you don't mention and it is very important for overall device performance: storage speed.
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.
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.
So the Pixel 3a XL loses out on resolution (the Pixel 3a does not... go figure) vs the Pixel 3 counterpart.
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.
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.
Isn't the 3 water resistant but the 3a is not? I don't have a water resistant phone, but that's actually a feature I wouldn't mind paying more for.
It probably has something to do with the headphone jack. It's hard to drill holes into something and make it water resistant.
My Moto x4 has a headphone jack, is water resistant, and sells for $120 currently (I paid $200 2 years ago).
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.
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.
I don't know anything about hardware. What's so different about a headphone jack verses a USBc port?
Nothing electrically that impacts waterproofing, but if the headphone jack straddles the front and back covers mechnical sealing will be harder. I think USB should actually be more difficult to waterproof, since there's more spaces for drops of water to stick vs a "hole", the pins are closer to make shorting easier, and there's higher voltages being passed over the pins when charging. The only thing I can think of is that surface tension of water would prevent droplets from forming in a tiny dense USB-C port and not so in a 3.5mm jack, but that's a bit of a stretch.
I have a LG V30+ that has USB-C and a head phone jack. It has glass front/back with a continuous metal edge band ( except for the antenna insulators). It has a IP68 waterproof rating. ( It's basically the same hardware as Pixel 2XL)
> 3a has a headphone jack.
Well, shit, I might have to buy one now.
Well, shit, I might have to buy one now.
Also, it loses the Pixel Visual Core that the Pixel 3(XL) has.
This seems like a major issue given they are doing more and more machine learning inference on-device and android is trying to standardize on a framework for on-device ML inference.
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?
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?
No and no. It doesn't contain a hardware accelerated ML inference chip. The Qualcomm 670 chipset used with the 3a includes the Qualcomm Hexagon 685 DSP which provides vector processing acceleration for ML workloads, so also not just GPU.
> * 3a only has one front facing camera instead of dual front cameras.
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!
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!
It has image stabilization and a less flare-prone design than the Pixel 1's camera which looks directly through the back glass.
Note that this is the front camera, which most people only use for video calling and selfies. Personally, I've never used the front camera, so it having only a single lens doesn't really matter to me. Any serious photography will probably be with the rear dual-lens camera.
To be clear there is only one lens on the rear of this pixel and every other pixel ever made. They have never had a dual-lens rear camera. The Pixel 3 had a front dual-camera but still just a single rear camera.
Ah, dumb mis-read on my part. Correct, that's a non-issue for us. Thank you!
The jack is back! Now I wish I hadn't bought the pixel 3 when it came out!
Glad to see the voice of reason prevailing.
Thanks to Pixel 3 discounts, the 3a is only $200 less (or 33%)
Difference is less even than that if you got it a couple of weeks ago. My Pixel 3 cost $450, and it's the 128GB. If I could have gotten the 64GB, it would have been only $400, which is the same price as the Pixel 3a?
What discounts are these?
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Pixel 3a will also be getting discounts, though. It's only launch and you can already get a $100 gift card at best buy with it
Is the 3a an upgrade or a downgrade from the Pixel 2? That's what I would like to know.
So close yet so far, alas. They had an opportunity to win the compact market in 2019 and they decided to go for 150mm+.
I'm seriously sad about this. It could have been my next phone for years if only they cut it by 10-12mm.
I'm seriously sad about this. It could have been my next phone for years if only they cut it by 10-12mm.
Does the 670 have the same AI compute capabilities than the 845 ? Newer Qualcomm chips include dedicated AI processor, which is probably what you would want for the next few years.
Screen is bigger on 3a (vs 3). Also there is no Visual Core on 3a.
What does the visual core do? Also it looks like the pixel 3a's GPU is downgraded to Adreno 615 from Adreno 630
on pixel 3.
https://en.wikichip.org/wiki/google/pixel_visual_core It would be interesting to compare photo/video performance between 3 and 3a (slower GPU, slower CPU, no dedicated Visual Core). Saying 'it has the same camera' in this case essentially means only the same lens and software.
Why aren't Xiaomi phones more popular in the US? This is basically a Redmi that costs $150. Don't they support the US bands?
