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I ordered a Google Pixel 3a XL to compare it to the Pixel 3 XL much more expensive. Here are some thoughts before his arrival.
First of all, and of course, I am a little disconcerted by the positive press that this phone and the Pixel 3a have had. Critics who quickly had access to these devices and are familiar with the flaws of their dearest siblings, the Pixel 3 and 3 XL, fear for marketing Google.
I am really confused by this.
The New York Times, for example, explains how his readers are "frustrated by the current prices of smartphones, which are approaching the price of a decent car". And Google has found the solution: replace high-end bowels with cheaper parts, some key features and call it a success.
"We're seeing fatigue with rising smartphone prices, and people who think," You know, five years ago I could buy the best phone possible at half that price, "" Brian Rakowski, of Google, says the publication.
Well yes, Brian. They could. They could have bought this phone at home. It was called Nexus 6P (and Nexus 5X) and offered key specs at reasonable prices. The only thing that has really changed since then is that Google has just started charging as much as high end phone manufacturers like Apple and Samsung. For some reasons.
But the Times is not the only one to praise the obvious: phones with cheaper components cost less.
CNET exclaims that Pixel 3a is "the cheap phone that Google always needs". CNET apparently was not aware of the Nexus 6P / 5X, but Engadget remembers, noting that Pixel 3a was a "triumphant return to affordable phones" for Google; I guess they just forgot that Google's previous affordable phones were high-end devices and not stripper models. At the same time, the Android police say that these mid-range devices "give almost every phone under $ 500 a bad image." OK, but for only $ 50 more, you can get a great OnePlus 6T delivered with really high-end components. In fact, they are ashamed of the $ 1,000 Pixel 3XL.
OK, I know what you think. These guys actually used a Pixel 3a and / or a Pixel 3a XL and I did not do it. And yeah. It's both true and right. I will do it, and my own Pixel 3a XL is coming tomorrow and should be an interesting confrontation with the Pixel 3 XL, a flagship class I recently bought mid-way through. In fact, I only paid $ 20 more for a 128GB Pixel 3 XL than for a 64GB Pixel 3a. I know that at these prices, the Pixel 3 XL is the better deal.
But I can also read a specification sheet and see what Google has forgotten when announcing the handsets. I also have many years of experience with Android phones and I understand the problems of this platform, especially with the performance over time. And anyone who believes that a few days of experience with Pixel 3a or 3a XL is somehow sufficient to determine the handset's long-term viability is – sorry – a fool.
Let's take a look at the 3a XL compared to the Pixel 3 XL, because these are the versions I will have, and see where the new handsets shine and where they are not. What does it look like when you save $ 410 on a smartphone?
Design. While the Pixel 3a XL retains the same two-pane appearance as the original Pixel, it looks (and probably looks) more like the Pixel 2 XL than the Pixel 3 XL, with its forehead and chinrests clearly visible. This is partly due to the fact that the body is not made of glass, as in Pixel 3 XL, a cost saving maneuver that has a negative functional side effect noted below. But he does not have the same stupid and enormous guts as his more expensive brother. This also has a negative functional side effect, also noted below.
Form factor. Although the two handsets have the same width of 3 inches, they are curiously different in the other dimensions. The 3a XL is a bit bigger and its 6 inch screen is smaller than the 3 XL 6.3 inch. The size differences in the real world are probably minimal because of the large notch of the 3 XL. But the display of the 3a XL is also very inferior, see below.
Colors. The Pixel 3 XL can be obtained in white, black or (not) pink (which is really a beige color). The Pixel 3a XL is sold in white, black and purple (which is very purple).
Display. Here, things become interesting. The Pixel 3 XL features a stunning 6.2-inch Quad HD + OLED flexible 523-pixel-per-inch (dpi) display and an aspect ratio of 18: 5.9 with HDR support. The Pixel 3a XL comes with a full HD resolution of 6 inches + OLED 402 ppi and an 18: 9 aspect ratio and does not support HDR. The only question here is whether the lower Pixel 3a XL screen is "good enough".
Drums. The 3a XL battery has a larger 3,700 mAh battery than the 3430 mAh 3 XL, which, combined with a less powerful processor and a lower resolution display, should provide a significant benefit in terms of battery life. drums. Based on a few weeks of experience with the 3 XL, which does not provide battery power all day, this could be a big problem.
Charge. The Pixel 3 XL supports fast charging and fast wireless charging. The 3a XL only supports fast charging (wired) thanks to its polycarbonate back without glass.
Resistant to water. The Pixel 3 XL is and the 3a XL is not.
Processors. It's the Achilles heel of Pixel 3a XL, I think. The Snapdragon 670 processor is not only a major advance over the Snapdragon 845 of the Pixel 3 XL, but the 3a XL processor lacks Google's Pixel Visual Core chipset, which the group claims to be the "first custom coprocessor for the treatment and language of the machine. This will pose a problem of quality and photographic performance. If you consider the Pixel camera's performance issues that have affected the latest generation devices and the fact that Android's performance is eroding over time, the Pixel 3a XL could be a bad choice for those looking for a commitment of more than two years. (Both handsets come with the Titan M. security module)
RAM. Both devices come with 4GB of RAM, which is low for a high-end handset but enough for a mid-range model like the 3a XL.
Storage room. The Pixel 3 XL can be purchased with 64GB of storage or 128GB of storage. But the 3a XL offers only a single configuration of 64 GB, which is a curious and unnecessary limitation. Google should at least give customers the opportunity to upgrade. (And we could also argue for a configuration of 256 GB on the 3 XL.)
Cameras. We do a lot to ensure that the rear cameras are identical, materially, on these two handsets. That is, they are both equipped with a 12.2 MP dual-pixel rear camera with ƒ / 1.8 aperture, phase detection functions with autofocus and dual pixel optical and electronic image stabilization. But the lack of a Visual Core Pixel chipset could affect the quality and performance of the 3a XL. And the front cameras are quite different: where the Pixel 3 XL is equipped with a dual-front camera system with an 8 MP wide-angle lens with an aperture of ƒ / 2.2 and a fixed-focus camera of 8 MP offering a "super large group" selfie cam ", the Pixel 3a XL only has a single 8MP fixed focus front camera with an aperture of ƒ / 2.0.
L & # 39; s Audio. Both handsets have stereo speakers, but the 3 XLs are front-facing (even if they are a little skewed to the right in landscape mode). And both audio features on USB-C. But only the cheapest 3a offers a real headphone jack. And then, do I miss this headphone jack?
Browsing through this list, I identify the following negatives for the cheaper 3a XL, in order:
- Performance
- Performance and (potentially) quality of photography; no group selfie cam on the front
- Storage: a single storage option of 64 GB
- No wireless charging
- No resistance to water
That said, the Pixel 3a XL also has some advantages over its twice-expensive brother, who is curious. They are (in no particular order):
- Battery life (presumed)
- Headphone jack
- Less fragile because it's not all glass
- Hey, $ 400 is $ 400
Surprising, no? In addition to the potential performance issues that could again be the Achilles heel of the Pixel 3a XL, I have the impression that I could live with most other disadvantages, especially considering the $ 400 differential. That said, I would also prefer to pay between $ 550 and $ 650 for a OnePlus 7 Pro, assuming that this phone finally works with a higher quality camera.
Who knows? The elusive area of smartphones may be changing. We will have to wait and see what happens.
Tagged Google Pixel 3a XL
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