Corporate racism mostly. I find it Ironic that people complain about the relationship between xiaomi and the chinese government but will not mention the fact the Google have been spying on their customers for years now. But somehow only foreign companies have nefarious motives.
This is frequently because people don't trust that there's not spyware in them. Whether there is or not, the Chinese government's control over businesses in its realm is stronger than the American government's, and even less transparent.
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>3a has a headphone jack. Personally, I adjusted pretty well to Bluetooth headsets but some people really appreciate the jack.
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.
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.
I would've preferred the much newer Snapdragon 675 with Cortex-A76 vs the A73 in the Snapdragon 670. Some Xiaomi phones have already launched with it for $200. But Google didn't seem to care enough for that change, despite the fact that the new chip also has much better ML performance, too.
How does the camera quality compare, especially Night Sight?
Check the Anandtech.com quick take. The gist is that the camera is the same. Startup is a bit slower, and so is special effects processing like HDR, and presumably Night Sight. But the image quality should be nearly identical to the Pixel 3/XL.
The price is nice, but what is the lifetime compared to something costlier. A S10+ cost almost twice as long, but if it lasts twice as long then it's a wash.
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.
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.
Apparently this phone doesn't use Gorilla Glass, but instead uses something called Dragontail glass [1] according to the Verge's review [2]. Tempted by the prospect of a great camera, a headphone jack, and an affordable phone, but there really doesn't seem to be much information about the glass out there.
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...)
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...)
From the articles I've read, the glass is less impact resistant.
I'm really excited to see Google return to this price point. I was distraught when they discontinued the Nexus line.
Too bad they haven't gone back to the size of the Nexus 4/5 though :/
Which is funny, because the Nexus 5 had a more pixel dense screen and supported wireless charging at a lower price point.
Motorola continues to carry this torch with it's G-series, near-stock, sub-$300 phones.
I would also consider Nokia (HMD global).
> 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!
> 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!
Nokias are bootlocked(nonstarter for me) and I'm not clear how reliable they are going to be on updates either.
Now older Motorola phones (e.g. G3) can no longer be unlocked: https://support.motorola.com/us/en/solution/MS87215
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.
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.
The Nokia phones are part of the Android One program which means the are guaranteed software updates for two years and monthly security updates for three years which is the same as the Pixel phones.
> 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.
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.
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.
> Motorola continues to carry this torch with it's G-series, near-stock, sub-$300 phones.
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.
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.
True, but my G5 Plus lags a lot at this point. It has always been noticeably slower than other higher-end phones. I am really tempted to get the new Pixel 3a.
I've had the same issue with my G5 plus... Apps, multitasking, camera, keyboard etc. are all significantly laggier than they used to be
I'm replacing my G4 with a 3a. The new G7 is $300 so the extra $100 for a better camera and slightly faster seems pretty worth it.
I would wait a little bit for more reviews, because it seems 3a has poor front speaker. Most of the phones have different problems with front speakers however (poor stereo balance). But I desperately need one with good stereo.
> Motorola continues to carry this torch with it's G-series, near-stock, sub-$300 phones.
They also come with almost non existent Android upgrades.
They also come with almost non existent Android upgrades.
Really? My wife has been getting very regular security upgrades on hers, and I'd been pleasantly surprised. (I'm almost always the one to trigger off any upgrade on her phone when I notice she's got one queued up waiting to install)
Meh. The latest available security patch for the Android 8.0.0 on my Moto Z Play which I purchased 2 years ago is the one of August 2018. Yes, I didn't purchase the phone directly at release date, but just a bit more than 1 year of security patches isn't great. It hurts even more because the hardware is incredibly sturdy and with the battery pack mod, charging woes have been a thing of the past.
EDIT: Wow, apparently they are still advertising and selling this model for which they haven't released a security update in almost a year!
EDIT: Wow, apparently they are still advertising and selling this model for which they haven't released a security update in almost a year!
My G4 Plus has been a tank. It survived a motorcycle trip through the Yukon mounted to the bars of my bike without any more protection from the elements than my windscreen.
I unlocked the bootloader but then never installed a ROM because the stock one is close enough to vanilla Android to keep me happy.
I unlocked the bootloader but then never installed a ROM because the stock one is close enough to vanilla Android to keep me happy.
The audio on my G4 plus died last year. It sounded like a common problem with no clear resolution. Plus they haven't updated it to Android 8.0.
GPS died on my G4 play after a year. Loved the phone otherwise.
The Moto x4 (no longer available, but it was until recently) is really nice. I hope there's an x5, in the future.
As long as you don't want to root it. Nothing but trouble there.
I want to use Google Pay, so rooting isn't an option for me. And, I don't want to spend all the time that a rooted device requires (when updates are available).
You can pretty well solve both of those with systemless root... if it works. It just crashed horribly for me.
Same here. I ended up buying an iPhone SE two years ago to replace my Nexus 5 because I did not want to spend $650 for a Pixel phone. While unfortunately it would be difficult for me to switch back to Android since I have an Apple Watch that I love using, I am very happy that Google has decided to return to the Nexus-style price point. I loved my Nexus 5, including its stock Android and its two years of updates from Google.
> it would be difficult for me to switch back to Android since I have an Apple Watch that I love
Vendor ecosystem lock-in triumphs again.
Vendor ecosystem lock-in triumphs again.
I'll be honest though, for a long time I resisted the Apple ecosystem because I used linux heavily and was an early adopter of Android... but in the general non-running smartwatch world, the competition from Android Wear is bleak. Pebble stood a chance, but we all know how that ended up.
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.
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 don't think it enables cool stuff. There's no reason why it has to be tied to be good. But if it is good, there's no reason for Apple not to tie them to squeeze the most out of it.
Well, lets look at Bluetooth itself as an example - an open standard that tries to enable cool stuff, but which is widely loathed as unreliable and a mess to develop for because all of the vendors got involved and tried to add their own special use cases / protocol variations / etc...
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.
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.
> closed ecosystems
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.
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.
not once have I noticed my samsung watch using bluetooth, it connects magically when its near the phone and disconnects when you leave it. Doesn't even matter what phone you use, you could get an iphone. Can't speak for android wear but bluetooth is a pretty invisible protocol, especially when it comes to wearables.
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.
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.
I think this is more a case of design-by-committee going haywire. It's orthogonal to whether the protocol itself is open or closed, though.
I had just read this and then my colleague came over and showed me his Pixel 3a. I thought they just released it?! Turns out it was delivered in an hour and it was just ordered after the announcement. Nice.
Wow! That's a great marketing tactic - Make sure it gets into as many hands as possible while the hype is still alive.
Wow where do you live?
SF Bay Area :-)
This was the service (from Google Store's checkout page): https://puu.sh/DpgdZ/e0c4d3a068.png - it came way earlier than the quoted 4pm.
This was the service (from Google Store's checkout page): https://puu.sh/DpgdZ/e0c4d3a068.png - it came way earlier than the quoted 4pm.
I plan to keep my iPhone 8 for a few years, but I sure hope Google sells a ton of these things so that others will start to target this price point aggressively. I don't see Apple doing it, but, hey, that's their cheese.
I'm not sure what you're talking about, this price point already has tons of competition. OnePlus, Pocophone, Huawei, Xiaomi and of course Samsung all have decent-spec phones in this price region.
I think the only complaint I have is that nobody else is putting nice cameras into these phones or giving them decent software support.
I think the only complaint I have is that nobody else is putting nice cameras into these phones or giving them decent software support.
> Pocophone, Huawei, Xiaomi
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.
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.
Yep, also no security features like the Titan M chip (it's effectively a Yubikey on device).
> nobody else is putting nice cameras into these phones
That's the differentiator.
> giving them decent software support
And that: stock Android and fast updates.
That's the differentiator.
> giving them decent software support
And that: stock Android and fast updates.
The timing is a bit odd. Why would you buy the Pixel 3a over a mint Pixel 3, which is about the same price (maybe even cheaper when adding taxes).
The only way these get close to the same price is if you aren't comparing apples to apples. A grey import 3 without taxes might get close to the official 3A from Google on launch day, but give it a month for stock to become more available and discounting to start and there'll be a significant price difference.
Apple thrives on exclusively. Not specs and features.
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 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.
I can't speak for anyone else but I certainly have never bought an Apple product to prove I can afford it. In emerging markets -- where the average buyer can't afford more than a cheap Android phone -- there might be some truth to this but in the US, iPhones aren't exactly "exclusive."
I'd agree that throway's case was overstated. That said, Apple has built up its brand as being one of "quality" and "high end." It's a similar brand perception as Cadillac. If you have one, people assume you have the money to afford nicer things. That happens whether you bought because of that or not, and Apple knows this. If they start competing on price, they will sooner lose their luxury status.
I don’t think if you see someone with an iPhone, you assume they have the money to buy nice things. I think the image Apple has built up works in the opposite way. If you see someone without an iPhone, you assume they only bought that product because they couldn’t afford an iPhone. That must be the only reasonable explanation, you think, because who would willing buy another brand (due to the perceived difference in quality).
They don't have to be exclusive to appear exclusive. You can find the same conversation popping up all the time about people being snobby about the color of their chat bubbles. "Think different" may as well mean "think like everyone else" today, but the company is built on that messaging and people eat it up.
I can see why it seems that way, but most people stick to Apple due to lock-in.
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.
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.
Where you see lock in, I see a well functioning ecosystem. The Apple Watch is probably the best product in its category. Same with iMessage. By all accounts I've read, AirPods are also how all BT headphones should work.
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.
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.
It's not very practical but Spotify does allow you to upload your own music:
- 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.
- 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.
Yeap, for me its all the nice iphone & macbook integration. Seamless copy paste, phone call notification, text message showing up...
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.
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.
Nah. We buy apple products because we got work to do and don't have time to fiddle with rooting our devices :)
I recommend iOS to friend and family, use LineageOS on an unlocked device personally for updates & features like Privacy Guard. Most people however just want a phone that works.
This is such nonsense.
(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.
(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.
They continue to sell last years model to capture the lower end.
I have an iPhone XS, but I’d probably downgrade to a pixel 3a and give my wife the XS, if google sold them in Denmark that is. They don’t even sell the pixel 3 yet though, so there is a fat chance of that.
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
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
Recently my old Google Nexus 5 phone quit after five years of dutiful service, so I went looking for a new phone. I was completely blown away by how competitive the Android world has become and much prices have come down.
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?
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?
Camera, the USP of the Pixels?
Software updates? The USP of Pixels and !Nexus?
A sleek version of Android?
No carrier/OEM bloat?
They (Huawei) don't have a good track record keeping their software up to date:
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...
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...
Considering GP was still using the Nexus 5 two years after Google dropped support for it, I doubt that matters too much to him.
Almost the exact same experience here... Though was a N5X not a N5 and the 9 lite was £120 but it's been a great phone for the money and gets updates with Pie coming in june/July. Bootloader is locked though so once updates stop it's recycle fodder and by then there might be a goog phone I like again.
The Verge says it feels noticeably slower
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
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
Samsung 670 would be slower than a flagship, and you can always get flagships on sale after a couple months for upto 1/2 off. Not sure the pixel is worth the money.
Glad to see some cheaper phones from Google. The Nexus 4 and 5 were the best phones I've had.
However, I still want a headphone jack and a smaller phone. I'll be riding out the original Pixel for as long as possible.
However, I still want a headphone jack and a smaller phone. I'll be riding out the original Pixel for as long as possible.
it has a jack.
I think you are in luck:
https://techcrunch.com/2019/05/07/the-headphone-jack-is-back...
I am on Nexus 6P and is still going strong for me.
I really liked my 6P, but I bought it used and started to find the battery life untenable before I hit the 2 year mark! Then the Pixel sale hit and I got a 64GB for $400.
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.
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.
I just got the battery replaced on my 6P for around $115 after almost 3 years of extensively using it and it performs like a brand new device now. I also like the Oreo more than Pie OS which my wife uses on her Pixel. So I just want to get through a couple of more years on 6P before I buy a new device. 6P has been the best $500 purchase for me so far.
It looks like it does indeed have a headphone jack.
https://techcrunch.com/2019/05/07/the-headphone-jack-is-back...
https://techcrunch.com/2019/05/07/the-headphone-jack-is-back...
They honestly don't realize how much of a feature that is. This is literally a kill if missing feature for me. I'm not due for a phone replacement yet, but when my device does end up reaching end of life I'll probably replace it with the successor of the 3a.
Thinking the same thing. I won't be buying another OG pixel if the 3a has the aux.
Whoops I didn't even notice since it seems like new phones don't have them. My mistake
The Nexii were so cool
I'm very disappointed in this new Google.
I'm very disappointed in this new Google.
Perhaps you could elaborate on why you think they are not cool?
How does the blog post not even mention the headphone jack?!?
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.
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.
I don't care about bezels or absurd amounts of RAM.
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.
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.
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Can I install a mainline Linux distro and KDE Plasma Mobile or Ubuntu Touch on it? Or is it all a big pile of kernel hacks and binary blobs?
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'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.
Pushing the premium camera in the mid-range phone is genius. It probably hurts their margins because fewer people will buy the higher spec model, but this is surely a response to the Apple lineup which is basically "to get an upgraded camera at all in your next iPhone, you need to pay twice as much as you did for your last one".
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.
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.
My experience with Android has been one of declining "helpfulness" and usability in general. I stuck with Android for a long time, (Nexus One - Pixel 3) but with every release Google made pure Android a little worse, and simultaniously made it just a little bit harder to work around the "new" Ad delivery technologies ("Features"). Google Now, the Google search bar, Hangouts with full SMS integration (those were the days), all lost to the Big-G's quest for Ad revenue.
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.
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.
Yes aren't those just features of the launcher? I am using Nova launcher and I don't think I can activate any Google feature with any gesture or button press.
I found 90% of my issues with Android were resolved by switching out the launcher. No more unhideable 'home' screen of toxic news and ads, no forced google search bar, and I can make it behave any way I want w.r.t. gestures (or not).
Ok the cynic in me hears: "Buy this $400 phone that becomes about as useful as a Nokia candy bar phone of old if you turn off Google Web and Location services."
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.
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 still works if you disable privacy bits on your Google account.
Why would the camera not work? You won't get unlimited storage, but you can buy a non-google photo backup service.
The camera probably compares favourably with Nokia candybar-era DSLRs
The camera probably compares favourably with Nokia candybar-era DSLRs
> Why would the camera not work? You won't get unlimited storage, but you can buy a non-google photo backup service.
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.
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.
Google camera needs Google play services. If you use aosp, you lose Google camera. You are free to use other camera apps, whose output will generally not be as good as Google camera's.
It doesn't seem competitive compared to Chinese phones (xiaomi, huawei, oneplus), is it? For instance a Xiaomi MI9 SE seems better value (dual sim, metal body, smaller with a bigger/better screen...).
Even Samsung... in the UK you can buy a S10e for cheaper than the 3A XL.
Is that some special discount on the S10e?
S10e - £669: https://www.samsung.com/uk/smartphones/galaxy-s10/buy/
Pixel 3a XL - £469: https://store.google.com/gb/config/pixel_3a
S10e - £669: https://www.samsung.com/uk/smartphones/galaxy-s10/buy/
Pixel 3a XL - £469: https://store.google.com/gb/config/pixel_3a
Interesting, that is news to me, has it always been like that for Samsung? I was always under the impression most Smartphone or Electronics devices has a 1:! US:UK/EU pricing due to VAT.
So the S10e is only £669.00 in the UK inc. VAT? Are there any further discount from main-street retailers?
So the S10e is only £669.00 in the UK inc. VAT? Are there any further discount from main-street retailers?
When it comes to price and pure hardware, nothing beats chinese phones, but the premium you're paying goes into better software and support.
2 years ago my Nexus 5x died and I struggled a lot to find a replacement. I finally bought the exact same Nexus 5x, that I'm still using. I'm glad they finally released the rightful heir of the 5x :)
I don't know if that was a good idea considering there is a soldering problem on the Nexus 5X which shorten its lifetime to around 2 years, CPUs just fail after some times. I preferred to take a Android One device since then, cheaper while being similar in speed. (Phones such as Nokia 6.1 and so on) but the Pixel 3a is nonetheless cool, hope it will don't have conception issues!
I hated that there was no real replacement. I'm on a honor 9 lite as a transition phone and it's been a worthy if flawed stand-in while I wait for the true N5X successor. (I'm not convinced the P3a is it though)
Why is Google completely unable/unwilling to do global roll-outs of their phones like everybody else does? Is it a production capacity problem or some sort of weird marketing strategy
I'm currently using a Pixel 3, but just ordered the 3a as my new "backup" phone (replacing my OG Pixel 1 and a P1XL I bought refurbished).
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...
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...
I just got a pixel 3a. Finally leaving apple. The fact that they have a headphone jack was the main reason.
Are you happy with the speakers? I just watched few random YouTube reviews and they all say sound on 3a is bad.
Nothing glaring about the sound , I didn't expect much but I haven't upgraded since the iPhone se and it's better
This is the price point I've been missing and I've go one ordered already. Sure Nokia has been pretty good in this range, even with updates I think, but Verizon is the better carrier option in my area, so they're a no go. I like the Motorola stuff in theory, but they've got that same 3rd party manufacturer updates problem. I've got a Moto G5 Plus, which is a fine phone, but it's likely stuck at Android 8.1 for the rest of its life, and even that update from 7 took a very long time(after 9 launched).
When the Pixel 1 came out I bought it pretty much instantly in November 2016 and was amazed by how great the camera and the quality of the entire phone was. As someone who was very much invested in the Google eco system this was the perfect phone for me and when Google announced the Pixel 2 I was over the moon. Unfortunately the Pixel 2 was a huge disappointment. I still find my Pixel 1 to take overall better photos than the Pixel 2. The quality of the Pixel 2 also felt much cheaper. When the Pixel 3 arrived I thought initially that this was the long awaited upgrade, but again I was left extremely disappointed. In my opinion the original Pixel phone was the first device which I thought could finally contest the Apple iPhone, but since then I think this was a one off lucky shot by Google and everything which has followed was extremely below my expectations.
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...
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...
I have a Pixel XL, original one, and it's always been good. This makes me want to switch, partially for the smaller size. I see my Pixel has a snapdragon 821 chip, and the 3a has a 670. Can anyone comment on whether the 3a would generally be faster/better than my significantly older original Pixel XL? I don't know much about phone chips, but it generally seems that the 670 is better than the 821 from a cursory Google search.
It will probably be about the same - for the performance you percieve on Android the CPU isn't as important (unless you run games). Storage performance is the one that makes all the difference - and Pixel 3a's eMMC storage is showing pretty much the same numbers as the original Pixel.
From personal experience, a pixel 2 is significantly faster and smoother than a pixel 1, and the internet suggests the 670 chip in the 3a is slightly faster for general use than the 835 in the pixel 2, though for gaming its somewhere b/w pixel 1 and 2 as the 670 GPU is b/w the 821 and 835.
So for normal use, its definitely a upgrade to a pixel 1, and a slight upgrade over the pixel 2.
So for normal use, its definitely a upgrade to a pixel 1, and a slight upgrade over the pixel 2.
Thanks!
I was recently given a pixel 3 XL, I tried so hard to get on with it but the fingerprint sensor on the back ruined it for me (and google pay on london buses is embarrassingly slow).
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.
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.
totally opposite problem for the iPhone in the front for me. looking at a phone beyond just finding out the time while sitting at the desk was a hassle for me. Bad angle for both phone and neck. Having the phone picked up and the censor in the front was too unnatural and required too much dexterity I didn't possess.
I was waiting on this for so long, but ended up with a OnePlus instead, excited to finally see them released, it will be great for the Android ecosystem.
I wish the OLED display used higher frequency PWM or DC dimming instead of PWM. Otherwise it seems to be a decent device.
Compared to the two year old Pixel 2 this is disappointing. The screen is better but it appears to have the same cameras and a significantly slower CPU. Its radio is only cat 12 too.
You're better off buying a used Pixel 2.
You're better off buying a used Pixel 2.
I am wondering how durable these plastic bodies are going to be... Seems like it would be cheaper and easier to replace a plastic body, versus metal and glass... I can't wait touch one. The price is near perfect.
All the plastic phones I had were more durable than metal or glass. They scuff a little easier but plastic absorbs the hits rather than bending (metal) or cracking (glass).
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.
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.
Not to mention that it often comes with a grippy coating that prevents the phone from sliding out of your hand.
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.
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.
I miss when they had a plastic removable back and battery - it would hit the ground and three pieces would go flying, but that's 3 different vectors for kinetic energy, instead of just one composed entirely of glass.
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Difference for me has been how hard it is to find a repair shop that has parts in stock and can turn around a repair quickly on a non-Galaxy/non-iPhone.
I'm glad to see plastic make a return. I don't mind the metal, but I couldn't buy a glass backed phone. I remember when the Nexus 4 came out, people everywhere had broken glass backs.
Anecdotally like another comment says, all the plastic phones I've had have been way more durable than any glass phone, maybe with the exception of the Essential Phone. But then, it's made out of titanium so there's that.
Tough modern polymers are generally more durable in drop tests. Plastic, when it doesn't crack, just springs right back. Metal bends, and stays bent.
If you look at military guns these days, almost all of them have polymer magazines. This is one of the reasons why.
If you look at military guns these days, almost all of them have polymer magazines. This is one of the reasons why.
Are you? They have been using plastic in phones since the very beginning.
Anyone noticed that Google is cheating with Google Photos backup? Only hi-resolution gets backed up. To back up original resolution one has to buy Pixel 3. I am kind of pissed of this marketing.
Even for Pixel 3, the free unlimited storage with original resolution is till Jan 31, 2022.
I wonder what happens to photos stored after that.
Downgraded and resized?
https://support.google.com/photos/answer/6220791?co=GENIE.Pl...
https://support.google.com/photos/answer/6220791?co=GENIE.Pl...
None of that - the photos uploaded at "original" quality after that date will start counting towards your Drive quota.
Same as what happens when you switch to another non-Pixel phone.
Same as what happens when you switch to another non-Pixel phone.
What if you are above the free drive quota?
Kinda cheap move if you ask me.
Does it support wireless charging? I can't seem to find any info on that and I'm addicted to that feature. Can't imaging going back to dealing with desk spaghetti.
No wireless charging. Personally I find that having a desk-mounted power outlet gets rid of desk spaghetti. Also buying shorter USB cables so that they don't get spooled up cuts down on desk spaghetti.
Have you used wireless charging long? I'm worried about the effect the extra heat has on the longevity of the phone's battery.
I see this concern a lot, but I can't say I've ever noticed heating issues and I always use the Pixel Stand at night.
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'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)
Fair enough. You're the perfect user for a wireless charger then.
No wireless charging on the new phones.
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 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'm not from the US, what are the sales taxes (VAT) there? I mean for personal purchase.
I wonder casue $1 = 1£ once again. So the $399 US price (net) becomes 399£ (gross) which is $522 atm.
I wonder casue $1 = 1£ once again. So the $399 US price (net) becomes 399£ (gross) which is $522 atm.
A 20% VAT on top of $399 is $479. which is about £369, so you are paying £30 more, I guess that is fair since the consumer protection (?) are better than in the US?
We don't have a VAT. Each state/city has its own "sales tax" rate, which is the closest equivalent, and those vary from 0% to more than 10%.
There's three tiers that I'm aware of, state, county, and city. So much fun. I don't envy anyone that has to figure this mess out.
That would be nice. I work with leasing software and you’re right not to envy :-).
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!
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!
Sales tax is not included in the price, so if you buy the $399 phone, the sales tax is added on top of $399. The amount depends on state and city laws. Usually about 7.75%, so the $399 phone would cost about 430 total.
Sales tax in the US is a local thing, some states have 0, some about 10%. Then cities or other local bodies can have a sales tax on top of that.
No universal sales tax, it varies by locale. Sometimes specific blocks or neighborhoods have different sales taxes than surrounding areas.
For rough reference, is not uncommon to see 7% sales tax. Sometimes higher in bigger cities.
For rough reference, is not uncommon to see 7% sales tax. Sometimes higher in bigger cities.
This seems like the spiritual successor to the Nexus 5x.
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.
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.
Am I the only person who insists on buying phones with micro sd card slots? Still Google's phones are useless to me.
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.
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.
I don't really care if my phone is Android or iPhone or whatever. All I need is fast Firefox with ad blocking enabled, some messaging apps, quick camera, stereo front speakers, headphone jack, gps, quick charge, large battery, small weight, and NO bugs.
Today I find no phone can fully satisfy these criteria. Is 3a different? Let's wait a little bit for more extensive reviews.
Today I find no phone can fully satisfy these criteria. Is 3a different? Let's wait a little bit for more extensive reviews.
The glass on the screen on my Pixel 3 is the worst I've had in recent phones (Nexus 5, Moto X4). The rest of the phone is...fine. It picks up scratches really easily, and cracked in a moderate fall onto a wood floor. Both prior phones took a lot more abuse. My wife has the same phone and the exact same experience.
Just to remind everyone that anecdote != anecdata, I've got a 3xl with one of the fabric cases. No scratches yet, and it's even been dropped a few times with nothing to show for it. In short, I think the screen is great.
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.
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.
For sure. They have a different and more easily scratchable surface though - that's fairly noticeable. I had no change in behavior between it and prior phones. Barely got any scratches from pocketing them over the years, got multiple deep scratches on this one in the first week and more since. Bad batch? Maybe? Still sucks for an $800 phone. (Which I got effectively for free via Fi, so shrug.)
I had the same thing happen as well. I upgraded from a OG XL to a 3, and while I love everything else about the phone, it picked up several noticeable scratches within just six weeks. I have a screen protector on it now but it was still very frustrating since I didn't do anything I can recall to merit picking up any damage.
Meanwhile, the OG XL still looks new.
Meanwhile, the OG XL still looks new.
I don't use screen protector and glass looks good so far after 4 months.
This phone caught my attention because they added the headphone jack back in.
Unfortunately the screen is still huge, even in the non "XL" version. I'd rather not move to something bigger than my iPhone SE.
Unfortunately the screen is still huge, even in the non "XL" version. I'd rather not move to something bigger than my iPhone SE.
store.google.com: "We aren’t in your country yet"
This is bizzare. We have Apple/Samsung/Huawei/xiaomi stores on every corner somehow. At least they offer google search here.
This is bizzare. We have Apple/Samsung/Huawei/xiaomi stores on every corner somehow. At least they offer google search here.
And how many years will the battery will last?
I suspect 2-3 and then the phone will power off after 5 minutes of usage despite having 100% battery, or power off when opening the camera app. Then you'll be stuck with a really powerful phone whose specs could easily be usable for 5-10 more years, but you're out of luck because the battery is impossible to replace..
It feels shortsighted that people are willing to buy phones that doesn't have replaceable batteries.
It feels shortsighted that people are willing to buy phones that doesn't have replaceable batteries.
Is 3 years support the best it'll get in Android world? I've been itching to get an Android for some time now but I can't justify spending a couple hundreds for a phone that'll only last for so long and is already slow. This is in comparison to my 5S which still gets the latest iOS support since I bought it in 2013 (6 years!) while being decently fast (thanks iOS12).
At the moment it's 3. It will likely increase at some point. This is not a bad value though. Wait for some deals and you'll get to roughly $100/year cost of ownership.
I've been rocking an Galaxy S6 Edge+ for the last few years, would this be a worthwhile upgrade?
Coming from someone using an S7 Edge since its release, I don't think it would be an upgrade for me. I'm losing more than I'm gaining, I don't think I can go back to a non-waterproof/water-resistant phone which doesn't have wireless charging.
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
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
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my only problem with this is i feel burned by the pixel 2. I bought the blue one from verizon and the android messanger app would lose text messages from people and sometimes when I called people they couldnt hear me.
$649 for the non-XL in Australia. Christ.
400 usd to aud is about 570Aud, so is this a report to ACCC?
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...
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...
Don't forget 400 USD won't include tax. So 570AUD + GST is $627.
Is baffles me, 11 years after the introduction of iPhone people are still asking the same question.
Why do these people complain and ask if they didn't want to know the answer?
Why do these people complain and ask if they didn't want to know the answer?
exactly, most ppl keep forgetting the additional tax. esp US pricing tends to be pre-tax. yes tax-free states not withstanding.
plastic back => replaceable battery?!
Oh - my dream phone. Headphone jack, SD card slot and a big and replaceable battery...
If only
Should be 300$ and 400$
Oh wow! A Google phone with Google Assistant and Google Maps? Who would've thought!
Anyone else thinking that google is using the cheap device to collect even more in depth user data which is how it really makes money off the phones?
As an iPhone user who hasn't touched Android in years:
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
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc7LlUtQgNw
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
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc7LlUtQgNw
That's my perception of all phones, iPhones included.
Pretty standard marketing for all phones and "smart" devices these days
What specifically stands out to you about that being an ad for an Android phone instead of an iPhone? I can't see a huge differentiation.
* 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:
https://store.google.com/product/pixel_3a_specs
https://store.google.com/us/product/pixel_3_specs?hl=en-US